Someone should write a book about the relationship between evolutions in music and the visual arts. I suppose someone already has, but if so, I'm unaware of it. For example, were there forces in the wind that "caused" the remarkably parallel developments in abstract expressionism and modern music, particularly jazz? Food for thought.
In this issue of our newsletter, we invite you to a very special concert on the River Common at the Amphitheater (go through the Northampton Street portal) and ask your help in documenting one of Wilkes-Barre's famous natives in the world of art. No, I'm not talking about George Catlin.
Read on!
Mike Burnside Executive Director Cultural Council of Luzerne County
Today! 7-8pm
River Common
Amphitheater to Host Grammy Award Winning Artist!
WYOMING SEMINARY
SPONSORS BRASS AND JAZZ MUSIC IN THE PARK!
Grammy Award winner, Steve Fidyk will christen the River Common Amphitheater on Thursday, July 29th as he performs with the Performing Arts Institute's (PAI) Faculty Jazz Ensemble. The musical performance will be the first concert to be hosted at the newly constructed venue, and will additionally feature low brass chamber music ensembles lead by Michael Parker.
Fidyk, who is an accomplished percussionist, studio musician, clinician, and educator, will perform alongside industry veterans Alex Noppe, Pete Johnson, Kyle Vock and friends from 7-8pm in the park. Fidyk is an accomplished musician with over thirty recordings to his credit. He currently resides as a drummer with the Army Blues Jazz Ensemble of Washington, D.C., and has toured and recorded with Maureen McGivern, New York Voices, Cathy Fink and Marcy Maxer, The Capitol Bones, Michael Abene, and the Taylor/Fidyk Big Band, an ensemble he co-leads with Stan Kenton Alumnus Mark Taylor.
Noppe is an associate instructor in jazz at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where he directs the Jazz Ensemble IV. He is currently a D.M. candidate in Brass Literature and Pedagogy, previously completed a master's degree in performance at Indiana, studying with John Rommel and David Baker, and holds dual bachelor's degrees in trumpet performance and jazz studies from the University of Michigan. Noppe currently plays with the Columbus-Indiana Philharmonic, the Terre Haute Symphony, and the David Baker Jazz Ensemble and has performed with the Lansing Symphony, the Jackson Symphony, and the Green Bay Symphony.
Parker has been the tuba player with the Monumental Brass Quintet in Washington, D.C. since 2002. As a member of the MBQ, Parker is currently on the artist rosters for Summit Records, Washington Performing Arts Society, Class Acts Arts, Living Arts Pennsylvania, and formerly with Young Audiences of DC and Virginia. Mike has additionally performed with the Washington National Opera, Fairfax Symphony, Washington Savoyards Light Opera Company, Elmhurst Symphony, Missouri Brass Consortium, Mount Vernon Brass Consort, and the Kenosha Symphony.
The accomplished musicians join the River Common as part of the PAI's International Summer Program which educates high school students in music, theater, and dance. Taught by prestigious international faculty and conductors, this intensive program prepares students for conservatory auditions by providing academic training and high-level performance experiences.
Joining the faculty performers, PAI students, Josh Fleming, Matt Johnson, and Gregory Townsend will support the concert experience.
For more information regarding the PAI 2010 summer concert series, please visit www.wyomingseminary.org/pai
For more information about this and future programs visit www.rivercommon.org or call 570-823-2101 x128
Franz Kline of Wilkes-Barre, PA
Franz Kline was born in Wilkes-Barre, in 1910, the son of immigrants. He did not have an easy life, though he reached the pinnacle of the Abstract Expressionist art world. There is a pretty good biography of Kline on the Artchive web site. He began in representational art and later transitioned into abstraction (hence the relevance to the evolution in music). He died young, in 1962, and is buried in Hollenback Cemetary, despite the fact that he spent so little time here in the Wyoming Valley. If you visit that link, you will see a photo of his grave stone. It is a double stone, and sadly, there is only one name.
Kline's art is in the world's finest collections. While he returned to the Valley to rest in peace, we're curious about his art. Has any of it returned to the Valley? We'd like to know! If you know, or think you know, of any works of Franz Kline in collections in Northeastern PA, we'd be most pleased if you'd send us any information you have - the owner or location of the work, title, provenance - anything at all. We just think we ought to have an inventory of our natives son's work here at his home town. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be able to help. You can reach us by simply replying to this newsletter email, or at cclcarts@gmail.com.
The Cultural Council
