Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Gather for an evening with perfect pitch

---

By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Music lovers listen up. The Pitch Perfect Evening, a musical celebration benefiting the Sun Valley Summer Symphony Music Conservatory, is Saturday, March 6, at the nextStage Theatre in Ketchum. The music begins at 7:30 p.m.

And what an evening is planned. Divine music, delectable treats and an artistic cause that promotes music to our youth.

Music Conservatory students in grades six through 12 receive tuition-free instruction from some of the finest classically trained musicians in Idaho. Several of them are Wood River Valley residents.

"This program is only possible because of the caliber of our instructors. Any music program in the country would be thrilled to have this group of enthusiastic educators and outstanding artists working with their students." Artistic Director R.L. Rowsey said,

Included in the evening’s repertoire is an exciting opening performance of a familiar excerpt from Johann Straus’ "Die Fledermaus."

Other highlights of the evening includes a performance by soprano Katherine Edison, who spent a season as Performer in Residence at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts. Edison was most recently featured as the archangel Gabriel in the Caritas Chorale’s performance of "The Creation" by Franz Joseph Haydn. In keeping with the evening’s theme of celebration, Edison will perform several lively songs based on dance forms.

Sarah Kowitz, holding a master’s degree in Violin Pedagogy from the University of Austin, will perform the short and lively "Le Tango Select."

Mark Neiwirth, a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music who has functioned as the principal pianist in the Edgar M. Bronfman Chamber Series in Sun Valley, will perform the spectacular "Mephisto Waltz" by Franz Liszt.

Symphony guest conductor Brendan Freund will play Twelve Variations on "Ahh, vous dirai-je, Maman" by Wolfgang Mozart, which so delighted last season’s Sun Valley Summer Symphony audience,

Also there will be excerpts from the operetta "The Merry Widow" showcasing the talents of instructors Edison, Kowitz, Neiwirth and Rowsey. The entire student body of the Music Conservatory is also in the lineup for the evening’s festivities.

This annual fundraising benefit allows the Music Conservatory to continue to provide coaching and advanced music education to local students interested in furthering their musical education.

"We must stop thinking of the arts as a luxury, and realize that the integration of the arts into our lives on a regular basis not only improves the quality of our lives, but offers us tools that open doors to improving the quality of our world," Rowsey said. "For some of these students with exceptional skills and talent, this is the beginning of a career in the arts. For others, it is an outstanding introduction to the power of music in our lives."

There are a limited number of seats available for this benefit, which sold out last year. Tickets include après dinner fare of wine, patisserie and coffee.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. for guests to socialize and enjoy a "pre-show" of piano and string students performing pieces they have readied for "Festival ’04," a regionally adjudicated individual competition.

Call the Music Conservatory at 788-4616 for more information and to purchase tickets.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.