‘Sacred Harp’ movement revealed through film
Emmanuel Church in Hailey is starting a Sacred Harp singing group, and to better understand the movement, the public is invited to view the documentary “Awake My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp” on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m.
On Sunday, Feb. 17, there will be a live demonstration and potluck dinner, also at 4 p.m. at the church at 101 S. Second Ave.
The “sacred harp” refers to the human voice. Songs are performed a capella and originated as Protestant Christian music, with hymns from the book “The Sacred Harp.”
It is a nondenominational tradition of sacred choral music that took root in the Southern region of the United States. No musical experience is required, and participants learn these traditional hymns by a method of “shape notes.” There is no director, and instead participants are encouraged to take turns leading the songs. Sacred Harp “sings” include everyone, with the same level of participation.
Jenny Jensen from the Utah Sacred Harp Singing group will be on hand to guide the singing on Sunday. Everyone is welcome to sing or listen. No experience or membership is required. Books will be available to borrow or purchase.
Contact Janet Houts at sandjhouts@cox.net for more information.
Caritas Chorale to present the music of Antonin Dvorak
On Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17, at 7: 30 p.m., the members of Caritas Chorale under the artistic direction of Dick Brown will assemble at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Sun Valley Road to perform free concerts featuring Dvorak’s “Mass in D Major.”
The soloists are Amy Staiger, soprano; Jeanette Gambrel, alto; Rob Farnham, bass; and Clifford Sharp, tenor. Organist for both concerts will be Dave Tacher, who is interim organist at St. Thomas and has given both organ and harpsichord performances on numerous occasions in the valley.
Dvorak was born in 1841 in what is now the Czech Republic, and graduated from an organ conservatory before he reached age 20. The “Mass in D Major” features organ accompaniment, along with four soloists.
Donations are welcome.
Valley’s artistic vision taken beyond state lines
Courtney Gilbert, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts’ curator of visual arts, has been on the road sharing the work that The Center does with colleagues in the museum field and with university students.
In October, Gilbert participated in a panel discussion at the Western Museums Association conference in Palm Springs, Calif., organized by Julie Decker, chief curator at the Anchorage Museum. The topic was “The Contemporary Landscape: Museums and the Environment,” and Gilbert discussed three exhibitions that The Center has organized around environmental themes: “The Whole Salmon” (2003), “Water” (2010) and last winter’s “Thin Ice,” which Gilbert curated.
Other panelists were Barbara Matilsky of the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Wash., and Katherine Hough of the Palm Springs Art Museum.
In November, Gilbert traveled to Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa to jury the school’s annual student exhibition. In addition to selecting artwork, Gilbert gave a lecture called “Connecting Art to Ideas,” citing examples of how she puts together exhibitions at The Center. She also did studio visits with four students who are working on senior projects.
“I also get such great input from talking about The Center’s work with museum colleagues and with students that I come back reinvigorated and filled with new ideas,” Gilbert said.
Snowshoe for cancer will wrap up annual symposium
Expedition Inspiration’s eighth annual Twilight Snowshoe for Breast Cancer Research fundraiser will be held Friday, Feb. 15, from 5-8:30 p.m. at the Valley Club in Hailey.
The fundraiser supports both the symposium and the young investigators grants and includes a sunset snowshoe excursion and a cocktail party featuring a silent auction. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at www.expeditioninspiration.org. Last year’s event raised about $50,000.
Doctors, scientists and clinical investigators will meet in Sun Valley from Feb. 12-16 to share breast cancer information among themselves and with the public as part of the 17th annual Laura Evans Memorial Breast Cancer Symposium, an invitation-only symposium encourages top breast cancer researchers to exchange ideas in an effort to advance treatment or find a cure for the disease.
Think of the art of summer
Application forms are now available for the Ketchum Arts Festival, a summer celebration of local arts, entertainers and food.
Details for the July 12-14 event can be found at www.ketchumartsfestival.com. For best booth prices and inclusion in the festival guide, complete applications must be postmarked by March 15.
Local artists are never juried, but will be accepted with a complete application as long as booths are available. “Local artists” means those who are currently Blaine County residents or those who resided in Blaine County when they previously participated in the festival. Additional fees will apply to applications postmarked after March 15.
Each year, a handful of talented guest artists from other parts of Idaho will be accepted through a jury process, to round out the festival offerings.
