Glee-Singing and Sports

Encaustic Painting by Sue Jensen - featured artist at Lord & McCord

I wrote about the choirs at the Reno Jazz Festival last year. I said I was disappointed that they are performing more original compositions and no longer swing. I have been watching the TV show Glee, about a singing (and dancing) high school choir for the last two years, so I was curious to know if the popularity of Glee had impacted the middle and high schools that compete in Reno. I was sure that I was seeing changes the first day. The choirs were bigger and the songs were more traditional. I was less sure the second day when more original compositions were sung. So I asked the choir director of Hamilton School for the Arts in LA, a school that wins first place at least every other year. His answer was a definite Yes! For the first time ever, he had more boys that girls try out for the choir. And, like Glee, I assume these singing boys are also playing football.

May is Longview Historic Preservation Month and five events are planned. May 5, talk at the Cowlitz County Historical Museum (See First Thursday Activities). May 7, 1pm. Opening events, including two films, at the Longview Public Library. May 14, 10am. Walking Tours of Lions Island and Japanese Island. May 21, 10am. Walking (or bus) Tour of Old West Side homes. May 22, 2pm. Family Bike ride around historic Lake Sacajawea. Info: Bill Kasch 360-423-6704.

May is also the first anniversary for Lord & McCord Art Works. Stop by on First Thursday and congratulate Linda for a good year and a great gallery.

First Thursday Activities – May 5
Broadway Gallery, 1418 Commerce, Longview www.the-broadway-gallery.com/
Becky Knold (paintings and whimsical dolls), Marie Wise (paintings) and Della Moore (tables)
Reception 5:30-7:30pm. Music by Dian Norman and Mike Therault.

Longview Public Library Koth Gallery, 1600 Louisiana, Longview www.longviewlibrary.org/
Longview Historic Preservation Commission
Open until 8pm.

Lord & McCord Art Works, 1416 Commerce, Longview www.lindamccord.com/
First Anniversary featuring Sue Jensen (encaustics). 6pm talk.
Reception 5–7pm. Live music.

LCC Gallery at the Rose Center, 15th & Washington, Longview lowercolumbia.edu/
Art Faculty Biennial
Open until 7pm.

Teague's Interiors, 1267 Commerce, Longview www.teaguesinteriors.com/
"Trinity" Arts of Faith, an invitational show
Reception 5:30-7pm.

The Bistro, 1329 Commerce Avenue, Longview www.thebistrobuzz.com/
Wine tasting. Live music. Door prizes. Reservations recommended.
Hours: 5-8pm.

Cowlitz County Historical Museum, 405 Allen St, Kelso www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/museum/
"Reading Between the Lines: the Stories Old Buildings Tell Us" by Michael Herschensohn of Humanities Washington.
Program begins at 7pm; museum open until 9pm.

Activities
May 1-May 23: May Day Show. Broderick Gallery. Reception May 1 from 1-6. 313 E “B” Street, Rainier, Ore. Info: www.broderickgallery.com/

May 1: Columbia River Handbells Free Concert. 3pm. St Stephen's Church, 1428 22nd Ave, Longview, Wash. Info: 503-556-2524.

May 1: Peter Pan – the musical. Longview Stageworks. 7:30, Sun. 2pm. $20-35. Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, 1231 Vandercook, Longview, Wash. Info: www.longviewstageworks.com/

May 3: WordFest. Spike Walker True Adventures. 6-8pm, The Brits, 1427 Commerce, Longview, Wash. Info: 360-425-3430x280.

May 3: “The 39 Steps.”7:30pm. $25-$45. Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, 1231 Vandercook, Longview, Wash. Info: 360-575-8499.

May 6: “Jazz from the Heart.” Northwest Jazz Orchestra. 7pm. Suggested donation $5 adults, $4 Students/ Seniors, Free 12 and under. Trinity Lutheran Church, 2021 Washington Way, Longview, Wash. Info: 360-636-7362.

May 6-22: “Dirty Work at the Crossroads” A Gay 90’s Melodrama. 7:30pm; Sun 2pm. $10. Loves Street Playhouse, 126 Loves Ave, Woodland, Wash. Info: www.lovestreetplayhouse.com/.

May 8: St. Stephen’s Kaleidoscope Concert Mostly Mozart Program. 2pm. St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 22nd and Louisiana, Longview, Wash. Info: Gary Lindstrom 360-431-8653.

May 10: Wind Soloists of New York. Community Concert Association. May 10, 7:30. $25 adults, $10 students. Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, 1231 Vandercook, Longview, Wash. Info: Betty Houten at 360-425-5136.

May 13: Justin Shandor-Elvis tribute artist. 7:30pm, $25-$35. Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, 1231 Vandercook, Longview, Wash. Info: 360-575-8499.

May 13-21: “Done to Death” Student Production of Murder Mystery Spoof. Mainstage Theatre. 7:30pm; May 21, 2pm. $5. Dana Brown Mainstage Theatre, R.A. Long High School, 2903 Nichols, Blvd., Longview, Wash. Info: Susan Donahue 360-575-7733.

May 19-28: “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Kelso High School Theatre. 7:30pm.

May 26-June 11: “The Adding Machine.” LCC Center Stage Theatre. 7:30pm. $8 adults, $7 students/seniors. LCC Rose Center for the Arts, 15th Ave & Washington, Longview Wash. Info: 360-442-2682.

Opportunities
Call for Artists: West Gallery of Spokane, Wash invites artists to enter a Juried Exhibition to be held at the gallery during August. Prizes for Pottery and Painting. Deadline: May 20. Prospectus and entry forms available at www.avenuewestgallery.org/.

Call for Artists: Columbian Artists Association seeking artists to exhibit and sell fine arts and crafts at the third annual juried Art in the Park event scheduled for August 20. Deadline is May 15. Info: www.columbianartists.org/ or 360-425-0142.

Call for Vendors: Kelso Downtown Spring Fling looking for crafters, artists, food vendors, etc. June 4, 10-4. Booths available for $15. Info: 360-423-4816.

Call for Artists: Eco Park Resort, located at mile post 24 on the Spirit Lake Highway, is looking for artists to feature each weekend this summer. Lots of space for set up; no charge or commission fee. Check out the facility at www.ecoparkresort.com/. Info: Dawn Smith at: reservations@ecoparkresort.com/.

Looking for Art in Reno

My husband and I attended the Jazz Fest in Reno, Nevada again this year. We arrived a day early so I decided to spend the day seeing how visual and performing art is promoted in Reno. I always collect art brochures from the cities I visit, so I first wanted to go to the Reno tourism information center. I never found it; the following describes my attempt.
1. Resident: I asked Bob, our host for the Jazz Fest who has lived in Reno for at least 30 years, where I could find information about art in Reno. He had no idea where a tourism office was located but suggested we go to the Nevada Museum of Art. His girlfriend suggested the Stremmel Gallery.
2. Internet: I cannot remember exactly what search terms I used with Google but I was lead to believe that the Eldorado Hotel Casino Convention Center, located downtown, would have information for tourists. It didn’t. My husband and I went to the concierge desks at three downtown hotels/casinos before we found several brochures on dining and outdoor recreation and a helpful man who suggested we go to Sierra Arts .
3. Sierra Arts: A flyer for Sierra Arts states that “…it is proud to be the region’s only arts organization with an emphasis on teaching, nurturing and supporting the arts in our community. It provides education opportunities for artists of all ages, as well as development and training, financial support and promotional and marketing assistance.” Did it have any information about the arts groups in Reno? The volunteer who was at the front desk said it was his first day on the job so he went into another room to ask someone with more experience. The answer was NO. He suggested I go to the Chamber of Commerce located at City Hall.
4. City Hall: City Hall was very nice with an art gallery (closed) and some very nice brochures, including The Reno City Hall Art Collection, Reno Public Art and Historic Reno Walking Tours. The woman at the desk didn’t know where I could find additional information about art; the Chamber of Commerce had moved even though a sign posted outside indicated they were on the 16th floor.
5. Chamber of Commerce: Lots of brochures; none having to do with art. The woman at the desk was somewhat mystified by my request. She copied the arts and culture pages from a chamber of commerce membership book. This information listed some performing arts groups and activities but indicated that I should contact Sierra Arts for a listing of art galleries. I found the McKinley Arts & Culture Center listed under Arts Organizations.
6. McKinley Arts & Culture Center: This Center is in a beautiful historic building located along the Truckee River. It has gallery space, arts and crafts workshop, the city of Reno Arts and Culture Division and rental office space for local non-profit arts organizations–music, theatre, art and dance groups. The reception area contained a few arts brochures. A helpful woman who worked for the Arts and Culture Division said there was no master list of arts groups but that I should check with Sierra Arts for a list of art galleries. She gave me a Truckee River Arts District Map (located in downtown Reno) that had been produced several years back but now with budget cuts….
7. Nevada Museum of Art and the Stremmel Gallery: We did visit these galleries briefly on subsequent days (and while feasting on gourmet toasted cheese sandwiches because April is Toasted Cheese Sandwich Month). The Museum of Art has wonderful art, gift store and cafe but no brochures for other arts organizations. The same for the Stremmel Gallery-wonderful art but no brochures. This Gallery, operating since 1969, was featuring trompe l'oeil painting by Bill Braun, a Seattle artist. The man at the desk said that Reno galleries did not cooperate in any regular activities (i.e., First Thursday) because they were located too far away from each other and there was no use publishing a list of galleries because most galleries opened and closed quickly.

I left Reno feeling good about Longview. We do have lots of arts organizations brochures that are displayed at places tourists visit as well as on our tourism website. In addition, we have a local internet calendar and The Daily News (far superior to the Reno daily newspaper) where our arts activities are listed.

P.S. I checked again for a Reno tourism center after I returned and must have used better search words because I quickly found the Reno/Tahoe visitor’s site. The website has a link to arts and culture and list three art centers, 17 art galleries, five performing arts groups, and two theatre groups. And I found out where the visitor’s center is; the place to “enhance your visitor experience by stopping by…for destination brochures, area information, day trip and tour ideas”. Silly me, I thought it would be downtown but it is 3-4 miles from downtown. I don’t feel too bad I couldn’t find it because Reno residents don’t know where it is either.

Another friend in Reno sent me information about Downtown Reno , a website that covers art in downtown, and Artown , a series of events that “brings the arts to Reno each July.” I guess I chose the wrong month to find art in Reno. But I did make $4 playing the penny slots.

All That Jazz and May Activities

All That Jazz

I am on the road with my first laptop; struggling with Word 7 and Wi-Fi. The reason for this trip was the Reno Jazz Festival (April 22-24) www.unr.edu/rjf. My husband, Ed, had attended this annual competition between middle and high schools and colleges for years. It had been a guy thing; a high school buddy (Bob) of Ed’s. a retired University of Reno professor and serious jazz trumpeter, would host a small high school reunion. But as the guys dropped out, I began attending.

The Festival consists of two days of jazz choir, combo and big band performances and three nights of concerts. The Friday night concert features a “big name” guest artist and the Saturday concert showcases some of the competition winners. We usually skip the Thursday night concert because it features the Collective, a University of Reno jazz faculty ensemble that is a little too avant-garde for our taste. Ed says they are doing the equivalent of presenting papers. And it is the only time we have time to play the penny slots.

The talent is amazing and it is encouraging to see that some schools still consider art important. Ed had come back with stories of 12 year old vocalists or trumpet players bringing tears to his eyes. The talent is still there but what is changing each year is jazz. All the groups are spending more time “outside the chord.” This is a term that I learned from Bob that describes the increase in dissonance in modern jazz. (Inside the chord describes church music, conventional and comfortable.) There is also a trend toward performing original compositions rather than standard tunes. Modern jazz doesn’t swing and I miss it.

This is not to say that the Festival wasn’t wonderful. We spent most of our time listening to the choir competition and were very pleased that the choir from Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, WA won their category. They had an older female soloist that we suspected had a singing career in a previous life. The winning high school, Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, sung an acapella version of "In the Wee Small Hours" that caused Bob to weep. The winning small school combo from Sisters, OR performed two sweet, melodic songs with vibes in the lead. And the winning bands from Seattle’s Garfield High School (they always do well) and Portland’s Sunset High School did swing – on one of their two tunes.

The other highlight was the Friday Night performance by the Bill Holman Big Band. Bill Holman, a gentleman in his 80’s, is a Grammy Award Winning saxophonist and arranger. He has arranged and composed for many of the best jazz musicians – Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Natalie Cole. He has some outstanding musicians in this band (Ed says he had some of the Stan Kenton band) and they could swing. But they didn’t swing the traditional tunes; they swung bebop and Thelonious Monk. And these songs had melodies buried beneath complex rhythmic structures and cascades of notes. Ed said it was the best big band concert he had ever heard. I appreciated Monk for the first time.

NOTE: The picture at the top is of the Contra Costa College, San Pablo CA, choir.

May Activities

April 29, May 6, 13, and 27: Community Conversations. Wings on the Human Spirit, the Visual and Performing Arts. April 29: “Music and Dance in the Balkans” by Daniela Ivanova-Nyberg, Professional dancer and teacher; May 6,“The Play’s the Thing” by Don Correll, LCC Drama instructor; May 13, “An Exploration in Dance” by Megan Jasurda, LCC Dance instructor; May 27, “Theatre as Consciousness” by Kurt Beattie from A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle. 12pm-1pm. Wollenberg Auditorium, Rose Center for the Arts, Lower Columbia College, Longview, Wash. Info: 360-442-2311 or http://www.lcc.ctc.edu/.

April 30-May 1-2, 7-9, 14-16: The Fantasticks. Dinner Theatre by The Storefront Theatre Company. 6:30pm; Sunday matinees1:30pm. Three Rivers Mall (next to Bath & Body Works), 351 3 Rivers Drive, Kelso. Info: Phillip A. Kennedy 360-487-6190 or e-mail thefantasticks@comcast.net.

May 1, 8, 15, and 16: Longview Historic Preservation Month. May 1, Opening festivities, walking tour of old Westside homes, presentation of Historical Preservation awards. 10:00am-11:45am. The Merk on Commerce and Broadway, Longview. May 8: Walking tour of Historic Downtown. 10:00am-11:30am. The Merk on Commerce and Broadway, Longview. May 15: Walking Tour of Lake Sacajawea. 10:00am-11:30am. Meet at lake entrance at Kessler and Hemlock. May 16: Tour of Donnie Doble’s dairy barn. 1:00pm-4:00pm. 2703 Pacific Way, Longview. Info: 360-423-4427.

May 2: Kaleidoscope Concert. Classical, opera, tango and Broadway music. Celebration Concert Series. 3pm. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Ave., Longview. Info: Gary Lindstrom 360-431-8653.

May 8: KUKN Country Nashville Unplugged presents Billy Dean.7:30pm. Columbia Theatre. www.columbiatheatre.com/.

May 14-15, 21-22: The Matchmaker: Mainstage Theatre production of Thornton Wilder play on which “Hello Dolly” is based. 7:30pm; 2:00pm on May 22. R.A. Long High School auditorium, 2903 Nichols Blvd, Longview.

May 15: 3rd Annual Antique Appraisal Day- Up to three items-art, jewelry, furniture, ceramics, glass, etc. to be appraised by Robin Caton and other guest appraisers from Portland and Seattle. Donation $5.00 to the Downtown Street Decorations fund. 10:00am-2:00pm.Teague’s Interiors, 1267 Commerce, Longview http://www.teaguesinteriors.com/.

May 15: Frank Ferrante as Grouch Marx (substitute for Jack Benny Show). 7:30pm. Columbia Theatre. www.columbiatheatre.com/.

May 24: KLASS – concert of the Kelso-Longview associated schools symphony for children in grades 3-12 and Mark Morris band. 6:00pm. Mark Morris Cafeteria, 1602 Mark Morris Court, Longview.

May 26-29, June 2-5, 10-12. The Three Cuckolds – LCC Center Stage production of masked commedia. 7:30pm. Rose Center for the Performing Arts, 15th and Washington, Longview. Info: http://lowercolumbiacollege.edu/.

May 27 – June 11: LCC Annual Student Art Show. Opening Reception: May 27, 5:00-7:00pm. . LCC Gallery at the Rose Center, 15th & Washington, Longview. lowercoluhttp://lowercolmbiacollege.edu/

Opportunities
Writers Wanted: Valley Bugler seeking writers to produce 400 word essays on their profession or passion. Contact Michelle Myre, Publisher, at editor@valleybugler.com.

Workshop
Grant Writing for Artists. Presented by Artists Trust. June 12. Vancouver, WA. Info: Miguel Guillen at 206/467-8734 x11, 866/218-7878 x11 (toll-free) or miguel@artisttrust.org.

Classes
Zydeco Dance Lessons: Thursdays April 22-May 20. Classes 6:30pm-7:30pm; CD dancing 7:30pm-8:30pm. Public Welcome. No experience or partner necessary. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Ave. Longview. Info: Chere Weiss 360-430- 8865.