The members of TrioCollage on their recent tour of Chile : Janna Lower, violin, Tannis Gibson, piano and Mark Tanner, cello
Freeport, Grand Bahama - Only two weeks into 2010 and youngsters on
Grand Bahama could get the biggest free musical treat of the year – so long as
they show up early.
It will be first come, first served on
Saturday January 16 with a strict limit on the number of seats available at the
Church of the Ascension in East Beach Drive, Freeport. And it is sure to be popular because what is
being staged – Carnival of the Animals – is a favourite with children and music
teachers round the globe.
What makes it so special is that the music
will be played by three world-class musicians.
They will be on the island to perform a weekend of concerts and it will
be a real treat for local music lovers since the members of TrioCollage are in demand
on concert stages in North and South America, Europe and Asia as well as on
CDs.
Carnival of the Animals, being staged at
4pm on Saturday January 16, is sandwiched between Friday night classical and
Sunday afternoon lighter “pops” programmes.
All are at the same venue.
The weekend has been arranged by the Grand
Bahama Performing Arts Society which is celebrating its first anniversary this
month and has established a remarkable reputation in a short time for the
variety and quality of fare it offers.
Pianist Tannis Gibson, whose outstanding
solo concert and master classes last January marked the debut of the GBPAS,
will form one part of the trio.
Tannis, who has just returned from a
Christmas concert tour of China, had a friend arrange the piece which was
originally composed for an orchestra for three musicians. She said: “It’s the kind of work that kids
adore. The entire work is great fun.”
The composer Saint Saens wrote the work
while on vacation 123 years ago and apart from two performances would not allow
it to be played publicly in his lifetime because he thought it would detract
from his reputation as a serious composer.
Since then parts of the piece have regularly been featured in ballet,
ice skating, the movies, TV and theatre.
The piece is divided into 14 parts, each
mimicking the sound or movement of animals, birds and fish, including a lion,
an elephant, kangaroos, tortoises and chickens.
Each part is linked by poems by Ogden Nash which will be read to the
children next week by narrator Dr. Marcus Bethel.
Canadian-born Tannis Gibson’s day job is to
be Assistant Professor of Music and Professor of Piano at the University of
Arizona. Live radio shows, concert hall
appearances as a soloist or in groups, and recording studio sessions have been
fitted round her academic life.
She is joined in TrioCollage by a husband
and wife team – cellist Mark Tanner and violinist Janna Lower.
Mark has played on four continents and was
described as “a commanding cellist” by the Los Angeles Times. He is a frequent performer in California – as
well as South America these days – and is a principal with the New West
Symphony Orchestra in Santa Monica.
Janna is Professor of Violin and Head of
Strings at the University of Florida.
She originally learned her craft at The Juilliard School at the Lincoln
Centre, New York City, one of the world’s leading schools. Her globe-trotting has included 13 visits to
Chile where she did a five-city tour in 2009 and found time to include master
classes for young people.
The Friday night, January 15, concert
starts at 8pm and features works by a wide range of composers including
Mendelssohn, Manuel De Falla, and Debussy.
Sunday, January 17, at 4pm sees music by classical composers such as
Bach mixed with lighter pieces such as Irving Berlin’s
Puttin’ on the Ritz and
Somewhere
Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz.
Tickets for the two concerts, priced at $20
each or $35 for both and $10 each for youngsters, are available at the Seventeen
Shop, Seventeen Centre, Downtown, and Italian Specialty Imports, Seahorse
Plaza.
The GBPAS was formed to encourage young
performers on Grand Bahama and all proceeds go to that mission.
