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From thebahamasweekly.com - Arts & Culture
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.
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