Carson City Symphony Concert
"Pops Party" June 13, 2010,
Features Gary Aldrich & Olivia Hakel

The beautiful back lawn of the Governor's Mansion is the site of the Carson City Symphony's twenty-sixth annual "Pops Party" concert on Sunday, June 13, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. The program features the Carson City Symphony, Carson Chamber Singers, Strings in the Schools youth orchestra, and guest singers Gary Aldrich and Olivia Hakel. Grounds open and pre-concert entertainment by the Symphony Flute Ensemble begins at 2:00 p.m. Admission is free. The Symphony, directed by David Bugli, will play Sousa marches, music from Oklahoma, and other favorites. A highlight of the show will be David Bugli's arrangements of romantic songs by Rodgers and Hart for vocalist and orchestra. For the first medley, Gary Aldrich will sing My Funny Valentine/Bewitched, and then he will be joined by Olivia Hakel in I Wish I Were in Love Again/Everything I've Got. The Carson Chamber Singers, directed by Judy Monson, will sing Ragtime Song!, Simple Gifts, Ching-a-Ring Chaw, One Small Voice, and Wheels of a Dream. The Symphony's youth orchestra, directed by Sue Kitts, will play fiddle tunes, including Old Joe Clark and Swallowtail Jig. Student violinists will join the Symphony in music from An American Symphony, featured in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus. The concert is funded in part by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Seating is on the lawn; the audience is welcome to bring blankets or lawn chairs (some chairs will be provided) and food. Snacks, beverages, and raffle tickets will be on sale before and during the concert to benefit the Carson City Symphony Association's artistic and educational programs. In case of rain, the concert will be held indoors at the Carson City Community Center gymnasium. For information, call Symphony at 775-883-4154.

Carson City Symphony Concert
"Spirit of Exploration" April 24 and 25, 2010,
Features World Famous Horn Soloist Gail Williams

The Carson City Symphony directed by David Bugli will perform a concert, "Spirit of Exploration," on Saturday, April 24, 7:30 p.m., at the Carson City Community Center, and on Sunday, April 25, 4:00 p.m., at the Oats Park Arts Center in Fallon. The concert features soloist Gail Williams (at right) in Horn Concerto No. 1 by Richard Strauss. Also on the program are the premiere of "Becoming Mark Twain" by David Bugli with narrator McAvoy Layne (at left), "The Days of Struggle and Discovery (In Praise of Explorers)" by Bruce Craig Roter, Overture to the Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and "Triumphal March: The Spirit of Exploration" by explorer and Symphony hornist Gary Robert Buchanan. The Carson City concert will include projected images of explorers and expeditions.

Tickets to either concert are $15 general admission, $12 for seniors, students, and Symphony Association members, and free for age 16 and under. Tickets are available online at ActivityTickets.com, or at the door. Information: 775-883-4154 or CCSymphony.com.

The program includes pre-show events, free to concert ticket holders. Entertainment in the lobby by the Symphony Flute Ensemble begins at 6:30 p.m. in Carson City and 3:00 p.m. in Fallon. A Concert Preview with David Bugli, Gail Williams, McAvoy Layne, Bruce Roter, and Gary Buchanan, begins at 6:45 p.m. in the Sierra Room in Carson City, and at 3:15 p.m. in the Arts Bar in Fallon.

Gail Williams, former Associate Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, is currently principal horn of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, horn professor at Northwestern University, and an original member of the Summit Brass, with whom she has made eight recordings.

An internationally recognized hornist and brass teacher, Ms. Williams has presented concerts, master classes, recitals, and lectures throughout North America, as well as in Europe and Asia. She was featured horn soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Sinfonia da Camera, New World Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, Syracuse Symphony, and the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra. She performed as Principal Horn with Seiji Ozawa and the Saito Kenin Orchestra in Matsumoto, Japan, and with Valery Gergiev and the World Orchestra for Peace in London, Berlin, Moscow, and Beijing.

McAvoy Layne, known as "the ghost of Mark Twain," has portrayed Twain in over two thousand performances, from Russia to C-Span. He is author of the biography, Hooked On Twain, and winner of the Nevada award for excellence in school and library service. He portrays the Ghost of Mark Twain in A&E's biography of Mark Twain and in the Discovery Channel's Cronkite Award winning documentary, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Some articles and websites about Gail Williams:
An Interview with Gail Williams
Recordings featuring Gail Williams
Some notes Gail's masterclass in Toronto

Some articles and websites about McAvoy Layne:
McAvoy's website
An Interview with McAvoy on Tahoe.com

David Dickau to Present Choral Masterclass April 30, 2010

As part of his residency activities in Nevada related to the May first Carson Chamber Singers concert (see separate announcement), David Dickau will hold a choral masterclass on Friday, April 30, 1:00 p.m., in room 110 at the Church Fine Arts Building, UNR, with the UNR Concert Choir. This event is open to choral conductors, singers, and the public at no charge.

CARSON CHAMBER SINGERS TO PERFORM MAY 1, 2010
Concert features World Premiere of
"The Stars Above the Hill" by David Dickau

The Carson Chamber Singers, directed by Judy Monson, will present a special 25th Season concert, "The Stars Above the Hill," on Saturday, May 1, 2010, 7:30 p.m., at Sarah Winnemucca Hall in the Aspen Building at Western Nevada College, 2201 W. College Parkway, Carson City, Nev. The program includes sacred and secular works, and features the world premiere of David Dickau's "The Stars Above the Hill," conducted by the composer. The Carson Chamber Singers will be accompanied at the piano by Nancy Mielke.

"Concert selections range from the reverence of William Byrd's 'Ave Verum Corpus' to the joy of 'Down By the Riverside' and on to reflections of love as well as despair," said Director Judy Monson. "The concert theme, 'The Stars Above the Hill,' incorporates messages of springtime, looking down on our faith, revelations, and hope. You will find opportunity to reflect, chuckle, revel, soar, and be comforted. Come, join us, and experience the beauty and magic of great choral music."

Monson said, "We are excited and honored to have Dr. Dickau write the commission piece for us in celebration of our 25th season and to come to Carson City to work with us. His style is rich, varied, buoyant, and most pleasing to the ear." Other selections on the program by David Dickau include "Echo" and "I Love My Love."

The Carson Chamber Singers, a group of about 30 singers, formed in 1985 as an affiliate of the Carson City Symphony. Their varied repertoire includes classical, popular, seasonal, and contemporary works. They have sung in Carson City, Virginia City, Genoa, Minden, Reno, and Fallon. Each year, they perform on the Carson City Symphony's "Holiday Treat" and "Pops Party" concerts, and they participate in the Reno Philharmonic's annual Fourth of July concert, "Pops in the Park," in Genoa.

Admission to the May 1 concert is $15 for general admission; $12 for seniors, students, and Carson City Symphony Assoc. members; and free for age 16 and under. Tickets are available in advance at Play Your Own Music in the Carson Mall, online at ActivityTickets.com, and at the door.

As part of his residency activities in Nevada, David Dickau will hold a choral masterclass on Friday, April 30, 1:00 p.m., in room 110 at the Church Fine Arts Building, UNR, with the UNR Concert Choir. This event is open to choral conductors, singers, and the public at no charge.

The concert and Dr. Dickau's residency are funded, in part, by grants from Meet The Composer's MetLife Creative Connections program, Healthy Trees, the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information, call the Carson City Symphony at 775-883-4154.

"POPS PARTY" CONCERT ON JUNE 13, 2010,
AT THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION

The beautiful back lawn of the Governor's Mansion is the site of the Carson City Symphony's twenty-sixth annual "Pops Party" concert on Sunday, June 13, 2010, at 3:00 p.m. The program features the Carson City Symphony, Carson Chamber Singers, "Strings in the Schools" youth orchestra, and guest vocal soloist Gary Aldrich (at right). Admission is free. More details will be available later.