Centrum Information Center

Chamber Festival Performance Schedule

Electrifying concerts. Premiere performances. Thought-provoking presentations. Audiences love coming to Port Townsend to experience chamber music in a stunningly beautiful environment. As musicians from around the nation live and work with master artists, audiences attend free weeknight workshop presentations, culminating in concert presentations Friday and Saturday night.

For the 2007 Festival, we welcome Pulitzer Prize winning composer Paul Moravec and Trio Solisti, who along with Artistic Director Helen Callus and the rest of the artist faculty, will leave audiences clamoring for more.

FROM SHAKESPEARE TO SMETANA
7:30pm Friday, August 10, 2007
Joseph F. Wheeler Theater
$22/19; 18 & under: $9
Purchase tickets (starting May 1)

Romeo and Juliet Suite
Sergei Prokofiev
Helen Callus, viola; Robert Koenig, piano

I.   Introduction
II.  The Young Juliet
III.  Dance of the Knights
IV. Balcony Scene
V.  Mercutio

Tempest Fantasy
Paul Moravec
Trio Solisti: Maria Bachmann, violin; Jon Klibonoff, piano; Alexis Pia Gerlach, cello
with Alan Kay, clarinet

I.    Ariel
II.   Prospero
III.  Caliban
IV. Sweet Airs
V.  Fantasia

Piano Trio in G Minor Op 15
Bedrich Smetana
Hal Grossman, violin; Antonio Lysy, cello; Robert Koenig, piano

I.   Moderato assai
II.  Allegro, ma non agitato
III. Finale:Presto

THE ROMANTICS
7:30pm Saturday, August 11, 2007
Joseph F. Wheeler Theater
$22/19; 18 & under: $9
Purchase tickets (starting May 1)

Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op 25
Johannes Brahms
Trio Solisti: Maria Bachmann, violin; Jon Klibonoff, piano; Alexis Pia Gerlach, cello
with Helen Callus, viola

I.     Allegro
II.    Intermezzo: allegro, ma non troppo
III.   Andante con moto
IV.  Rondo alla zingarese: Presto

Quintet in C Major Op 163 D 956
Franz Schubert
Maria Bachmann & Hal Grossman, violins; Helen Callus, viola; Alexis Pia
Gerlach & Antonio Lysy, cellos

I.     Allegro ma non troppo
II.    Adagio
III.   Scherzo: Presto, Trio: Andante sostenuto
IV.  Allegretto

Volunteer Training Recap

Thank you to all those who helped make last night's (April 24) volunteer meeting something truly special. In 2006, more volunteers, donors, workshop attendess, and audience members came to Centrum for life-changing experiences than ever before in the history of the 35-year-old history of the organization. And if last night is any indication, 2007 will raise the bar even higher.

Kicking off the volunteer seminer, Sally Rodgers presented an orientation for new volunteers in the southern wing of Building 204. Afterward, Centrum's newest volunteers joined with returning volunteers in the northern wing to sample fruit and cheese and crackers, while enjoying wine. Then, Sue Ammeter, Daniel Barnes, and John Allen gave presentations on how best to assist Centrum audience members who are living with visual, physical, or hearing disabilities. We are so grateful to all of our presenters and the volunteers who donate their time, energies, and skills to making the extraordinary, life-changing artistic events possible at Centrum.

The number of volunteers grew from 282 in 2005 to 335 in 2006 as community members gave a total of 7,900 volunteer hours in remodeling  artist housing, taking tickets at performances, stuffing envelopes, registering workshop participants, and fundraising. "That's a 23% increase in volunteer hours," said volunteer coordinator Sally Rodgers, "and it's interesting how closely that growth corresponds to the overall increase in Centrum revenues.

"I am in awe of this community's generosity," says Centrum's executive director, Thatcher Bailey. "There is no arts institution in the Pacific Northwest blessed with anywhere near this same relative level of support."

                                                                                                                     

April 2007 Letter from the Director

As I write, 82 fifth-graders are exploring marine life and artistic expression as part of “Waterworld,” one of Centrum’s most popular youth programs. Presented with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, this program—attracting teams of young artists and scientists from distant reaches of the state—speaks eloquently to the Fort’s mission of creativity and discovery.

As always, creativity and discovery are underlying themes in the next issue of Experience. Available in May, the next issue explores different ways that cultural traditions are revitalized through artistic innovation and transformation.  Details about summer performances are also included. Advance ticket sales for Centrum donors begin April 16. Review our website to plan your summer entertainment.

Dinner with the Professor!

On a beautiful Friday evening, April 20, twenty successful bidders from the 2006 Gala Dinner & Auction enjoyed drinks and dinner with Russell Johnson, "the Professor" from Gilligan's Island, who had a long career in film and television.

Johnson, along with his wife, Connie, met with the bidders before dinner for drinks. In the living room of the Bailey House on Discovery Road, Johnson talked about being shot down as a pilot during World War II, about going to acting school on the GI Bill, and about the early  days television and movies. He also talked about how he turned down the role of the Professor twice before accepting it.

Johnson also starred in a number of motion pictures, including one of the first-ever 3D films, It Came From Outer Space. He appeared in other films with such luminaries as Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, and Ronald Reagan. Now, he remains proud of the fact that his character, the Professor, helped many children to get excited about science.

Thank you! to all those Gala attendees who bid on this experience. Your generosity supports Centrum programs and scholarships. Without your support, the experiences in the arts that take place each month at Centrum would simply not happen.

Print Archive Celebration

Thanks to partnership with Fort Worden, several dozen prints made by Centrum artists in residency will be displayed in the Fort Worden houses on Officers' Row.

On the evening of Wednesday evening, April 18, Centrum community members came together to celebrate the framed prints while enjoying cheese and crackers, glazed meatballs, breaded shrimp, fruit, and wine.

In addition, contemplative juggler Thomas Arthur gave a special performance. In a beautiful, synchronized choreography of sound, rhythm, motion, and light, Arthur didn't just juggle: he explored human relationships with objects, how objects affect us, and how the natural world is affected by humans.  

The evening also served as an introduction to Centrum's newest resident partner organization, Corvidae Press, a consortium of 40 northwest printmakers.

Teaching and Performing: Antonio Lysy

"I can't do without either," Antonio Lysy says, when asked if he prefers performing or teaching.

Performing puts Lysy close to the music, close to the instrument, and to a place of "discovering more about myself, about my limits. It's a great incentive to then be able to pass [that] on," he says.

Antonio is an artist of international stature. He has performed worldwide in major concert halls, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Convertgebuow, and the Berlin Philharmonie. He has also appeared extensively as a soloist, with such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras of London, Camerata Academica of Salzburg, Zurich Tonhalle, the Zagreb Soloists, Orchestra di Padova e il Veneto, and many, many others.

He currently teaches at UCLA and will be at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival August 5-12, teaching, tutoring, and performing.

Listen to Lysy playing Bach's Suite No. 3 in C major.

Centrum Seeks Development Director

Centrum is seeking a Development Director to develop, nurture, and manage over 1,500 individual and institutional relationships to inspire $1,200,000 million in annual charitable giving. If you're interested in joining a dynamic and passionate team, read more at The Centrum Information Center blog.

Voiceworks: A Week of Singing!

At Voiceworks: A Week of Singing, you'll have the opportunity to learn a cappella gospel quartet singing from the Birmingham Sunlights (pictured lower right), bluegrass singing from Grammy winner Laurie Lewis, yodeling and cowboy songs from Wylie Gustafson, Cajun music from Christine Balfa Powell (pictured left), Anglo-Celtic repertoire from Jon Wilcox, simple music theory from Jerry Fletcher, songs of the Carter family from Linda Lay, and early country songs from Mary Lucey, the singer/guitarist for bluegrass band the Biscuit Burners. Browse this site to learn more, or call us at 360.385.3102 x127 or email Voiceworks program manager Peter McCracken. We have video of several of the faculty performing: including Wylie Gustafson (the Yahoo! yodeler), Linda Lay, Laurie Lewis, and the Birmingham Sunlights. We've also got full bios, workshop schedules, and more. We'll see you at the Fort! 

Jazz Singing at Centrum

For information on Voiceworks: A Week of Singing, click on the information to the right. However, if you're here specifically for jazz singing, please visit www.centrum.org/jazz. We have fantastic jazz singing workshops and performances lined up for you, including a mainstage performance by Italian jazz sensation Roberta Gambarini. During the workshop week, two Jazz Port Townsend favorites, Dee Daniels (pictured) and Nancy King (whom Herb Ellis has called "the greatest living jazz singer"), will continue their legacy as they lead workshops the week of July 22-29. See you at the Fort!

Linda Lay in Concert

[Linda Lay playing the songs of the Carter Family onstage]

Linda Lay, along with David Lay, will be hanging out at the 2007 Voiceworks: A Week of Singing; she'll be teaching, singing, and performing many bluegrass songs, most of them learned directly from the Carter Family.