Tag Archives: Empire Arts Center

Shame on us!

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Perhaps I should come clean. We’ve lived here for 37 years and last Saturday night was only the second time my husband, Jim, and I have attended a Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra concert.

Shame on us!

It is always such fun to attend anything in the beautiful Empire Arts Center in downtown Grand Forks. Saturday night was a sellout. It’s an added bonus when you run into people you haven’t seen in a blue moon. Combine all that with the Symphony’s classic pops concert and – well – it made for an over-the-top evening.

I consider it “joyful noise,” the formally dressed violin, viola, cello, string bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion and harp players make as they tune up before concert time.

Then entering the stage is Alexander Platt, who is in his third season as music director of the symphony. I knew right off the bat that because of him the concert would be delightful. As I watched him in the beginning he sort of reminded me of humorist Victor Borge at the piano. Platt also is very animated. As he directs he literally dances on his two story platform wildly waving his baton. We should all be so passionate about what we’ve been called to do.

Platt combines his work in Grand Forks with his music directorship of the La Crosse Symphony, the Marion, Indiana Philharmonic and the Wisconsin Philharmonic. Saturday night he directed our orchestra in works by Brahms, Strauss, Offenbach, Debussy and Gershwin.

Hyperion Knight

After intermission we were introduced to the talents of guest soloist, Pianist Hyperion Knight. He also was very light hearted and fun. He asked the audience, “You may wonder, what is a Hyperion Knight?” Then he told us he was happy to have that name because he was born in Berkeley, Calif., and could very well have ended up with a name like, “Sunbeam.” I believe he said he started piano at the age of 4, but up until second grade, his parents thought he looked more like an FBI agent than a pianist.

At age 19, Knight graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. By age 22, he had received both a Master’s degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He now lives in New York and studies with members of the Juilliard faculty.

Known for the diversity of his repertoire, Knight’s recordings range from Beethoven to the Beatles. He is a George Gershwin enthusiast and during Saturday’s concert, he, along with the symphony, delighted us with selections from Gershwin’s “Songbook.”

“Rhapsody in Blue,” was the finale, and my friend, Rachel Abbe, was literally on the edge of her seat during that great piece.

Thank you, Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra, for enriching our lives with your music. Thank you Alexander Platt, for coming to work with the talented musicians we have among us and thank you Hyperion Knight for your first ever visit to Grand Forks. Just so you know, we’d like you even if your name was, “Sunbeam.” Who knows, maybe we’ll see you again on a luxury cruise line where you also entertain.

Until Soon

Oh yes – the Valley definitely has talent!

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It was great fun last year and I’m ready for my repeat performance.

The Grand Forks Exchange Club has invited me back as a judge for its second annual “The Valley’s Got Talent” event. Curtain goes up at 2 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 9) in the Empire Arts Center, downtown Grand Forks.

Adjudicating with me last year were Terry Dullum, anchor and producer of WDAZ News @ 5 and Grand Forks Mayor (and physician) Michael Brown. This year we three are back and will be joined by one more judge – Jarrod Thomas, program director for Leighton broadcasting.

“The Valley’s Got Talent,” is brought to us by the Grand Forks Exchange Club whose mission it is to help area children with such needs as warm winter coats, hats and gloves. The club also provides funding for after school programs which many area youngsters thoroughly enjoy.

Betty Feltman, an Exchange Club member, tells me that back in November, 30 talented people auditioned for “The Valley’s Got Talent.” Twenty of them survived the cuts and they are the ones we’ll see Sunday on the Empire stage.

Hailing from such places as Minto and Walhalla in North Dakota, and Crookston, as well as Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, there are singers, dancers, guitarists, piano players. There’s a theatrical performer and even a rapper, all hoping, of course, to take home one of the cash prizes.

Zach Ahrens, Grand Forks Herald advertising director who also is a minister, will emcee the show again this year.

Here’s how you can help: Just come – your admission is simply a freewill donation. You can relax in the beautiful Empire Arts Center while you enjoy some pretty amazing things happening on stage.

Hope to see you Sunday at the Empire.

Until Soon

Perhaps the nicest “Away in a Manger,” ever!

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Tonic Sol Fa

The house lights go down. The stage is shrouded in darkness. Suddenly there’s a mighty gust of reverberation that lets loose with bits of unique percussion interspersed with four-part harmony. If it’s your first time you feel a rush. I’m told you get a rush even the fourth time around.

This was my first time. I was in awe.

The house lights come up and where you thought there might be a large group of musicians there are four guys on stage. No instruments except for a tambourine, an occasional egg shaker and sometimes bells. The entire background accompaniment comes from in and around their Adam’s apples.

When they broke into “Angels We Have Heard on High,” I thought, wow! Knowing what I know now I told Jared Dove afterwards that I wasn’t suggesting they raise their ticket prices but I’d pay even more than $25 next time. And Jared, the bass singer, said in his deep voice, “Well, next time maybe we’ll raise it 12 cents.”

I’m speaking here of Tonic Sol Fa, the a cappella group that appeared at the Empire Arts Center in Grand Forks Tuesday night. If you missed it, I’m sorry. What a Christmas goodie this was. In their 10-year history these guys have played the Empire once before. They’ve also played the Chester Fritz Auditorium once.

Left to right: Jared Dove, bass; Greg Bannwarth, tenor; Shaun Johnson, lead; Mark McGowan, baritone, having a grand time with autograph seekers after the show.

These guys have been named one of the top must see groups in America. They’ve been awarded many original song and album awards in pop, gospel and holiday genres. They average 150 shows per year, have toured 48 states and recently won their first Emmy Award in the “musical composition/arrangement category” for a song performed in a Toys for Tots public service announcement.

Still they are almost our own home town boys: two live in St. Cloud, one in St. Paul and one in Woodbury, Minn. Now on their holiday tour, Shaun, lead singer, said Grand Forks was their 30th stop.

Shaun also stated that they draw inspiration from the front row. He zeroed in on a Scott and a Brent, both city workers in Grafton, N.D. Tonic Sol Fa proceeded to have a very good time needling Scott and Brent who were asked to stand up. Shaun told them that whoever did the best dance during their next song would win a CD. Both guys really shook their booties during, “Just Haven’t Met You Yet,” and in the end both were gifted with the group’s latest CD.

Among their songs were: “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” “Away in a Manger,” “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” “Last Christmas,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Away in a Manger,” “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “Deck the Halls,” “O Christmas Tree,” “Carol of the Bells,” and the beautiful, “All Will Be Well.”

Greg did a very fun version of, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” and Jared also showed his deepness during, “North to Alaska.”

It was an especially enjoyable evening for me because I sat next to Gwen Crawford of Grand Forks whom I had never met. We had a lovely time getting to know one another. Gwen especially liked Jared’s bass voice. “The edges of his notes are so mellow,” she said

After intermission, Greg and Mark came out in what you might call “workout leotards,” for a dazzling rendition of the “Sugar Plum Fairy,” from The Nutcracker.

And what could be better than, “Little Drummer Boy,” for an encore?

In the lobby after the show I bumped into Dick and Phyllis Clark, formerly of Forest River, N.D., now of Grand Forks. They have seen Tonic Sol Fa several times. “They do those songs differently and they don’t ruin them,” Dick said. “And ‘Away in a Manger,’ I’ve never heard it nicer than that.” The Clarks have sent Tonic Sol Fa CDs to their West Coast daughter. “She said she’d drive 500 miles to see them,” Dick added.

Come to think of it, I would too. But, I sure hope the Empire brings them back next year.

Until Soon