Western Plains Arts Association - bringing fine music to Northwest Kansas “A KALEIDOSCOPE OF THE ARTS” Volume 21, Issue 3 October, 2015 2015-16 PROGRAM SEASON BEGINS Doors will open approximately 30-40 minutes before each show starts. All programs are scheduled and listed on central me. ( All programs are subject to unavoidable cancellaons and change of me and locaon.) The season opened Sunday, September 13, with TWO ON TAP at Oakley. An enthusiasc crowd was entertained by two talented tap dancers who sang a wide variety of songs from the past century. They added excitement and energy with their tap dancing. The season connues with Lauren Pelon tracing the story of music and performing music from around the world on ancient to modern instruments. The award winning musician is in St Francis September 27. Sunday, October 4, 3:00 p.m. GUY LOMBARDO’S ROYAL CANADI- ANS with Al Pierson will perform a concert of music from the big band era at the Colby H.S. Auditorium. Founded in 1919, the Lom- bardo Orchestra is the longest running act in show business history, with over 500 hit songs to its credit – more than any other musical organi- zaon. Since its first televised New Year’s Eve Party in 1954, the orchestra has played for more than 1½ billion viewers, making a New Year’s tradion out of the Scosh ballad “Auld Lang Syne.” Sunday, October 18, 3:00 p.m. THE FOUR FRESHMEN will share their unique brand of vocal harmony and instrumental accompani- ment in their legendary sound at the Cultural Arts Center, Colby. It was September of 1948 that the once barbershop quartet went on the road as The Four Freshmen. However, during the 1960’s the group lost their following, but they did not disband. Over the years, the Four Freshmen have had twenty-four different line-ups among twenty-five different members. From the WALL STREET JOURNAL, “Long live the Four Freshmen, may they never graduate.” Mon. & Tues., October 19, 20 & 21 WICHITA CHILDREN’S THEA- TRE will present Rapunzel in area schools. Hoxie, Atwood, Colby, Winona, Sharon Springs, Oakley Sunday, October 25, 3:00 p.m., October 26 Guitarist and story- teller JERRY BARLOW will perform for the public on Sunday and for students on Monday morning. Quinter H.S. Auditorium. Barlow’s music transports the listener across me and space on an imaginary journey to a rusc Irish fishing village or the misty Scosh Highlands Colby nave Mark Schultz will be joining us for a special night of music celebrang the birth of Christ and he’s bringing some friends with him. He’ll be joined by Love and the Outcome and Jon Bauer. He will appear at the Colby Community Building on December 20, 2015. Doors open at 6pm CT. Con- cert begins at 7pm. There will be an admission charge. Check with Radio KGCR for advance cket informaon. HISTORIC GRAINFIELD OPERA HOUSE SITE OF 2015 WOMEN IN DENIM The historic 1897 Grainfield Opera House will be the showcase for the 6 th Annual Women in Denim. This event is sponsored by the Northwest Kansas Conservaon and Environmental Alliance and K- State Research and Extension. Honoring Kansas farm women, this year’s theme is “Capture the Mo- ment” and is Wednesday, October 7 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Parcipants will also have the opportunity to tour the Opera House, taste local Kansas wines and learn a fun and unique craſt. Cost for the day is $45 which includes lunch and all acvies. Reservaons are needed and can be made through the county’s conservaon district office. HANSEN FOUNDATION GRANT TO FORT WAL- LACE MUSEUM As part of a $36,000 grant from the Dane G. Han- sen Foundaon, the Fort Wallace Museum in Wal- lace, Kansas, will house a 40-foot fossil cast of the Elasmasaurus Platyrus Plesiosaur originally discov- ered by Fort Wallace surgeon Theophilus H. Turner in 1867. The original fossil is owned by the Philadel- phia Museum of Natural History, and this grant will help the museum purchase a replica currently on display in Woodland Park, Colorado. This display will help tell the story of the im- portance that northwest Kansas played in early pale- ontology. It should also provide a new reason for everyone to visit the Fort Wallace Museum. Continued next page
Transcript
Western Plains Arts Association - bringing fine music to Northwest Kansas
“A KALEIDOSCOPE OF THE ARTS”
Volume 21, Issue 3 October, 2015
2015-16 PROGRAM SEASON BEGINS
Doors will open approximately 30-40 minutes before each show starts. All programs are scheduled and listed on central time.
( All programs are subject to unavoidable cancellations and change of time and location.)
The season opened Sunday, September 13, with TWO ON TAP at Oakley. An enthusiastic crowd was entertained by two talented tap dancers who sang a wide variety of songs from the past century. They added excitement and energy with their tap dancing.
The season continues with Lauren Pelon tracing the story of music and performing music from around the world on ancient to modern instruments. The award winning musician is in St Francis September 27.
Sunday, October 4, 3:00 p.m. GUY LOMBARDO’S ROYAL CANADI-ANS with Al Pierson will perform a concert of music from the big band era at the Colby H.S. Auditorium. Founded in 1919, the Lom-bardo Orchestra is the longest running act in show business history, with over 500 hit songs to its credit – more than any other musical organi-zation. Since its first televised New Year’s Eve Party in 1954, the orchestra has played for more than 1½ billion viewers, making a New Year’s tradition out of the Scottish ballad “Auld Lang Syne.”
Sunday, October 18, 3:00 p.m. THE FOUR FRESHMEN will share their unique brand of vocal harmony and instrumental accompani-ment in their legendary sound at the Cultural Arts Center, Colby.
It was September of 1948 that the once barbershop quartet went on the road as The Four Freshmen. However, during the 1960’s the group lost their following, but they did not disband. Over the years, the Four Freshmen have had twenty-four different line-ups among twenty-five different members.
From the WALL STREET JOURNAL, “Long live the Four Freshmen, may they never graduate.”
Mon. & Tues., October 19, 20 & 21 WICHITA CHILDREN’S THEA-TRE will present Rapunzel in area schools. Hoxie, Atwood, Colby, Winona, Sharon Springs, Oakley
Sunday, October 25, 3:00 p.m., October 26 Guitarist and story-teller JERRY BARLOW will perform for the public on Sunday and for students on Monday morning. Quinter H.S. Auditorium. Barlow’s music transports the listener across time and space on an imaginary journey to a rustic Irish fishing village or the misty Scottish Highlands
Colby native Mark Schultz will be joining us for a special night of music celebrating the birth of Christ and he’s bringing some friends with him. He’ll be joined by Love and the Outcome and Jon Bauer.
He will appear at the Colby Community Building on December 20, 2015. Doors open at 6pm CT. Con-cert begins at 7pm. There will be an admission charge. Check with Radio KGCR for advance ticket information.
HISTORIC GRAINFIELD OPERA HOUSE SITE OF 2015 WOMEN IN DENIM
The historic 1897 Grainfield Opera House will be the showcase for the 6th Annual Women in Denim. This event is sponsored by the Northwest Kansas Conservation and Environmental Alliance and K-State Research and Extension. Honoring Kansas farm women, this year’s theme is “Capture the Mo-ment” and is Wednesday, October 7 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Participants will also have the opportunity to tour the Opera House, taste local Kansas wines and learn a fun and unique craft.
Cost for the day is $45 which includes lunch and all activities. Reservations are needed and can be made through the county’s conservation district office.
HANSEN FOUNDATION GRANT TO FORT WAL-LACE MUSEUM
As part of a $36,000 grant from the Dane G. Han-sen Foundation, the Fort Wallace Museum in Wal-lace, Kansas, will house a 40-foot fossil cast of the Elasmasaurus Platyrus Plesiosaur originally discov-ered by Fort Wallace surgeon Theophilus H. Turner in 1867. The original fossil is owned by the Philadel-phia Museum of Natural History, and this grant will help the museum purchase a replica currently on display in Woodland Park, Colorado.
This display will help tell the story of the im-portance that northwest Kansas played in early pale-ontology. It should also provide a new reason for everyone to visit the Fort Wallace Museum. Continued next page
or an enchanted English forest. In con-cert, Barlow brings the songs alive by sharing the history, legend and humor behind the music. His expressive ar-rangements have been described as “music to soothe the soul, warm the heart, and lift the spirit.” Sunday, No-vember 8 & 9, 3:00 (2:00 M.T.) THE SUNFLOWER TRIO will present their chamber music for the public and then
for students the next day. At the Sha-ron Springs H.S. Auditorium.
Formed in 2002, the Sunflower Trio is dedicated to the performance of music featuring voice, violin and piano/organ. Consisting of Rebecca Schloneger, violin, Matthew Schloneg-er, tenor, and Kenneth Rodgers, piano and organ, the trio excels in a variety of styles, from Baroque to contemporary, folk and Broadway.
Sunday, November 15, 3:00 p.m. A CAPPELLA SEXTET M-PACT will thrill us with their vocal acrobatics, innovative or-chestrations and commanding stage presence. Cultural Arts
Center, Colby, Hailed "one of the best pop-jazz vocal groups in the world" by the San Francisco Chroni-cle, m-pact is respected worldwide as a cutting edge trailblazer in the realm of vocal music. Emerging from an age of auto-tune and overproduc-tion, this Los Angeles-based ensem-ble has cultivated a new generation
of ears hungry for the fresh, raw power of nature's "first instru-ment" - the human voice.
Sunday, December 6, 3:00 p.m. THE HUNT FAMILY will en-
tertain us with a holiday show including their original pieces and
some Christmas favorites. Cultural Arts Center, Colby The Hunts
are an indie-folk band from the southlands of Chesapeake, Vir-
ginia. These seven broth-
ers and sisters have a pas-
sion for creating compel-
ling music and so, have
collaborated one an-
other’s gifts of writing,
composing and musician-
ship to endeavor that.
Stringed instruments, sur-
rounded by enchanting
harmonies and thrilling
rhythms harken to an organic yet transcending sound.
Sunday, January 24, 3:00 p.m. THE KANSAS WESLEYAN
UNIVERSITY PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE and KWU CHORALE
will perform a variety of selections. Hoxie H.S. Auditorium
REPUBLICAN RIVER FLOOD
Joy A. Hayden of Goodland recently published a book—THE 1935 REPUBLICAN RIVER FLOOD. The author has always had a love for history and strong ties to the High Plains. She spent many years compiling the history of the flood, meeting with survivors and traveling along the river to document this chapter in the Republican River history.
It was on May 30, 1935 during the dust bowl years that torrential rains from nine to twenty-four inches fell in eastern Colorado and southwestern Nebraska causing the river to flood. Over 100 lives were lost, and millions of dollars of damage had been done. Entire towns were destroyed.
This is a must read for all the people in our Tri-state area and for anyone who enjoys history. It is an interesting account of a little-known disaster.
The book has 150 pages, with photos, and the paperback version sells for $12.78 on Amazon. The kindle format is $9.99.
Season continued
KANSAS ARTS LICENSE PLATE
Have you purchased the Kansas Arts license plate? It is a distinctive plate with an artistic design, and the extra $50 fee goes directly towards funding arts programs in Kansas.
The Creative Arts Industries Commission awarded more than $1 million in state and matching federal funds in 2014-2015. In our area, the Goodland Arts Council received $5,000. The council and its partners expect to create a permanent art exhibit in Chambers Park.
MORE ON SAMUEL RAMEY
According to the Los Angeles Times, “Samuel Ramey is a national treasure.” He has reigned as one of the music world’s foremost interpreters of operatic and concert repertoire for over 30 years.
Ramey appeared as Timur in the Wichita Grand Opera performance of TURANDOT (Puccini) August 28 in Wichita and August 30 in Overland Park. Ramey made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Handel’s RINALDO in 1984 and performed as Timur in his final season at the Met in January of 2013. More recently he appeared as The Grand Inquisitor in DON CARLO September 25 and 25 at WGO, Wichita. His next scheduled performance is in SAMSON ET DALILA at Tulsa Opera.
His professional career began in 1973 at New York City Opera and blossomed in many major opera houses in Europe as well as in the United States. The Colby native and son of a meatcutter and deputy sheriff is still at it.
GOODLAND
CARNEGIE ARTS CENTER,
October 9 – Diane Pratt Mixed Media Open House, exhibit Oct. 9—Nov. 3
November 6 – Ken Redding Photography Open House, exhibit Nov. 6—Dec. 1
December 4 – Local Artists Exhibit Open House, exhibit Dec. 4—Jan. 31
Tuesday through Saturday 10-5 p.m. 785-890-6442
http://goodlandarts.org/
Pianist, Ignacy (Jan) Paderewski is credited with this quote: “If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days of practice, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience knows it.”
A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Since its incorporation in 1970, WPAA has been providing theater goers in Northwest Kansas with regular entertainment breaks from the pressures of everyday life. During the interven-ing years, eleven presidential elections have come and gone, plus an equal number of off-year elections for governor and others; the economy has repeatedly gone up and down; farm crops have netted some bumper yields and some painful losses; several wars have begun and ended; and the weather has phased through more-or-less predictable cycles that contained a few unpleasant surprises. Through it all, WPAA has produced 45 full seasons of live entertainment to lift the spirits of audiences through-out our region and is now ready to present its 46th.
A decade before the founding of WPAA, three college-age California singers called the Kingston Trio be-came popular singing folk ballads and social protest songs. “The Merry Minu-et” was one such song that was a light-hearted parody about the vagaries of life in a world in constant turmoil. Some readers may recall the final stanza of that little ditty:
They’re rioting in Africa, There’s strife in Iran.
What nature doesn’t do to us will be done by our fellow man.
Our world seems so much more bearable when we can face its uncertainties with acknowledgement, courage, and an occa-sional chuckle. Entertainment can help to make that happen. Maybe that’s what the 17th Century playwright William Con-greve meant when he penned “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.”
The first show of WPAA’s 46th season is already behind us. Sixteen more programs are scheduled. Please join us. Buy a season pass and get your spirit lifted and your mind refreshed at a bargain rate. Individual performance admissions tickets are also available. Pick up a complimentary copy of the new WPAA season program booklet the next time you attend a perfor-mance.
Sandy Wilks
COMMUNITY CALENDARS
COLBY
PRIDE OF THE PRAIRIE ORCHESTRA
Christmas Concert will be on Dec. 13th, 3:30 p.m. at the CCC Cultural Arts Center. Beverly Rucker will be conducting. The orchestra is always looking for new musician members. The orchestra is open to all ages. Questions can be directed to Mary Shoaff, POP Orchestra President at [email protected] .
BRING A STUDENT
In past seasons we have made available a coupon for ticket holders to “bring a student” to a WPAA concert. We are repeating that offer for the current season. The coupon below can be clipped and kept with your season tickets.
Any group of 20 or more students will be admitted to a WPAA program for only $5.00 per student. The group should be accompanied by an adult sponsor.
St Francis; Helene Landenberger, *Althea Lebow, Marsha Magley
Decatur County
Jennings; Lynn Tacha
Gove County
Grainfield, *Alma Golden, Denise Packard
Grinnell, *Leona Dickman
Quinter, Denise and Randy Wittman
Logan County
Oakley, Donna Albers, Evelyn Engel, Connie Singer, Shane
Stephenson,
Winona, *Jean Lowe,
Rawlins County
Atwood, Millie Fisher, Carole Luedders, Charles Peckham
Sheridan County
Hoxie, David Leopold, CPA, treasurer, Marilyn Meier
Sherman County
Goodland, Curtis Duncan *Eric and Roxie Yonkey
Thomas County
Colby, Joan Albers, Kenneth Gatlin, Terrel Harrison, Kevin Juenemann, Amie Kendrick, Sandy Wilks.
C C C, Pat Ziegelmeier, Executive Director
Rexford, Janell Antholz
Wallace County
Sharon Springs, William and *Wilma Mai
Wallace, Cecil & Jayne Humphrey Pearce
Weskan, Vernon and Mary Beth Akers
* denotes community contact person
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
http://kansasarts.org/ Kansas Citi-zens for the Arts
www.maaa.org/ Mid America Arts Al-liance
www.kansasartsfoundation.com/ Kan-sas Arts Foundation
www.hppr.org High Plains Public Radio
www.colbycc.edu/ Colby Communi-ty College
http://goodlandarts.org/
The WPAA Newsletter is Published 3 times yearly by Western Plains Arts Association for its members and friends. We welcome your comments and suggestions. at [email protected]
