(Posted
6:30 p.m., Nov. 26)
Gloucester Music Club kicks off new season
with eclectic program
By Fred Sherwin
Orleans Online
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Some of the performers in the first Gloucester
Music Club concert of the season pose for a
group photo including Emily and Alexander Hou
(front), Aja Penny (top right) and Jillian Kimbell
(top centre). Fred Sherwin/Photo
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The
Gloucester Music Club kicked off ts 2011-2012 concert
series at the Orléans United Church on Friday with an
evening of piano recitals by 26 talented young musicians
ranging in age from seven to 22.
As
far as Gloucester Music Club recitals go, the program was one of the most eclectic
I can remember. Where else can you hear "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" and
Barry Gordie's "Shop Around" on the same program as Chopin's "Nocturne
In C#" or "Air In D" by Hayden? The
Gloucester Music Club is a musical co-operative formed by members of the Gloucester
Music Teachers Association to give youing musicians an opportunity to perform
in front of an audience.
The
musicians who performed Friday night have begun the process
of preparing for their Royal Academy of Music exams which
are traditionally held in in the spring. Some have been
practicing since July, while others only selected their
music in September. The recital was their first opportunity
to perform their pieces in front of an audience.
For
some it showed. Most made the odd minor error, but a few
shone including 10-year-old Emily Hou, whose recital of
the fast-paced "Presto" by Italian composer
Giovanni Pescetti, provided the first highlight of the
evening.
The
Grade 5 Maple Ridge Elementary School student selected
her music during the summer and has been practicing one
to two hours every day. It clearly showed in her recital.
Not
to be outdone by his older sibling, six-year-old Alexander
Hou played with a power beyond his years during his recital
of "Burlesque in G".
Other
highlights in the first half of the program included Amy
Li's rendition of "Nocturne" by the German composer
Heinrich Hofmann, Heather Hoerdt's recital of "Where
Go The Boats" by Chee-Hwa Tan, and Danielle Xie's
performance of Kulau's "Sonatina Op 20 No 11".
Catherine
Gallagher's rendition of Chopin's "Noctunre in C#"
was also high on the list. The 15-year-old played with
a musicality beyond her years.'
There
were two performances, however, that stood out from the
rest. The first was by 12-year-old Jillian Kimbell whose
beautiful, but all too short, interpretation of "Barcarolle"
by Duke left me wanting to hear more, and 22-year-old
Amieke Walker's rendition of "Notturno" by the
19th century Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, was for
the most part, impeccable.
The
next set of concerts in the Gloucester Music Club series
will be held on Feb. 10 and 11. Tickets are just $5 per
person of $10 per family. The program is always entertaining
and the performances will leave you spellbound.
For
more information about the Gloucester Music Club visit
www.gloucestermusicclub.ca.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
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