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COLLECTIVE VISIONS ANOUNCES ITS
FESTIVAL OF GALLERY CONCERTS FOR 2007-2008
September 19,
Virginia Klemens Blues Band
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Virginia Klemens has a rich musical
history in Chicago since the 1970’s and has been actively working here in
the Northwest since 1995. She performed with many Chicago blues, rock and
folk greats and toured with top artists for many years as well. She won
the 2006 “Best Female Vocalist” BB award, from the Washington Blues
Society and also the 2005 “Best Blues Recording” for Western and Eastern
Washington for her work with TROB. Her voice is loud, proud and full of
personal, individually recognizable style. Virginia sings upbeat rockin
tunes to sensitive ballads written in the 1920's for the likes of Bessie
Smith, Memphis Minnie and Lil Green. Virginia serenades listeners with
sultry soulful inspiration. The artists she surrounds herself with now are
among the best that the Northwest has to offer. Make yourself comfortable
and enjoy a musical trip around the country with The Virginia Klemens
Band.
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October 17 David Friesen and Uwe Kropinski Jazz Improvisations on Bass and
Guitar
The music of David Friesen and Ewe Kropinski is perhaps best described
by jazz critics: “Friesen and Kropinski range beyond the typical
boundaries of their instrument and even the usual concept of a duet. There
are moments in their performances when simultaneously, Friesen is playing
both Shakuhachi flute and bass, and Kropinski is playing both percussion,
chords, and lines on his guitar; the duo becomes a virtual quartet” says
Derk Richardson for the San Francisco Bay Guardian while in Innsbruck,
Austria, Martin Volgger calls them “heart musicians” saying, “Their
excellent technique allows them to create their music with no noticeable
limitations, freely and from their own spirit.” David and Uwe met in
Munich, Germany in 1987 where they were both playing as soloists. They
recognized a similarity in their passion for music, combined their musical
talents and have been playing as a duet ever since. They have recorded
several CD’s together and appeared throughout the United States and Europe
in concert, and at jazz festivals. They have presented Jazz workshops at
over 300 Universities and Music Conservatories sponsored by
Thomastik-Infeld/Vienna. They were also featured guests on the Johnny
Carson Tonight Show.
November 21 Jami Sieber- electric cellist, vocalist and composer
Jami Sieber reaches inside the soul with lush compositions that are
timeless and powerfully evocative. A pioneer of both the acoustic and
electric cello, her style of playing is recognized internationally.
Employing electronics and looping techniques she creates sounds never
associated with the cello. She has composed for film, theater, and dance
and in 1989 she received the Northwest Area Music Association (NAMA)
Award for Best Rock Instrumentalist from her work with her band Rumors
of the Big Wave. She has five independently produced CDs, including the
acclaimed 2004 recording "Hidden Sky" and her latest release “Unspoken”
that has charted in the Top 10 on a number of US stations. This concert
will open the heart, defy the mind, and, at times, set the body dancing.
Don’t miss it!
December 19,
Carolyn Cruso: Multi-Instrumentalist
Carolyn Cruso has traveled the world moving audiences with her
expressive voice, flute, guitar and hammered dulcimer talents. She moves
gracefully between these various instruments, taking audiences on a
magical journey of storytelling, music and song. A master on the hammered
dulcimer, Carolyn pushes the boundaries of the traditional while honoring
tradition. Her songwriting varies from poetic to narrative, exploring
love, loss and regeneration. She lays these over an intricate finger
picking guitar style and open tunings which allow her to find rich voicing
in the chords she hears. Carolyn has shared the stage with a variety of
artists including Susan Osborn, Peter Mayer, Peter Case, Orville Johnson,
Jim Page, Artis the Spoonman, Holly Figueroa, Randal Bays, and Tom May.
Her show, which draws upon seven albums, is timeless and transportive in
nature.
January
16, Pearl Django: The Northwest’s Premier Hot Club Jazz-style group
Celebrating more than 13 years in existence Pearl Django continues to
be one of America’s most respected and busiest Hot Club style groups.
Their music reaches out across the divides of taste to a wide variety of
audiences. The band's fervent followers include Django Reinhardt and
Stephane Grappelli fans, guitar enthusiasts, lovers of string music,
bluegrass devotees, all who relish nimble, clean, intricate picking,
“world music”, fans drawn to French and Gypsy accents, plus jazz buffs and
aficionados of the new swing music. Voted favorite area jazz band 2003 by
Seattle Weekly readers, Pearl Django packs in enthusiastic audiences at
dancehalls, nightclubs, folk music festivals and jazz festivals alike.
Pearl Django was formed in 1994 by Neil Andersson, Dudley Hill and David
"Pope" Firman. Today the band members include Neil Andersson, and Ryan
Hoffman, Guitar; Michael Gray, Violin; Rick Leppanen, Bass and, David
Lange Accordion. Their new CD Modern Times is the 9th Pearl Django
release, the first with the new quintet, including accordionist, David
Lange.
February 20, Patrick and Sophia Stoyanovich: a father and daughter
piano/violin recital
Pianist and composer, Patrick Stoyanovich teams up with his 12 year
old violinist daughter Sophia to perform a selection of original music.
Patrick is composer-in-Residence at St. James Cathedral, Seattle, WA. He
has performed throughout the USA both as soloist and with symphony
orchestras including the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Symphony and
Bremerton Symphony. Commissions include an original score for the film
“Six Day Bicycle Race and most recently “Seven Last Words” for St James
Cathedral. Mr. Stoyanovich has been featured as piano soloist with the
important “Bright Moments.in Composition” under the late Pulitzer Prize
winner, Jacob Druckman. And at numerous jazz festivals. Sophia Stoyanovich
has studied violin for 6 years and currently studies with Ron Patterson at
the University of Washington. She is a member of the Seattle Youth
Symphony Junior Orchestra and has received a prestigious scholarships at
Indiana University’s String Academy at the Interlochen Arts Camp. Sophia
is a two-time winner of the Bremerton Symphony Youth Showcase and appeared
in concert with the Bremerton Symphony Association on Bach’s Violin
Concerto in E Major in November, 2006. She plays a full-sized Berger
violin.
March 20, Judith Alexandra “Alex” Miller: Classic mezzo soprano sings
German lieder
In her premier classical performance in Kitsap County Mezzo-Soprano
Judith Alexandra Miller brings the full maturity of her artistry. Her
program at Collective Visions Gallery will include art songs from the
German repertoire and operatic arias.
Alex’s singing of combines power and sweetness, from her dark, rich low
register to pure, ringing high tones. After years of singing lessons, both
private and at university, Alex completed voice study in the early
eighties with Shirley Harned, mezzo-soprano with Seattle Opera. She has
performed in Illinois and California, and in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Alex
has performed with the Santa Barbara Community Opera group, the Norcross
Studio Performance Group, Seattle Comic Opera, and Tacoma Opera. Her
operatic roles have included Aida, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Flora
in Traviata, Suor Angelica, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and the Mother in
Amahl and the Night Visitors.
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April 18, Mark Lewis & Mark Levine: A reunion of two Jazz Masters
Bremerton’s virtuoso saxophonist Mark Lewis and Grammy-nominated
pianist Mark Levine performed together on several high-profile engagements
when they both lived in San Francisco. Mark Lewis is considered to be one
of the most lyrical and emotionally committed saxophonists of his
generation. He traveled the world perfecting his jazz skills before
returning to Kitsap County to be near family. A celebrity in Holland, he
played the top clubs and taught at several music conservatories. In San
Francisco, he opened for Carmen McRae, frequently subbed for Stan Getz and
John Handy. The Mark Lewis Quartet recorded a Billboard Top-40 jazz album
with Mark Levine on piano. Mark Levine is a jazz improvisation instructor
at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a highly respected performer
and a well-known author. Jazz Times named “The Jazz Theory Book,” the
number one choice in its recommended basic jazz library. Levine has
studied, played, and recorded with many important jazz artists, including
Jaki Byard, Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Cal Tjader, Tito
Puente, Milt Jackson, Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, and Art
Pepper. This reunion concert promises to deliver some of the highest-level
jazz of the Bremerton’s season.
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May 8, Island Jazz Quintet
This 5 STAR HOT group features original vocal and instrumental
material mixed with a jazz standards repertory. The music is delivered by
a unique quintet featuring vocals and melodica, trumpet, and a cookin
rhythm section.' The Vashon Island group consists of Maggie Laird, vocals,
melodica; Richard Person, trumpet, flugelhorn; Tom Wilkins, piano; Todd
Gowers, upright bass and Todd Zimberg, drums. Together they have forged a
clean, cool and edgy jazz style. That style combines improvisational jazz,
bossa nova, and a hint of cabaret in distinctive arrangements. The band
has released three albums including "Youkali." titled after a Kurt Weill
French-Arabian tango. This disc turned up on radio playlists all across
the country as has IJQ’s third CD, "Who Knows," which immediately began
receiving national and international airplay. As music critic James
Rodgers says: "This is one of Washington state's best jazz ensembles.”
Don’t miss it.
June
19, Akemi Uchida: Contemporary Concert Violin Soloist
Akemi Uchida is a young violinist of extraordinary talent. She has
given solo recitals in Europe, the US and Japan, and appeared as a soloist
with the Seattle Philharmonic, Opus One Chamber Ensemble and the
University of Akron Symphony Orchestra. She also has performed in
ensembles at numerous festivals including the Verber Festival in
Switzerland, the New York String Seminar, the Aix-en-Provence Festival and
the Costa Rica International Music Festival. At Collective Visions she
will perform a program of contemporary composers Erwin Schuloff, Bernd
Alois Zimmermann, Nicholas Skalkottas and, J.S. Bach
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2008-2009
CONCERT SERIES