By Ann McCreary
A celebration of music and young musicians will be presented this weekend by Cascadia, the Methow Music Association, at the Methow Valley Community Center in Twisp.
The weekend features an evening concert at 7 p.m. Saturday (May 17) and an afternoon of recitals by Pipestone School of Music students on Sunday (May 18), beginning at 1 p.m.
Pipestone Orchestra, directed by Tara Kaiyala Weaver, will present a program that includes the first movement from Symphony No. 1 by Carl Maria von Weber and the waltz from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky.
Weaver will perform the first movement of the Violin Concerto in D Major by Ludwig van Beethoven, accompanied by the Pipestone Orchestra, turning the baton over to guest conductor Don Pearce of the Okanogan Valley Orchestra.
The Pipestone Youth Orchestra will perform an arrangement of Bach’s Brandenburg No. 5, Concerto in E minor by Charles Avison, and Slavonic Dance by Antonin Dvorak.
Guitar student Peter Aspholm, 12, of Winthrop, winner of Pipestone’s Christine Cherrington Merit Scholarship Award, will perform Saltarello by Vincenzo Galilei. Aspholm will join instructor Terry Hunt to perform Andante from Concerto for Two Mandolins by Antonio Vivaldi, accompanied by strings from Pipestone Orchestra.
Cello student Stephanie Strong, 10, of Twisp, and voice student Eric Ellis, 18, of Winthrop will be recognized for receiving second and third place Cherrington Merit Awards, respectively.
The concert concludes with a performance by the Pipestone Jazz Ensemble led by trombonist Mike Harvey. The Jazz Ensemble will perform “Days of Wine and Roses” by Henry Mancini, “With a Little Help from My Friends” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and “I’ve Got a Crush on You” by George Gershwin.
Performing with the Jazz Ensemble on two numbers will be vocalist Emele Clothier and members of a jazz choir directed by Eric Ellis.
The Jazz Ensemble will be joined by the Pipestone adult and youth orchestras — making a total of about 50 musicians — in a version of the theme from Mission: Impossible, arranged by Harvey.
“For many years we’ve been wanting to do something with everyone,” Weaver said. “We’re going to blow the roof off.”
The concert is $15 for adults and free to those 18 and under.
On Sunday (May 18), 1 – 4 p.m., Pipestone School of Music students will display their talents and the fruits of a year’s dedication to music study. Students will perform on violin, viola, cello, guitar and piano. Sunday’s recitals are free and open to the public.
Pipestone School of Music is the educational branch of Cascadia. For more information, call 997-0222.
