Pianist Nikolas Caoile, who also conducts several orchestras, will perform at the Keyboard Confections concert.
By Marcy Stamper
Keyboard Confections, Cascadia’s annual feast for the ears and eyes, features regional and local pianists in combination with voice and cello on Saturday (March 5).
Half of the concert is devoted to the musical pairing of pianist Nikolas Caoile and mezzo-soprano Melissa Schiel in a program called “Celebrating Shakespeare.” The selections feature music using texts by Shakespeare and music inspired by his writing. The songs include music by well-known composers such as Brahms, Berlioz and Rossini, plus an opportunity to become acquainted with lyrical works by less-familiar 19th- and 20th-century composers such as Julius Harrison and Gerald Finzi.
In addition to his work as a pianist, Caoile teaches music at Central Washington University and conducts the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Central Washington University Orchestra, and the Salem Chamber Orchestra.
Schiel has sung with regional and national opera companies and premiered many works by contemporary composers. She teaches voice at Central Washington University.
Local pianists include Michael Brady, who will play the emotional first movement of a sonata by Chopin, and Alice Glandon, who will perform a Capriccio from a set of fantasies by Brahms that winds through sections from the melancholic through the ecstatic.
Pianist Kathleen Christensen of Omak will play “La Neige Danse” (“The Snow is Dancing”) from Debussy’s Children’s Corner Suite, which the composer wrote for his 3-year-old daughter.
Pianist Mary Koch of Omak and cellist Pam Hunt of Twisp team up on a lovely duet for piano and cello from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, with the cello evoking the graceful movements of a swan.
The Methow’s own Hottell Ragtime Jazz Band will offer its usual upbeat arrangements of popular tunes from the early 20th century.
Intermission features delectable desserts, among them chocolate praline tarts; a port-wine cake with a berry garnish; cheesecake with chocolate topping; a vanilla pastry tart with raspberry sauce; several types of cookies; and even a light, “low-calorie” option.
Keyboard Confections is Saturday (March 5) at 7 p.m. at the Methow Valley Community Center in Twisp. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students and free for children under 12.
