FEB - MAR 2014 magazine PINK MARTINI WITH THE VON TRAPPS ALSO IN THIS ISSUE The Kings Singers Sinfonia Shostakovich Resurrection - 1 - OVERTURE MAGAZINE | FEB-MAR 2014 orchestra iowa timothy hankewich cd on sale now available through the orchestra iowa ticket office OVERTURE MAGAZINE | FEB-MAR119 third 2014 avenue se, cedar- 2 - rapids - 319.366.8203 The King’s Singers17 29 17 SINFONIA MUSICIANS 73 SPOTLIGHT CHRISTINE BELLOMY & CHARLES "ANDY" HARRIS Bata’s 24 56 43 RESURRECTION PINK MARTINI WITH THE VON TRAPPS OVERTURE magazine serves as the program guide to Orchestra Iowa, Paramount Theatre and Opus Concert Café performances. It features articles showcasing the arts and entertainment in the Creative Corridor. It is our mission to provide engaging content to accompany performances highlighted in each issue. Pink Martini cover and Inside this Issue photos by Holly Andres. - 3 - OVERTURE MAGAZINE | FEB-MAR 2014 Imagination is a wellspring from which great things flow. Imagination finds its outlet in many ways. We look, we listen, we discover new ways to engage the world around us. At Rockwell Collins, we believe creativity and innovation in our community contribute to the vitality of the places we live and work. We are proud to support Orchestra Iowa's 2013/2014 season. rockwellcollins.com © 2013 Rockwell Collins. All rights reserved. OVERTURE MAGAZINE | FEB-MAR 2014 - 4 - 2013-14 Orchestra Iowa Ad 7.5x10.25.indd 1 8/21/13 4:35 PM Decorah Mason City Elkader Cedar Falls Maquoketa CELEBRATING THE Ames Cedar Rapids Iowa City Coralville Davenport Ottumwa Fairfield Looking ahead to our next few performances, one word immediately comes to mind: wow! When we began booking the 2014 Paramount Presents series, we were looking for incredible, world-class performances we could bring to Eastern Iowa. I believe we were successful in finding them. I first heard The King’s Singers in college and was blown away by what this a cappella ensemble of six men from Britain could do. A few years ago, I discovered another ensemble that took my breath away—Pink Martini. Though based in Portland, Oregon, their music is global and crosses the genres of classical, jazz, world and pop. However, I’m most excited about Orchestra Iowa’s next two performances. In February, we showcase two of our own musicians, Concertmaster Luke Witchger and Principal Violist Lisa Ponton, in Mozart’s Symphonia Concertante. The artistic leap our Orchestra is taking under Timothy Hankewich is incredible and it’s very rewarding to see the recruitment of such talent continue the Orchestra’s legacy. In March, The Mighty Wurlitzer makes its triumphant return following a five-year restoration of both the console (keyboard) and the instrument itself (pipes). The organ reclaims its rightful place in the Paramount Theatre with perhaps one of the greatest magnum opuses ever composed—Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony, appropriately nicknamed The Resurrection. Orchestra Iowa, two choruses and two soloists join The Mighty Wurlitzer to comprise the largest ensemble to perform on the Paramount Theatre stage. It will be the memorable, not-to-be-missed event of the season. We are thrilled to bring exciting performing arts presentations to you month after month. It is that passion for connecting artist to audience that drives us in our commitment to serve our communities. As we put the finishing touches on the 2014/2015 season, which we will unveil in the next issue of Overture, I welcome your comments and ideas on how we can continue to improve your concert experience. Sincerely, Robert Massey Chief Executive Officer - 5 - OVERTURE MAGAZINE | FEB-MAR 2014 Mediacom BOARD OF DIRECTORS makes your life ORCHESTRA IOWA 2013/2014 SEASON Chair simpler Don Thompson always faster internet Secretary * • Download speeds up to 105 Mbps Pat Hanick • 70x faster than standard 1.5 Mbps DSL Treasurer boundary-free tv Joel Otto • Thousands of On Demand movie titles included Past-Chair • Up to 15 channels of Denny Redmond Starz® and Encore® lower cost phone Sarah Anderson Robert Massey * • Unlimited calling in the Gary Bartlett Dennis McMenimen US and Canada David Basler Timothy Michels • 17 features like Anne Carter Richard Minette caller ID included Drew Cumings-Peterson Jeffrey Nielsen Wendy Dunn Steven Opp call today! 800-332-0245 Steve Erickson Cathie Payvandi Joyce Finch Barbara Peterson David Gehring Dan Rogers *Services not available in all areas. Upload and download speeds may vary. Carey Downs Gibson Sara Sauter Tim Hankewich * Roger Smith James Hoffman Anne Stapleton Spencer Howard * Janeta Tansey Bradley Johnson Peter Tilly * Dennis Kral Aren van Houzen * It’s good to be home. Jeffrey Krivit Stephen West LeAnn Larson Mark Zimmerman David Lawrence *Ex-officio Joanna Machnowski OVERTURE MAGAZINE 119 Third Avenue SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 New homes, remodels or renovation ACCREDITED BUSINESS 319.447.6019 • allancustomhomes.com ® [email protected] 319.366.8206 OVERTURE MAGAZINE | FEB-MAR 2014 - 6 - A LOOK AHEADBy Alexis Kenleigh hroughout this outstandingly frigid winter, it has been difficult April in Paris - April 25-27 Tnot to long for the warmer days ahead. Inarguably, the only In this program, featuring one of the most iconic string quartets of thing hot around here is the incredible talent that has set the stage the Romantic era, you will be transported to an enchanted evening ablaze with sizzling performances of sight, sound and song. We in Paris. Enjoy a glass of fine wine as four French composers, two are confident however, that the lineup of upcoming performances violins, a viola, cello, flute, bassoon and harp provide a musical will melt away any remaining snow and ice. So, during these arctic definition of joie de vivre. Iowa evenings, we encourage you to look ahead to spring and hope you plan to join us in celebrating its arrival. Slavic Classics - May 2-4 White-knuckled and on the edge of the precipice, you will be Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater - March 19 gripping your seat for this season finale that features two of the Be inspired by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s incomparable most treasured composers and their renowned classical works. dancers as they bring you the pulse-racing thrill of contemporary Lose yourself in Rachmaninoff’s melodic reverie, discover new favorites and the spirit-lifting joy of such classics as Alvin dimensions in Tchaikovsky’s epic masterpiece and experience why Ailey’s masterpiece, Revelations. Led by Robert Battle, Ailey’s these works have mesmerized audiences for more than a century. performances celebrate the human spirit through the African- American cultural experience and the American modern dance For more information about upcoming events, please visit us online tradition. Praised as a “must-see” by The Wall Street Journal, now at orchestraiowa.org, paramountpresents.com or call 319.366.8203. Iowa audiences can experience the power of Ailey and see why this extraordinary company is hailed as America’s cultural ambassador to the world. Rite of Spring - April 5 & 6 Nothing is as invigorating as rousing from a long winter by robust rhythms and rhapsodic revelries. The synchronizations of live music and dance awaken the senses in this mesmeric menagerie of Spring. Join Orchestra Iowa and Ballet Quad Cities for this original production of one of the most influential compositions of the 20th century—The Rite of Spring. - 7 - OVERTURE MAGAZINE | FEB-MAR 2014 On behalf of the Board of Directors, I welcome you to Orchestra I’d like to especially thank the musicians of Orchestra Iowa. We Iowa’s 92nd season. We have much to celebrate as we open our have made significant changes over the past five years that have season in this spectacular setting at Brucemore, anticipating our made us a stronger and more successful organization, and at every second season in the magnificently restored Paramount Theatre. step of the way, the musicians of Orchestra Iowa were strong Artistically, Maestro Hankewich and the talented musicians of partners in our transformation. Because of this, the Orchestra is Orchestra Iowa are poised to present one of the most anticipated performing at a higher level than anytime during the history of seasons of music in the history of this organization. You’ll enjoy Orchestra Iowa. some of the best of the repertoire this season, including two performances that I am especially excited about: the performance So as this season begins, I want to thank you for your continued of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and our collaboration with Ballet support as audience members and patrons of Orchestra Iowa, and Iowa in presenting Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, not as a concert, but to urge you to join me in thanking and celebrating our talented as it was intended—as a fully staged ballet performance performed and devoted partners, the musicians of Orchestra Iowa! by a professional ballet company, accompanied by Orchestra Iowa. My predecessors have written about the many changes we’ve Thank you, managed since the Flood of 2008 and the success Orchestra Iowa has achieved over the past 5 years. We aren’t the same organization that we were pre-flood—we’re a much improved and diverse organization. We’ve actively transformed Orchestra Iowa and reached new heights thanks to the creative ideas, work, talent and commitment of many people: our CEO, Robert Massey, Maestro Tim Hankewich, an incredible staff, a dedicated Board of Directors, generous corporate sponsors and individual donors, a resilient and appreciative audience and a supportive city Don Thompson