Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Coming together for peace
By Alexander Rich, Staff Writer
Friday, March 27, 2009 | No comments posted.
COOS BAY - Ida Jo Gates enjoys bringing people together, especially when music is involved. This weekend, she has assembled a cast of artists for a production dedicated to the German philosopher Albert Schweitzer.
It's an opportunity to bring the whole community together, she explained. As a precursor to the musical festivities, the mayors of North Bend and Coos Bay met Thursday to sign a proclamation declaring a day of peace.
"I wanted this community to feel like a community, that both cities could come together to enjoy this event," she said.
The main event is Sunday night, when Gates, fellow organist Thomas Collins, narrators Amy England and the Rev. David King, and opera singer Elias Mokole perform "Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach."
As the name implies, the drama features both classical music and a narrative about Schweitzer, accompanied by slides. Though mainly known for his humanitarian activities, Schweitzer was also an organist and music scholar who studied composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
The weekend also features a master class Saturday afternoon and a voice and piano recital Friday night. The venue for all the performances is the First United Methodist Church of Coos Bay at 123 Ocean Blvd.
Gates said she ultimately wants to host an annual weeklong arts festival featuring professional musicians that would attract music students from around the region. She knows it can be done because Mokole is doing just that in the northeast corner of Iowa.
Mokole and Gates met three or four years ago at a concert in Arizona.
Mokole said they had talked about collaboration before, but it was only when Gates came up with the idea of an ode to Schweitzer that they found a reason to get together.
An Ohio native, Mokole has performed for audiences in Paris, Philadelphia and Chicago, but more recently he has established an arts festival in northeast Iowa.
Mokole has found it rewarding to work with people who might not necessarily consider themselves fans of classical music. He recalled a student from Iowa who dragged her father to see a recital. Afterward, he came up to Mokole.
"He said, 'I didn't think I would enjoy this as much as NASCAR, but I did,'" Mokole recalled.
The events begin Friday night with a voice and piano recital at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, there will be a master class from 1 to 4 p.m., that anyone is welcome to attend. The main event is Sunday night starting with refreshments at 6 and the performance at 7.
It's an opportunity to bring the whole community together, she explained. As a precursor to the musical festivities, the mayors of North Bend and Coos Bay met Thursday to sign a proclamation declaring a day of peace.
"I wanted this community to feel like a community, that both cities could come together to enjoy this event," she said.
The main event is Sunday night, when Gates, fellow organist Thomas Collins, narrators Amy England and the Rev. David King, and opera singer Elias Mokole perform "Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach."
As the name implies, the drama features both classical music and a narrative about Schweitzer, accompanied by slides. Though mainly known for his humanitarian activities, Schweitzer was also an organist and music scholar who studied composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
The weekend also features a master class Saturday afternoon and a voice and piano recital Friday night. The venue for all the performances is the First United Methodist Church of Coos Bay at 123 Ocean Blvd.
Gates said she ultimately wants to host an annual weeklong arts festival featuring professional musicians that would attract music students from around the region. She knows it can be done because Mokole is doing just that in the northeast corner of Iowa.
Mokole and Gates met three or four years ago at a concert in Arizona.
Mokole said they had talked about collaboration before, but it was only when Gates came up with the idea of an ode to Schweitzer that they found a reason to get together.
An Ohio native, Mokole has performed for audiences in Paris, Philadelphia and Chicago, but more recently he has established an arts festival in northeast Iowa.
Mokole has found it rewarding to work with people who might not necessarily consider themselves fans of classical music. He recalled a student from Iowa who dragged her father to see a recital. Afterward, he came up to Mokole.
"He said, 'I didn't think I would enjoy this as much as NASCAR, but I did,'" Mokole recalled.
The events begin Friday night with a voice and piano recital at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, there will be a master class from 1 to 4 p.m., that anyone is welcome to attend. The main event is Sunday night starting with refreshments at 6 and the performance at 7.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines