Robert Henry Trio a Rousing Success

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Casual Classics Concert Near Bent Tree

Robert Henry Trio in Concert in Jasper on November 7, 2011. Photo Courtesy Sara Baurmann

If you were one of the record crowd at the Casual Classics Concert last Monday Night in Jasper then this is old news; if you were not, then you missed a great evening. After the audience of around 200 settled in to their seats at the New Lebanon Presbyterian Church, (on Bent Tree Drive just outside Jasper) the Concert Master and President of Jasper Muse, Inc., Suzanne Shull, welcomed everyone and set the stage. The first selection was Beethoven’s 12 Variations on a Theme by Handel and as an introduction, Charae Kreuger, Cello, asked the very pertinent question: “What does a genius do for fun?” The answer, obviously, is that he writes 12 delicious variations on a single theme. The music was enchanting and the performance pristine.

For the second selection Fia Durrett joined the group and Dr. Henry introduced Mendelssohn’s Trio No 1 in D Minor, Opus 49. The piece is delectably challenging and the Trio was up to the challenge. Every heart pounding climax brought the audience to the edge of their seats and every quiet nuance was lovingly presented. The audience was enraptured, not a stir or cough was heard until the final note and the audience erupted into applause that continued after the Trio left the stage, walked out through the hall and was well on their way to the dressing room.

After a brief intermission, Fia Durrett, Violin, introduced the evening’s final selection Dvořák’s Piano Trio No 4 in E Minor (“Dumky”) The 6 sections are essentially short Slavic ballads (dumka) and each could stand alone; however they are musically intertwined and clearly of Slavic origin. Collectively they were like a melancholy litany handled lightly. Oh so Dvořák and oh so beautifully played by the trio.

It was an amazing concert – crisply and professionally delivered by the widely acclaimed artists and warmly received by its North Georgia audience. If you missed it, we’ll hope to see you at the next concert, which will be the Franklin Pond String Quartet along with a Guest Soloist presented on February 7, 2012. Go ahead and mark your calendar now!

See ya ’round the mountains,

Don

Robert Henry Piano Trio In Concert Tonight In Jasper

Monday, November 7th, 2011
Live Concert in Jasper, Georgia by Robert Henry

Robert Henry Trio in Live Concert in Jasper, Georgia

Robert Henry (Piano), Fia Durrett (Violin), and Charae Krueger (Cello) will appear in a Free Concert tonight in Jasper, Georgia. The Free Concert is Open to the public and seating is available for approximately 200 patrons. The concert begins 7:00 p.m. at the New Lebanon Presbyterian Church located on Bent Tree Drive just outside Bent Tree and only minutes from Jasper and Big Canoe. These are three outstanding artists with concert presentations at Carnegie Hall, The Julliard School, Wigmore Hall in London and many, many more. Normally, you would need to drive to a major city and spend big bucks to hear a concert of this quality. Jasper Muse, Inc. through its Casual Concerts series is bringing this concert to North Georgia free of charge. Don’t miss this outstanding opportunity that proves that the Arts in North Georgia are alive and well.

See ya ’round the mountains,
Don

Casual Classics Concert on March 7th

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
Casual Classics Presents the Riverside Chamber Players

Casual Classics Presents the Riverside Chamber Players

Mark your calendars and schedule an early dinner.  The Riverside Chamber Players return to Jasper on Monday March 7, 2011.   This Concert is free and open to the public.  The Casual Classics Concerts are a program of Jasper Muse, Inc.  Jasper Muse is local non-profit supporting the arts in Pickens County and North Georgia. Here is the official news release from Concert Master Suzanne Shull:

We are delighted to bring back the Riverside Chamber Players on March 7th  at 7 pm at the New Lebanon Presbyterian Church. This year you will see new faces as the group offers a wider variety of repertoire. We are honored to be presenting a brand new piece by an up-and-coming Atlanta composer, Michael Kurth. Riverside is premiering Michael’s latest work for string quintet and percussion, “Opting Out of Irony.” His music is accessible and I hope to add our audience to his growing fan base. The other work on the program is Shostakovich’s #8 quartet. We haven’t heard Shostakovich in Pickens County since the Riverside Concert in 2007!

Robert Henry Live Tonight

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Casual Classics Schedule

Artwork Courtesy of Jasper Muse, Inc.

Don’t miss a golden opportunity to hear one of America’s great pianist live here in Jasper.  Dr. Robert Henry will be performing at 7:00 pm tonight at the New Lebanon Presbyterian Church as a part of the Casual Classics Concert Series.  The concerts are free and open to the public.  Seating is limited and is available on a first come – first served basis.  Jasper Muse, Inc. is the parent organization of the Casual Classics Concert Series, the Jasper Young Singers and the Creative and Performing Arts Center.  To learn more about the programs supported by Jasper Muse, please visit their website:  Jasper Muse .  To learn more about Dr. Robert Henry please visit his website:  Dr. Robert Henry

If  you can’t make tonight’s performance, please check the future performance dates and mark your calendar now.

Have a Blessed Day,

Don

Casual Classics Fall Concert – Tuesday, November 10th

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Exciting news for Casual Classics Patrons, TRIO patrons, Tater Patch enthusiasts, and all who are interested in creative musicianship!  This is about the artist who will be at New Lebanon on Nov. 10 at 7:00 as part of the Casual Classics Concert Series.  I pre-ordered this C.D. and have been listening to it for a week – can’t wait for her concert!  This is her best C.D. yet with lots of humor and an interesting variety of vocalists.  We will make sure that she has some C.D.’s with her for autographing on the 10th.
Please forward this to everyone you know who wants to attend an amazing “singing” event, and be prepared to join in.  She can make a chorus of frogs sound like a heavenly choir!

Suzanne Shull, Casual Classics Concert Series.

Atlanta Music Guide – Oct. 28, 2009
http://www.atlantamusicblog.com/news/2009/10/cd-review-elise-witt-valise.html
http://www.mindspring.com/~emworld/pages/record.html

In case you can’t open the link, here’s the review below.

Elise Witt
Valise
EMWorld Records
By Al Kaufman
Elise Witt is one of those local treasures that nobody knows about. The multi-linguist from Switzerland, who has called Atlanta home since 1977, has been a cultural ambassador to South Africa, China, Italy, Nicaragua and Switzerland, represented Georgia for the Kennedy Center’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, has studied under Bobby McFerrin, sung under the direction of Robert Shaw for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus for 20 years, created singing workshops for adults and children all over the globe, and hosted musicians from outside countries to play locally.
The kicker is, in addition to all that, she has one of the purest and sweetest voices you are likely to ever hear. Valise is Witt’s “suitcase of global, local, and homemade songs.” Witt was a German-speaking three-years-old when her family moved to the States from Switzerland. Her more recent work with refugee families in Atlanta caused her to look back upon her own new beginnings in a foreign country and pay homage to that time, which she does here with a wonderfully diverse and eclectic mix.
When you are as nice and as well-traveled as Witt, you make a lot of friends, and she seems to call upon almost every one of them on this CD. The most obvious example is on “Blessed Nation,” a poem written by Pete Seeger in which Witt added some lyrics and a melody. Besides her three-woman chorus, Witt calls upon folk legend and recent Atlanta transplant John McCutcheon for lead vocals for one verse, and former Weaver and co-founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Frank Hamilton, for another.
Longtime partner Mick Kinney adds his piano and vocals (and violins, and accordions, and guitars, etc.) throughout, most notably on “Our Favorite Things,” in which Kinny updates the lyrics from the Sound of Music classic tune. In this modern version, “Thai food and T’aiChi, Qigong and I Ching/These are a few of my favorite things.”
But this CD is all Witt. She pays homage to the old Motown style on “Venus Between Us,” then to bebop with “Jackie.” She even does a bit of white housewife rap on “Clothes Swap.”
She sings in German, French, and Spanish. She scats, swings, and serenades. She takes the listener on a journey throughout the world of music, and what a delightful journey it is.
Elise Witt celebrates her CD release at Callenwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Rd, Atlanta GA 30306 on November 1 at 6:00 p.m.
http://www.mindspring.com/~emworld/pages/record.html