  |
|
March 15, 2007
|
Three cities, three schools In the past few decades, Manchester, Nashua, and Concord have each sprouted community music schools. Started for different reasons, they've all grown up and come to fill a need for specialized music instruction that the public school system isn't equipped to meet. Each contributes to the musical life of the community by staging concerts and other events throughout the year. And, you lucky music-lover, the next few weeks are filled with interesting stuff from each of the three. ? Manchester Community Music School, 2291 Elm St., Manchester: The school's annual "Share the Music" fund-raising gala is coming up next month, and promises to be a special event. (Full disclosure: I'm on the school's board of directors, so I'm totally biased, and HippoPress is the event's media sponsor.) "Jazz and the Silver Screen" is this year's theme, and returning as featured performer is Grammy-nominated jazz artist Brian O'Neal, composer of "The Boys are Back in Town" and other tunes. Last year, O'Neal floored everyone with a totally compelling set of jazz standards and some adventurous new material, too. It was live music at its best, and the school is lucky to have him back as headliner once again this year. The event, set for Wednesday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m. at C.R. Sparks (dinner included), is a fundraiser for the school's financial aid fund, which helps local kids pay for their music studies. This year, the school will award more than $70,000 to 250 students who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford to continue. If you believe in music and want to support its future, I can't think of a better local cause. Tickets are $90 each and they're going fast. For more info, call the school at 644-4548 or visit mcmusicschool.org. ? Nashua Community Music School, 5 Pine Street Ext., Mill Annex #6, Nashua: Of the three schools, Nashua for years was the quiet also-ran, offering a modest roster of teachers and lessons. That began to change a few years ago when Gillian Hinkle became executive director; since she arrived, the school has expanded its offerings and enrollments have grown from fewer than 100 students in 2003 to more than 240 right now. Growth has caused the school to move twice ? most recently into a much larger space in the city's millyard, where it now boasts a recital hall with room for 100 people. All this action has caught the attention of other groups; one product of this is a partnership between the school and the Nashua Symphony Association to launch a new youth choir program. The groups are currently looking for someone to lead the program, so calling all choir directors! If you'd like to direct a youth choral group, both the school and the orchestra are committed to making this the real deal. Deadline for applicants is March 31; for more information, contact Eric Valliere at the Nashua Symphony (595-9156) or Gillian Hinkle at the Nashua Community Music School. (881-7030) The Web sites: nashuasymphony.org and nashuacms.org. ? Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St., Concord: This well-run school long ago wove itself into the cultural fabric of Concord and the surrounding region. (Another full disclosure: I once took viola lessons there.) From its downtown facility, which includes an ex-church as a recital hall, the school runs a busy schedule of performance series that greatly enrich the area's musical life. Coming up is Concord's anniversary weekend on Friday and Saturday, March 23-24, traditionally a chance for the faculty to put their best feet forward. This time around, the celebration includes a "Chamber Music of Five Centuries" faculty concert on Friday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m., followed the next day by a community open house with student recitals, an "instrument petting zoo," and, yes, a birthday cake. Featured on Saturday, March 24, is the "Performathon," non-stop recitals by some of the school's 1,400 students from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. So if you have a sweet tooth for music or just a plain sweet tooth (remember that cake), it's worth checking out. Tickets for the Friday concert are $10; for that you get a chance to hear some unusual music on some unusual instruments, including baroque trumpet and oboe d'amore. Saturday's events are free. For more info, call the school at 228-1196 or visit ccmusicschool.org. |
3/1/2007 March, classical style
|
Navigation