LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
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Daily Sitka Sentinel
Flutist to Bring Old, New Sounds to Sitka Stage
Kelly Zimba plays during a Sitka Fine Arts Camp Art Share event in 2016. (Sentinel Photo by James Pouilson
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
If you hear the sound of a train or beat-boxing played on a flute you may be listening to a performance by Kelly Zimba.
Zimba, the principal flutist for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, will play a concert 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, at the Performing Arts Center.
Zimba has been coming here to teach classes at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp the past two summers, and has performed for wider local audiences at the camp’s evening “Art Shares” concerts.
Audiences familiar with Zimba’s work can expect her to share a wider variety of music at the Sitka concert, with the help of two local musicians, vocalist Rhiannon Guevin and pianist Robert Fleitz.
The program features six works, including Sonatina for Flute, by Eldon Burton.
“It was one of the first pieces I learned, so it’s meaningful for me in that way,” Zimba said.
Other pieces are by Saint-Saëns, Julius Benedict, and Prokofiev, and three traditional Irish folk songs by John Corigliano, which are arranged in a contemporary way.
“It’s going to be a really varied program in terms of content,” said Guevin, a classically trained soprano.
“Folks can expect to be consistently entertained. There’s a piece with electronic backing, traditional pieces and more contemporary pieces. Also, Kelly is just an amazing player. She’s always been really great at exploring techniques for playing the flute. People will hear amazing and interesting methods for playing the flute.”
In an interview with the Sentinel, Zimba explained the “extended technique” she employed at an Art Shares concert playing a piece by Ian Clarke which adds beat boxing and other techniques to the traditional sound of the flute. The piece was a hit with students and other audience members.
“When I first started learning these pieces you have to throw out everything you know about flute playing, and embrace a whole new concept, a whole different way of playing the flute,” she said.
Although the Clarke composition is not on the program, she has added a piece she says is “a little out of the box,” with an electronic back track.
Guevin said she’s enjoying the variety of music that she’s been practicing for the concert.
She described the Saint-Saëns piece, “Une flûte invisible,” as “lyrical.”
“It’s just really beautiful; it’s one of those pieces that’s lovely to listen to, it has a beautiful melody,” she said.
La Capinera (The Wren) for Soprano and Flute, by Julius Benedict, is “upbeat and colorful,” Guevin said. “There’s a lot of high notes both for me and for Kelly.”
Guevin said one of the Irish folk pieces, “She Moved Through the Fair,” provides a good contrast between the two musicians.
“It’s very free,” Guevin said. “We can play off each other a lot. Her part is intricate, my part is fairly steady. It’s an interesting contrast.”
As an instructor at the Fine Arts Camp, Zimba has worked with kids from elementary age through high school.
Her busy schedule with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will keep her from returning this summer, but she said she’s pleased to be able to come to Sitka this month. In addition to the Jan. 12 concert she will work with students at Keet Gooshi Heen, Sitka High and Blatchley Middle School. She will also perform a concert next week at Baranof Elementary.
Zimba said she started playing the flute when she was nine. Her mother had also played the flute when she was in school.
“We had a flute in the house – it made the most sense,” she said. That’s not to say she didn’t enjoy the sound of the instrument.
“The flute to me is one of the most compelling of any instrument,” Zimba said. “I like the role the flute plays in the orchestra.”
In her junior year of high school, she started thinking about a career in music.
She earned a degree in flute performance and education from the University of Michigan, not knowing whether her career would be performing or teaching. “Halfway through I wanted to go for an orchestra career.”
She received her graduate degree in flute performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas. During graduate school she went on auditions, and earned a spot in the New World Symphony in Miami, which she said was a bit like a residency program for med students. In the middle of her second year in the NWS, she was offered the job with the Toronto orchestra.
She said it’s been a good fit for her.
“I love it, it’s a great city. I miss Miami, it’s taking some adjusting getting used to Toronto,” Zimba said. “But I like it a lot, it’s a good balance between individual work and practice, and working together with people, which I like.” She also has been enjoying the musical community in the Canadian city.
Tickets for the concert are $20 for general admission, and $15 for youths 18 and under, available at Old Harbor Books and the door.
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.