Trivia Movie
Night Saturday
‘‘Take Me to Your Reader’’ sci-fi trivia movie night for teens, 13 and older, will be held at the Sitka Public Library 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 15.
Registration is required.
Teens’ knowledge will be challenged regarding a variety of science fiction-related books, films, video games, graphic novels and TV shows. Snacks will be available.
The initiative is part of ‘‘A Universe of Stories!’’ summer library program. For information, call the library at 747-8708.
Sitka Summer Music Festival Notes
By Susan Wingrove-Reed
WOW. What an exciting, joyful opening weekend of the Sitka Summer Music Festival! Scott Joplin’s music inspired all of us, and the Beethoven trio night was just unforgettable. Every note and phrase was lovingly played – so much heart…. Yay to the musicians!
We are thrilled to welcome back beloved SSMF founder and violinist extraordinaire Paul Rosenthal this week. Come to the Mean Queen tonight for the free 6:30 p.m. concert; it will be full of surprises. Thursday’s 12:15 p.m. Bach’s Lunch concert at the Odess Theatre will be a doozy – solo works for violin (a Bach Partita) and piano (Rachmaninov) followed by a CD release celebration featuring classical/jazz pianist Matt Herskowitz! WOW.
Friday night’s concert at Centennial Hall (6:45 p.m. pre-concert chat/interview and 7:30 p.m. music) will open with works by Shostakovich and Beethoven that include Paul (welcome back!), Benjamin Breen (violin) and Natasha Paremski (piano) opening the concert with the charming Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano by Shostakovich. Our ears and hearts will then be treated to Beethoven’s only piano quartet – cellist Jia Kim and pianist Matt Herskowitz will join the team for this beautiful gem that features each instrument as a virtuoso soloist. After the intermission, Matt Herskowitz will blow your mind with a set of piano solos that cross boundaries between classical and jazz. If you have not heard him play before, it is pretty darn astonishing what he does with his virtuosic chops and his incredible imagination. I can’t wait to hear his take on Beethoven (a Tango-Toccata based on the famous Fur Elise), a pairing of Schubert and Erik Satie miniatures with jazz improvisations, a Herskowitz original called “Song for Katya”, a Ravel concerto that will take you on a amazing journey, and some Gottschalk gems – “The Last Hope” and “The Banjo.”
Saturday night’s concert will begin with a piano solo showcase featuring Natasha Paremski with two extraordinary works – Visions Fugitive (Fleeting Visions) by Prokofiev and Gaspard de la nuit by Ravel. Natasha is a fearless, passionate artist. Visions Fugitive is rarely played as an entire set – it consists of twenty short pieces, and I mean short as they range from 30 seconds to two minutes. The moods in each miniature range from lyrical to whimsical, sedate to seductive. The atmospheric title comes from a sonnet by Russian poet Konstantin Balmont who wrote, “In every fugitive vision I see worlds, full of the changing play of rainbow hues.”
Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit (Treasurer of the Night) was inspired by Aloysius Bertrand’s haunting book (1830) that includes verses, prose poems and drawings about imps, devils, nymphs, ill-fated lovers, death and nightmares; Bertrand stated that the title was a pseudonym for Satan. Composed in 1842, pianists pretty much agree that this is heart-stoppingly difficult music, the very devil to play. In three movements, Ondine portrays a water sprite who sings seductively to entice mortal men to her kingdom. Le Gibet features a sinister, eerie score that depicts a corpse hanging from a gibbet, swaying in the wind. Pianist Charles Rosen described it as “an assault on the nerves of the listener, a creation of tension through insistence like the Chinese water torture.” Scarbo portrays a lightning-fast, malicious dwarf who can change his shape, size and color at will. Natasha is going to have a blast – and so is the audience.
Concluding Saturday’s program will be Sir William Walton’s Cello Concerto, a modern masterpiece. Zuill Bailey will perform with a piano quintet as his mini-orchestra; Benjamin Breen and Paul Rosenthal (violins), Martin Sher (viola), Jia Kim (cello) and me as the lucky pianist. Cellist Daniel Muller-Schott said that the audience hears “the whole atmosphere of Italy, the golden rays of the sun, the different colors of light, the blue tones of the sea, and the scent of the saltwater.” Sounds like Sitkans can totally identify with this beautiful work.
AND don’t forget the annual all-you-can-eat Crab Feed Sunday from 3-5 p.m. at Crescent Harbor. Come with friends and family, fill your tummies, and support the SSMF! See you at all the concerts – and at Tuesday’s 6 p.m. artist chat and mini-concert at Stevenson Hall.
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Susan Wingrove-Reed is a music educator from Anchorage. She writes program notes for the Sitka Summer Music Festival, and gives pre-concert lectures.
‘Red Gold’ Film
Screened June 13
Sitka Conservation Society and Save Bristol Bay will host a free screening of “Red Gold” at the Bayview Pub 7:30-9 p.m. Thursday, June 13.
The film will be followed by an update on Pebble Mine and opportunities to take action.
‘‘At the headwaters of the Kvichak and Nushagak Rivers in Bristol Bay, Alaska – the two largest remaining sockeye salmon runs on the planet – mining companies Northern Dynasty and Anglo American have proposed to extract what may prove to be the richest deposit of gold and copper in the world, perhaps worth as much as $600 billion,’’ Sitka Conservation Society said about the film.
Legion Services
Officer in Sitka
American Legion Services Officer Jamie Carlson will be at the Sitka Job Center 12:30-4:30 p.m. Monday, June 17.
Free assistance will be available for: understanding benefits and entitlement; filing claims for disability compensation and pension; and benefit claims for dependents and survivors.
Census Bureau
Recruitment Set
The U.S. Census Bureau will host a recruitment event 8-9:30 a.m. June 19 at the Sitka Job Center.
Bird-Viewing
Cruise on Tap
All are invite to join the Sitka Conservation Society staff to cruise along the Kruzof Island shore and view the birds that inhabit the area 5:30-8:30 p.m. June 20.
Tickets are $55 per person and are available for purchase at Old Harbor Books two weeks prior to the cruise with cash or check.
For information contact SCS at 747-7509 or info@sitkawild.org.
Texas Lutheran
Volunteers Here
Jon and Glena Pfennig are serving Sitka Lutheran Church as volunteers in June.
The two have cruised Alaska and their cruising experience drew them back to Sitka as volunteers.
Jon Pfennig has had a career in jurisprudence. A graduate of University of Texas/Austin, he has served communities and ultimately formed his own law firm. An award-winning officer of the Texas Air National Guard, he served with distinction for 20 years and has served his church and his community in many ways.
Glena Pfennig is a graduate of UT/Austin with a journalism degree. In her 37 year career in communications, she worked in advertising, industry, newspapers and sports writing. Her writing includes several major award-winning pieces which include photography and writing.
Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a primary task for Lutheran volunteers, as well as explaining Sitka Lutheran’s Finnish-Lutheran history to tourists and caring for the historic Lutheran Cemetery.
Sitka Lutheran has sponsored teens going to Jamaica, Indonesia, Florida, Canada, New Orleans and Montana for relief efforts involving flooding, hurricanes and health care. Also, the church supports efforts to support the Salvation Army Food Bank. The church expressed appreciation to the Sitka community for supporting these efforts.
For information call the church office at 747-3338 visit the church’s web site at: http://www.sitkalutheranchurch.org/ or e-mail the office at sitkalutheranchurch@gmail.com.
Uncommon Music
Festival Slated
The Uncommon Music Festival, July 30-Aug. 4, will offer free musical events including concerts, recitals, workshops and get-togethers featuring whale song, nature walks and live storytelling.
Uncommon live music will include an SATB vocal quartet, organ (or piano), and guitar (or lute) all around Sitka all week. Contact directors@uncommonmusicfest.org or reach out on Facebook for more information.
StarLab Event
At Public Library
Ages 7 to 9 years are invited to ‘‘A Universe Full of Stories StarLab’’ experience 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, at Sitka Public Library.
Pre-registration is required; space is limited and will be given on a first-come, first-served, basis.
The initiative is part of A Universe of Stories! Summer Library Program. For information, call 747-8708.
‘Boating Safely’
Course on Tap
The Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Sitka Flotilla will offer its About Boating Safely course Saturday, June 29, at the NSRAA classroom, 1308 Sawmill Creek Road.
Doors will open at 7:45 a.m. and the class will run 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with a lunch break. The cost is $30.
A sample of some of the topics include: before getting underway; trailering; rules of the road; aids to navigation markers; seamanship; emergency procedures; fire fighting; anchoring; and how to pass a vessel exam.
The class has been designed as an active, “hands-on” approach to teaching these and other topics. For information contact Mike Morris, 747-8039, sitkaaux@hotmail.com.
Pre-Father’s Day
Brunch Saturday
Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 4 will host a pre-Father’s Day brunch 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 15, at the ANB Founders Hall.
A plate of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and fruit is $10. It is open to the public. All proceeds go to ANS Camp 4.
Fine Arts Camp
Performances Set
Sitka Fine Arts Camp’s final middle school student performances will be 7 p.m. June 26, 27 and 28 at the Sitka Performing Arts Center.
Performances will feature students from a variety of theater, music and dance classes.
A final visual arts show and smaller music, theater and writing performances will be 1-4 p.m. June 28 at the SJ Campus.
All performances are free with a suggested donation of $5. For information call the camp office at 747-3085.
Brass, String
Concerts Listed
Sitka Fine Arts Camp’s Alaska Brass Workshop and String Chamber Music Intensive will perform a lunchtime concert 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, and a final concert 7 p.m., June 29, at Odess Theater on the SJ Campus.
The performances are free and open to the public, and will feature top brass and strings students from around Alaska.
