Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Time for Spoleto Buzz

Posted by John Stoehr on Wed, May 21, 2008 at 8:36 AM

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You may have noticed by now that our issue today is devoted, almost entirely, to this year's Spoleto Festival USA. We're all very excited about the line-up, especially the cover story on Monkey: Journey to the West, a collaboration between opera and film director Chen Shi-Zheng, Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn, and Gorillaz illustration Jamie Hewlett. In fact, I bumped into Chen outside the Sottile Theatre yesterday afternoon. He was smoking a cigar, and then he was smoking a cigarette, along with seemingly every cast members of Monkey (smoking in globalized China might be another conversation altogether; I'm told it's a mark of social status). Anyway, I also saw some of the rehearsal and it looks great so far. I'm eagerly awaiting opening night Friday. To devote all of my attention to Monkey and the festival, I'll be putting Unscripted on hiatus during the Spoleto through June 8 or so. Meanwhile, you can read everyday about the festival at Spoleto Buzz, City Paper's blog with daily updates, reviews, musings, and observations all about Spoleto.

spoletobuzz.ccpblogs.com

Topics: Spoleto

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

A new rendition of "Fix You"

Posted by John Stoehr on Tue, May 20, 2008 at 9:03 PM

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We just saw the Stephen Walker documentary, Young@Heart, about the Northhampton choir by the same name. The average age of choir members is the low 80s. They sing punk tunes, rock 'n' roll, and other genres you'd never expect from octogenarians. It's a charming, LOL hilarious, and touching film. The most striking aspect, I think, is how the meaning of the songs is altered so much simply by the age and experience of the singer. Case in point is this clip from the movie's climax in which Fred Knittle, who has heart trouble and requires oxygen to breath due to the fluid build-up in his lungs, manages to sing a beautiful version of Coldplay's "Fix You." His voice is sonorous despite everything. The context, too, is heartbreaking. His good friend, whom he was supposed to sing "Fix You" as a duet, died. I'm not really giving too much away, because suspense isn't what this story's about. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

Topics: Film

Gibbes announces winner of the Factor Prize

Posted by John Stoehr on Tue, May 20, 2008 at 8:47 PM

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Jeff Whetstone, a photographer from Durham, N.C., has been awarded the Factor Prize. The award, in the amount of $10,000, is the first time the Gibbes Museum of Art has awarded the prize. The prize acknowledges an artist whose work demonstrates a high level of achievement in any media while contributing to a new understanding of art in the South. Whetstone was among seven finalists, including such well-known artists as Radcliffe Bailey, William Christenberry, and Philip Simmons. The above photo, titled "Self Portrait with Fish," is from his series New Wilderness."

"We chose Jeff Whetstone from among the seven short listed artists for his multivalent engagement with the Southern experience in both the human and natural realms," said Todd Smith, former director of the Gibbes who administered the selection process, in a press release. "In his New Wilderness series, Jeff makes sense of that liminal space in our modern world between society and nature. The wilderness of the region that he seeks to portray is oddly familiar in its trappings yet eerily foreign in its presentation."

Whetstone currently teaches art as the UNC-Chapel Hill. He was born in Chattanooga and received a zoology degree from Duke University in 1990. He went to Yale for an MFA in photography. Jeff Whetstone’s work has been exhibited at museums throughout the world. His photographs have received reviews in The New York Times, New Yorker, and Los Angeles Times. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2007 for New Wilderness.

Topics: Photography

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Update on David Reader

Posted by John Stoehr on Thu, May 15, 2008 at 12:03 PM

The NBC affiliate in Wichita, Kansas, ran this story on David Reader, the 26-year-old principal cellist of the Augusta Symphony Orchestra who was shot to death Sunday. Augusta police arrested Tuesday a 16 year old in connection with his death and are still looking for a second suspect. The TV news station reports that Reader was was shot in a East Augusta neighborhood while attempting to buy ten dollars' worth of pot. He was still wearing his tuxedo and his cello was in the backseat of his car when he was found. Reader was a promising talent who many felt was destined for to go far. He was well-known and well-liked among musicians who travel to Augusta, Savannah, and Hilton Head Island to perform.

Topics: Concert Music

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Talented cellist shot to death in Augusta

Posted by John Stoehr on Tue, May 13, 2008 at 3:30 PM

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David Reader, the talented 26-year-old principal cellist of the Augusta Symphony Orchestra, was shot to death Sunday. He was found in his car with two gunshots wounds to the chest.

The engine was still running and his cello was in the backseat. Police have since identified a suspect in what they now think was a drug deal gone wrong, according to the Augusta Chronicle. The suspects name is Anthony Gerome Joe Jr., 19.

Reader was well-known and well-liked and expected to go far among many musicians who travel to Augusta, Savannah, and Hilton Head Island to perform. In April, he played for the Savannah Choral Society's performance of La Traviata.

The Chronicle called Reader's father in Wachita, Kansas:

"Through continued encouragement of mentors that saw his talent and the beauty of his music, he persevered," said Dr. Whitney Reader in a phone interview Monday from Kansas. "He was just beginning to enjoy the success that he had worked so long to prepare for."

A native of Wichita, Kan., Mr. Reader was a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Georgia State University, where he received bachelor's and master's degrees in cello performance, respectively.

As a 5-year-old, he joined seven musically talented siblings, learning to play the piano and violin, Dr. Reader said.

But he switched to the cello as a teenager.

The cello was more than an instrument to Mr. Reader, his father said, it was a way for the normally subdued young man to communicate with the world.

"David used music to say things the way other people use words," Dr. Reader said. "He was one of those rare people who could bring you to tears when you heard him play."

Sandra Self, the executive director of the Augusta Symphony, called Mr. Reader's death a "huge loss" and said she hadn't noticed anything unusual about Mr. Reader in the days before his death.

"Everything was fine," Ms. Self said. "He was a fun cellist and the leader of the section. He was also very excited about this coming year, about the conductor search. He loved music and loved doing what he was doing."

Topics: Concert Music
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