Canto Hosting ‘Celebration Of Senses’

Jun 11, 2008 - 15:49:15 CDT.

Joined by guest musicians from Minnesota, Florida, Connecticut and Texas, the Texas Hill Country’s Canto Chamber Choir will host “a celebration of the senses” with five concerts and an art show Thursday through Sunday during its annual Cherry Spring Festival.

The four-day festival celebrating facets of light will take place in the Mansefeldt Sheep Barn and Christ Lutheran Church at Cherry Spring in northwest Gillespie County.

Thursday

An exhibition of recent works by three Texas artists -- Randy Bacon, William Young and Jon Flaming -- will be presented by Russell Tether of David Kike Estates on Thursday.

Flaming is the artist responsible for this year’s festival poster which is inspired by Mansefeldt Barn, and complimentary appetizers and wine will be served and music provided by festival pianist Janet Pummill.

The artists will be on hand to meet patrons and discuss their art during the exhibition when paintings are to be on sale.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. and will conclude at 7 p.m. when a “festival overture” delivered by Douglas Skrief will outline the concerts to follow.

“Doug will show how the concerts are connected and will discuss the musical selections as he points out interesting background information,” said Festival Director Brent Ault.

The $25 ticket is a donation to Canto Chamber Choir which is a non-profit 501-3C.

“We hope our many supporters will come to the show and support Canto at the same time,” Ault said.

In addition, a percentage of the art sales are being donated to the Gillespie County Historical Foundation.

Friday

Shadows, stars, moons and other night imagery will create the mood for Friday evening’s performance of “Ethereal Light” featuring Canto Chamber Choir, pianist Janet Pummill, vocalists Randolph Lacy, David Farwig, Joyce Payne-Olson, Nina Revering and narrator Douglas Skrief.

A highlight of that evening will be the premier of “Mansefeldt Barn” with text by Minnesotan Douglas Skrief and music by Houston-based composer Kinley Lange. The piece is dedicated to Dian and Harlan Stai.

The concert opens with pianist Pummill performing “The Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” variations. Featured vocalists will perform lieder by Strauss, Mendelsohn, and Schumann and chausson by Bachelet and Debussy.

Choral highlights include Lauridsen’s “Sure On This Shining Night”, Whitacre’s “Water Night”, and Stroope’s “We Beheld Once Again The Stars” for vocal quartet and choir. Narrator Skrief will tie the program together with readings ranging from Genesis and Rumi to Mark Twain and Plato.

“This concert will have so many layers for a rich, rich evening with beautiful performances,” Ault said. Tickets are $20.

Saturday Afternoon

Grammy Award-winning Cynthia Clawson will perform starting at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Christ Lutheran Church on the Cherry Spring Road.

A multiple-Dove Award winner, Mrs. Clawson has performed before millions of listeners in her more-than-four decades of singing, said Ault.

Credited by Billboard Magazine as having “the most awesome voice in gospel music,” she began her career in music singing in her father’s small Texas church before moving on to The Crystal Palace in California and London’s Wembly Stadium.

Recognized as a “great communicator” and a “singer’s singer”, she recorded the soundtrack of “Softly and Tenderly” to the Academy Award-winning film, “A Trip To Bountiful”.

“To hear Cynthia perform in the intimate acoustics of Christ Lutheran Church will be an unforgettable experience,” Ault said. “Cynthia is a soulful performer and touches all who hear her in a very deep way.”

Tickets for Saturday afternoon’s program are $20.

Saturday Evening

The instrumental band Mundi, dancers Venessa Trevino, Lee Duveneck and Willis Johnston and vocalists Randolph Lacy, Nina Revering and David Farwig will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for a program titled “Light Journeys”.

Mundi is made of cellist Carolyn Hager, violinist Bruce Colson, guitarist Darrell Mayers, bassist Mario Gonzalez and percussionist Ric Furley.

After this weekend, the band will travel to Granada, Spain, for its international debut at the prestigious Granada International Festival of Music and Dance.

Dallas-based choreographer Densil Adams will choreograph three dance selections -- one accompanied by Mundi and the other two accompanied by festival soloists and violinist Colson, cellist Hagler and pianist Elaine Lindsey.

Musical highlights are to include “Will There Really Be A Morning” with music by Craig Hella Johnson and poetry by Emily Dickinson and “Get Me Through December” which can heard on Alison Kraus’ most recent CD.

“Mundi’s music and energy are infectious,” said Ault. “They are very excited to perform for the festival.”

Ticket cost for the evening will be $20.

Sunday Afternoon

Cynthia Clawson will repeat her Saturday afternoon program with another performance at 2 p.m. Sunday in Christ Lutheran Church.

Sunday Evening

Beginning at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, “The Light Side” will be the concluding concert for the festival in the Mansefeldt Barn.

Performing will be the Canto Chamber Choir, pianist Elaine Lindsey, The Barton Strings, oboist Susan Douglas, drummer Rob Grote, vocalists Nina Revering, David Farwig and storyteller/musician Tom McDermott.

Ault explained that in this concert all performers will unite to remind the audience to “stay on the light side.”

Musical highlights will include “Waitin’ for the Light to Shine”, “Whispering Hope”, Peter Mayer’s “Where is the Light?”, “Overjoyed”, and Gershwin’s “Love Walked In”.

“Our arranger, Dean Crocker, has created some lush arrangements which will highlight the excellent Barton Strings,” said Ault who added that McDermott will perform three stories and lead the audience on a few sing-a-longs.

“Friday evening’s performance begins in the shadows and darkness; Saturday’s concerts represent transitional times in our life -- movement from dark to light -- and Sunday concludes with a celebration of light,” Ault explained.

Tickets are $20 for Sunday evening’s program.

Other Details

Tickets for the festival are available in Fredericksburg at Grasshopper and Wild Honey, Photography 414 and Memorial Presbyterian Church, in Comfort at High’s Café/Store and in Kerrville at Denny’s Hair Salon.

A concert package is available for $70 -- $10 off the face value. (The art show is not included in the package pricing.)

Tickets can be purchased at the door, although several events sold out last year, Ault said.

For all evening concerts, the barn doors will open one hour prior to show time for art viewing and beverages.

A festival gift shop will offer commemorative posters, artists CDs and t-shirts.

Directions to the festival from Fredericksburg involve driving north for 17 miles on U.S. Highway 87 and then turning right onto Cherry Spring Road and following festival signs.