Notes on the Arts by Marilyn Rowland

Notes on the Arts by Marilyn Rowland

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Growing an Orchestra

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

chambergroup.jpg
A small group of musicians at a recent gathering of the Falmouth Chamber Players, left to right, Hilde Maingay (violin), Laura Tutino (violin), Joyce Gindra (oboe), Fritz Sonnichsen (violin), Grant Mallett (violin), and behind him: Kate Housman (French horn), Jonathan Neufeld (viola). In front are Wendy Gabriel, Mary Sholkovitz (her arm only), and me (out of camera range) all on cello.

Ever since I took up the cello nine years ago, I have joined in discussions about what fun it would be to have an amateur orchestra in Falmouth, and those discussions no doubt precede my awareness of them. I was a member, for a semester, of a string ensemble at the Cape Cod Conservatory in West Barnstable. That was fun, but it was a long trip, and work tended to interfere with my attendance at rehearsals. And the end-of-semester concert was in Chatham. I also played flute in Falmouth Town Band for nine years, an energetic group of 100 or more musicians of all ages, under the direction of Lin Whitehead. I enjoyed that too, but I began to worry that my hearing was being compromised by sitting directly in front of a dozen trumpets every week.

Besides, I couldn’t play cello in Town Band. Clearly, we needed an orchestra. It seemed like a lot of work, to get an orchestra going, despite the plenitude of instrumentalists in and around town. There didn’t seem to be an available rehearsal space, a conductor, or available sheet music. Then, one day, pianist-oboist-singer Joyce Gindra and her neighbor Carol Knox, cellist-organist, got together for some piano/cello duets. In the course of their practicing, they thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to have more people, an ensemble, or maybe an orchestra?”

They both knew several musicians, and those musicians knew other musicians, and, in no time at all, there were about three dozen people (about nine of whom are cellists) interested in playing in the orchestra. Hilde Maingay found a place for the group to practice at Alchemy Farm in Hatchville, others located sheet music, and Joyce talked to John Yankee (who leads the Falmouth Chorale and the Greater Falmouth Mostly All-Male Chorus) about conducting the group.

The group, which calls itself the Falmouth Chamber Players, will meet three times in July (the last three Mondays of the month) to try out music and get to know each other better, before starting the season in the fall. Members value the group not only for the opportunity to play together in a chamber orchestra, but also for the chance to meet up with musicians with similar interests to play together on a continuing basis or for special occasions.

We met recently at Hilde’s house and played through some string quartets and quintets, doubling and tripling parts, as necessary. We had a wonderful time, and I was impressed by how good the individual players are and how musical they sound as a group. I am looking forward to the July sessions.

Amateur or professional musicians, young and old, who are interested in playing with the group should contact Joyce Gindra at jgindra at att dot net.

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Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

indexphp.jpgPianist Jon Nakamatsu wowed the audience last weekend with his dazzling performance of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. He and conductor Jung-ho Pak, and an inspired Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra filled the 1440-seat hall at the Barnstable Center for the Performing Arts with beautiful, electrifying music. A number of those attending on Saturday evening bought tickets for Sunday’s performance on their way out, so eager were they to hear it all again. Sunday’s performance was a sell-out, and people were turned away from this classical music concert featuring the works of Verdi, Beethoven and Brahams. Nakamatsu and Pak clearly enjoy making music together, and audiences clearly enjoyed what they heard.

Cape Cod is lucky to have Pak as conductor and artistic director of the Cape Cod Symphony, and we can look forward to hearing a lot more from Nakamatsu this summer, when he serves, along with clarinetist Jon Manasse, as artistic director of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival (July 29 to August 17). (Both also served as artistic directors for the festival last year.)

We will have a chance to hear both musicians play together on May 25, at the Chamber Music Society’s Spring Concert in Wellfleet. Jon and Jon will play Brahms Sonata for Clarinet in F Minor, Opus 120 No. 1, which can be found on their newly released recording from Harmonia Mundi.

I talked to Jon Nakamatsu recently at the Music Festival office in Chatham. He won the prestigious Van Cliburn competition in 1997, which catapulted him to musical success, but his path to a musical career has not been easy. Unlike most professional musicians, he did not follow the conservatory route, but, rather, studied German and education in college and became a high school German teacher. He continued practicing and entered numerous competitions, but was told again and again that he didn’t have what it takes.

He persevered, despite a job which kept him from practicing as much as he would have liked. His job prevented him from entering more than one competition a year, and he was getting older and competitions were for young musicians. He was 28 when he won the Van Cliburn competition (others that year were 19 to 30), and almost ready to give up his dream of a profession in classical music. Since his win, he has performed all over the world, both as a soloist and as a chamber player, and is highly praised for his musicality. He is also very personable, passionate about music, and interested in his fellow musicians and the audience.

Nakamatsu said that he had made several changes to the Chamber Music Festival, including adding more woodwind chamber music and including tango and jazz violin ensembles. You can see the whole schedule at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival Web site.

Here’s the complete program for May 25:

Sunday, May 25: “Piano & Friends,” First Congregational Church, Wellfleet, 8 PM, Jon Manasse, clarinet; Jon Nakamatsu, piano.

Program:

Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 167

Debussy: Premiere Rhapsody for Clarinet and Piano

Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 22

Kovacs: Homage to J. S. Bach

Brahms: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in F Minor, Op. 120, No. 1

The Nauset World Music Ensemble will perform at 7 PM.

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Eugene Friesen, Cellist

Friday, April 25th, 2008

Eugene Friesen Expresses The Multiple Voices Of The Cello

Posted in: Entertainment

By MARILYN J. ROWLAND
Apr 25, 2008 – 5:07:35 PM
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Contemporary improvisational cellist Eugene Friesen made his annual trip to Falmouth recently to perform at the Fishmonger’s Café Coffee House, entertain young school children, and teach some elements of jazz to a group of 25 student cellists of all ages and abilities.

Mr. Friesen, who lives in Vermont and teaches at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, is a master of the cello. He has recorded numerous solo and ensemble CDs. He has won Grammy Awards as a member of the Paul Winter Consort, and has performed all over the world. He blends traditional classical music with Brazilian folk melodies, wild improvisational jazz, and his own original compositions, demonstrating that there is no limit to the music that can be created with a cello.

One of Mr. Friesen’s missions is to make great music of all kinds accessible to audiences of all ages, especially children, and he has created an entirely different persona for this purpose, that of CelloMan. It was as CelloMan that he performed for children in kindergarten to third grade at the East Falmouth Elementary School last Wednesday morning.

Mr. Friesen opens each CelloMan show by playing the prelude to the first Bach cello suite, and concludes each performance by donning a mask of Pablo Casals and playing Bach’s “Air on a G String.” In between these tributes to the classical masters, he offers a wide variety of innovative, contemporary, and improvisational music to give students an introduction to the types of music that can be played on the cello.

In one amusing bit, Mr. Friesen wore a squirrel mask, becoming the squirrel that he claims broke into his house and discovered his cello. Using rapid, darting squirrel-like movements, he plucked the cello, tentatively at first, and then with abandon, as he (the squirrel) fell in love with the sound of the instrument.

One of the most memorable moments was “Humpback Harmony,” a duet between Mr. Friesen playing an electrified cello and a recording of the song of a humpback whale. The other-worldly sounds of the whales were echoed by the haunting sounds of the cello harmonics and Mr. Friesen’s unique reverberating plucking technique. The whole effect was mesmerizing, holding both children and adults spellbound.

That afternoon, Mr. Friesen joined 25 cello students of Nikki Garcia-Renart at the Woods Hole Community Center for a workshop on playing one rhythm against another. The students ranged in age from 5 to 60, including some who had been playing for only a few months and others who were quite accomplished musicians. Mr. Friesen easily adopted his teaching to make the workshop inspiring for all.

“He expands the horizon for all of us,” said Ms. Garcia-Renart. Mr. Friesen has been teaching these annual workshops for Ms. Garcia-Renart’s students for 10 years or so, and focuses on a different aspect of playing each time. In the past, they have improvised using the pentatonic scale, played 12-bar blues, studied different types of rhythm, and worked on improvisational ensemble playing.

At 8 PM, Mr. Friesen joined guitarist Freddie Bryant and pianist Tim Ray at Fishmonger’s Café in Woods Hole to become “Cello Nova,” a dynamic trio of outstanding musicians who effortlessly (it seemed) and passionately blended classical music, improvisational jazz, and Latin American rhythms and melodies.

Mr. Friesen opened the concert with a long, slow note, leading into a jazzed-up Brazilian version of Bach’s “Air on the G String,” joking afterward that it came from Bach’s “Brazilian period.” This was followed by three lively folk-style Brazilian pieces, a song he learned in Siberia, music from Colombia and Venezuela, and music by Brazilian composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and Ernesto Nazareth.

Playing the cello with a quiet elegance, Mr. Friesen often closed his eyes, as if transported by the music, but also provides whirlwind displays of cello virtuosity. Using an incredible array of original techniques, such as an earthy multiple-finger, double-handed pizzicato string plucking, a range of percussive techniques, visually and aurally expressive bowings, and dramatic slides up and down the fingerboard, Mr. Friesen produced both gorgeous slow warm tones on his cello, sometimes doubling them with his voice, and blurringly fast explosions of sounds, showing there are no limits to the types of music that can be created with a cello, at least with his practiced hands.

Mr. Bryant and Mr. Ray played brilliantly as well, each taking solos on their instruments, as well as playing duets with Mr. Friesen. Mr. Bryant recited Maya Angelou’s poem “Alone” (“Nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone”) while playing a guitar accompaniment he had composed for it. Mr. Ray played a catchy version of Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone,” on the piano.

Two of my favorite pieces were “Remembering You,” a beautiful, slow melodic tune written by Mr. Friesen, and one of the final pieces on the program, a piece called “Maracaibo,” after the city in Venezuela, because “we borrowed some of their rhythms.” This piece was electrifying , involving an incredible array of sounds and techniques, and extraordinary music.

Fishmonger’s Café was a perfect location for the concert, warm and intimate, like the music. Food and drink are available during the concert, and several tables are set up on either side of the chairs that make up the main part of the seating. Most seats have a good view of the musicians, and also of Vineyard Sound, out the windows.

The next concert in Tom Renshaw’s series of coffee houses at Fishmonger’s is on April 29 at 8 PM (doors open at 7) when the jazz group Downstreet Review will perform a blend of swing, blues, folk music and jazz. Members include Tom Renshaw, Joe Sutton, John Cullity, Bruce Millard and Geordie Gude. Tickets are $15 and are available at Under the Sun in Woods Hole and Eight Cousins Books in Falmouth.

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Young Artist Awards

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

Congratulations to the winners of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artists’ Concerto Competition. All four winners played their concerto competition piece at Barnstable High School last Sunday afternoon.

Sam Ericsson, cello, $1,000. Sam, the son of Bo Ericsson and Elizabeth Schultze, lives in Orleans, where he is a senior at Nauset Regional High School in East Orleans. He studies cello with Savely Schuster in Falmouth. Sam performed Davidoff’s Concerto for Cello No. 2 in A Minor.

Caroline Scharr, oboe, $750. Caroline is the daughter of George and Susan Scharr of Falmouth. A 2007 graduate of Falmouth High School, she is now a freshman at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She performed Haydn’s Oboe Concerto in C Major.

Sam Dunham, violin, $500. Sam is the son of Wendy Rolfe and Benjamin Dunham. He lives in Marion and attends Falmouth Academy, where he is a sophomore. He played Saint-Säens’ Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor.

Christina Huynh, clarinet $500. Christina is the daughter of Tina and Dan O’Brien of Falmouth. She is a junior at Falmouth High School. Her contest piece was Stamitz’s Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in B flat Major.

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Mastersingers Celebrate “The Creation”

Friday, April 11th, 2008

 

Mastersingers by the Sea, New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, in Delightful Performance of “The Creation”

By MARILYN J. ROWLAND

Franz Josef “Papa” Haydn would have been proud to hear the performance of one of his masterpieces, “The Creation,” by the Mastersingers by the Sea and the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra at St. Barnabas Church in Falmouth last week. It was a delightful performance, well orchestrated by David MacKenzie, who conducts both the Mastersingers and the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra.

“The Creation” is the Biblical story of the first seven days of the world, beginning with chaos and ending with Adam and Eve optimistically setting forth.

It is an oratorio, which, like an opera, involves an orchestra, chorus, and soloists, but, unlike an opera, is presented as a concert, not as a theater piece. Oratorios have a basic story, but no acting, complicated plot, or scenery, and their subject matter is often, as in this work, religious.

Dr. MacKenzie, in his lively pre-concert talk, conveyed Haydn’s religious beliefs and his feelings about the significance of this piece well, and he seemed just as enthusiastic about the work, telling the story with humor and breaking into song himself at times to illustrate a point.

Dr. MacKenzie noted that the libretto, or text, for the oratorio was based on the Bible and on John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” and had been offered to George Frideric Handel 50 years earlier. Haydn, who had been inspired to write an oratorio after hearing Handel’s “Messiah,” in England, brought the English text back to Austria and had it translated in German. He then wrote the music, and, finally, had the text translated back into English. The work took two years to write; Haydn finished it in 1798, having, by his account, prayed for guidance from God every day during that time period. It is considered the first bilingual work, written with the intention of being performed both in German and in English.

The Mastersingers performed the English version, a simple and elegant statement of Haydn’s strong religious beliefs, and his joy and wonder in the Creation. The work, in three acts and numerous recitatives (speech-like singing), arias (melodic singing), and choruses, is presented largely by three angels—soloists John Murelle, baritone; Rebecca Grimes, soprano; and Thomas Oesterling, tenor—accompanied by orchestra and chorus. The soloists represent the angels Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel, who tell the story of the creation with joy and childlike wonder.

The soloists were well-suited for their roles, particularly Mr. Murelle, whose angel Raphael told most of the story, and who also sung the part of Adam. His voice is warm, rich and powerful, but not overwhelming, and he sang with dramatic flair, using facial expressions as well as his voice to convey meaning.

Ms. Grimes sang her part, the angel Gabriel, expressively, and with a smile, her voice blending well with the chorus and orchestra, and with the other soloists. She did a particularly good job with the birds, her words echoed by the woodwinds. She also sang the part of Eve, harmonizing well with Mr. Murelle’s Adam.

Mr. Oesterling sang the part of Uriel, his voice strong and clear. I particularly liked his introduction of Adam and Eve, and his somewhat sad recitative on the “happy pair.”
Haydn’s work is cheerful and uplifting, and he uses the technique of tone-painting, using the music to illustrate the meaning of the text. The overture, “Representation of Chaos,” reflects this vividly, making use of vague and unresolved harmonies to represent the angel Raphael’s words, “the earth was without form and void.” Individual instruments attempt to establish a melody, but fall back into the churning chaos. Finally, powerful chords are played, “and then there is light.”

As the Earth is created, the orchestra provides the sounds of rain, hail, and “the light and flaky snow,” and, later, the moon and stars, the birds of the earth, and all living creatures, giving all the instruments: flutes, oboes, bassoon, cellos, and others, a chance to replicate the sounds of the lark, the “adoring coos of the turtle dove” (nicely expressed by Ms. Grimes), the nightingale, the roaring lion, the tiger, the “nimble stag,” the “fleecy gentle sheep,” and the “host of insects.” The last brought a laugh from the audience, as did Mr. Murelle’s slow, deep, dramatic reference to the creeping in, “with sinuous trace” of the worm.

The intimate setting, with the orchestra in the center and the chorus divided on either side, and the soloists in front, may have been a little crowded for the musicians, but it provided a lovely visual image for the audience, and the performers played and sang with spirit and professionalism.

The talents of the orchestra, consisting of 33 members of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, were shown off well by “The Creation,” giving them opportunity to express the energy and vitality, the softness and expressiveness, and the reverence and majesty of the piece. The 29-member chorus was magnificent as well, especially in two fugal sections in the beginning and, later, when the choir creates a pizzicato-style accompaniment to the singers.

My only complaint, and this should be directed to Haydn, not to the Mastersingers, was that the chorus was not heard often enough. The chorus, either alone, or supporting the soloists, provided a powerful sound of its own, well conveying the work’s of awe and inspiration.

There will be more of the chorus in the fall. The Mastersingers by the Sea, which was itself created only this past fall, has provided the Upper Cape with an opportunity to hear a varied collection of outstanding choral and instrumental music this season, and next season’s schedule includes concerts on November 8 and 9 and February 28 and March 1; an Elizabethan feast on December 16; and another oratorio, Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” on May 8, 9, and 10, 2009.

Those interested in participating in the chorus, may arrange for an audition on May 10, noon to 3 PM, at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church by contacting Judy Willis at 508-548-3992.

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Arts and Entertainment This Weekend

Friday, April 4th, 2008

I’ve added a new page to Notes on the Arts called “This Weekend.” Click on the tab above to see details on what’s happening this weekend. Some highlights:

Theater:

“Inventing van Gogh” at the Cotuit Center for the Arts

“Enchanted April” at Cape Cod Community College

“Little Women, the Musical” at Harwich Junior Theater

“Wizard of Oz” at Barnstable High School Performing Arts Center, Hyannis

Music:

Mastersingers by the Sea, with members of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, Haydn’s “The Creation,” at St. Barnabus Church, in Falmouth, Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon

Falmouth High School Evening of Jazz, Lawrence Junior High School, Saturday evening

Cape Cod Symphony’s Young Artists’ Competition, Barnstable High School, Knight Auditorium, Hyannis, Sunday afternoon

Festivities:

“Open Spaces II” art exhibit, Highfield Hall, Falmouth, through May 1. Opening reception Sunday, April 6, 2:30 to 4 PM.

Clownfish Rapper Sword Dancing fundraiser, Liam Maguire’s, Falmouth, Sunday afternoon, April 6, 3 to 5 PM at Liam Maguire’s, 273 Main Street, Falmouth.

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Choral Music

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

There are a multitude of choral music groups in the Upper Cape, providing not only a range of options for listeners, but also opportunities for area residents to come together and make music. Notable auditioned and open groups include: the Falmouth Chorale, the Mostly All Male Men’s Chorus, Mastersingers by the Sea, Schola Cantorum Falmouth, Saints and Singers, and the Cranberry Shores Chorus.

Coming up this weekend are several performances by Mastersingers by the Sea, directed by David MacKenzie. He is also the conductor of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, which will be playing with the chorale, in a performance of Haydn’s “Creation” at Saint Barnabus Episcopal Church, 91 Main Street, Falmouth on Saturday, April 5, at 8 PM, and Sunday, April 6, at 3 PM. The chorale and orchestra will also perform on Friday, April 4, at 8 PM at the Fireman Center for Performing Arts in Marion. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at Eight Cousins Bookstore and the Inkwell Bookstore in Falmouth and at the Market Street Bookstore in Mashpee Commons, or online at Mastersingers by the Sea.

The performance will feature three soloists, Rebecca Grimes, soprano, Thomas Oesterling, tenor, and John Murell, baritone. The oratorio celebrates the creation of the world as described in the Book of Genesis.

Two sources of information on the “Creation” are Wikipedia and Music with Ease.

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Grange Coffeehouse, East Sandwich

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

Grange Coffeehouse Offers Evening Of First-Rate Music And Congeniality

By MARILYN J. ROWLAND
Originally published in the Enterprise on March 28, 2008

Sandwich can be pretty quiet in the wintertime. Four years ago, Mark Wiklund and his friends decided to remedy that situation by providing a place for people to go—in Sandwich, in the off-season—to hear good music and enjoy an evening out with friends. They decided to start an informal coffeehouse, and the result is the very successful Grange Hall Coffeehouse, which brings diverse styles of traditional and contemporary music to the appreciative residents of Sandwich and surrounding towns. Concerts are held once a month from September to May (except for December, January, and February, when the weather is just too unpredictable).

A recent concert featured the Back Bay Guitar Trio, a very impressive group of guitarists who delighted the audience with their unique blend of classical, contemporary, and Brazilian jazz music, played on classical guitars. The program began with Annika Lückenbergfeld, a young professional classical mandolin player from Germany, currently studying improvisation at Berklee College of Music, and also included a talented Sandwich High School sophomore Anna Gannett, who played classical guitar.

Ms. Lückenbergfeld played mandolin flawlessly, gracefully, and delicately, offering a range of musical styles from an 18th century French composition to a 21st century Japanese piece, a Brazilian piece, and a work by a German composer written just for her. The pieces were intricate, featuring quickly changing moods and dynamics and showing off the full range of the instrument, as well as occasional use of rhythmic, percussive slapping of the instrument. For those used to the mandolin as a bluegrass instrument, this was a wonderful introduction to the classical and modern potential of the instrument.

At this, her first concert in which she spoke English to the audience, Ms. Lückenbergfeld exhibited a wonderful stage presence, keeping her composure when a string broke while she was tuning on stage. “And now I play for the first time on a seven-string mandolin,” she smiled.

The Back Bay Guitar Trio was formed about seven years ago by David Newsam, John Mason, and Steve Marchena, three very versatile guitar players who play together with remarkable technical precision and an expressive sense of unity. Though they all began their musical lives on the electric guitar, they all gravitated toward the classical guitar, attracted by the sound of the instrument and by the music of Brazil and other lands and eras.

The trio began with three folk songs from Brazil, by turn happy, meditative, and jazzy, featuring rhythmic handslapping of the strings. This was followed by a Mozart medley, an arrangement of two pieces written by Leopold and Wolfgang for piano. The music was exquisitely played, and the good feeling was augmented by the smiles from the performers, especially Mr. Mason, a very talented musician and former student of Mr. Newsam’s at Berklee, who maintained a vibrant smile throughout much of the evening, communicating with the other musicians through his eyes, his face, and his very expressive body.

The guitar players had trouble with tuning too, on this rainy night in March, triggering a comment from one of the players: “Guitarists spend half their lives tuning and the other half playing out of tune.”

The quality of the music more than made up for these minor distractions. The concert continued with a medley of works by Argentine composer Astor Piazolla and Spanish composer Fernando Sor, and selections from Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’ studies for Segovia, the last of which was dark, moody, and contemporary. There was more Brazilian music: a gentle, soothing melody from Antonio Carlos Jobim, and a more energetic and rhythmic based on folk melodies.

Each of the three members of the trio played a solo, and there were also several duets, in various combinations. A highlight of the evening came when Ms. Lückenbergfeld joined the trio on stage. The interplay of the guitars and the mandolin was very satisfying, and I enjoyed the rhythmic handslapping of the guitar in response to mandolin phrases.

Jazz was well represented by the trio’s transcriptions of a Gershwin piano prelude and a Dave Brubeck composition. Mr. Marchena added harmonica to a couple of numbers, and all three participated in an intricate piece featuring a great variety of guitar-slapping percussion: on the strings, on the front, back, and sides of instrument, providing a whole new range of percussive effects.

The performance ended with an amusing encore: the theme from the Mario Brothers video game. It is hard to believe, but the Back Bay Guitar Trio made even this otherwise annoying theme sound like beautiful music.

Careful selection of talented performers has done much to make the Grange Coffeehouse a success, but there is more to this place than great music. The concert was made all the more enjoyable by the setting, the comfortable, friendly, and intimate Grange Coffeehouse, 91 Old County Road, East Sandwich East Sandwich. Built in 1889, the hall has been a social center for the community for years and currently hosts a wide variety of social and cultural events.

As the Grange Coffeehouse, the building is set up with rows of card tables and chairs (dating back to the 1950s), creating an authentic coffeehouse setting. The tables are covered with folksy tablecloths, in different patterns and colors. Coffee, tea, and other beverages are sold, along with tempting desserts. The stage is small, but warmly lit, and nicely decorated with artwork and plants. It is a friendly place to be, and you can tell that a lot of the audience members know each other and enjoy the congenial atmosphere.

The next concert at the Grange Coffeehouse is April 12, at 8 PM (doors open at 7:30), featuring Aztec Two-Step. The duo consists of Rex Folwer and Neal Shulman, who have been playing and singing jazzy acoustic folk music together since 1971. Known for their “intellectual lyricism” and “ethereal harmonies,” they are sure to attract an enthusiastic crowd to the Grange Coffeehouse. Tickets at $22/person. For more information, contact the coffeehouse at 508-418-0888 or visit http://www.grangehallcoffeehouse.org.

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