Symphony ‘Smiley’ Over Fox’S Sound
The Fox Theater had its first big test on Nov. 11 when the Spokane Symphony performed there for the first time at a gala celebration for donors.
There was, in fact, an element of suspense involved.
“I was actually a little concerned,” said Fabio Mechetti, the symphony’s music director. “I knew it was going to sound good, but was it going to be good enough to justify the cost? I can say now: yes.”
Mechetti heard the orchestra from both the podium and from the audience. During the pieces conducted by conductor emeritus Donald Thulean and associate conductor Fabio Costa, Mechetti sneaked back into the cheap seats.
“The sound of the orchestra, especially in the balcony, is already almost ideal,” said Mechetti. “And it will only get better.”
This 1931 art deco theater, purchased by the symphony in September, has received only rudimentary improvements so far. Acoustical refinements and an orchestra shell will be added later.
But Mechetti said the musicians could already tell that it was an improvement over the Opera House.
“The musicians were very happy, very smiley,” said Mechetti.
Even nonmusicians could tell the difference.
“I heard one person say, `I had never really heard the harp before tonight,”’ said Annie Matlow, the symphony’s marketing director. “People who didn’t think they would be able to hear a difference were blown away.”
Fox donors
Donations from the public accounted for $720,000 of the $1.1 million purchase price of the Fox. Then, to complete the deal, one major donor ponied up the remainder at the last minute.
Who was it? Symphony management cannot say; the donor wishes to remain anonymous, at least for now. Nor could they specify the exact amount of the donation, or whether it also includes additional funds for the even-higher cost of renovation.
Matlow said all will be revealed in due time.
Curtis accolades
Jan Curtis, a 1960 graduate of Central Valley High School, performed a couple of songs Saturday night at a gala banquet in Washington, D.C.
The fact that she sang before a big audience is nothing new: She has been a leading Boston opera singer for 25 years.
However, this was different. This was the 19th Annual Communication Awards banquet sponsored by the National Council on Communicative Disorders, and she was accepting the Annie Glenn Award for “helping to enlighten the public about aphasia (total or partial loss of the ability to speak).”
Curtis suffered a stroke in 1995 which left her, literally, speechless. Now, she has not only regained her speech, but she has regained her ability to move audiences with song.
“An occasional word may fail her but an emotion never does,” wrote Boston Globe critic Richard Dyer after a recent concert. “She made everyone laugh, and, believe me, by the time she had finished, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. To hear her was a blessing.”
He called her singing “first-class” and her timing “impeccable.”
Congratulations on this well-deserved award.
Shakespeare-a-thon
Now, here’s a fund-raising marathon with dramatic appeal.
Members of the Gonzaga University theater program will hold a Shakespeare marathon, in which they will attempt to read the entire canon of Shakespeare’s works.
They’ll read 12 hours a day from Nov. 27 through Dec. 1, and Dec. 4 through 6 in the Crosby Center, the GU student center. They will collect sponsors by the hour in order to raise enough cash to send a contingent to the Northwest Drama Conference in Anchorage.
Those who wish to sponsor the reading or donate should call Laura Sheppard, 325-7804, or go directly to the Crosby Center during the times of the readings.
`End of a Nation?’
KSPS-7 will debut its long-awaited documentary on the downfall of the Aryan Nations, “End of a Nation?” on Friday at 9 p.m.
Reporter-producer Alison Kartevold followed the civil trial which produced a multimillion-dollar judgment against Richard Butler and the Aryan Nations. The show also documents the aftermath of the judgment. It includes interviews with many of the key players.
Comedy World
I told you a few weeks ago about a new radio format in Spokane: all comedy, all the time on 1050 AM Comedy World, KEYF-AM.
Well, here’s a partial lineup of its shows, most of which are hosted by stand-up comics in the L.A. area:
Weekdays: 6 a.m., The Ahmet (Zappa) and Kennedy Show; 9 a.m., The Allen Havey Show; 11 a.m., The Beth Lapides Experience; 1 p.m., The Ken Ober Radio Hour; 3 p.m. The Manversation; 6 p.m., Bobby Slayton and Sue Murphy Show; 8 p.m., Sarge ‘N’ Stein, Monsters of the Night; 10 p.m., Radio Un-Cabaret.
On weekends, you can catch “Wrestling 101” at 7 p.m. both nights and “SANDRAdio” featuring Sandra Bernhard on Saturdays at 9 p.m.
String news
Some interesting things are happening with the Spokane String Quartet, and we don’t just mean with their concert today at 3 p.m. at The Met, 901 W. Sprague.
First of all, the Spokane Chamber Music Association, which presents the quartet, is in the midst of an endowment campaign. An anonymous donor has agreed to match every donation pledged by the end of this year, up to $100,000. For more information about donating, call Linda Becker at 466-0592.
Also, the quartet is in the midst of acquiring a matched set of instruments. Two violins and a viola have already been purchased from a pair of Michigan luthiers; a cello is now being commissioned.
According to those in the know, using comparable instruments “noticeably unifies the sound of an ensemble.”
Tickets for today’s concert are available by calling 325-SEAT or (800) 325-SEAT, or at the door.
`Big Break’
Spokane singer Ron Lippincott will be one of the contestants on “Your Big Break,” a nationally syndicated talent show, Saturday, 11:35 p.m. on KXLY-4.
Lippincott will sing “Take Me Home Country Roads.” If he wins an audience vote over five other contestants, he goes on to the semi-finals. If he eventually wins the grand prize, he gets a $25,000 paycheck.