‘Sampler’ program at Cathedral
The Cathedral and The Arts has been presenting events ranging from chamber music to jazz to silent films accompanied by the St. John’s Cathedral organ since 1974.
On Friday, it brings a range of entertainment together in “The Sampler,” showcasing a cross-section of Spokane’s performing arts organizations.
The program at the cathedral will include performances by members of the Spokane Jazz Orchestra Quintet, chamber musicians from Holy Names Music Center, opera scenes performed by singers of the Spokane Coeur d’Alene Opera, and readings by Interplayers’ Ann Russell Whiteman.
Toni Nersesian, executive director of Cathedral and The Arts, says trustees of the David and Dorothy Pierce Charitable Trust were “so impressed by the collaborative element, they awarded their largest grant ever to fund a major portion of the event.”
The quintet from the Spokane Jazz Orchestra – Dan Keberle, trumpet; Gary Edighoffer, sax; Eugene Jablonsky, bass; Brent Edstrom, piano; and Rick Westrick, drums – will perform music that moves from Irving Berlin and Cole Porter to Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
The classics will be represented by pianist Gretta Beggs, violinist Anna Kimball and clarinetist Jim Sandberg performing chamber music by Grieg, Bernstein and Milhaud.
Spokane Coeur d’Alene Opera singers Heather Holzapfel, Andrea Dawson, Emily Kelleher, Patrick Anderson and Joe Jolley will perform arias and ensembles by Mozart, Verdi and Offenbach.
Spokane’s theatrical scene will be represented by Whiteman’s reading of the story “Nanny and Conn” from Seumas MacManus’ 1899 collection of Irish folk tales.
The performance will be preceded by a silent auction of art, entertainment packages and food and drink packages to benefit participating arts organizations. It begins at 6:15 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Jewett House immediately behind the cathedral.
A reception will follow in the Great Hall at 9:30, with hors d’oeuvres, desserts and wine donated by board members from the arts groups.
“We wanted to have a hosted reception for audience members and performers, but we did not want to use money from ticket sales to fund that since that money is supposed to be going to the organizations,” Nersesian says.