Come see the Spokane Symphony in the Valley
Here’s a chance to catch the Spokane Symphony in a family concert in the Spokane Valley.
The symphony will present “An All-American Concert” on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Spokane Valley Church of the Nazarene, 15515 E. 20th Ave.
Associate conductor Morihiko Nakahara will conduct Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and “Buckaroo Holiday,” George Gershwin’s “Summertime” and “I Loves You, Porgy,” and Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.”
The symphony will also perform some excerpts from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” and Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Ladies.”
Tickets are $7 in advance at the church or by calling (509) 624-1200, or $10 at the door.
A Steinway fest
The piano competitors at this year’s MusicFest Northwest will play nothing but the finest: Steinways.
Under a new agreement, the Steinway Piano Gallery at the Spokane Valley Mall will contribute all of the pianos – 22 to 25 of them – for use at the region’s premier student music competition in May.
“This is exactly the kind of event that Steinway believes in,” said Kevin Rindlisbacher, owner of the Steinway Piano Gallery.
Steinways are widely considered the Cadillacs of the piano world. According to the company, 90 percent of the concert pianists in the world use Steinway pianos.
After the festival, the pianos will be offered for sale at a discounted price.
No local ‘Idol’
The 24 “American Idol” finalists have been announced and, alas, none of the local contenders made it.
Neither Amanda Tsubota of Spokane, nor Lindsey Tucker or her brother Ethan Miller, both of North Idaho, made the final cut – although they did beat out thousands of others to make the Hollywood round.
However, three from Washington did make it into the final 24: Sanjaya Malakar and Amy Krebs, both of Federal Way, and Blake Lewis of Bothell.
So, root, root, root for our home state contestants, even if they are from the Wet Side.
Going Celtic
Here are a pair of Celtic music events headed our way:
•The Consort Bon Accord presents “18th Century Top Hits: Blarney Goes for Baroque,” a concert featuring the music of Turlough O’Carolan, a blind Irish fiddler from the 1700s.
The Consort Bon Accord consists of Nancy Davis on Celtic harp, Debbie McClelland on hammered dulcimer and Steve Riggan on fiddle.
This event will be Saturday at 7 p.m. at Westminster Congregational Church, 411 S. Washington St. Tickets are $12, available by calling (509) 926-2150.
•”An Evening with the Barra MacNeils” features the top Celtic family group from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.
They will perform March 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. Tickets are $15 in advance, through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com), or $20 day of show.
A switch for Loney
Erik Loney, a reporter at KREM-2 since March 2000, has moved over to KXLY-4 as of Feb. 5.
“It’s just a good move for me and my family,” said Loney.
Originally from Seattle, he previously worked at stations in the Tri-Cities and Green Bay, Wis.
Raul Malo in Moses Lake
Raul Malo will perform at the Wallenstein Theater at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Malo made his name as the lead singer with the Mavericks and has forged a solo career as a country-pop-salsa crossover artist. He currently has a hit album with “You’re Only Lonely.”
For ticket information, call (509) 793-2059.
Win ‘Six Dance Lessons’
Interplayers has come up with a fitting raffle for their next play: They’re giving away six dance lessons.
Fitting, because the show is titled, “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.” It’s about a widow, played by Kathie Doyle-Lipe, who signs up for six dance lessons in her home. Each scene consists of a different lesson.
So audience members can not only watch dance lessons, but win six lessons for two from Simply Dance Studio. Call (509) 455-7529 to reserve tickets to the show, which opens for previews on March 1 and continues through March 17.
Calling Dr. Wilderness
“The Dr. Wilderness Show,” a stage magic show with an environmental theme, is coming to the Beasley Coliseum in Pullman on Monday at 7 p.m.
This live multimedia family event was spawned from a CBS TV special. It features magician Khevin Barnes and his animatronic co-star, Socrates the Toucan.
The Audubon Society calls him “America’s premiere environmental magician.” So maybe that’s not the most crowded field in show biz, but Barnes apparently knows how to entertain the kids.
Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for children 13 and under, through TicketsWest.