Arts Notes: W&M Arts Quarter series, an art show, music from the movies and more in the arts
The W&M Arts Quarter Series is featuring one of its own at 2 p.m. on Sunday at William & Mary’s Comey Recital Hall. The program, with Brady Lanier, is unusual in that it features the viola da gamba, a viol family instrument held between the knees (da gamba) that eventually gave way to the cello. Unlike the cello, it has more strings and has frets, much like a guitar.
A recent addition to the W&M music faculty, Lanier currently performs the viola da gamba and Baroque cello with The Governor’s Music, Colonial Williamsburg’s resident Baroque chamber ensemble. A founding member of Quaver Viol Consort, Lanier has performed with such organizations as the Houston and Alexandria symphonies, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Houston Bach Society, Ars Lyrica Houston and Musikanten Montana.
Additionally, he is a sought-after arranger and composer whose efforts have been performed by the Houston Symphony, the United States Air Force Orchestra and at the Grand Teton Music Festival. He has had three original works performed at Carnegie Hall.
The upcoming program is free. Seats can be reserved at wm.universitytickets.com/w.
Williamsburg Artists Group
The Williamsburg Artists Group will return to Bruton Parish House on Oct. 11 and 12 for its popular fall sale of new artwork. About 20 artists will be displaying their works, among them original paintings and prints, photography, fine crafts, hand-painted cards and more.
The event is open from 4 to 8 p.m. on the 11th with wine and other refreshments available. On the 12th, it runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
According to Bob Carlson, one of the group’s leaders, “this show is laid back and casual, with no pushy sales. Because we are an independent organization and don’t work through a physical gallery, this type of setup tends to enable our artists to offer very reasonable prices for their work. It’s a great way to get unique gifts for the upcoming holiday season and there’s a large variety of styles and mediums to choose from.”
WAG was established in 2018 as a way for local artists to show their work outside a traditional gallery. WAG is currently exhibiting at the Stryker Gallery, part of the Williamsburg Regional Library system, and this past summer had its own sales kiosk at Busch Gardens.
From this show, WAG will donate 10% of its total sales to the local charity House of Mercy.
WAG can be contacted at [email protected]. You can see artists’ work on WAG‘s Facebook page at facebook.com/WilliamsburgArtistsGroup.
Virginia Choral Society
The Virginia Choral Society opens its 94th season with “The Silver Screen,” featuring music from the movies. Among the many represented will be “Star Wars,” “Chronicles of Narnia,” “Lord of the Rings,” “The Greatest Showman,” “Empire of the Sun,” “White Christmas” and “Amadeus” (“Lacrimosa” from Mozart’s Requiem).
The program takes place at 4 p.m. on Oct. 13 in the King of Glory Lutheran Church on Longhill Road. Tickets are at vachoralsociety.org/box-office.
For those who are drawn between this and the Williamsburg Choral Guild performance (below), “The Silver Screen” also plays Oct. 12 in Newport News’ St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Hilton. Starts at 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the same address above.
As a note of interest, members of the VCS and artistic director Bryson Mortensen were invited to participate this past summer in a choral program in London with the celebrated John Rutter. They performed Rutter’s Mass of the Children, along with several other Rutter works, in the gorgeous Bath Cathedral. A second program also took place in St. Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, featuring guest conductors, one of which was Mortensen in Haydn’s “Salve Regina in G Minor.”
Williamsburg Choral Guild
The Williamsburg Choral Guild opens its 49th season on Oct. 13, in Williamsburg Presbyterian Church. Conducted by Daniel Edward Parks, the program, “Season Opener,” will consist of three sections, starting with excerpts from major works scheduled later in the season. Among the excerpts, movements from Brahms’ “German Requiem,” Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and Verdi’s “La Traviata.”
The middle section includes high school and collegiate winners of the Mille Andrews Young Vocal Competition, with the final portion including such works as Clara Schumann’s “Gondoliera,” Antonio Estevez’s “Mata del Anima Sola,” “Underneath the Stars,” “I’ll be Seeing You” and three Shakespeare sonnets, the latter composed by Guild director Parks.
The program takes place at 4 p.m. Tickets can be ordered at williamsburgchoralguild.org/tickets.
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Recaps
Although Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra music director Michael Butterman has stepped away from the podium for a bit while dealing with lymphoma, he made a surprise visit, thanks to technology, at the season opener Sept. 26 in the Williamsburg Community Chapel.
Appearing on two giant screens flanking the stage, Butterman hosted his pre-concert talk assisted by guest conductor Brian DeMaris, and an interview with jazz genius pianist Marcus Roberts, whose trio delivered a truly electrifying jazz twist on Gershwin’s Concerto in F for Piano.
Butterman was his usual cheery, verbal self, whose upbeat nature bodes well for a hopefully quick and complete recovery. The rest of the all-Gershwin program was likewise wonderful and colorful with the orchestra sounding ever so incredibly fine.
Chamber Music of Williamsburg’s opening season program, Trio Zimbalist, brought mighty talent to Haydn’s Piano Trio No. 39, Martinu’s fascinating “Bergerettes for Piano Trio” and the dreamy, sweeping Ravel Piano Trio. The sold-out house was boisterous in its standing ovation at program’s end.
Opera in Williamsburg’s recent “Lucia di Lammermoor” was another vocal success, continued indication of founder Naama Zahavi-Ely’s ability to bring truly top-notch sounding singers to us.
Have information about the arts in the Historic Triangle? Contact John Shulson at [email protected].
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