Jan 14: Michael Partington, classical guitarist

Michael Partington, guitarist

(Mosaic Brass Quintet was scheduled to perform, but has an injured trumpeter.)

Classical Tuesdays in Old Town is excited to feature Michael Partington, one of the most engaging of the new generation of musicians. Praised by Classical Guitar Magazine for his “lyricism, intensity and clear technical command,” this award-winning British guitarist has performed internationally to critical praise. Michael has a charming stage manner and audiences enjoy his innate rhythm and varied, warm tone.

The concert will have a Spanish flavor including music by De Falla, Turina and Albeniz. Join us on Tuesday!

When & where:
Tuesday, January 14, 2014, 7pm

Slavonian Hall
2306 N. 30th St., Old Town Tacoma

Free/donations appreciated
All ages welcome
Handicap parking and access from alley

More information:
(253) 752-2135
Facebook event

An Evening of Operetta & Cabaret, December 10 at the John Connelly Law Offices

Our annual Wine & Song (Cabernet & Cabaret this time around!) is December 10 at 7pm.

This event is sponsored and hosted by the John Connelly Law Offices and all proceeds benefit the Classical Tuesdays in Old Town series of free concerts.

mezzo-soprano Dawn Padula

An Evening of Operetta and Cabaret. Our chanteuse  for the evening is mezzo-soprano Dawn Padula with Denes Van Parys at the piano, featuring operetta selections from Offenbach and Gilbert and Sullivan, and some Kurt Weill to represent the Berlin operetta style that crosses over to cabaret.  

On the cabaret side,songs made famous by Edith Piaf ("La vie en rose,"  "Non, je ne regrette rien") and a set of classical Cabaret Songs by William Bolcom that are great fun.  Of course, she'll finish with songs from Kander and Ebb's musical Cabaret !

Fine wines will be poured by Ginkgo Forest Winery  accompanied by a lavish array of hors d'oeuvres and sweets.

When & where:
Tuesday, December 10th, 2013, at 7 pm.
John Connelly Law Offices, 2301 N. 30th St., Old Town Tacoma

$25 tickets available at Bayview Optical, 2217 North 30th Street #106

Any remaining tickets will be available at the door at the benefit.

For more info: (253) 752-2135

Fantastic Basket will be Raffled November 12

Buy raffle tickets: support the Classical Tuesdays free concert series and win treats for yourself or get a head start on your holiday gift shopping!

South Sound Magazine has gathered many terrific items for inclusion in the Raffle Basket to be raffled off at Classical Tuesdays' November 12 concert. Tickets for the raffle can be purchased at Slavonian Hall between 6:15 and 7pm before the concert starts and also during the Intermission of the concert. The drawing will be held at the end of Intermission. Attend a great concert - performed by some of Tacoma's favorite string players - and buy tickets for a chance to win this generous basket.

The basket includes:
1-year subscriptions to South Sound Magazine and 425 Magazine ($60 value).

Gift certificates to restaurants:
a $50 gift certificate to The Melting Pot of Tacoma, a fondue restaurant, and

a $40 gift certificate to TWO KOI Japanese Cuisine  in downtown Tacoma

and a $50 gift certificate to Toscanos Cafe & Wine Bar in Puyallup.


Also exciting is the inclusion of William Cullina's beautiful book Native Ferns, Moss and Grass  (earning 5-star reviews!), an informative guide to identifying and caring for native North American plants.


 Rounding out the basket are a South Sound candle ($7), Julep Lip-Gloss ($20), samples from Cascade Eye and Skin Centers and a 2-for-1 coupon for Lunch at The Hub and Harmon Tap Room.


This basket has a total value of $250 !
Raffle tickets sell for $5 each or 3 for $12.

Attend the November 12 concert to enjoy outstanding string chamber music and try for a chance to win this generous gift basket.

Diwali Morning Concert this Saturday am - Vocal, sitar, tabla in Bellevue

Srivani Jade

An invitation from Srivani Jade: This Saturday morning...Diwali music.

Many of you will remember Srivani Jade's performance for Classical Tuesdays October 2008 in Slavonian Hall.

Diwali morning concerts, a tradition that started in Maharashtra 2 decades ago is now spreading to other parts of the country and abroad becoming an inseparable part of Diwali celebrations. The idea is to start the festivities early morning with meditative notes of classical and light music performed by renowned artists. The auditorium is decorated with colorful lanterns, rangolis and lamps. The audience comes in their best traditional attire. The entire environment is fresh and pleasant, filled with lights and colors. We are hoping to spread the same spirit through this concert here in Bellevue.

Please buy the tickets online using the link below:
http://www.pratidhwani.org/diwali-2013/

Admission:
Members of Asha, Pratidhwani, Ragamala/Seniors/Students(12+): $12 online / $15 gate
General: $15 online / $20 gate

This year again we bring you both vocal and instrumental performances featuring

Srivani Jade (Vocal), Pt. Kushal Das (Sitar), Kushaljit Das (Sitar) 
Aarshin Karande (harmonium) and Ravi Albright (Tabla)

When: Saturday, November 2nd 2013 10:00 AM
Where: Eastside Baha’i Center
16007 NE 8th St. Bellevue, WA 98008

Sponsored by Asha Seattle and Pratidhwani
Co-sponsored by Ragamala

Donations for Asha are appreciated!

Snacks and tea will be available at the venue for purchase.--

The Anindo Chatterjee Institute of Tabla

www.ACITSeattle.org

Strings 3, 2, 1! Music for Trio, Duo and Solo! November 12, 7pm

Some of Tacoma's favorite string players are back for Classical Tuesdays' November concert.
Maria Sampen on violin, Timothy Christie on viola and David Requiro on cello will play a variety of chamber music for us; a variety of composers and styles and variety in the numbers of musicians performing.

Maria on Violin

Tim on Viola

David on Cello

Classical Tuesdays in Old Town
November 12, 7pm
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Old Town Tacoma
Free.

Harpist Margaret Shelton in The News Tribune

Last week The News Tribune ran a lovely profile of harpist Margaret Shelton. Come out and enjoy Margaret's storytelling on Tuesday!

Classical Tuesdays in Old Town
Oct. 8, 7pm
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Old Town Tacoma
Free.

GO Arts: Harp concert in Old Town travels the world with Margaret Shelton, UPS Watson Fellow
by Rosemary Ponnekanti
October 2, 2013

The prestigious Watson Fellowship benefits the college students who win it to the tune of $25,000, funding a year-long international odyssey of academic and personal discovery. But the trickle-down benefit of the Watson comes to Tacoma audiences next Tuesday night in the form of a free harp concert of world music, given by Watson Fellow Margaret Shelton for the Classical Tuesdays in Old Town series.

Shelton won her Watson in 2011, and spent the next year wandering the world as a traveling harpist. From China to Germany, Ireland to Spain, France and even Paraguay, where the harp is the national instrument, Shelton met local harpists, learned local tunes, played traditional instruments and even learned to make her own small traveling harp to take on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, playing music at every hostel she stayed at. ...

Next Tuesday, she’ll take the Classical Tuesdays audience around the world with her, playing everything from Chinese konghou tunes to classical French repertoire to Celtic tunes and Paraguayan folktunes. She’ll also tell the tale of the German Harfenmädchen: wandering German female harpists who traveled the Alps early last century, one of whom she met personally.

...

Hope to see you at Margaret's Oct. 8 Classical Tuesdays concert!

Harps Across the Seas, October 8 at 7pm

Classical Tuesdays welcomes Margaret Shelton performing traditional and contemporary harp music from Asia, Europe, and South America.

Join us for an evening of beautiful harp music from around the world. Tacoma harpist Margaret Shelton explored traditional and contemporary harp music from Asia, Europe and South America while traveling on a grant in 2011. Margaret was awarded the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to study harp music, playing techniques, and cultures in fourteen countries across four continents; a journey of musical and personal discovery. Through performing, interviewing harpists, digging through museum archives and even building a small harp, Margaret discovered the rich variety of this unique instrument around the globe. I’d say Margaret’s got the world on a string.

Here are a few of the intriguing varieties we'll hear on her program from countries she visited:

China: Traditional Konghou harp tunes
Ireland: Traditional Irish tunes
Germany: Songs from 19th-century Harfenmädchen traveling harpists
France: Classical Harp pieces (i.e. Debussy, Faure)
Paraguay: Traditional Arpa Paraguaya

When & where:

Tuesday, October 8, 7pm

Slavonian Hall
2306 N. 30th St., Old Town Tacoma

Free/donations appreciated
All ages welcome
Handicap parking and access from alley

More information:
(253) 752-2135

Large turnout for Drums in the Park!

Thanks all for coming to the opening event of the 9th season of Classical Tuesdays in Old Town. On September 10, we had a great turnout of folks from the Old Town neighborhood and from throughout the Puget Sound region gathering in Old Town Park!

Thione Diop & Yeke Yeke on the new stage

The weather was perfect and the sprawling lawn beckoned chairs, blankets and picnics. The newly constructed stage in the park was the center of attention.

Quite an array of drums!

Thanks to The Spar for the use of their sound system, Thione Diop and the Yeke Yeke West African Ensemble filled Old Town Park with the beats and timbres of their traditional drums. Thione's "talking drum" was amazing!

Yeke Yeke Ensemble

And especially inviting was the Yeke Yeke's dancer Sumaya Diop. She enticed many from the audience to join in the dancing! 

Sumaya's great smile & movements!

Thanks! to Rosemary Ponnekanti of the TNT, Matt Nagle of Tacoma Weekly and Amanda Westbrooke and the team at TVTacoma's CityLine for helping to get the word out about this year's Classical Tuesdays season, September through February.

Over 200 enjoyed the music, the sunshine and neighbors on the grass
(photo by Jim Robbins)

African Drums in Old Town Park, September 10th

Senegalese artist Thione Diop

Join us to kick off Classical Tuesdays in Old Town's 9th season!

African Drums in Old Town Park
Tuesday, September 10
5:30pm
2350 N. 30th St., Tacoma
Family friendly and free!

We open the season on Old Town Park's new stage. Bring chairs and blankets to sit on. Neighborhood eateries offer beverages and light meals.

We'll feature the fabulous Thione Diop and the Yeke Yeke West African drum ensemble.  Thione is a terrific drummer, teacher and person.  I'm delighted to introduce him to our community.

Thione Diop was born in 1978 to a Griot family in Senegal, West Africa. Griots are hereditary artists who carry the responsibility of preserving history, values, and cultural identity, dedicating their lives to art. His father already a renowned sabar drummer, Thione began playing the sabar and djembe at the age of five. After becoming an acclaimed performer, he moved to Seattle, Washington, where he began teaching in addition to performing, mostly in the Northwest.

For more information:
http://classicaltuesdays.blogspot.com
253-752-2135

9th Season opens September 10th in Old Town Park

Click for 2013-14 season poster

September 10
Concert in the Park

• ThioneDiop & Yeke Yeke West African drums
• 5:30pm
• In Old Town Park on the new stage

October 8
Harps Across the Seas

• Margaret Shelton, harpist
• At Slavonian Hall
  

November 12
String Trios

• At Slavonian Hall
• Maria Sampen, violin; Tim Christie, viola; David Requiro, cello

December 10
Wine & Song Benefit: Operetta and Cabaret

• Soprano Dawn Padula and pianist Denes Van Parys
  
• At Connelly Law Offices
  
• Join us for music, wine and party foods.
• Tickets $25

January 14
Mosaic Brass Quintet

• At Slavonian Hall

February 11
Stadium High School Orchestra

• At Slavonian Hall

When & where:

Slavonian Hall except where noted
2306 N. 30th St., Old Town Tacoma

Tuesday, 7pm
(5:30 for the Concert in the Park

Free/donations appreciated
All ages welcome
Handicap parking and access from alley

More information:
(253) 752-2135

Bonus concert! Arabian 'oud, March 19th at Slavonian Hall



Simone Shaheen, 'oud

 Join us for a terrific bonus concert, extending our Classical Tuesdays series!

Come out and hear Arabic 'oud performer Simone Shaheen, thanks to a generous last-minute offer from the Broadway Performing Arts Center, and thanks to Slavonian Hall for their lovely space.

A quick bio:

Simone Shaheen dazzles his listeners as he deftly leaps from traditional Arabic sounds to jazz and Western classical styles. His soaring technique, melodic ingenuity, and unparalleled grace have earned him international acclaim as a virtuoso on the ‘oud and violin. Shaheen is one of the most significant Arab musicians, performers, and composers of his generation. His work incorporates and reflects a legacy of Arabic music, while it forges ahead to new frontiers, embracing many different styles in the process.

Video:

• Simone on violin
• Simone on 'oud

When & where:

Slavonian Hall
2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma

Tuesday, March 19, 2013,  7pm

Free/donations appreciated
All ages welcome
Handicap parking and access from alley

More information:
(253) 752-2135

Classical Tuesdays' 8th Season Ends; 9th Season Planning Underway

Thank you for making Classical Tuesdays' 8th season our best yet!

Bygdedeal dancers with Hale Bill and the Bopps

From Hale Bill and the Bopps to string trios, Tacoma composers' new music for saxophones to the Tacoma Symphony Chorus, we filled Slavonian Hall with good music and good friends every month. And our annual Wine & Song benefit concert at Connelly Law Offices was once again a tremendous success.

Thanks to our audience, our performers, and the Old Town businesses and volunteers that support Classical Tuesdays. We so appreciate the generosity of the local businesses. For example, Old Town Starbucks has generously donated coffee these 8 years for the intermissions. Cathy of the Hawthorn Tea Room donates lovely teas and cookies. Treos donated coffee for this month’s season finale.

We're already planning Classical Tuesdays' 9th season!

The Tacoma Arts Commission has sponsored Classical Tuesdays since we first began, and has already committed to sponsorship for our 9th season.  And the Slavonian American Benevolent Society has once again offered us their beautiful Slavonian Hall.

Mark your calendars! The next season's performance dates will be:

• September 10, 2013 (6pm, outdoors at the new Old Town Park stage)
• October 8, 2013
• November 12, 2013
• December 10, 2013 (our annual benefit at Connelly Law Offices)
• January 14, 2014
• February 11, 2014

News Tribune: A Chorus for Valentine's Day

Geoffrey Boers leads the
Tacoma Symphony Chorus

The News Tribune highlights our upcoming concert as a passionate choral Valentine!

Want to get some Valentine's Day credit in advance?  Then take your honey to hear some passionate choral music....  The TSO Chorus concert is in the cozy Slavonian Hall in Old Town, and it's part of the monthly free Classical Tuesdays in Old Town series.

Join us on Tuesday, February 12th, at 7pm.  More details here.

Classical Tuesdays final concert of season. After-party at Treos

The Chorus is coming! For the closing concert of our 8th season, Classical Tuesdays in Old Town welcomes the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Join us for this free concert in Slavonian Hall on Tuesday February 12 at 7pm.

The News Tribune and Tacoma Weekly recommend this event for the coming week (Valentine's week date?).The concert will feature highlights of the chorus' current season. Led by Director Geoffrey Boers, the TSO Chorus will sing movements from Handel's Messiah, selections from this winter's "Sonic Delights" concert and a preview of their upcoming Spring concert.

After the concert gather with us at the new Treos espresso/wine & beer bar in Old Town neighborhood.They’ll have baristas waiting and ovens heated, ready to greet us. This is a special no-host preview for the friends of Classical Tuesdays– Treos is opening next week!
Treos is located at 2312 N. 30th St., in Old Town.

Treos in Old Town

Classical Tuesdays in Old Town
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th Street
Tuesday, February 12, 2013 7pm

Free/donations appreciated
All ages welcome
Handicap parking and access from alley
(253) 752-2135 http://classicaltuesdays.blogspot.com

A free event thanks to the support of the Slavonian - American Benevolent Society,Tacoma Arts Commission, Columbia Bank, Sigma Alpha Iota and Treos Life.

Highlights of TSC Season: Tacoma Symphony Chorus sings on February 12 for Old Town

Tacoma Symphony Chorus

The Chorus is coming! Join us for a free concert by the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Chorus in Slavonian Hall on Tuesday February 12 at 7pm.

The 60 voice TSO Chorus will fill the historic Old Town hall with highlights of their current season. Led by Director Geoffrey Boers, they will sing movements from Handel's Messiah, a few selections from this winter's "Sonic Delights" concert and a preview of their upcoming Spring concert with the Tacoma Youth Chorus.

Columbia Bank and Sigma Alpha Iota Tacoma alumnae chapter have helped sponsor this event.

Join us for this evening with the TSO Chorus in Slavonian Hall!
2306 N. 30th Street, Old Town Tacoma
February 12, 2013 7pm

Free/voluntary donation
Handicap accessible from the alley

For more info call 253.752.2135

Sax Concert in Weekly Volcano

The Spew appears to have prune whip and jungle drums on its mind. Thankfully, Classical Tuesdays' next concert will be catered by Starbucks and the Hawthorn Tea Room!

5 Things To Do Today:

Conventional wisdom dictates that you'd rather spend Tuesday night watching the ION Channel and sharing a big bowl of prune whip with your great aunt Martha than venturing out to hear a band comprised of drums, marimba, congas and found sounds. But in this case, conventional wisdom would be wrong. Unless, of course, you're a big fan of Criminal Minds. Tonight, Saxophonist Erik Steighner will perform on alto, baritone and soprano saxes as part of the Classical Tuesday series at the Slavonian Hall in Old Town Tacoma. Trumpeter Zachary Lyman will join him for the 7 p.m. concert.

Come join us on Tuesday! More details here.
(No prune whip, we promise.)

The Weekly likes us! They really like us!

Check out the latest Tacoma Weekly!

The Things We Like:

CLASSICAL TUESDAYS
Classical Tuesday in Old Town presents new music for the New Year. On Jan. 8, Saxophonist Erik Steighner will perform a fun and unusual program in Slavonian Hall (2306 N. 30th St.) featuring a variety of instrumentation, soundscapes and pre-recorded electronics with Steighner on alto, baritone and soprano saxes and trumpeter Zachary Lyman joining him. Hear premieres of pieces by Tacoma composers Deborah Anderson and Greg Youtz. This free/voluntary donation event begins at 7 p.m.

Published in the Tacoma Weekly
Thursday, 3 January 2013

Join us on Tuesday! More details here.