7 minute read
Music
High Desert Chamber Music Presents Crown City String Quartet Violinist
Kevin Kumar
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by ETHAN GRAY
On January 14th the Crown City String Quartet (CCSQ) will make their much-awaited return to Bend, presenting a concert for High Desert Chamber Music’s 15th season at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Skyline Ranch Road at 7:30pm.
We spoke recently with CCSQ violinist Kevin Kumar to learn more about one of Bend’s favorite music groups and the program they’ll be presenting.
Kevin has had experience as a soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician. He’s played on lots of movie and TV soundtracks, including recent Star Wars films and series. He’s had a chance to be heard on very popular shows like “Bridgerton” while maintaining an active classical music presence. He’s the Co-Artistic Director of Salastina (in Los Angeles) and ChamberFest Canandaigua (in the Finger Lakes region in NY), so he gets to do a lot of programming and community building in the arts.
While Kevin isn’t a founding member of CCSQ, he met the quartet’s violinist and High Desert Chamber Music Executive Director Isabelle Senger decades ago when they were 12 years old, performing in a youth orchestra in Los Angeles. Kevin describes the quartet as including people he simply adores. He notes, there is “no typical quartet drama with us! We just get together and have a good time, especially in Bend!”
For January’s program, CCSQ will start with Danzas de Panama by William Grant Still. These are a collection of lilting arrangements of Panamanian folk songs, sure to charm and put you at ease. A stunningly beautiful slow movement from a Florence Price string quartet follows, then they conclude the first half with Jesse Montgomery’s Strum. Montgomery creates a unique sound world, with interesting plucked textures and lovely dance and folk music qualities. The concert’s second half is Mendelssohn’s String Quartet — a big, warm and energetic piece of music. Like a lot of Mendelssohn’s work, it balances beautiful and lyrical musical ideas with flawless construction.
You can hear Kevin performing in concert with the Crown City String Quartet, at the next event in High Desert Chamber Music’s landmark 15th anniversary season. Please plan to join us on Saturday, January 14, at 7:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. This concert is brought to you by the Pine Tavern Restaurant. Tickets are available through High Desert Chamber Music by phone or online. Come hear the music! highdesertchambermusic.com
Kevin Kumar. Photo courtesy of High Desert Chamber Music
Bend Artist John Harvey
Releases Sophomore EP
Bend Oregon-based songwriter and producer John Harvey is set to release his second extended play (EP) on Friday January 6. The EP titled It Makes Me Wonder is Harvey’s follow up to his 2021 single What’s My Drug and first EP Second Chances. In December 2021, Harvey had written all the songs and was ready to begin recording. However, January 2022 brought changes and a new attitude. He decided to scrap all the songs he had written and write all new songs. “I think being an artist is about evolving as a human being,” said Harvey. “I recognized some profound changes in my attitude and outlook on life at the start of 2022. The pandemic seemed over and for the first time in years I felt there was a future, a chance to really live. I knew then that I needed to write new material to capture those feelings.”
In late fall of 2022, Harvey held a pre-release listening party for the new EP and got a variety of feedback and comments. Some thought the opening song Have You Ever had a Pink Floyd feel to it. Others said it reminded them of post-Beatle music like Harrison or Lennon. Sweetly laconic and dreamy. The second song It Feels Right was rightly pegged as having a Euro pop feel. Wonder was a favorite citing a meditative quality in the lyrics and music. Overall people thought there’s real accessibility in the music. And that the way the songs were sequenced took them on a journey. Stating that each of the songs have a different feel and flavor. But all were within the same family. “More than anything I loved how the music made my body feel. I felt relaxed
Cover courtesy of John Harvey
when I listened to it but fully engaged mentally… and I guess spiritually,” said one of the listening party guests. Instrumental versions of Have You Ever and Wonder are included in the EP as each song evokes a cinematic soundscape.
The songs were written, recorded and produced by Harvey at his home studio. The EP was mixed in Portland by Larry Crane (Elliott Smith, Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists) and mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk at (Stereophonic Mastering).
John is an Oregon-based songwriter and producer. He’s been a musician and composer most of his life and comes from a family of musicians and artists. His first solo EP titled Second Chances was released in May 2021 on all streaming platforms garnering positive reviews locally and in European music blogs. The EP also received local radio airplay. What’s My Drug was released in December 2021 as a single. You can follow John Harvey on Instagram @johnharveysongs. Track List
1. Have You Ever 2. Standing in the Rain 3. It Feels Right 4. Even 5. Wonder 6. Have You Even (Instrumental) 7. Wonder (Instrumental)
2023 Continues The Love of Music
with Sunriver Music Festival
Blue Skies Big Band. Photo courtesy of Sunriver Music Festival
2023 continues the tradition of Sunriver Music Festival’s crowdpleasing Valentine’s Dinner and Dance concert. Sponsored by Sunriver Resort and featuring the Pacific Northwest’s premier swing dance band, Blue Skies Big Band, the February 14 event usually sells out, so get your tickets now.
Blue Skies is a 17-piece big band based in Eugene, Oregon and keeping alive the great tradition of big band swing music of the 1920’s - 1940’s. The tight vocal harmonies of the Jewel Tones front the band with a sound reflecting the great trios of the ‘30s and ‘40s, from the Boswell Sisters to the Andrew Sisters. This annual Valentine’s Dinner & Dance Concert is an opportunity for a fun night out in the iconic Great Hall. Kick up your heels on the dance floor or tap your toe from the comfort of your table. Your ticket includes hosted happy hour, multi-course dinner and the full concert.
Also, mark your calendars for an all-new Piano Showcase at the Tower Theatre on April 1. This annual event celebrates the virtuosity and versatility of piano, featuring acclaimed pianist Sean Chen.
And the 46th Annual Summer Festival Continues to Thrive
Plan for a great couple weeks August 2023 in Sunriver and Bend with Artistic Director and Conductor Brett Mitchell, professional orchestra musicians from around the country, and world-class featured soloists. Member tickets go on sale in April. Watch sunrivermusic.org for sneak peeks as the details come together and start or renew your membership now to get in on early ticket sales and special events! “Maestro Mitchell is crafting excellent classical and pops programs that I’m excited to share with our community,” states Executive Director Meagan Iverson. “His creative expertise was evident on stage last year — his debut season — and we expect it to be even better this year!”
Sunriver Music Festival is committed to expanding the audience for classical music by nurturing the next generation of artistic talent and by presenting a world-class musical experience for Central Oregon residents and visitors. sunrivermusic.org • 541-593-1084
Crowd Favorites Crown City String Quartet
High Desert Chamber Music’s 15th season continues with crowd favorites, the Crown City String Quartet. As resident string quartet, the group has made over one dozen appearances in Bend over the past 14 years. The group consists of violinists Isabelle Senger and Kevin Kumar, violist Carrie HolzmanLittle and cellist Dane Little. Founded in 2007, their performances have been praised as “sublime” and “simply moving and spectacular.” Based in the Crown City —Pasadena, California — the members are current and former members and principal players of some of Southern California’s most renowned music organizations, including the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, San Diego Symphony and San Diego Chamber Orchestra. They are regularly featured in a number of concert series in Southern California and the Pacific Northwest.
This concert is brought to you by the Pine Tavern Restaurant and will take place on Saturday, January 14 at 7:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon. Ticket holders may join the musicians at 6:45pm for a pre-concert talk. The first half of the program includes William Grant Still’s Danzas de Panama, Florence Price’s Andante Cantabile and Jessie Montgomery’s Strum. The second half of the program concludes with the triumphant and
Crown City String Quartet. Photo courtesy of High Desert Chamber Music
