Three Decades of Magical Music

from Elegant Island Living January 2016

by Elegant Island Living Media Group

Perseverance of a Plantation

THIS PAGE:

Katherine Siochi

OPPOSITE PAGE:

Alexey Gorokholinsky

“Because music matters. "

That phrase is the raison d’être and driving force behind the Island Concert Association. Founded in 1985 by a group of music lovers from St. Simons Presbyterian Church, the free community concert series is still going strong. According to Artistic Director Rhonda Hambright, their 30 years of success can be attributed to a number of key factors. The association is fortunate to have an active and devoted Board of Directors. St. Simons Presbyterian Church generously provides the concert venue and supports the series as part of its outreach ministry. The community has embraced the series and strongly supported it with generous contributions, not only from individuals, but from grant organizations, and corporate sponsors as well. Visitors to St. Simons Island regularly attend the concerts as part of their local activities. Most importantly, there exists a dedicated membership that loves classical music.

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LEFT: Dana Lyn and Kyle Sanna. ABOVE: Mahattan Piano Trio

Festival. They will be presenting the entire concert series during this exciting month, so you’ll want to set aside each Tuesday night to experience four world-class musical events.

The festival begins on Tuesday, February 2, with the return by popular demand of the Mahattan Piano Trio comprised of San Fransico native Wayne Lee on violin, Reykjavik, Iceland-born Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir on cello, and pianist Milana Strezeva who is originally from Moldova. This prize-winning, world-traveling dynamic young ensemble is among the busiest groups on the classical music scene. The Washington Post described the Trio as “impressive” and “outstanding,” while the Sarasota Herald Tribune said, “one seldom is privileged to enjoy music of such a wide range of styles performed with self-effacing skill and relaxed assurance.”

The next concert will feature Alexey G on February 9. Noted for the intensity and virtuosity of his playing, Alexey Gorokholinsky is an extremely versatile clarinetist whose talent has earned him prizes and entrance into the young artist “Academy” program of Carnegie Hall, the Julliard School, Weill Music Institute. A Russian native, Alexey began his musical career on the piano at the age of 5, and took up clarinet at age 7. Since then he has performed most of the standard solo clarinet repertoire, made and recorded numerous arrangements, and is now creating new works for clarinet and mainstream electronics.

On February 16, award-winning classical harpist Katherine Siochi will perform. An active orchestral and chamber musician, Ms. Siochi commenced her musical studies with the piano when she was 5 years old, and began harp at age 9. She holds a Bachelor of Music in harp performance from The Juilliard School, and is currently continuing her harp studies with Nancy Allen in the Master’s program at Juilliard as a proud recipient of The Kovner Fellowship. She has made appearances at Carnegie Hall and on NPR radio.

The Irish Music Duo of Dana Lyn and Kyle Sanna will close out the February Festival on February 23. Hailed on the music scene as “ground-breaking” and “bursting with creativity,” Dana and Kyle blend their experience as composers and improvisers in New York City’s rich musical community with their deep admiration for traditional Irish music. The duo has collaborated with some of the greatest living interpreters of Irish music and has brought their inventive arrangements and nuanced interpretations of traditional music to clubs, festival stages and concert halls throughout the US and Canada.

Each free concert begins at 7:30 p.m., ends no later than 8:45 p.m., and is followed by a reception in the social hall for the perfect end to an enjoyable evening. You won’t want to miss your opportunity to experience the incredible music by any of these performers. By becoming a member or donating to Island Concert Association, you can ensure that others in the community can also have that same experience. For more information, visit islandconcertassociation.org.

As Rhonda says, “An audience is the spark that lights the fire of creativity and passion in performance. Be that spark. Contribute. Invite. Be there. Celebrate thirty years.”