Up & Coming Weekly

4th Friday Goes Back to Its Roots With Arts Alive by KAREN POPPELE The arts are alive and well in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, and starting in May they will be the focus of a new monthly program, Arts Alive at 4th Friday. In addition to the monthly featured exhibits that that typically mark the celebration of the arts and downtown the fourth Friday of each month and include entertainment and refreshments, artists will demonstrate and sell their creative work from 6 to 10 p.m. on May 28, along Maxwell Street by the Arts Council building on 301 Hay St. “We wanted to get back to the arts focus of 4th Friday,” said Chris Kastner, executive director of Cape Fear Studios, a nonprofi t arts organization located by the Transportation Museum in historic downtown. “We want people to be able to learn about and view art.” During Fire Arts Day last October, visitors were treated to live demonstrations of pottery and jewelry making by fi re. Arts Alive is an extension of that highly successful event, featuring artists on the street rather than in gallery exhibits alone. A collaborative effort between the Arts Council, merchants and art lovers along Maxwell and part of Franklin Streets, Arts Alive is a juried art event. Artists will complete a one-time application process in order to secure a booth and demonstration spot. Artists must provide a “…picture of their art and how they set it up,” Kastner said. “Artists and groups of instructors at local universities will judge their work to insure that it is handmade and of a certain quality to maintain a move through the audience during the event. “We want the whole thing to be interactive,” said Kastner. “Our mission statement is to educate the public on the arts, and this event will appeal to all ages.” And, as is always the case, the various venues and galleries throughout downtown will also be open, and invite you to stop by to peruse their collections and exhibits, meet their artists, listen to musicians and get to know your community and your neighbors. Other places to visit include: • Arts Council, 301 Hay St. • Cape Fear Studios, 148 Maxwell St. • Cumberland County Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane. • Fascinate-U Children’s Museum, 116 standard of art. The booths will be inspected, and we must see what was pictured,” said Kastner. The “best booth” and “best demonstration” will receive recognition. But Arts Alive is about more than art on the street. It’s about more than what you can see, rather it’s about what you can experience. With that in mind, the event will feature performing artists as well. Singer/songwriter Autumn Nicholas and poet Neal Ray will perform as they Green St. • Market House: An ever-growing and evolving drum circle will gather. Drummers are welcome to join this group, which plans to meet every 4th Friday under the Market House. For more information on 4th Friday activities and Arts Alive, contact the Arts Council at (910) 323-1776 or visit www.theartscouncil.com/4th_ Friday.html. Fourth Friday is free and fun for all ages. KAREN POPPELE, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Carolina Philharmonic to Perform in Fayetteville by DR. SHANESSA FENNER The Carolina Philharmonic will perform a Concerto Extravaganza on Sunday, May 23 at 4 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. “This is the end of our 2009-2010 season fi nale,” said David Michael Wolff, conductor and artistic director of Carolina Philharmonic. “We have a number of concertos we will be performing.” Wolff added that the concert features music by Koussevitsky, Bartok, Bach and Ewazen. Wolff is an avid linguist, fl uent in fi ve languages, and is a sought after coach of international opera stars and aspiring concert pianists. He made his orchestral debut as piano soloist at the age of 12, and has won numerous prizes in international competitions including grand prize in the Naomi Management International Competition in New York City. Wolff is the author of a new book, Zen and the Art of Piano. Wolff, regular guest artist at Carnegie Hall and other major venues throughout the world, launched the West Side Chamber WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Orchestra, serving Fayetteville, Southern Pines and Greenville, N.C., in January 2009, with a debut performances on Feb. 28th and March 1st in Fayetteville and Southern Pines. The entire ensemble then joined forces with Wolff’s New York orchestra, the Manhattan Chamber Philharmonic, on April 4, 2009, making its shared debut in Carnegie Hall. After a whirlwind Maestro David Wolff fi rst season, the group incorporated as a non-profi t and in the process changed its name to Carolina Philharmonic. Although it remains a chamber orchestra, the Carolina Philharmonic has a decidedly more local fl avor and leaves open the possibility of metamorphosis in the future. “We strive to show the unity of musical expression through solo performances, small chamber groups, small and large chamber orchestra formations, as well as occasional expansions to a full symphonic orchestra,” noted Wolff. Also, historically, the term philharmonic did not refer to a large musical ensemble, but rather simply to making music together. “We just got invited back to Carnegie Hall,” said Wolff. “We will perform on March 3, 2011, and we are real excited about this.” Wolff added that they have a Chamber Music Series and the performances are in Fayetteville, Pinehurst, and other North Carolina locations. Next season six concerts are planned for Fayetteville. “The joy of the musicians and the audience is when the concert people come up to me smiling and crying,” said Wolff. “These are people who do not like concerts but loved the show and plan on coming back to see another show.” “We do not sell tickets in Fayetteville, we just have a donation basket,” said Wolff. “I want to open this event to the public and not have anyone stay away because they feel like they cannot afford it.” For more information call 687-4746 or visit the Web site at www.carolinaphil.org. DR. SHANESSA FENNER, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com. MAY 19-25, 2010 UCW 9

• Cover