Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Methodist University Hosts Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra by STEPHANIE CRIDER The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will perform at Methodist University on March 12. It’s the next to last concert of the 2010-2011 season. As noted on the page opposite, Methodist will also host an art opening that night, but make no mistake, it’s not a competition between the two events, but a collaborative effort to provide the community with an evening of top-notch art, both visual and musical. “What we are trying to do is tie these events together,” said Fouad Fakhouri, the conductor of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. “Our hope is that people will go to the exhibit and then come to the concert.” The FSO Concert is at Reeves Auditorim and begins with a pre-concert talk featuring Fahkouri and the Symphony’s guest piano soloist Shai Wosner at 6:45 p.m. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with tickets running between $8 and $25. Fakhouri loves music and he loves sharing it with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra conductor Fouad Fakhouri. people around him, but for some folks, classical music, especially when it is performed by a live orchestra, can be intimidating. For that reason, before every concert he and any visiting musicians engage the audience. It’s been a fruitful endeavor and the concert audiences have grown signifi cantly this season. This concert will be no different. “Shai and I will be talking about the concert from the stage and the score as well,” said Fakhouri. “We will discuss the music about to be played and some different aspects of the pieces. Shai has just fi nished a CD. We will have those as well in the lobby.” Members of the audience can purchase those CDs and Wosner will be there to sign them. There have been a few changes to the information published on the FSO website for this concert. Instead of four pieces, the orchestra will play two compositions. The fi rst on will be Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6. The Pastoral Symphony. This piece is inspired by the composer’s love of nature. “It is a wonderful symphony,” said Fakhouri. “It describes the country, that is why it is called the ‘Pastoral Symphony.’ The idea is to open with a piece that is calm and quiet compared to Beethoven’s other pieces.” There will be an intermission after the fi rst piece. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-fl at minor, Op. 23 follows featuring solo pianist and guest artist Shai Wosner. The piece begins with a melody that Tchaikovsky supposedly heard a blind beggar singing at a county fair. “Rapid passages in octaves, abrupt changes in mood, delicate passages of arpeggiated fi ligree, giant buildups of harmonic and emotional tension, whispered legato pianissimos,” make this a popular competition piece for the skill and mastery it requires of the performers. “To pair it with Beethoven is a good contrast, I thought,” said Fakhouri. “The Beethoven was one of his symphonies that is much more contemplative.” There will also be local students performing in the lobby. It’s a chance to let them shine, but it also enhances the experience for the audience. “We instituted that because we are trying to make it an all encompassing event so that when people walk in they get music starting in the lobby and all the way through the concert they are getting more,” said Fakhouri. Concerts like this are a lot of fun and with audiences growing, Fakhouri is encouraged about the future FSO has in the community, but he’s concerned that audiences may not understand what goes into putting on events like this. “Our concerts require a lot of resources. This concert will have about 65 to 70 musicians. Every time we put on a concert of this magnitude it costs about $30,000 for a one night performance. We never ever cover our cost with ticket sales alone. At best that is about 20 percent.” Just like the new gallery at Methodist University, the symphony is bringing in international artists and seeks to continue growing and improving the art community to make Fayetteville a better place. Opportunities to support the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra can be found at www. fayettevillesymphony.org, or by calling the symphony offi ce at 433-4690. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com Sunflower Fibers Spins a New Thread Downtown by STEPHANIE CRIDER Pam Kelly loves fi ber — every aspect of it. She enjoys knitting, dyeing, nuno felting, needle felting, spinning and weaving. In fact, she is so enamored by the world of fi ber and fi ber art that she opened her own shop this past August where customers can not only purchase supplies, they can also take classes. It’s called Sunfl ower Fibers and is located just of Hay Street at 123 Anderson St. One of the things that makes Sunfl ower Fibers unique in this day of big-box stores and one-size-fi ts-all establishments is that Kelly builds relationships with her customers and does everything in her power to meet their needs. “If someone comes in and tells me that they are interested in learning a certain technique, I try to put a class together for them as quickly as I can,” said Kelly. “If you come in here with a question about fi ber and I don’t know the answer, call me back in a few days and I will have answer for you.” Kelly is so dedicated to her customers that she’s been known to loan out her personal knitting needles for them to use while they wait for her to special order the right size. “It’s always worked out,” said Kelly. “I Mart. Most of what I carry are novelty fi bers that you can use to make very high quality pieces” Being just the slightest bit fascinated in fi ber is reason enough to check out the store. Once you cross the threshold, Kelly will help match you up to a class that most fi ts you, if you are interested in learning something new or want to meet new people and make some new friends. If getting in and out with supplies in hand is the primary goal, rest assured, that is not a problem either. In addition to teaching the basics, Kelly offers things like Flick night where participants bring their fi ber project and watch a movie while they work. There is a sweater knit along club, a scarf- of-the-month club, a club that makes an afghan block each month and at the end of 12 months they assemble the blocks into a quilt. There is a shawl class as well. If there is a class you are interested in, just mention it to Kelly, and chances are it will be offered before you know it. A loom and sample of yarn that can be found at Sunfl ower Fibers. always get my needles back and they end up buying the one I’ve ordered for them.” The list of yarns that can be found at Sunfl ower Fibers is enough to thrill any knitter or crochet buff out there. There is everything from Abuelita, Feza, My Muench, Louet yarns, Shepherds wool and even hand-painted knitting yarns. If she doesn’t have it in stock just ask and Kelly will make a special order. “I have the staples like wool and angora. I’ve got cashmere and other higher end yarns too,” Kelly noted. “You won’t fi nd the types of yarn that I have at Wal WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM If needle work is not your thing, pick up a loom, either triangle or square, and weave your own wearable work of art. The looms come in 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 foot sizes and are handmade by Kelly’s husband Jim. They are adjustable and designed to bring countless hours of pleasure to the owners, with wonderful results to show for it. “I’ve used my loom for more than making shawls,” said Kelly. “I’ve been able to make sweaters with it too, and they just turn out wonderfully.” Visit her website www. sunfl owerfi bers.com or giver her a call at 223-1314 to fi nd out more. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer, COMMENTS? stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com MARCH 9-15, 2011 UCW 11