A Delightful Evening with Young Maine Musicians
What a delight to attend the performance of “From the Top” at the Merrill Auditorium last Wednesday evening. I felt so proud of all the students who participated but especially our Maine young folks. Teenage violin playing sisters Josie and Sophie Davis from Waldoboro performed Largo ma non tanto from Concerto in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Wilson Bristol from Freeport performed on the piano Tocacata from Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee’s Sonata No. 1. It was a special treat to have Dianne in the audience and interviewed after Wilson played.
The host of the National Public Radio Show From the Top, Christopher O’Riley, was charming and it was special to have the opportunity to not only hear him in person, but to watch him in action.
I could hear the excitement of the audience with the warm applause offered each time the opportunity arose. My husband and I sat next to two young boys (about 6 years old) and their mom’s. I couldn’t help but think someday in the future they will have great memories of attending the performance with their parents.
Afterwards we attended the reception and were thrilled to meet the performers, their families, friends, and the members of the From the Top staff. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting their Director of Education, Linda Gerstle, and learning more about their M.S. Lindsay Arts Leadership Program. They firmly believe that “young people can make an important contribution to the world by sharing who they are and what they love to do..”
It is a shared belief and I see it as one of our responsibilities as arts educators. I look forward to hearing this performance of From the Top on the radio and hearing it all over again.
Aimee M. Petrin says:
Dear Lisa and other attendees of From the Top –
With regard to Sir James’ absence at our presentation of From the Top – we sent out an email notice to all ticket buyers for whom we have email, distributed a press release that was picked up by major Portland-area media, and included info about his cancellation on our website. You are absolutely right, however, we were remiss in not acknowledging his absence at the concert itself. A good reminder if we ever find ourselves in that position again. Thank you for your enthusiasm for the concert and the young musicians.
Lisa Sposato says:
We, too, thoroughly enjoyed the kids’ and Christopher O’Reiley’s performances. We were quite disappointed that James Galway did not appear, however. Afterward, we found out that he’d injured both arms in a fall, so we completely understand. It would have been appropriate to inform the audience, who were all expecting him, but who were not all aware of his situation. Portland Ovations and the producers of From the Top did such a marvelous job on all other accounts; it seemed amiss that they did not acknowledge the absence of Sir Galway and express their regrets. That said, we still enjoyed the outstanding performances of the talented students, and look forward to hearing the program aired on the radio. Thank you to MPBN and Portland Ovations for bringing this program to Maine!