Former Clark County Commissioner Betty Sue Morris once used Tchaikovsky’s “Peter and the Wolf” to make a point about the county budget in a speech. It’s one of her favorite pieces, along with Chopin’s “Polonaise.”
“My mother played classical music. When I was sick as a little girl, she would buy new records,” said Morris, 67. Morris took violin lessons, as well. “I had no talent. So musicians draw my respect and my awe,” she said.
Morris, in her seventh year on the board of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, took over as chairwoman in July.
“Music is something that people turn to during hard times. So while we are struggling, as all nonprofits are, with corporate donations, the audiences continue to fill the auditorium,” she said.
And they can be generous. After Morris issued a plea at the October concert for donations to help cover rehearsals, which cost $3,500 a pop, audience members sent in enough donations to keep the musicians in practice.
Vancouver singer-songwriter Klump heads for ZooLights
Vancouver singer-songwriter Justin Klump is following up a breakthrough summer performance at the Oregon Zoo with a more intimate, holiday-themed show at its ZooLights festival on Dec. 19.
Earlier this summer, Klump, 26, finished in second place in a zoo-sponsored contest that gave music fans the chance to vote for their favorite local musicians to take the stage. The selection process for performers at the zoo’s ZooLights event was less dramatic. Klump heard about the zoo’s call for musicians from a friend and submitted his name for consideration.
Klump was supposed to perform at ZooLights in 2008, but his performance was derailed by bad weather. He’s looking forward to making his ZooLights debut on Dec. 19 and getting into the holiday spirit.
“I’m excited to be able to play holiday music and be able to do it at a pretty large event,” Klump said. He isn’t sure what he will play yet, but he’s thinking about a rendition of “Silent Night” and John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).”
Klump’s set will be made up almost entirely of holiday music, with one or two original songs mixed in. The holiday-themed set at ZooLights is a unique twist for Klump, who hasn’t performed much holiday music lately, even as he’s toured the Pacific Northwest. “It will be quite different,” he said.
Vancouver comic book featuring Sarah Palin a hit
Vancouver’s Bluewater Productions will launch a fourth printing of the biographical comic about former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
“Female Force: Sarah Palin, Going Rogue Edition” updates her story from the original comic released in February, adds new artwork and features a new cover.
It’s the first time any of Bluewater’s titles have gone to a fourth printing.
“People just can’t get enough of Sarah Palin,” said Darren Davis, Bluewater’s president. The Palin comic book biography has sold 20,000 copies, he said.
“This issue has proven to be one of our all-time best sellers, and Palin signed a couple copies of the comics for us,” Davis said.
The comic is not Palin’s only connection to Vancouver. Her husband’s uncle is longtime Vancouver real estate agent Doug Palin Sr.
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