Vancouver pianists Cinda Goold Redman and Lena Vozheiko Wheaton are kicking off their European summer concert tour with a Portland performance. Redman and Wheaton will give a concert Saturday at Michelle’s Piano Company in Portland, and will be joined by fellow Vancouver pianist Ellen Horowitz Putman and Vancouver violinist Halle Horowitz.
Redman, Wheaton and Putman will perform two- and three-piano works by Bach, Chopin and Schumann, and Putman will play with Horowitz, as well.
Soon after this concert, Redman and Wheaton leave for France, Spain and Austria. They’ll perform a fundraiser in the Loire Valley to benefit the hungry of France, and another concert in Blois. Then they’ll spend some time at Vancouver Symphony conductor Salvador Broton’s beach house in Spain before heading to Salzburg, Austria, to give a concert.
Redman and Wheaton did a European tour last year, as well, and Redman was excited to return.
Redman, 65, especially looked forward to sightseeing, visiting castles, gardens and the home of writer and Chopin companion George Sand. She was also excited about the cuisine.
“They wined and dined us and fed us beautifully last year,” she said.
Vancouver-born pianist finds success in Midwest
Joe Lapidus knew his son Zach had discovered his calling when, while attending Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, Zach rearranged Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” for the school’s orchestra.
“He found his passion, which is music, and he just threw himself into it,” Joe said.
The early success has only continued for Zach, 23, who now lives in Indianapolis and plays jazz piano.
Zach graduated in 2008 from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He got his start playing violin but shifted to piano in college.
Zach is a finalist for the American Pianists Association’s 2011 Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz. The winner of the fellowship will receive $50,000.
In addition, he plays regularly in Indianapolis and once ran into jazz clarinetist and saxophonist Frank Glover at a gig.
The two played together, and Zach was invited to appear on Glover’s latest album, “Abacus,” which was released earlier this year.
“I was really excited that Zach had the opportunity to go into the studio with a great musician and create something really different,” Joe said.
Curtain rises on filmmaker’s project
Vancouver playwright and filmmaker Dennis Sparks didn’t know much about graphic novels or comics when he penned his latest short film, “Nightbumpers.” But that didn’t stop him from writing a film about a comic book writer and a ghost story that comes to life.
“I don’t have any particular interest in graphic comics,” Sparks said. “I just like a good story.”
Sparks was eager for the chance to tell a story that makes people think. “When you’re telling a story, it has to be compelling to an audience for more than just entertainment value,” he said. “If it’s done right and it’s a good story, it should be able to move you, make you think or create a dialogue.”
It was the second film that Sparks has penned. His first short film, “Wordspeaker,” premiered in 2008. Sparks, a 64-year-old Vancouver resident, hopes that the 30-minute-long “Nightbumpers” is the first in a three-part series. “There’s a larger story here that we’re telling,” he said.
“Nightbumpers” was shot at Clark County locations such as Orchards and Officers Row. The cast and crew — about 10 people overall — were primarily people from Clark County, as well. The filming process proved to Sparks that he didn’t need to look far for filmmaking talent. “There are extremely talented people in various art forms right there in your city,” he said. “You don’t necessarily have to say, ‘If we want to do a film, we have to go to L.A. or New York.’”
The film will debut at 11 a.m. June 26 at Battle Ground Cinema. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.
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