Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Horn players out to dinner at Copland's 5-18-2012



Judy and Bill  Causey, myself and my husband, Harold, had a chance to chat and talk old times with Buffalo 4th Horn player (now retired) Milton Kicklighter who played in the SSO with us in the late 50's and early 60's. Milton later won an audition in San Antonio and later Buffalo. Judy and I continued to play with SSO.


More on this story coming - 


3 Horn players - Susan Rogers, Milton Kicklighter, and Judy Causey - Horns4ever


At Copland's in Shreveport




Bill Causey and Harold Rogers
Bill plays trumpet and Harold used to dance ballet with SMB
Bill and Harold met on the Centenary Tennis Courts located next to my dorm, Hardin Hall. Yes, we all played tennis at one time.


Trying out horns - 2 Alexe's and 2 Conn's





Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The Longview Symphony Orchestra closes its 2011 - 2012 season with the Van Cliburn 2001 Silver Medalist Antonio Pompa-Baldi

Haochen Zhang, 2009 gold medal winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn Piano Competition, was to be guest soloist for the Longview Symphony on this the final performance of the 2011 - 2012  season. However, he had been ill for several days and had to cancel just a few days ago. Luckily, the Van Cliburn Association stepped in to locate an equally gifted competition winner, Antonio Pompa - Baldi, the 2001 Silver Medalist. He will be playing the Grieg Piano Concerto, always an audience favorite. Also on the program, Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila by Glinka and Dvorak's Symphony No. 5 in F Major, Op. 76. 


Longview Music Director and Conductor Tonu Kalam will be on the podium




 Belcher Performing Arts Center on the campus of LeTourneau College, Longview, TX

Saturday May 12, 2012

concert @ 7:30 PM

opening notes @ 6:30 PM

For tickets

call the box office at the Belcher Center 903.233.3080
or toll free 1. 866.550.LETU


Cliburn winner Antonio Pampa-Baldi with Concertmaster Mark Miller and LSO Music Director Tonu Kalam
Maestro Kalam

in rehearsal at Hallsvill
e H.S.Band Room
LSO Concertmaster Mark Miller - about to tune the orchestra

Henry Edwards and Ann Reid

Antonio Pompa- Baldi in rehearsal with Longview Symphony at the Belcher Arts Center

violist Sherry Paetznick

violinists Paul Palmer and Jean Avery

violist Kerri Christopher

'cellists Alexander Djinov and Milovan Paz

violinist Christopher Reed

Second Clarinet Sandra Clark

bassoonist Dr. Doug Bakenhus




Sunday, May 6, 2012

River City Repertory Theatre, Shreveport Symphony and Shreveport Opera collaborate with a Broadway Musical evening 5-5-2012


Kermit Poling, Associate Conductor of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and Steve Aiken, Executive Director of the Shreveport Opera chat during Saturday evening's intermission.










Kermit Poling and singer/actress Dina Bennet



my husband Harold Rogers with  his former dance partner from Ballet Lyrique, Dina Bennet

soprano Dr. Gale Odom - Centenary College of Music

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Baroque Artists of Shreveport - Big Band Baroque at St Marks Sunday, May 6 2012

BIG BAND BAROQUE with The Baroque Artists of Shreveport


Free and open to the public

St Marks Episcopal Cathedral
Kings Hwy @ Fairfield

Sunday - 5-6-2012 - 3:00 PM

Featuring the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 4

Handel Concerto Grosso, op. 6, No. 11
Corelli Concerto, Op. 6, No. 4

with works by Galliard and Loeilliet

orchestra members

Sally Horak, Arthur Williams, Douglas Bakenhus, Laura Crawford, Daniel Santelices, Angela Russell, Elizabeth Grondin, Adrienne Gabriel, Ruth Drummond, Christopher Allen, Gay Grosz and Cathy DeRouse



BAS violinists Laura Crawford and Angela Russell, also 'cellist Ruth Drummond

on Baroque Bassoon - Doug Bakenhus

violists Adrienne Gabriel and bassist Chris allen

violinist DanSantelices

harpsichordist Gay Grosz

flutists Sally Horak and Arthur Williams - an incredible job

harpsichordist Cathy DeRouse

violinist Elizabeth Grondin



Thursday, May 3, 2012

Jazz/Blues at 2Johns 2nite - 5-3-2012 Chris, Winston and george


Join Chris Allen, Winston Hall and George Hancock at 2Johns tonight for a Thursday May 3rd treat - Jazz and Blues - 6-10 PM.




with Special guest George Hancock - flute/pic/sax

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Music Memory with the Shreveport Symphony - Sunday April 29, 2012 at the downtown Convention Center

I knew where it was located, of course, but I had not been inside the new Shreveport Convention Center since its construction a few years ago. Parking was easy since it was Sunday and all nearby pay lots were closed, but with the gates open, I along with many others secured a safe niche for my car. After traversing a huge pothole (more like a sink-hole) that couldn't be missed at the entrance of one lot just across the street from the front entrance, I grabbed my horn gear out of my Volvo V70 and crossed the street to take a flight of stairs down to the main level and one of several entrances. WOW!  Carpet on the floor, huge space in the foyer filled with bright lights and colors and inside the main hall hundreds of smiling kids and families enjoying the annual ArtBreak Festival.

A special stage had been built for the Shreveport Symphony's Music Memory program. Unlike previous years in which our smaller Music Memory orchestra performed for this area event involving the school children of Caddo and Bossier Parishes to test their musical knowledge, this larger symphonic orchestra was set to play a wide variety of musical favorites from the operatic, Broadway, Dance and orchestral genre, from Bernstein to Haydn, Brahms to Beethoven and Mozart. Students from the various elementary schools had been working hard all year to identify and name 17 pieces of music. Sound easy? The trick is that they are allowed to hear only two measures or so of each piece. (YOU should try it sometime). Extra credit is given for naming the composer. Conductor and narrator was SSO Music Director Michael Butterman.

The winners of this year's Shreveport Symphony Music Memory competition are listed below:


3rd Grade Winners

all Eden Gardens students

1st place - London Holmes
2nd place - Sarah Holt
3rd place - Nylah Tolliver

4th/5th Grade winners

1st place - 3 winners - Laya Tammala, Nichalas Irwin from Eden Gardens and Casey Tonnier from Apollo
2nd place - Emily Watson from Apollo
3rd place - Lugene Davis from Eden Gardens

My congratulations to all of the students who entered this competition, to the schools who sponsored them, and to the long hours and hard work of the Shreveport Arts organizations for continuing to highlight the arts in our community. BRAVO!


The Shreveport Symphony Orchestra

















an old buddy of mine from Shreveport Symphony 1990's  - former SSO EXEC Director Corrie Mason


the Shreveport Convention Center