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

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

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

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

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

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

SSO 2011 - 2012 season ends with the lyrical and the bombastic

The Shreveport Symphony ends its current season on Saturday April 28 and two orchestra members end their seasons with the SSO, Concertmaster Kermit Poling and Judy Kleinhans Causey, 4th Horn. SSO Music Director Michael Butterman chose well in this the final Masterworks concert of the 2011-2012 season. All sections of the orchestra will be featured in the four pieces to be presented.

Candide Overture .... Bernstein

Violin Concerto, Op. 14 .... S. Barber

Kermit Poling, violinist

Intermission

Symphony No. 2 in D-flat Major (“Romantic”).... Hanson

The Glory and the Grandeur .... R. Peck

with SSO percussionists Chandler Teague, 

Anthony Robinson and Douglas Parmelee

Saturday April 28, 2012

@ Riverview Theater

concert time 7:30 PM

for tickets 

318.222.tune

Kermit Poling - Concertmaster

Judy Kleinhans Causey - 4th Horn - 50 years in the SSO

Chan, Doug and Anthony - SSO Percussion Trio

Masterworks Series - April 2012

rehearsal party break for Judy and Kermit

Michael, Jon and Steve

Ah - Woodwinders - mmmmm . . . .  wine and cheese, so good for the reeds and pads

J Mark and Judy

Michael Butterman, Judy, Lois Robinson and Kermit

Anthony, Sandra, Art and Tom P.

Judy and Craig

Susan (moi) and Judy

Friends since Jr. High School at Lakeshore, Fair Park High School and Centenary College

Concert photos

SSO Trumpet section - Pr. Rick Rowell, Richard Watson, Michael Scarlato and Douglas Lockard

SSO Horn section - Craig Pratt, Pr. Thomas Hundemer, Kristine Coreil, Judy Causey, Susan W Rogers

SSO Lower Brass

Steve Curtis, Tuba; J.Mark Thompson, Jonathan Hinton, Pr Michael Davidson

SSO Assistant Concertmaster Elizabeth O'Bannon and Concertmaster Kermit Poling

after concert reception featuring cake and Champagne

My friend Galina

Laura and Ed Crawford and Dr. Morgan

Bassist Chris Allen and Dorothy Rivette

a few more photos to follow