Stadium Brass on February 10th: Students & their teachers in concert

Tuesday, February 10th, will be the final concert of the Classical Tuesdays 2008-2009 season!

Tuesday's concert will showcase brass students and their teachers. Our featured students are the Stadium High School Brass Ensembles, including the Trombone Choir, Horn Choir, Tuba Duet, and Brass Quintet, all directed by David Mulkins.

• Download concert flyer (8½ x 11", PDF)

The Stadium Brass will be joined by the Brass Unlimited quartet, pictured at right. You may recall Brass Unlimited from our series in 2007 or even from our first season. Members David Mulkins, Karl Ronning, Keith Gorsuch, and Eric Stevens are all beloved music-educators in the Tacoma public schools.

On the program are composers such as Prokofiev, Sparke, and Copland - you'll hear marches, dances, fanfares & more. Please join us for our final concert of the season!

Tuesday, Feb 10th, 7 pm, FREE.
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma
Info: (253) 752-2135

Weekly Volcano spews on tonight's concert

The Weekly Volcano spewed all over tonight's (January 13th) concert. In a good way, that is.

From today's Spew column:

Pollywogs, Pachelbel and Preludes. Such is the tongue-in-cheek title for a concert to be given tonight by the Just Sax Quartet — four Gig Harbor-based saxophonists whose classical repertoire is punctuated and syncopated by the inclusion of jazz and pop arrangements. Offering this alliterative program: Pam Ryker, artistic director for the series, “Classical Tuesdays,” at Slavonian Hall, in Tacoma.

Debussy's Children's Corner Suite contains the famous “Golliwog’s Cakewalk,” which appears on the program as “Pollywog’s Lake Talk.” Among other whimsies: a swinging “Sorcerer's Apprentice”; the always dependable Pachelbel's “Canon;” the equally dependable jazz powerhouse, Lennie Niehaus’ “Fugue”; and an upbeat encore piece, the very Joplinesque (Scott, not Janice) “Ragtime Suite.” That's merely part of their program. Leader Julie Allison plays soprano and alto; Stacia Rink, alto; Sheryl Clark, who transcribes much of the material, tenor; and Catherine Kostelecky-Roe, baritone. Just Sax was born in 1988 as “Three Chicks and a Chicklet.” (The latter didn’t gum things up — she was simply the shortest.) They’re all educators; one is a chemistry professor; they all play in the Tacoma Concert Band. How can you resist them … or the free admission?

[Slavonian Hall, 7 p.m., no cover, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma, 253.752.2135]

Thank, Volcano! And really, there's no need to resist.

The concert flyer is here.

The News Tribune picks our sax concert

Next Tuesday's Saxes Galore concert is going to be something unusual - and the News Tribune thinks so too.

Critic's Picks this week: Friday, January 9th, 2009

It’s Just Sax in Old Town

Sax-ophones, that is. The local all-female sax quartet Just Sax plays Pachelbel, Preludes and Pollywogs in a free concert, part of the Classical Tuesdays in Old Town series. 7 p.m. Jan. 13. Free. Slavonic Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma. 253-752-2135, classicaltuesdays.blogspot.com

Posted by Rosemary Ponnekanti

Clearly the critics know good sax when they hear it.

Concert details are here.

Saxes Galore! January 13, 2009

Celebrate the New Year with the Just Sax Quartet!

• Download concert flyer (8½ x 11", PDF)

This all-female ensemble of saxophonists will perform a program of Pachelbel, Preludes and Pollywogs.

On soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax are Julie Allison, Stacia Rink, Sheryl Clark and Catherine Kostelecky-Roe. These women teach in the Gig Harbor and Puyallup school districts, and they all four perform with the Tacoma Concert Band. Four saxes makes for a not-so-ordinary program of chamber music. Bravo to Just Sax for sharing these original works and arrangements with us.

Tuesday, Jan 13th, 7 pm, FREE.
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma
Info: (253) 752-2135

Thanks to all for a festive time and a successful benefit!

Thank you, everyone, for making Classical Tuesdays in Old Town's 2008 benefit concert both successful, and very fun. The evening of Wine & Song, held at John Connelly Law Offices, was well-attended, and the romantic songs and arias swept us around the world, and some of us off our feet!

Charles Robert Stephens, Gino Lucchetti and Tanya Stambuk performed wonderfully. And the beautiful and tasty table of sweets and savories, hosted by North End neighborhood members Chris Reynolds and Nicki Tollefson, made for a lovely reception. Excellent wines, donated by the McGavick Winery (headquartered in Old Town) were enjoyed by all.

Thanks to Old Town Starbucks, we had an urn of coffee. Trueman Appraisal staff helped print out the programs and Jim Robbins documented the event. And, a big Thank You to Eileen, Martha and Kate for helping with the reception, to Karen for greeting our guests, for John, Matt, Michael, LeiLani, Spencer, Vicki and Dave for moving chairs (Thank You to John Petrinovich and Slavonian Hall for the chairs!), and to Jack Connelly for the use of his magnificent building.

We truly appreciate the incredible support that this series receives. This benefit was a community effort and it was enjoyed by all.

We look forward to two more free concerts in the series: Saxes Galore on January 13 and Stadium Brass on February 10, 2009.

Wine and Song: a festive benefit concert December 9

This year's Wine & Song event is coming up Tuesday December 9th! This concert will benefit the Classical Tuesdays in Old Town chamber music series. Join us for a lively evening of wine, treats and mingling.

At 7pm, lyric tenor Gino Lucchetti and baritone Charles Robert Stephens will beguile us with Italian arias (from Tosca and Turandot!) and a set of romantic songs, with Tanya Stambuk on piano.

• Concert flyer (8½ x 11", PDF)

Thanks again to Jack Connelly, we will be at the Connelly Law Offices, 2301 N. 30th Street, Old Town Tacoma. (It's the old Grazie building, beautifully refurbished with fireplaces, woodwork and marbling.)

Price of admission is $28.
Purchase tickets by calling 253-752-2135, or at door.

Treat yourself or gift a friend, a relative, a colleague!

7 PM Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
2301 N. 30th Street, Old Town Tacoma, across the street from Slavonian Hall

(Don't forget: We will have two more concerts January 13th and February 10th!)

Classical Tuesdays on TV Tacoma

Did you catch us on Channel 12 on Thursday? The Classical Tuesdays series was featured on the November 6th edition of CityLine, hosted by Carol Mitchell.

Carol talked with Pamela Ryker, Maria Sampen and Timothy Christie about Classical Tuesdays, Old Town, the University of Puget Sound music program, and... well, you should watch the show. Maria and Tim finished the program with a short performance.

The full program is online at the City of Tacoma website, or you can catch a replay on Channel 12.

We had a great time doing the show. Many thanks to Carol and TV Tacoma!

Don't forget: Maria and Tim will perform for Classical Tuesdays' next concert, Tuesday November 11th.

A Resonance of Strings, 11/11

Next Tuesday's concert features our beloved string players Maria Sampen on violin and Timothy Christie on viola. We're also delighted to present another returning musician, cellist Sally Singer from the Icicle Creek Festival in Leavenworth.

• Download the flyer (8.5 x 11")

The program is all string trios--by Ernst Dohnányi (the 20th Century composer known as the "last of the Romantics"), by Franz Joseph Haydn ("Papa Haydn" of the 18th Century), and by Northwest composer Forrest Pierce (21st Century!)

Old Town Starbucks will again provide warm beverages for our coffee break. This promises to be a wonderful neighborhood gathering and all are welcome!

Tuesday, Nov 11th, 7 pm, FREE.
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St.
Info: (253) 752-2135