 MEDIA RELEASE |
 |
MEDIA RELEASE |
|
For Immediate Release
June 15, 2001
Celebrate the Summer Solstice with Music
Join us at The Banff Centre Dining Room on Thursday, June 21 at 9 pm for a musical celebration of the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice. A serenade of sounds, a magnificent view of the smoldering sunset and a sweet slice of dessert are on the program for this evening’s performance.
To celebrate the solstice, pianists Bernadene Blaha and Kevin Fitz-Gerald, with a resident chamber ensemble, perform Anton Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances. The Slavonic Dances were written in the 1870’s out of a request from Dvorak’s publisher to write a piece of music similar to Brahm’s very popular Hungarian Dances. Dvorak could hardly write the Slavonic Dances fast enough – his mind teemed with enchanting melodies of his own and the captivating rhythms of his country. The success of these dances was immediate, and it has been said that the two sets of Slavonic Dances (the first written in 1878, and the second in 1886) exist as some of the most beautiful and spontaneous expressions of the nationalistic spirit.
Canadian pianist Bernadene Blaha is currently on the keyboard faculty at the Unviersity of Southern California in Los Angeles. She has been heralded throughout North America and Europe as a musician with a "brilliant command of the piano". Kevin Fitz-Gerald, also a professor of piano at the University of Southern California, performs frequently as a recitalist, orchestral soloist and chamber musician. He has appeared with several of the major Canadian orchestras including the Toronto Symphony, the CBC Montreal and the Calgary Philharmonic orchestras.
For more details, or to reserve your tickets, call The Banff Centre Box
Office at 762-6301. Don’t forget to request a copy of the summer 2001 Music
Concert Guide. Hot off the press, the Music Concert Guide provides an overview
of all the music concerts this summer. You won’t want to miss a single event!
Photo available
Contact:
Enza Apa, Marketing Coordinator/Publicist
P: (403)762-6237
Enza_apa@banffcentre.ca