“Rollin’ to Olin” art-music programs resume Feb. 29
The Maine duo Cinder Conk plays music from the Balkans and elsewhere in Eastern Europe.
The Bates College outreach program “Rollin’ to Olin,” launched last fall to give local schoolchildren experience with music and visual art at the college’s Olin Arts Center, resumes this month.
Fourth-graders from Geiger Elementary School will be bused to the arts center for hourlong programs consisting of a visual art presentation and a short concert, both in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall, 75 Russell St.
Starting with the visual art presentations at 12:30 p.m., the Wednesday programs take place Feb. 29, March 7 and March 14.
The programs are open to the general public, and elementary schools are invited to send classes. Teachers can RSVP to Anthony Shostak, the museum’s education curator, or to education fellow Catherine Jones at 207-786-6158.
Maine pianist Brian Meldrum.
A generous grant from Liberty Mutual pays for Geiger’s transportation costs.
On Feb. 29, the art presentation will explore the depiction of animals in art, using examples from the museum collection. Music begins at 1 p.m. by La Morra, a Swiss ensemble dedicated to late medieval and early Renaissance music.
(NOTE: La Morra holds a second concert that day at 7:30 p.m., also in the Olin Concert Hall. Tickets are $6, and available at www.batestickets.com. For more information, please contact 207-786-6135 or olinarts@bates.edu.)
On March 7, the program features an introduction to abstraction, followed by Cinder Conk, a Portland duo that performs Eastern European music on accordion and bass. While the art presentation for March 14 is still being planned, the music will be provided by local pianist Brian Meldrum, playing music by Chopin and Beethoven.
Following each visit to Bates, the grade-schoolers will write about their experiences, connecting the program to their language arts curriculum.
La Morra performs European music of a period roughly defined by the dates 1300 and 1500, with occasional escapades outside this time frame. The ensemble pays particular attention to the secular art song, sacred para-liturgical genres and instrumental music.
Cinder Conk plays across the Northeast and has shared the stage with Petar Ralchev’s Live from Bulgaria Ensemble, Fishtank Ensemble and Slavic Soul Party. Notable performances include the Free Range Music Festival, the Golden Festival and the Common Ground Fair.
Michal Gondko and Corina Marti of La Morra.
Meldrum, of Wayne, has performed in south-central Maine for four decades. Familiar to Bates audiences from the Noonday Concert Series, Meldrum studied for more than 30 years with Natasha Chances, a legendary member of the college’s applied music faculty.
The Rollin’ to Olin program is part of new programming introduced in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Olin Arts Center.
