“Il Concerto Dolce,” or “Sweet Music,” will highlight the talent of vocalists Carolyn Norton, Emily Riedel, Peter Walsworth, Michael Toymil, Eric Larsen, Heather Beggs and Youngblood, as well as pianists Jane Ferman and Julieann Smith and cellist Redein Todd. The six pieces to be performed include a piece from the opera “Carmen,” a rendition of “Ave Maria” and others. The performance will take place at Bunnell Street Gallery at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Bunnell.
“A group of us that are classically trained musicians finally found each other,” said Beggs, whose musical background includes touring internationally and singing with the New York Choral Society, the resident choir of Carnegie Hall. “I’m a music person. That’s my passion. It’s definitely fun to have a place to sing again.”
Norton has known Youngblood since the two of them were involved in Pier One Theatre’s performance of “The Laramie Project.”
“When it was over, there was a big hole in our lives,” Norton said of the post-play letdown. To fill it, they combined their musical talents and did a concert at Bunnell in October 2002.
Rehearsals for the Oct. 29 concert “sound fantastic,” said Norton, who grew up in a musically inclined household. She began playing the violin when she was 5 years old, then traded it for a flute in the fifth grade so she could play in the school band. While attending Homer High School, she became involved in the swing choir, thanks to the influence of Mark Robinson, the school’s choral director.
“My parents were both very musical and they got me started at an early age,” Norton said. “Mr. Robinson got me singing in school choirs and that’s when I started to become obsessed with (music).”
Norton’s encouragement while a youngster and Youngblood’s childhood experiences have inspired their enthusiasm for helping other young musicians.
“I started taking piano when I was in kindergarten,” Youngblood said. “But then my family couldn’t afford it anymore so I couldn’t take lessons. I wish I could have. I would be a lot farther musically.”
His musical background includes performing with the Utah Opera in the late 1990s. He did a concert for Homer’s skateboard park in 2002 and performed with the Houston Symphony in 2003.
A portion of the funds raised by ticket sales for the Oct. 29 concert will be awarded as a scholarship and a portion will be seed money for an investment program for future scholarships.
“It’s for any kind of music lessons for kindergarten through high school,” Youngblood said. “The money will be provided to whatever teachers (the recipients) want to teach them.”
To apply, youngsters are asked to write a letter describing their interest in music and mail it to P.O. Box 447, Homer, AK 99603. Parents’ help in writing the letter is permitted. A panel that includes musicians and non-musicians will judge the entries with an eye toward a sincere desire to study and learn. For more information, call 299-1525.
“We’re not looking for the stars of Homer; we’re looking for everyone,” Youngblood said of the desired field of applicants. “People I’ve talked to about this think it’s a great idea. They’re very excited about it.”
And the musicians are excited about the opportunity to perform as a group.
“These are some amazing musicians,” Norton said, paying tribute to others on the program. “Even though we’ve only rehearsed a couple of time, I’m amazed at the sound that’s coming out. This should be exciting.”
McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.
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