Evan Drachman and Doris Stevenson

The Piatigorsky Foundation, the Sitka Summer Music Festival, the Petersburg Arts Council, and the Petersburg Lutheran Church present a classical concert featuring Evan Drachman on cello and Doris Stevenson on piano. They will be featuring Norwegian music.

The concert takes place on Friday, May 19 starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Lutheran Church. Donations will be taken at the door to help cover travel expenses. Suggested $10-15 per person.

A one-hour, intimate and enchanting concert featuring two amazing artists.

Cellist EVAN DRACHMAN has combined artistic talent with great personal compassion and warmth to create a distinctive musical career.  Mr. Drachman is increasingly sought-after for his solo and chamber music performances, and as Founder and Artistic Director of The Piatigorsky Foundation, he has become one of the most respected authorities on the presentation of live classical music for diverse audiences everywhere.  In 1999, Mr. Drachman recorded his first CD, A Frog He Went a Courting, with pianist Richard Dowling.  Following this success, Drachman and Dowling released two more recordings titled, Infinity in 2004 and Romance and Revelation in 2007.  Mr. Drachman has appeared regularly as soloist with orchestras, and in recitals and chamber music performances across the United States, Europe and Asia.  Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Mr. Drachman studied at the Peabody Conservatory, the New England Conservatory, and the Curtis Institute of Music.  He has spent his summers performing at music festivals in the United States and abroad.  Mr. Drachman currently lives in Maryland with his wife Joan and their two sons, Eli and Oliver.

Pianist DORIS STEVENSON has won lavish praise from critics and the public alike for her solo and collaborative performances.  She has soloed with the Boston Pops, played at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Salle Pleyel in Paris and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.   In addition, Stevenson has performed with the leading lights in string playing such as Gregor Piatigorsky, Ruggiero Ricci and Paul Tortelier.  Early in her career, she was invited to play with Heifetz and Piatigorsky together.  Stevenson is a founding member of the Sitka Summer Music Festival in Alaska, and has participated in numerous chamber music festivals throughout the United States.

Through their musical performance and comprehensive commentaries, you will gain an unparalleled understanding of the classical music pieces and composers. Please come and be inspired by this live concert!

Following the concert, please stay to meet the artists

For information please call:  907-650-7210

The Piatigorsky Foundation

14 Penn Plaza, Suite 1800 NY, NY  10122 • Phone (212) 971-5309 • Fax (212) 947-3878 • info@piatigorskyfoundation.org

 

The Defibulators – May 8

“Rowdy, punk-fueled twang highlighted by heaps of blue-collar wit”
– Washington Post

Performing in Petersburg, Alaska on May 8, 2017 at the Wright Auditorium. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. with the concert starting at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are available at Lee’s Clothing and at the door. Prices are $20 general admission, and $10 for students and seniors. 

“A rockabilly bluegrass band from Brooklyn? Don’t scoff! With the release of their new album Corn Money earning plenty of attention, these city bumpkins are causing a barrel o’ buzz. Trading children’s acid-washed jeans and Ray-Bans for long johns and denim overalls? Now that’s how you change things up in the Brooklyn music scene.”
– BuzzFeed

CBGB’s meet the Grand Ole Opry. Hailing form New York, the six-man, one-woman band blends bluegrass, country, rockabilly, and a sucker punch of punk for a rubber-meets-the-road roots sound. Many of their songs tow a thin line between serious and satire. But don’t let irreverence fool you. These accomplished musicians create artistic arrangements that feature harmonies worthy of Gram and Emmylou, and a virtuosic chicken-pickin’ guitar that belies their geographic origin.

Call it what you will, Americana, indie honky-tonk, truckerpunk, or Brooklyn Country, the proof is in the listening. There is a unique familiarity that percolates throughout Debt’ll Get ‘Em. The reverence for traditional country forms combined with an irreverent rock and roll attitude is a trademark of the Defibs sound. Gear-grinding twang and sawing fiddles saturate songs rooted in the debt-laden and downtrodden, the moods swinging between satirical and sentimental, with unpredictable outbursts into total country chaos.

“If the Blues Brothers played more than just covers at Bob’s Country Bunker, this is what it would sound like. Making music that’s both “country” and “Western,” the Defibulators deliver tunes informed by rock and jazz…But female vocalist Erin Bru’s crooning on a song like “Wandering Eye” melts any notions of cynicism or insincerity. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, The Defibulators flatter the hell out of country music.”
– INDY

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Band website: http://thedefibulators.com/

The Defibulators program was made possible with funding by Rasmuson Foundation through the Harper Arts Touring Fund, and is administered, under contract, by the Alaska State Council on the Arts.

Shane Koyczan, Spoken Word Artist – April 17

“a beacon of hope and change”
–The Georgia Straight

Coming to Petersburg at the Wright Auditorium, April 17, 2017. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. with the show starting at 7:00 p.m. 

Tickets are available at Lee’s Clothing and at the door. Prices are $15 for general admission, and $10 for students and seniors. 

“Shane’s words were so emotional and powerful it was impossible not to be drawn in. Shane doesn’t just recite poetry. He brilliantly manipulates the emotions of his audience members, bringing them from tears of sadness to tears of laughter.”
–Cassie Silva, Review Vancouver

In a realm where poets rarely intersect with stardom, the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics introduced us to Shane Koyczan. With a collective “wow” across Canada and beyond, we found the poet of our generation. And we weren’t even looking for one.   The world took notice when Shane’s influential, anti-bullying, To This Day Project video went viral in early 2013 with over 14 million views and counting.  Powerfully engaging and authentic in attitude, his explorations are relevant to our times in the way that Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Downie and Leonard Cohen are to theirs. But unlike the musicians that he’s often compared to, poets rarely infiltrate pop culture. Koyzcan emerges in a new wave of 21st century poetry that dares to belong to the people and speak directly to them in their own voice.

Shane Koyczan is best known for his award winning spoken word performances. With his rhythmic verse in high gear, he navigates his audience through social and political territory with a furious honesty and a tender humanity that has brought audiences to their feet in New York, London, Edinburgh, Sydney, Stockholm, and Los Angeles, to name a few. He has received 5 star reviews for his performances around the globe. Winner of the US Slam Poetry Championship and the Canadian Spoken Word Olympics, Koyczan is truly an extraordinary talent that has blown the dust off of the traditional designation “poet”.

“With biting honesty and a riveting stage presence, 29-year-old Vancouver spoken word artist Shane Koyczan is quickly obliterating all the rules of poetry and forging his own literary path”
–The Quill and Quire

Artist website: http://www.shanekoyczan.com/

“Poetry isn’t a problem when it’s this cool”
–Metro

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The Shane Koyczan program was made possible with funding by Rasmuson Foundation through the Harper Arts Touring Fund, and is administered, under contract, by the Alaska State Council on the Arts.

Help from PAC During Artfest – April 20-23

Ashley is asking for Arts Council members and friends to help with some of the efforts involved in hosting this event in Petersburg this year. There will be students and instructors coming in from out of town, and we’d like them to experience the best hospitality that Petersburg has to offer.

Ashley would like Arts Council to help out in two specific areas:

1. Meals for the instructors
2. Help with the art show on Sunday, the 23rd

Meals for Instructors

The following is requested:

• 4/20 (Thursday): Lunch: Two Soups, Salad, Bread, butter. Dinner theme: Two Pasta Salads and dessert. 
• 4/21 (Friday): Breakfast: bagels, fruit, jam, butter, yogurt. Lunch: Two Chilis, Salad, Bread, butter. Dinner theme: Mexican and dessert. 
• 4/22 (Saturday): Breakfast: bagels, fruit, jam, butter, yogurt. Lunch: Sandwiches, Salad. Dinner theme: Lasagna + dessert.
• 4/23 (Sunday): Breakfast: Left overs. Lunch: leftovers

The culinary kitchen is available for Artfest feeding needs. If you are able to assist with this aspect, Ashley has set up a Google forms survey where you can provide more details: https://goo.gl/forms/bQEWJgUvVpYdDqbW2

Art Show

The art show takes place 5:30 to 7:00 pm on Sunday, April 23. The following assistance is needed before and after the show:

• Set-up: 1 to 3 pm
• Again at 4 to 5:30 pm
• Clean-up: 7 to 8 pm

Please contact Ashley Lohr (at the school) if you are able to offer some of your time during this event.

Petersburg Live! 2017

Happy February, Arts Council Friends!

Our (now) annual local talent and variety show is returning February 23. Once again this is a joint effort by the Arts Council and Artfest participants. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. The show begins at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to run about 2 hours with an intermission. Admission is by donation, and proceeds will go toward Artfest.

We are looking for donations of dessert items for the silent auction that will take place before the show and during intermission. If you are able to donate, please let us know by calling Mark Kubo at (907)650-7210. Of course, we won’t refuse any donations brought in at the last minute! Dessert auction proceeds will go to the Arts Council.

Thank you for your support!

(Artfest logo done by Sydney Guthrie! Artfest is hosted here this year! April 20th-23rd. Contact Ashley Lohr at the HS if you’d like to help out any of the artfest days.)

“A Feast of Small Things” 2016

Holiday Party and Fundraiser!

Arts Council will provide non-alcohol punch, cups, plates, and napkins. We ask that you bring some finger-food appetizers to share. Diane requests that they really be finger-food/toothpick-able items that don’t require forks or spoons.

The main event will be a “progressive auction” (that’s what we’re calling it!) of small art pieces. If you were able to attend last year’s PAC party, it will be very similar. This year the art pieces will not just be painting on canvas, but other media as well that fits around the 4×4″ to 6×6″ size. Based on feedback, we are setting the entry fee to participate in this event to $10; $20 to steal an item; and $30 to permanently place a hold on an item.

If you haven’t yet become or renewed your PAC membership, we will also be taking membership sign-ups at the event. Memberships start at $25 for individuals and $40 for families.

[Update 11/28:] During the party we will be offering the first pre-sale tickets to the upcoming stand-up comedy by Juneau’s Club Baby Seal. The comedy event will take place on the evenings of January 20 and 21 at Kito’s Kave. Food will be available for purchase to benefit The Market. Tickets prices are $15 for individual tickets and $25 for tickets purchased in pairs.

Vitals:

• Friday, December 2 – 6:30 p.m. – 1409 S. Nordic
• Bring finger-food appetizer to share
• BYOB
• Questions and/or more info: Diane 772-9375 or Mark 650-7210

Now Accepting 2016-17 Memberships

Membership flyer and form (PDF) for the 2016-17 PAC season has just been posted. We will have a table at Oktoberfest this Saturday (22nd) to meet new and renewing members, talk with interested persons and to discuss the upcoming season as well as different ways in which community members can help bring and support the arts in Petersburg.

This year we are offering two PAC 2016-17 season passes in a random drawing for all new and renewing memberships received and paid by October 31 (in person or via postmark).

More membership and donation information can be found on this page.

Dia de los Muertos Community Art Exhibition

Petersburg Arts Council and Clausen Museum are partnering to hold a “Day of the Dead” art show. The theme is “Celebration of Ancestors.” 

We’re looking for work that celebrates those who have passed OR inspired by the bright and colorful traditional Mexican holiday celebratory items. Memorabilia, old photos, vintage items are welcome in addition to the traditional Day of the Dead. Please submit works at the museum on October 21 and 22.

If your talents and skills run more toward the culinary side of things, don’t feel left out. We will gladly accept contributions of finger foods and sweets for the opening reception on the evening of October 28. 

Chris Proctor in Petersburg

Concert at Sons of Norway, September 27

The Petersburg Arts Council presents Chris Proctor’s “Steel String Guitar for the New World” on Tuesday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. If you think that you know how a solo acoustic guitar concert sounds, prepare to be amazed and delighted. Bringing 6 and 12-string steel-string guitars, Chris will present a concert of both stunning arrangements and sparkling original compositions, drawn from folk, bluegrass, blues, jazz, Celtic rock, pop, and world music sources. You’ll think that you’re hearing 3 guitarists at once, as Chris coaxes sound you’ve never heard from a guitar with techniques that you’ve never seen.

Tickets are $15 and available for advance purchase at Lee’s Clothing and also at the door. Light appetizer fare and punch will be provided and is included in the admission price. Kito’s Kave will be offering wine and beer for purchase. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Chris is a former U.S. National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion, has recorded 10 CD’s of his original compositions and arrangements for Windham Hill, Rounder, Flying Fish and Sugarhouse Records, has produced 6 and 12-string instructional guitar videos for Homespun Tapes, and has toured the U.S. Canada, Mexico and Europe for 30 years. You can read all about his music and career, listen to more than 40 complete pieces, and watch 10 performance videos at www.chrisproctor.com.

Free Guitar Workshop, September 26

On the evening prior to his concert, Chris Proctor will be offering a guitar workshop for guitarists. It will take place on Monday, September 26 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. at the Public Library’s Community Room.

Each participant needs to bring his or her own guitar. The workshop is intended for any age, but to obtain the most from it, participants should be comfortable with basic chords.

There is a limit of 15 participants. Please call Mark Kubo at (907) 650-7210 to reserve a spot.

Additional space is available for those who want to observe and audit the workshop without participating. This is offered on a space-available basis on the workshop evening.