After nearly twenty years of being nourished and flourishing as the musical branch of Pier One Theatre, the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra is now ready to put down roots and become an independent non-profit organization! Although it’s a little scary we are excited to be stepping out from under their comforting and supportive umbrella. Of course we have no intention of severing all ties with Pier One, and expect to collaborate on many projects in the future. During this transition year Pier One Theatre and KPO will continue to share membership and databases. This means that all Raven’s Club members will receive ticket discounts and mailings from both organizations. We hope that you, our audience and players, will stick around to watch us grow!! Hello, all KPO musicians, family and friends! As I sit here in the beginning of April, trying desperately to warm my frozen fingertips that are clenching my cold pen, I think back on this summer’s music festival. Maybe it is the similar feeling my hands had while holding the tympani mallets during a nippy August rehearsal that brought back those memories. Our summer was unusually cool in a lot of ways - cool temperatures, cool music, cool people, cool experiences. Linn Weeda led KPO in a fabulous concert full of fantastic music. We also had the pleasure of meeting the Madison String Quartet, who instantly became our friends, stand partners, and mentors. As with all of our visiting quartets, we learned an immense amount from their experience and expertise. As the seasons change, so does KPO. We are now in the process of becoming an independent organization, which is thrilling and nerve-wracking at the same time. With our newfound independence, we are starting to plan our future. As Artistic Director, I have been in the process of planning concerts for KPO, and working on the upcoming 2009 season. The Madison String Quartet will return for another funfilled two weeks. Also, I am pleased to announce that our guest soloist will be Maria Allison, a local talent known to most, who will perform Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, the “Norwegian Concerto.” Our “Trip Around the World” theme for the summer festival continues with Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, the “Italian Symphony.” A few of Brahms’s “Hungarian Dances” will round out the program, along with the ever-exciting “El Salon Mexico” by Aaron Copland. This promises to be exciting, challenging, and wonderful! The Evening of Classics concert held in October was a success, bringing many KPO musicians, supporters, and friends together for a fantastic evening of music. On December 19th KPO presented the Evening of Christmas, a concert filled with holiday music and audience sing-alongs. This concert was a huge success, with an audience of almost 300! Two wonderful fundraisers! Thanks again for a great 2008. Let’s continue the fun of making music in 2009! Longtime board and staff member, Susie Lee has ended her official involvement in KPO. She has made a huge contribution to the organization. Her tireless energy and amazing efficiency will be greatly missed. We are extremely grateful for her dedication over the years. She is a very caring person and an amazing musician. We hope to see her gracing the viola section again as often as she can. This year's Summer Music Festival was, by all accounts, a great success. The free noon concerts drew crowds daily, Tutka Bay was blessed with good weather and flowing champagne, Linn Weeda was absolutely amazing as guest conductor for the Gala Concerts. But the real stars of the festival were the Madison String Quartet: Evelyn Estava - first violinist, Michael Avagliano - second violinist, Adriana Linares - violist, and Gerall Heiser - cellist. I was fortunate to be able to attend their last performance here at the Faith Lutheran Church in Homer which was packed, standing room only. Their repertoire included many beautiful and difficult pieces from modern Latin American composers which they played with amazing virtuosity. Their pereformances were astonishing. If you missed them and would like to hear them, you can order their CD from their website at http://www.madisonquartet.org The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Tammy Vollom-Matturro to the position of Artistic Director, effective immediately. Tammy’s dedication and enthusiasm for bringing live classical music to the peninsula will be a great asset to our orchestra. Join us in welcoming Tammy to the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra staff. If you are interested in serving, two seats are open on the KPO board for the southern end of the peninsula. If you enjoy orchestral music, choral music, youth string players or are interested in keeping opportunities for local classical musicians alive and well on the Kenai Peninsula and live anywhere from Ninilchik south, please consider volunteering in this fashion. A job description, current budget and answers to your questions can be obtained by calling Jack Will, KPO board president at 260-8074.