Rendezvous Arts has planned some special treats to open its seventh season, Oct. 8, 9, and 11.
The popular Woodwind Octet is adding another French horn, as well as a cello, and bass, so they can perform Antonin Dvorak’s beloved “Serenade for Winds in D Minor, Op. 44.” They are calling the new 11-piece group Strings Attached.
More Top Picks Hp Omen 16 Review
In addition, composer Scott Stevenson has written a piece called “nice, fresh,” especially for the concerts, where it will have its world premiere.
Three other fascinating selections will fill the program at 7 p.m. on October 9 at Gorton Center, 400 E. Illinois Road in Lake Forest (tickets are $35). The same concert will be performed on Oct. 8 in Dixon at The Next Picture Show ($5-$10), and Oct. 11 in Chicago, at Artifact Events ($33.85). For reservations, visit rendezvousarts.org/strings-attached-fred-draper.
All three concerts will include an exhibit of works by artist Fred Draper to highlight the music.
The program will begin with “La Chasse” by John Barrows.
“Since there’s three French horns, we’re going to start the program with a French horn fanfare,” explained Deb Stevenson, executive director of Rendezvous Arts.
That will be followed by the world premiere of Scott Stevenson’s “nice, fresh.”
He said that he wrote “nice, fresh” because, “Deb Stevenson, who is the executive director, is my ex-wife. We’re still very good friends. She asked me to write a piece because the combination of instruments for the main piece of the program is an unusual combination,” Scott Stevenson said. “There aren’t a whole lot of pieces that are written for that exact combination of instruments.”
All 11 Strings Attached players will perform “nice, fresh.”
Scott Stevenson dedicated the piece to his 98-year-old mother, who his ex-wife described as “one of the most amazing people in my life.”
The one-movement piece has three sections—silly, romantic, and playful. “These are all adjectives I would use to describe my mother,” the composer explained. “She grew up in Tennessee and she’s always had a bit of a drawl.”
His mother does have this concerning tendency to keep and use food past its expiration date. She never gets sick from doing that, though. Deb Stevenson joked, “I always said she was part raccoon.”
“Whenever there was food in the refrigerator that was new, she would say, ‘Do you want a sandwich? It’s nice, fresh,’” Scott Stevenson related. That’s what inspired the name of the piece.
The 65-year-old composer will work with the ensemble on the composition at a rehearsal before the first concert.
Scott Stevenson has been composing music since he was a child. He has worked at the Methodist Church in Geneva for almost 40 years, recently retiring from his role as director of music for the church. He currently serves as its director of worship arts.
He has written music for the Methodist Church, the St. Charles Singers, and the Old Saint Pat’s Church in Chicago.
Scott Stevenson describes “nice, fresh” as “certainly one of my more fun pieces. I’m excited to hear them bring it to life.”
“Then the cello and the bass are going to play a rippin’ duet so you can really watch those strings be the star,” Deb Stevenson said.
That piece, “Duet for Cello and Bass,” is by Edgar Meyer.
The fourth selection in the program will be “Figures in the Garden” by Jonathan Dove which will be performed by the Woodwind Octet. “It’s a super cool, super unusual piece,” Deb Stevenson said. “It’s based on themes from Mozart’s operetta, ‘The Marriage of Figaro.’”
The final selection will be the Dvorak “Serenade.”
The Octet has wanted to do that selection for a long time but “eleven players is expensive,” the executive director explained, noting that they had to “build some momentum around the Woodwind Octet” before they scheduled the work.
“The Dvorak is one of these amazing pieces, like a lot of woodwind octet repertoire, where you get to play it in college and then you never get to play it again,” Deb Stevenson said. “Here’s our chance to have full-grown professional players get to play the Dvorak ‘Serenade.’”
Playing the piece is also a chance to show off jazz bass player Christian Dillingham. “He’s one of these amazing people that is just as good at jazz as he is at classical,” the executive director explained.
Another element is added to the concert by displays of 15-20 pieces of artwork by Fred Draper.
More Top Picks Best Computer Glasses For Programmers
“I love his energy and I’m excited to see what he brings because he likes to do art based on his surroundings,” Deb Stevenson noted. “He told me that he’s been doing some new stuff based on his living back in Chicago.”
Draper describes his painting technique as “a very formal style. I go out and I set up in the landscape. I work from observation and then I work over the canvas and I correct as I go until I have a feeling for what is working.”
His favorite mediums include pastels, because he can work in it quickly. “I like working in acrylic as well,” Draper said. “I like to build up the surface.”
Draper studied art at Wright State University where he earned a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in painting.
In terms of his favorite subject matter, Draper said, “I have a soft spot for trees.” He added, “I’m really enjoying trying to dissect the landscape, the weight of the trees, and the reflection of those trees and how they’re different.”
His work has been exhibited in Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, and Ohio, among other locations.
In terms of exhibiting his artwork with the Rendezvous Arts concerts, Draper said, “It’s a great idea. I love it.” It pleases the artist that the pieces audience members hear at the concert “are going to be informed by what they see of my work,” Draper said. “I think that there’s a certain rhythm that you find in the landscape.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.