Roads Not Taken presented by Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association

The Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association
20th Anniversary Season
Roads Not Taken
Gorge Sinfonietta and the Voci Community Choir
Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18 at 7 PM, Sunday April 19 at 2 PM
Wy’east Middle School Performing Arts Center

Combined performances by the Gorge Sinfonietta and the Voci Community choir are always an event! On April 17,18 and 19, the two ensembles will come together for a performance called “Roads Not Taken.”

The title comes from a line by Robert Frost, whose poetry is featured in Frostiana, a beloved setting of Frost’s poems for choir and orchestra. The 75-voice Voci Choir will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra and conducted by Voci director Dan Kenealy. Composed by Randall Thompson in 1959, the composer’s simple and appealing music reflects Frost’s plain but profound choice of words.

The concert also includes Johannes Brahms’ beloved Academic Festival Overture, performed by the Gorge Sinfonietta and directed by retiring conductor Mark Steighner. The Academic Festival Overture is one of Brahms’ most lively and tuneful works, and is partly a tongue-in-cheek setting of several well-known, 19th century university songs.

The finale of the Roads Not Taken concert is the premiere of “Requiem in Five Stages” by Mark Steighner and Dennis Castañares. This work combines Latin texts from the traditional Requiem with original poetry and lyrics. Dennis Castañares – known locally as Alonzo Garbanzo – will play the musical role of a Balladeer, singing the Requiem’s more pop/folk style songs for which he wrote the music. Steighner and Castanares have previously collaborated on over two dozen songs, most of which are available on Alonzo Garbanzo’s YouTube channel.

Concerts are Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18 at 7 PM, and Sunday, April 19 at 2 PM. All three performances are at the Performing Arts Center at Wy’east Middle School, 3000 Wyeast Road, Hood River (Odell). Tickets are on sale now at gorgeorchestra.org. Adults $25; CGOA members $20; students/youth FREE (HS & college students show ID at the door). Also, $5 tickets are available at the door for SNAP card holders through the Arts for All program.

The Gorge Sinfonietta will conclude its season on June 18, 20 and 21 with a performance titled “Piano Summit.” The concert includes two virtuoso works for piano, Franz Liszt’s Totentanz and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Pagannini. Soloists for the concert will be Kathryn Apland and Mitchell Jett Spencer. The concerts will also mark the end of CGOA’s founder and conductor Mark Steighner’s 20-year tenure with the orchestra. Tickets are available at gorgeorchestra.org.

The Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and presenting musical performances of the highest quality in the Columbia River Gorge region. With a commitment to artistic excellence and education, CGOA brings the joy of music to audiences of all ages.