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St. James Series Showcases Local Composers
Concert pix

The St. James Concert Series is proud to present local composers in the last concert of the 2016-2017 season. Introducing new works will be Jim Riggs, Ron Randall, Joy Willow, Chase and Carol Ann Loeb, Daryl Hollinger, Marcus Jensen and Logan John-Paul.

This final concert, Composers’ Corner, is planned at the Church of the 49ers (First Presbyterian) in Columbia on Sunday, May 7 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $6 for students under 18.

Jim Riggs holds a Doctor of Education degree, a Master of Music degree in Composition and a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition and Theory. He is currently a Professor in the Doctoral Program at California State University Stanislaus. Prior to his current position, Dr. Riggs served 10 years as President of Columbia College (Yosemite Community College District). For this program, he presents Four Nocturnes for Solo Piano: Carillon at Night, Into the Silence of Night, Night Chorus, and Lamenting the Night. These will be performed by Gail Johnson, Pianist.

Ron Randall, formerly of Sonora (now of Sacramento) was well-known in the musical life of Tuolumne County as a solo baritone, composer, director of The Master Chorale, The Pine Cone Singers and Sonora Hills Chorus. He presents Gail and Jane Buzzard in Duet for Oboe and Bassoon.

In addition to being a visual artist, Joy Willow is a trained musician and has taught voice and piano for over 30 years, maintaining an active studio in her home in Sonora. The quiet language of painting provides a counter point to the verbal expression of song and poetry. She has chosen Shell Collection: Five Miniatures for Piano and Haiku Thaws, original poetry in classic haiku form with improvised accompaniment.

Chase Loeb, pianist, is the Director of the B Sharp School of Music in Lodi and instructs piano and digital music composition. He continues a performance career as a soloist and accompanist as well as a career in music production and composition. His projects include classical composition for acoustic instruments and music education projects. For this program, he is joined by his wife, Carol Ann Loeb, cellist and composer. She has performed with the Arizona Opera, the Phoenix Metropolitan Opera, and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and holds a Master’s Degree in Cello Performance. She currently performs as a solo musician and records as a studio musician for collaborative projects, as well as for short films and commercials. She is a private instructor for the B Sharp School of Music in Lodi. The two have chosen three numbers for this program: Romance for Cello and Piano by Chase Loeb, Fantasy for Amplified Cello and Piano by Carol Ann and Chase Loeb, and Impromptu for Cello by Carol Ann and Chase Loeb.

Daryl Hollinger, who joined the Columbia College faculty in 2014, holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Temple University, and currently serves as director of music at First Congregational Church of Murphys. Prior to coming to California, he served for 14 years as dean of the chapel, seminary musician and adjunct professor of worship and music at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, and as minister of music at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, Lancaster. He directed the Ephrata Cloister Chorus for 18 years and has given concerts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, Bulgaria as well as parts of the United States. He will perform Five Miniatures for Piano.

Joining this program of local composers are two students from Columbia College: Marcus Jenson and Logan John-Paul; Logan will present his composition for piano: Flyin’ in 7/8, and Marcus will perform Original Marcus Madness for piano and trumpet.

 

For more information about the St. James Concert Series, check the website at SJConcertSeries.org. Tickets for this concert are available at Mountain Bookshop, by calling (209)536-0825, or at the door.