ComposerJones

There’s a lot to cover from today’s events in Cazenovia.  Music, art, storytelling – all happening simultaneously!

One of the most impressive aspects of Cazenovia Counterpoint is the constant reminder that the various arts do not need to be segregated, but rather they interact and enhance one another.  Scattered in several venues around Cazenovia are displays of artwork by twenty-five area artists.  Wandering the Gallery Walk, we saw works including pastels, acrylics, ceramics, weaving, quilting, and photography, all beautiful and varied.  We encountered night skies, flower gardens, amazing black-and-white portraits, abstract canvasses.  A particular favorite of mine was a four-panel acrylic-on-wood work from Carolynne Whitefeather, who honored her Comanche heritage through a realization of a story painted on hide.

The heart of the Gallery Walk was the hall at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (a venue you’ll see mentioned a lot during the festival.)  Walking up the street we could hear the JT Hall Jazz Ensemble playing by the open patio doors.  Their music seemed to carry the patrons as they came and went, looking over the artwork displayed in the hall, tapping their feet to the music, and enjoying the snacks.  Set up in the center of the hall was an extra treat – five local artists, organized by Melissa Johnson, working at tables creating works as we watched.  Water colors, acrylic canvasses, ceramics and sculptures emerged.  You could see something new every time you walked by.  How marvelous to be able to talk to an artist about a work truly in process!

The Gallery Walk and Reception wound down at 6:30, and by 7:00 we gathered in the Community Room at the Cazenovia Library for Musical Storytime.  Children’s book illustrator Susan Keeter brought both books and her easel to share with the audience.  Before diving into her children’s books, however, she read from an essay she had written about Dr. Sarah Loguen Fraser, who graduated with a medical degree in 1876 – something nearly unheard of for an African-American woman.  The audience was enthralled by the story of this remarkable woman.

Next we heard the premiere of Ralph D’Mello’s Sing-Song, a setting of Christina Rosetti’s Nursery Rhymes.  Neva Pilgrim narrated, accompanied by a quartet of immensely talented local musicians, and the audience (especially the 1-year-old in the front row) was rapt.  In keeping with the theme of the evening, while Sing-Song was in performance, Ms. Keeter stepped to her easel and worked on a new sketch of a model emulating the pose of a photograph of Dr. Loguen Fraser.  Art, music and history intertwined!

After the premiere, and a bow by the composer, Keeter again took center stage and read her book, Honey Baby, Sugar Child.  Strolling through the audience, sharing with the families, the evening was warm and inviting.  She returned to her sketching, ably assisted by a young boy from the audience who chose the colors for her to use, while Sing-Song received a second performance.  Repeating a piece back-to-back can be risky, but these talented performers kept it very fresh and new, and it received an even bigger ovation the second time.  We were treated to another of her stories, An Apple for Harriet Tubman, and ended the evening with a round of ice cream for all.

This was an outstanding event, clearly showing how alive the arts truly are.  Listening to new music, seeing art emerge before your eyes, is an opportunity we too often miss in our daily lives.