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06/24/2006: "Musicians Unite to Replenish Music Scholarships"

Four island groups will contribute their musical talents to a joint concert on Saturday, June 24, that will benefit the Music Scholarship Fund at San Juan Community Theatre. "Rock-to-Bach" will have one performance at 7:30 p.m.

All proceeds from this event will go to the SJCT Music Scholarship Fund to support private study for local music students. If you can't make the concert, you still can send a donation to the Theatre designated for the Music Scholarship Fund.

This event is sponsored by King's Market. Tickets are $12 for Adults and $6 for Student Reserved, with $5 Student RUSH is available on remaining seats one hour before the performance. The SJCT Box Office is open Saturdays 11-2, and one hour before any performance. Call 360-378-3210, or go to www.SanJuanCommunityTheatre.org.



Kirk Fuhrmeister – a long-time island musician and teacher – originated the scholarship fundraising concert idea in the mid-1990s, and has organized Saturday's event. "The fund has allowed many island students to be able to study over the years," Fuhrmeister said, "some of whom have achieved real music prowess."

It has been eight years since the last scholarship event, and the fund is nearly used up, so it's time to rally support for the island's budding musicians.

The groups performing on Saturday range from folk to classical to rock, giving everyone in the audience a favorite set to wait for, and doing what music education should do – expose listeners to new music, as well as celebrating excellent performances.

The program opens with the acoustic trio, The Solar Siblings (Cecil DeMeerLeer, Debbie Nash-Strasser and Kirk Fuhrmeister), whose sweet harmonies, the clever and moving lyrics, and outright charm have made them island favorites for years. They are followed by the debut public performance of the classical piano trio, Stehasa. Pianist Stella Jo, violinist Hanneke Kleinrobbenhaar and cellist Sally Browne have been playing together for several months and will perform the first two movements of Beethoven's Piano Trio, Opus 1.

The second half of the concert opens with another hot acoustic trio, Uncle Otto, including Steve Keys on guitar, harp and vocals, James Barkshire on guitar and vocals, and Mike Adams on mandolin, dobro and vocals. Wrapping up the program will be a relative newcomer to island music, the world music fusion ensemble Be Careful (photo above), which appears regularly at the Ale House, Grange halls and other venues around the islands. Its members are Gabe Maas, Gabe Peckman, Mike Murphy and Jonathan Hu.