KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

 White Recital Hall at UMKC and the cool, calm of St. Mary's Episcopal Church at 13^th and Holmes, downtown, will soon be heating up with the sounds of Summerfest.  Enjoying their 19^th season in Kansas City, this innovative ensemble continues to delight audiences with a mix of the well-loved and little-known pieces for chamber orchestra. 

Summerfest programming offers a variety of instrumentation and musical styles and emphasizes the performance of lesser-known pieces from all eras, as well as the works, and sometimes personal appearances of living composers.  Since 1993, the group has worked with Dan Locklair, Lee Gannon, David Gommper, Clive Muncaster, Jean Belmont, Michael Kimber, Paul Elwood, Ian Coleman, and Robert Cronin. Many of these composers have been in residence for a portion of the summer season and/or have written a work for members of the ensemble.

 "One of the things we try to do is seek out pieces off of the beaten path." says clarinetist and artistic advisor, Jane Carl. "We search for an eclectic mix and think we've got something for everyone."

Like walking through a Baroque garden, a Romantic landscape painting or an unpredictable Modern field of wildflowers, the 2009 season is inspired by natural beauty.  There is no shortage of material based on this theme, but the Summerfest board of directors carefully sifted through the repertoire and came up with a few surprises. 

Among the unexpected pieces to be performed, contemporary composer Alexandra du Bois' Tempete de sable (Storm of Sand) for clarinet, violin and viola is getting a lot of attention.  Still in her 20's du Bois' has received commissions from the Kronos quartet, the Beaux Arts Trio and Bargemusic to name only a small fraction of the groups who are vying for her time. Kansas City will get their first taste of her works during Summerfest.

It's nice to see a balance of male and female composers on any program and Summerfest seems to take this approach seriously.  From Jennie Brandon's piece Wildflowers, inspired by Lady Bird Johnson's famous Texas fields, to Nancy Galbraith's Incantation and Allegro, creative female composers get the chance to take their place beside the men.

In addition to the hidden gems, this Summerfest line-up includes the well-known masterworks as well.  The Beethoven Septet Op. 20, Dvorak's Selections from Cypresses for string quartet, the Elgar Quintet, Op. 84 for Piano and Strings, and the Vivaldi All'ombra di Sospetto for soprano, flute, cello, and harpsichord are also being featured.  A real crowd pleaser is sure to be Schubert's The Shepherd on the Rock for soprano, clarinet and piano. 

Of the less known works by prolific composers, Giacomo Puccini's Chrysanthemums for string quartet provides an operatic opportunity for the strings to sing.  Georg Frideric Handel's Gloria for soprano strings and harpsichord is enjoying a rebirth along with Attilio Ariosti's cantata the Flowering and Fading of Love.

For more detailed information on  Summerfest programming, read Don Dagenais' City Classics column for July.  http://kcmetropolis.org/issue/july-8-2009/article/classical-column-for-july

Summerfest Schedule 2009

Summerfest I
Wildflowers

Saturday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry  Kansas City, MiO

Sunday, July 12 at 5:00 p.m.
St. Mary's Episcopal Church
1307 Holmes  Kansas City, MO

Summerfest II
The Secret Flower
Saturday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO

Sunday, July 19 at 5:00 p.m.
St. Mary's Episcopal Church
1307 Holmes
Kansas City, MO

Summerfest III
Chrysanthemums
Saturday, July 25 at 7:00 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO

Sunday, July 26 at 5:00 p.m.
St. Mary's Episcopal Church
1307 Holmes, Kansas City, MO

Summerfest IV
Cypresses
Saturday August 1 at 7:00 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO

Sunday, August 2 at 5:00 p.m.
St. Mary's Episcopal Church
1307 Holmes, Kansas City, MO

For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.summerfestkc.org/

 Cover photo by Will Berndt.

By Megan Browne Helm

Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor; Managing Editor Arts News

Megan Browne Helm hails from St. Louis, MO where she grew up singing, dancing and acting.  As a teenager, she was awarded a scholarship to the Carnegie Mellon University pre-college program where she studied voice with Glynn Page, dance with Myron Nadel and theater with Rick Davis. 

She pursued a voice major at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music studying with Duane Mahy and her sabbatical replacement Carole Webber.  She was a frequent soloist with the Oberlin Collegium Musicum.  In addition, she hosted a contemporary classical music show on WOBC and recorded recitals for the audio department. 

At the University of Kansas she earned degrees in History and Music Education. In 1988-89, she was the Baby Jay mascot. Her passion for modern and contemporary art music culminated in her involvement with the now defunct Kansas Composers Project at KU.  She also sang and soloed with the Collegium Musicum and Oread Consorts at KU under the direction of Simon Carrington.

As an alto, Ms. Browne Helm has performed in and around Kansas City for over 20 years.  She joined the Kansas City a cappella ensemble, Octarium for their 2005-6 season and currently sings with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy.

Ms. Browne Helm began her freelance career while staying home when her children were babies.  Her past works can be found at Presentmagazine.com, KC Parent Magazine, Shawnee Magazine, and the Lawrence Journal World and on her new blog Raw Organum.  She is also working on a young adult novel and music related picture books for children.  At KCMetropolis, Megan is the managing editor for the Arts News section as well as reviewing music, theater and occasionally dance.

In 2009 she was honored to be chosen as a NEA Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism's program for Classical Music and Opera in New York City. 

Ms. Browne Helm's day job is as a professional music educator in the Turner School District, KCK where she shares her love for the art form every day with the very youngest students in the district.  She also shares her expertise with other teachers and has been a presenter at the Crucial Early Years conference at the University of Missouri St. Louis.

When she isn't teaching, writing, singing or functioning as an assistant cub master or PTO secretary, Ms Browne Helm resides in Lawrence, KS with her husband, three sons, three dogs, a cat and any number of fish.