PORT ANGELES — From “Sweet Georgia Brown” to “The Love for Three Oranges,” this Sunday’s concert lays out abundant flavor.
Classical music, fiddle tunes and a well-known singer all have a place at the table: the Monday Musicale Scholarship Benefit, an annual tradition named after the Monday Musicale performance series at Port Angeles’ Queen of Angels Catholic Church.
This benefit, however, is held every autumn on a Sunday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 301 E. Lopez Ave. It brings local musicians together for a cause, and that cause is the future: scholarships for young people hoping to expand their studies in music.
In the 46 years since Port Angeles cellist Thelma McCoy founded the Monday Musicale fund, some $120,000 has been raised for scholarships awarded to local music students, said chairman Gary McRoberts. One to three scholarships are given out yearly, with $8,000 awarded to three students in 2013.
This Sunday, the scholarship program’s only annual fundraiser will give local music lovers a chance to support the effort and enjoy a lot of live music. Tickets to the 2 p.m. Monday Musicale Scholarship Benefit performance are $10 at the door, while further donations are welcome.
McRoberts, a pianist and stalwart advocate for music education, has assembled the performers, all of whom are donating their time. Here’s the lineup, in order of appearance:
■ The 50-member Port Angeles High School Wind Ensemble;
■ Vocalist Amanda Bacon, known for starring in Port Angeles Light Opera Association musicals and singing with the Final Approach band;
■ Violin wunderkind Shintaro Taneda, a student at the Seattle Conservatory of Music;
■ The Power House band from Sequim, featuring fiddler Kate Powers.
“I just call them,” McRoberts said when asked how he rounds up such a diverse bunch. He’s been part of the arts community here for a good decade, so he knows a lot of music makers. Together with McCoy, he put together this year’s mix of genres and performers.
Shintaro and his Seattle-based accompanist, Anastasia Solomatina, are coming to Port Angeles thanks to McCoy, who knows Margaret Pressley, director of the Seattle Conservatory where Shintaro studies. The pair have Fritz Kreisler’s “Praeludium and Allegro” and excerpts from Prokofiev’s opera “The Love for Three Oranges” and Edouard Lalo’s “Symphonie Espagnole” on their set list.
Port Angeles High’s Wind Ensemble will bring on more youthful energy, with “Courtly Airs and Dances” by Ron Nelson, “Blessed Are They” from Brahms’ “A German Requiem” and Steven Reineke’s “Celebration Fanfare,” under the baton of Douglas Gailey.
The Power House band, with siblings Kate, Ethan and Phebe Powers, Chris Burt, Kristina Gustafson and Don Betts, mixes fiddle, guitars, spoons and bass on tunes including “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Gold and Silver Waltz,” and “Wizard’s Walk.”
Bacon, for her part, hasn’t yet told McRoberts her song choices, so those will be a surprise. The singer from Sequim has a broad repertoire from which to choose, having been in quite a few shows over the years.
Those who cannot make it to Sunday afternoon’s concert can still donate to the Monday Musicale scholarship fund. Supporters are encouraged to send donation checks, payable to Monday Musicale, to Gary McRoberts at 955 S. McCrorie Road, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
