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VIOLINIST KICKS OFF CONCERT SERIES
 SMOOTH SOUNDS: Florida violinist Rebecca Zapen (Submitted photo). LA GRANDE A versatile violinist, vocalist and songwriter, whose style encompasses the traditions of jazz, bossa nova, folk, classical, swing, pop, and klezmer music, kicks off The Community School of the Arts at EOU concert series. Rebecca Zapen will perform Saturday. The Community Concert Series, now in its second year, has been expanded to five events for the '06-'07 season. These concerts represent a wide variety of musical styles and talents and this year include a ballet recital. Tickets for the entire series or for individual concerts are now on sale at www.eou.edu/csa. The first concert in the series will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at McKenzie Theatre on the EOU campus. This concert features the talents of Rebecca Zapen, a violinist who currently resides in Florida. Joining her in concert will be EOU music professors Matt Cooper on the piano and Teun Fetz on the drums. Rebecca, a former student of EOU faculty member Lisa Robertson, uses her classical and jazz background to produce a new genre of violin music, called violin pop. Rebecca writes most of her own music and is an excellent vocalist. Zapen is a modern Renaissance woman with three main musical hats: she sings and she plays violin in jazz quartet ZapStar; and she is a songwriter utilizing ukulele, guitar and violin in her original music; and always ready to call upon her roots as a classical violinist. According to Relix magazine, "Rebecca Zapen's classical/jazz resum gives little indication of what the continually seductive "Japanese Bathhouse" ultimately reveals: Nothing adequately prepares for the way in which her deeply personal album, the Floridian Zapen's second, instantaneously envelops and never loses its grip. "The comfy melodicism of the opening track We Didn't Bother,' the title song and others brings to mind no less than early solo McCartney and Brian Wilson's SMiLE, while the ukulele/glockenspiel-sparked quietude of I've Been Dreaming' and the folksy I Am Fine' are imbued with a welcoming warmth. "The word nostalgia is often applied to Zapen's work, but "Japanese Bathhouse" doesn't so much reminisce as remind. It's one of those near-perfect hidden gems that all too few will hear, but so many would love if they did." John Winn, director of The Community School, is excited about the prospect of Zapen kicking off the series. "We are indeed very fortunate to have the opportunity for so many talented and varied artists to be part of this year's series." Winn says "Rebecca has a beautiful, smooth sound that I find delightful. I have been looking forward to hearing her live since I was first introduced to her music last spring." Other concerts in series The Community Concert Series will feature four other performances. Duo con Brio, a classical violin and cello duet from the Portland area, will perform Nov. 12. On March 5, EOU will be graced with the presence of one of the finest classical pianists in the world when Petronel Malan from South Africa plays. On May 21, meanwhile, the jazz stylings of the Palmer/Lavin duo from the Eugene area will be showcased on the stage in McKenzie Theatre. Finally, on June 14, The La Grande School of Ballet will perform "Snow White" in a recital that will display local performers from 5 to adult. For more information on these concerts or any Community School event, call the CSA office at 962-3629 or visit its Web site at eou.edu/csa. Tickets for the Zapen concert are available at Sunflower Books and online at www.eou.eud/csa. Tickets for the entire concert series are available online only. Series tickets represent a 20 percent discount over regular ticket prices and cost $45, $30 for students. All proceeds from concerts benefit The Community School of the Arts at EOU, an outreach of the College of Arts and Sciences at EOU. |
