Wonderful Walking Women: The Music Magic Continues

The magic continues in our little town with the Northern Lights Music Festival.

WT, Pat, said that NASA indicates that there might be an Aurora Borealis this weekend. Wouldn't that be the icing on this musical cake!!

On Friday night, Dr. Lourin Plant, entertained a large crowd with his baritone singing of African-American spirituals with Veda accompanying him on the piano. It was a magnificent concert and the crowd's applause led to two more songs at the end. Dr. Plant teaches at Rowan University in New Jersey and has served as coordinator of the vocal/choral division and conductor of the Rowan University Chamber and Concert Choirs. His presentations on African-American spirituals have been featured in state, regional and international conferences. We appreciate the fact that Veda was able to get him to perform for us and we won't forget the awesome singing and his introductions of the music.

Meet Courtney, a sixteen-year-old cellist from Manalapan, NJ. Courtney received the Honorable Mention Award in the 2006 NJ Symphony Young Artists' Competition and was the first prize winner in the NJ Music Teachers Association Young Artists Competition and has twice represented NJ in the solo Junior Strings Performance competition. She made her solo debut with orchestra at age thirteen with the Edison Symphony. In the summer of 2004, she was featured as a Rising Star for the first Beijing Music Festival, performing in Forbidden City Concert Hall and People's Congress Hall in Tiananman Square. Her performance was broadcast on China Central TV across China. She is the sister of Constance (below).

She performed with the Northern Lights Festival Orchestra on July 4th and with a trio on July 6th. We look forward to her future performances!

Constance, age eleven, made her solo debut at age nine with the Westfield Symphony. She has won numerous music awards including first prize at the Steinway Piano Scholarship Competition, first prize for her age group twice at the NJ Music Teachers Assoc. Young Artists' Competition. She won first prize on both violin and piano one year for this. She has also received awards for the Young Pianists of NJ Concerto Competition and at the Cecilian Music Club auditions. She has performed at the Alice Tully Hall of the Lincoln Center, Aarnegie Weill Recital Hall and Steinway Hall. In the summer of 2004, Constance was featured as a Rising Star for the first Beijing Music Festival, performing in Forbidden City Concert Hall land People's Congress Hall in Tiananman Square. Her performance was broadcase on China Central Television across China. She is the sister of Courtney (above).

Constance performed with the Northern Lights Festival Orchestra on July 4th and she performed Bach's Solo Suite No. 2 in d minor on June 30th. No doubt, we will hear from her again.

Chelsea is twelve years old, from West Des Moines, Iowa, and will be entering seventh grade this fall. She plays the piano and the violin and has won many piano competitions. Ag age six she received second place at the CCSN First Piano Concerto Competition in the Junior Division in Nevada. She has also won state in the Iowa Music Teachers Assoc. competition. Other than music, Chelsea likes to read, spell and swim. Academicaly, she has also been nominated as best writer in school, most academically achieved and many others. She has represented her school for many math, spelling and writing contests.

She performed on July 4th as part of the Northern Lights Festival Orchestra and on July 6th as part of a piano quintet.

Isabella is a thirteen-year-old pianist from Minneapolis. She has been studying piano for seven years. She has received many awards, including first place in the pre-teen division of the 2006 La Musique Music Studios Rising Star contest and second place in the 7th-9th grade division of the 2006 Northwestern College Piano Festival. Isabells also has a penchant for theater and has acted at the Guthrie Theater and the MN Opera. Her performance as Annie in Annie at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres gained her the Minneapolis StarTribune's title of Outstanding Youth Performer in Twin Cities Theater 2004. She has also dabbled in radio and film and is a singer, percussionist and guitarist. She has sung the National Anthem at Mn Twins, Gopher and Saints games. Recently she placed 11th in the Junior Individual Performance category at the National History Day competition in Washington, DC. She takes math the the University of MN, is a member of a championship-winning Quiz Bowl team and several of her essay have been reatured in the national magazine Discovery Girls.

Isabella performed Ginastera's Danzas argentinas at the concert onJuly 2nd.

WT, Laurie, and her niece Bobbi, have displayed several ethnic constumes in the showcases in the school to welcome the Festival participants. We congratulate them on the work that went into this display--many of the concert-goers have commented about this display and all have enjoyed it.

Slovenian costume.
Traditional Japanese costume.
Sami-Finnish clothing.