Classical Tuesdays in Old Town

November 10: Shostakovich Quartet No. 8

2009-10-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Join us Tuesday, November 10, for Inner Revelations: A Performance and Conversation on Dmitri Shostakovich's deeply personal String Quartet No. 8, Opus 110, composed in 1960.

Violinist Maria Sampen and violist Timothy Christie are joined by cellist Kevin Krentz and violinist Linnea Johansen to discuss and perform this masterful string quartet by one of the 20th Century's greatest composers.

Often in disgrace under the Stalin regime for his "bourgeois decadence" and Western influence, Shostakovich's works are marked by strong emotion, wit and parody. This event, 7pm in Slavonian Hall, is not one to miss!

Download concert flyer (PDF)

December Benefit: Wine and Tango

2009-10-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

Tango! This year's Classical Tuesdays benefit concert features the Tangoheart Quartet. A lovely wine and empanadas reception will follow.

December 8th at 7pm, at the handsomely refurbished Connelly Law Offices, 2301 N. 30th St., in Old Town Tacoma.

Tickets are $25 each, available now at

Bayview Optical (2217 N. 30th St.)
The Spar (2121 N. 30th St.)

Check back for details on our November 10th concert at Slavonian Hall!

Tacoma Weekly says Tuesdays are for Old Town

2009-10-10T06:59:00.001-07:00

Have you read your Tacoma Weekly? Classical Tuesdays leads the Tacoma Scene section with a nice piece on the October 13th opening of this year's concert series.

Tuesdays are for Old Town
Fifth season of Classical Tuesdays in Old Town welcomes world music, local talent, community pride

By Matt Nagle, Tacoma Weekly

We really appreciate that the Weekly gets what we're all about. The article touches on our fabulous performers:

Already known to audiences at the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle, Kamand Ensemble... studied with the great masters of traditional Persian music and state that they “dedicate every performance to increasing multicultural awareness and building relationships of respect and appreciation within the community.”

Our love of both the local and the exotic...

bringing together Tacoma musicians, mixed with a few surprises to keep things fresh each season.

And our community, which provides...

the important social aspect of the concert series that people seem to enjoy so much. Musicians mingle with the audience, audience members reunite and meet newcomers and everyone gets to enjoy a bit of informal Old Town hospitality.

See you on Tuesday!

Kamand performance a Critic's Pick

2009-10-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday's Persian music concert is a News Tribune Critic's Pick:

Classical Oldtown goes Persian

Classical Persian music from lute and percussion instruments kicks off the Classical Tuesdays in Old Town series of free concerts on Tuesday. 7 p.m. Oct. 13. Free. Old Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma. 253-752-2135, classicaltuesdays.blogspot.com

Posted By Rosemary Ponnekanti

Concert details are here.

Persian ensemble opens for us October 13th

2009-09-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

Classical Persian music opens Classical Tuesdays' fifth season of free chamber music concerts in Old Town Tacoma!

The ensemble Kamand, with musicians Ahmad, Milad and Ali, will perform traditional music of Iran. The concert features the barbat and setar instruments, from the lute family, and the tonbak and daf percussion instruments. Join us to celebrate the diversity and beauty of our community's music.

Tuesday, Oct 13th, 7 pm, FREE.
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma
Info: (253) 752-2135

Announcing our 2009-2010 Season!

2009-09-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

October 13th kicks off our fifth season of Classical Tuesdays in Old Town! We'll feature four widely varied free concerts and our annual benefit concert:

October 13, 2009
Classical and traditional Persian music by the Kamand Ensemble.

November 10, 2009
We welcome back violinists Maria Sampen and Timothy Christie.

December 8, 2009
Our annual wine & music benefit concert at the Connelly Law Offices, featuring the music of Tango!

January 12, 2010
We celebrate Tacoma composers in works for small ensembles.

February 9, 2010
Masses of harps!

A big Thank You! to the Slavonian-American Benevolent Society for the use of their beautiful hall in Old Town.

Concerts start at 7pm the second Tuesday of the month. All but the benefit concert are at Slavonian Hall, 2306 N 30th St, in Old Town Tacoma. Info: 253-752-2135, http://classicaltuesdays.blogspot.com

Remember:

Print this page!
Print our season poster! (be sure to choose "Scale to page")
Watch for the poster at local businesses!
Check this space!
Mark the concert dates now!
Check the News Tribune Calendar!

We hope to see you soon.

New video of Wine & Song 2008: Opera in Old Town

2009-08-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

As we plan our fifth season of Classical Tuesdays in Old Town, we'd like to share a video of last winter's benefit concert. In this clip you'll see and hear Charles Robert Stephens, Gino Lucchetti, and Tanya Stambuk in a lovely performance December 9th, 2008, at the beautiful Connelly Law Offices.

Many thanks to Jim Robbins for producing the video, and thanks once again to the many supporters of Classical Tuesdays. Check back soon for our season announcement and details of our October concert.

Stadium Brass on February 10th: Students & their teachers in concert

2009-02-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 10th, will be the final concert of the Classical Tuesdays 2008-2009 season!

Tuesday's concert will showcase brass students and their teachers. Our featured students are the Stadium High School Brass Ensembles, including the Trombone Choir, Horn Choir, Tuba Duet, and Brass Quintet, all directed by David Mulkins.

Download concert flyer (8½ x 11", PDF)

The Stadium Brass will be joined by the Brass Unlimited quartet, pictured at right. You may recall Brass Unlimited from our series in 2007 or even from our first season. Members David Mulkins, Karl Ronning, Keith Gorsuch, and Eric Stevens are all beloved music-educators in the Tacoma public schools.

On the program are composers such as Prokofiev, Sparke, and Copland - you'll hear marches, dances, fanfares & more. Please join us for our final concert of the season!

Tuesday, Feb 10th, 7 pm, FREE.
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma
Info: (253) 752-2135

Weekly Volcano spews on tonight's concert

2009-01-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

The Weekly Volcano spewed all over tonight's (January 13th) concert. In a good way, that is.

From today's Spew column:

Pollywogs, Pachelbel and Preludes. Such is the tongue-in-cheek title for a concert to be given tonight by the Just Sax Quartet — four Gig Harbor-based saxophonists whose classical repertoire is punctuated and syncopated by the inclusion of jazz and pop arrangements. Offering this alliterative program: Pam Ryker, artistic director for the series, “Classical Tuesdays,” at Slavonian Hall, in Tacoma.

Debussy's Children's Corner Suite contains the famous “Golliwog’s Cakewalk,” which appears on the program as “Pollywog’s Lake Talk.” Among other whimsies: a swinging “Sorcerer's Apprentice”; the always dependable Pachelbel's “Canon;” the equally dependable jazz powerhouse, Lennie Niehaus’ “Fugue”; and an upbeat encore piece, the very Joplinesque (Scott, not Janice) “Ragtime Suite.” That's merely part of their program. Leader Julie Allison plays soprano and alto; Stacia Rink, alto; Sheryl Clark, who transcribes much of the material, tenor; and Catherine Kostelecky-Roe, baritone. Just Sax was born in 1988 as “Three Chicks and a Chicklet.” (The latter didn’t gum things up — she was simply the shortest.) They’re all educators; one is a chemistry professor; they all play in the Tacoma Concert Band. How can you resist them … or the free admission?

[Slavonian Hall, 7 p.m., no cover, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma, 253.752.2135]

Thank, Volcano! And really, there's no need to resist.

The concert flyer is here.

The News Tribune picks our sax concert

2009-01-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Next Tuesday's Saxes Galore concert is going to be something unusual - and the News Tribune thinks so too.

Critic's Picks this week: Friday, January 9th, 2009

It’s Just Sax in Old Town

Sax-ophones, that is. The local all-female sax quartet Just Sax plays Pachelbel, Preludes and Pollywogs in a free concert, part of the Classical Tuesdays in Old Town series. 7 p.m. Jan. 13. Free. Slavonic Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma. 253-752-2135, classicaltuesdays.blogspot.com

Posted by Rosemary Ponnekanti

Clearly the critics know good sax when they hear it.

Concert details are here.

Saxes Galore! January 13, 2009

2008-12-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

Celebrate the New Year with the Just Sax Quartet!

Download concert flyer (8½ x 11", PDF)

This all-female ensemble of saxophonists will perform a program of Pachelbel, Preludes and Pollywogs.

On soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax are Julie Allison, Stacia Rink, Sheryl Clark and Catherine Kostelecky-Roe. These women teach in the Gig Harbor and Puyallup school districts, and they all four perform with the Tacoma Concert Band. Four saxes makes for a not-so-ordinary program of chamber music. Bravo to Just Sax for sharing these original works and arrangements with us.

Tuesday, Jan 13th, 7 pm, FREE.
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma
Info: (253) 752-2135

Thanks to all for a festive time and a successful benefit!

2008-12-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

Thank you, everyone, for making Classical Tuesdays in Old Town's 2008 benefit concert both successful, and very fun. The evening of Wine & Song, held at John Connelly Law Offices, was well-attended, and the romantic songs and arias swept us around the world, and some of us off our feet!

Charles Robert Stephens, Gino Lucchetti and Tanya Stambuk performed wonderfully. And the beautiful and tasty table of sweets and savories, hosted by North End neighborhood members Chris Reynolds and Nicki Tollefson, made for a lovely reception. Excellent wines, donated by the McGavick Winery (headquartered in Old Town) were enjoyed by all.

Thanks to Old Town Starbucks, we had an urn of coffee. Trueman Appraisal staff helped print out the programs and Jim Robbins documented the event. And, a big Thank You to Eileen, Martha and Kate for helping with the reception, to Karen for greeting our guests, for John, Matt, Michael, LeiLani, Spencer, Vicki and Dave for moving chairs (Thank You to John Petrinovich and Slavonian Hall for the chairs!), and to Jack Connelly for the use of his magnificent building.

We truly appreciate the incredible support that this series receives. This benefit was a community effort and it was enjoyed by all.

We look forward to two more free concerts in the series: Saxes Galore on January 13 and Stadium Brass on February 10, 2009.

Wine & Song in The News Tribune

2008-12-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

Today's News Tribune has a lovely feature on our December 9th "Wine & Song" benefit concert. Check out the Go Arts section - there's a great photo of baritone Charles Robert Stephens at his Fox Island home.

Wine and Song in Old Town
Craig Sailor, The News Tribune
Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Some talented local performers will be at this month's Classical Tuesdays in Old Town.

Baritone Charles Robert Stephens, Tenor Gino Lucchetti and Tanya Stambuk on piano will perform at the 7 p.m. concert on Dec. 9.

Stambuk is a terrific local pianist, UPS professor and national performer. Stephens is a wonderful opera singer who gave up New York to live on Fox Island. This should be a great recital, and this concert series is well worth supporting.

We completely agree! The talent is something special and it's going to be a lovely event. See the concert details here.

Wine and Song: a festive benefit concert December 9

2008-11-23T12:39:00.000-08:00

This year's Wine & Song event is coming up Tuesday December 9th! This concert will benefit the Classical Tuesdays in Old Town chamber music series. Join us for a lively evening of wine, treats and mingling.

At 7pm, lyric tenor Gino Lucchetti and baritone Charles Robert Stephens will beguile us with Italian arias (from Tosca and Turandot!) and a set of romantic songs, with Tanya Stambuk on piano.

Concert flyer (8½ x 11", PDF)

Thanks again to Jack Connelly, we will be at the Connelly Law Offices, 2301 N. 30th Street, Old Town Tacoma. (It's the old Grazie building, beautifully refurbished with fireplaces, woodwork and marbling.)

Price of admission is $28.
Purchase tickets by calling 253-752-2135, or at door.

Treat yourself or gift a friend, a relative, a colleague!

7 PM Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
2301 N. 30th Street, Old Town Tacoma, across the street from Slavonian Hall

(Don't forget: We will have two more concerts January 13th and February 10th!)

Classical Tuesdays on TV Tacoma

2008-11-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Did you catch us on Channel 12 on Thursday? The Classical Tuesdays series was featured on the November 6th edition of CityLine, hosted by Carol Mitchell.

Carol talked with Pamela Ryker, Maria Sampen and Timothy Christie about Classical Tuesdays, Old Town, the University of Puget Sound music program, and... well, you should watch the show. Maria and Tim finished the program with a short performance.

The full program is online at the City of Tacoma website, or you can catch a replay on Channel 12.

We had a great time doing the show. Many thanks to Carol and TV Tacoma!

Don't forget: Maria and Tim will perform for Classical Tuesdays' next concert, Tuesday November 11th.

A Resonance of Strings, 11/11

2008-11-06T09:17:00.001-08:00

Next Tuesday's concert features our beloved string players Maria Sampen on violin and Timothy Christie on viola. We're also delighted to present another returning musician, cellist Sally Singer from the Icicle Creek Festival in Leavenworth.

Download the flyer (8.5 x 11")

The program is all string trios--by Ernst Dohnányi (the 20th Century composer known as the "last of the Romantics"), by Franz Joseph Haydn ("Papa Haydn" of the 18th Century), and by Northwest composer Forrest Pierce (21st Century!)

Old Town Starbucks will again provide warm beverages for our coffee break. This promises to be a wonderful neighborhood gathering and all are welcome!

Tuesday, Nov 11th, 7 pm, FREE.
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St.
Info: (253) 752-2135

Tacoma Weekly features our season

2008-10-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Tacoma Weekly's Matt Nagle has written a great feature on our fourth season.

Here are a few quotes on the friendly atmosphere we so cherish in our series.

"The point is to draw audiences to the Old Town district on quiet nights and also to develop a sense of community,” said Pamela Ryker, artistic director for the association and a flutist with a special love for chamber music and new music as well.

Made possible by local businesses in Old Town, Connelly Law Offices, Tacoma Power, Tacoma Arts Commission, and Slavonian American Benevolent Society, Classical Tuesdays in Old Town are as much a relaxed social event as they are a chance to hear some of our area’s most accomplished musicians. “We keep an informal atmosphere, and performers talk to the audience,” Ryker said. After the concerts, a coffee hour (courtesy of Starbucks) is held where the musicians can mingle with the guests.

A hallmark of this event is that all the performers are local players from Tacoma and the South Sound region. “The performers are very happy to play in this series and proud of it,” Ryker noted.

The full article discusses our season and performers.

14 October concert a News Tribune pick

2008-10-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Srivani's charming photo is in the News Tribune's online Go Arts section:

Critic's Picks this week: Friday, October 10th, 2008

Srivani Jade began performing in India at five years old. To spice up the monthly Classical Tuesdays in Old Town, Jade will play traditional North Indian classical music, accompanied by tabla, harmonium and tanpura. 7 p.m. Oct. 14. Free. Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St., Tacoma. 253-752-2135, classicaltuesdays.blogspot.com

Posted by Rosemary Ponnekanti

More details on Tuesday's concert are here.

First Concert of Our Fourth Season

2008-10-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Join us October 14 to kick off Classical Tuesdays' fourth season in Old Town Tacoma!

We're delighted to present an evening of 19th Century North Indian Classical Music with local artist Srivani Jade.

Download the flyer (8.5 x 11", PDF)

Srivani will present traditional music inspired by camel drivers' songs from the desert regions in the Northwest and the Punjab to the hilly 'Pahadi' regions of Northeast India. She will be accompanied by Kuntal Roy on tabla, Mausam on harmonium and Anindita Das on tanpura. Srivani enjoys improvising within the tradition of Khayal, Thumri and other light classical forms of Indian music.

We're very excited about what we know will be a lovely concert!

As always, the concert is FREE. Join us 7pm Tuesday October 14 at Slavonian Hall, 2306 N 30th St, in Old Town Tacoma. Call for more information: 253-752-2135.

Classical Tuesdays 2008-2009 season: Update

2008-09-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Classical Tuesdays in Old Town opens its fourth season of free chamber music concerts!

Write down the dates!
Print this page for your fridge!
Print our poster (be sure to choose "Scale to page")
Look for the poster in North End businesses!

October 14
19th Century North Indian Classical Music
Srivani Jade, accompanied by tabla, harmonium and tanpura

November 11
A Resonance of Strings
Classical Tuesdays' beloved Maria Sampen and Timothy Christie, violinists.

December 9
A Special Benefit Concert for Classical Tuesdays in Old Town
Join us for festivities and Italian opera, with singers Charles Robert Stephens & Gino Lucchetti and Tanya Stambuk on piano.

At John Connelly Law Offices, Old Town, across from Slavonian Hall. Paid admission: $28.

January 13
Saxes Galore
Gig Harbor's Just Sax Quartet: Julie A. Bill, Stacia Rink, Sheryl Clark, and Catherine Kostelecky-Roe.

February 10
Stadium Brass
Fanfares and Voluntaries from the award-winning Stadium High School Brass

Concerts start at 7pm the second Tuesday of the month. All but the benefit concert are at Slavonian Hall, 2306 N 30th St, in Old Town Tacoma. Info: 253-752-2135, http://classicaltuesdays.blogspot.com

We hope to see you there!

Classical Tuesdays 2008-2009 Season

2008-06-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to generous sponsors and community enthusiasm, we're delighted to announce a fourth season of Classical Tuesdays in Old Town!

We will present five chamber music concerts in 2008-09. We're developing some exciting programs, but for now we'll just tease you with the dates:

14 October 2008

11 November 2008

9 December 2008

13 January 2009

10 February 2009
All of our regular performances will be at Slavonian Hall in Old Town Tacoma, and will be free. The one exception is December, which will be our second annual benefit concert for the series.

It's such a rare pleasure to have an intimate, genuinely "chamber" music experience, and equally rare to find free classical concerts of any sort! We truly appreciate the Old Town Business & Professionals Association's sustained commitment to the arts, which makes this series possible. Deepest thanks to Tacoma Arts Commission, Slavonian-American Benevolent Society and Tacoma Public Utilities for major sponsorship of this upcoming season, as well as their stalwart support for the past three years. In the column at left is a long list of our supporters – it's quite a community effort!

Photo from our Valentine's concert

2008-02-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Brown, lute, and James Brown, tenor, performing Lyrical and Humorous Love Songs last week at Slavonian Hall.

We were serenaded in Italian, archaic French, Spanish and English (and Scottish brogue!) The songs in the first half of the program dated back to 1500. After an intermission in which we shared coffee, chocolates and camaraderie, we heard songs of Schubert and Beethoven (eighteenth/nineteenth century) and Joaquin Rodrigo (twentieth century.)

Love, and the joys and loss of love, have made the world spin 'round for centuries! We were all moved -- to laughter and to tears -- by the performance by Jim and Elizabeth.

We're a hot date!

2008-02-16T19:57:00.001-08:00

The News Tribune concurs: we're a hot date. How appropriate for our Valentine's concert!

Thanks, everyone. Tuesday was wonderful, you were a great audience, and we hope to see you in September.

February 12 Valentine Concert

2008-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

For the Tuesday before Valentine's Day, Classical Tuesdays in Old Town offers up a Valentine treat of "Lyrical and Humorous Love Songs".

Our performers will be Pacific Lutheran University's James Brown, tenor, and Elizabeth Brown, lutenist.

Concert flyer (PDF)

Join us for our last concert of the season!

Tuesday, Feb 12th, 7 p.m.
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th St.
Info: (253) 752-2135

Greet the New Year with a Bang!! January 8

2008-01-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

Last evening's concert featured the University of Puget Sound Percussion Ensemble Quintet, Director Amy Putnam, co-Director Gunnar Folsom, and members Gordon Robbe, Andy Lum and Mitch Knottingham. We all had a bang-up time!

The program was so varied, and the array of instruments was amazing. No wonder that it required 4 hours to move the equipment! But the concert was well worth the effort. Everyone performed wonderfully. Such a variety of timbres and rhythms, and combinations of those elements. Mallet instruments -- marimbas and xylophone -- were at the forefront in each number except Russell Peck's Lift Off which featured bass drums!

Other numbers performed were three of Bach's Two Part Inventions, Dill Pickles by Charles Johnson, Back Talk by Harry Breuer and Limejuice by Arthur Lipner. The evening was great fun and well attended.