Arts roundup: More people sing in choruses than play Fantasy ...

Everybody likes to sing, it seems. That's the conclusion of Chorus America, which claims that 42.6
million Americans sing in 270,000 choruses.?More Americans sing in choruses,
chorales, choirs, glee clubs and other vocal groups ? both professional and
amateur ? than play football, baseball, tennis and even Fantasy Football, which
has an estimated 27 million participants.

Not everybody buys it, though. According to San Francisco Classical Voice, via ArtsJournal, "That's an incredibly high number, based on questionable survey methods and it creates such unlikely scenarios as 157.7-member average vocal groups. But the point is clear and obvious: Choral singing is wildly popular."

Can't argue with that.

In Cleveland, former Portland violinist Brandon Garbot got a rave review for playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. Garbot is a student in the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He attended Southridge High School in Beaverton and studied violin with Oregon Symphony violinist Clarisse Atcherson. He played six seasons with the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) and served as their concertmaster.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reviewer said, in part:

"Sunday evening was, for many audience members, a first encounter with Garbot. But the 17-year-old already is a seasoned performer, having played concertos with the Oregon Symphony and other professional ensembles in his home state. Still, Sibelius' dramatic 1904 Violin Concerto was an ambitious choice.

"Garbot proved he was up to the challenge as he launched into the cantando opening movement with exquisite shading and a firm grip on the fire and ice that is the hallmark of this concerto. In the galloping finale, Garbot gave free rein to passion, digging into his strings and driving the music forward to its exciting conclusion, navigating the perilous octave glissandi in the final bars with supreme control and virtuoso flair."

-- David Stabler

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Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2011/05/arts_roundup_more_people_sing.html

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