Eastman Showcase 2005
Keeping the Faith
Keeping the Faith
Professor of Double Bass James Van Demark demonstrated his versatility last spring in a concert at the St. Lawrence Center in Toronto. Not only did he perform in the most famous double bass piece of all, Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, he also played in the Canadian premiere of Circle of Faith, a piece for string quintet joined by a Native narrator and a Native drum group. Van Demark commissioned and developed this work in 1992 with the late composer and Eastman alumnus Alton Clingan (BM ’93).
Van Demark has commissioned pieces from such notable composers as Gian Carlo Menotti and Joseph Schwantner, but Circle of Faith is the most unusual and moving work he has helped create. It is a setting of Chief Seattle’s melancholy 1854 speech predicting the future of First Nations peoples, and the score incorporates Native music and drumming. Since its 1992 premiere, Circle of Faith has been performed throughout the United States by indigenous drum group and narrators, and also recorded.
In Toronto, Van Demark was joined by the Gryphon Trio, violinist Scott St. John, the Whitefish Juniors Native drum group, and Native actor Gary Farmer, who appeared on The West Wing and in the movie Dead Man with Johnny Depp. The Toronto Star called Circle of Faith “one of the most emotional performances to be witnessed on a Toronto musical stage this season.”
At Eastman since 1976, Van Demark is not only one of the music world’s most famous bassists and bass teachers – he has made a mark in other areas of the arts as well. Van Demark also performed widely this year, including gigs at Eastman and at Louisiana State University, in Montreal and at the Round Top Festival in Texas. He is also a founder of Square Pegs film and TV production company, and was recently named Executive Producer of the upcoming film Constantinople.
For information on the Circle of Faith CD, visit www.dnote.com.
Broadway, Molto Vivace
This summer, children at Japan’s Yokota Air Base got to display their abilities at everything from tap dancing to flute playing, with help from an Eastman alumna.
The Vivace Performing Arts Program, now in its fifth summer, teaches Yokota base children about drama, dance, and music. It got under way June 20 for children aged 6-8, who gathered for five afternoon sessions at Yokota West Elementary School in the program “Rising Stars” segment. Students aged 9-18 got their chance in the program’s “Shining Stars,” with a final class performance of Broadway song-and-dance numbers, Latin music, and songs of Paul Simon.
“The activities are designed to break children out of their shells, build confidence, and teach them about working as a team,” said Betsy Fitzgerald (BM ’99 – harp), Vivace’s executive director and one of the four Vivace program instructors, in a recent Stars and Stripes interview. “We do singing, dancing, and acting exercises. It’s a great way for us to keep these kids involved so later on they’ll be able to sustain the arts in America.”
Fitzgerald moved to Yokota in 2000, and started Vivace soon after encountering what she considered a bleak arts and drama picture for young people at the air base. “As an advocate, I couldn’t imagine not having these opportunities for kids,” she says.