Warm Place, Warm Music with Good Friends

Close Harmony of the Holiday Classics and More. Having “The Divas” back to the Edge is like seeing good friends again. And they will bring a new show and the same excitement with them. This show’s “Holiday Theme” will highlight their specialty of close harmony accompanied by an amazing array of instruments. The combination will make you appreciate every song and the talent they need to play them. They bring a versatile assortment of musical tastes, and particularly enjoy playing "their” arrangements. “Fun” is the key word to what their shows bring. There will be a mix of music and styles from the past decades to the present, which are selected to please a wide variety of audience tastes. The Edge Center Sunday December 14th at 2PM.  Price $10 adults. Children $5.

Having varied background “The Divas” bring an eclectic assortment of many musical tastes and particularly enjoy playing "their” arrangements. Rosie Gams sings lead, is originally from Embarrass, where she began singing in grade school and sang with several groups before “The Divas”. Sharon Rowbottom, a native of Virgina MN, started singing at the age of 10 and her background includes a vocal scholarship at Mesabi Community College and performing with other local bands. The third diva is Shannon Lee Gunderson is from Rawlins, WY.  She began piano lessons at age four.  She sings lead vocal and harmony, went to college on a musical scholarship, played in several groups including a show band for eight years and toured for the USO in the Mediterranean.

Here is a partial set list about which Shannon Gunderson says “we really don’t like to print it all out and give away some of the surprises, but here’s our sampling.”

FIRST SET:
MR. SANTA
WHITE CHRISTMAS
GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEARS EVE?
CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS STYLINGS
I WANT A HIPPOPOTOMUS
RIVER
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH
SILENT NIGHT
SANTA CLAUSE IS COMING TO TOWN
JOLLY OLD ST. NICK
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE

SECOND SET
TWELVE DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS
MEDLY OF POPULAR PIECES
ORIGINAL SONG FROM SHANNON
DUET WITH 2 DIVAS
ROSIE’S RETURN
SANTA CLAUSE IS BACK IN TOWN
BLUE CHRISTMAS
DO RE ME
I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
OH HOLY NIGHT

Shannon continues that “The December Holiday Show with the DIVAS will be a fun and embracing experience.  We have a few musical skits and some beautiful Christmas music that we are excited and honored to share with all of the fabulous folks in BIGFORK!  Our audiences always enjoy the warmth of our three part harmonies, and the timeless humor that we enjoy bringing to them!  We look forward to coming over and spreading the holiday spirit with our faithful and attentive audience!”

We hope that this is enough of a sample to entice you to come and see “The Divas” on The Edge Center stage in Bigfork for a warm visit and good music with good friends. It will be a fun and entertaining afternoon and a chance to get out of the cold and snow. Sunday, December 14th 2PM.  Price $10 adults. Children $5

Where is Alfred?

Described as the “best movie Alfred Hitchcock never made”. “Charade" is the December CLASSIC MOVIE in Bigfork. What is the Hitchcock connection? Come to the Edge Center for the Arts to find out. “Charade” combines mistaken identity, money, the CIA, a damsel in distress, a gallant hero, and much more. Two of the most alluring film stars of the 60’s, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, teamed up to create a thrilling romantic comedy set in the French Alps and Paris Shown by Jack Nachbar at The Edge Center in Bigfork on December 11th at 6:30PM free of charge accompanied by Jack’s presentation providing a better understanding of the film and the film industry at the time period of the picture.  Of course there will be a cartoon of the same period to lighten you up a bit at first.

Getting Hepburn and Grant in the same film was a gamble and a challenge for the Universal Pictures Studio. Other actors were willing to play their parts, but were too expensive. The age difference of 26 years between the stars was also a factor. In the end, they got the parts and made their only film together. When you see the movie, you can appreciate the great work they did together and can only wonder what might have been.

The plot twists and turns to keep viewers on their toes. The movie begins with the beautiful Hepburn character on vacation, then returning to Paris determined to get a divorce. She arrives there only to find her apartment empty, her husband murdered, and lots of money missing. This sets everything in motion for a thrilling audience-teaser show, set to the music of Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer. In addition to the lead star-power, the film has a great supporting cast, including Walter Matthau, George Kennedy, and James Colburn.

“All I want for Christmas is to make another movie with Audrey Hepburn” is what Cary Grant said after making this movie. Cary, an English stage and Hollywood film actor, became an American citizen in 1942. His European accent, sophisticated persona, and good looking charm made him a Hollywood defining leading man. The American Film Institute named him the second Greatest Male Film Star of all time. Despite his accolades, he was often passed over for awards. Nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and five times for a Golden Globe Award, it was not until 1970 that he was presented with an Honorary Oscar. In “Charade”, he plays Brian Cruikshank (alias Peter Joshua, alias Alexander “Alex” Dyle, alias Adam Canfield) who is the love interest of Hepburn’s character, Regina Lampert. 

Audrey Hepburn’s character, Regina Lampert, had to be portrayed as a woman who was pursuing Grant’s character. He was worried about the public’s perception of the age difference as it related to his character. Hepburn plays a clueless, beautiful woman who graces us with her style. She is caught between the men who are trying to solve the murder, frame people for the murder, and find the hidden money that they know is out there. She was a stunningly naturally beautiful British actress, humanitarian, and film/fashion icon during Hollywood’s Golden Age.

She was born in Brussels and spent her childhood between Brussels, England, and the Netherlands. She took ballet lessons for years, was a chorus girl in England, and spoke several languages. Audrey was in the Broadway play “Gigi” in 1951 when she was picked as the lead role in “Roman Holiday” for which she was the first actress to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for a single performance. She is ranked by the American Film Institute as the third greatest American female screen legend in the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame.

Henry Mancini composed the music and Johnny Mercer wrote the lyric. They also teamed up for other great song like “Moon River” and Days of “Wine and Roses”.  Regarding his work on the Charade theme,  Mancini commented: "Our next film together was 'Charade' in 1963. Stanley Donen directed Peter Stone's screenplay. There is a scene in the movie where Audrey returns from a happy winter holiday to her Paris flat to find it stripped of everything of value. Bare floors and the walls are all that remain. Her loutish husband had absconded with all of her worldly goods. She enters the dimly-lit apartment with her suitcase and surveys the scene. Her feelings are of sadness, loneliness and vulnerability. To me, it translated into a sad little Parisian waltz. With that image of Audrey in my mind, I went to the piano and within less than an hour 'Charade' was written. I played it for Audrey and Stanley. Both felt it was just right for the movie. Johnny Mercer added his poetry, and the song was nominated for an Oscar that year".
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charade_(1963_film

Henry Mancini was born in Cleveland and raised near Pittsburgh. The only son of an Italian immigrant, he was made to take piccolo lessons at eight and played the flute with his father in an Italian immigrant band. Henery also took piano lessons, attended Juilliard School of music with those studies interrupted by service in WWII. After the service he started his music career eventually as pianist and arranger for a newly constituted Glen Miller band. He was one of the industry’s most talented artists winning four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and ten Grammy Awards, plus a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. Anyone who has heard “Moon River”, “The Pink Panther” or “Peter Gunn” themes has heard Mancini music.

Johnny Mercer is best known as a lyricist, but also composed music and was co-founder of Capitol Records. Over the period of his career, received 19 academy award nominations and won four. Born in Savanna Georgia, he was familiar with black music and was a Jazz music fan early in his life. His education at a prestigious university was sidetracked by family financial issues and his life took a different path. A path that was very good for American popular music. He wrote the lyrics to more than fifteen hundred songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows.

So come and enjoy romance and suspense in Paris, as Audrey Hepburn’s character is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Who can she trust? Cary Grant’s character? Are you sure? This movie is presented free of charge and with some appropriate snacks courtesy of Jack and his wife/projectionist Lynn.  Place: The Edge Center for the Arts, Bigfork. Date and time: Thursday December 11th at 6:30PM. Price of admission: free.

Music on the Amazon in Bigfork

The family movie “Rio 2” is a special holiday treat for the whole family from the Children First initiative of  the ISD 318 Community Education program . “Rio 2” is the sequel to the very successful “Rio” movie.  Both are animated features for the whole family with lot of music, color, excitement, and fun.  With top movie stars providing the voices and the scenery of a tropical paradise, it will certainly take the chill out of a December day. It is on Wednesday December 3rd from 5:30PM to 7:30PM on the big screen of the Edge Center theatre. The showing is free to anyone. Children under 12 years old will need to be accompanied by an adult. So come warm up, hear some great music, and enjoy the flowers and greenery of a tropical rain-forest for a little break from the snow and cold outside.

“Rio 2 is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated musical adventure-comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha. It is the sequel to the 2011 computer-animated film Rio and the studio's first film to have a sequel outside of their existing Ice Age franchise. The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, where the first film was set and Rio 2 begins, though most of its plot occurs in the Amazon rainforest.”

“Featuring the returning voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, Jemaine Clement, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, and Jake T. Austin, the film was released internationally on March 20, 2014,[4] and on April 11, 2014,[4] in American theaters. Rio 2 was Don Rhymer's final film after he died on November 28, 2012. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the film was a box office success.” Below is movie poster from RIO 2 and RIO. Above from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_2

And keep remembering that The Children First! mission of ISD 618 says...Children First! will mobilize communities to actively educate, nuture, and care for all children in Itasca County. 

The Swiss Gave us the Cuckoo Clock?

"The Swiss gave us the Cuckoo Clock" is a line from the movie "The Third Man" that was delivered with such bravado moviegoers missed the big mistake. "The Third Man" is November's selection for the CLASSIC MOVIE SERIES shown at the Edge Center in Bigfork. Produced in 1949, the movie is Carol Reed's mystery-thriller-romance brought to the big screen about a man-hunt in Allied-occupied Vienna. It is one of the greatest film-noir movies ever and is accompanied by very unique music that may stay with you long after leaving the theater. Shown by Jack Nachbar at The Edge Center in Bigfork on November 13th at 6:30PM free of charge it is accompanied by  Jack’s presentation providing a better understanding of the film and the film industry at the time period of the picture.  Of course there will be a cartoon of the same period to lighten you up a bit at first.

Produced in 1949, the lead character, Holly Martins, is seeking his childhood friend, Harry Lime who has offered him a job. Upon arrival he discovers that Lime was killed just days earlier by a speeding car while crossing the street. Martins attends Lime's funeral, where he meets two British Army Police who say Lime was a criminal and suggests Martins leave town. The plot thickens when Martins stays in Vienna to clear his friend's good name, meets Lime’s beautiful lady and gets on a twisted, suspenseful trail to the truth.

 The "Swiss Cuckoo Clock" Speech is in a famous scene where Lime meets with Martins on the Wiener Riesenrad, the large Ferris Wheel in the Prater amusement park. Looking down on the people below from his vantage-point, Lime compares them to dots, and says that it would be insignificant if one of them or a few of them "stopped moving, forever".

Back on the ground Lime says,  "You know what the fellow said--in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had… five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." Later it was said, "When the picture came out, the Swiss very nicely pointed out...they've never made any cuckoo clocks," as the clocks are native to the German Black Forest.  Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Man

Joseph Cotten's early work as a theater critic in Virginia inspired him to eventually work on theatre productions and by the time he was 25, he was on Broadway. Four years later he would meet the person who would be his dear friend and work partner many times in the years to come: fellow actor Orson Welles. They met on the CBS Radio production of The American School of the Air and went on to work in Welle's Mercury Theater Company in New York for years. They collaborated time and time again, most famously in Citizen Kane and The Third Man. In addition to Welles, Cotten worked with Alfred Hitchcock in film and his Alfred Hitchcock Presents features. Cotten starred alongside many of Hollywood's leading ladies including Betty Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Ingrid Bergman, Rita Hayworth, and Marlene Dietrich. In The Third Man, Cotten is paired with glamorous actress Alida Valli.
Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cotten

Christened the Baroness Alida Maria Laura Altenburger von Marckenstein u. Frauenberg, the Italian actress was better known as Alida Valli or sometimes just "Valli" to bring in the mystique of “Garbo”. She appeared in more than 100 films. In The Third Man, she plays the love interest of Lime. By her early 20's she was regarded as one of "the most beautiful women in the world" and had made her debut in English speaking films after a great deal of success in Europe. Touted as the next Ingrid Bergman, she had trouble with English and never achieved the same success as Bergman in America but went on to star in European movies and stage productions into her 80's. Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alida_Valli

Orson Welles was an actor, director, writer and producer who worked in theater, radio and film. He is best remembered for his innovative work in all three media; in theatre, most notably Caesar (1937), a groundbreaking Broadway adaptation of Julius Caesar; in radio the 1938 broadcast The War of the Worlds, one of the most famous in the history of radio; and in film, Citizen Kane (1941), consistently ranked as one of the all-time greatest films. When accepted to Harvard, he declined and opted to travel. While in Dublin, he falsely claimed to be a Broadway Star and had his first acting role. The rest is history. In 2002, Welles was voted the greatest film director of all time in two British Film Institute polls among directors and critics, and a wide survey of critical consensus, best-of lists, and historical retrospectives calls him the most acclaimed director of all time.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles

The Zither Tops the Music Charts? Well, yes and it too is a star of this movie. The title score was called "The Third Man Theme" and it topped the international music charts in 1950. The then-unknown performer, Anton Karas wrote and performed the score which used only the zither, a traditional German string instrument. Zithers are played by strumming or plucking the strings, either with the fingers (sometimes using a tool called a plectrum), or sounding the strings with a bow.  The number of strings varies, from one to more than fifty.  It was a unique choice by the director and made film music history.

So come see or hear, the Zitter, and all the rest of the stars in “The Third Man”.  They will help you appreciate film noir with its dark landscapes, sharp angles and brooding atmosphere.  All of which could not be done as well in color and is best seen on the big screen where it really belongs. This movie is presented free of charge and some appropriate snacks courtesy of Jack and his wife/projectionist Lynn.  Place: The Edge Center for the Arts, Bigfork. Date and time: Thursday November 13th at 6:30PM. Price of admission: free.

Fishing, Painting and Nature: A Beautiful Combination in Bigfork

The newest artist on display at the Edge Center Gallery won the Minnesota fish stamp competition four times. Stuart Nelson’s “Something Fishy” exhibit is so life-like that you may either feel like you are swimming with the fish or on the other end of the line trying to catch them.  Maybe both.  They are beautiful and colorful examples of why fishermen from around the country keep coming back to our lakes for the fresh water challenge of a trophy catch. From October 30 until November 29, original paintings and limited edition prints by Stuart Nelson will be exhibited in the Edge Center Gallery in Bigfork.  You will be able talk to Stuart about paintings or fishing at the Opening Reception on Friday, October 31 from 5PM to 7PM. The Edge Center Gallery is next to the Bigfork School and is open from 10AM to 4PM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. There is no charge for the gallery or reception.

This is a good time for the exhibit because 2014 was a big year for this nature painter.  His paintings won both the Minnesota Trout & Salmon Stamp Award and the Walleye Stamp Award.  It was the second time for each award.  In 1999 he won first place for the Trout & Salmon Stamp and in 2011 for the Walleye Stamp.

Stuart grew up on Big Lake, just west of Cloquet, Minnesota.  He says, ”When you live near the water all your life like I have, fish and fishing naturally become a large influence on your life.”  He graduated from the School of Associated Arts where he studied graphic design and illustration.

With this background, the Minnesota Fish Stamp Competitions were a natural fit.  However, it took 10 to 15 years after he first entered in the late 1970s before he got a second or third place award.  After all these years he understands what makes a winning design.

 “The fish has to be accurate.  The color has to be accurate,” he told Sam Cook for the Duluth News Tribune.  “But you need something to separate you from the rest of them.  So, it has to be a pretty picture, too.”    The stunning work showing in the Edge Center Gallery has it all, realistic detail, lots of action, beautiful settings and superb composition.  Stuart’s ability to portray the mood of the fish and its environment is what really makes his work so captivating.  You’ll see why his work has been featured in numerous wildlife magazines.

The Stuart Nelson exhibit “Something Fishy” is on display at the Edge Center Gallery from October 30 until November 29 with the Opening Reception from 5PM to 7PM on Friday October 31. And don't worry about the "Tricks"...you may even get some "Treats" from some of the members of our volunteer gallery committee. The Edge Center Gallery, next to the Bigfork School, is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10AM to 4PM until November 29. The prints and mugs with the winning designs will be for sale and make great holiday gifts for fishing fans.

Culture of India Through Dance and Music at the Edge in Bigfork

Internationally-acclaimed Ragamala Dance will present the culture of India through music interpreted by traditional dance on Sunday October 19th at 2 p.m., at the Edge Center in Bigfork. This Minneapolis-based professional company has recently performed in venues including the American Dance Festival, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai, India. The program, titled Scared Earth, brings an artistic look at a country on the other side of the earth with incredible color, music and dancing celebrating the life and history of a very different environment from Northern Minnesota. Date: Sunday, October 19; time 2PM; price $10 adults, $5 children.

Ragamala Dance was founded by Ranee Ramaswamy in 1992.  Currently, Ranee and her daughter Aparna serve as choreographers and co-artistic directors of the company. From the co-directors, “We draw from the myth and spirituality of our South Indian heritage to make dance landscapes that dwell in opposition—secular and spiritual life, inner and outer worlds, human and natural concerns, rhythm and stillness—to find the transcendence that lies in between. Together we craft every moment to create intricate and complex worlds that convey a sense of reverence, of unfolding mystery, of universal celebration”.  Above Photo Credit Jonathan Chapman.

In “Sacred Earth” Ranee and Aparna present the myth and philosophy of Indian tradition to shape incredible landscapes of color and dance with music showing the relationship of people and the environment around them. The program, accompanied by music, brings internal (akam) and external (puram) vistas to life through the creative use of kolam floor designs and Warli wall paintings. Kolams are rice flour designs made each morning by women in southern India as offerings to Mother Earth. Above photo credit Hub WIlson.

The Warli people from western India are known for their reverence of the land and live in perfect coexistence with nature. Warli paintings are inspired by everyday existence creating inspiration and beauty.  This dance discipline includes very colorful dress and sets along with the beauty and grace of Indian music and dance. Above photo credit Hub Wilson.

Starting from a very subdued meditative state and building towards the program’s crescendo, we (the audience) are meant to feel the environment’s relationship to us and our need to protect and serve it for future generations. Colorful, graceful, and musical are all good descriptions of the program, but being there is the best way to appreciate how special this mix can create the frame of mind intended by the directors. Above photo credit Sally Cohn.

“Ragamala Dance’s artistic directors Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy bring their culture’s unique sensibility of mysticism, myth and sanctity to the contemporary stage. The mother-daughter duo was named the 2011 ‘Artist of the Year’ by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, where they currently make their home. Above photo credit Ed Bock.

Ranee Ramaswamy has been a master teacher and performer of the Indian dance form Bharatanatyam since 1978. Since 1984, she has been a disciple of Alarmél Valli, one of India’s greatest living masters. Aparna Ramaswamy is also a protégé of Alarmél Valli. Described as ‘a marvel of buoyant agility and sculptural clarity’ (Dance Magazine), ‘thrillingly three-dimensional,’ and “an enchantingly beautiful dancer,” (The New York Times)”. From: http://ums.org/assets/April_2013_UMS_Performances.pdf  Above photo credit Grant Halverson.

“Ragamala Dance unfolds the beauty, elegance, poetry, and driving rhythmic complexities of Bharatanatyam, the 2,000 year-old classical dance of Southern India. With each new project…(they)… push the boundaries of Bharatanatyam and convey what it means to be 21st century choreographers working within a classical, culturally-based tradition. Their work brings to audiences the infinite scope of Bharatanatyam by showcasing its complexity and range, from the grace and power of the traditional solo form to the beauty and vitality of the company's ensemble.” Above photo credit Grant Halverson.
From:  http://www.ballet-dance.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=34497

This activity is made possible by: the voters of Minnesota through a legislative appropriation through a grant for the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, and through generous funding by the Blandin Foundation. Above photo credit Ed Bock.

This program promises to be a special experience for the audience.  It certainly is a first for the Edge. Come and enjoy the songs, dance and color of this extraordinary group of performers. Date: Sunday, October 19; time 2PM; price $10 adults, $5 children. Above photo credit Hub Wilson, below Ed Bock.