2012 - 13 Season

W. Broadway Co.
September 8, 2012

Opening our 2012-13 Concert Series we are excited to bring back one of our local favorites--W. Broadway Co.! Performing in their own unique style this lively octet will present material from new and older musical theatre. There will be a little something for everyone!

W. Broadway Co. returns to our stage with the original lineup of Carolyn Ayres, Brad Curtis, Betty Diehl, Bill Ryder, Carol Ryder and Sharon Welton, and this year, adds two new members: James Gadd and Fiona Ryder. Join us for a stroll down memory lane with the sounds of W. Broadway Co.!

Compost Mountain Boys
October 13, 2012

The Compost Mountain Boys have been together performing traditional bluegrass music in Humboldt County since 1991.

Bruce (Jr.) Johnson plays the stand-up bass, and offers smooth lead and tenor vocals to the band. Tim Wilson is an excellent flat-pick guitarist, and plays tasteful and dynamic guitar breaks. Tim is also a lead and harmony vocalist. Mike (Spumoni) Manetas plays mandolin, is a fine bluegrass singer and provides historical knowledge of this music that brings tunes from around the bluegrass world to the group’s set list. Martin Dodd fills out the band with his acoustic guitar and vocals. He plays tasty breaks and a strong rhythm to round out the band’s sound.

The Compost Mountain Boys will treat us to an entertaining evening of traditional and contemporary bluegrass music. Come join us, ya'll!

Soprano Voices
November 10, 2012

Celebrating the diversity, beauty and depth of the highest female voice, three sopranos will present a concert of vocal solos, duets and trios from the classical, musical theater and folk music repertoire.

The “Voices” are Dr. Elisabeth Harrington (pictured above right), Associate Professor of Voice at HSU; Jenny Quigley (pictured above left), a Humboldt native and HSU alumna; and Ana Cruz (not pictured), a native of Portugal and currently pursuing a degree in music at HSU. Accompanying the Voices on piano will be Dr. Robin Miller who currently teaches piano at HSU.

Each singer will perform a set of “folk-inspired songs” from a different region (Cruz-Portugal, Quigley-Hawaii, Harrington-Appalachia). Operatic duets and a fun dose of musical theater comedy will complete the concert.

The Vipisa Trio
January 12, 2013

The Vipisa Trio consists of Cindy Moyer, Virginia Ryder and pianist John Chernoff, (all faculty members from Humboldt State University), who will entertain us with a delightful evening of violin, piano and saxophone. The ensemble began playing together in the fall of 2009 after performing a few pieces for various chamber music concerts in Humboldt County. Because the musicians had a great time playing together and exploring the repertoire for this combination, they soon formalized their relationship and began performing complete concerts.

Join us for this evening of music by local composers associated with Humboldt State University, including alumni Dante DaSilva and Halim Beere, and the trio’s pianist, John Chernoff.

La Musique Diabolique
February 9, 2013

Jazz comes in many flavors, and “Gypsy Jazz” may be new for some. This jazz ensemble’s name is taken from the French governments' efforts to propagandize early jazz as “La Musique Diabolique” in the 1920s and 30s. The music is based in the blood stirring Gypsy Jazz style, (also known as gypsy swing), pioneered by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in the 1930s and enjoys worldwide popularity today.

La Musique Diabolique’s repertoire includes some standards from that genre, as well as songs from other styles, including John William’s “Cantina Band” from the Star Wars films and Chick Corea’s jazz/rock fusion composition, “Spain.”

Composed of Drew McGowan on violin, Dan Fair and Kris Lang on guitars and Steven Workman on bass, this young dynamic group came together in the fall of 2011 through the HSU Music Department.

Good Company
March 9, 2013

Good Company returns to Fortuna with its rollicking reels, toe-tapping tunes, Irish airs and ballads, creating images of Celtic lands. The musicians of Good Company have been mainstays of the local folk and classical scene for many years and are long-time friends of Fortuna Concert Series’ concert-goers.

The four band members, Ann Marie Woolley, Sam McNeill, Bob Stockwell, and Janet Finney-Krull, have been together for more than sixteen years and perform their original arrangements as singers and multi-instrumentalists on violins, flutes, pennywhistles, mandolin, ‘cello, guitars, recorders, accordions, dimbek, and bodhran (Irish hand-held drum). For this evening’s performance Kevin Woolley will appear as a guest fiddler, and vocalist on some of the tunes.

Come get a head start on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Good Company.

Silk Road Junction 101
April 13, 2013

Sarah McClimon, flutist, kotoist and singer, grew up in Fortuna. She has studied music at St. Olaf College and in Hawaii where she earned a PhD in ethnomusicology and also in Japan . Rahman Abdur, who plays tabla drums was born in Bangladesh and studied percussion in Calcutta, India and earned his PhD in ethnomusicology at Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan. Together Sarah and Rahman will perform as Silk Road Junction 101.

Their music reflects their experiences living in India, Bangladesh, Japan, Hawaii and California. The program will include music on the Indian drums tabla, pakwaj and khol, the flute, and the Japanese stringed instrument, koto. They will include classical music of India, virtuosic drumming, folk and popular songs of Bangladesh and the folk and classical music of Japan. Sarah and Rahman will introduce the instruments and talk about music in the context of life in South and East Asia.

Chamber Players of the Redwoods
May 11, 2013

Our season’s grand finale will be grand indeed with Chamber Players of the Redwoods bringing new faces and new Humboldt County groups to the Concert Series. Performing groups will be New Arts Quartet, Cutten Trio, Diamond Heights Trio and Humboldt Camerata. These groups will feature music by Mozart, Brahms, Alec Wilder (20th century New York composer) and Alfred Uhl (20th century Viennese composer).

Featured North Coast chamber music performers will be Jennifer Heidmann, Ronite Gluck, Fred Tempas, Felicia Oldfather, Jenny Quigley, Stefan Vaughan, Joseph Hazen, Allen Lesser, Holly MacDonnel, and Mark Creaghe.