West Olympia Public Plaza

For almost two years now I have had the privilege of working on project that is near and dear to my heart right here in West Olympia. Having worked in West Olympia for the past five years as the Creative Arts Director at Evergreen Christian Community and as the Music Director of the Capital Philharmonic Orchestrait has been a delight to see this project take form and now begin to transform into a real initiative.

The West Olympia Public Plaza is a project that has been spear-headed by the West Olympia Community Visions Group (CVG), a conglomerate of local residents and business people who are interested in making sure that the growth of West Olympia in commercial and residential is matched by opportunities for community relationship and development opportunities such as parks and the like. For the past two years the board (of which I have had the wonderful pleasure to serve on) of the CVG has been creating a draft plan for a Public Plaza for not only West side residents to enjoy but all of Olympia and the surrounding areas. A little over a year ago a prime piece of property was discovered at a bargain price located on the corner of Cooper Point and Harrison road in the wooded area directly behind the Starbucks and across the street from the Safeway.

The CVG and the City of Olympia partnered together their resources to have a feasibility study performed on the property to see if there was usable acreage as the prevailing myth was that the entire property was wetlands. The study came back to show that the parcel of land contained a number of usable acres for the proposed Public Plaza project and so the board went to work with a grass-roots movement to inform the community about a hope and dream for this project to be realized.

Currently, the property is under contract by the CVG as we are hoping to raise the necessary $300,000 for thetwenty-seven acre parcel. In exciting news, an anonymous donor has graciously offered a matching grant of $25,000 toward this purchase. It is our desire to see a private-public partnership with the City of Olympia to finish the purchase of the property so we can begin fundraising for the actual Plaza project.

The Public Plaza hopes to include amenities such as an outdoor amphitheater seating at least 2,000people and featuring a summer concert series (with profits going towards the upkeep of the plaza), an environmental learning center featuring a library kiosk, walking and nature paths, bike trails and a dog park.

As you can see, this project is full of excitement and potential and it is my hope that you'll join us in support of this project. Here are a few ways to get involved:

1) Email councilmembers@ci.olympia.wa.us and let them know of your support for the West Olympia Public Plaza.

2) Join us and the Olympia City Council on Tuesday, July 13th at 6:30pm at the City Hall Council Chambers at Olympia City Hall, 900 Plum St. SE. (We will have some snacks for people as we need people to sign the support petition and stick around to vocalize your support to the council for the project.)

3) Check out the website for the project at www.westolycvg.com and consider donating to the project via our Paypal option. All donations are tax-deductible as the CVG is a 501c3 non-profit and your donations will be matched up to $25,000 through July 13th!

This is a great project to be involved with and one that will give heart and soul to West Olympia and serve as a crown jewel for the greater Olympia area.

SJW

The Schumann Connection

The final concert of the 2009-2010 Season is two weeks away and will feature a number of national guest artists as well as a fantastic lineup of inspiring music. The evening begins with the "Tragic Overture" written by Johannes Brahms. The passion and fire ooze from within this fiery piece and the orchestra starts off with a bang. We then invite our first guest artist, Duane Funderburk, to the stage to play the opening movement of Robert Schumann's "Piano Concerto No.1 in A minor". Mr. Funderburk tours around the world as a soloist and in his famous duo, the Los Angeles Collaboration, featuring Duane on piano and Alex Russell on violin. The Schumann concerto is ripe with passion from the opening chord and Mr. Funderburk's piano playing takes us on a journey of emotional adventure until the final chord.

Following this concerto we invite our next guest artist, Darlene Matrone and her husband Tom Matrone, to the stage for the Bach "Concerto for two pianos and strings". Darlene is a fantastic piano player who is in high demand as one of the finest accompanist's in Southern Missouri. She plays for numerous community choirs and local schools and gives private lessons for excelling students. Tom Matrone resides in Springfield, Missouri where he serves in multiple positions of musical influence. He teaches at both Evangel University and Central Bible College working with various choirs and conducting students. He serves as the Music Director at Central Assembly of God, where his choir of one-hundred and forty is one of the finest choirs in the nation. He also currently serves as the National Music Director for the Assemblies of God where his influence on music in worship is helping numbers of churches stay relevant in their approach while using a variety of styles and programs such as the choir and orchestra. The Bach Concerto features two grand pianos and three movements of exciting back and forth drama between the pianos and strings.

After intermission our Chamber Chorale performs the recently written "Te Deum" by composer Mark Hayes. Tom Matrone will conduct this short but well written arrangement which uses multiple rhythmic settings and both English and Latin text to evoke various modes and emotions.

The final piece of the evening is Schumann's "Symphony No. 1" known as the Spring Symphony. Schumann composed the four movements in January looking forward to the Spring season and each movement gives a characteristic of a different longing for this change.

This final concert hosts a number of fabulous pieces all performed by incredible musicians hoping to inspire you to take on the challenges that come to you each and every day. This concert will also feature a public announcement for a new arts project in West Olympia that you won't want to miss out on!

Space: The Final Frontier

It's hard to believe that we are almost entering our third month of 2010 already! There's no better way to celebrate then join the Capital Philharmonic Orchestra as they present their first concert of the year titled, "Space: The Final Frontier". The orchestra is excited to have playing the opening part of the concert special guest artists, Quattrocelli, all the way from Germany. They are beginning their U.S. West Coast tour and we are fortunate enough to have them open with us in Olympia, WA. The group consists of four cello players and they play a wide range of music from the early classical all the way up to film music all interpreted in a very stunning and energetic way. The orchestra will close the concert with music from movie favorites such as E.T., Star Wars, and Star Trek as well as two movements from the Gustav Holst work "The Planets". This concert promises to be our most thrilling and exciting to date! You can check out Quattrocelli in action as well as purchase your tickets to the concert event at our website: www.capitalphil.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!

SJW

Christmas Concert

Every year Evergreen Christian Community offers a community concert during the Christmas season and this year the event is tonight, December 11th and tomorrow night, December 12th. These concerts are always special to me as they are a wonderful opportunity to unite family and friends and begin the Holiday season with a reflection on what this time of year is really about. I hope that this year as you are buzzing around from shop to shop, finding the perfect gifts for all the delightful people on your gift list, you'll take a moment to look around you at all the other people doing the same. Take in the warmth of community. Take in what should be joy and excitement as you find the perfect gift and look forward with anticipation to the face of the recipient once you reveal your finding. As you look around, if you don't sense joy but see the looks of frazzled stress and the like, I would encourage you to put a large smile on your face and become an agent of joy and peace. There is nothing like a warm smile to put life into perspective. And if you need a good reason to smile and an opportunity to find your joy and peace for this season I encourage you to come out tonight or tomorrow at 7pm and allow us to impart it to you through the beauty of music.

Joy & Peace,

Seth Winterhalter

Downtown Olympia Event

Make sure to plan on attending our Bonaventure Party in downtown Olympia on Tuesday, October 6th. We will be hosting an evening of food and fun as well as an opportunity to support the Capital Philharmonic. The Bonaventure Shoe store has an incredible inventory of shoes featuring all kinds of styles and fashions. That evening, Bonaventure is donating 10% of every purchase to our organization! We will be using the funds to provide new chairs for our orchestra members as the chairs we currently use were not designed with the musician's posture in mind. We hope you join us for an evening featuring lots of fun and stellar fashion. Even if you're all stocked up on shoes make sure to come down and mingle with the musicians and Music Director Seth Winterhalter. See you there!

2009-2010 Season Opening Concert

It's finally here! The 2009-2010 season opening concert with the Capital Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. It's hard to believe that months of preparation and hard work is finally culminating in our first event of the year. And there's no better way to celebrate this kickoff concert than with a tribute to the men and women who serve our country through their tireless efforts and dedication as members of our Armed Services. Our first concert features a collage of their anthems as well as a moving arrangement of both the Star-Spangled Banner and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. We follow the three opening numbers, which feature the chorus, with a haunting composition by American composer George Walker and the wildly fabulous "American Tribute" by Morton Gould. One takes you on an inward journey of contemplation and thoughtful reflection and the other brings you to your feet as a proud citizen of country that allows us the freedom to pursue our dreams and passions. We open the intermission break with one of my favorite pieces in the 20th century repertoire by one of the most beloved and talented American composers, Aaron Coplands "Fanfare for the Common Man". This piece, featuring a brass choir, embodies the pursuit of the American dream by every citizen, regardless of race, gender, beliefs or the like. We close the evening with Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 which he was commissioned to write while teaching in America as a composition that would spark the creation of the "American Sound". What we end up with is one of the most beloved symphonies in the entire orchestral repertoire. The second movement, featuring a beatiful English Horn solo, takes us on a fabulous journey across the American plains and shows us the caloused hands of the men and women who carved out this country through all of their pain and sorrow and joy and success. The fourth movement is a whirlwhind of activity that, for me, embodies the American spirit. It has an urgency to it that feels like it must accomplish something. Even when it attempts to slow down and hush itself it still has this rushing movement that creates in it a drive and motion for completion of something beyond itself, some form of satisfaction in the achievement of a goal or dream.
I hope you enjoy this evening that we will share together. And if you missed it, please make it the only event you miss with us because together we have too much fun for you to miss out on these inspiring moments.

Zealous Aniticipation,

Seth Winterhalter

The Passing of a Legend

On my way home this evening I heard over my car radio that Erich Kunzel, conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, had died today at the age of 74. Maestro Kunzel had been battling cancer for several months. His influence in the lives of numerous people in the Cincinnati area as well as the entire nation will not soon be forgotten. His work with the CPO included numerous recordings, of which some, were the first to really grab my attention and turn me on towards orchestral music. I will always remember Erich's flare for audience engagement, his passion for not only music but the entire experience that the audience would embark on at his concerts and for his passion for the next generation of musicians. Well done Erich. Now I hope that we can carry the torch.

Fondly,

Seth Winterhalter