Plein Air
LEXINGTON ó Plein Air Carolina (PAC) will be featured in a new exhibit to be held at the Arts United Gallery at 220 S. Main Street in Lexington.
The show opens with a reception Tuesday, Sept. 2, 5-7 p.m. and will remain on display until Sept. 30.
Thirteen members of Plein Air Carolina are participating, filling the gallery with 52 paintings. Those participating are: Beth Barger, Joyce Cavanaugh-Wood, Sharon Forthofer, Leslie Frontz, Harold Frontz, Annette Hall, Sheryl Johnson, Cathy Matthews, Joyce Metters, Lou Murphy, Maria Teresa Rafferty, Barbara Richmond and Phyllis Steimel.
The Waterworks Visual Arts Center will also be featuring members of Plein Air Carolina with a new show opening on Sept. 19.
For more information, contact Doris Brown, director of Arts United, artsdavidson@hotmail.com or Phyllis Steimel, 704-637-0874, or phsteimel@msn. com.
More information on Plein Air Carolina can be found at www.pleinaircarolina.com.
Youth auditions
Piedmont Players Theatre will hold auditions for the youth production of “Aladdin Jr.” Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 2-3, at 4 p.m. on the third floor of the Meroney Theatre.
Please bring a prepared song. An accompanist will be provided.
Performance dates will be 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 and 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11.
For more information, call 704-633-5471.
Woodturner Binh Pho
CONCORD ó The Southern Piedmont Woodturners and the Cabarrus Arts Council present a demonstration by internationally acclaimed woodturner Binh Pho Saturday, Sept. 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Davis Theatre in the Arts Council Galleries, 69 Union St. South, in Concord. Binh Pho will demonstrate thin wall turning to 1/16-inch and surface embellishments with air brushing and piercing. The event is free.
Binh Pho (www.wondersofwood.net) resides in Maple Park, Ill. He is a native of Vietnam, where he was separated from his family during the fall of Saigon, and he was imprisoned by the communist regime.
“My work primarily reflects the Far East culture and my journey to the West. I love to bring the beauty of nature and hand-creation techniques together to create character and soul in a piece,” Pho says.
For more information, contact Barry Russell, program director, at 704-933-9092 or brussell18@carolina.rr.com.
Youth orchestra auditions
The Salisbury Youth Orchestra will hold auditions at Hoke Hall on the campus of Catawba College at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 and Sunday, Sept. 7 and again on Saturday, Sept. 13. These informal meetings with our conductor, Ryan Peller, will be by appointment. Each musician should bring a piece to play that showcases his or her abilities on the instrument. All orchestral instruments are needed, including violin, viola, cello, string bass, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, tuba and percussion.
The symphony is open to all students age 10-18 who have had previous experience on their instruments. Highlights for the season include a performance in December and a performance with the Salisbury Symphony in the spring of 2009.
The Salisbury Youth Orchestra is sponsored by the Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Society, Inc. and the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation, Inc.
Rehearsals are held on Sunday afternoons from 3-5 p.m., beginning on September 14, at Hoke Hall at Catawba College. The cost for membership in the Youth Orchestra is $50 per semester. Needs-based scholarships are available through the Symphony’s Positive Notes Program.
For more information, or to schedule a meeting, please contact Susan Trivette at 704-637-4730 or e-mail her at strivett@catawba.edu.
Spaces available
The Rowan Blues and Jazz Society has announced that vendor space is still available for the Blues and Jazz Festival to be held in Salisbury on Oct. 11.
A variety of vendors is sought. Fees begin at $75 and spaces are 10×10. For more information, call 704-636-2811 or visit www.rowanbluesandjazz. com.
Arts education grants
The Rowan Arts Council announced this week the establishment of a new grant program, The Rowan Investment Company Arts-In-Education grants.
These awards consist of three $1,000 grants to unite artists and arts organizations with elementary, middle and high school students in Rowan County, encouraging their creativity and knowledge of art. The grant is administered by the Rowan Arts Council with funding from Rowan Investment Company, F&M Bank, other businesses and individual sponsorships.
Individual artists, non-profits and cultural organizations that are members of the Rowan Arts Council are eligible to apply. Individuals and organizations that do not have an IRS determination letter are eligible, but must secure a tax-exempt organization that is a member of the Rowan Arts Council to act as a fiscal agent.
Projects that take place outside of the public school system are permitted, provided the participating students are of elementary, middle or high school age. All persons participating in the program must have Act 40 clearances.
Funded projects should be completed by Dec. 31, 2009. Applicants may apply for one Rowan Investment Company Arts-In-Education grant per calendar year Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.
Grant amount is for a maximum of $1,000.
The grant funds may be used for an organization’s administrative or general operating expenses associated with conducting the project. Matching funds are not required but applicant’s financial participation may be considered by the panel.
Organizations may join the Rowan Arts Council at any time by going through the Web site at www.rowanarts.org or by contacting the arts council for a membership form.
Application deadline is Friday, Jan. 16, 2009, at 5 p.m. Applications and guidelines may be found on the Rowan Arts Council Web site or at the Arts Council office in the Rail Walk Studios and Gallery Building 413 N. Lee St.
For more information, call 704-638-9887 or e-mail rac@ rowanarts.org.
Violin instructor
The Salisbury School of Music is pleased to welcome violin instructor Amber Shockley to its staff.
She is a graduate of Winthrop University with a BA in Education. For the past five years she has been teaching 6th through 12th grade English/Language Arts in South Carolina public schools.
She began playing violin 17 years ago in the strings program offered at her elementary school in Greenville, S.C. A short time later, she was invited to join the Carolina Youth Symphony, a non-profit teaching and performance organization in Greenville.
Shockley will be joining senior violin instructor Carrie Webster, teaching on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and evenings.
The Salisbury School of Music is located in the Meroney Theater in downtown Salisbury.
For more information, visit www.salisburyschoolofmusic. com or call 704-633-8188.