By Betty Moore
Rowan Public Library
I have been enchanted recently watching several Rowan Public Library DVDs that feature the joy of music and performing, especially by amateurs.
ěYoung@Heartî follows a chorus by that name during their final weeks of rehearsal before a big concert. It also shows the groupís performance at a prison and the emotional visit afterward with inmates.
What is unexpected is that the average age of the chorus members is 81! Their music is also unexpected. Rather than singing nostalgic hits from their youth, their repertoire ranges from James Brown to Coldplay.
They have toured Europe and sung for royalty. Viewers get to know performers personally, since the documentary looks at many of them in their homes as well as in rehearsal and performance.
ěMad Hot Ballroomî follows fifth-graders from New York Cityís public schools as they learn ballroom dancing and prepare for competition. Going beyond the tango, jazz and other dances, viewers visit students in their homes and learn their thoughts about dance, their hopes and their families.
ěA Musical Quartetî contains four great documentaries. One of them, ěSmall Wonders,î is about a woman who teaches school children to play the violin. We watch her transform them from beginning musicians to performers at Carnegie Hall.
ěThe Audition: A Once in a Lifetime Chance on the Worldís Most Famous Stageî takes you behind the scenes at the Metropolitan Operaís National Council Auditions. It shows the intense pressures young opera singers face as they struggle to succeed in one of the most difficult professions in the performing arts.
The documentary looks at several regional winners competing for a chance to sing at the Met and to launch their professional careers.
American Girl Club: Headquarters, Saturday, May 28, 11 a.m. A book discussion group about the life and times of the American Girl characters.
Book Bites Club: South only; May 31, 6:30 p.m, ěDeath Comes for the Archbishop,î by Wanda Cather. Book discussion groups for both adults and children on the last Tuesday of each month. The group is open to the public and anyone is free to join at any time. There is a discussion of the book, as well as light refreshments at each meeting. For more information please call 704-216-8229.
Library closings: Monday, all RPL locations closed for Memorial Day holiday.
Birthday Bash: Headquarters, June 5, 1-5 p.m., celebrate Rowan Public Libraryís 100th birthday with activities and entertainment for all ages, including the Bar None Barbershop Quartet; refreshments and a special ceremony at 3 p.m. The Henderson Law Office, which served as the first library facility in Rowan County and is on the current library site, will also be open for tours.
Displays: Headquarters ó Doll Society by Jim Bourdain, Lee Street Theatre by Robert Jones; South ó student art by South Rowan High School art class; East ó Art by Colleen Walton.
Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.