Article Title: Kevra Plans Second Capital City Concert Season

Edition: April 2001
Category: Arts/Music/Theater
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Based on how well things have gone in year one with the music, the musicians and the Montpelier audiences, Music Director Karen Kevra is already planning a second season next year for Capital City Concerts.

This year when she organized the new concert series she was hoping to bring together the very most professional Vermont musicians with world-class artists from further afield. So, quality of musical performance was something she wanted for the series.

But Kevra wanted something else as well. She wanted to create a concert series that would build a larger local audience for classical music. She thought she could build this larger audience by showing people that highly skilled musicians can be both good at playing an instrument and at the same time be the sort of people anyone would like to know.

Here Kevra is candid. She says she's aware that some people fear an evening of classical music because they're afraid it's likely to be what she calls "a high society, nose-up-in-the-air event."

She was heartened by the way pianist Jeffrey Chappell was received by a Montpelier audience in the second concert of the series. Chappell was playing the piano in an "All-American" program and Kevra says he was "phenomenally dynamic and intelligent and at the same time just a very nice guy." As part of the second concert Chappell came to the end of a Samuel Barber Sonata and something special happened. Kevra says that before Chappell had released the final chord of the Sonata, the audience was already up on its feet, in her words, "whistling and howling." Chappell had communicated to his audience as a musician. But he had also communicated to them as a man.

As a part of next year's series, Kevra hopes to present Montpelier resident and concert pianist Michael Arnowitt. She's convinced that Arnowitt is a "truly world-class player." Of course there are other world-class players in Vermont including Jaime Laredo, the Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Laredo has told Kevra he will perform in a future Capital City Concert series.

As she imagines the future, Kevra hopes that Capital City Concerts will become identified with Montpelier in much the same way as Lost Nation Theater has attracted a local following and local support. In planning a second season, Kevra is seeking help from community members who want to serve on a not-for-profit board. Or who would like to put up posters. Or serve as ushers.

Kevra has plans for reaching out to children in schools. She says that one artist has offered to do a piano-jazz workshop in the schools. She likes the idea of children's concerts. "I have a kid in the Montpelier School System," she says.

This spring Kevra will be holding an organizational meeting for people who want to get involved in Capital City Concerts. And she invites anyone who would like to receive a brochure about next year's season to call the Onion River Arts Council at (802) 229-9408.

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