Tallahassee Democrat - 02/05/2020 Page : C01

Copyright � 2020 Tallahassee Democrat. All rights reserved. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March2007. 02/05/2020February 5, 2020 10:02 am (GMT +5:00) Powered by TECNAVIA

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Though Metallica, Journey, and Guns N’ Rosessongs aren’t typically part of an orchestra’s reper-toire, they’re top priority for Lincoln High School’snew electric orchestra. Not only are the studentsplaying electric instruments and focusing on rockmusic, they got the chance to learn from a rockicon.

Recording artist, performer, producer, inventor,Emmy-winning composer and music educationadvocate Mark Wood rose to fame as string masterand original member of the internationally ac-claimed Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He has spentthe past four decades electrifying the orchestra in-dustry and his most recent stop was in Tallahas-see, thanks to Clara Knotts.

As the director of orchestras at Lincoln andSwift Creek Middle School, Knotts is determined to“meet my students where they are. What’s on theirphones? It’s not always Beethoven and Mozart. Ilove that kind of music and it’s important stuff, butwe’ve got to change what we’ve been doing.”

Music pros give boost toLincoln’s electric orchestraAmanda Karioth ThompsonCouncil on Culture & Arts

See ORCHESTRA, Page 4C

Mark Wood andCarter Nelson play“Enter Sandman” byMetallica at LincolnHigh School. AMANDA

THOMPSON

Tallahassee Democrat ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 ❚ 1C

TLHLife

On Sunday, Feb. 9, the Bach Parleypresents Handel’s Messiah oratorio forthe first time on period instruments inTallahassee.

Today the Messiah is performed mostoften in the weeks leading up to Christ-mas, but when Handel first wrote theMessiah in the early 1740s, it was origi-nally performed in the spring during theseason of Lent.

Operas were not performed duringthe sober season of Lent, but oratorioswere a dramatic entertainment alterna-tive. The Bach Parley performs on periodinstruments – harpsichord and baroquestyle stringed instruments with gutstrings, and especially for this concert,baroque trumpets and early-style timpa-ni.

Now in her 12th year leading the BachParley, this concert is a dream come truefor music director and violinist ValerieArsenault. “I love the entire Messiah, allthree parts, and for years I have been

longing to bring the Bach Parley’s signa-ture approach to this enduring master-piece.”

Because the complete Messiah runsclose to three hours, the Parley will per-form Part II only, focusing on the action-filled scenes of the Passion, Death, andResurrection of Christ. Although the li-bretto by Charles Jennens is drawn di-rectly from scripture, the Messiah wasnever meant to be part of religious ser-vice — it was meant to entertain, delightand inspire the audience.

The regular Bach Parley players willjoin with a host of period instrumentguest artists including violinists MartiePerry (Bloomington, IN), Shawn Paglia-rini (Atlanta, GA), and Gesa Kordes (Tus-caloosa, AL), as well as FSU students Al-exandra Huryn and Deborah Olivier.Other familiar faces are violists MelissaBrewer and Brian Arsenault, cellist KimJones, bassist Christian Marshall, andharpsichordist Charles Brewer.

Guest artists Shelby Lewis (BatonRouge, LA), and Chris Carrillo (Washing-ton, DC) will play baroque trumpets and

will be featured on the Rittler Ciaconnafor two trumpets and strings at the be-ginning of the concert.

For the grand finale, Arsenault says,“We are thrilled that FSU College of Mu-sic percussion professor John Parks willplay newly refurbished early-style tim-pani along with the trumpets to put thecrowning touch on the HallelujahChorus.”

The five solo singers, Anna Marie Fri-

ars, Lily Guerrero Sarah Eyerly, JohnMartin, and Levi Gerke, are drawn from12-voice Bach Parley Chamber Singers.

The concert will be at 3 p.m. Sunday,Feb. 9 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211North Monroe St. At all Sunday Tallahas-see Bach Parley concerts this season, pa-trons will receive an insert in their pro-grams with a discount coupon to use af-ter the concert at participating down-town area restaurants. A $10 donation issuggested, and free childcare will beavailable.

For additional information please vis-it www.bachparley.org.

Bach Parley tunes up old instruments for MessiahSpecial to Tallahassee DemocratUSA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA

Bach Parley — Valerie Arsenault withJohn Martin and Kim Jones. ROBERT

HOWARD

If you goWhat: Tallahassee Bach Parley presentsMessiah, Part II

When: 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020

Where: St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211North Monroe St.

Cost: $10 suggested donation; freechildcare available; visit BachParley.org

Tallahassee Democrat - 02/05/2020 Page : C04

Copyright � 2020 Tallahassee Democrat. All rights reserved. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights , updated March2007. 02/05/2020February 5, 2020 10:03 am (GMT +5:00) Powered by TECNAVIA

Copy Reduced to 74% from original to fit letter page4C ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020 ❚ TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

Students have eagerly embraced theschool’s new rock ensemble whichlaunched at the beginning of thisschool year. “They’ve only had a fewmonths of work and they’ve done well,”said Knotts. “They love to come re-hearse after school and they ask howlong they can stay. To see kids go fromsuper introverted, not wanting to talk,not moving, to literally jumping aroundmy classroom. It’s really cool.”

Wood has seen this transformationmany times. “We’re doing two to threeschool groups a week. Orchestras of alldifferent sizes at universities, highschools, middle and elementaryschools,” he said.

As a classically trained violist whoattended Juilliard on a full scholarship,Wood understands that some musi-cians feel constrained by tradition andthe industry.

“Musicians like us, we live in a bub-ble, in our own planet from touring.We’re focused on that, playing arenasin front of thousands of people. Stu-dents are much more interested insomething that’s cutting edge, other-wise it just continues to be the same.The new messaging for our students isto amplify the experience you’re havingand share it with the community.”

Wood and his wife, vocalist LauraKaye, co-founded Electrify YourStrings!, a music education programthat boosts student self-esteem andmotivation, increases school-wide,family and community engagement,and helps raise money for participatingschools. Through an Arts EducationGrant from the Council on Culture &Arts and additional support from manyother area businesses and organiza-tions, Knotts was able to bring Woodand his band to Lincoln for an unforget-table learning and performance experi-ence.

Over the course of three days, Woodworked with about 80 emerging musi-cians from Lincoln, Swift Creek andMontford Middle School. There wererehearsals where students perfectedtechnique, choreography, and stage-presence; a master class offering tipson songwriting and learning music byear; and a public performance featur-ing Wood’s own compositions and hisarrangements of classic rock and con-temporary music.

Carter Nelson is in the 12th grade atLincoln. He’s been studying guitar seri-ously since he was a middle school stu-dent at Swift Creek and was drawn tothe instrument by “watching my favor-ite shredders and the best guitarists.They do that in front of thousands ofpeople and it’s cool to play your ownmusic and have the audience sing backand enjoy what you’re doing.”

For the public performance, Carterplayed solos in “Crazy Train” and“Sweet Child of Mine.” He enjoyedworking with Wood to improve hisplaying and shared “it’s always weirdworking with a super professional be-cause they’ve done everything andthey’re perfect technically and theyknow all the little things to add. Marktold me to arpeggiate one chord, and itcompletely changed the vibe.”

Though 10th-grader Rose Semblerhas come to music relatively recently,she’s already recognized “there are somany skills you learn from studyingmusic, like discipline, time manage-

ment, improvisation, communication,teamwork. We’re all working togethertowards the same goal and that’s bet-tering ourselves as a team.” Just a fewyears ago, she started learning the pi-ano and she added drums once sheheard about the rock ensemble.

“Doing piano really helped me toread sheet music, though sheet musicfor drums is vastly different. Using myleg, when it comes to the pedals on thepiano, has helped with my kick drumand my high hat. Now I use all fourlimbs and I’m thinking about how I canincorporate that back into piano.”

The transfer of skills is somethingKnotts is especially interested in andhas identified as one of the goals for therock ensemble. “My kids that are inboth the rock ensemble and the regularorchestra have grown tremendously. Ihave some that are like ‘I don’t reallylike rock music’ but I tell them it’s notabout the music, it’s about what youlearn.”

Wood agrees and knows that bystudying music, students are tapping

into intellectual and emotional capac-ities that no other experience can pro-vide. During a question and answersession with the students he said“don’t look at your instrument as an in-strument, look at it as a vehicle to trav-el. We are here to travel into the un-known and that’s where the action is.”

Amanda Karioth Thompson is theAssistant Director for the Council onCulture & Arts. COCA is the capitalarea’s umbrella agency for arts andculture (www.tallahasseearts.org).

OrchestraContinued from Page 1C

Vocalist Laura Kaye coaches students on “Sweet Child of Mine” at Lincoln HighSchool. AMANDA THOMPSON

Lincoln students got to play unusualinstruments like “Viper” electricviolins which Mark Wood invented.AMANDA THOMPSON

Tenth-grader Rose Sembler has takenup the drums to play in Lincoln’s rockensemble. AMANDA THOMPSON

The Florida Prepaid College Boardhas announced the 2020 Open Enroll-ment window with the lowest PrepaidPlan prices in five years, giving Floridafamilies an opportunity to start savingfor college risk-free for as little as $44 amonth for a newborn. The special pric-ing is available during Open Enrollmentfrom Feb. 1 through April 30.

“These price reductions reflect ourcommitment to the Florida Prepaid Col-lege Board’s founding mission, whichwas and remains more than 30 yearslater, to help Florida families save forcollege in a way that is simple and af-fordable,” said Board Chairman John D.Rood. “We understand the powerfulmessage we send to our children by sav-ing for their college education; it setsthe expectation for that child that theywill pursue higher education, and thattheir family supports them in this jour-ney.”

With Plans now starting at just $44 /month for a 1-Year Florida UniversityPlan for a newborn, there is no bettertime to start saving. The Board also of-fers four other Prepaid Plans, includingthe most popular 4-Year Florida Univer-

sity Plan, which starts at $177 a month,as well as the 2+2 Florida Plan, the 2-Year Florida College Plan and the 4-YearFlorida College Plan. Families can usethe Prepaid Plan online pricing tool todetermine what the various plans costbased on a child’s age, as well as explorethe different payment options avail-able.

Families can enroll in a Prepaid Planfor free, a $50 savings, by using promocode EARLY50 through Feb. 29.

A Prepaid Plan allows families to lockin future college costs for less so theirchild’s college tuition is ready and wait-ing for them. Families simply pick a Pre-paid Plan to fit their budget and savingsgoals. There are no worries about theups and downs of the stock market orhow much tuition might go up. PrepaidPlans are guaranteed by the State ofFlorida.

“Our plans are designed to be flexibleand affordable, allowing families tosave early even if they can’t yet imaginetheir child’s interests or postsecondaryplans,” said Executive Director KevinThompson. “We hope this year’s lowerprices will encourage even more Floridafamilies to start saving.”

To learn more, visit myfloridapre-paid.com today.

Florida Prepaid launches2020 open enrollmentSpecial to Tallahassee DemocratUSA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA

Tallahassee singles who enjoy givingback to the community and are lookingfor something meaningful to do on Val-entine’s Day are invited to come out andmeet other like-minded singles whileparticipating in Second Harvest foodbank’s first “Singles Sort” volunteerevent, taking place on Friday, Feb. 14,from 6-8 p.m. at the Second Harvestwarehouse, located at 4446 EntrepotBoulevard.

“We’re putting the “social” in “ser-vice” this Valentine’s Day, with a bigdose of fun,” says Shari Hubbard, direc-tor of community relations for SecondHarvest. “Our Valentine’s Day event in-cludes sorting food donations for distri-bution to our food-insecure neighbors,enjoying sweet treats and great music,and the opportunity to meet other sin-gles who prioritize volunteering andcommunity service,” she added.

Interested individuals may set up avolunteer profile at www.fightinghunger.volunteerhub.com, and registerto participate. For additional informa-tion, contact Shari Hubbard at shari-hubbard@fightinghunger.org, or bycalling 562-3033, ext. 211.

For more information, visitwww.FightingHunger.org.

Make a date to‘Singles Sort’at food bankon Valentine’s Special to Tallahassee DemocratUSA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA

At Second Harvest Food Bank, LanaSteele places a box of cereal in one ofthe 400 boxes of nonperishable foodbeing sent to areas hardest hit byHurricane Dorian. On Feb. 14, the foodbank will host a “Singles Sort” serviceevent. ALICIA DEVINE/TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT

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