| Christmas
Spirit Begins Early This Year
by Bob
Lowe
November 17, 2005
Some Fox Valley merchants have done their best to get people
into the Christmas spirit early this year by rolling out
their holiday merchandise and playing Christmas carols even
before Halloween.
But
for many people, the Christmas celebration doesn’t
officially begin until they take part in or attend a Christmas
program, whether it’s a performance of Handel’s "Messiah" or
viewing the gracious ballet dancers in Tchaikovsky’s "Nutcracker
Suite."
Pianist
Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra kick off the musical
treats for the holiday with a concert titled "My
Favorite Things" at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
in Appleton at 8 p.m., Saturday.
A
longtime Fox Valley favorite, Line will showcase a brand
new show featuring 15 classic Christmas songs, as well
as Broadway tunes and vintage songs from the ’40s and ’50s.
Line and her pop chamber orchestra will perform the same
show at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23 at the Weidner Center in Green
Bay.
Other
upcoming Christmas shows at the PAC, 400 W. College Ave.,
include Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday,
Nov. 30; the Nutcracker Ballet, featuring the Moscow Classical
Ballet Company, accompanied by the Fox Valley Symphony
Orchestra, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2-3; the Boston Pops Esplanade
Orchestra under the direction of Keith Lockhart at 7:30
p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7; vocalist Judy Collins, who will
be performing holiday favorites and some of her classic
hits, including "Both Sides Now," "Send In
The Clowns" and "Someday Soon," featuring
the Appleton Boychoir, at 7 p.m. Dec. 23. Jim Brickman, one
of the nation’s most popular pop pianists, will present
an evening of holiday music, laughter, memorable tunes from
the past and selections from his new CD, "The Disney
Songbook," at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28. For more information
or to reserve tickets, contact the PAC at 920-730-3760, Ticketmaster
outlets at 920-731-5000 or log onto www.foxcitiespac.org.
At
the Weidner, the list of holiday programs begins with "Amahl & the
Night Visitors" at 7:30 p.m. 1-3, with a 2 p.m. matinee
on Dec. 3. Dudley Birder and The Dudley Birder Chorale of
St. Norbert College in DePere, along with the Green Bay Symphony
Orchestra and 75 youthful artists of the Performers Workshop
will be presenting a "Holiday Pops Spectacular at 7:30
p.m. Dec. 9-10. Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Dianne
Reeves, will be performing songs from her first-ever holiday
CD at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11; "What A Wonderful Christmas
With Anne Murray" is set for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12-13; Nebraska
Theatre Caravan’s presentation of "A Christmas
Carol" will be back to recount the tale of Ebenezer
Scrooge and some ghostly night visitors at 7 p.m.
Thursday
Dec. 15; "A Scottish Christmas, featuring
Bonnie Rideout," p resents
a lively collection of Scottish carols, wassail tunes and
traditional Highland music and dances at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18.
For
more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Weidner
at 1-800-328-8587
or log onto www.weidnercenter.com.
The
Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Bridget-Michaele
Reischl, and the Green Bay Chamber Choir, directed by Kevin
Baker, will be presenting "A Candlelight
Christmas," featuring Handel's Messiah and Baroque Holiday
Treasures at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at St. Francis Xavier
Cathedral in Green Bay. The concert also will feature two guest
soloists performing baroque favorites.
Lawrence
University in Appleton will be presenting "A
Bach Family Christmas," featuring the Lawrence University
Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec.
2, at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Tickets are $10 for adults
and $5 for senior citizens and students. Call 920-832-6749
for more information.
The
Appleton-based White Heron Chorale will appear in a concert
titled "Peace on Earth and Goodwill To All" at
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Lawrence Chapel. Tickets
are $16-$18 for premium reserved seats and $10-$12 for general
admission and youth. The phone number is 920-832-9700 or
log onto www.whiteheronchorale.org.
The
annual "Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols" by
the Appleton Boychoir is 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec.
11, at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The 195-BoyChoir will
be joined by the 30-member Mastersingers male chorale in
this Fox Valley traditional concert. Tickets are $14 for
adults and $12 for students. For more information, call 920-739-1689
or log into www.appletonboychoir.org.
The
Grand Opera House in Oshkosh will present "A Christmas
Story" by the Eclectic Arts Ensemble, Inc. at 7:30 p.m.
Friday-Saturday, Dec. 16-17, and at 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Tickets are $13-$16 for adults and $9 for youth 12 and under.
Call 920-424-2350 for reservations or log onto www.grandoperahouse.org for
more information.
The
Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra, along with choral groups from
Oshkosh North, West and Lourdes High School, will perform
Handel’s "Messiah" at 7 p.m. Saturday Dec.
3 at the Alberta Kimball Auditorium in Oshkosh. Guest soloists
will be Susan Bender, (Soprano), Kathryn Proctor_Duax (Mezzo_Soprano),
Dean Fowler (Tenor), and Edward Corpus (Bass). The evening
will continue with the lighthearted "A Musicological
Journey Through the Twelve Days of Christmas" and selections
from the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble.
SISTER MELVA MEETS WITH PRESIDENT BUSH
Pardon
the personal reference, but it isn’t often
that a family member gets to meet the leader of the free
world. This occurred Nov. 7 in Panama when my sister, Melva
Lowe Goodin, director of the English Department at the University
of Panama, was invited by Panama’s President Martin
Torrijos’ to participate in a roundtable discussion
with President George W. Bush. The president made a stopover
visit in Panama on his way back from a summit meeting in
Argentina and a one-day visit with the president of Brazil.
Melva, founding president and current treasurer of the
Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum in Panama, was
among 24 people representing various sectors of Panamanian
society invited to the gathering.
President Torrijos and his wife, Vivian, and Bush and his
wife, First Lady Laura Bush, entered the luncheon meeting
shortly after 11 a.m. and greeted all the invited guests.
Torrijos opened the discussion and invited the participants
to make a statement. After each presentation, President Bush
responded with his own comments.
"I was the second to last person to speak, and I basically
told him that I was a descendant of the thousands of West
Indians who came to Panama to build the canal and have now
become an important segment of our Panamanian population," Melva
said in an e-mail to family members and friends. "I
told him that the emotions I feel at this experience reminds
me of the poem by the African-American writer Langston Hughes." The
poem, "I Too, Sing America," reads:
I
am the darker brother.
They
send me to eat in the kitchen
When
company comes,
But
I laugh,
And
eat well,
And
grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll
be at the table
When
company comes.
Nobody'll
dare
Say
to me,
"Eat
in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll
see how beautiful I am
And
be ashamed--
I,
too, am America.
"I told him that our people had endured issues of
discrimination, not only because of race but also because
of language," Melva said. "But just like blacks
in the U.S., we are forging ahead and creating a better day
for our nation. I told him that, like the speaker in the
poem, the fact that I was sitting at the table today with
the President of the United States shows that there has been
progress. I also added words of commendation to President
Torrijos for creating the Black Ethnic Commission to help
bring about better opportunities for our ethnic group."
Melva further reported that her remarks created such an
impact that several people came up to her afterwards and
commended her, some stating that she had brought tears to
their eyes. After it was over, Melva said she approached
President Bush and told him that our late mother, Leithe
M. Lowe, who died on May 30, had followed his presidential
campaign every night on TV.
"I
told him that wherever she is, she is most likely thrilled
that I am having the opportunity to meet him," Melva
said. "That was when he put his arm around me and kissed
me on the forehead and told me to stand beside him for a
photo. He told me that he is sorry that Condoleezza Rice
couldn’t have accompanied him because he is sure that
I would enjoy meeting her. I told him that mama also had
a great deal of admiration for her."
For
comments or questions, contact boblowe@juno.com or
by phone at (920)-731-4603.
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