Philharmonic Music Guild Presents Valentine Concert
SAXOPHONE QUARTET — Playing “My Funny Valentine” for the Philharmonic Music Guild dinner are musicians Hana Elwood, Matthew Shreeve, Clayton Caudill, and Daniel Capua.
BARBERSHOP QUARTET PERFORMS FOR MUSIC GUILD — Singing “Lida Rose” are (L to R) Roberto Mancusi, Elwood Doss, Tommy Moore, and Jim Clark. Accompanying them on the piano is Elaine Harriss.
BASSOON SOLO — Doug Owens plays “A Poem of Love,” by H. Leslie Adams, as a part of the Philharmonic Music Guild Valentine program and dinner.
Members of the Philharmonic Music Guild and guests celebrated Valentine’s Day and the theme of love with a dinner and entertainment on Feb. 14 at Trinity Presbyterian Church.
Planners for the event were hostesses Denise Doss, Hyeyoung (Chris) Lee, Karlene Sternisha, and host Elwood Doss, Music Guild co-president, who welcomed the 18 members and 12 guests attending in the fellowship area that was decorated with a myriad of hearts, red and white tablecloths, and Valentines.
Judge Tommy Moore served as program chair. The festive mood for the evening was sounded just as everyone first gathered and the newly formed Music Guild quartet (Elwood Doss, Jim Clark, Roberto Mancusi, and Tommy Moore) sang “Lida Rose,” a popular barber shop quartet piece from “The Music Man.” Dr. Elaine Harriss, professor of music at UT Martin and a PMG member for many years, accompanied the group on the piano and also provided dinner music for the fun-filled gathering.
Some of the selections Dr. Harris played during the bring-a-dish dinner included “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Send in the Clowns,” “Blue Moon,” “People,” “Theme from the Apartment,” “Tenderly,” “All I Ask of You,” “Embraceable You,” and “The Rose.”
Following dinner, Dr. Doug Owens, also on Department of Music faculty at UT Martin, played a bassoon solo titled “A Poem of Love,” by H. Leslie Adams. Dr. Harriss provided piano accompaniment.
Next on the program — to the delight of all attending — was a student saxophone quartet performance of “My Funny Valentine,” a piece long associated with Valentine’s Day and composed by Richard Rogers (music) and Lorenz Hart (lyricist). The talented young musicians were Hana Elwood (baritone saxophone) from Brandon, Florida, a first-year music education student and the granddaughter of Westview band director Mike Tucker; Matthew Shreeve (tenor saxophone), Lebanon, TN, and a second-year music education student; Clayton Caudill (alto saxophone), Paris, TN; Daniel Capua (soprano saxophone), Martin, TN, and a second-year music education student.
After resounding applause for these talented young musicians, Music Guild treasurer Linda Farmer, Dresden, then played on the piano Chopin’s “Nocturne in B Major, Op. 32, No. 1.”
Karleen Sternisha, Union City and a Music Guild past president, performed the beautiful vocal solo “Hello, Young Lovers” from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I.” Rita Winter, also of Union City, provided piano accompaniment.
Anna Clark read Robert Burns’ poem “A Red, Red Rose,” and remarked that the speaker in this poem is as much in love as the speaker in “Lida Rose,” who has returned home to propose to his loved one.
The Rev. George Pasley of Trinity Presbyterian Church also welcomed the group and offered a blessing before the meal.
The Philharmonic Guild is open to all interested in music. Meetings are held on the second Monday evenings of each month from September through May.
