In Friday’s (2/25) Mail Tribune (Medford, Oregon), Teresa Thomas writes, “A group of 18 artists explores the musical landscape within composer Igor Stravinsky’s ‘The Firebird Suite.’ For their exhibit, the artists collaborated with Rogue Valley Symphony, which plans to perform an orchestral version of the ballet at its concerts, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 25, in the Music Recital Hall on the Southern Oregon University campus, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland; Saturday, Feb. 26, in the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater, 23 S. Central Ave., Medford; and Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Performing Arts Center, 830 N.E. Ninth St., Grants Pass. (Friday’s show is sold out.) The artists are set to display interpretations of the piece in the lobbies of respective venues one hour before each show. ‘It (‘The Firebird Suite’) was created to be a multimedia thing, beginning with a fairy-tale tradition, which this dance instructor (Michel Fokine) and music writer (Stravinsky) made into this very visual experience,’ says Judy Bjorlie, one of the participating artists and a cellist in the symphony. … She challenged the artists to avoid being too literal—painting an instrument or ballerina—and, instead, focus on the piece’s emotions, colors and characters.”
Posted February 28, 2011
