Chamber Music Concert August 10, 2011

The Woodland Chamber Ensemble, which drew a large enthusiastic
audience last summer, will perform again on Wednesday, August 10, at
7:00 P. M. in the Church of the Good Shepherd.  Sponsored by the RFA
(Rangeley Friends of the Arts,) the concert will feature musicians Sue
Downes-Borko:flute, piano, and voice; Lee Lenfest: French horn; Helen
Plotkin: cello; Henry Plotkin: violin and viola;  Gail Russ: oboe,
clarinet, and English horn; and pianists Barbara Ulman and Andrea
Keirstead.

The concert encompasses compositions from the Baroque era
through the classical to contemporary.   Some of the music to be
presented includes Mozart’s trio for clarinet, viola, and piano; a
Haydn trio for flute, violin, and cello; a piece for flute, oboe,
viola, cello, and keyboard by Baroque composer Janitsch;  Gaubert’s
Tarentelle for flute, oboe, and piano — a perpetual motion depiction
of a myth about tarantulas; and compositions by Randall Thompson,
ensemble member Barbara Ulman, and several others.

About the Musicians:

Sue Downes-Borko received a Music Education degree from the
University of Massachusetts.  She has been a high school music
teacher in the state of Alaska, a staff accompanist for the College
of New Jersey, and a member of several flute quartets.   Sue is the
director of the Rangeley Community Chorus and has participated in
many local music productions.  Currently, she operates a private
lesson studio and is the Minister of Music for the Rangeley
Congregational Church.

Andrea Keirstead, of Farmington, studied social anthropology at
Harvard University.  She teaches at Mt. Blue Regional School
District, and has performed on the piano for many events in this
area.  Recently she was the pianist for Footloose in Rangeley.

Lee Lenfest is a retired civil engineer who completed 33 years
with the U.S. Geological Survey before moving north to enjoy the good
life Maine has to offer.  Lee has played horn with orchestras and
bands at duty stations in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Virginia.  He is
currently principal horn with the Augusta Symphony Orchestra and U.
of Maine – Farmington Concert Band, and has also enjoyed engagements
at Monmouth Theater and the Waterville Opera House.

Helen Plotkin grew up in a musical household, playing cello with her father (Henry) and other family members.   She studied at Swarthmore College, University of Michigan, and Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.   She spends her summers on Lake  Mooselookmeguntic with her family.  During the academic year, she teaches Biblical Hebrew and ancient Hebrew texts at Swarthmore
College, and she works as a rabbi-educator in the local Jewish community.

Henry Plotkin is a chamber music enthusiast who has played his violin and viola in ensembles in Rangeley as a summer resident and in his home in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.  He is a
physicist, and has served as science researcher and manager at the US Army Signal Corps, NASA, and UMBC (University  of Maryland, Baltimore County) while continuing his parallel musical avocation. After acquiring his Oquossoc home in 1992, he became a competitor in the Rangeley Fiddlers Contest, and later participated as a judge.

Gail Russ teaches instrumental music in Maine School Administrative District 58, which includes Phillips, Kingfield, Strong, Stratton and Salem.   Since moving to Maine in 2005, she has played oboe, clarinet, and English horn for the Camden Pro Musica Orchestra, Monmouth Theater, Lewiston/Auburn Community Theater, the Bangor Symphony, and other bands and orchestras in the area.   She says, “I have the best ‘job’ ever: children and music; I have been blessed!”

Barbara Ulman began piano lessons at age seven, and has had an active musical life.  She earned a B.A. from Harvard/Radcliffe, while also studying piano chamber music at the nearby Longy School of
Music.  In 1989 she completed a second B.A., in Music Theory and Composition, at California
State University, Fresno.  Off-season, she lives in the foothills near Yosemite  National Park. She has
spent summers on Rangeley Lake all her life, at a camp that has been in her family since 1915.   She plays chamber music for fun and for public performance, and also composes art songs and music for small ensembles and for chorus.

Tickets for the concert ($15) can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce and also at the door on August 10.   For further information, please call Barbara at 864-3629.

RFA Home Tour and Taste of Rangeley

The 2011 RFA Home Tour and Taste of Rangeley will take place on Tuesday afternoon, August 2^nd from 1-4PM.  Homes have been chosen which capitalize on Rangeley’s beautiful setting of mountains and lakes as well as excellence in architecture, construction and interior décor.  As you tour the four homes showcased in this year’s event, you will observe an array of life styles which share the common element of a passion for the unique quality of life afforded by Rangeley’s natural beauty and resources.

This year’s homes include:  DON AND MARTY THOMPSON HOME at 17 Pine Grove Heights, JACK LOUNSBURY HOME at 1 Green Drake Lane Ext. (Saddleback), JANICE ADLER HOME at 112 Dorset Road, and GARY AND JACKIE PATNODE HOME at  90 Cottage Avenue.

The tour of homes will culminate at the Country Club Inn with THE TASTE OF RANGELEY, an appetizer extravaganza catered by local restaurateurs at 4:15PM.  More than 12 restaurants will provide appetizers that will delight the festive crowd as they gather to celebrate Rangeley and the quality of life and events we are privileged to enjoy each year.  During the celebration, guests may place their raffle tickets in the basket accompanying their favorite item.

Home Tour Personal Choice Raffle includes:1).  Portland Christmas Package:

(Cross Jewelers Gift Certificate & Tickets to “The Magic of Christmas”), 2).  A season’s pass to RFA 2012 Season, 3).  12 CD package from Schooner Fare, 4).  Framed print from John Swan, 5).  2 One Day Passes to Mingo Springs Golf Course. 6).  One Day Pass to Evergreen Golf Club, 7). 2 front row seats for 2011 Walk to Bethlehem.

Tickets are available at the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce at 6 Park Street.  Two options are available: 1..Home Tour (with one raffle ticket) and Taste of Rangeley beginning at 1PM ($15),  2. Taste of Rangeley beginning at 4:15PM (with one raffle ticket) ($10).

RFA DIVA

Rehearsals are well underway and the excitement is building.  Award Winning Divas sing award winning songs!–The RFA Diva shows will be held July 27, 28, 29 at the Saddleback Base Lodge in Rangeley at 7:30 PM.  This very popular show has a new location with beautiful sunsets and expansive views and new time.  Reserved seat ($20) and general admission ($15) tickets are available at the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce 6 Park Road– stop by to select your seats (864-5364). The extremely talented performers have been rehearsing and preparing a very powerfully entertaining show that you will not want to miss.  Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Carrie Underwood, Queen, Rosemary Clooney and many more will delight the audience.  One thing is for sure; this show will explode with talent and be filled with many surprises