Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 7, 1993 TAG: 9305060209
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis-Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
They're more serious than your average kids . . . especially when it comes to music.
The recently formed Renaissance Music Academy of Virginia, a nonprofit school based in Blacksburg, will present a concert Saturday at 3 p.m. in Virginia Tech's Squires Recital Salon. The program features string players from the Washington, D.C., area; as well as pianists from Blacksburg.
These gifted and talented musicians are all between the ages of 8 and 14.
They will play solo and chamber music of Bach, Vivaldi, Chopin, Schubert, Haydn and Beethoven in Saturday's matinee performance.
The academy, which officially will open in September, is the brainchild of concert pianist Teresa Ehrlich and her husband, David Ehrlich, violinist with the Audubon Quartet at Virginia Tech. Teresa Ehrlich says it is modeled after some of the most prestigious schools of its kind in the country.
When the couple initiated the project, they called on friends and fellow musicians at such schools as the Music Center of the North Shore in Chicago and the String Academy of Wisconsin.
"Those are both very successful music conservatories for children," Ehrlich noted. "We tried to seek advice from people who have done this before and have been successful."
The Blacksburg academy aims to provide a broad program of serious musical study for children between the ages of 4 and 18.
Ehrlich said initial response from the community has been very positive.
"The phone does not stop ringing for inquiries about the school," she said, noting that information on enrollment will be available at the upcoming concert.
Ehrlich said the concert is open to everyone.
"It's really unique to see children play a classical repertoire of this caliber," she added.
Admission is $1 at the door.
\ YOU CAN HAVE TOO MUCH FUN . . . and Bill Kirchen, to boot.
In a former life, Kirchen played lead guitar and sang with Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. You may remember the group's big hit of 1972, "Hot Rod Lincoln." The popular song featured Kirchen's twangy blues-guitar picking.
In his present life, Kirchen lives near Washington, where he and his band, Too Much Fun, are regulars at clubs in the D.C. area. Occasionally, the group hits the road.
They will hit the road this weekend for a performance tonight at Blacksburg's South Main Cafe. It starts at 10 p.m.
Too Much Fun (named for the crowd-pleasing song Kirchen wrote years ago) plays a mix of rock 'n' roll, country, blues, swing and rockabilly. It does original material, as well as favorites by everyone from Ernest Tubb to Elvis Costello.
Admission to tonight's show is $4 if you're over 21 or $5 if you're under 21.
\ FLOYD COUNTY, HERE WE COME: We don't want to miss the big variety show they're putting on at Floyd County High School tonight. It's a benefit for Survivors on the Move, a group for victims of head injuries.
Performers include Frank Greenlee and Friends, Radar Rose, No Strings Attached and Dr. Winston Pound of Saint Alban's Psychiatric Hospital.
Tickets, $8, are available at Books, Strings & Things, one of the sponsors of the benefit. Other supporters are The Tie Dye Guy, Kinko's and V Magazine.
The money helps Survivors on the Move with some worthwhile projects. It provides camping experiences, field trips and classes for those who wouldn't otherwise have opportunities to participate in the activities of the support group.
The show starts at 7 p.m. For more information, call Tim Redford at 763-3375.
\ WHO'S THE FUNNY MAN? Brian Whalen has big hair, a big vocabulary and a BIG ego.
Calling himself "hilariously funny at both a visceral and intellectual level," he also describes himself as "remarkably pulchritudinous."
Guess that means he's sensitive, smart and good-looking.
What else could you want?
Whalen is, in fact, a comedian with a different approach. He says he never caters to the lowest common denominator and always gives the audience credit for being thinking people.
People, he points out, appreciate not being "talked down to" for a change.
You can catch Whalen's stand-up routine Sunday and Monday at Buddy's in Blacksburg. Show times both nights are at 10 and admission is $3.
Whalen encourages you to come both nights, promising a different set for each performance.
He also says this could be your last opportunity to see him in a venue small enough to touch him as he walks by.
Buddy's is at 130 Jackson St.
\ THE PERFECT SETTING: You'll find it at The Plant Plant just off U.S. 11 outside Christiansburg.
The nursery is sponsoring a free outdoor concert Saturday with Josef K. & the Doorkeepers. The local group plays a blend of folk music, blues and rock 'n' roll.
Drawing from artists such as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, John Prine, Robbie Johnson and Bruce Springsteen, Josef K. & the Doorkeepers features Joel Branscome on harmonica, Fred Campbell on vocals and guitar and Bill Gray on lead guitar.
In the past few years, The Plant Plant has supported a variety of musicians and artists by providing a beautiful outdoor setting for concerts and shows.
Saturday's concert starts at 1 p.m. The nursery is at 1367 Barringer Road.
\ AH, LOVE! "Love Inspiration Spring 93" is the title of the current exhibit at Miller Off Main Street Gallery in Blacksburg. It features works by dozens of artists from the region.
Creativity Consortium International is sponsoring the show, along with Miller Off Main Street, to "demonstrate that creativity is inspired by people - through their relationships, intimacies, enthusiasm and partnership."
The consortium also states that the purpose of the show is "to put a crack in the ivory-tower concept that artists create alone" and "to develop awareness of the value and contribution made by artist and audience to each other."
All of the works in the exhibit relate to the theme of love and its source of inspiration.
The gallery at 211 Wilson St. is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
by CNB