
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 3, 1995                   TAG: 9503030066
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STACY JONES
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THE TIPOFF

MOUNTAINS OF ART The Roanoke City Art Show opens today with a reception and awards ceremony from 5 to 7 p.m. in the first floor gallery of the Art Museum of Western Virginia. Sixty artists from the Blue Ridge region will compete for a portion of the $1,500 in prize money. Jack Cowart, deputy director and chief curator of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., jurored the competition and will present the awards tonight. The 1995 exhibit will be on display through May 21. The public is invited to attend the exhibit and vote for their favorite work of art, which will be awarded $100 at the end of the show. Call 342-5790.

VROOM, VROOM The Roanoke Valley Charity Car Show Committee presents its 15th annual car show to raise money for muscular dystrophy. More than 90 vehicles, ranging from muscle cars and street rods to antiques and motorcycles, will cover two floors of the Roanoke Civic Center. A NASCAR race simulator will be on hand for Richard Petty wannabes, as well as a memorabilia auction and an outdoor flea market. Show dates are Friday, 5-11 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. and Sunday, Noon-5 p.m. Admission for adults is $5, $2.50 for children ages 6-12, free for children under 6. Call 772-3237.

GOSPEL GATHERING Enliven a lazy Sunday afternoon and head to the Pilgrim Baptist Church where five area college choirs will perform this Sunday. Participating schools include Central Virginia Community College, Danville Community College, Ferrum College, Patrick Henry Community College and Virginia Western Community College. Pilgrim Baptist is located at 1415 8th St., Roanoke. The concert is free and begins at 4 p.m. Call 857-7583.

MARVEL-OUS COMICS Vampirella, Razor and maybe even that old fogey Spiderman will be on display at the Roanoke Valley Comic Book Convention. Everette Hartsoe, creator of Razor, and Joe Monks of Night Cry/Cry for Dawn fame are just a few of the guest artists who will be in attendance. In addition to golden-, silver- and modern-age comics, cards, collectible toys, shopping sprees and hourly door prizes round off the festivities. The convention will be held Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center, Salem. Admission is $2, those 6 and under get in free. Call 563-1129 for info or dealer tables.

MONDAY MOONLIGHTING SERENADE Bernard Di Gregorio, principal violist of the Roanoke Symphony, will take a break Monday from his normal duties and perform with the Hollins Chamber Players. A concert of music for viola with keyboard instruments and voice, the program will include Bach's D Major Sonata for viola da gamba and harpsichord and four settings by Charles Loeffler for soprano, viola and piano of poems by Baudelaire and Verlaine. Hollins faculty members James Leland, Judith Cline and Michael Sitton comprise The Chambers Players. The concert begins at 815 p.m. in Talmadge Recital Hall, located in Bradley Hall at Hollins College. Admission is free. Call 362-6451.

CZECH IT OUT The Wallinger String Quartet, an accomplished young ensemble from the Moravian region of Czecho-Slovakia, makes an appearance March 10 at the Olin Theater at Roanoke College. The group, performing for the Roanoke Valley Chamber Music Society, has toured throughout Europe, winning the Beethoven Prize at the 1987 Hradec Competition and at the 1990 Evian Competition. They made their American debut in 1993. Works will include Dittersdorf's Quartet in E-flat major, Schubert's Quartet No. 14, "Death and the Maiden," and Mozart's Adagio and Fugue, K. 546. A meet-the-artists reception follows the concert, which begins at 8 p.m. Admission is $11. Students 18 and under admitted for $7. Call 774-2899.

YOU BE THE JUDGE The Live Arts Theatre Ensemble sponsors the 2nd Annual Playoffs A Short Play and Performance Competition. Eighteen actors, writers, directors and performance groups will present their work over a period of four nights. Each night the audience will be asked to vote for the two best performances. The finalists will face each other in the "playoff." Pieces include "The Recycled Story" by local writer David Kleiner, which incorporates large masks, puppetheads and musicians; monologues by comedians Cindy Burke and Christopher Durang, and "Blah, Blah, Blah," a one-man show by writer Kirk Read. The competition takes place today and Saturday, and March 10-11 at the Live Arts Space, 601 E. Market St., Charlottesville. Doors open at 715 p.m., performances begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8/$6 for Live Arts members. Tickets for the Finalson March 11 will be $10/$8 for members. Call 977-4177.

by CNB