Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 21, 1995 TAG: 9507210013
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SETH WILLIAMSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
That could be the motto of the Garth Newel Music Center in Bath County, which - until Luca and Arlene di Cecco arrived - didn't exactly look like prime real estate for the fine arts.
Visiting the center last weekend, nuclear-power consultant Tom Roberts of Washington, D.C., recalled his own reaction in the early '80s when he discovered that you could hear high quality performances of Mozart and Beethoven in these mountains.
"I mean, in the middle of Bath County - chamber music?" said Roberts, who has been here every summer for 13 years.
They definitely came in force this past Saturday, which was appreciation day for Roanoke supporters of Garth Newel. Several dozen Roanokers fled the Star City's blistering heat for a still warm but more tolerable afternoon in Warm Springs. And those who hadn't been here since last summer found big changes.
"The big thing, of course, is this building," said cellist and founding director Luca di Cecco. The Mary Pat and G. Chester Doubleday Facility, which opened in April, is a two-story annex adjoining the Center's Herter Hall Music Shed.
The Doubleday annex contains a new kitchen, studios, offices, practice rooms and a small lounge. It's a far cry from the cramped space out of which di Cecco previously ran the summer festival.
The cellist spoke to an interviewer in a spacious, comfortably air-conditioned room containing copier, fax machine, modem and computer, along with bookshelves lined with music scores and the New Grove Encyclopedia of Music.
Di Cecco said he has two main focuses these days: completing the music center's capital campaign and a five-year phase-back of his and his wife's day-to-day involvement in Garth Newel's activities.
"We'd like to have another life after Garth Newel," chuckled di Cecco, who said he is looking for others to take over a bigger share of administrative duties.
"The main thing I'm looking for is a person or persons who will be there for Garth Newel first, and not for themselves." Di Cecco said that whoever eventually takes the load off his shoulders will likely be one of the musicians who play regularly at Garth Newel.
The cellist reported that the music center's capital campaign has reached the $1.4 million mark. Estate gifts that have already been earmarked will lift that total to $2 million. The goal is $3 million.
Within a few weeks the Garth Newel Music Center will have a home page on the World Wide Web. Internet-surfing chamber music fans will be able to access performance schedules and programs and register for trips to Italy, Switzerland and the Cibolo Ranch in Texas.
Chamber music enthusiast Tom Roberts, who once served as president of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, said Garth Newel's charm is largely due to the personalities of the di Ceccos themselves.
"Some musicians, let's face it, can be difficult," he said. "They have a chip on their shoulder all the time. But not Arlene and Luca - you'd never know they were musicians from that standpoint. They're just well-rounded, cultured people, and everybody who plays here is just the same, and that's why it's such a pleasant experience," said Roberts.
The Garth Newel weekend concert series will continue through Sept. 3. For information on programs and ticket prices, call 839-5018.
by CNB