Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES SummER 2014 Sai-natiOnal.ORg 18 regular symphony harpist, who commutes from New York, are stuck in airports mid-country. and the next I was wrong about the meaty brass in Open Ground. ey are playing a requiem for the woman who disappears during the earthquake. Does she slip straight into the earth or fall sideways? My Violin III section plays the requiem melody with the brass, and it's wonderful to be part of all that power. I pretend I'm a trombone. During rehearsal break, I run into Victoria in the stairwell. She's having cake with us to celebrate Sarah's new baby. We talk about her visit. She and her husband tried hiking during one of El Paso's classic dust storms, but she seems to be having a wonderful time anyway. She's still laughing about my having that Masterprize CD. e harpists arrive. fiRSt peRfoRManCe Open Ground doesn't just go well in the first performance, it's terrific. We nail the col legno. We dovetail like a dream. e requiem section is huge. Maybe Victoria's writing is meant to keep the orchestra on the brink. I catch myself thinking how appropriate it would be if El Paso had a little mid-performance tremor. We fade away at the end with bits of very pale tremolo and ethereal harmonics — in part because mine don't speak very well. Sarah keeps her hands up as the final notes decay, and she holds on to the audience beautifully. No cell phones. No coughs. No candy wrappers. No premature applause. When the explosive applause does begin — and for contemporary music — it's clear the audience loved it. SeCond peRfoRManCe Is tonight's audience even more enthusiastic? ey keep calling Victoria and Sarah back on stage. Aerwards, a not particularly young concert-goer tells me that "the modern piece" was her favorite thing on the program, and I know that a very good thing has happened. BaCk hoMe e El Paso Times review calls Open Ground a "dazzling, inspired composition." Good. I'll be part of dazzling and inspiring any day. ank you, Sarah, for making this première happen so beautifully. I email Victoria. Her address is on her web site, so why not? I want to congratulate her on the review and to make certain she's seen it. I'm sure she'll reply. And I want to tell her how I felt while performing Open Ground. e grab-you-in- the-gut feeling when you're playing that huge requiem melody and your violin becomes a trombone. It's just you and that melody on the G-string as you play along with the brass. And you're thinking, the woman responsible for this, the creator of this glorious sound, is right here in the hall, part of us. Susan Wider writes from her home in Santa Fe, NM. Her articles, essays, and stories have appeared in Bird Watcher's Digest, Tennis View, Crow Toes Quarterly, and Lighthouse Digest, among others. She is an initiate of Epsilon Sigma at Colorado Women's College and is currently at work on a book of nature stories for children. puttIng It together In addition to expanding into new venues, she hopes to feature more adult content, actors, and audiences. Recently they held auditions for their next production, Rent. More than 70 people turned up for auditions, despite the lack of advertising. e only notification was word of mouth and flyers in the schools. launChing ghOStlight On June 5, Ghostlight Productions held a launch party/fundraiser at Marinero Grill in West New York. Friends and supporters of the arts turned out to contribute to the cause. At the same time, they were treated to a selection of musical numbers from some of the Ghostlight troupe. Many of the numbers had been featured in a performance two weeks earlier at a cabaret showcase in New York. "ese were my past students, about three- quarters of them," said Welz of the singers. "A lot of them go to North Bergen High School so I've had some of them since they were in sixth grade. ey're all North Bergen residents." "I've lived in North Bergen all my life, and I've had numerous music teachers that helped me so much in my life and I want to give back to the community," Welz added. "One of my jobs that I like very much is to seek out talent. Like Chelsea. She was the shiest person in fourth grade. If it wasn't for music she would never come out of her shell. I taught her at Horace Mann. She was in my chorus for I think three years." Chelsea Mesa sang at the launch party. A member of the troupe for three years now, she joined in seventh grade. "I started off in an ensemble," she said. "With other people from other schools, other residents. Different age groups, which was pretty cool. We were pushing ourselves to sing better and learn how to read music, and dance, which I really needed." But it wasn't all fun and games. "I had stage fright, like nerves. It was so bad," she said. So why did she choose to get up on stage? "I'm pushing myself, trying to face my fears. And everybody helped each other. We all supported each other." Now she sees a career in the arts. "is has actually inspired me to write," Mesa said. "I want to pursue something in music. Whether it's writing, directing, or being in it myself. I just know music is it." teaching kiDs skiLLs Welz has big goals for Ghostlight. In addition to more performances, she envisions holding workshops for budding performers. A former Broadway performer herself—she was in Mary Poppins for two years — Welz hopes to tap into her network to help out. "I know some of the Broadway actors, and I could see if they want to come to our community and give a workshop," she said. "For High Tech students, for North Bergen High School students, just students who want to learn what it takes to be on Broadway. I'm trying to get Idina Menzel." Partnering with Welz in Ghostlight are two longtime friends. Fellow eta Upsilon initiate Paula Ribeiro and Heather Zahn know Welz from college and grammar school respectively. Zahn reconnected when she auditioned for Fame and got the part… then gave it up. "We wanted to make sure we got all kids so we ended up replacing me with kids," said Zahn. "And I stayed on as stage manager. And she hasn't been able to get rid of me since." Describing Ghostlight's goals, Zahn said, "We're setting out to provide Hudson County with a safe place for kids to go where they can be off the street, where they can learn a skill, like public speaking. Even if they don't want to become actors." GHOSTLIGHT continued from page 10 PREMIERE continued from page 17

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