FiNE ART - Rapid River Magazine

R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E M A G A Z I N E
ate Steinbeck wears a lot of hats.
She is an international flute
virtuoso, and she is co-director of
a non-profit, KEOWEE Chamber
Music which she runs with her
business partner and colleague,
cellist Liz Austin.
Kate is as down to earth as she is
talented, “Liz and I always say, running
a non-profit is like doing
laundry. It’s never ending.”
Once you hear her, you will
not believe her when she
tells you that performing
is the easy part for Kate. If
you get Kate out of earshot
of her spouse, she’ll tell you
she owes much of her robust
sound to the flute that she
plays. This is particularly
sweet, given that her husband,
Chris Abell, makes her
handcrafted wooden flute.
When I compliment Chris
on his flute’s big sound, he
says matter of factly, “90% of
that sound is Kate’s”. Power
couples are touching.
Kate is indefatigable, but wearing all
those hats is an incredible balancing act,
even for her, because she has another
full-time job; she’s a mom who proudly
touts her son and daughter as her “best
work.” They are nice children. That is
how I met Kate; our kids go to the same
school. In fact our boys can be seen doodling
together at her performances. She
says, “Bring your kids. Bring paper and
pencils though ‘cause they get squirmy.”
When our family first heard a KEOWEE
Chamber Music concert, none of us were
prepared for that level of playing; we were
blown away. My eight-year-old came
home and asked me, “Do you have any
of that music with no words?” He’s been
listening and drawing to classical music
ever since.
This is big city talent, right here
under our noses, or ears, as the case may
be, home delivered, to our doorstep, in
our small mountain community
for us to enjoy
without the hassle and
expense of flying to New
York, San Francisco, or
Chicago. In addition,
KEOWEE Chamber
Music gives back to the
community all year, every
year, not only by providing
professional music to
the community, but also
by giving free concerts to
underserved audiences
like the homeless, kids,
and the disabled.
KEOWEE is part
of Asheville’s vital arts
community that annually
generates $65 million dollars into our
local economy. While a family of four
spends around $40 for a mass produced
feature film at a chain theatre, KEOWEE
is practically giving away entertainment at
only $25 per adult couple with students
admitted free (recommended concert attendance
for age 6 and up).
At a time of year when we hopefully
spend less time in our cars, and more time
catching fireflies, talking to neighbors, or
gardening, KEOWEE Chamber Music
celebrates its 8 th Annual Festival June 3-
COVER STORY
Keowee Chamber Music Festival
KPlanting Our Musical Garden
Fabio Parrini
Kate Steinbeck
15. It’s the perfect opportunity to welcome
the slower pace of summer. All you have
to do is put on some flip flops and show
up as the ensemble kicks off its festival
with a free afternoon rehearsal at UNCA’s
Reuter Center on June 3. As Kate tells me
before performances at even the swankest
venues, “You can wear jeans. Just come.”
Chamber music is just that, a handful
by Karen Boekschoten
of musicians gathered in drawing rooms,
gardens or any small, intimate setting.
Essentially a very democratic musical
process with only one player to a part,
chamber music enables each instrument
to intermittently share its own independent
voice while contributing to the same
piece of music — a dialogue of instruments
in a conversation that ranges from
whispered hums to frequent bursts of
enthusiastic, zealous opinion. Each instrument
has the opportunity to voice its
own sound, and display its own virtuosity,
before returning to consensus.
Indeed, you will be delighted with
the distinct and outstanding talent of
each member of this professional group.
Chamber music hails from a simpler era
before the world got big and overwhelming,
and experiencing KEOWEE Chamber
Music feels like attending a very
personal tea party given in your honor.
This intimacy is an excellent balm to life’s
‘Keowee’ continued on pg. 34
Vol. 11, No. 10 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — June 2008