Milton Magazine - Milton Academy

the archaeological strata upon which ourseniors will walk and dance and sing andplay their baccalaureate moments. Thewear and tear and glory and inspiration ofyears of use have given Ruth King a richpatina that is uniquely hers and ours.It is no strange thing that the idea of thetheatre ghost is such a common one. Whatwe put on stage, when we are most successful,is life. Life at its most intense andprofound. Life wearing its most ridiculouscountenance and life caught in its mostvulnerable moments of humanity. Withour music and dance and words and lightand scenery, we unite performers andaudience in a celebration of that life, whichmay be painful, funny or ecstatic. That lifepersists. It seeps into the cracks and cranniesand soaks into the velour and hemp.It vibrates in the walls and clings to themotes of dust suspended in the light fromthe spots. You cannot enter the theatre, ourtheatre, without touching it, hearing it andbreathing it.For the last seventeen years I have beenprivileged to share Kellner and Ruth Kingtheatre with thousands of artists and audiences.Together we have changed Kellnerand the work done in the building haschanged us. Great performances and thepreparation that leads up to them bringinto ever sharper focus the potential of thehuman spirit for either glory or ignominy.In performance we open ourselves forall to see, and in doing so we tear awaythe veil that often obscures our commonhumanity. This is profound work and itseffects are very powerful, though they arenot always recognized immediately. As aresult of having shared this enterprise withmy fellows in Kellner, student and adultalike, parts of me will remain there fordecades after I walk out its doors for thelast time, traces in the rich mixture of theplace. I will take with me much more thanI have left behind and be forever gratefulfor it.David PeckPerforming Arts faculty 1988–2008Reprinted with permission from The MiltonPaper; first published May 23, 2008.“ The most memorable Miltonconcert in recent times.”Dr. Don Dregalla on Dame Evelyn Glennie’sGratwick PerformanceInternationally renowned percussionistDame Evelyn Glennie performedthe 2008 Gratwick Concertin Kellner Performing Arts Center onFebruary 5, 2008.Throughout her career, Evelyn Glenniehas commissioned 143 new works forsolo percussion, composed and recordedmusic for film and television, and shegives more than 100 performances a yearworldwide. Her diverse collaborationshave included performances with artistssuch as Naná Vasconcelos, Kodo, BélaFleck, Björk, Bobby McFerrin, EmanuelAx, Sting, King’s Singers, MormonTabernacle Choir and Fred Frith. Her firstalbum, a recording of Bartok’s Sonatafor two pianos and percussion, won aGrammy in 1988.According to the Drummergirl.com Website, “Much media attention has beengiven to the fact that Evelyn is a deafmusician. Evelyn is profoundly deaf, andshe doesn’t feel the need to make a bigdeal about it. After she lost her hearingwhen she was young, Evelyn spent timewith her percussion teacher, Ron Forbes,refining her ability to detect vibration.She can distinguish the rough pitchof notes by associating where on herbody she feels the sound. Truth be told,Evelyn’s hearing is something that bothersother people far more than it bothersher. Since she is one of the world’s topinternational musicians, it must notmake much of a difference to the orchestras,conductors or venues.”For Dr. Don Dregalla, music departmentchair and also a percussionist,Dame Evelyn Glennie’s performancewas particularly electric. His own reflectionsinclude those of students who filledKing Theatre to listen and watch withastonishment:“Judging by the response from all thosewho attended (about 350 people), thiswas the most memorable Milton concertin recent times. Students were fascinatedby Evelyn’s playing and captivated by hervital energy and persona. Great excitementwas in the air all evening. Morethan a few in the audience called the concertthe ‘best of the Gratwick series.’“Evelyn Glennie began her campus visitwith an hourlong master class, workingwith percussionist Liz Bloom ’08.Liz played three pieces, one each forsnare, timpani and mallets. The rapportbetween Evelyn and Liz was terrific. Atleast 60 people witnessed the masterclass in the orchestra room, and it wasvideotaped for an upcoming documentaryabout Dame Glennie.“Dame Evelyn was a very encouragingteacher, but also very challenging. Hercomments were always positive. Shewas demanding of Liz, however, askingthat Liz do a few things that were quitedifficult—especially in front of a crowd—such as switching around the dynamicsof a piece and the place on the drumwhere Liz played those dynamics. I cantell you, as a percussionist, that this isquite hard to do, but Liz did it very well.“Witnessing some of Evelyn Glennie’srehearsal was a treat for me—like gettinga chance to hear a private recital, and insome cases, a private lesson. She workedover and over on a piece, getting it justright. It was riveting.54 Milton Magazine