The YSU Dana School of Music pulled out all the stops (how convenient, a pipe organ metaphor) for its annual Holiday Concert, Dec. 3 at Stambaugh Auditorium, enlisting the Stambaugh Chorus, Fitch High School Chamber and Concert Choirs, two distinguished soloists and every man jack (and jill) at the school to bring holiday cheer to thousands.

The spirit of the occasion was further gladdened by the friendliness of the Friends of Music, who hosted and fed the throng, and presented the annual Dana Award to YSU Dean Joseph Edwards, who has prominently supported music, the school and the community for 40 years.

The nationally prestigious Dana School, an arm of The College of Fine & Performing Arts at YSU, has historically enriched its 135 year tradition of music education with outreach to the city, and the overflow crowd at this year’s concert was evidence of this effective symbiosis.

As usual, there were Carols & Cocoa in the ballroom downstairs to touch off the festivities, with Caribou Coffee providing the hot drinks and the Friends, their favorite cookies. The crowd spilled out into the lobby.  Entertainment was by the Trombone Ensemble, Dana Flute Ensemble, University Chorus, Women’s Chorus, Dana Chorale, and audience participation.

Then the masses moved to the concert hall for the formal concert.

The Dana Brass Quintet opened the show with a Christmas medley, Dana Chorale sang a traditional French carol from the balcony surround, and the YSU Jazz Octet played a stylish “Sleigh Ride” arranged by Dana’s Kent Engelhardt.

Kay Williams directed the accomplished Fitch High School Concert Choir on two pieces, and then Stephen Gage led the Dana Symphony Orchestra in an instrumental “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful” with ‘all ye’ singing along.

The evening’s featured presentation was Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” performed impressively by a Festival Chorus of the combined Dana Symphonic Choir and Stambaugh Chorus, the Dana Symphony Orchestra, and sopranos Misook Yun and Jennifer Jones Mosher, all directed impeccably by Dana’s Hae-Jong Lee. It was a feat fit for a major city concert hall.

Three holiday songs from “Home Alone” by John Williams — done by the Chorale, Chorus and Orchestra, and again conducted by Lee — rounded out the show.

Once again, the 2008 Holiday Concert was a heartening example of the interrelationship of the Dana School of Music and its students with the community it serves and entertains.

It is surely not the subtlest form of sexism to think of any girl band (which Shynola mostly is) as having an attitude (just for getting up on the stage), but it may be inescapable. For Shynola, the issue of attitude is unavoidable, if for no other reason than that they are admittedly musical dilettantes (No, that is NOT a girlie — nor sexist — term).

Of the stage, lead singer and vocalist Christine Terlicky defers to her husband, Josh, and he’s just the drummer and backup vocalist (and the only male in the band full time). Bassist/vocalist Aleisa Drivere is the wife of local living legend, His Royal Sweetness, Pete Drivere; and rhythm guitarist/singer Shaye Byrd (Cahill?) exemplifies “modesty.”

Byrd, who says she is still trying to learn how to play guitar, which she took up recently, does not just own up to modesty, she owns modesty. “I’m the most modest person EVER,” her myspace page claims, immodestly.

And, “Yes,” they Shy(nola)ly confess, “we really are rocket scientists.”

They are not great musicians, but they all have good voices, they play well together, and they definitely make listenable/enjoyable music. The two songs on their myspace page, “Synergy” and “February” are both love songs from a female perspective (which, in male-dominated rock, is attitude enough).

Though Shynola only plays irregularly, “a couple times a year,” they were a big hit at a recent benefit at Cedars, because their music was fun and (this IS the sexist part) they’re all pretty (even Josh).

The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra is one of the Valley’s premier cultural assets, whose continual growth over its 82 year history stands in sharp contrast to the area’s commercial turbulence.

At a recent outreach meeting held by the Ohio Arts Council, the Youngstown Symphony was hailed for its sustained excellence despite catastrophic declines in population and economy in its supporting community.

First formed in 1926 as The Little Symphony Orchestra by Michael Ficocelli and then taken over by his brother Carmine three years later, the group had 12 members all less than 16 years old. During the brothers’ 25-year history, the Junior Chamber of Commerce came aboard in 1935, dropping the “Little” and forming the Youngstown Symphony Society, and the Junior League started sponsoring Pop concerts at Idora Park and The Mansion on Logan Road, in addition to the increasingly popular classical concerts at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Each of the successive musical directors and conductors contributed to the evolution. In 1951 John Krueger changed the name to Youngstown Philharmonic Orchestra, and added a Chorus the next year and a Junior Orchestra two years later. Franz Bibo, who took over in 1965 restored the Symphony name and then, after moving to the Edward W. Powers Auditorium in 1969, spearheaded the restoration of the elaborate performance hall; he also began performing fully-staged operas there.

When Peter Leonard was hired in 1980 he began an outreach program to teach strings to inner-city students, and won a National Endowment for the Arts to involve local college strings players in the orchestra. David Effron started Children and Tiny Tots concerts in 1987, and established a three-concert choral subscription and a string quartet.

In 1996, the Symphony’s seventh musical director, Isaiah Jackson started Storytyme for pre-schoolers, estalished the current schedule of six Masterworks concerts and four Pop concerts, continued outreach programs to approximately 10,000 children each year, and made two commercial recordings: “Strings Attached” with local rock legend Glass Harp, and “Home for the Holidays” with the Joe Augustine Quartet.

Randall Craig Fleischer, who took the reins in 2007, makes frequent appearances as guest conductor with major orchestras in the U.S. and internationally and also directs two other symphony orchestras. An active composer, he is a national leader in the area of symphony rock and world music fusion, and has been prominent in childrens’ educational programs.

A significant factor in the Orchestra’s musical merit is the collaboration with YSU’s Dana School of Music, whose faculty members not only prepare students for professional concert careers but contribute their own personal expertise, many as ‘principals’ with the Symphony.

The Symphony Orchestra’s Artist and Conductor concert, November 15, showed its talent and depth, playing Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C Minor and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 with nationally recognized pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn, before he took a turn on the podium to conduct Prokofiev’s WWII commentary 6th Symphony.

Yes, it certainly enhances the appreciation of classical music to have some experience with its complexity, but even a novice can be thrilled enjoying the performance of the extraordinarily skilled professional musicians of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.

Johnny Grahovac (Johnny G.), the lead singer for Away From Eden came to Halloween dressed like a rock star, with tight pants, no shirt, a feather boa and a huge black wig. He could have skipped the outfit. He is tall and thin (think Steven Tyler’s torso) and handsome, and looks like a rock star all the time. He even plays guitar like Elvis, which is occasionally, mostly for effect.

Bassist Lou Liguore dressed like Bruce Springsteen for the event, with a red bandanna and sleeveless denim shirt, but he didn’t quite pull off the look. He is so big and muscular, he looked more like The Hulk breaking out of his clothes.

Costumes aside, Away From Eden looked unusual in another way: with Liguore, Grahovac, lead  guitarist John Johnson and rhythm guitarist Lee Liguore standing side by side across the front of the stage presenting a solid wall of strings, drummer Mike Ezzo in the back was heard, but not seen.

Formed a little more than two years ago, this Youngstown progressive, alternative pop rock band based their name on the psychological, rather than religious symbolism of the Garden of Eden, and they are seeking an unrestricted course, true to their motto: “Music is our passion and our gift to you.”

Their lyrics are thoughtful, and Johnny G. delivers the vocals with accuracy and passion, on both rocking original songs like Wicked Girl and the soulful ballad, When You Cry. Though watching them play looks like guitar overkill, their sound is practically symphonic, and each part seems integral.

Backup vocals by the Liguore brothers add significant depth and interest, and their songs’ heavy chord progressions have a metal edge, offset by touches of subtlety.

In short, Away From Eden really does look like a rock star band.

The evolution of the revitalization of downtown Youngstown moved several steps forward with a multifaceted Halloween celebration, Oct. 31 involving hundreds of costumed celebrants at five venues featuring more than a dozen local bands.

And the toughest part about pulling police patrol duty for the events was the constant curiosity about the authenticity of their outfits. read the rest of this article »