Triad Arts Weekend: February 22, 2013

It's rare that you get a chance to experience and learn about great songwriting plus great short story writing all in one evening. But thanks to Press 53, and two incredible storytellers you can enjoy just such an experience plus beer, wine and a delicious meal if you'd like at The Community Arts Café in downtown Winston-Salem. Two Great Storytellers, One Great Evening is this Friday night, February 22 at 7:30pm (6:30pm if you'd like dinner as well). Tickets are just 10 dollars.

North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship for Songwriting recipient Jeffrey Dean Foster has been releasing amazing songs since he and his band were first signed to Arista Records in the mid-80s. He's currently working on a new soon-to-be-released album sampled in today's show. Jeffrey's good friend, Ray Morrison, is an award-winning author. His debut collection of short stories In a World of Small Truths published by Press 53 was called “surprising with subtlety and strength” by HBO's True Blood executive story editor and Showtime's Weeds co-producer Chris Offutt. You can hear Ray reading from his book, Jeffrey singing from his new album, and then chat with them both after the show. They stopped by WFDD's studios to chat with David Ford.

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Twelfth Night (also known as What You Will) is a comedy by William Shakespeare that was probably written around 1600 as a little Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The first recorded performance of Twelfth Night was in February of 1602, and it's been slaying audiences ever since. Greensboro College's Theatre program brings this timeless comedy to the Gail Brower Huggins Performance Center on campus Wednesday, February 20 through the 24th with evening performances at 7:30pm and a Sunday matinee at 2:00pm. Greensboro College Theatre Faculty Josephine Hall worked as a professional actor for more than 20 years before joining the faculty there in 2011. She stopped by to chat with David Ford along with student actors Daniel Moore who plays Duke Orsino, and Casey Garner who plays Viola.

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St. Paul's organist and choirmaster John Cummins began the Friends of Music Series at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. He was determined to have a core of early music with historic instruments and vocal music practice, fully utilizing the historic gothic building at St. Paul's. Thanks to the Peggy Norfleet Memorial fund he's been able to continue the Friends of Music Series and to expand its emphasis to include a wide variety of musical styles. Friends of Music is sponsoring three concerts so far in 2013. The first features keyboard master Andrew Willis from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He'll be giving a recital on one of his fantastic fortepianos on Sunday, March 3 with music by Beethoven, Haydn, Bach, and more - all music composed between 1773 and 1803. John stopped by for a season preview, but first Andrew spoke with David Ford about the magic of the pre-cursor to the modern piano—the fortepiano—by phone from his studio in Greensboro.

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On Understanding Classical Music with Kairoff at the Keyboard, Steinway Artist and Wake Forest professor Mr. Peter Kairoff highlights composer Robert Schumann.

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Few songwriters have enjoyed the success of George & Ira Gershwin and The Carolina Winter Music Festival reminds us why with “Gershwin Portraits” in Reynolda House Museum of America Art this Sunday, February 24, at 2 p.m. In the Mary and Charlie Babcock Wing Gallery there will be a concert of selections by the Gershwins celebrating the opening weekend of the new exhibit "Star Power: Edward Steichen's Glamour Photography" including Gershwin Portraits taken by Steichen. Singer Martha Bassett and the Carolina Chamber Symphony Players Jazz Trio will perform an all Gershwin program amidst more than 100 spectacular photographs in the exhibition by the first great American fashion photographer. Martha recently stopped by with pianist Federico Pivetta, and bassist Matt Kendrick for a sampling Live in Studio A.

On Sunday, Steichen biographer and Triad native Penny Niven will have a conversation with Steichen's granddaughter at 3 pm immediately following the performance, and ticket admission covers this at $18 dollars —8 dollars for Reynolda House Members and students, and that includes admission to Reynolda House as well. It's a full day of American art, history and music.