Home
Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Archive of past events: 2004 through 2014
Gualala Arts Local Eyes is pleased to present an a cappella quartet, Eclectica, on Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 3:00 p.m.
Paul Friesen (bass) has sung in adult ensembles since 1963, starting by singing with members of the Music Academy of the West while still in high school. He has performed numerous roles in many musicals and operas, locally with the Mendocino Music Festival, Mendocino Chamber Opera, Opera Fresca and Gloriana Musical Theatre and has been a soloist for the College of the Redwoods Community Chorus. He has also performed with opera companies and choruses in the Washington, DC area and with a semi-professional chorus in London, England. Paul played trombone in the Symphony of the Redwoods and in the Mendocino All-Star Big Band. He is currently a member of Mendocino's popular male octet, the Acafellas. He has always wanted to sing in a mixed quartet with quality singers and he has finally achieved that goal with Eclectica. Bessy Krauss (alto) grew up under the influence of a musical mother and various mentors in school and church who nurtured an early love of music. She began playing flute at ten years old and was part of band and orchestra from junior high school through college, receiving a BS degree in music at Manchester College in Indiana. In Mendocino, she played various medieval and renaissance instruments with the Mendocino Troubadours and worked her way into singing with Dalliance. Bessy has also sung with Gloriana, Warehouse Theater company and in opera choruses for the Mendocino Music Festival. She is thrilled to be part of Eclectica, enjoying the challenge of a good musical line and the kinship of a small group of well-matched voices. Dennis Freeze (tenor) started singing in the first grade, and between then and now, he has been a research scientist, martial artist, computer programmer, inn owner, bridge player, author and graphic / web designer. Dennis has sung in many choirs over the years and currently performs with Eclectica and the Acafellas. Beth Seaward (soprano) recorded a record at three years old and joined her first choir at age four. In high school, she was chosen to join The Young Americans and the Southern California Youth Chorale and chose the choir because of the exposure to classical choral music, which remains her greatest musical interest today. She toured California and Europe with various choirs in high school and college and moved to Mendocino in 1973, attracted by both the scenery and the opportunities in the performing and graphic arts. She is a founding member of Gloriana Opera Company (now Gloriana Musical Theatre) and has performed leading roles with them. She was a member of two renaissance music ensembles, Mendocino Troubadours and Dalliance. She has also sung roles with Opera Fresca and the Mendocino Music Festival. She will be a featured artist at the Dolphin Gallery in June 2011, showing her paintings on silk, glass and paper. Tickets are $15 in advance, $5 more on the day of the performance. Youth 7 to 17 are admitted free. For advance purchase, go to Brown Paper Tickets or call them at 800-838-3006. To purchase in person, visit the Gualala Arts Center or Dolphin Gallery in Gualala.
The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA, Join us in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Gualala Arts, 1961 - 2011
Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.
|
Eclectica, as the name implies, is a mixed a cappella quartet that sings everything from renaissance to modern, as well as folk, gospel and jazz and anything else that strikes their fancy. They combine exquisite phrasing with a superb blend that results in a very special sound that audiences find absolutely entrancing. Their concerts mix classical with lighter fare and include everything from the silly to the sublime.