Mayfest coming to Neepawa
- Details
- Published on Thursday, May 16, 2013
By: Kate Jackman-Atkinson
myWestman.ca
Michael Kim, the dean of Music at Brandon University, had an idea of a concert he wanted to put on and went looking for a venue.
The venue he found was Knox Presbyterian Church in Neepawa, which offered a historically beautiful setting and rich acoustics. With a venue, Michael and his wife Kyung, who is also a pianist, began planning the inaugural “Mayfest”.The event will take place May 24-25 and will offer two evenings of high caliber music.
The May 24 performance is titled, “A Piano Extravaganza”. It will feature, among others, pianists Jayoung Hong, Kyung Kim and Michael Kim, who will combine forces to create an unforgettable tour de force evening of works for piano, including works by J.S. Bach, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Rachmaninoff. The pianists will perform solo, four hands six hands, and eight hands).
This performance will also feature the world premiere of Mayfest 2013, op. 844, by Neepawa composer Remi Bouchard, performed by Kyung and Michael Kim. Bouchard explains that when he heard about Mayfest being organized in his home community, he wrote a piano suite for the occasion.
Bouchard describes his composition as dramatic and full of energy. He explains, “I thought it had to be dramatic and difficult, since they [the festival] are honouring our town.” Bouchard said he wrote it, not knowing whether or not the artistic directors would choose to perform it. After sending the manuscript to them, they said that they were going to play it at the festival.
The May 25 performance is titled “Love and Song” and will feature cellist Simon Fryer and the Neepawa community choir, conducted by Sangmyoung Kim. This performance will feature a mix of classical and popular music selections that is sure to delight and please the musical palate.
Mayfest will feature a variety of musical talent drawn from Neepawa, the Westman region and abroad, including cellist Simon Fryer, pianists Jayoung Hong, Kyung Kim, Michael Kim, Sunhwa Her, and tenor Sangmyoung Kim conducting the Neepawa community choir.
Mayfest will also introduce two rising young stars: Jinsung Kim, recent first place winner for the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg Scholarship Competition and 12 year old prodigy Jammie Lee.
The Viscount Cultural Centre for the Arts is one of the local organizers and promoters of the event and Rrain Prior, director of Programming said, “This is a really exciting opportunity.” She explains that the festival will feature a high caliber of artists, who play in Europe and elsewhere in Canada, performing in Neepawa. She hopes to see the festival become and annual event and grow.
While the musicians will be top notch, Prior says that those attending don’t have to be musical experts. She explained that at the fundrasing concert held earlier in the year, Michael Kim made sure to introduce the music and talk about it, including how it was perceived when it was first written and performed.
The performances will be accessible to those who just want to come and hear top-notch music.
