Conductor William Dimmer and orchestra. – Stephen Dafoe Photos
Morinville – The first anniversary of the Morinville Community Cultural Centre was recognized with a gala concert Saturday night. The evening’s theme was the music of American composer George Gershwin.
The performance featured a 23-performer wind ensemble assembled from the professional music community in Edmonton, including some members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) as well as additional instrumentalists drawn from the Capital Region’s classical and jazz ensembles.
Gershwin’s most popular piano work, The Rhapsody in Blue, was performed by pianist Johnathan Raine, allowing the centre to show off the grand piano purchased by the Morinville Rotary Club. Raine was joined on several Gershwin numbers by soprano Kathleen Corcoran. William Dimmer, a long-time member of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and conductor of Nova Musica, an Edmonton community orchestra, conducted the accompanying ensemble, and started the evening off with a discussion of Gershwin and his music.
Approximately 80 came out to the celebratory gala.
Above: Pianist Johnathan Raine accompanies soprano Kathleen Corcoran on a Gershwin number during the first half of Saturday evening’s show.
