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Creators of the popular Jamestown Chamber Music Series present “The Music of Ikuma Dan” at the Central Baptist Church on Sunday, July 20th

(JAMESTOWN, RI) A Musical celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Black Ships Festival, comes to Jamestown when “Music for a While” returns with a unique concert celebrating the music of acclaimed Japanese composer, Ikuma Dan. The program is presented by the Flickers Arts Collaborative and the Rhode Island International Film Festival.

“Music for a While” created and orchestrated the popular Jamestown Chamber Music Series through the Flickers Arts Collaborative. The musical group consists of Eric R. Bronner, Julibeth Andrews and Nancy Nicholson. They will be joined for this performance by Kara Lund, known to music fans for her performances with Opera Providence.

To add to the fun, Providence artist and photographer Barfoot of Providence. will be presenting a 3-D tour of modern Japan. This multi-media program will precede the concert. Special viewing glasses will be provided to the audience

The concert will take place on Sunday, July 20th, 7:00 p.m., at the Central Baptist Church, 99 Narragansett Avenue, Jamestown, R.I. Tickets are $12; $10 for seniors/students and RIIFF members, and can be purchased at the door. For more information, please call 401.861.4445.

About Music for a While:

"Music for a While" chamber ensemble -- acclaimed for drawing audiences into its performances through a creative blend of musicality, acting and staging, originated when Flickers Arts Collaborative brought soprano Julibeth Andrews, tenor Eric Bronner, and pianist Nancy Nicholson together for a concert in 1993. They have been performing together ever since.

"Music for a While" is known for its versatility, with a repertoire ranging from classical art songs to Broadway hits, to gems of the concert piano literature, to music by contemporary avant garde composers. "Music for a While" is often joined by musician colleagues for unique programming such as "East Meets West," which features arts songs of Ikuma Dan, and "Christmas Canticles," a celebration of the nativity through songs and readings.

"Music for a While" has been featured in music series at museums, mansions, colleges, festivals, and churches throughout Rhode Island and New England including RISD Art Museum, Blithewold Mansion, Linden Place Mansion, Brown University's Bell Art Gallery, Christmas in Newport, the Jubilé Franco-Americain, and Salve Regina University, to name a few.

 WHAT IS THE BLACK SHIPS FESTIVAL?

The Black Ships Festival commemorates the historic achievements of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, USN, of Newport, Rhode Island. The "Black Ships," or "Kurofune," refers to the Japanese term for foreign ships, which, with one exception, were excluded from Japan for two hundred years until 1854. Commodore Perry negotiated the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, the first treaty between the United States and Japan, thus ending two centuries of Japanese isolationism. The Black Ships Festival celebrates the signing of the treaty, which brought the two countries together as trading partners.


The Black Ships Festival is presented by The Japan-America Society Black Ships Festival of Rhode Island, Inc., a non-profit, non-partisan organization. For further information, contact The Japan-America Society of Rhode Island, 28 Pelham Street, Newport, RI 02840, call (401) 846-2720 or their website at www.BlackShipsFestival.com.


The special film program being presented this year by RIIFF will take place at locations in Newport, Jamestown and Narragansett. The dates are July 18 –20th.

About "Music for a While"

The Flickers Arts Collaborative brought together soprano Julibeth Andrews, tenor Eric Bronner, and pianist Nancy Nicholson in the summer of 1993 for a concert of Japanese Art Songs presented at Brown University's Bell Art Gallery. The three then formed the trio "Music for a While" and presented concerts throughout Rhode Island and the New England region for the next dozen years. The trio also founded and ran the Jamestown Chamber Music Series, under the auspices of Flickers, for six seasons. Each is thrilled to come together again.

About the Artists

Julibeth Andrews, soprano—of Jamestown, is a singer and teacher in demand. She has appeared with the Sierra String Quartet in San Francisco. With Chicago's Mostly Music Inc., she sang in many premieres and performed in a national broadcast. Local audiences have heard her perform roles with Ocean State Light Opera, and solos with Swanhurst Chorus. In 1992 she was chosen to sing for Sherrill Milnes at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Conference. In 1994 she was a finalist in the Chloe Owen American Art Song Competition. In 1998 she received the Goldovsky Fellowship for opera direction from the National Opera Association. With a Master of Music degree from URI, she teaches voice and performance technique at Roger Williams University, and in her private studio, VoiceImages.

Eric Bronner, Tenor, M.M., M.S., CMVT, CSVW—of Riverside, RI, performs opera, oratorio, art song, chamber music, music theater, and cabaret throughout New England, and has also performed as a soloist nationally and abroad. His performances have aired on BBC radio, NPR, and PBS. Credits include the Aldeburgh Music Festival (England), First Coast Opera (St. Augustiine, FL), Napa (CA) Zarzuela Festival, and Townsend Opera (Modesto, CA). He performs regularly with American Classics (Boston), Opera Providence (RI), and the Newport Baroque Orchestra (RI). Press reviews include “terrific” by the St. Augustine Record (FL), “impressive” by the Stockton Record (CA), “a clear tenor voice that beautifully sailed with ease” in the Providence Journal (RI), and “deft comic acting” in the Boston Globe (MA). Favorite roles include Ferrando (Cosi), Tamino (Flute), Pedrillo (Seraglio), Alfred (Fledermaus), Basilio (Figaro), Frederick (Pirates), Ralph (Pinafore), among others. He teaches voice, speech, and aesthetics at Roger Williams University and Salve Regina University. He earned his M.M. on scholarship from Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA), a B.A. in Theatre from Purdue University, an M.S. in Journalism from Ohio University, and studied at the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies in England. He has authored three articles in the Journal of Singing, published by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He has served as musical director for Flickers Arts Collaborative for many years organizing concerts and recording projects.

Nancy Nicholson, piano, of Providence, has appeared as piano soloist regionally, nationally, and abroad at Royal Festival Hall's Purcell Room (London), and at the Salle Cortot and Schola Cantorum (Paris). A specialist in French music, she was twice a featured performer at the prestigious French Piano Institute in Paris. She has served on the music faculties of Notre Dame University (Philippines), Cape Cod Conservatory, Cape Cod Community College, the Wheeler School, and manages her own thriving music studio in Providence. Her latest passion for the organ works of J.S. Bach led her to formal organ study, and to many organ benches in area churches where she is a frequent guest organist. She is active in chamber music performances throughout southern New England. Nancy performed with Julie and Eric in the trio “Music for a While” and together, they created and directed six seasons of the Jamestown Chamber Music Series.

THE WHO, WHAT AND WHEN OF IT:

Sunday, July 20:

New Directions in Japanese Cinema II

Cutting-edge films scheduled for the 2008 Rhode Island International Film Festival, are given a “First Look” advance screening.

Location: Jamestown Community Center, 41 Conanicus Avenue, Jamestown

Time: Noon - 4:30 p.m.

Cost: Free 

East Meets West: The Music of Ikuma Dan

A Musical celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Black Ships Festival, featuring the music of acclaimed Japanese composer, Ikuma Dan as performed by Music for a While: Eric R. Bronner, Julibeth Andrews, Kara Lund and Nancy Nicholson. A special 3-D slide presentation, which will provide a tour of modern Japan, has been created by Jim Barfoot of Providence. This multi-media program will precede the concert. Special viewing glasses will be provided to the audience.

Location: Central Baptist Church, 99 Narragansett Avenue, Jamestown, R.I.

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Cost: $12; $10 for seniors/students and RIIFF members

For more information, please call 401.861.4445.