2018-19 Guide To Yellow Springs

44 the Guide to YelLow Springs y 2018 - 1 9 Y e l l ow S p r i n g s N ews   Born or bred —  y  local musicians find fame y By Megan Bachman This supplement is too short to catalogue all the musical talent that has come from and through Yellow Springs. Here are a few troubadours and virtuosos who at one time called this place home. Roberta Alexander Internationally known opera singer Roberta Alexander moved to the Yellow Springs area in the 1950s as a child with her musician parents. Her mother, also named Roberta Alexander, was a soprano who sang with the Dayton Philharmonic and her father was a choral conductor who led his own chorus, The Robert Alexander Chorale. In the mid-1950s, Dr. Walter Anderson, head of the Antioch College music department, asked Roberta Alexan- der’s mother to join the Antioch College faculty as an instructor of voice. The family moved to the village from nearby Wilber- force in 1967. Alexander made her opera debut in Yellow Springs at age 8 during a “Music Under the Stars” series of three operas. She was in a production of “Lost in the Stars” by Kurt Weill, which featured the Robert Alexander Chorale. Alexander went on to study music at nearby Central State University, the University of Michigan and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. She became a leading soprano, debuting at the Netherlands Opera in 1975 and perform- ing principal roles in opera houses around the globe for decades. She currently lives in Amsterdam. Joy Blackett A distinguished mezzo-soprano, Joy Blackett immigrated from Bermuda at the age of 14 and settled in Yellow Springs three years later. Already accepted by Ober- lin Conservatory of Music in Ohio before her freshman year, Blackett toured her native country accompanied on piano by her mentor, Dr. Walter Anderson, concert pianist, composer, and chair of the music department at Antioch College. She went on to graduate from Juilliard and become a renowned vocal performer in concerts and operas, and a university professor. Blackett won the National Opera Award in Washington, D.C., and has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Musica Aeterna Orchestra in New York, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Santa Fe Opera, the Seattle Opera and more. In 1989, The New York Times music critic Donal Henahan identified and listed Blackett, along with African-American sing - ers Leontyne Price, Paul Robeson, Kathleen Battle, Dorothy Maynor, and Roland Hayes, “among the flood of splendid black sing - ers who have contributed to the world of concert and opera as spiritual descendants of the legendary Marian Anderson.” Wendy Champney Wendy Champney is viola player with the Carmina Quartet, an internationally acclaimed string quartet based in Zurich, Switzerland, that has traveled the world since 1984. Champney grew up in the Vale play- ing music with her parents Peg and Ken Champney and took lessons from her neigh- bor, the violinist Mary Schumacher. Coming of age in the 1970s, she benefitted from the strong high school musician program led by cellist Shirley Mullins. She earned her music degree from Indiana University, where she met her husband and future musical collabo- rator, violinist Mattias Enderle. Champney continued on in graduate stud - ies in viola performance in Zurich. It was there that she and Enderle formed the Carmina Quartet, which won its first major Borciani competition in Italy in 1987, and thereaf - ter gained international prominence. They traveled the world performing, at their peak, upwards of 100 concerts in a one year. At the group's 25th anniversary concert, held as part of the Chamber Music in Yellow Springs series in 2008, they added a new member, the Enderle's daughter, Chiara, at cello. In addition to occasional tours, Champney is also an instructor of chamber music and viola. Michael Fitzpatrick Personal cellist to the XIVth Dalai Lama, Michael Fitzpatrick is an internationally known musician who uses his music to pro- mote world peace through his “Tuning the Planet” platform. Currently based in Boulder, Colo., Fitzpatrick studied with Shirley Mullins at age 9 and with Mills Lawn music teacher Becky Brunsman in the early 1970s. More recently he received The Prince Charles Award for Outstanding Musicianship con- ferred by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Enon Veterinary Hospital We’ve expanded our staff to better serve our pet community. ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS For appointments, emergencies, boarding & grooming please call (937) 864-7733 208 West Main Street • Enon Extended Hours: M,T,Th 7:30a–6p • Wed 8a–5p Fri 7:30a–5p • Sat 8a–Noon • Closed Sundays Mark Bradstreet, CPA Dawn Bradstreet, CPA Linda Johannes, CPA We offer a full array of services, yet we’re small enough to take a personal interest in each of our clients Our Professional Services include: CENTERVILLE OFFICE 388 Regency Ridge Drive (937) 436-3133 XENIA OFFICE 878 W. Second Street (937) 372-3504 www.bradstreetcpas.com • Startup Businesses • Business Consulting • Tax Planning & Preparation • Financial Statements • Bank/SBA Loan Assistance • Turnaround Consulting • Business Valuations • Quickbooks & Peachtree Assistance • Estate & Succession Planning • Buy/Sell Agreements • Retirement Plan Assistance • IRS Audits • Payroll Services Jail House Suites Beautifully renovated historic jail house built in 1878. Just one “cell” block from downtown Yellow Springs. Available for overnight and extended stays. www.jailhousesuites.com 111N.Winter St., Yellow Springs, OH 45387 937-319-1222