The Edmonds arts scene, for the remainder of the month, will be as varied as it is exciting with these featured productions:

Edmonds Center for the Arts

Cascade Symphony Orchestra

On Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m., ECA’s resident orchestra, the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, presents the second concert of its 52nd season.  Attendees will be treated to a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, which features violinist Alexander Velinzon. Currently serving as Concertmaster for the Seattle Symphony, Velinzon began his musical education in Russia at the famed Leningrad School for Gifted Children. He moved to the United States in 1990 and took up studies at Julliard where he earned his Bachelor’s and Masters degrees before making his debut at Carnegie Hall.

Attendees of the Monday night performance can no doubt expect lively banter between Velinzon and Conductor Michael Miropolsky, who is infamous for his wit and self-revealing vignettes.

The evening of classical music will also include Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, Elgar’s arrangement of Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor, and Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks by Richard
Strauss.

Ticket prices are $25 general admission; $20 seniors 60+; $15 students with ID; $10 youth 12 and under. Tickets are available online at www.ec4arts.org , through the ECA Box Office located at 410 Fourth Avenue North, or by calling 425-275-9595. For assistance with purchasing tickets, event details, theater location and more information, visit www.ec4arts.org  or stop by or call ECA box office, 425-275-9595.

Menopause The Musical

The international hit show is returning to ECA on Thursday, Jan. 23 and Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. With its hilarious choreography, its cleverly re-mixed lyrics, and its “Laughter: The best medicine” outlook on life, “Menopause The Musical” offers a unique perspective on The Change.

The production is the work of writer and producer Jeanie Linders, director Seth Greenleaf and choreographer Daria Melendez.  Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, Linders created this show as a celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived menopause.

The laughter-filled musical culminates in a department store as four women with seemingly nothing in common realize their “point of relationship” at a lingerie sale. The superb cast makes fun of their woeful hot flashes, forgetfulness, mood swings, wrinkles, night sweats, and chocolate binges. A sisterhood is created between these diverse women as they realize that menopause is no longer “The Silent Passage.” It is a stage in every woman’s life that is perfectly normal and chock full of humor.

Linders opened her musical at an Orlando, Florida styling salon in 2001. The production met with such success that it moved off-Broadway to Playhouse 91 the following year where it enjoyed a five-year run. According to the production website, the show has entertained over eleven million people, showing in more than 450 cities in the U.S., and touring nearly 300 cities in 15 countries.

The 90-minute production features 25 familiar, though altered, songs from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. The lyrical takeoffs include Brenda Lee’s “I’m Sorry” as “I’m Flashing” and Petula Clark’s “It’s a Sign of the Times’”becomes, “It’s a sign of the times when your hourglass shape becomes a glass of water.” The cast dances to their numbers onstage – and in the aisles – so it’s full audience participation at this one!

General admission tickets for “Menopause The Musical” are $42-$52 and are available online at www.ec4arts.org , through the ECA Box Office located at 410 Fourth Ave. N., or by calling 425-275-9595. Tickets for students/youth are $15. Seniors and military receive a 10 percent discount. For assistance with purchasing tickets, visit www.ec4arts.org  or stop by or call ECA box office, 425.275.9595.

ARTspot Art Supply ~ 408 Main St.
Cole Gallery ~ 107 5th Ave. S.

Tracy Felix Fraker and Denise Cole, business partners at ARTspot Art Supply, will be celebrating their long friendship and a special anniversary at Thursday evening’s Art Walk. Their celebration will be in observance of the seventh anniversary of Fraker’s first showing of contemporary abstract art at the Cole Gallery, owned by Cole. The owner of the Cole Gallery welcomes her friend back saying, “we’ve come full circle.”

ARTspot Art Supply, which provides studio space to over 10 local artists, opened in June 2012 when the two women had a flash-point realization that being partners in an art supply store and art studio in downtown Edmonds would be an answer to each of their dreams. After sharing mutual acquaintances, and bumping into each other over a number of years, Fraker (who is most comfortable in the contemporary abstract world of art) took Cole (whose preference is traditional art) up on an invitation to show her art at the Cole Gallery. Overlooking their differing art forms the two women forged an immediate bond. Their friendship grew after they began teaching acrylics together. When Fraker (who was closing her Seattle gallery) approached Cole about the two women working as employer-employee at the Cole Gallery, Cole responded, “I have a better idea than you being my employee – be my partner!” And ARTspot was born.

Inspired by Picasso’s observation “To become an artist, one must go back to being a child,” ARTspot established art classes intended to appeal to artistically-inclined children.  Both ARTspot and the Cole Gallery offer classes for adults seeking “a strong skills-foundation or who wish to learn a new medium, building on their intermediate skills,” Cole explains. She tells of customers who wander into ARTspot’s retro-influenced space seeking advice on how to re-discover their love of art, “It’s powerful what customers reveal regarding their motivation for art.”  Cole recalled one woman, returning to her love of art, who divulged, “It’s in my soul.”

On Friday, Jan. 25 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., parents and grandparents can take advantage of Edmonds School District’s “No School Friday” by enrolling their art-curious children in ARTspot’s day camp.  The camp is designed for children from the ages of 7 to 12 who are interested in art projects in various media. The three-hour classes are taught by Mona Fairbanks, whose website is here. Tuition for the art day camp is $40, which includes supplies. Mark your calendars for upcoming “No School Friday” day camps: Feb. 7, March 21, April 25 and May 16.

Additionally, parents and grandparents who want to accompany their kids to art class will be interested in Julie Perine’s “JuJu Dog” clay class.  These cute little characterized clay dogs decorate ARTspot’s storefront, and are enjoyed by hundreds of Art Walk enthusiasts. Julie’s classes are held in two-class sessions on respective Thursday evenings. Registration is being accepted for the Feb. 27 and March 13  ~ 6 to 8:30 p.m. classes. Tuition is $60 + $5 supply fee.

Adult-exclusive ARTspot classes feature a small group setting and the encouragement of skilled, supportive local artists. The schedule for the adult art classes can be viewed here.

For further information visit the ARTspot website or call the studio/store at 425-640-6408.

Upcoming Edmonds Art Scene Events:

In My Life: A Musical Theater Tribute to The Beatles is coming to Edmonds Center for the Arts. Abbey Road will perform their award-winning retelling of the Beatles story on Wednesday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. Discounted ticket will be available between Jan. 17-24. Use promo code “Beatles” when booking, to receive your $10 discount.

“In My Life” features a retelling of the Beatles story through the eyes of manager Brian Epstein. This family friendly musical is widely considered by industry insiders to be the most unique Beatles show in decades.

“In My Life” takes the audience back to February 1964, when Americans saw the Beatles for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show, playing I Want  to Hold Your Hand. Progressing through their various musical stages, the audience re-experiences the psychedelic era of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the creation of the haunting Yesterday and raucous rock and roll of Revolution.

Regular ticket prices for this show are $35-$55 and are available online at www.ec4arts.org.

Edmonds Art Walk Kicks off A New Year!

Thursday, Jan. 16 between 5-8 p.m., Edmonds Art Walk begins its 2014 season as host galleries and businesses exhibit a dazzling array of work by artists, poets, and authors.

The Art Walk is held on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Each month Artfully Edmonds will feature stops along the Art Walk as well as the URL to the printable Edmonds Art Walk map.

Featured Art Walk stops for this month:

Cole Gallery (107 5th Ave. S.): Tracy Felix Fraker and Scott Burnett will be among a group of artists exhibiting contemporary abstract art at this month’s Art Walk. Ms. Fraker observes of her style, “abstracts are not for the feint of heart,” explaining that “one creates abstract art in the interpretive versus literal – as the artist, you’re not handing the viewer the story.”

Café Louvre (203 5th Ave. S.) offers an inviting stop on your Art Walk, with its comforting fireplace and array of exotic treats. So stop in and place an order for your espresso preference, or select from the aromatic teas as you take in the work of the many artists who have chosen to feature their art at Café Louvre.

Edmonds Bookshop (408 Main St.) will host Tracy Weber, author of “Murder Strikes a Pose: A Downward Dog” for lovers of the literary arts.

As you make your way west on Main Street you will want to stop at Red Petal Cakes and Coffee (321 Main St.) will host Art Walk’s Poet, David Ramey. Ramey will present his work, ‘Cotton Candy Clouds’ between 7-7:30 p.m.

Gallery North

(401 Main Street, Edmonds, WA) continues to show off its new location with a number of featured and resident artists. I was invited to a pre-showing of the Art Walk selections by watercolorist Cecile Disenhouse who says of her most recent media preference that she enjoys the “freshness” of watercolor.

Wade James Theater ~ 950 Main St.

The Edmonds Driftwood Players will perform ‘Self-Composed’ Thursday, Jan 16-18 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. Written by Lyssandra Norton and directed by Morgan S. Heetbrink this “edgy examination of self-identity and friendship. . . explores the confusion of adolescence.”  Single main stage tickets: $25/$22 for military, juniors 18 and under, and seniors 60 and over. Box Office location: 306 Main Street, Suite L101 (lower level of Bank of America.)

Black Box Theater ~ Edmonds Community College (EdCC), Lynnwood,

Saturdays, Jan. 18 and 25 at 8:05 PM – It’s Improv! Unexpected Productions Northwest will present ‘Unexpected Doorways’.  General admission is $10 with discounts for EdCC faculty, staff, and students.  For event details, theater location and more information, visit  https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=bbox .

Edmonds Center for the Arts ~ 410 4th Ave. N.

Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. the California Guitar Trio + Montreal Guitar Trio will join forces! Performing both independently and in a dazzling six-guitar experience, these two groups will demonstrate their virtuosity and creativity. Noted for the wit and warmth with audiences, this will be a performance to remember!

Tickets for this show are priced at $22/ $27/ $32 and are available online at www.ec4arts.org.

— By Emily Hill

Emily Hill is an author and long-time resident of Edmonds. She is retired from a career in public information and news media relations. If you would like your event listed, or featured, in Artfully Edmonds, Emily invites you to contact her at arts@myedmondsnews.com.