Dominguez and Fung
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A Tuesday Adventure with Music
From the time you walked into the theatre until the performers walked on stage, the audience knew they were in for something special. The rose petals strewn around the table as you walked in, and knowing the concert was dedicated in memory of founding board member Ruth Brandon as a concert she would have loved, cellist Chloe Dominiguez and pianist Janelle Fung did not disappoint. These two ladies charmed their way into the hearts of those present with tales of princes and princesses, ogres, tigers and other-world creatures, as well as stories of the composers who wrote the music, and what was going on in their lives at the time they wrote this music. And then they took us away in our imaginations with the intrinsic singing qualities of the cello and the infinite colour palette of the piano, and we became more aware of the scene depicted. Their keen sensitivity to the music, and to the messages they were trying to convey, their incredible fingering on their chosen instruments, and the sheer passion with which they played – we knew we were in the presence of some amazing talent. What an honour it was! This type of concert could not normally be brought to our community, but with the help of Prairie Debut (an organization which links the best Canadian classical and world music artists to communities, mostly rural and outside of the larger centres in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Yukon), this has been made possible. |
Also, this year, with the support of the TELUS Manitoba Community Fund, Prairie Debut, working together with our local Souris District Arts Council, was able to bring the Dominguez/Fung Duo to Souris School to perform a 45-minute concert in the school gym, followed by a question and answer period. This concert was offered free of charge to the school. The stories sparked students’ imaginations and helped them to draw a direct link between classical music and the emotions and images that it evokes. Children became quite animated and involved as they listened to the cello-piano duo, realizing that they were hearing a train passing through the gym, or when they heard the music of the tiger being captured and brought down the mountain. Several students even got the opportunity to conduct and change the tempo, or increase the dynamics by hand motions, enhancing the experience of all their classmates.
