Festival Of The Arts

College To Host Spring Celebration Of Food, Art, Music And More On April 16-26

RICHLANDS, Va. – Pavlina Dokovska has a love story to tell.
It is not your typical boy-meets-girl tale of springtime passions.
This is, rather, a story of a place and its people. Yet, it certainly possesses passion.
It also occurs in spring.

‘SPECIAL BOND’
Each year, as the redbuds bloom in Honaker, Va., and tall grass stands beside the bubbling Little River, Dokovska heads from New York City to the rocky plains at the foothills of Clinch Mountain, where Southwest Virginia Community College straddles the Russell-Tazewell county border.
Here, Dokovska serves as the director of the annual Festival of the Arts, a celebration of drama, art, food and music.
“What creates the special bond for me is the people,” Dokovska said during a recent telephone interview from New York City.
“For me, that’s what makes this trip very, very special,” Dokovska said. “I’m with people who want to help the community.”
Dokovska, a concert pianist in New York City, is especially excited about this year’s event.
It’s a retrospective highlighting the past 15 years of the festival.

‘WONDERFUL’
Running April 16-26, this year’s festival has been dedicated to Ellen Elmes in appreciation of her many years of dedicated service to the college, students and the community, especially in the field of the arts.
The gallery in the college’s King Community Center was recently named the “Ellen von Dehsen Elmes Gallery” in honor of the longtime art teacher, according to the festival’s executive director, Mary Lawson.
“The year 1995 was the first full-scale ‘Festival of the Arts’ with theater, ballet, poetry, musicians,” remembered Dokovska, who came down to the college as early as 1985 to perform a solo piano recital.
“This was the beauty of it,” Dokovska said. “It brought wonderful educational aspects, using the resources of the college.”

‘VERY EXCITED’
Dokovska does more than perform at the Festival of the Arts. She also conducts musical workshops for local teachers and students.
“I think, as an educator, our mission is to spread the beauty of the arts,” said Dokovska, the chair of the Mannes College of Music Piano department in New York City.
“I am very happy and very excited about this anniversary that we’re celebrating,” Dokovska said. “There’s going to be a little bit of everything and bringing back some of the favorites.”

IF YOU GO
What: Festival of the Arts
Where: Southwest Virginia Community College, off U.S. 19, along the Russell-Tazewell county line
When: April 16-26
Info: (276) 964-7348

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS SCHEDULE
Here’s a look at the upcoming Festival of the Arts at Southwest Virginia Community College:

Here’s a look at the upcoming Festival of the Arts at Southwest Virginia Community College:

THURSDAY, April 16
What: Festival Fanfare! Jazz-America’s Music!
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: On campus
Details: Featuring the talents of the SVCC Jazz Ensemble, director Joseph Trivette and jazz-y friends, this group of musicians has become a staple on the college’s music scene.

FRIDAY, April 17
What: FOOTWORKS
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: On campus
Details: FOOTWORKS presents a uniquely American story with a fusion of live music, comedy, singing and an array of percussive dance forms rooted in different cultures. The group’s choreography combines elements of clog, step and tap dance into one performance.

SATURDAY, April 18
What: SOUL-Singers of United Lands
When: 3 p.m.
Where: On campus
Details: Choral workshop held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with concert at 3 p.m. This group strives to develop international and cultural relationships through vocal music from around the world. Vocalists from South America and Africa combine to work with local high school choir members, teaching music from their cultures. The final concert will feature the high school choirs as well as individual participation by the SOUL Singers.
SUNDAY, April 19
What: Knoxville Symphony
When: 4 p.m.
Where: On campus
Details: The Knoxville Symphony, conducted by James Fellenbaum, will perform works by Glinka, Brahms, Mascagni, Grainger, William Grant Still and Mendelssohn. Pianists Pavlina Dokovska and Vladimir Vlajarevic will perform compositions by Franz Liszt and Franz Joseph Haydn. The orchestra will accompany soprano Stefka Evstatieva in arias by Bizet and Puccini. The SVCC Community Chorus, directed by Joseph Trivette, will perform works by Haydn and Ralph Vaughan Williams, ending with “America the Beautiful!”

TUESDAY, April 21
What: Camerata Virtuosi New York, featuring Yuri Vodovoz, Rob Taylor, Diliana Momtchilova, Kimberly Foster and Stefka Evstatieva
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 208 Tazewell Ave., Bluefield, W.Va.
Details: Camerata Virtuosi New York is performing “The Mendelssohn Salon,” in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn. The program will be a musical recreation of the world of art and intellectual inheritance surrounding one of the world’s most renowned composers. It will feature works by composers Felix and Fannie Mendelssohn, Bach, Handel, Schubert, Schuman, von Weber and Chopin.

WEDNESDAY, April 22
What: Camerata Virtuosi New York
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Buchanan First Presbyterian Church, Riverside Drive, Grundy, Va.
Details: “Haydn, the Father of Classical Form” will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the death of Franz Joseph Haydn in a musical memorial to the great “Papa” Haydn, tracing his profound and lasting influence. Composers featured in the concert will be “Papa” and Michael Haydn, Beethoven, Britten, Mozart, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.

THURSDAY, April 23
What: International Cafe
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: King Community Center, on campus
Details: This will be a celebration of the culinary delights from countries around the world, celebrated in previous festivals.

THURSDAY, April 23
What: Camerata Virtuosi New York
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: First Baptist Church, Honaker, Va.
Details: The Gaynelle Lockhart Albert Memorial Concert will feature “Playing Favorites,” a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the participation of Camerata Virtuosi New York with the Festival of the Arts. Selections will be the favorites of the members of the ensemble.

FRIDAY, April 24
What: QuinTango
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: On campus
Details: A quintet of two violins, cello, bass and piano, these musicians are dedicated to the musical performance of tango. QuinTango brings its own interpretations to this music.

SATURDAY, April 25
What: Anniversary Celebration
When: 11 a.m.
Where: King Community Center, on campus
Details: This celebration takes a look back at earlier festivals.
SATURDAY, April 25
What: Oktoberfest
When: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Historic Crab Orchard Museum, Tazewell, Va.
Details: A celebration in the German tradition of Oktoberfest will feature The Sauerkraut Band, a traditional German band, recreating the lively experience found in the beer halls and tents throughout Southern Germany. The music and dance will feature the Polka, Waltz, March, Reinlander, Schottisch and Landler. Dance demonstrations will encourage guests to participate.
A German-style buffet will be catered by Your Grate Escape and will include beef goulash, pierogies with sauerkraut and mushrooms, stuffed cabbage rolls, German potato salad, pickled beet salad, black forest cake and apple custard. Traditional German beverages will be served.
Cost is $25 per person (which includes three beverages). Call (276) 964-7348 for reservations and/or mail checks to: Festival of the Arts, Southwest Virginia Community College, Attn.: Mary W. Lawson, P. O. Box SVCC, Richlands, VA 24641.

SUNDAY, April 26
What: Festival Finale: Piano x Three
When: 3 p.m.
Where: On campus.
Details: The conclusion of the festival will feature this musical extravaganza featuring three pianists: Pavlina Dokovska, Vladimir Valjarevie and Joseph Trivette. In a variety of styles, they will perform selections for four hands, two pianos, four hands and three pianos, and six hands. Composers performed will be Shostakovich, Lutoslawski, Chopin, Bogdanovic, Dvorak and Rachmaninov.

THERE’S MORE
Special exhibits are in place throughout the festival, including:
Through May 14: The Ellen Von Dehsen Elmes Gallery in SVCC King Community Center will feature artworks from the college’s permanent collection, including paintings, drawings and sculptures from artists in Russia, Scotland, Eastern Europe, Ghana and the United States, paralleling the 2009 festival theme.
Through May 19: The Booth Center Gallery, Grundy, Va., will feature “Coal Country in Black and White: Photographs, 1968-1973,” by Jeanne Rasmussen (1934-1992).