May 22, 23, & 24, 2008

May 22, 23, 24, 2008

Music Under The "K"

 

Thursday ; This evening we went into town for the opening ceremonies of Music Under The "K" in Memorial Park. This is the tenth annual Music Under The "K", a weekend outdoor music festival in Keremeos. The "K" is K Mountain, behind the village of Keremeos. The music performances are in a bandshell set up in Memorial Park so that the audience sits looking at the bandshell with K Mountain behind. Very picturesque ! The festival is comprised mostly of school choirs and bands, but also includes performances by local amateur musicians, and a few professional "headliners". This year the school bands and choirs came from all over B.C., one from Alberta and one from Ontario. The 600 students participating were led into Memorial Park by a bagpiper. The participating students outnumbered tonight's audience by about ten to one. The opening ceremonies included opening remarks by local politicians and school officials, and performances by a school concert band, a jazz choir, a rock band, and an East Indian dance troupe. In my opinion, the highlight was a welcoming drum and song performed by a couple of local Natives in their Aboriginal / First Nations language.

 

Friday ; Today was a cloudy and cool day, with a few drops of rain, so we didn't go into town for Music Under the "K" until late afternoon, as the school groups were finishing and the "professional" groups were beginning. The first performance we watched was Thursday Night Jazz Band, an 18 piece "Big Band" from Penticton. Next was Kutapira, an amazing group of percussionists playing Zimbabwean, African, and Cuban music. We had fried chicken dinner while watching and listening to Kutapira. While the next band was setting up on the stage, we won a door prize. A large wicker picnic basket filled with merchandise and gift certificates from local merchants. Very nice ! The last group we watched was Tiller's Folley, a Celtic bluegrass trio from Vancouver. At one point Lester rode into Memorial Park on his horse, followed by his ever faithful dog. He was soon surrounded by a mob of kids. I guess a lot of the "city kids" had never seen a real live cowboy Indian on a horse up close.

 

Saturday ; Today started out sunny and warm, but ended up cloudy and cool, with a few drops of rain threatening the Music Under The "K" finale. This morning we went to SunKatchers, the RV park next door, for their annual yard sale. This afternoon we went briefly to Dorothy's and Mike's for Mike's birthday party. Late in the afternoon we headed into town for more Music Under The "K". We arrived as the Penticton Concert Band was playing. Following them was the "K" Rockets, a Keremeos based classic rock band. EEEUUUWWW ! After them was another Keremeos based classic rock band, The Black Birds. Much better ! We had seen The Black Birds before, at the Iron Man Triathlon Street Party in Penticton. How can a village as small as Keremeos spawn so many classic rock bands. Lots of fifty something, slightly eccentric, affluent old men, I guess. HA HA HA HA HA !

The finale was a combination performance, featuring Foothills Brass, a quintet from Edmonton, Alberta, that had performed at the first Music Under The "K" ten years ago, and ... a massed band and choir comprised of the 600 students attending and performing at the festival. HA HA HA ... pretty impressive watching 600 kids perform our national anthem. The massed band performed Oh Canada, Foothills Brass performed half a dozen pieces, the massed band performed a Bach piece, and did very well, then Foothills Brass performed another half dozen or so pieces. It began to rain lightly near the end, and many of the teachers and organizers seemed a bit panicked. The kids took it all in stride. Their finale was Under The "K" March, a piece composed specifically to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Music Under The "K". Suffice to say that it was pretty difficult for the four conductors to keep 600 student musicians "together" playing an unfamiliar piece, outdoors, in light rain with a wind blowing.

All things considered, Music Under the "K" was exceptionally well done ! Bravo !

DSK