Jackson and Josephine counties – On June 12, the Rogue Community College Music Department will kick off a series of end-of-term concerts with a pair of choral performances simultaneously presented in Grants Pass and Medford. The melodies continue June 14 with the RCC Concert Band giving a patriotic performance in Grants Pass and conclude June 15 with the RCC Chamber Music Ensemble performing “Blended Harmonies” in Medford. All concerts are free and open to the public with donations accepted.
The Rogue Chorus will perform a mix of jazz, Broadway and classical pieces for “Anything Goes,” at 7 p.m. June 12 in the Rogue Auditorium on the Redwood Campus in Grants Pass. RCC Music Department Coordinator Chiharu Sai will direct the choir, accompanied by pianist Heidi Sundin. The event will offer selections for an array of music tastes with choral works spanning Gershwin to Brahms. Sundin will perform a Liszt-Chopin solo piano piece and the RCC Chamber Ensemble Piano Trio (Travis Snyder Jr., violin; Teresa Northcross, cello; and Anna Christina, piano) will also perform.
The 27-member Riverside Chorus will perform “A Musical Mosaic” at 7 p.m. June 12 at the Eastwood Baptist Church, 675 N Keene Way Drive in Medford. Under the direction of Pam Nordquist, the former choral conductor of the Rogue Valley Youth Choruses and retired South Medford High School choir teacher, this newly launched Medford choir will present a sampling of American and international choral pieces accompanied by pianist Ron Ochs.
Honoring Flag Day, the RCC Concert Band’s “Pop Goes the Patriotic!” concert at 7 p.m. June 14 will feature a salute to U.S. Armed Forces and the Stars and Stripes, along with a variety of family-friendly tunes.Conductor Jon Bennett will present a medley of John Phillip Sousa favorites and patriotic tunes including “American Flourish,” “Banners on Parade,” “An American Spectacular,” “American Patrol” and “America the Beautiful.” Additional pieces from The Tijuana Brass and a medley of Henry Mancini tunes will round out the free event at the Rogue Auditorium of the RCC Redwood Campus.
The final concert in the series, offered at 7 p.m. June 15, will feature the RCC Chamber Music Ensemble presenting classical works bySchubert, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Shostakovich, George and Ira Gershwin and others. Featured pieces include movements from Schubert’s Piano Trio; Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio; Shostakovich’s Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano; and Gershwin’s Summertime, arranged for a string quartet. The Ensemble will perform at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center, room 132, located at the corner of 8th and Bartlett streets in downtown Medford.
“This 2022-2023 academic year has been very exciting for the RCC Music Department,” said Sai. “Riverside Campus in Medford now has Riverside Chorus. This year we brought back both the concert band and Rogue Chorus at Redwood Campus in Grants Pass. I also started the Chamber Music Ensemble about a year ago. Each group keeps growing, attracting several classical musicians and other wonderful instrumentalists and vocalists. We get together and have a wonderful time making music!”
“RCC is happy to have Dr. Sai leading our Music Department,” said RCC President Randy Weber. “She joined RCC in the spring of 2020 after serving on the music faculty at Southern Oregon University and schools in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and California. Her experience performing as a solo pianist and chamber musician, both in Asia and the United States, is of great benefit to our music students and community.”
The RCC Redwood Campus is located at 3345 Redwood Highway, Grants Pass. Sai suggests concert-goers use the East Entrance to RCC at Demaray Drive for easier access to the Rogue Auditorium and adjacent parking. To view a campus map, visit roguecc.edu/maps and select “Redwood Campus.” Admission is free; donations are accepted to help support Music Department initiatives.
“It is my hope that our music program will provide students and community members opportunities to enrich and celebrate their lives through music,” said Sai. “All our ensembles and most of our music classes are set up for credit or non-credit. High school students ages 14 and up can start earning college credit from us. Community members are welcome to join us as well for their personal enrichment. To learn about our program or upcoming concerts, please find us at RCC Music on Facebook or Instagram, or visit RCC’s website at roguecc.edu/music.”
For more information, contact Chiharu Sai, RCC Music Department coordinator, at [email protected] or 541-955-7054.
Photo Caption: Dr. Chiharu Sai leads the Rogue Chorus in one of the four upcoming RCC music concerts scheduled for June 12-15.
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