SCENE: Classic Rock takes a classical twist

Classic Rock is usually defined as the best music of the late ’60s and the ’70s that has stood the test of time and is still played today on “classic rock” radio stations. It is the music of the Baby Boomers, the music that helped to change a generation. Think of the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Eagles, just to scratch the surface.

On Friday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m., the first concert of the Snowmass Village Winter Cultural Series at the Snowmass Chapel will feature Classic Rock music with a twist. It will be played by the Ars Lyrica Ensemble and sung by opera-trained songstress Maureen Jackson.

Old-time favorites such as “Hotel California” by the Eagles, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, “Knights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues and “Annie’s Song” by John Denver are just a few of the offerings of this free concert, which also includes a Beatles sing-a-long.

“I think audience participation is always fun and people love the Beatles. Their words are so timeless,” said Paul Danker, music director of the Snowmass Chapel, who helped to organize the event. He is a classically trained pianist, a flautist and singer and member of Ar Lyrica, which performed a Baroque and Renaissance concert last February as part of Snowmass Chapel’s 2007/08 Winter Concert Series.

Ars Lyrica is a classical quartet made up of Dankers, flautist Shelley Warren, cellist Wendy Larson and harpsichordist Charlotte McLain.

When given the opportunity to perform again this September, the group decided to try something new and different. With no sponsor, they also had no constrictions of what type of music to play and thought that Classic Rock would be fun. All they needed was a singer.

Former Crystal Palace performer Maureen Jackson had sung the role of the mother in “Amahl and the Night Visitors” last December at the Snowmass Chapel and had also been in “Pippin” with Dankers a few years ago. He approached her with the idea of a Classic Rock concert backed by classical instruments instead of drums and guitars.

She agreed and with her aboard they continued to search for songs and instrumentals that would work well with flutes, a cello and a harpsichord.

“We brainstormed at lot and each member of Ars Lyrica had songs they liked. We played through a lot of different pieces. One of my favorites was “Your Song” by Elton John,” said Dankers, who in addition to singing has a flute solo in Nickel Creek’s “Jealous of the Moon.”

Cellist Wendy Larson is known to many locals as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Symphony in the Valley orchestra. She has performed with many symphonies throughout Colorado and the West and with solo artists such as Judy Collins, Bernadette Peters, John Denver and also Mannheim Steamroller.

“I’m playing the Joe Walsh guitar solo from ‘Hotel California’ on the cello. Some of the solos that we’ll be playing are the same as they were recorded, for others we had to make new arrangements,” she said.

Larson worked a lot with flautist Shelley Warren on coming up with song ideas for the concert. In the end, the problem was not finding enough music, but whittling it down.

The flautist, who has been a professor of the flute at various colleges and universities during her 30-year career, lives in Montrose and has been commuting 145 miles each way to rehearse for the concert.

Currently the principal piccolo player in the Grand Junction Symphony, she has also played for many opera and ballet companies here and in Canada. She once played in an orchestra that performed with the Moody Blues in Florida, so the chance to play Classic Rock with classical instruments was not a foreign concept for her.

“I thought the idea was great. I get to play all my favorite flute solos from rock & roll, that I don’t get to play at my classical jobs. My favorites are ‘Colour My World’ by Chicago and the instrumental ‘Bouree’ by Jethro Tull’s flautist Ian Anderson,” said Shelley Warren.

When Ars Lyrica harpsichordist Charlotte McLain had to drop out of the concert a couple of weeks ago, Dankers went to friends at the Aspen Music Festival and School and asked them to help him find a replacement. With a Masters degree in collaborative piano, Molly Sassaman was the perfect choice to fill in for McLain.

She has performed with the New England Philharmonic and the Boston University Orchestra and worked as a accompanist with the Tanglewood Institute and the Heifetz International Music Institute. She recently moved to Aspen and is the new Admissions Officer for Aspen Music Festival and School.

“I’ve actually done a lot of theater and rock music in Boston, when I worked with students at the Boston Conservatory, but I’ve never played rock & roll with a flautist and a cellist before,” she said. One of her favorite songs in the upcoming concert is Nickel Creek’s ‘Jealous of the Moon.’

“When Paul asked me to do pop music in a Baroque setting, I said sure,” said soprano Maureen Jackson. “I think the whole group has brought their expertise to each part. Although I’m classically trained, I grew up in a household with a lot of ’60s music. Beatles music is in my blood. Their hit ‘Because’ was one of my choices for the concert. My favorite song to sing is ‘Jealous of the Moon.’ I love the harmony, it makes my heart sing.”

The concert series has help from a new source.

“I want to recognize the Snowmass Village Arts Advisory Board, which has been very supportive in promoting the Winter Cultural Series at the Chapel. We started meeting a year ago and hope to make the series a big event in the Village,” said Dankers.

SVAAB has a goal of getting a performing arts center built in town to hold an audience of 500 and making Snowmass Village a destination for the performing arts in the future.