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La Cafamore coming to Creston to present the Sounds of America

The concert will be held on August 14
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Alexis More will perform on violin with La Cafamore. (Submitted)

La Cafamore is returning to the stage in Creston to explore The Sounds of America through the string quartets of Florence Price and Antonin Dvorak.

The group will perform at St. Stephens Presbyterian Church on August 14 at 7:30 p.m.

“My family had been to a concert where a movement from one of Florence Price’s quartets was played,” said violinist Carolyn Cameron.

It was Cameron’s daughter who first introduced her to the String Quartet No. 2.

“It was my daughter’s favorite piece from the entire concert, and she began to listen to other Price works. There seems to be a rediscovery of her music, in the past few years, which is about time.”

In spite of being an African-American woman of the late 19th to early 20th century, Price was able to have several of her works performed by major symphony orchestras during her lifetime. But it wasn’t until 2009 that the full extent of her creative genius was discovered in an abandoned house in St. Anne, Illinois.

Then, when La Cafamore cellist Maria Wang had Dvorak’s American Quartet on her bucket list, the program was set.

“We were a little hesitant to put both pieces in the same program, but I think you will see that they are different enough to make it enjoyable,” said Cameron.

Price, in many ways, follows the idioms characteristic of European music of the day with lush chromaticism and rich harmonies. Where Price really comes into her own is the third movement, Juba, which is based on an African dance and would have been familiar to the African-American population of the time. Even in her most romantic of moments, she is still able to introduce the lowered third or “blue note” which is used so much in jazz.

Dvorak’s piece, while unmistakably classical in nature, is true to his conviction that American music should derive from its folk roots with the use of pentatonic scales, ostinato, and drone accompaniment. There are no blue notes here, but we do hear the sounds of railways, horses galloping, and birdsong - probably that of the Scarlet Tanager, who pestered Dvorak during his stay in Spillville, Iowa, where he composed the quartet.

La Cafamore is excited to welcome violinist Kaito Takeda to round out the quartet.

“It has been many years since our group has done string quartets and I am really looking forward to it, said Cameron.

The group will be taking the concert to the communities of Creston, Invermere, Fernie, Nakusp, and Trail.

“The CKCA and Columbia Basin Trust have supported this group for many years,” said Cameron.

“Their community-based grants allow us to visit a wide variety of places, including Creston where we have not played in many years. We look forward to playing in St. Stephen’s wonderful space.”

Tickets for the show cost $20, which can be purchased with cash at the door or by sending an e-transfer to lacafamore@gmail.com.

READ MORE: 14th annual culture tour returns to Creston

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Kaito Takeda will perform on violin with La Cafamore. (Submitted)