The two wars cast a long shadow over those who survived. It changed who they were and how they saw the world. For two composers, the Hungarian Bela Bartok and the Russian Dmitri Shostakovich, the horrific times also forever transformed the music they created.

“They were very affected by what’s going on, and it was coming out in their music,” Dr. Jeffrey Wood, Austin Peay State University professor of music, said. “They’re violent pieces. They’re aggressive to the point of almost being primitive, barbaric. I sense the war very close to the surface.”

Wood also found the music to be elegiac and beautiful. And he felt now was the time to share these works, and what they represent, with the community. At 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 17, he’ll perform a selection of Bartok’s and Shostakovich’s music at the APSU Music/Mass Communication Building Concert Hall, titled “In the Shadow of War: Currents in 20th Century Music, 1910-1950.”

“It struck me about the possibility of doing a recital using pieces that were, in a sense, written in a shadow with the war as a dominant thing,” Wood said. “We’re right now in this weird state culturally where there is a war going on, but you sure wouldn’t know it. Less so in this community because there’s a greater immediacy, but there has been a tendency to ignore it because it isn’t the size of either World War I or World War II.”

The concert, as arranged by Wood, tells a sort of story of the times. It opens with the Bartok piece “Four Dirges,” which, though it was written in 1910, hints with its dark themes of the atrocities to come. The program consists of two pieces by each composer, and ends with the Shostakovich work, “Prelude and Fuge in D minor,” which was written around 1950.

“‘The Prelude and Fugue’ is very triumphal in a way,” Wood said. “It’s as if he’s saying in spite of everything that’s happened you haven’t got me yet.”

Wood admits the pieces aren’t easy on the listener. They reflect a sadness and fear prevalent in those days, but he defends them as not only moving and beautiful, but culturally significant.

“War impacts our culture whether we acknowledge it or not,” he said. “These two composers were looking at the world around them without blinking, something I sometimes think we don’t do enough of.”

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Wood at 931-221-7819 or .

Flight Case For Sushi is from Nashville Tennessee. They formed in the summer of 2008 and started recording a self-produced record in the fall. One year, 2,487 cups of coffee, 130 broken drumsticks later they emerged with an amazing full length album entitled “The Frequency Of Hydrogen”. Never ones to rest, Flight Case For Sushi dedicates their lives to their band and it’s listeners.

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Stewart is a Singer, a Songwriter, and a Multi-Instrumentalist. An “Americana” artist, he performs in styles ranging from Country, Blues, Bluegrass, Cajun, Pop, Jazz, Rockabilly and R&B. Jeff has had his songs heard in movies, documentaries, television and radio from Seattle to Switzerland, and of course – on the internet and internet radio stations, where he enjoys frequent rotation – worldwide.

A songwriter since the tender age of six, Stewart started learning guitar at the age of nine, and now also performs on mandolin, tenor banjo and even accordion. Growing up listening to Top 40 radio when it included all styles of music gave him an appreciation for a wide variety of music, which is evident in his performances. His singing has been compared to the likes of Roy Orbison, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, and Garth Brooks.

Blue Note Coffee is located in the Sango Village Shopping Center and features a creative menu of gourmet sandwiches, bagels, great coffee, WiFi and live music. There is no cover charge.

WQZQ - "The Light"

The concert will begins at 4 PM. This event promises to be of especial appeal for families. Everyone is invited to come out and celebrate the growth of Clarksville.

Various vendors will be on site and numerous artists will provide entertainment.  Some artists scheduled include singer Tiffany Green, Austin Peay State University Praise dancers, saxophonist Troy Brody, miming by The Little’s, Hip hop artist Uncommon and many more.

Among vendors slated to be on hand are Cheeseburger Charlie’s, Favored Fashion, Allen Bragg who specializes in jewelry; Rita Ewing will be promoting Young Daughters of Destiny, get your kids enrolled in Tabernacle Christian School and Fantastic Figures- promoting undergarments.

WQZQ invites Clarksville to come and celebrate with each other.   Let’s start coming together and build an even stronger community, not only for ourselves but the youth.   Gospel station 101.9 will be hosting more summer concerts throughout the summer.  If you are interested in participating with the upcoming events, contact (931) 645-1550.

A little night music by stellar performers Beegie Adair Trio, Dennis Solee, Keri Alkema, Imani Winds and Trio Verlaine headline a season of classical and pop music.

The Austin Peay State University Department of Music and the Center of Excellence for Creative Arts is proud to announce the venue for the Clarksville Community Concert Association’s 2008-09 Concert Series. The series begins at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 15 in the Music/Mass Communication Building Concert Hall with the Beegie Adair Trio with Dennis Solee.

Entertainment News writes, “Beegie Adair is one of the finest piano players in the world.” Adair has recorded 24 CDs, ranging from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. She has accompanied such legendary performers as Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash and also worked with Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore, Mama Cass Elliott and Peggy Lee. Beegie Adair is accompanied by drummer Chris Brown, one of the most sought after drummers in the South and a veteran of the Maynard Ferguson Ensemble and bassist Roger Spencer, who has played with the Les Brown Band, Ray Conniff, the Page Cavanaugh Trio and Pete Jolly.

The Beegie Adiar Trio’s special guest, Dennis Solee, is an accomplished saxophone, flute and clarinet player who has accompanied Natalie Cole, Sammy Davis Jr. and Bob Hope.

Keri Alkema

Mezzo-soprano Keri Alkema will perform Friday, Nov. 21, at  7:30 p.m.  Alkema has been praised by the New York Times as “being an excellent female lead” and for having “an appealing brew of dark and creamy colors in her mezzo, which she yields with an incisive musicality.”

During the current season, Alkema plays Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther for a return engagement with the Chautauqua Opera, joins the Metropolitan Opera roster in its production of Die Walküre, covering the role of Siegrune and sings Handel’s Messiah with the Tucson Symphony. In Winter Park, Fla., she will be heard in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Florida Bach Festival and in Mozart’s Requiem with the Delaware Symphony. She also will offer a recital in Oberlin, Ohio, under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation.

In the 2006-07 season, Alkema made her New York City Opera debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, and her Naples Opera debut as Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly.  She sang Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Florida Bach Festival and Handel’s Messiah with the Virginia Symphony. She also participated in Opéra de Montréal’s Annual Gala concert.  In addition, Alkema gave a solo recital under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation in Winter Park.

Imani Winds will perform at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, 2009. Since 1997, this Grammy-nominated wind quintet has taken a unique path, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, genre-blurring collaborations and inspirational outreach programs. With two-member composers and a deep commitment to commissioning new work, the group is enriching the traditional wind quintet repertoire while meaningfully bridging European, American, African and Latin American traditions.

Imani Winds

In the previous season, Imani Winds performed extensively with jazz icon Wayne Shorter, culminating in a summer European tour of jazz festivals in Vienne, France, Lubeck, Germany, Kongsberg, Norway, Copenhagen, Denmark, Limerick, Ireland, and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In 2008-09, the group will play several engagements with the Shorter Quartet, including dates at Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Is Sanat Art and Culture Centre in Istanbul.

Trio Verlaine

Trio Verlaine will perform a classical concert with flute, harp and viola on Friday, March 6, 2009, at 7:30 p.m.  Trio Verlaine will perform a classical concert with flute, harp and viola. The members of Trio Verlaine are drawn together by friendship and a strong desire to further this unusual instrumental combination first dreamed of by Debussy. Members are Heidi Krutzen, principal harp CBC Radio Orchestra and Vancouver Opera, David Harding, professor of viola and chamber music, UBC, and Lorna McGhee, former co-principal flute BBC Symphony Orchestra, London.

They have appeared at many of North America’s finest chamber music festivals and series, including the Oregon Bach Festival, Music in the Vineyards, Sitka Summer Music Festival, Strings in the Mountains, Music in the Morning and Festival Vancouver. Trio Verlaine can be heard frequently on NPR in the U.S. and CBC radio in Canada. In addition to standard repertoire, Trio Verlaine’s exploration will include arrangements of works suited to this rare combination and the commissioning of entirely new works. Trio Verlaine recently had the honor of being granted a commission from Seattle Chamber Music Society. The new trio by American composer, Jeffrey Cotton, will be premiered at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival in 2008. Other upcoming highlights include a BC tour with guests Jonathan Crow (former Montreal Symphony concertmaster) and Matt Haimowitz (international cello soloist) as well as numerous summer festival appearances.

The 2008-09 concert series concludes at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 3 with a performance by the John Proulx Trio. Proulx is a sought-after pianist, vocalist, recording artist and Grammy-winning composer in the Los Angeles area. Proulx’s debut CD, with legendary musicians Chuck Berghofer and Joe LaBarbera, was recently released on the Max Jazz label on Aug. 1, 2006.  He has performed with many others including Anita O’Day, Mark Murphy and Marian McPartland. Proulx currently plays in the Mike Barone, Randy Aldcroft and Kim Richmond big bands and loves interacting with the pool of great jazz musicians in Los Angeles.

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The Clarksville Community Concert Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting musical performances of high artistic merit and promoting interest in and enjoyment of live concerts throughout the community.

Advanced tickets may be purchased for any of the concerts listed. Subscriptions for up to five concerts are also available for individuals of groups. For more information about advanced tickets or purchasing a subscription, contact Sharon Nass, (931) 647-7288.

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Here are the photos we took the following day at their concert performance.

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Photos by Bill Larson

The latest Concerts in the Park will feature two bands, Shadow, a local rock band, at 6:30 p.m., and the area rhythm and blues group, Eclipse, immediately following at 7:30 p.m. at McGregor Park on Saturday. Both performances are free and open to the public. Guests are asked to bring their own lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets and enjoy the evening’s entertainment.

Movie in The Park, which will be held at Fairgrounds Park on August 25th, will offer an animated feature about a scheming raccoon fooling a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating…and learning a lesson about family himself.

Pre-show games begin at 6:30 p.m. with the PG movie screening at 8 p.m. Admission is free and concessions are available.

You can log onto http://www.parksafterdark.com/ for more event dates and details. For more information, please call Clarksville Parks and Recreation at (931) 645-7476.