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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 2019)
Continued from Page 4 “There used to be infomercials for [Zamfi r’s] music on TV and I’d sit there and I’d watching it because that was my classroom. I’d see how he stood, his pos- ture, his movement, so I tried to imitate that as closely as possible,” Koreski said. Romania considers the pan fl ute its national instrument. The pan fl ute is also popular in Koreski’s native Poland. His father always encouraged him to look into something cultural from east Europe. Koreski’s fi rst pan fl ute and workbook were purchased at Thiel’s Music when the family lived in Astoria during the mid 80s and early 90s. Koreski was born in 1979 in Golden- dale, Washington. The family later lived in Fossil, Oregon, before coming to Astoria. Playing a variety of pan fl utes At the concert, Koreski plans to plays eight or nine different types of pan fl utes. He will play classical music selections for solo pan fl ute on the east European pan fl ute as well as South American Folk music with Flamenco guitar, which Koreski will play at the same time. Koreski also has a self-playing cham- ber organ he designed and crafted that will accompany him. “The pipe organ can basically play the See. Go. Do. The Arts • Music • Museums • Classes • Film News • Blogs • Dining • & More Acoustic guitarist Alberto Benitez. Pianist and organist Gary Becerra. entire part of an orchestra,” Koreski said. The pan fl ute, as it turns out, is the grandfather of the pipe organ which was modeled after the instrument. He will play works by Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Purcell and other classical composers at the concert. How the instrument works Koreski makes the pan fl utes he plays from bamboo. The pan fl ute is made of several tubes, ranging from seven to 47 tubes, depending on the pan fl ute. Pan fl utes used for playing classical music have 22 tubes. There are no fi nger holes like on a modern fl ute. “It all depends on which pipe you’re blowing in, they each have their own tone and then you can achieve other harmonic or half tones and harmonics depending on how you blow on the pipes,” Koreski said. The pipes can change their pitch depending on the angle the musician blows at. Sound also only comes from the end the player blows from as the other side is plugged. Vibrato is also important for playing the pan fl ute to give it its rich, mystic tone. Koreski learned how to built pan fl utes from the musician Andres Gmelin when Koreski was in Bolivia with the ensemble he was playing with at the time. Koreski • Art Cards • Jewelry • Stationary • Ceramics specializes in building east European style pan fl utes. Performing as a solo artist provides Koreski a lot of freedom and fl exibility. He has recorded many albums of solo pan fl ute, including most recently “Serenity.” Koreski will be joined by young musi- cians from his church: acoustic guitarist Alberto Benitez and pianist and organist Gary Becerra. Benitez said he was inspired to learn and play acoustic guitar from his brother and guitarist Andy McKee. He will play a piece by Kalin Graham titled “Tears on My Toes” at the concert. Becerra, who has played piano since he was nine years old, will be making his organ playing debut at the concert with the “Star Wars” Main Theme and Beethoven’s “Fur Elise.” Furthering his connection to Astoria, Koreski said one of the fi rst concerts he went to was at the Performing Arts Center. “I really enjoyed that and for some rea- son I could always envision myself playing but in my mind I was always thinking the Performing Arts Center,” Koreski said. When he takes the stage, Koreski hopes to bring a “greater sense of calm” to audi- ences and “kind of an uplifting feeling so that everybody kind of comes out fl oating on a little cloud of air. I want everybody to feel happy and inspired.” 1133 Commercial Street Astoria, OR 97103 503-468-0308 ORIGINAL FINE ART 1133 Commercial Street Astoria, OR 97103 503.468.0308 “Lilies and Cupcake”, mixed media on the waterfront port of ilwaco, wa marie-powell.com 360-244-0800 THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019 // 5
