May 3, 2000
Page B4
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iM etro/Religion
Darwin Hobbs Vertical
M ay 13 w orkshop unites faith
community for Mother’s Day march
C O N T R IB l TED STORY
E very day in our country 12 children die from gunshot
w ounds. On M other’s Day, M ay 14, m others and
“honorary m oms” will m eet in dow ntow n Portland for the
O regon Million M om M arch at the sam e tim e that
concerned citizens from across the nation will rally in
W ashington D.C. to encourage Congress to pass sensible
gun safety legislation.
On the eve o f the Portland march, May 13, faith communities
in the Portland area are invited to w orship together at an
interfaith service at Temple Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders,
from 7:30 to 8:30p.m . Readings will be offered by leaders
from the Christian, Jew ish, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim,
B aha’i and N ative A m erican com m unities. Participants
w ill share prayers and songs for peace, ju stice and the
sacred lives o f all children. The service is jointly sponsored
by the M illion M om M arch and Ecum enical M inistries o f
Oregon.
As A rchbishop D esm ond Tutu said on a recent visit to
Oregon, “w e are each indispensable, said Leslie Sackett,
religion outreach coordinator for the Million Mom March.
“O ur styles and expressions o f w orship may be different,
but at the heart o f all faith traditions is a love o f God and
Even greater happily m arried years;
T raci-to w hom Vertical isdedicated-
rem ains second only to the Almighty
him selfin D arw in’s life. “S he’sn o ta
m usician, and she has nothing to do
w ith the m usic business,” Darwin
explains, “and th a t’s been one o f my
g re a te s t b le s s in g s . S h e is n ot
im pressed at all with ‘ D arw in Hobbs,
Recording A rtist.’ She keeps me
honest and accountable, and real.
A nd sh e’s m y constant source o f
love and encouragem ent. 1 can’t even
conceive o f doing any o f w hat I’m
doing w ithout her.”
D arw in w as b o m an d raised in
C incinnati, w here h e’d discovered at
age 10-on his first day in church choir-
his phenom enal, G od-given gift for
s in g in g .
H e s a n g c o n s ta n tly
th r o u g h o u t h is c h ild h o o d an d
adolescence, in church and school,
both as a soloist and in various
ensem bles. Frustrated as a yorng
adult w ith life in the w orkday world,
but uncertain how to even approach
a c a re e r in m u sic, D arw in had
a reverence for the sacredness of G od s creation.
T he O regon M illion M om March will begin Sunday
m orning, M ay 14, at 11 a.m . at S W Park and Salm on,
and w ill conclude with a rally at Pioneer C ourthouse
Square. M archers from faith com m unities are
encouraged to carry sings or banners that identity
their congregation or faith group.
T he O regon M illion Mom March is sponsored by the
O regon PTA , O regonians A gainst G un Violence,
Episcopal D iocese f Oregon, Ecum enical M inistries
o f O regon, Ceasefire Oregon, C om m unity Action
Forum, Salem-Keizer Strengthening FamiliesCouncil,
O regon N urse A ssociation, D istrict #1, and the
National Council o f Jewish Women, Portland, Oregon
Section.
T he goal o f the M illion Mom M arch is to keep guns
out the hands o f children and out o f the hands o f
criminals w ho can hurt children. For more information
about the M illion M om March, please call 888-989-
M O M S, or visit the M illion M om M arch W eb site at
w w w.m illionm om m arch.com . Form oreinform ation
about the M ay 13 interfaith w orship service call Teri
Ruch at Ecum enical M inistries ofO regon, (503) 221 -
1054, o r Leslie Sackett o f the M illion M om M arch,
(503)284-7141.
CONTRIBUTED STORY
tor T he P ori land O bsery er
Cole Porter tribute to close 1999-
2000 Symphony Pops series
CONTRIBUTED STORY
C o le P o rte r, o n e o f th e m o st
sophisticated creators o f A m erican
popular song, will be paid tribute in
the final O regon Sym phony Bank o f
A m erica Pops concert o f the 1999-
2000 season. M ay 27 - 29, at the
A rlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in the
Portland C enter for the Perform ing
Arts. Associate C onductor Norm an
Leyden will conduct the program
featuring aw ard-w inning vocalist
S usannah M ars and the L eyden
Singers. O regon Sym phony Pops
concerts are sponsored by Bank o f
America.
M edia support is provided by N ew s
/ Talk 750 KXL, K PTV O regon’s 12
an d
M e d ia A m e ric a .
“ W o rd s an d m u sic m u st b e so
inseparably w edded to each other
th a t th e y are lik e o n e ,” P o rte r
r e p o r te d ly s a id . T h e p r o lif ic
songw riter achieved this goal perhaps
m o re s u c c e s s f u lly th a n a n y
songw riter o f his day, o r since. The
Pops program w ill feature Porter
standards such as “ L e t’s D o It,”
“Y o u ’re the T op,” “ W hat is This
T hing C alled Love” and “N ight and
D ay,” as w ell as lesser-know n gems
such as “ R osalie,” “ L ove for Sale”
and “ A lw ays T rue to Y ou in My
Fashion.” Susannah M ars, a Leyden
Singer alum nus and four-tim e winner
o f the Portland D ram a C ritics Award,
w ill be the featured vocalist.
P e rfo rm a n c e s are sc h e d u le d for
Saturday and M onday, M ay 27 and
29, at 8 p.m . and Sunday, M ay 28, at
3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets range in price
from $ 17 to $54 and may be purchased
at th e O regon S ym phony T icket
O ffic e (9 2 3 S .W . W a sh in g to n )
M onday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or
ch arg ed
by
phone
at
(503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343.
Tickets also m ay be purchased at all
Ticketm aster outlets (790-A RTS) or
through Ticketm aster On-line, via the
S y m p h o n y ’s
w eb
s ite
at
w w w .orsym phony.org. Service fees
m ay apply.
SUSANNAH M ARS
O ne o f the brightest stars o f m usical
theatre and cabaret hailing from the
Pacific N orthw est, Susannah Mars
w as m ost recently seen at A rtists
Repertory T heatre in her one-w om an
show , “M ars on Life: T here’s M ore.”
D u rin g th e p a st y e a r, sh e also
appeared in Portland C enter S tag e’s
“A C hristm as C arol” and w as Fanny
B ric e in T h e M u sic a l T h e a tre
C om pany’s m uch-lauded production
o f “ Funny G irl,” for w hich she won
the 1999 P ortland D ram a C ritics
A w ard. In the recent past, Ms. M ars
w as seen in “C h a p s” at A rtists
Repertory Theatre, for w hich she won
the 1998 Portland D ram a C ritics
A w ard. She also opened th e new
Bullitt Cabaret at A C T in Seattle w ith
her show “M ars on Life,” and played
Eva in “Evita” at th e C oeur d ’A lene
Sum m er Theater, w here she also was
M eg
in
“ B r ig a d o o n .”
A prolific actress, Ms. M ars has
perform ed the role o f C onnie Lee in
Scott W a rre n d er’s "T h e January
Book” at T he V illage T heatre in
Seattle. She also appeared as Suzanne
in “T he T w ilight o f the G olds” at
T rian g le T h ea tre and w as Reno
S w eeny in T he M usical T heatre
C om pany’s production o f “A nything
G oes,” for w hich she won the 1996
Portland D ram a Critics A w ard. She
A value-based violence
prevention initiative
cuttnuBcrtDiafiRY
for T he P ortland O bserver
The Value Based Violence Prevention
Ini tiative(VB V PI)isa 18month Weed
& Seed Initiative adm inistered by the
National Congress for Com m unity
Econom ic D evelopm ent (N C C ED )
th ro u g h
its
N e ig h b o r h o o d
R estoration Program (N R P). T he
initiative’s purpose is to encourage
public safety strategies in addressing
fam ily-based crim e prevention, to
build safer and healthier com munities
for our children and fam ilies and to
support current efforts o f fam ily
r e la te d
c o m m u n ity - b a s e d
organizations.
T h e V B V P I is a c o m m u n ity
collaborative o f service providers and
faith based organizations w hose goal
is to reduce crime committed by youth.
T h e pro g ram w o rk s to p re v e n t
v io le n c e by p ro v id in g h e a lth y
a lte r n a tiv e s
f o r y o u th
and
stren g th en in g ch ild ren an d th eir
families. T he Portland VBV PI is a
partnership that com plem ents the
c u r r e n t e f f o r ts o f E m m a n u e l
C o m m u n ity G en eral S erv ices (a
c o m m u n ity
s e r v ic e
agency,
established in 1988), W eed & Seed
Steering C om m ittee, Portland W eed
& Seed C oordinator D ora A sana and
the faith-based com m unity w hich
includes V ictory O utreach, City Life
Ministries: Youth forC hristand W e’re
Here, W e Care. The col laborati ve wi 11
serve 30 at risk youth in the N orth/
N ortheast Portland area throughout
the year. T he collaborative strongly
believes that it takes the com m unity
to raise a child.
F or fu rth e r in fo rm a tio n , p le a se
contact La-Tisha W illiam s or Curtis
Kim brough at 503/281-0355 or Dora
A san a, P o rtlan d W eed & S eed
Coordinator.
w as seen in “Das Barbecu” at A
C ontem porary Theatre and played
Dr. C harlotte in “ Falsettos” at the
G roup T heatre in Seattle. Ms. Mars
appeared in Oregon Stage C om pany’s
production o f “C loser Than Ever”
and originated the role o f Mary Reade
in the w orld-prem iere production o f
“ A P ira te ’s L u lla b y ” at A rtists
R epertory T heatre. She also was
delighted to play Trina in T riangle
T heatre’s production o f “Falsettos,”
again being nom inated fo ra Portland
D ram a C ritics Award. O ther favorite
roles include Jill, Debbie, Betsy, and
April in “The Heidi Chronicles,” Lucy
in “Y o u ’re a Good Man, Charlie
Brow n,” Ruth in “Blithe Spirit,” and
Sister R obert A nne in “N unsense,”
for w hich she w on the 1992 Portland
D rama Critics Award.
V ertical. W ebster dictionary defines
it as being “at the zenith; upright,
upw ard and straight.” In the lexicon
o f D arw in H obbs, w hose new ly
released second album bears the same
nam e, those adjectives fit to a point,
but still only scratch the surface o f
th e m u sic an d m e ssag e o f th is
extraordinary artist.
“W ith this record every song was
written strategical ly to represent some
aspect o f our relationship to G od and
H is relationship to us,” said Darwin.
“O ften w e sp en d so m uch tim e
building our relationship w ith the
people around us— our horizontal
relationships— that w e neglect our
most crucial, vertical relationship with
G od. I w anted the m usic on this
record to focus people on that.”
H aving sung for several years w ith a
roster o f superstar acts that reads like
a w h o ’s-w ho o f m odem gospel and
pop m usic-including CeCe W inans,
M ichael M cD onald, Carm en D onnie
M cC lurkin, and M ichael C ard -
Darwin em erged in 1999 with his solo
debut, M ercy, as one o f the music
in d u stry ’s best-kept secrets. The
secret o f his o n e-in -a-g en eratio n
voice-bold and beautiful, righteous,
rocking and right - w as not kept
hidden for long. A nd w ith Vertical,
the sig n atu re v o ice and sin g u lar
sound o f Darwin Hobbs are back in all
their glory.
A lthough the enorm ity o f D arw in’s
m usical gift is glaringly obvious
throughout the album , the m essage
o f V ertical place this project am ong
the m ost striking pieces o f U rban
Praise & W orship m usic released in
recent years. Songs like “C ast All
Y our C ares,” “Crow n H im ” and the
deeply m oving “ Praise M edley” are
reflective o f the passion and spiritual
sentim ent found in the m usic o f such
G o s p e l h e a v y w e ig h ts as F re d
H am m ond, D onnie M cClurkin and
C eC e W inans.
T hose artists continue to have a
personal im pact on the m usic and
m inistry vision o f Darwin Hobbs.
H am m ond produced the m ajority o f
M ercy, and D arw in has shared both
studio and stage w ith M cClurkin and
W inans. His regularassociation with
artist o f their caliber extends beyond
the G ospel m usic m arketplace.
epiphany at m id-‘90s C eC e Winans
concert. Realizing he could servethe
Lord he loved with music he lovedled
him to a friendship w ith W inans’
m anager, Roger Ryan. Impressed
w ith D arw in’s talent and enthusiasm,
Ryan suggested D arw in and Traci
relocate to N ashville, w hich they did
in 1996. W ithin only a few weeks
D arw in, to his am azem ent, found
h im s e lf sin g in g on m a jo r-la b el
projects by an ever-w idening array o f
established artists. A sh em ark ed h is
six-m onth anniversary in M usic City,
D arw in began receiving the first song
o f serious interest in him as a solo
recording artist.
“T hings have happened incredibly
quickly,” Darwin adm its, “B ut w e’ve
m anaged to stay pretty level-headed
about life. W e felt a strong sense o f
reassurance from the Lord w hen w e
left hom e for Nashville, alm ost as if
H e w as saying: ‘OK, strap on your
seatb elts, because y o u ’re getting
ready to go on a serious ride! W e’ve
tried to keep him first in everything,
and then to ju st keep up w ith Him and
everyw here H e’s taken us. It really
has been quite a ride.”
W ith V ertical as the next stop in that
ride, the m usical jo urney o f Darwin
H obbs prom ises to be phenom enal.
You are Invited to be Our Guest!
Family of One Prayer Breakfast
Wednesday, May 10, 2000 • 7:30 - 9:30 am
Doubletree Hotel Lloyd Center
1000 NE Multnomah
complimentary parking and full breakfast
Keynote Speaker Clive O. Callender. M.D., F.A.C.S.
Howard University College of Medicine
F ounder o f N a tio n a l M inority O rgan/Tissue Transplant E ducation P rogram (M O TTEP)
R.S.V.P. needed by May 5th, (503) 494-7888
Space limited to 300. Please no admittance without reservations.
A Coalition fo r African-American Organ & Tissue Donor Awareness and Kidney Disease Prevention
A Tisket A Tasket
The place for cards, gifts and baskets
Mothers Day Special
$10.00 off any basket over $40.00
Fresh Flowers
Balloons
Candles
Journals
Cards
Candies
Give the perfect gift fo r Mothers Day!
1305 NE Fremont
Portland, Or. 97212
284-7344
tisketgifts@yahoo.com