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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2022)
November 02, 2022 Page 7 Arts & ENTERTAINMENT Musical Composition World Premier at Arlene Schnitzer Persian artist, Farhad Poupel UK Based Iranian composer Farhad Poupel discusses Childhood Memories A musical composition of hope and nostalgia to be world premiered on November 12 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall by the Portland Youth Phil- harmonic for Farhad Poupel, music and heritage go hand in hand, with most of his works capturing the heart of his Ira- nian background. Childhood Memories is no exception. This unique composition combines musical ideas inspired by Irani- an folklore with melodies from the lullabies Farhad’s grand- mother used to sing to him. His goal for the piece was to com- pose a simple, colorful, calm- ing, and sophisticated work for the audience to enjoy that would create in them a sense of hope, nostalgia, and appreciation for the Iranian/Persian culture. In an interview between Farhad and ArtMax Academy Executive Director Hossein Salehi regard- ing the upcoming premiere of the piece, Farhad shared, “As a Persian artist, I’m coming from a very rich culture; you can see that in the revolution we have going on in Iran right now. People are fighting for their freedom and livelihood, and it shows you how much this cul- ture is alive and willing to sac- rifice to bring joy and creativity and freedom.” Farhad chose to combine his grandmother’s lul- labies with these Persian themes in recognition of her musical talent and his appreciation for what she taught him. He cred- its much of his musical talent to her. “I remember my grand- mother; she sang her beautiful lullabies for me. The whole sec- ond movement is a long melo- dy repeated several times, each one different from the previous and moving to different Persian modes, without changing the tonic center.” Farhad wants the audience to experience joy and feel a sense of youthfulness as they listen to this piece for the first time on November 12 and in the future, and what better way to demonstrate that youth- fulness than through a youth or- chestra – more specifically, the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP). Farhad discovered PYP on YouTube right before the height of the pandemic. As he reflected on that time, he said, “I was really impressed because if you close your eyes, you wouldn’t recognize they’re a youth orchestra; it’s like any other professional orchestra,” Farhad said. “So I said to myself ‘why not send one of my pieces to their Musical Director, David Hattner?’ He gladly received the score and though the piece could not be performed at that time due to the pandemic, I’m very excited we are here now!” The world premiere of Farhad’s Childhood Memories will take place at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on November 12, 2022 at 7:30 PM. This piece will be performed alongside three other incredible works by com- posers from around the world. PYP offers two ways to experi- ence the concert: in-person or via live stream. In-person tick- ets start at $20 with student and senior discounts available. Arts for All cards are also accepted! More information on Farhad, the concert program, the orchestra, tickets, and more can be found at portlandyouthphil.org/concerts. CeCe Winans Accepts Award Photo by Javis Dason First Black Female Solo Artist to Win Artist of the Year CeCe Winans Makes History at the Annual Dove Awards The 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards were handed out Oc- tober 18th, 2022, at the Allen Arena in Nashville, Tennessee to a sold-out audience. Co-hosts Erica Campbell and Chris Tom- lin led the all-star night of music with performances from across the music community including Gospel, Latin, Hip Hop, and Southern Gospel. Iconic artist CeCe Winans made Dove Awards history this year as the first Black female solo artist to win Artist of the Year. When accepting her award, instead of an acceptance speech, she sang a few lines from the Andrae Crouch classic, “To God Be the Glory,” moving many in the audience to tears. She and co-writers for “Believe for It” were also awarded Song of the Year. Throughout her incredible career, CeCe has won a stagger- ing 25 Dove Awards including the very first New Artist of the Year award in 1988 with her brother BeBe Winans. “It’s amazing when we come together and we love each oth- er and we stand for righteous- ness, it’s amazing what God will do,” Winans said after accept- ing the award for Song of the Year. “It’s amazing what He’s already done. But He wants to do so much more. I’m believing for God to move in this industry greater than He ever has before. The God we serve responds to faithfulness and the testimonies I’ve heard through this song have blessed my life.” The night was packed with one-of-a-kind performances such as Steven Curtis Chapman’s career-span- ning mash-up of his hits such as “The Great Adventure” and “Dive.” Phil Wickham and his electrifying band performed his current Top Ten single, “Hymn of Heaven.” The night was packed with one-of-a-kind performances such as Steven Curtis Chap- man’s career-spanning mash-up of his hits such as “The Great Adventure” and “Dive.” Phil Wickham and his electrifying band performed his current Top Ten single, “Hymn of Heaven.” The theme of this year’s show was Sound of Heaven, high- lighting how all the different styles of Christian and Gospel music come together under one banner of hope. “The music created by the artists assembled tonight covers a lot of ground style-wise,” said co-host Chris Tomlin, “but collectively they represent the sound of heaven.” Co-host Erica Campbell added, “We bring it all together to unite as one for the kingdom of God. One mind, one voice, giving glo- ry to God. That’s the sound of heaven.” The 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards are produced by the Gospel Music Association. Jackie Patillo and Justin Fratt serve as show runners and exec- utive producers, alongside Cur- tis Stoneberger and Paul Wright as producers. Russell E. Hall re- turns as director, Michael Nolan as scriptwriter, Scott Moore and Go Live Productions as produc- tion manager.
