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OPINIONS
June 27, 2019 |
 |
 Wingate Lassiter |
"Music for the Lunch Bunch"
spotlights our musical heritage
The late Dorothy Onisko came up with the idea 34 years ago:
a summertime mid-week concert series that showcases local musical talent. It's held at lunchtime on Wednesdays, it lasts no more than 35-40 minutes, and it's free of admission charge.
Its catchy title is "Music for the Lunch Bunch."
And like most weekday lunches, it's light yet fulfilling for most musical appetites.
Dorothy was an innovative organist and choir director, first at Smithfield's Centenary United Methodist Church and later at First Presbyterian, where the "Lunch Bunch" performances are staged most of the time.
This
week's performance featured one of Smithfield's long-time
musical stars: Ella Ann Holding, classical pianist par
excellence --- at age 85!(Photo at left by Downtown Development Director Sarah Edwards)
Ella Ann was a student in her teen-age years of legendary piano teacher Flora Canaday, but she didn't stop there. She earned a Masters of Musical Performance at Yale (twice winning the university's concerto competition), studied piano at New York's famous Julliard School, won a Fulbright Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, performed with the North Carolina Symphony and at South Carolina's well-known Spoleto Festival in Charleston, and served as Campbell University's Artist in Residence for nine years.
Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is true talent. And she still enjoys sharing it with the home folks.
Not every musician who performs for the "Lunch Bunch" has Ella Ann's talent and credentials, of course, but they do get a chance to share what they enjoy doing --- really, just for the fun of it.
Our thanks for support from the Johnston County Arts Council and North Carolina's Grassroots Arts program to help make it happen.
EDITOR'S DISCLAIMER: This missive is not meant to promote an informal jazz quartet of which I'm a part that will be "jamming" on July 31. We're not as "polished" as most of the "Lunch Bunch" performers. But we're proud to be a small part of this community's musical heritage, which includes many, many folks who played in the school band, took piano and voice lessons, or simply taught themselves how to sing or play an instrument --- just for the fun of it.
Here's the list of this year's performances, which will resume July 10 after a Fourth of July break>
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