Free show set for Saturday

Arts Place opened its 2014 concert season with a free performance last weekend. Admission will be free again Sunday.
Harpist Jaclyn Wappel continues the Portland venue’s Chamber Classics series when she takes the stage at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The free show, which follows up a free performance by violinist Roxana Pavel, pianist Monica Pavel Kissinger and violist Elias Goldstein, offers an opportunity to introduce a new artist to the community and brings the chance to grow the audience for classical performances, said executive director Eric Rogers.
“We try to do some free performances through the year,” he said. “Part of that is just making it possible for people who can’t afford a ticket to be able to.”
Wappel, a Texas native, is the principal harpist for the Muncie Symphony Orchestra and has also performed with the Anderson Symphony, Manchester Symphony and Masterworks Chorale.
Prior to moving to Indiana, she was also part of the Austin Civic Orchestra and with several University of Texas groups. She has performed in Switzerland, England, Austria, Luxembourg and Spain.
Wappel, who is on the Arts Place faculty, is also pursing her doctorate at Ball State University, and her performance Sunday will be somewhat like a dress rehearsal.
“We’re pretty proud of that,” said Rogers. “She’s doing her doctoral recital (Jan. 26) at Ball State, and she asked if she could do it here.”
The third and final performance will feature The Muncie Symphony Chamber Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31.
Tickets to that show prior to the day of the event are $9 for students and $18 for adults.
At about 25 members, the chamber orchestra is smaller than the full group. But Rogers said they fill Arts Place’s Hall-Moser Theatre with an impressive sound.
“It’s a very big group for us to put in our hall,” he said. “Anybody who comes to this is going to be wowed by the sound. … It’s a pretty amazing experience. That’s a lot of sound in that space.”
In addition to the Chamber Classics series, there will also be a MusicWorks Honors Recital at 7 p.m. Jan. 22 at Arts Place. It will feature performances by some of the advanced MusicWorks students who are getting ready for the Indiana State School Music Association solo and ensemble contests.
The Blackford Center of Arts Place in Hartford City will host a gala to celebrate its one-year anniversary from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 25. The event will include live music.
And from 7 to 10 p.m. Jan. 17, The Collective Center of Arts Place in St. Marys, Ohio, will host a Beer Tasting event. For $30, attendees can sample more than a dozen beers.
Beyond this month, Rogers said he is excited about having Irish group Full Set scheduled to perform on March 15 for a pre-St. Patrick’s Day concert. The band will perform in Dublin, Ireland, on Jan. 25 and then visit Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oklahoma and Ohio before coming to Arts Place.
For more about Full Set, visit www.fullsetmusic.com.[[In-content Ad]]