VISUAL
STORYTELLER FOCUSES ON MUSICIANS' TALE
6/26/98
Contact: Dave Urano, writer, producer, and director
of the documentary, (740) 593-9733
Editors,
news directors: A photo of The Lark Quartet suitable for
newspaper use may be downloaded from the Web at:
www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/lark.jpg
. The color photo shows the Lark playing at night on Ohio
University's College Green and depicts a scene also captured
in the new documentary, "The Lark Quartet: A Year in a
Residency." A headshot of David Urano is available at
www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/urano.jpg
. Also, footage from the documentary is available to
television stations by contacting David Urano at (740)
593-9733 or by e-mail at urano@ohiou.edu.
ATHENS,
Ohio -- David Urano loves to tell a good story. And when he
stumbled upon a performance by four gifted, high-energy,
sometimes unconventional string musicians at Ohio University
in the fall of 1995, he knew theirs was a story he wanted to
tell. "The Lark Quartet: A Year in a Residency" is a
one-hour documentary about four women whose music and
enthusiasm have stretched the imaginations and impressions
of audiences throughout Southeastern Ohio for the past three
years. It airs at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 11, on
Ohio
University Public
Television
stations WOUB-TV (Athens) and WOUC-TV (Cambridge), which
together reach viewers in all or part of 35 counties in
Southeastern Ohio and northwest West Virginia.
[Additional stations have been added (see
related story).]
"To see
them play -- and to see the passion that they have for their
music and the connection that they have with each other --
is fascinating," says Urano, senior media producer with
Ohio
University Media
Productions.
"I wanted to document their time here."
Formed in
1985 and based in New York City, the Lark counts among its
accomplishments several international music awards and a
special birthday performance for first lady Hillary Rodham
Clinton. During their just-concluded three-year stint as
artists-in-residence at Ohio University, quartet members
have worked with students, collaborated with dance and music
professors, and brought to campus such visiting artists as
Aaron Jay Kernis, whose original composition for the Lark
won him the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Music. The quartet also
has performed at schools, nursing homes, prisons, libraries
and other venues in a region stretching from Columbus to
Dayton to Huntington, W.Va.
"I think
the point of it all was to bring classical music to a
greater audience -- to use classical music and the quartet
as a cultural arm of the university, as a way of meeting the
community around Ohio University," says Astrid Schween, the
quartet's cellist. "The documentary presents what was really
important about our residency, which was communicating that
the music is alive."
A clip
from the Lark's performance at Morrison Elementary School in
Athens is one example. The quartet's members, whose attire
that day included jeans and sneakers, twist and twirl their
way into the room while playing their instruments --
Jennifer Orchard and Diane Pascal on violin, Anna Kruger on
viola and Schween on cello. The audience of wide-eyed
children sits cross-legged on the floor, spellbound by a
performance that was nothing like they expected from the
world-renowned musicians their teacher had just
described.
"When you
see kids' faces in this documentary, you see what the Lark
has brought to them," Urano says. "A lot of them wouldn't
have had an opportunity to hear a group like this."
Urano
began work on the documentary in early 1996 and started
shooting it that fall. It chronicles the second year of the
Lark's residency, featuring some 21 minutes of performance
time, footage from off-campus visits and interviews with
quartet members and others. Other key players in the
documentary's creation were executive producer Paul Ladwig,
editor and videographer Vicky Foster and graphic designer
Andrew Marconi, all part of the Division of Communication
and Marketing's Media Productions unit.
"I think
it is a phenomenal reflection of The Lark Quartet's time
here," says Gretchen Stephens, whose Office
of Public Occasions
coordinated the Lark's stay. "It truly reflected what a
residency can do in a community." The Lark's residency was
funded by Ohio University, The National Endowment for the
Arts, the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation,
the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest
fund and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund.
Carolyn
Lewis, director of the Telecommunications
Center
that operates the university's two television stations, sent
a tape of the documentary to the Public Broadcasting
System's programming department in hopes that it will air
nationally. Lewis also may pitch it to the National
Educational Telecommunications Association, which has about
80 public television member stations. The documentary will
air again in August and December on WOUB-TV and WOUC-TV,
Lewis says.
Meanwhile,
Lark Quartet members have moved back to their base in New
York City and are preparing for upcoming concerts in Sweden,
Mexico, Massachusetts, Vermont and elsewhere. They plan to
visit Ohio University for three weeks next school year --
one week in the fall and two in the spring.
"We really
hope that Athens and Ohio University can remain a part of
what we are for a number of years," Schween says. Certainly
those words are music to the ears of The Lark Quartet's many
fans here.
[30]
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%20593-9733%20or%20by%20e-mail%20at%20urano@ohiou.edu.%0D%0DContact:%20David%20Urano,%20writer,%20producer%20and%20director%20of%20the%20documentary,%20(740)%20593-9733.%0D%0DATHENS,%20Ohio%20--%20David%20Urano%20loves%20to%20tell%20a%20good%20story.%20And%20when%20he%20stumbled%20upon%20a%20performance%20by%0Dfour%20gifted,%20high-energy,%20sometimes%20unconventional%20string%20musicians%20at%20Ohio%20University%20in%20the%20fall%20of%0D1995,%20he%20knew%20theirs%20was%20a%20story%20he%20wanted%20to%20tell.%20%22The%20Lark%20Quartet:%20A%20Year%20in%20a%20Residency%22%20is%20a%0Done-hour%20documentary%20about%20four%20women%20whose%20music%20and%20enthusiasm%20have%20stretched%20the%0Dimaginations%20and%20impressions%20of%20audiences%20throughout%20Southeastern%20Ohio%20for%20the%20past%20three%20years.%20It%0Dairs%20at%207%20p.m.%20Saturday,%20July%2011,%20on%20Ohio%20University%20Public%20Television%20stations%20WOUB-TV%20(Athens)%20and%0DWOUC-TV%20(Cambridge),%20which%20together%20reach%20viewers%20in%20all%20or%20part%20of%2035%20counties%20in%20Southeastern%20Ohio%0Dand%20northwest%20West%20Virginia.%0D%0D%22To%20see%20them%20play%20--%20and%20to%20see%20the%20passion%20that%20they%20have%20for%20their%20music%20and%20the%20connection%20that%20they%0Dhave%20with%20each%20other%20--%20is%20fascinating,%22%20says%20Urano,%20senior%20media%20producer%20with%20Ohio%20University%20Media%0DProductions.%20%22I%20wanted%20to%20document%20their%20time%20here.%22%0D%0DFormed%20in%201985%20and%20based%20in%20New%20York%20City,%20the%20Lark%20counts%20among%20its%20accomplishments%20several%0Dinternational%20music%20awards%20and%20a%20special%20birthday%20performance%20for%20first%20lady%20Hillary%20Rodham%20Clinton.%0DDuring%20their%20just-concluded%20three-year%20stint%20as%20artists-in-residence%20at%20Ohio%20University,%20quartet%20members%0Dhave%20worked%20with%20students,%20collaborated%20with%20dance%20and%20music%20professors,%20and%20brought%20to%20campus%20such%0Dvisiting%20artists%20as%20Aaron%20Jay%20Kernis,%20whose%20original%20composition%20for%20the%20Lark%20won%20him%20the%201998%20Pulitzer%0DPrize%20for%20Music.%20The%20quartet%20also%20has%20performed%20at%20schools,%20nursing%20homes,%20prisons,%20libraries%20and%20other%0Dvenues%20in%20a%20region%20stretching%20from%20Columbus%20to%20Dayton%20to%20Huntington,%20W.Va.%0D%0D%22I%20think%20the%20point%20of%20it%20all%20was%20to%20bring%20classical%20music%20to%20a%20greater%20audience%20--%20to%20use%20classical%20music%20and%0Dthe%20quartet%20as%20a%20cultural%20arm%20of%20the%20university,%20as%20a%20way%20of%20meeting%20the%20community%20around%20Ohio%0DUniversity,%22%20says%20Astrid%20Schween,%20the%20quartet's%20cellist.%20%22The%20documentary%20presents%20what%20was%20really%0Dimportant%20about%20our%20residency,%20which%20was%20communicating%20that%20the%20music%20is%20alive.%22%0D%0DA%20clip%20from%20the%20Lark's%20performance%20at%20Morrison%20Elementary%20School%20in%20Athens%20is%20one%20example.%20The%0Dquartet's%20members,%20whose%20attire%20that%20day%20included%20jeans%20and%20sneakers,%20twist%20and%20twirl%20their%20way%20into%0Dthe%20room%20while%20playing%20their%20instruments%20--%20Jennifer%20Orchard%20and%20Diane%20Pascal%20on%20violin,%20Anna%20Kruger%20on%0Dviola%20and%20Schween%20on%20cello.%20The%20audience%20of%20wide-eyed%20children%20sits%20cross-legged%20on%20the%20floor,%0Dspellbound%20by%20a%20performance%20that%20was%20nothing%20like%20they%20expected%20from%20the%20world-renowned%20musicians%0Dtheir%20teacher%20had%20just%20described.%0D%0D%22When%20you%20see%20kids'%20faces%20in%20this%20documentary,%20you%20see%20what%20the%20Lark%20has%20brought%20to%20them,%22%20Urano%0Dsays.%20%22A%20lot%20of%20them%20wouldn't%20have%20had%20an%20opportunity%20to%20hear%20a%20group%20like%20this.%22%0D%0DUrano%20began%20work%20on%20the%20documentary%20in%20early%201996%20and%20started%20shooting%20it%20that%20fall.%20It%20chronicles%20the%0Dsecond%20year%20of%20the%20Lark's%20residency,%20featuring%20some%2021%20minutes%20of%20performance%20time,%20footage%20from%0Doff-campus%20visits%20and%20interviews%20with%20quartet%20members%20and%20others.%20Other%20key%20players%20in%20the%0Ddocumentary's%20creation%20were%20executive%20producer%20Paul%20Ladwig,%20editor%20and%20videographer%20Vicky%20Foster%20and%0Dgraphic%20designer%20Andrew%20Marconi,%20all%20part%20of%20the%20Division%20of%20University%20Relations'%20Media%20Productions%20unit.%0D%0D%22I%20think%20it%20is%20a%20phenomenal%20reflection%20of%20The%20Lark%20Quartet's%20time%20here,%22%20says%20Gretchen%20Stephens,%20whose%0DOffice%20of%20Public%20Occasions%20coordinated%20the%20Lark's%20stay.%20%22It%20truly%20reflected%20what%20a%20residency%20can%20do%20in%20a%0Dcommunity.%22%20The%20Lark's%20residency%20was%20funded%20by%20Ohio%20University,%20The%20National%20Endowment%20for%20the%20Arts,%0Dthe%20Josephine%20Bay%20Paul%20and%20C.%20Michael%20Paul%20Foundation,%20the%20Pew%20Charitable%20Trusts,%20the%20Lila%0DWallace-Reader's%20Digest%20fund%20and%20the%20Chamber%20Music%20America%20Endowment%20Fund.%0D%0DCarolyn%20Lewis,%20director%20of%20the%20Telecommunications%20Center%20that%20operates%20the%20university's%20two%20television%0Dstations,%20sent%20a%20tape%20of%20the%20documentary%20to%20the%20Public%20Broadcasting%20System's%20programming%20department%0Din%20hopes%20that%20it%20will%20air%20nationally.%20Lewis%20also%20may%20pitch%20it%20to%20the%20National%20Educational%0DTelecommunications%20Association,%20which%20has%20about%2080%20public%20television%20member%20stations.%20The%0Ddocumentary%20will%20air%20again%20in%20August%20and%20December%20on%20WOUB-TV%20and%20WOUC-TV,%20Lewis%20says.%0D%0DMeanwhile,%20Lark%20Quartet%20members%20have%20moved%20back%20to%20their%20base%20in%20New%20York%20City%20and%20are%20preparing%0Dfor%20upcoming%20concerts%20in%20Sweden,%20Mexico,%20Massachusetts,%20Vermont%20and%20elsewhere.%20They%20plan%20to%20visit%0DOhio%20University%20for%20three%20weeks%20next%20school%20year%20--%20one%20week%20in%20the%20fall%20and%20two%20in%20the%20spring.%0D%0D%22We%20really%20hope%20that%20Athens%20and%20Ohio%20University%20can%20remain%20a%20part%20of%20what%20we%20are%20for%20a%20number%20of%0D/news/pix/lark.jpg){kind=link}
