Cheers: Chocolate, Children, and Chamber Music

Champagne and Chocolate fundraiser, presented by Living Arts of Tulsa

"We should not have a tin cup out for something as important as the arts in this country, the richest in the world. Creative artists are always begging, but always being used when it's time to show us at our best."

--Leontyne Price

Price was a brilliant operatic soprano who was also the first African American prima donna at the Metropolitan Opera. She sang in a very different world than the one we live in today -- the kind of world where it was unusual for a Black woman to take star turns for world-class opera companies and a Black man could never, ever be the president.

However, her assertion that artists must beg is no less true today than when she spoke those words in the 1960s.

And sadly, it's still true today. Because of this, we all hear -- seemingly weekly -- about another fundraising effort by this artistic group or that arts-minded organization.

Well, Living Arts of Tulsa is no different. They, like anyone else, need money to do what they're doing. And what they're doing is important. Living Arts brings fascinating artistic endeavors to our humble burg, whether it's a performance art piece, classes for kids, art displayed gallery-style, even the recent Day of the Dead event.

What Living Arts does matters. What separates us from the animals is not the ability to reason, because I used to watch my cats debate whether coming over to me was worth the effort for the affection they'd get. Rather, it is our interest in the arts. Awesome as my cats Luke and Leia were, they couldn't have cared less about the original Beeman hanging in my house, and they never showed any interest that I was headed to the ballet.

All that to say this: the arts matter, and the arts constantly need financial support.

To that end, Living Arts presents its annual Champagne and Chocolate fundraising event on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 7-10pm.

Art for sale will be displayed, with proceeds going to the organization, and those in attendance will be plied with, surprisingly enough, champagne and chocolate.

Tickets are $35 in advance -- which is to say prior to 5pm on Friday the 16th -- with a group discount of six tickets for $150. Tickets at the door are $50, but there are also sponsor-level tickets available. Ranging from $250-$2,500, sponsor-level packages include varying numbers of tickets along with several different levels of monetary credit toward the purchase of artwork. Sponsors and patrons of Living Arts will also be invited to a preview where they will have first choice of the art on display. More information about sponsor levels, tickets, and the event in general can be obtained by calling Living Arts at 918-585-1234.

Ralph Vaughan Williams' Hodie and John Rutter's Mass of the Children, presented by Tulsa Oratorio Chorus

Two big, terrific choral works kick off TOC's 2012-2013 season under the direction of TOC's artistic director Tim Sharp.

Hodie will, in effect, kick off the holiday season, as Vaughan Williams incorporated texts from the Bible and poetry from John Milton to tell the story of the birth of Christ. While most choral listeners expect to hear Handel's Messiah as the holiday go-to work, it is about the life of Christ, not just the birth. Vaughan Williams focuses on the holiday event, and Hodie is a fantastic work.

Mass of the Children is also a part of the evening. This piece, composed by one of the superstars of choral composing, was written immediately following the unexpected death of Rutter's college-aged son. That it includes a children's choir makes it all the more touching.

The part of the children's choir -- as well as the part of the angels in the Hodie -- will be performed by the Holland Hall Middle School Honor Chorus and Tulsa Children's Chorus.

The concert will be held at First Baptist Church, located at on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7:30pm. General admission tickets are $20 and are available through TOC's website at tulsachorus.com or by phone at 918-596-7111.

Zodiac Trio, presented by Chamber Music Tulsa

Take three musicians from around the world. Make sure they're really awesome at what they do. Put them together and turn them loose on some chamber music, and you get the unparalleled Zodiac Trio.

Hailing from the United State, France, and Japan, the members of the trio have performed and taught at various levels on three continents, to universal acclaim.

Forming at the Manhattan School of Music, the Zodiac Trio has, in just six short years, made a name for itself internationally. Clarinetist Kliment Krylovskiy, violinist Vanessa Mollard, and pianist Riko Higuma are each lauded for their individual talent and technique on their respective instruments, and it's many a critic who has gone on to say that the groups exceeds the sum of its very talented parts.

The group comes to Tulsa, brought here by our own venerable Chamber Music Tulsa, to play the PAC's John Williams Theater on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 3pm.

The Zodiac Trio often expresses a penchant for modern music, having commissioned several works from esteemed composers over the years, and Sunday's program will not stray from that area of interest. On the program are piece by Darius Milhaud, Ned Rorem, and Bela Bartok, as well as a piece written specifically for the trio by Marcus Paus.

Tickets are $25 and are available through myticketoffice.com, by phone at 918-596-7111, or at the PAC's Second Street box office.

Send all comments and feedback regarding Arts Experienced to jratliff@urbantulsa.com.