Jay Friedman, music director and conductor of the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, recently served as guest conductor for the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin, Italy, on May 1 and 2. RAI is the official radio orchestra of Italy and also the largest musical ensemble in that country, so this was a real coup for Friedman, who is also principal trombonist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
And Friedman even managed to turn the tables by inviting his former CSO conductor, Daniel Barenboim, also a renowned pianist, to be his guest soloist on Beethoven’s “Emperor Concerto.”
Turin, of course, was the site of the 2006 Winter Olympics, so they got to do some touring of Torino-along with a little clowning. Bud Herseth, retired CSO trumpeter extraordinaire and longtime Oak Park resident, came along on the trip with his wife, Avis. In the photo above, he gave Barenboim’s wife, Elena Bashkirova, a lesson in puckering. Who said musicians were all work and no play?
Collins rolls the ‘Dice’
As current and former OPRF students prepare for the premiere of their feature film, Love. Blood. Kryptonite at the Lake Theatre next Tuesday night, another product of the Oak Park school system has released a “mock documentary” about role-playing gamers, titled Fellowship of the Dice. Jon Collins, whose parents still live in the village, says of his mockumentary: “Imagine Best In Show meets Dungeons & Dragons.” The film has a distributor, Reel Indies (http://www.reelindies.com), and it appeared in stores nationwide, April 24, including Wal-Mart, Target, and Barnes & Noble. You can also order it at http://www.fellowshipofthedice.com.
Here is Collins’ synopsis: “Starring indie favorite Aimee Graham, Fellowship of the Dice follows the plight of Elizabeth, a recovering party girl, desperate for a new group of friends. After a chance meeting with avid gamer, Sanford (Alastair Surprise) lands her an invitation to play the popular fantasy role-playing game, “Wizards, Warriors and Wyrms,” she spends a long afternoon and evening plagued with confusing rules, high adventure and nerdy drama. Jasper (Jeff Coatney), the Game Master, rules his gaming fiefdom with an imaginary iron fist. His painfully shy wife, Gwen (Lucia Diaz), spends most of the game quieter than a deaf-and-dumb church mouse. Kevin (Jon Dabach), a temperamental 11-year-old trapped in a 25-year-old’s body, continuously locks horns with Jasper over everything from missing DVDs to his tyrannical and unfair use of the game’s rules. Larry (played by me, Jon Collins), the gregarious aspiring actor, struggles to keep the peace. Things quickly spiral out of control and Elizabeth is forced to decide if she just wasted a night of her life, or if she truly has something in common with these oddball weirdos.
“Peppered throughout the film are interviews with seasoned gamers, describing their love for the game while introducing the uninitiated to this eccentric hobby.”
Collins made the film with executive producer and writer Tom Hietter.
Excellence: a sample
The following list of distinguished alums appeared in a Sun-Times story last week on Oak Park and River Forest High School’s sports tradition. OPRF was their “High School of the Week.” (We’re not sure if Kroc, McCarter, Castellaneta, Mastrantonio, Shields, Vincent or Simic actually played any sports. Kroc, however, did once own the San Diego Padres):
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Dan Castellaneta, voice of Homer Simpson.
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Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Academy Award-nominated actress.
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Ray Kroc, McDonald’s founder.
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Terry Isaacson, All-American in wrestling and football at Air Force.
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Charley Hoag, All-American football player at Kansas; Olympic gold medal in hoops in 1952.
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Eric Kumerow, defensive end/linebacker with Bears and Dolphins.
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Ernest Hemingway, Nobel (1954) and Pulitzer (1953) Prize-winning novelist.
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Sean Lawrence, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher.
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John McCarter, director of Field Museum.
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John Register, three-time track All-American at Arkansas.
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Ben Shelton, Pirates first baseman/outfielder.
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Carol Warner Shields, 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
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Charles Simic, 1990 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.
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George Trafton, founded the NFL with George Halas.
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Marjorie Judith Vincent, Miss America 1991.
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Jim Westphal, track All-American at Loyola.
Clarify that
Wednesday Journal would like to clarify procedures described in a May 9 Wednesday Journal article titled, “Parents, OPRF board in spat over seating new members.” According to state law, election results must be certified within 21 days of an election. Language in OPRF’s school code-also based on state law-states that District 200 Board of Education’s organizational meeting and seating of new board members must take place after the election results are certified but within 28 days of the election.
Countdown to Midnight
July 20, 2007-the 38th anniversary of the moonlanding? The eve of the 108th anniversary of Hemingway’s birth? No, far more culturally significant: It’s another Harry Potter book release. The Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (OPACVB) and Magic Tree Bookstore have announced that they are again teaming up to anticipate the midnight release of J.K. Rowling’s latest adventure, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. An array of “magical” activities is planned, including an International Quidditch Tournament at Mills Park (rules and registration information can be found at www.quidditch-worldcup.com). You have to be 7 to 12 years old, and you do have to bring your own broomstick. A Divination Tea is scheduled at Pleasant Home. Volunteers are needed to pull off this third Potter Party in Oak Park. Contact the “OPACVB Ministry of Magic” at info@visitoakpark.com or call 708/524-7800 x106 if you’re interested.
One of these days we’re going to have to read one of these books.
