A! Magazine for the Arts Archive

A labor of love continues after 40 years

In 1973, searching for an outlet for their own and their friends' creativity, Robert and Jane LaPella founded The Johnson City Civic Chorale.

In This Issue

• ETSU personnel win IBMA awards Several current and former participants in Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies at East Tennessee State University were honored in the recent International Bluegrass Music Association Awards.
• The Civic Chorale celebrates 40th anniversary David Hendricksen, director of The Civic Chorale, also blends song and love in the joy he takes in his role and in the role he sees music and the arts having in society.
• The Civic Chorale Personnel Meet David Hendricksen,Lisa Adkins Runner, Piano Accompanist and David Runner, Organ Accompanist.
• About the Season and How to Join The Civic Chorale generally has four performances per season.
• Arts for Youth Spotlight Martha Eason started taking piano lessons when she was 4.
• Backcountry Makers: John M. Whiteside "My boss was something of an artist in making designs for the scroll wire inlay he delighted in. For the fancy ones, he used sheets of German silver," said Milton Warren, apprentice gunsmith to John M. Whiteside.

A! Extra

• Fun at Heartwood: From Farm to Fashion Eight-year-old Timothy Moyer watched intently as Debbie McLeish showed him how to weave a rug, a scarf, and then a mini-shawl. By the time he tried it himself, he looked like a natural, carefully moving a strand of alpaca yarn over and under the strands o
• Milligan Christmas concerts draw record crowd, donations Milligan College's annual community Christmas concerts drew record attendance and donations totaling more than $6,500 to benefit Milligan's music area and Niswonger Children's Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn.
• King Photography Help-Portrait Event Holiday Treat for Local Families In November, King University photography students hosted their fourth annual Help-Portrait event, which took place at Bristol Public Library in downtown Bristol, Va.
• ETSU Alumnus named Virginia Music Educator of the Year Trey Harris, an alumnus of East Tennessee State University, was recently named the Virginia Music Educator of the Year by the Virginia Music Educators Association.
• Stage productions depict the magic of Christmas Lights dimmed to darkness within the Lamplight Theatre on a rainy Thursday night. A spotlight then cut through the black to find Billy Wayne high atop the theater's elaborate stage.
• 'Virginia Running' has scenes from region Laken Booher cruises around Southwest Virginia – from Norton to Coeburn – in the scenes of a new movie called "Virginia Running.
• Review: 'A Christmas Story' at Barter Theatre You've probably watched the movie umpteen times, maybe you saw the play at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va., last year, but "A Christmas Story," back by popular demand at Barter, is definitely worth seeing again.
• Bristol author releases new essays book Chrissie Anderson Peters wasted little time cranking out another volume of words.
• Music, magic, humor drive VW Boys Whether it's singing about if they still look good naked or about 16 chickens and a tambourine or joking with their audience members, the VW Boys offer a rare kind of entertainment for audiences of all ages.
• Local pianist places in Young Artist Competition High school students gathered at Tennessee Tech University Oct. 19 for the seventh annual TTU Young Artist Piano competition.
• Caught Reading Lise Cutshaw caught these two folks reading A! Magazine for the Arts while waiting for a show to open at the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts. She says there was a row of eight people reading, but she caught only two of them.
• Tusculum Professor co-edits Appalachian literature anthology Tusculum College's Wayne Thomas, chair of the Fine Arts Department and associate professor of creative writing, is the co-editor of a recently released anthology with John E. Branscum.
• Barter Theatre's economic impact studied Barter Theatre, Abingdon, Va., has released the results of a study measuring the theatre's impact on the local economy. The independent study determined that Barter Theatre is responsible for generating $34 million in economic impact and supporting 485 jo
• King choirs to participate in International Festival of the Aegean The choirs of King University's Music department, in partnership with the Highlands Youth Ensemble, have been invited to participate in the 10th annual international Festival of the Aegean held in the historic Apollo Theatre, "La Piccola Scala," on the is
• Alumnus and Star of Film, Television, and Theatre Cylk Cozart Speaks at King One of King's own returned to campus recently. While at King University, actor, producer, director and alumnus Cylk Cozart spoke at the University's President's Roundtable Breakfast. Cozart spoke on his time at King and how it shaped who he became.
• ETSU's Dr. Richard Kortum releases book on the meaning of language JOHNSON CITY — East Tennessee State University's Dr. Richard Kortum, an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Humanities, has written "Varieties of Tone: Frege, Dummett and the Shades of Meaning," recently released by Palgrave MacMillan
• Local companies staging "The Nutcracker' ballet Connie Neubauer watched from the wings of "the little theatre" at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Va. Her little one, 10-year-old Michele Neubauer, danced the role of Clara during Bristol Ballet's first full production of "The Nutcracker" that day.
• Project Glade showcasing oldest building in town renewed GLADE SPRING, Va. — The oldest building in Glade Spring's Town Square is set to become its newest venue.