GA-FL At a Glance

Published 2:35 pm Friday, May 19, 2017

Nephina in concert Sunday

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Nephina, featuring Nina Lutz on violin and Nephtali Santiago on guitar, will perform in concert 3 p.m., Sunday, May 21, at First Baptist Church, downtown. Admission is free of charge and open to the public, Santiago said. Nephina’s program lineup will feature the world premiere of Chad Powers’ “Five Bagatelles for Violin and Guitar.” “He composed this piece for Nephina at my request,” said Santiago, a member of the Valdosta State University Department of Music faculty. “It’s a haunting piece of music.” Powers is a graduate assistant and instructor at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., and is pursing a doctorate of music in theory/composition. His recent accomplishments include being accepted into the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States National Conference, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Bowling Green State University Graduate Conference on Music, Festival of New Music at Ball State University and Electronic Music Midwest. Nephina will also perform music by Mauro Giuliani, Isaac Albeniz, Antonio Lauro, Astor Piazzolla and Santiago, who composed a piece titled “Valse alla Piazzolla,” an arrangement for violin and guitar of Italian composer Ennio Morricone’s music from the classic film “Cinema Paradiso.” “We’re ending with a fun piece that we learned from Nina’s dad, who passed away a few years ago,” Santiago said. Santiago holds a bachelor’s degree in guitar performance from Temple University, where he was the first guitarist to win the Concerto Soloists Competition, and a master’s degree from Yale University, where he was awarded the Charles H. Ditson Scholarship for outstanding scholarship and performance.  He has performed in masterclasses for Oscar Gighlia, Sharon Isbin, Elliot Fisk, Jaap Shroder and Manuel Barrueco. Lutz is the string area chairwoman at VSU and has been concertmaster of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and first violinist of the VSU Faculty String Quartet since 1992. In addition to her activities in the VSU Music Department, she maintains a thriving private studio, teaching violin and piano, and performs in varying venues throughout the South Georgia area.  She graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and holds a bachelor’s degree in performance from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in violin performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music. She has performed with the Springfield Symphony, the Fort Wayne Symphony, the Chicago Ballet Orchestra, the Savannah Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony and more. In Germany she studied with Angela Sinell and worked with German composer and string player Bertold Hummel, subsequently performing the U.S. premiere of his Solo Violin Sonata.  She also performed with the Würzburg State Theatre and the Bamberg Symphony, with whom she toured Spain extensively.

 

City wants top-to-bottom review of operations

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DALTON, Ga. — Dalton city government will be getting a top-to-bottom review.Members of the City Council voted 4-0 on Monday to hire PFM Group Consulting of Chattanooga to review all aspects of city government. “This is just the first step, agreeing that we want to do this. A contract will come later,” said Mayor Dennis Mock, who generally votes only in the event of a tie. “They are a national group that has done studies for cities all over the nation, looking for inefficiencies and helping with budgets.” According to PFM’s website, the company has worked with government officials in Atlantic City, N.J., and Hartford, Conn., among others. The city has not brought in an outside consultant for a review like this in at least a decade.

 

Paradise to have free Kids Fishing Event

BROOKFIELD, Ga. — Paradise Public Fishing Area and the Tifton Kiwanis announce the annual free Kids Fishing Event at Paradise Public Fishing Area on June 10 for children 15 years of age and younger. Activities available will include adult-child fishing in Lakes Cup and Saucer, and there will be a casting contest. Registration for prizes and fishing begin at 7:30 a.m. All fishing and other activities end at noon. A hotdog lunch will be provided by the Tifton Kiwanis at 11:30 a.m. At the free fishing day, Georgia residents do not need a fishing license or a trout license to fish on any public waters in the state including lakes, streams, ponds and public fishing areas (PFA). In addition, residents do not need to obtain a wildlife management area (WMA) license to fish at Paradise PFA or possess a Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass (GORP) on this day. Directions to Paradise PFA from Tifton: Drive east on U.S. Highway 82 for eight miles to Brookfield. Turn right onto Whitley Road and travel approximately 100 yards. Take the first left onto Brookfield-Nashville Road and travel 1.5 miles. Paradise’s entrance is on the left. For more information, contact Paradise PFA staff at (229) 533-4792.