Spring Fundraiser Review
/It was a bright and sunny afternoon on April 24th, 2016. A light breeze played through
the pines surrounding the home of Karen Rich and Jeff Van Horne. Patrons and board
members of the Lake Chelan Bach Fest mingled on the spacious deck, while board
member Sherry Fisk poured excellent wine from her personal collection. After an
enjoyable social hour, the group gathered in the great room to enjoy the musical talents of
Bach Fest artist-in-residence, Denise Dillenbeck, and her husband Mark Goodenberger.
Performing as DuoDG, their program involved violin, marimba, vibraphone and a variety
of percussion instruments. They began with a lovely piece by French composer, Eric
Satie. “Gymnopedie No. 1” is one of those ubiquitous classical pieces that you might not
know that you know, and Mark’s arrangement of the piece for violin and marimba was a
real treat! But they had much more in store for their eager audience. “Czardas” by
Hungarian composer Vittorio Monti was next, followed by several original compositions
The musicians took a brief intermission, while audience members refreshed their wine
glasses, and helped themselves to more hors d'oeuvres. Bach Fest Co-President Kerry
Travers took a moment to encourage concert goers to help support the festival by
sponsoring a musician. She noted that we are so lucky to be able to attract musicians of
Denise’s caliber to our small community festival.
When the duo returned from intermission, Denise took a moment to declare that she
looks forward to her week in Chelan every year, and is thrilled to see how our community
supports the arts.
The second half of the program included the delightful arrangement of “Ferdinand the
Bull” for violin and narrator by Alan Ridout. Mark had the audience in stitches with his
use of children’s percussion instruments such as boom whackers in his performance of
his original piece “Bad Dad”, in which he humorously reflects on his years as a young
father. And the afternoon wrapped up with a wonderfully interactive interpretation of
Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing”. Audience members were given a
variety of different percussion instruments-including a cowbell!-and encouraged to play
along with rhythms as Denise and Mark performed. You can view a clip of our fun on
our Facebook page!
We thank our musicians, hosts Karen and Jeff, and all those who came out to support our
festival and be treated to this outstanding musical performance. We are getting so
excited for July!
~Krystina Nelson