Mayo Clinic Announces Five November Performances for the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program

Monday, October 26, 2009

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Community members are invited to join Mayo Clinic staff and patients at five Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program concerts in November. The annual Meditation and Memorial Concert will be held on Monday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. The remaining four performances are scheduled on Mondays from 12:10 to 1 p.m. The concerts will be held at various locations around the Mayo Clinic campus.

The schedule is:

Nov. 2: The annual Meditation and Memorial Concert will feature cellist Kirsten Whitson at 7:30 p.m. in Saint Marys Hospital Chapel, first floor, Domitilla Building, 1216 Second Street S.W. Whitson plays regularly with the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony and the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra in Wyoming. She maintains a private teaching studio in St. Paul, Minn., and has taught at McPhail Center for the Arts, Indiana University, Carroll College, and in a fishing village in Norway. Her performances have taken her across the United States, Europe, Japan and Cuba.

Nov. 9: Acoustic singer, guitarist and songwriter Ann Reed will perform in Hage Atrium, subway level, Siebens Medical Education Building, 100 Second Ave. S.W. Reed, of Minneapolis, has performed for more than 25 years at venues across the country and the world, including "Good Morning America," "A Prairie Home Companion," Minnesota Public Radio's "Good Morning Show" and the Winnipeg Folk Festival. She has been honored by Billboard Magazine, the National Association of Independent Recording Distributors, the Minnesota Music Academy and the Girl Scouts for her music and community service. Reed has recorded 15 albums. The latest is "Songs for Minnesota."

Nov. 16: The Larry McDonough Quartet will perform jazz in Barbara Woodward Lips Atrium, subway level, Rochester Methodist Hospital, Charlton Building, 10 Third Ave. N.W. Led by McDonough, of St. Paul, the group includes Richard Terrill, Craig Matarrese, and Chaz Draper. McDonough has performed in the Midwest for 35 years. He received a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Minnesota in 1978, performing on piano and trumpet. A former high school band director, McDonough also works at Minneapolis Legal Aid as a tenants' attorney. His most recent recording is "Simple Gifts."

Nov 23: Bill and Kate Isles, with special guest artist fiddler April Verch, will perform acoustic fiddle and vocal music in Barbara Woodward Lips Atrium, subway level, Rochester Methodist Hospital, Charlton Building, 10 Third Ave. N.W. The Isleses have traveled and performed together since their marriage in 2004. Bill Isles was prompted by a serious medical condition to return to music in 2000 after a 25-year hiatus. Since then, he has become a highly respected singer and songwriter in the Minnesota acoustic scene, and has received national and international attention. His songs are down-to-earth poetic reflections of life experiences and often explore adventurous metaphorical worlds. He met his future wife at one of his concerts. Previously, she was a closet singer and songwriter, full-time wine representative and dedicated single mom. Their latest recording is "Matching Baggage." Verch, of Ontario, Canada, is currently touring with the Isleses. She is a fiddler and step-dancer, with skills steeped in the cultural traditions of her home in Ontario's Ottawa Valley. Verch graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston and won two fiddling championships. Her latest recording is "Steal the Blue."

Nov. 30: The Concert Choir of Honors Choirs of Southeastern Minnesota will perform in Hage Atrium, subway level, Siebens Medical Education Building, 100 Second Ave. S.W. The Honors Choirs is a nonprofit organization of four auditioned youth choirs for singers in grades three through 12. Its 230 singers come from 22 Minnesota communities and represent 52 area schools. The Concert Choir consists of youths in grades 10 through 12. The group is conducted by Artistic Director Michael Culloton and accompanied by Laurie Priniski.

Sponsored by Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine, the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program is coordinated by Choral Arts Ensemble of Rochester. The series is generously funded by Rosemary Willson in memory of her late husband, Meredith Willson, who wrote the Broadway musical "The Music Man." The gift is made in gratitude for the couple's care at Mayo Clinic. More information can be found online.

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