The Last Waltz is changing its location
There are some opportunities a musician would be a fool to pass up.
In Dayton, one of those opportunities is the shot to perform downtown at the Schuster Center.
Sweeten the pot with the shot to play with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and you have a show fans of the The Band’s legendary concert “The Last Waltz” shouldn’t miss.
The DPO and the group behind “Such a Night” The Last Waltz Live benefiting WYSO will recreate the Last Waltz at the Schuster Center, 1 W. Second St. in downtown Dayton, beginning at 8 p.m. on Nov. 24, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Final details have not been ironed out, but Jeff Opt, the event’s organizer, said tickets will range from about $20 to about $80 based on location.
Opt’s group of 30 or so musicians have recreated the legendary show at the Dayton Art Institute the prior five years.
DPO’s music director Neal Gittleman has attended several of the performances and is a fan, Opt said.
He approached organizers about partnering with the DPO for a special show marking the 40th anniversary of Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Waltz” film, which was released in 1978.
Opt said Gittleman’s invitation was accepted with support of the Art Institute.
“We still consider our home the DAI and will go back there the following year,” he said. “We really like playing that room. That whole venue is beautiful.”
Gittleman will conduct the one-night show that will include about 25 string musicians and local performers organized by Opt.
Luke Dennis, WYSO’s development director, said the radio station is excited about the opportunity and the continued partnership with local musicians on the Last Waltz show.
“We love doing it at the DAI, so we plan to go back there in 2019,” he said.
“(The show) is just a wonderful thing that fell into our laps thanks to Jeff Opt.”
The Last Waltz at the Schuster Center was announced as part of DPO Rockin’ Orchestra Series, which also includes Jefferson Starship, The Magic of Motown, A Salute to the Eagles, The Top Twenty Rock Hits of All Time and the a show celebrating The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
Opt said the challenge of a show with DPO string musicians was one he eagerly accepted.
“The idea that we could perform it with full orchestration behind it is interesting and amazing,” Opt said. “Anytime you get to play the Schuster Center you should jump at it and Neal has been a very enthusiastic supporter of (our) show.” By Pamela Dillon Contributing writer
In 1945 Dayton’s pioneering photographer Jane Reece told the Monterrey Peninsula Herald, “I use my camera as an artist uses his brush.” What a wonderful way to put into words what many photographers do today. The Dayton Society of Artists is presenting 15 women photographers for their current show, the Jane Reece Invitational.
Back in 1903, Reece was one of the few women in the new field of photography. She is known for her experimental photographs in the styles of pictorialism and photosecession. In the spirit of her work, these photographers were invited to exhibit art that explores the boundaries of style and technique.
Reece was a founding member of the Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors in 1938, which was recently changed to the Dayton Society of Artists. She had a fascination for photographing people, and was known for adding stencils to her negatives.
“Although the usual subjects for my images are floral and not people, my regard for them as the focus of the story is much the same as doing a portrait of an individual,” said Peggy Steinberg of Washington Township. “Jane Reece’s photographic style became known for having a softness to the focus and lighting within a portrait. The style of my work is similar, yet created mostly after I am finished with the camera.”
She uses digital processing tools and photographic textures to create the finished version, like the softness in “Spider Spiral,” which she will be presenting in the exhibit. The exquisite archival ink image was created from a single Grevillea, or spider flower. She is also showing “The Egg Man,” a softly-detailed version of a flower petal.
Instead of a brush, Steinberg uses a digital pen with a variety of brush tips. Her tablet is her canvas. The final versions of both photographers’ works, Reece and Steinberg, result in a textured appearance.
Danielle Rante of Dayton is presenting two works, “Core 18 Wildflowers” and “Core 15 Wildflowers.” They are cyanotype, ink, and mica on paper. They’re explosions of tiny flowers with a soft circular background. In her bio, Rante says she “is interested in the meeting place between the physical environment we encounter and the narratives of a place.”
Besides Steinberg and Rante, other artists presenting images are: Stephanie Baker, Stephanie de la Rosa, Dennie Eagleson, Erica Goulart, Glenna Jennings, Julie Renee Jones, Kelly Joslin, Paula Willmot Kraus, Tracy Longley-Cook, Amy Powell, Whitney Saleski, Leah Stahl and Sally Struthers.
The exhibition features photographs ranging from the traditional to the abstract, including photos that explore the everyday realities of life through color-rich depictions. As each artist explores the medium of photography individually, collectively they attest to the depth of talent in the Miami Valley.
The mission of the Dayton Society of Artists has been to connect, support and educate artists and the community since 1938. Free parking is available in the lot directly opposite the gallery, which is located in the historic St. Anne’s Hill District.