Cochranites looking for the type of musical evening normally only available in major cities will be treated to a concert next week that allows them to donate to a worthy cause at the same time.
Flamenco guitars and classical music incorporating a flute and a bass player will grace the halls of St. Andew’s United Church on Oct. 28 at 7 pm.
Martin Russell teaches music in Cochrane and is no stranger to the concert environment at St. Andrew’s, having organized popular Christmas concerts there in the past. St. Andrew’s is at 128 1st St E. in Cochrane.
In lieu of charging for admission, organizers said concert-goers are being asked to bring a non-perishable food item. They will also be able to make a cash donation to the church, which is the site of the free food shed coordinated by the Helping Hands Society of Cochrane and Area.
Flautist and guitarist Hannah Isinghood will join the ensemble, along with guitarists Ryan Kehoe and Griffin Stotschek.
They will perform some Elizabethan selections, some Bach, Brahms, and some Flamenco guitar as well.
Dubbed Just Because ll, the title is a holdover from last year’s Just Because concert, which was held because his students wanted to do some kind of performance on the heels of being cooped up for a couple of years during COVID. This year, they were reminiscing, and the consensus was they had so much fun, why not do it again, so Just Because ll was hatched.
Isinghood has been studying music with Russell for 17 years; Kehoe and Stotschek for 10.
Russell has his favourites but promises audiences will find lots to love.
“The Hungarian dance number is just incredibly amazing,” he said.
“We’re actually covering all the way from Elizabethan music, every genre up to present day,” he said.
And sometimes, they even “be jammin.”
He said he’s not confined to any specific song sheets, despite all his formal training. One example he cited started out as an accident before taking on a life of its own.
It all started while he and Stotschek were in the midst of a Baroque duet.
“Griffin and I made a mistake once, and he missed a line, and he carried on playing a line ahead of me and I just carried on and said, ‘don’t stop’ and so we were playing it around, and it has turned into one of our favourite pieces,” he said.
“It turned into this gorgeous duet with these weaving melodies and it’s just fabulous, and we’ll be playing that as well.”
Being musically adaptive and going with the flow in different situations is something Russell said he fosters during his lessons.
“You’re learning my secrets,” he said.
It’s a rare opportunity for a country loving town to branch out into some classical forms they might be surprised to learn are pretty darn entertaining.
Russell jokes around with some good-natured cliches about country music that he quickly begs the interviewer not to repeat (something about a dog and a truck dying) but he’s clearly an ‘all kinds of music’ lover who revels in opening peoples’ eyes and ears to the joys of different genres.
And he uses his off-beat sense of humour to bring audiences along on the journey. He said musicians have to be ready for anything when playing gigs for seniors, for example.
“I’ve played classical music in an old folks home and heard them say ‘When’s he gonna play something we can sing?’ so you have to know your audience,” he laughed.
He’s since started handing out song sheets in seniors homes.
Russell said the combination of a musical evening with a chance to give something back to the community via the food bank makes the evening something special.
“It’s a pleasure. It really is.”
