Amarillo area Our Town briefs
Amarillo Symphony performs 4th Concert of 2022 Season featuring teenage pianist Zhu
On April 22 and 23, the Amarillo Symphony will showcase “Elgar’s Enigma Variations.” The concert will feature music director candidate George Jackson and 16-year-old pianist and composer, Harmony Zhu, according to a press release.
George Jackson will lead the orchestra in the performance of Léo Delibes’s Ballet Suite from “Sylvia,” Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 featuring Harmony Zhu, and Edgar Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Based in London, England, Jackson will return for his second performance with the Amarillo Symphony.
Tickets for the concert start at $25 and can be purchased online at amarillosymphony.org or by calling 806-376-8782. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door the night of the concert. Student tickets can be purchased at the door the night of the performance for $10.
George Jackson and Harmony Zhu will discuss details of the concert’s featured works and composers at “Lunch and Listening,” an Amarillo Symphony Guild event. “Lunch and Listening” will be at noon on April 22, at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets for this event are $10 and include a box lunch.
Hailed by the Times Union as “an impressive soloist, a sparkling and happy presence... unflappable,” 16-year-old pianist and composer Harmony Zhu is described by David Dubal, world-renowned pianist and teacher, as “part of the next great Golden Age of the piano.” Harmony recently won first prize at the 2021 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and became the youngest artist on the YCA roster. Harmony has appeared on TV shows and with many leading orchestras around the world. A Young Steinway Artist since age 10, a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, and a fellow of the Artemisia Akademie at Yale University, Harmony performs regularly at prestigious festivals and venues worldwide including as the youngest at the Ravinia Festival and Aspen Music Festival.
George Jackson is quickly making a name for the breadth and commitment of his work, whether in opera, symphonic repertoire, or contemporary scores, building strong relationships with orchestras and houses everywhere he goes, according to a news release. Recent opera appearances include a critically acclaimed Hänsel und Gretel at Grange Park Opera and the world premiere of Tscho Theissing’s Genia at Theater an der Wien in 2020, an opera inspired by events from Beethoven’s life in Vienna. In 2022 Jackson returns there with Il barbiere di Siviglia, as well as conducting Le nozze di Figaro at Opera Holland Park in 2021.
Ascension Academy bowler hits a strike with State and All-District titles
Ascension Academy’s John Luke Green, Class of 2023, has accomplished something no one in Ascension’s school history or the Panhandle Bowling District’s existence has ever done, according to a news release. Green has garnered both a State Singles Bowling Championship title as well as a first-place State All-District team placement.
In March, Green bowled a perfect game going into his State competition which surely gave him the confidence going into the state championship match in Austin. On March 27, John Luke made school and district history by taking 1st place in the State Bowling Competition.
This past weekend, John Luke competed alongside teammates from other schools in the Panhandle district- Canyon, Randall, and Amarillo High to take 1st place in the State All-District match in College Station.
Impact Expressions School of the Arts to present Spring Dance and Piano Recitals in May
Impact Expressions School of the Arts, a Christian dance and music studio completing its eighth season in Amarillo, will hold its annual spring dance recital May 14 in the Amarillo High School Auditorium.
According to a news release, performance time is 5 p.m. and admission is free. Donations will also be accepted. The theme is “Redeemed” and will feature a variety of dance styles and accompanying music, from ballet to modern to hip hop and tap. Brandon Smith, narrator, has narrated a number of other school productions.
“We’re thrilled to offer this powerful story of God’s redemptive love for all of us, which showcases the talents of 90 extraordinary young dancers, from pre-school through adult,” said Avonlea Hiltbrunner, school director.
Daddy Dance-Off, a popular improv dance contest, returns this year to the dance recital festivities. Volunteer dads dance a brief number during intermission.
The school’s annual spring piano recital is set for 3 p.m. May 22 at the West Texas A£M University Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall in Canyon. There is no charge. Fifth and sixth graders through teens will perform a variety of numbers for piano, including classics, worship songs and familiar tunes.
The school maintains two dance and music studios in Western Business Park in Amarillo. For more information, contact Impact Expressions School of the Arts at 806 414-5358 or impactexpressionsschoolofthearts@gmail.com
APD holds quarterly awards ceremony
On Wednesday, April 6, the Amarillo Police Department held its quarterly awards ceremony. According to a social media post, the awards given range from education, longevity, all the way to life saving awards and also citizen recognition.
"We are thankful to have employees who continue to do great work and want to encourage them by highlighting that great work and dedication as often as we can. We are also so very grateful for citizens in our community who step up in extraordinary circumstances, and we will continue to recognize them as well," the post reads.
The awards given and recipients are as follows:
Physical Fitness and Wellness: Capt. Elizabeth Brown, Capt. Joe Loftus, Sgt. Tony Merryman, Sgt. Cody Lavery, Cpl. Blake Gray, Cpl. Gary Hamilton, Haley Hernandez
Longevity Award (20 years): Lt. Thomas Callahan, Cpl. Jerry Jackson, Cpl. Mike Williams, Officer Wiley Frazier, Derenda Rush; 25 years: Lt. Clay Rolan, Lt. James Clements, Sgt. Brandon Amos, Cpl. Andrew Huffman; 30 years: Sgt. Celia Vargas, Sgt. Brent Harlan, Sgt. Gabe Luna
Education Awards: Officer Cynthia Palacios, Officer Christopher Thompson
Citizen recognition for Amarillo Police Academy Training Advisory Board Member Service: Claudia Stewart, Citizen Volunteer
Department Citation: Angie Brush, Melissa Davis, Veronica Fonseca, Kim Ross, Wallecia Gibson, Isabella Smith, Ashley Hicks, Amy Lovell, Rosemary Robinson, Gail Motley, Grace Robinson, Tracie Glenn
Meritorious Citation: Celeste High, APD Civilian Investigator; Haley Hernandez-APD Crime Analyst, Cpl. Tommy Russell, Cpl. Billy Haden, Cpl. Justin Castillo, Officer Doug Peoples
Stork Award: Jordan Lusk, AECC
Life Saving CPR: Jeannie Williams, AECC; Alicyn Hill, AECC; Taos Field, AECC; Bailey McAlpine, AECC; Robin Malatesta-Young, AECC; Cassandra Perez, AECC
Citizen Citation Award: Regina Ware, Joseph Hunt, Toby Stice
Life-Saving Award: Cpl. Aaron Fulcher, Officer Chance Perry, Officer Austin Billstrom, Officer Chance Harlan, Officer Chaz Garrison
Cpl. Nathan Thompson, Officer Christopher Kidd
Sgt. Devin Cantwell and Brianna Ray, TPC
Division Citation: Narcotics Unit
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area Our Town briefs
