Flutes! Pipes! Film! coming to Lakeside High

Apr. 17—SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — Flutes! Pipes! Film! is coming at 7 p.m. April 21 to Lakeside High School.

Organ artist Donnie Rankin and the Lakeland Civic Flute Choir, under the direction of Judith Elias, will provide the audience with a display of their art.

The program will conclude with Rankin providing the accompaniment on the LHS Kimball for Buster Keaton's popular silent film "One Week."

The event is free with donations accepted. Concert transportation is also available at no charge.

The members of the Lakeland Civic Flute Choir, led by founding director Judith Elias, have been performing together since 2001 under a variety of names, depending on the venue base provided to them. They have been called the Lake Erie College Flute Choir (often performing in collaboration with the Lake Erie College Community Chorus); the Hildegarden Flute Choir, based in Fairport Harbor; the Lake Flute Choir, based in Painesville.

In the spring of 2020, they were invited to be in residence at Lakeland Community College to provide a daytime ensemble that could include the Lakeland students. The Lakeland Civic Flute Choir consists of flutes of all sizes and has evolved to also include mandolin, acoustic guitar, guitarrón, piano and percussion instruments on some of their music. Their repertoire for this event will conclude with an arrangement of "Simple Gifts" for flute choir and pipe organ with Rankin at the organ.

Judith Elias has a B. M. E. from Youngstown State University and did graduate study at Kent State University with Raymond DeMattia, with additional studies under Maurice Sharp. She is on the faculty of The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby. Ms. Elias has appeared as soloist with the Lakeland Civic Orchestra in which she is principal flutist and performs as a member of many chamber ensembles in the area. Ms. Elias was Adjunct Flute Instructor at Lake Erie College from 2001-2017.

Donnie Rankin was born in Ravenna, Ohio and has been involved with both classical piano and theater organ music since he was 3 years old. He has received several performance awards, including the Overall Winner of the American Theater Organ Society's Young Theatre Organist Competition when he was 18 years old. He studied with noted theater organist Jelani Eddington and has performed for several ATOS conventions and theatre organ audiences around the world, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Donnie has presented clinics at the ATOS Summer Youth Adventure and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His work as an organist and percussionist has been broadcast on many media outlets, including NPR, and BBC 2. In addition to his full time "day job" Mr. Rankin runs a piano studio in his hometown and remains "on call" as an organist at Cleveland's Playhouse Square and the Akron Civic Theatre.

F!P!F! is the final event of the Lakeside Society for the Performing Arts 2022-2023 season and is presented through the generosity of patrons and community philanthropy in support of the artists' event participation.

For more information, contact performingartslakesidesocietyf@gmail.com, message the Lakeside Society for the Performing Arts Facebook page, or phone 440-813-3771.