Gwen Sam

From Russia with Love ~ Saratoga Chamber Orchestra ~ Jan 29 & 30th

Admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:52:59 +0000

THERE’S STILL TIME! Tomorrow night at So. Whidbey High School! Monday – Jan 30 @ 7pm

I’ve sat down to type this with a racing heart, ears tuned to the recording I captured today, and excitement to get this written and posted fast, in the hope you’ll CHANGE YOUR PLANS, and be at South Whidbey High School tomorrow night at 6:45!

Where artistic director and conductor Legh W. Burns and the musicians of the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra,

have something very special for you!

From Russia With Love

What could be more perfect, in the dead of winter, than to be transported to Russia with the exultingly moody, brightly traversed, and powerfully portrayed music of Russian masters like Tchaikovsky, Prokoviev, Rachmaninov and Rimsky-Korskov? Not much, by the response of the packed house at today’s concert of From Russia With Love.

Joined by accomplished violinist Lara Lewison, a 13 year old pianist, violinist and singer, this concert is, all at once, an amazement, and a tour de force of excitement!

On the stage you’ll see friends, neighbors and that familiar island face, performing some of the most fantastic music Whidbey can offer, leaving you inspired with what is possible during our winter months.

This concert left me invigorated on a slightly chilly drizzly winter day.

Tomorrow – Monday – January 30th – at 7pm – at South Whidbey High School

you’ll have the chance to brighten your horizons, in the dead of winter, all the way from Russia – with love.

Photo: Kim Tinuviel

~ CHEERS AROUND THE EARS – OF CONDUCTOR LEGH W. BURNS ~

~ the SARATOGA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA and LARA LEWISON ~

Tchaikovsky – Cossack Dance from “Mazeppa”

Prokoviev – Violin Concerto #2, Op. 63
Lara Lewison, violin

Intermission

Rachmaninov – Vocalise Op 34, No. 14

Rimsky-Korsakov – Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34

CONDUCTOR: Legh W. Burns has been the music director and conductor of THE SARATOGA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA since its inception. He is Professor Emeritus of the University of Oklahoma School of Music and former first trumpet with the United States Air Force Band in Washington D.C. where he founded and conducted the Washington Chamber Ensemble. Additionally, Mr. Burns has taught at Springfield (IL) Junior College and the University of Denver, where he founded the National Trumpet Symposium and was founder and conductor of the Festival Chamber Orchestra of Denver.

Mr Burns is a graduate of The University of Miami (FL) earning a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance. He lists Pierre Monteux, Herbert Blomstedt, Richard Lert and Renee Longy as conductors and musicians with whom he has studied.

He is also very interested in the development of young musicians, having founded and conducted the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra and the Oklahoma Youth Symphonies and founding The Guy Fraser Harrison Academy for the Performing Arts. Youth orchestras under his direction have successfully undertaken performance tours in thirteen foreign countries, including a concert tour of The People’s Republic of China in 1981. For this, he was awarded the Music in Education Award by the Governor of Oklahoma.

THE ENSEMBLE is comprised of musicians from all corners of Whidbey Island and individual members of the SCO have held or currently hold positions in the Seattle Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Boulder (CO) Philharmonic, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Everett Symphony, Seattle Philharmonic as well as other regional and community orchestras and musical ensembles. The unique multi-generational membership of the SCO, allows talented youth of the community to perform alongside adult members in a professional-educational setting.

MONDAY JANUARY 30, 2012
7 pm
SOUTH WHIDBEY High School

PERFORMANCE WILL BE RECORDED BY WHIDBEY AIR KWPA

Whidbey’s only community radio station – for airing in the following weeks.

Gwen will interview Dr. Mark Brady Ph.D

Admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:36:39 +0000

It’s all about NEUROSCIENCE

FRIDAY – JANUARY 27th, 2012 – 1pm – PST!

Mark Brady, Ph.D. is a neuroscience educator. He co-founded the Children’s Grief Program at Kara, a public service agency in Palo Alto, California where he only stopped volunteering upon moving to Whidbey Island.

In addition to being a long-time member of the graduate research faculty at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, he writes a weekly column on social neuroscience for parents (The Committed Parent).

He is the prize-winning author of a number of books, magazine articles and academic papers. Two recent titles are: Safe and Secure: A Guide to Parenting with the Brain in Mind and A Father’s Book of Listening. These and other titles can be ordered wherever fine books are sold on the Internet or by emailing: paideia@gmail.com. He is currently working on a new book on helping children escape childhood unscathed. It will be available in September, 2012.

Back in the Chair

Admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:10:13 +0000

It’s was a BUSY 2011 – with TOO MANY EGGS in the carton!

Gwen was involved in so many projects from May of 2011 to January 2012 – she was unable to sit in the chair and do her own shows.

So after working with others, training new hosts, some heady business building projects, a couple trips here and there, she’s back in the chair & behind the board at KWPA Whidbey Air.

TUNE or STREAM in for her music show – Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday – from 4 to 7pm Pacific Standard Time

Music will be guided by listener feedback and Gwen’s own strangely assorted genre library.

Gwen’s TALK show Whidbey Chat – will be back on it’s regular time soon! STAY TUNED.

GWEN will be airing archived shows – thru Thanksgiving

Admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 04:10:12 +0000

Hello folks,

Gwen will be airing archived shows through Thanksgiving. Tune in at the regular times – Monday’s 11am, Thursday 9am, Friday’s 4pm and Saturday’s at 7pm’s – Pacific Standard Time – for past shows on archives. And, please log onto KWPA radio’s website’s podcast page to listen to podcasts.

Thank you for your support of Whidbey’s community radio station – KWPA!

Whidbey Giving Circle – A Pride Foundation Philanthropy on Whidbey

Admin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 02:10:30 +0000

Whidbey Giving Circle

Gwen was joined this week by Larry Lowry and Jody Watts of the Whidbey Giving Circle

Listen to Jody and Larry share with Gwen just what the Giving Circle is, what they do, and how you can get involved with this powerfully generous group of island residents. People who do good work and have a good time doing it.

Re-broadcast of interview can be heard on

Thursday – April 7th at 9am

Friday – April 8th at 4pm

and Saturday April 9th at 7pm.

Tune in to 96.9fm around the Penn Cove of Whidbey

stream from anywhere you can connect to the internet at KWPA’s listen page.

The Whidbey Giving Circle is a community of Island County citizens who pool resources to support LGBTQ equality and young people on the island. Membership is open all who make a financial contribution of any size. Annual gifts range from $15 to $5,000. Every gift is powerful and earns the donor opportunities to vote on key Whidbey Giving Circle grants and scholarships. Members are encouraged to help guide the annual grant and scholarship cycles by reviewing applications and working with a committee to determine annual awards. Affiliated with Pride Foundation, the Whidbey Giving Circle began in 2007 and has since grown to nearly 70 members, providing approximately $20,000 of annual support to organizations, community leaders and students.

From September to January, the Whidbey Giving Circle hosts houseparties and educational sessions on the island to link community members and provide key opportunities to learn, socialize and make an annual membership commitment. From February to June, both grants and scholarships are determined. The group celebrates their investments and enjoys the sunshine together through an annual summer picnic.

Prior grantees include: Citizens Against Domestic & Sexual Abuse for their work to support LGBTQ youth across Whidbey Island and the Whidbey Children’s Theater for productions that address LGBT related issues and spur thoughtful conversation and learning within the community. The Whidbey Giving Circle has provided 8 scholarships to student leaders.

Pride Foundation has invested over $20,000 in eleven organizations that serve Island counties LGBTQ community. Much of this funding comes from the Whidbey Giving Circle, a group of Island residents that come together every year to raise and distribute funds on Whidbey. In addition, numerous Pride Foundation scholars hail from this area.

Currently, grants to nonprofits (besides those made by the Whidbey Giving Circle) are made from Pride Foundation’s Cascadia cycle, which is administered in Seattle, WA. A key goal of Pride Foundation’s is to have an active Pride Regional Community established in this area, so all funding decisions are made at the local level. We have begun working towards this goal and will continue to update the community as we progress.

If you would like to learn more about getting involved with the Pride Foundation please send us an email or call us at 1-800-735-7287.

Available Grant: Whidbey Giving Circle
The Whidbey Giving Circle is accepting grant applications for organizations and programs on Whidbey Island that benefit LGBT youth or raise awareness.
Grant application must be postmarked by April 5, 2011. - Download the application

Unavailable Grant: Cascadia Grants – Grant application will be available in Summer 2011.

WHIDBEY GENERAL HOSPITAL BOND PUBLIC MEETING

Admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:33:39 +0000

ON a special MAIL-IN only ballot set for May 17th – Whidbey General Hospital will be asking property owners of Whidbey Island to OK a 50million dollar bond to increase and improve the hospital’s health care services to the community.

The next scheduled public forums for this bond are as follows.

Thursday, March 24 – OPEN COMMUNITY MEETING, 6:00 pm, Coupeville Library
Monday, March 28 – OPEN COMMUNITY MEETING, 1:30 pm, Oak Harbor Senior Center

COUPEVILLE LIONS – Dennis Bullock & John Kohlmann

Admin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:14:21 +0000

Joining Gwen on KWPA’s Whidbey Chat this week were Coupeville Lion’s President, Dennis Bullock and, member and “Zone Chairman” John Kohlmann, for an interview about the Coupeville Lions Club.

Anyone who has been to Coupeville has seen the big Lion’s emblem on Coupeville’s welcome sign at Hwy 525 and Main St. But, do they know just how many lives and community projects they touched. Dennis Bullock, sitting Coupeville Lions president and member John Kohlmann are just two of our island citizen’s who are members of just one of our 5 island Lions clubs.

With a membership of 112 – the Coupeville Lions is the larger of the 2 clubs in the central Whidbey area. The other is Central Whidbey Lions with a smaller membership, but no less good work done. Dennis and John say there are multiple clubs for multiple reasons – could be the meetings are on the wrong day for some one’s schedule so they choose to start another club to better fit theirs and others free hours. None the less, it doesn’t matter, as these Lions said, all Lions Clubs are good Lions clubs.

The Coupeville Lions, in particular, hold the infamous Garage Sale people come from miles around to attend. They also hold an annual Scholarship benefiting dinner and auction, where Gwen’s co-host on What’s Up Whidbey, Harry Anderson seems to always get the heritage turkey up for auction, and that’s just two of the big events Coupeville Lions maintain annually.

LISTEN to this interview for more! AND contact the Coupeville Lions to inquire about their annual open house – if you’d like to find out about joining the club – April 13th, 2011 at the Methodist Church in Coupeville. YOU must make contact & have a Lion invite you to attend this event – per the limited number of seats available.

Contact information for the Coupeville Lions – PO Box 473, Coupeville, 98239 – 360-678-4105

coupevillelions@juno.com

Visit the Coupeville Lions website: www.coupevillelions.org

Coupeville Lions Calendar pdf.

Listen to this interview re-air on Thursday March 24th, 2011 at 9am & Friday, March 25th, 2011 at 4pm. YOU can tune into 96.9fm around the Penn Cove area of Whidbey Island – OR listen through your computer at the KWPA listen page.

This interview will appear on the podcast page of KWPA in 30 days.

KWPA PROVIDES WHIDBEY VOTERS WITH INFORMATION ON 50MILLION DOLLAR WHIDBEY HOSPITAL BOND

Admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:30:47 +0000

KWPA radio – Whidbey Island’s public and community radio station – is happy to provide Whidbey Island property owners with information on the special MAIL IN only ballot – set for MAY 17, 2011 – in which Whidbey General Hospital will be asking Whidbey property owners for a 50 million dollar bond for the hospital’s upgrade and expansion.

Listen to Harry Anderson’s March 7, 2011 – interview with hospital CEO Tom Tomasino and CFO Joe Vessey for more information about this special ballot measure – by clicking on the linked title below

Click here: KWPA WHIDBEY HOSPITAL BOND INTERVIEW

KWPA hopes this special interview will help Whidbey Island Property Owners understand more about this special election BOND.

Gwen would like to thank KWPA’s What’s Up Whidbey host – Harry Anderson for taking the time to host this special interview.

Thank you for listening to KWPA

JILL AND DAVE CAMPBELL FROM ISLAND RECYCLING LOVE YOUR JUNK

Admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 08:44:40 +0000

Gwen was joined today by Jill and Dave Campbell, owner/operators of Island Recycling. If you want to know about recycling on Whidbey Island – these are the people you should listen to. Passionate about our island, and their industry, Dave and Jill were happy to provide KWPA listeners with important recycling information, intended to keep our island clean and well recycled.

This interview will re-air on

Thursday – March 17 at 9am

Friday March 18 at 4pm

TUNE IN to 96.9fm around Penn Cove

Stream us from KWPA’s website www.kwparadio.org

20014 So. State Highway 525, Freeland, WA 98249

360-331-1727

Open Tuesday through Sunday, 9am to 5pm

Island Recycling Coupeville Location - 20062 SR 20, 3 miles south of Coupeville.

WHIDBEY GENERAL HOSPITAL BOND INTERVIEW

Admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:34:28 +0000

WHIDBEY GENERAL HOSPITAL SEEKS FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM PROPERTY OWNERS

KWPA had Whidbey General Hospital CEO, Tom Tomasino and CFO, Joe Vessey in the studio on March 7th for an interview about the up coming – MAIL IN ONLY – special ballot for the 50 million dollar bond the hospital is seeking from the property owners of Whidbey.

The interview will re-air on KWPA on Thursday – March 11th at 4pm – from 96.9fm around Penn Cove and streamed from the KWPA “listen” page.

IN and effort to help the citizen’s of Whidbey get as much information as possible about this bond, KWPA will be airing this interview with Tom Tomasino and Joe Vessey repeatedly over the weeks leading up to the May 17th vote. Gwen will inform you of the days and times – on Monday – March 14th.

Below – you can find times and locations of upcoming public forums pertaining to educating the public about the hospital’s need, and newspaper articles related to the bond.

KWPA would like to thank Whidbey General Hospital, Tom Tomasino, Joe Vessey and Trish Rose for making this interview possible.

GWEN – would like to thank Harry Anderson for taking the chair as host for this interview.

WHIDBEY HOSPITAL SPECIAL ELECTION BOND PUBLIC FORUMS

Tuesday, March 22 – OPEN COMMUNITY MEETING, 12:30 pm, Bayview Senior Center
Thursday, March 24 – OPEN COMMUNITY MEETING, 6:00 pm, Coupeville Library
Monday, March 28 – OPEN COMMUNITY MEETING, 1:30 pm, Oak Harbor Senior Center

Feb 16, 2011 – Whidbey Examiner – Hospital Approves 50 Million Bond - By Sue Ellen White

http://whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=5371

Feb. 2, 2011 – Whidbey News Times – Lower values increase Whidbey General Hospital bond rate - By NATHAN WHALEN

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/115044444.html

Jan. 26, 2011 – Whidbey Examiner – Bond Needed for Whidbey General Expansion – By Toni Grove

http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=5237

Dec. 18, 2010 Whidbey News Times Editorial: Sell hospital bond with enthusiasm

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/opinion/112084729.html

DEC 15, 2010 – Whidbey News Times – Whidbey General Hospital gets closer to its $50-million bond proposal – By JUSTIN BURNETT

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/111937594.html

May 12, 2010 – Whidbey Examiner – Hospital Board Considers 50 Million Bond Measure – By Justin Burnett

http://www.whidbeyexaminer.com/main.asp SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=3896

May 11, 2101 – Commissioners consider Whidbey General Hospital bond – Whidbey News Times -By JENNY MANNING

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/93455149.html