Heart strings are sure to vibrate at the Valentine’s Day performance by La Cafamour String Quartet at the Rouge Gallery, accompanied by the Rouge Concert Series organizer herself, Nicola Everton, a clarinetist for two decades with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and now a permanent resident of Rossland.
The swell of amorous spirit will build in a crescendo across the melodies of Carl Maria von Weber and Philip Glass, and the gallery hall will likely heat to a fever pitch when the musicians hold forth on Mozart’s clarinet quintet as heard in the famous love scene in Out of Africa. Robert Redford lands his bush plane in the middle of the Serengeti and spreads out a candlelit dinner for Meryl Streep under a dusty African sunset, pulling out an old record player to play the quintet.
“It’s really beautiful,” Everton said, “A very romantic, slow movement.”
Tears flowing, hearts bursting, and steam rising, Everton said, “I think it’s going to be a fun evening.”
La Cafamour String Quartet formed in 2008 and is based in the West Kootenay. Jeff Faragher of Nelson plays the cello, Alexis More of Crescent Valley plays the viola, and Rossland’s Carolyn Cameron plays the violin. The other violinist will be unable to make the performance, so it was made a family affair when Cameron’s sister, Angela Snyder, flew out from Washington D.C. through the big storms last weekend to rehearse and perform with the group.
Everton started piano at age 5 and, when she was 10, started to play the clarinet.
“My dad took me to hear Benny Goodman,” she said, referring to the great American jazz and swing clarinetist and band leader. “I really enjoyed that and was taken by the clarient.”
As a professional musician, she has toured Asia and North America with the orchestra, performing with a variety of international artists including Yo-Yo Ma, the Chieftains, Diana Krall, and Leslie Feist, and for various dignitaries including the Dalai Lama and the Queen. She also teaches privately and as a member of the Vancouver Academy of Music faculty.
Five years ago she bought a home in Rossland, but only moved here last fall. She asserts that the move is now “permanent” after years of “slowly working at it.”
Returning to the event at hand, Everton says it’s about love, but it’s also about fundraising.
“We’re going to raffle off wines from BC Wine Guys, chocolates from Mountain Nugget and cupcakes from Sweet Dreams Cakery,” Everton explained, “all to raise money to purchase some comfortable chairs for the concert series and the gallery.”
She paused. “It’s also to open the safe behind the stage area. There’s an enormous safe that’s been locked for more than 10 years, since it was a bank. We haven’t been able to find anyone who knows the combination!”
It will cost a “fair amount” of money to open the safe, and the Rouge needs the space to store chairs and the portable stage.
Everton laughed, “It sure would be great if we found a million dollars! You can always dream!”
La Cafamour and Nicola Everton perform on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rouge Gallery. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information, call 362-9606.