Great Basin quintet next up in arts council concert series

Staff Reports

Carson Valley Arts Council presents Great Basin Brass in concert Jan. 16 at the CVIC Hall in downtown Minden. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a reception catered by Tahoe Ridge Winery followed by the concert at 7 p.m. and dessert after the concert by Bravo Cafe and Bakery. Admission is a $15 donation at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Carson Valley Arts Council.

The Great Basin Brass Quintet has entertained northern Nevada audiences for the past 30 years and has performed in venues ranging from High Camp at Squaw Valley to Nightingale Hall at the University of Nevada, Reno. Great Basin Brass plays concert music to tunes played on garden hoses.

The group has brought brass music into the elementary schools through the Discover Music program sponsored by the Reno Philharmonic Association.

All of the musicians of the Great Basin Brass have served with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra and personnel includes professors of music, an attorney, a professional photographer and a freelance musician.

The Carson Valley Arts Council is dedicated to presenting and promoting cultural events and providing opportunities for the community to experience visual, literary, musical and performing arts. It is the art council's mission to create an environmentally healthy, multifunctional, visual and performing arts center.

Since August 2004, the Carson Valley Arts Council has grown from a grass roots group with a dream to an organization capable of presenting quality arts programming during an annual winter concert series. The 2008-09 concert series continues with flamenco guitarist Kaweh on Feb. 6, blues guitarist Chris Cain on March 13 and Mumbo Gumbo on May 8.

A down payment for the Copeland lumber building last year was made possible through a donation from Big George Ventures. Additional donations from the Smallwood and Malkmus foundations, GE Energy, the Thunderbird Ranch and others enabled the transformation of the lumber building storefront into the cultural arts center.

The arts center has expanded to include meeting and gallery space, a community arts incubator, children's programming with outreach to the schools and performance events. The next phase involves raising money to pay off the building to be eligible for grants to seismically retrofit and continue the transformation of the warehouse into a multifunctional theater venue.

Throughout the past year the CVAC has accomplished its due diligence and positioned itself for Phase I of a capital campaign to pay off the $1.5 million owed on the building. Owning the building free and clear will qualify CVAC for brick and mortar grants from large foundations for the renovation and rehabilitation of the building into a multifunctional arts venue.

The kick-off to Phase I of the CVAC Capital Campaign is the Big George Challenge. Big George Ventures will match every dollar donated by Carson Valley residents or businesses up to $25,000 in the next three months. Information at info@cvartscouncil.com or 782-8207.

Volunteer opportunities at CVAC are available. People are needed for building, events, fundraising and technical committees. All committees meet at the Copeland Cultural Arts Center.

Regular monthly meetings are 5:30 p.m. the second Thursday of the month. Information, cvartscouncil.com, 265-0331 or 782-2132.