Morinville Community Cultural Centre celebrates with Gershwin

Pianist Johnathan Raine was sitting in a rehearsal hall at Augustana College practicing when conservatory instructor Dennis Rusniak discovered him.

“I could hear him playing Gershwin and he was pounding the snot out of it,” says Rusniak, a sax/clarinet player.

“It amazed me that someone so young had a such a big song and dance repertoire that his great-grandfather knew. He could rattle them off and talk about their musical structure. And his technique was formidable,” says Rusniak comparing Raine to Tommy Banks/Charlie Austin.

Excited to feature Raine at a venue, Rusniak approached Laurie Stalker, cultural manager at Morinville Community Cultural Centre for input. By the time the discussion was complete, the duo was well on its way to planning the season’s first anniversary gala with An Evening of Gershwin on Saturday.

In addition to resurrecting the Broadway legend’s influential melodies and orchestrations, the evening will also feature soprano Kathleen Corcoran, and 23 professional musicians and members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, including St. Albert bassist John Taylor and saxophonist Jeff Campbell. ESO trumpeter William Dimmer conducts.

“For us, it’s a good fit and an opportunity to highlight our piano and thank the Rotary Club of Morinville for donating the Hailun. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the great entertainment we’ve seen at the centre but also recognize that local artists have used this space. This building is really alive,” Stalker adds.

The Yukon-raised, Spruce Grove based Raine was playing a scaled down version of Gershwin classics by the time he was five.

“I didn’t know who he was or where he came from. I was just trained to play contemporary pieces and improvise. It’s not like jazz as we know it today, but a more early form of jazz. And it’s fun to play,” Raine says.

Although heavily involved in athletics while growing up, Raine realized he had a real shot at becoming a concert pianist.

“I chose the piano because I have a natural gift and a loose playing ability. I have perfect pitch, very large hands that can stretch obscene distances and I’m very comfortable when performing.”

Raine’s signature piece for the evening is Gershwin’s 18-minute Rhapsody in Blue.

“The night it debuted the air conditioning in the theatre broke down, and at that point the work wasn’t finished. But (Gershwin) went up on stage and improvised and it was met with universal acclaim. He later wrote it down from what he remembered of that night.”

In addition to Gershwin’s golden standards such as Lady Be Good, American in Paris and Swanee, the evening will also feature a sprinkle of melodies from Aaron Copeland, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter and Leonard Bernstein.