By Marilyn Delk |
Violinist Doug Hamilton is a musical chameleon, moving with ease from genre to genre in almost any musical environment, while magically fading into the background even when performing with astounding perfection. Doug has performed many times for local audiences, most often with songstress Lisa Biales, but quite frankly, you probably don’t remember him; his seamless accompaniment perfectly blends with the sounds of the other musicians who are onstage and with whom he is joyously performing. Therefore I am not really sure what to tell you about the show the audience will see when Darke County Center for the Arts presents the Doug Hamilton String Trio at Arcanum’s Wayne Trail Historical Society on Thursday, April 10–except that the music you will hear will be wonderfully performed and highly listenable—a magical outcome that will satisfy music lovers of every ilk.
Here is what I know about the upcoming show: (1) The intimate venue provides a cozy setting for artists to interact with their audience. (2) The Historical Society will provide exceptional hospitality and delicious refreshments. (3) Members of the Doug Hamilton String Trio will be excellent musicians who love what they do. (4) Audience members will leave knowing they have enjoyed a good time hearing amazing music.
Additionally, I know a little bit about the individual members of the trio. Doug Hamilton is a classically trained violinist who began performing at the age of 15 and has never stopped. Doug has toured North America with national country artists Aaron Tippin, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood, as well as with the previously mentioned Lisa Biales. Despite his training, Doug is very much drawn to the improvisatory styles of folk, blues and jazz, and is at home in most musical settings, which explains why he is known as a musical chameleon. Oh, one more detail about Doug Hamilton—he finds great joy in working with his hands as a bicycle and auto mechanic, custom wheel-builder, and owner of BikeWise Oxford, a top-ranked bicycle shop in Oxford, Ohio.
Nora Barton, who plays cello with the Doug Hamilton Trio, recently returned to the Cincinnati area from Chicago, where for fifteen years she performed in symphonies, rock bands, theater productions, and avant-garde ensembles including a contemporary music collective, an improvisational piano trio, a punk marching band, and a chamber rock orchestra. Nora also organized concerts providing access to chamber music performances in a variety of unexpected public spaces and still tours regularly with shadow puppet theatre company Manual Cinema. Currently, in addition to teaching cello and piano, she is continuing to cultivate creative collaborative opportunities for the cello, regularly accompanying yoga classes and hosting ambient noise jams, as well as performing regularly as Planchette, an experimental solo project that seeks to “enrich spaces with ethereal cello energy.’
The third member of the Doug Hamilton Trio, violist and violinist Rose Reidmiller-Gowda, who is also based in Cincinnati and is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, founded the Cincinnati Music Village where she teaches a full studio of Suzuki violin and viola students. An active and versatile freelance musician who has played for more than 500 weddings, Rose records and performs in a wide range of styles from classical to pop/rock, and has appeared onstage with artists such as Michael Buble, Josh Groban, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra while also performing regionally with a broad variety of ensembles.
Although I don’t know what music this amazing ensemble will play when they perform in Arcanum, I do know that I want to be there to hear the musical magic they will create. You can be there, too. To obtain your tickets which cost $20 (students half price), contact DCCA at 937-547-0908 or info@darkecountyarts.org, or visit the DCCA office, located on the third floor of Greenville Public Library and open Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1 p.m. till 4 p.m. If any remain by showtime, tickets for this performance by the Doug Hamilton Trio will also be available at the door prior to the show, which starts at 7 p.m.