Foothills Music Club Inc.’s February meeting this year was held on Valentine’s Day at the Tryon home of FMC member Janet Joens.

FMC President Jeanette Shackelford presided over the business part of the meeting prior to introducing what was to become a “lov-er-ly” musical program.

Ellen Harvey Zipf, a piano student of seven months, began the program with Dennis Alexander’s Touch a Rainbow. She then played Bach’s Aria (Enlightening Thoughts of a Tobacco Smoker)” (Love? Yes, for Bach’s beloved pipe) from “Selections from Anna Magdalena’s Notebook.” Both pieces had been memorized.

Soprano Jeanette Comer, in fluent French, introduced her part of the program as “Un pastiches des chansons françaises d’amour.” She sang, to the accompaniment of Meryt Wilson on the keyboard, “Hymne à l’amour,” “La vie en rose,” “Que reste-t-il de nos amours” (in English, “I Wish You Love”). The first two numbers were made famous by Edith Piaf; the third by composer Charles Trenet.

Janet Joens, another adult learner, whose ancestors were from County Clare played the Celtic harp. Her two pieces, a traditional Irish jig and folk song were “The Cliffs of Moher” and “My Lagan Love.” While she played, one could just imagine the Irish secretly, as was necessary then, singing and dancing to these numbers.

Jeri Board, soprano, always sings with passion.

This time she performed favorites from two Broadway shows: Hello Young Lovers from Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I,” and As Long as He Needs Me from “Oliver.”  Jeri was accompanied by Jeanette Shackelford on the keyboard.

One of FMC’s newest members, Meryt Wilson, introduced her piece as “a poem of unconditional, mature love.” Can you guess what it was? Yes, Franz Liszt’s “Liebesträum,” which she played beautifully on the keyboard. It was learned that, in German, the word liebesträum means “dream of love” … an appropriate ending to the Valentine’s Day program.

FMC Inc. is very excited to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. Be sure to mark your calendars. Upcoming events are FMC’s Organ Recital at the Tryon Presbyterian Church at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 14, featuring local organists from our area’s churches, plus a number done by a local composer, plus three Benjamin Britten choral pieces, and a performance of Elizabethan England pieces at Lanier Library at noon on Tuesday, April 16. And just wait until fall! FMC will keep you posted.

Donations to FMC, Inc. are always encouraged and much appreciated. All monies go toward FMC’s Young Musician Scholarship Program, a cause of which FMC is very proud.

– article submitted by Ellen Harvey Zipf