web1_web1_Barletta_Lou_2-cmyk.jpg

Pennsylvania delegation splits on House GOP health care bill

web1_TTL050517emelett.bdy_.jpg

Happy birthday Ansley Michelle Emelett!

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212;Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died when he was 35 years old, and his fans would agree the world lost the genius 18th-century composer too soon.</p><p>Al Boscov died earlier this year, at 87, and his admirers similarly agree the world lost the extraordinary 21st-century businessman and philanthropist too soon.</p><p>Memories of the two men will entwine May 5 when the 150 voices of the Philharmonic Festival Chorus join the musicians of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic for a season finale concert, which features Mozart&#8217;s Requiem in D minor.</p><p>&#8220;We are thrilled that they want to honor Al in such a beautiful way,&#8221; Boscov&#8217;s widow, Eunice, said through a spokeswoman. &#8220;The Requiem, a favorite of mine, is a perfect choice.&#8221;</p><p>Nancy Sanderson, executive director of the Philharmonic, agrees.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no better way to thank him for his investment in our community,&#8221; Sanderson said, noting Al Boscov spearheaded the drive 30 years ago to renovate the old Paramount Theatre in downtown Wilkes-Barre and transform it into the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. The Philharmonic concert will take place there.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a really simple and sincere tribute,&#8221; Sanderson said, adding musicians have told her the Requiem brings them to tears.</p><p>It is a powerful piece, said Festival Chorus member Edward Loch, of Wilkes-Barre, who has been rehearsing the Requiem in recent weeks with other members of a chorus directed by Rick Hoffenberg at Marywood University. Within the past few days, the Marywood group has joined Steven Thomas&#8217; singers from Wilkes University and Alan Baker&#8217;s Choral Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania to form the Philharmonic Festival Chorus.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re all breathing together, everyone on the same page at the exact same time,&#8221; Loch said, explaining that Philharmonic maestro Lawrence Loh had sent instructions about when to take a breath and when to build a crescendo to the three groups while they were still rehearsing separately. &#8220;The chorus members probably range in age from 18 to 80, and it&#8217;s a thrill to hear the seasoned voices along with younger voices.&#8221;</p><p>Loch, a retired Wilkes-Barre Area School District teacher who directs the choir at St. Nicholas Church in Wilkes-Barre, is such a devoted Mozart fan, he has traveled to Austria several times to sing the Requiem with the Salzburg Dom Chor, or cathedral choir. &#8220;It&#8217;s so popular there.&#8221;</p><p>The concert also will include Antonin Dvorak&#8217;s Symphony No. 9 (&#8220;From the New World&#8221;), which Loh said is rich with elements of folk music and American spirituals.</p><p>It was the last symphony Dvorak wrote and, Sanderson said, &#8220;If any symphony is universally loved, it&#8217;s that. When I taught music appreciation at Wilkes, it was always the first thing I played for the class, because I knew it would draw them in.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_alboscov.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The late community leader and department store executive Al Boscov will be honored during the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic&#8217;s final concert of the season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_alboscov.jpg</photo0><caption0>The late community leader and department store executive Al Boscov will be honored during the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic&#8217;s final concert of the season. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Philharmonic-CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The musicians of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic will perform Mozart&#8217;s Requiem and Dvorak&#8217;s Symphony No. 9 at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Philharmonic-CMYK.jpg</photo1><caption1>The musicians of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic will perform Mozart&#8217;s Requiem and Dvorak&#8217;s Symphony No. 9 at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What: </strong>Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic concert</p><p><strong>Who: </strong>Orchestra musicians joined by Philharmonic Festival Chorus</p><p><strong>When: </strong>8 p.m. May 5</p><p><strong>Where: </strong>F.M. Kirby Center, Public Square, Wilkes-Barre</p><p><strong>Info: </strong>Tickets start at $31 and are available online at nepaphil.org. For more information, call 570-270-4444.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Philharmonic concert May 5 at Wilkes-Barre’s Kirby Center to honor Al Boscov