Fresno Famous

There are both benefits and burdens living right across the street from Fresno City College. The first few days of a new semester make for parking problems in the neighborhood, but when they have fun events we can just walk across the street to get to the campus. When classes are out it’s like our neighborhood park, with lots of trees, grass and fountains. Good place to walk the dog. And, a great place to see the events put on by the college from time to time, many of them aimed at the surrounding residents.

Last Saturday, May 14, at 2pm they had a piano recital in the newly renovated Old Administration Building Auditorium. What a beautiful old building! Old fashioned style, rectangular theater with a gently sloping floor down to the adequate stage. The refurbished, old-style wooden, padded seats were surprisingly comfortable and the one hour piano recital went by quickly.

They said it’s a 600 seat facility, with a small balcony, it’s just charming in an old fashioned way. I thought of scenes from Amadeus. Alabaster chandeliers and a beautiful new paint job with a subdued elegance in color selection is very pleasant. The acoustics were nice as well. Just two grand pianos filled the big room with a very nice amount of volume. I could see the neatly hidden PA speakers and a couple of room mikes, but I couldn’t tell if they were on.

Olga Quercia and Matthew Horton are very talented faculty pianists and graced us with three wonderful pieces for Piano Duo. The stand out being Rhapsody in Blue, arranged for two pianos by George Gershwin. The familiar passages really pleased the audience. They got a well-deserved standing ovation. Can’t wait to see more performances at this Central Fresno, neighborhood resource.

More details here over at 7:

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/05/12/2386056/piano-recital-at-renovated-f...

And here at the FCC website:

http://www.fresnocitycollege.edu/index.aspx?page=17&recordid=5496&ex=0