Thursday, May 12th at 7:00PM, the RiverHouse Concerts and St. Joseph Parish School in Martinsburg, WV, will co-host a delightful children's RiverHouse Concert and fundraiser event.  This RiverHouse Concert will feature the Grammy award-winning cellist and composer, Eugene Friesen as The CelloMan.  Doors for the event will open at 6:00PM.  The concert will begin at 7:00PM.  Sandwiches, munchies, and drinks will be available for purchase and will be part of the fundraiser.  Concert admission is $5/children 12 and under, $10/adults, and $20/family.   Tickets will be sold at the door.  St Joseph Parish School is located at 110 E. Stephen St., Martinsburg, WV at the intersection of Queen St. and Stephen Street.

As the Grammy award-winning cellist and composer with the Paul Winter Consort, Eugene Friesen has performed worldwide. His music has been inspired by trips deep into the Grand Canyon, travels in Brazil and Siberia, eye-to-eye contact with whales, and playing in great cathedrals and concert halls. Eugene's openness to new experience, his revelations in nature, and his respect for -- and ability to connect with -- children, are clearly conveyed in his live solo performance that moves from jazz to rock, from classics to comedy, from improvisation to composition, all with energy and ease.

CelloMan makes great music -- from Bach to rock -- accessible to audiences of all ages. Using masked characters, stories, comedy and the recorded "songs" of humpback whales, Eugene Friesen draws upon a lifetime of experience in music and theater to inspire and educate. From serious classics to serious fun, CelloMan provides a glimpse of exquisite playing and musical innovation rarely seen.

CelloMan is performed live in schools, theaters, at festivals and in concert halls throughout the United States, where it continues to motivate musicians and foster an appreciation of music among listeners of all ages.  The Celloman, directed by Rob Faust, was conceived and is performed by Eugene Friesen.

To explain how the CelloMan was born, Friesen has written the following:

"I have enjoyed children my whole life. Their excitability, openness, and love for humor and music makes them a joy to be with. CelloMan grew from that enjoyment and from my friendship with a remarkable performer, director, maskmaker and educator, Robert Faust.

I first met Rob when we were co-collaborators in a 10-person company under the direction of Martha Clarke. A founder of Pilobolus Dance Theater while still a student at Dartmouth, Martha assembled a company of dancers, acrobats, musicians and actors to create an evening-length work inspired by a remarkable painting of Hieronymous Bosch, "The Garden of Earthly Delights." Our little company worked in Connecticut for months before installing the piece in New York, and eventually touring Spain and various American festivals. The original company became very close, and important, lasting friendships were made and cultivated from it.

For me the names of Martha Clarke, Robby Barnett, Margie Gillis, Paola Styron, Marie Fourcault, Steve Silverstein, Richard Peaslee and Rob Faust will always be remembered with fun, love and gratitude.

Rob's poise, physical strength, active imagination and wacked-out sense of humor helped make our rehearsals hilarious and productive; we became friends. At this time in his life, circa 1983, Rob was beginning to respond to requests from schools to show his masks and masked characters. These requests grew into a full-fledged cottage industry with a company of performers going all over the United States and abroad performing at festivals, in theaters and in schools.

When I approached Rob in 1995 for his input into a show for young audiences I'd been imagining, he was enthusiastic. As we began working together , we couldn't resist integrating his brilliant masks into the performance. It was magic: putting on a new mask, I would look into the mirror, see this being looking back at me holding a cello, and I would just begin to make his music! Rob taught me how to use the masks, helped me to focus my thoughts and edit my words about different facets of music, and worked with me to find a shape and sequence for the show.

Since the first performance of CelloMan, my education as a performer has accelerated tremendously! Though I've been playing concerts and supporting myself as a cellist since I was 18, performing solo -- for kids -- requires a new set of skills and sensibilities. I have learned more about performing in the past four years, from kids, than I did in the previous 25! And I feel so fortunate to have found a whole new audience for music and ideas that I believe in so wholeheartedly.

Diatribes about music education aside, it is very rewarding to see young audiences respond to CelloMan, to receive bundles of letters from kids, and to hear that a few young people here and there have taken up the cello or some other instrument because of seeing CelloMan in performance. CelloMan has been, and remains for me, a thoroughly gratifying aspect of life as a musician."

As a fundraiser event, this show will benefit two charities.  The first, chosen by kindergarten teacher Peggy Gunter's kindergarten class, is Hogar San Pablo Boys' Orphanage in Mazatlan, Mexico. The boys in Hogar San Pablo range from ages 10 to 19 and are often the product of broken homes or parents who cannot provide for them. The home is run by Father Tovar, who is 80-years-old, and two nuns. Besides the orphanage being in great need of repair, essential daily items and food are usually in short supply. 

The second charity is The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. The aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, direct dollar, or in-kind service. The Society also assumes a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million people are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States.

For more information about this event, contact Cheryl Mansley-Ford at 304-702-0554 or river_house@... (notice the underscore between "river" and "house" in the email address).  For more information about the CelloMan, visit www.celloman.com .  For more information about the RiverHouse Concert Series, visit www.riverhouseconcerts.com  or contact Cheryl.  For questions the night of the fundraiser, call Cheryl at 304-702-0554.