Down On The Corner
• Musicians should take note of an event scheduled for August - and we don't mean the Fair. Rather, it's the Midwest Entertainment Expo, which is set for August 14-17 at the Kentucky International Exposition Center. The expo has the usual sort of entertainment business activities: seminars, workshops, talent contest, schmooz-a-thons and so on. Log onto their site at www.mwee.com for all the details. Do take note that on the opening page are photos of Kid Rock, Halle Berry, Eminem, Sheryl Crow, Nappy Roots, Cedric the Entertainer and Nelly but there are no specific references to these celebs elsewhere on the site, so don't assume that these folks will be there.
• The brouhaha surrounding the financial crisis at the Louisville Orchestra continues as this is written, with the performance of scheduled concerts decided on a day-of-show basis and the musicians constantly ready to walk out over the payroll dispute. This crisis is more than can be covered in this space, so for the current news and background information, check these sites: http://www.louisvilleorchestra.org/; http://www.savethelo.org/ (run by the musicians); http://www.courier-journal.com (search for "Louisville Orchestra payroll" for a list of stories).
• There are field trips and then there are Field Trips. Fifteen students and six adults from Louisville will have the privilege of attending the five-day Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies on June 2-9 at the Julliard School, thanks to the work and connections of Gloria Spurlock, director of the Gloria Spurlock Violin Studio. Master Class teachers will include Itzak Perlman and David Kim, concertmaster for the Philadelphia Orchestra. While they're in New York, of course, they'll take in a bunch of the sites, including a couple of Broadway musicals and a stage show in Greenwich Village.
• We read that The Juggernaut Jug Band will soon be bragging about having "done Shakespeare," following their appearance in "As You Like It" at Actors on Sept. 23- Oct. 18. I wouldn't have thought the Bard dug the jug.
• Metroschifter chief and former mayoral candidate K. Scott Ritcher has returned to Louisville after a couple of years in Rhode Island and Los Angeles. Should be interesting to see what brother Ritcher will be into now.
• For the wandering set, take note that the Telluride Bluegrass Festival will be happening June 19-22. It's the 30th one, so it might be blast.
Codas
• William Lewis Fogle II, 57, died in Louisville on May 11. He was a musician and owner of Louie's Pub.
• Arthur Hull Hicks, 71, died on April 28 in Louisville. He played tuba for the Louisville Orchestra for over 40 years, retiring in 2001. (The Courier-Journal's obituary is posted at http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/04/30ky/met-7-tuba04300-4138.html.)
• James M. Huffman, 90, died in Louisville on May 6. He was a former musician and saxophonist who played with many dance bands and orchestras in the 1940s and 1950s.
• John Joseph Maluda, 83, died in Louisville on May 13. He was a luthier.