Some artists leave the limelight to others, until someone sings them home.
For one such island musician, the coaxing has ended.
Cellist James Hinkley takes the stage in the next Local Artist Series at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 25.
Center stage is not the usual spot for the accomplished cellist and frequent sideman Hinkley, who performs regularly with singer/guitarist Levi Burkle, and also with jazz ensemble Billet-Deux, led by Troy Chapman. But Burkle and Chapman are just two musicians who have been trying to coax Hinkley out from behind the scenes to downstage center for years.
“Yes, I’ve played for other people mainly,” said the modest Hinkley, “but there have always been pieces I’ve really wanted to do.”
On Friday evening, he gets his chance.
Hinkley will be joined by Kathy Fox and Robert Marsanyi, both on piano, and Roger “Slim” Bennett on drums. The evening will traverse the gambit of mainly modern music from classical to jazz, and will feature the works of Claude Debussy, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, Alberto Ginastera, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Whidbey Island composers Burkle, Chapman and Troels Oxenvad.
A native of Michigan, Hinkley has performed with the Cleveland, Detroit and Baton Rouge symphonies and served as principal cello for the Lima Symphony, Glacier Symphony Orchestra and the Ohio Light Opera. He’s shared the stage with such diverse performers as Yo-Yo Ma, Murray Perahia, Doc Severinsen, Helen O’Connell, Odetta and Guiseppe di Stefano.
As a composer in his own right, Hinkley has written works for the Ohio Chamber Music Society, the new music group Dædalus and numerous orchestral and choral groups, as well as scores for six episodes of MTV’s “Liquid Television.”
The first half of the approximately 90-minute show will focus on 20th century classical compositions, though Debussy is at least 100 years old. But it’s still considered new music in the grand scheme, and modern music is what interests the cellist.
“All music was new music at some time,” Hinkley said.
“It’s only recently that musicians haven’t focused on playing what’s new. In Mozart’s time, they wouldn’t even think about playing music that was 200 years old.”
During his days in Ohio with Dædalus, Hinkley said composers would send the group new scores all the time.
“We were sent scores from all over the world and performed 90 premieres in one season,” Hinkley said.
“It was a thrilling time. That first time playing a piece is a very exciting thing for a musician.”
Regardless of how old the music is, Hinkley said he hopes classical aficionados and jazz lovers alike will come away from the evening with something satisfying to think about.
“I would hope jazz lovers get something out of the classical music and vice versa for those who love classical, because the idea of creating any kind of music is the same. It will be interesting to see what people think of the contrasting halves of the show,” he said.
Tickets are $15 and are available at www.WICAonline.com or by calling 221-8268 or 800-638-7631.
