Fischer-Hanlon House hosts holiday concert

(Originally published in the 12/15/15 edition)

   Tim Heney, a longtime Benicia resident and choir director of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, will be performing a piano concert at the Fischer-Hanlon House Sunday for the second weekend in a row. 

   Heney has performed holiday concerts off and on at the historic Victorian home since the ‘70s, but according to Benicia State Parks Association spokesperson Mike Caplin, he has turned it into an annual tradition for the past seven or eight years.

   The piano that Heney will be performing on has a long history. It was manufactured by Steinway & Sons in 1866 and shipped from New York to a San Francisco dealer in March of that year. There are no records available to confirm if it was purchased directly by proprietor Joseph Fischer, but the piano has been in the house since 1867. It was where Fischer’s daughter Elizabeth took piano lessons from Hugo Mansfeldt, a student of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.

   Caplin said the piano was a rosewood 7 square, in which the keyboard is not in the center but on the lefthand side. 

   “There weren’t that many that were manufactured because I guess they weren’t that popular,” he said. “They abandoned that style and went to the standard which you see now where the keyboard is in the center.”

   Reports vary as to how many pianos were made in this model, but the general consensus is between three and five were shipped to the West Coast. The piano in the Fischer-Hanlon House  is reportedly the only surviving model as the others were destroyed in the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906. 

   Because of the piano’s age, it only gets played a few times a year, including Heney’s performances. According to Caplin, the piano has not been tuned in a long time so the house has had trouble finding a professional tuner willing to tune it.

   “The strings are attached in such a way that they could snap, and if they did it could actually injure someone,” he said. 

   However, Caplin says the exterior is in very good condition, and the sound is decent despite not being tuned in a long time.

   Heney will be performing an array of holiday classics like “Joy to the World” and “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” Combined with the ambiance of the house, Caplin believes concertgoers will be put into the Christmas spirit.

   “It’s very beautifully decorated for Christmas,” he said. “We actually had a professional decorator do the main parlor, so it looks great and smells great and it gives the whole feel of the season. It will put everybody in a great Christmas spirit- Victorian style, if you will.”

   The concert will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20 in the parlor of the Fischer-Hanlon House, located at 115 West G St. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first- served basis.  Admission is free, but donations to the BSPA are welcomed. For more information, contact (707) 745-3670. 

Free library concert to spotlight Martinez band

(Originally published in the 12/3/15 edition)

   Why shell out hundreds of dollars to see great music performed live? You can see it in your local community for free at your local library.

   The Diablo Regional Concert Band will be performing its annual winter concert at the Benicia Public Library, Dec. 11. The Martinez-based group has been performing for over a century, having first come together in 1910 as the Martinez Liberty Band. It eventually became the Diablo Regional Concert Band and has been performing with various conductors ever since.

   The all-volunteer band has performed annually for the Pleasant Hill Fourth of July Parade, Benicia’s Holy Ghost Parade and various events for the Benicia Yacht Club. The band has also performed multiple times at the Golden Gate Park Band Festival in San Francisco.

   According to Library Director Fran Martinez Coyne, the band first became involved with the library over a decade ago when then-conductor Frank Cavoto approached staff about the possibility of performing there. 

   “He wanted to play in the fireplace area, which is the first time anyone had ever done that,” Coyne said. “He really liked the sound.”

   The group has since gone on to perform two annual concerts a year, one in the spring and one in the winter. 

   “The band has found that the library is a wonderful place to perform, the acoustics are great and the audience is always responsive,” Martens said.

   Coyne says the band is a huge hit among audience members.

   “The community does enjoy seeing them,” she said. “I have regulars who ask about whether the band is coming. I always get rave reviews.”

  The band will perform a special holiday show. The concert will include favorites like “Sleigh Ride,” “I'll Be Home for Christmas” and a piece of Hanukkah songs.

   Coyne admires the band’s devotion to its audiences.

   “I’ve seen their dedication through the years,” she said. “Even if it’s raining, I’ve had people coming in. It’s just a very nice group of core people.”

   The Diablo Regional Concert Band will be performing 7:30 p.m., Friday Dec. 11 in the Library’s fireplace area. The concert is free and appropriate for all ages. For more information, contact the Library at (707)-746-4343. For more information on the band, visit DiabloRegionalConcertBand.com. 

Benicia gift boutique set for Saturday, Nov. 14

(Originally published in the 11/10/15 edition)

   Many people wait until after Thanksgiving to buy their Christmas gifts, but it never hurts to start shopping even earlier. This Saturday, Benicia residents can buy more than the usual store-bought junk.

   As they have for the past 12 years, 10 Benicia women will be hosting a gift boutique where they will be selling handmade crafts out of a garage. 

   “We started making crafts years ago and decided that we’d like to do a little boutique for buying in Benicia so that people had another choice for affordable Christmas items,” participant Linda Ormond said. 

   All items are hand-crafted by the sellers. The gifts include stained glass, wine barrel crafts, knitted hats and scarves, quilts, jewelry, dog treats, holiday rice pilaf, pickled beets and more.

   “It’s a way of giving people quality homemade items,” Ormond said.

   The boutique will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1332 Bonita Bahia, located off West 13th Street. The items will range from $2 to around $100. 

   For directions or more information, contact Ormond at (707)-373-5494.