The Update | Memorial Concert for Stephen Gage; Arts Festival Seeks Entries

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A memorial concert for the late Stephen L. Gage will take place May 21 at 3:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Current and former students, friends, colleagues and community members are invited to celebrate Gage’s life and to raise scholarship funds in his honor.

“It was Steve’s dream after retirement to assemble a wind ensemble of his former students who are successful musicians and conduct them in a concert of his favorite music at Stambaugh Auditorium,” said Stephanie Gage, his widow. “We are realizing that dream and want to share it with the people he loved.”

The event will raise funds for two scholarships in Gage’s name: one with Youngstown State University and another with Indiana State University, where he most recently was the interim director of bands.

At the concert, Gage’s friends, colleagues and former students will perform a 90-minute program featuring pieces Gage wrote for each of his three children. Audience members are encouraged to bring their instruments to join in the concert finale, with a reception and light refreshments to follow.

“This event is our way of honoring his legacy,” said his daughter, Claudia Gage. “And by raising funds for the memorial scholarships, we will be able to honor his legacy for years to come.”

Scholarship donations can be made by designating “Stephen L. Gage Memorial Fund” to the YSU Foundation HERE and to Indiana State University HERE.

Tickets are free, but goodwill donations will be accepted at the door. Reserve your tickets now (limit of four) at the DeYor Performing Arts Center box office, downtown, or by calling 330 259 9651. Tickets are also available 24 hours a day at stambaughauditorium.com.

Gage spent the bulk of his 44-year career in music education and conducting at YSU. He was director of bands at the university for 28 years. He also influenced thousands of musicians as the director of the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra, W.D. Packard Band and countless conducting engagements throughout the United States.

Prior to his years at YSU, Gage served as director of bands at Emporia State University in Kansas, and at high schools in New York state. He most recently served as interim director of bands at Indiana State University School of Music.

Summer Festival of Arts Issues Call for Entries

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Summer Festival of the Arts has issued a call for artists for its 25th annual event July 8 and 9 at Wean Park.  

Artists of all mediums, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, textiles, jewelry and photography, are invited to submit works. The festival is open to emerging and established artists, and applications will be accepted through May 1. There is a $30 application fee due at the time of registration.  

All entries will be juried based on originality, creativity, craftsmanship and professionalism. The jurors will also consider the expression of a unique vision and style and the mastery over the artist’s chosen medium.

Information and the application form are available HERE.

YSU Jazz Ensemble in Concert at Kilcawley

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The YSU Jazz Ensemble, directed by Kent Engelhardt, and a jazz combo, directed by David Kana, will perform at 7:30 p.m. tonight (April 10) in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center at 7:30 p.m.  

The event is free and open to the public. 

Youngstown’s History as a Gretna Green

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Local author and historian Roselyn Torella will lecture on Youngstown’s former reputation as a Gretna Green for Pennsylvanians on Saturday, April 15, at 10 a. m. at Denny’s Restaurant Meeting Room, 4020 Belmont Ave.

Her lecture is sponsored by the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society. Admission is $10 ($5 for members). Reservations are suggested. Walk-ins will be admitted based upon availability. For reservations or more information, call 330 726 8277.

Gretna Green is a town in Scotland. The Clandestine Marriages Act 1753 prevented couples under age 21 from marrying in England or Wales without their parents’ consent. As it was still legal in Scotland to marry without such consent, couples began crossing the border into Scotland to marry. 

During the 1890s and until 1910, young lovers from Pennsylvania began traveling to nearby Youngstown to wed when they could not get married in their hometowns.

Torella grew up in Lowellville, where her family has lived for over a century. A 1984 graduate of Lowellville High School, she holds degrees from Youngstown State University. She recently returned to her hometown after living in Maryland, where she worked for the federal government.

In 2018, Torella published her first book, “Lowellville, Ohio: Murders, Mayhem & More.”

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.