The concert in which Friends of Music presented Stephen Cockfield of Malott and baritone Joel Yelland of Omak on March 5 was preceded by a charming introduction by Mary Koch.
     She explained, briefly, the history of Friends of Music and its mission: To present music locally by and for local people, with occasional interludes of inviting in outside artists. The concert took place in the Omak Presbyterian Church.
     Yelland has been active in musical presentations in the valley for some years. Cockfield is less well known.
     They joined in a rich presentation of art songs with a small slice of opera in which Koch and Nora Ridenour took turns on piano and harpsichord to stand in for an orchestra. Often, when one of them wasn't playing, she was turning pages for the other.
     They carried a heavy load gracefully and well.
     Koch, in her introduction, spoke of the importance of the audience, which reminded me of the statement that it takes three to make music: One to compose, one to perform and one to hear.
     The program opened with a duet by Handel in which oboist Gail Ridenour and flutist Grace Yelland joined in.
     After that, accompaniment was keyboard only. While only two of the six (both Ridenours) are in music professionally, their performance was of a high order and well within professional standards.
     The opening duet was followed by Yelland's group of "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes," an old English air; "Arise, Ye Subterranean Winds" (excellent diction) of Purcell, and the French "Plaisir d'amour," on the fleeting joys of love. He sang the last in French.
     The men sang the program in several languages. Programs gave translations of the texts.
     Cockfield followed with "In the Wonderous Beautiful Month of May," "I'll Not Complain," and "On a Shining Summer Morning," all by Schumann and sung in German.
     Yelland sang "Shall Flowers Wilt," "In Sunshine I Walk," both by the Dane Carl Nielsen and in Danish, and "All Souls' Day," and "Dedication," both by Richard Strauss and sung in German.
     Following intermission the men entered singing and continued in a duet from Puccini's opera, "The Bohemians."
     Yelland went into Russian (can't tell about the diction here), with "Beautiful Moon," and then an aria from Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro," and "O My Beloved," both in Italian, and then four numbers sung in Russian.
     The men used scores throughout the concert, and small wonder, given the language tour de force they presented. And throughout they shaped the dynamics to the words.
     The final listed number was from Bizet's opera "The Pearlfishers," in French. The encore, which Yelland, said, smiling, would be in English, was "Homeward Bound," which closed in a whisper.
     It was such a rich offering that it is not feasible to comment on each number. Suffice it to say that the music was rendered beautifully and did us the compliment of being music of stature which has stood the test of time.
     The program was a taxing one for all the performers, and they did a smooth, polished offering of demanding repertory which required not only music knowledge but linguistic proficiency as well.
     The first time I ever talked with Yelland was at a Friends of Music "Messiah" sing-along at Ellisforde.
     He had not been here long then, and commented that where he had lived before (the other side of the mountains), most music was done by the professionals and the amateurs didn't get a chance to perform. Obviously this is a loss.
     In the Okanogan this is being corrected. That not only gives the musicians a chance to practice their art but also makes it available to the rest of us, who in many instances would have to go without this kind of program.
     The singing and playing, as indicated, were of a high order, and we are the richer for it. Fortunately, there are many more fine offerings which can be done. I hope they do.