Gros Morne Summer Music scores with Andrew Lloyd Webber

by Keith and Heather Nicol

       One focus of Gros Morne Summer Music (GMSM) for this year is Andrew Lloyd Webber who is best known for creating some of the best known musicals of the last 40 years.  Musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat are just some of his creations. They have garnered many awards from 7 Tonys, 3 Grammies and even an Oscar! The Gros Morne Summer Music production features an 8 piece orchestra and 4 singers. The vocalists include well known local Corner Brook singers Yvette Coleman, Jim Parsons, Matthew Payne and Wendy Woodland who sing 18 selections as well as a couple of medleys. The songs are mostly sung individually but there are also some duets and all 4 singers combine for the medleys. Even if you have not seen these musicals, many of these songs will be familiar since they became hits on their own on popular radio. The orchestra, made up of international musicians, is first class and the singers are outstanding. The large crowd was very appreciative and we heard many people say that they were going to return next Wednesday to hear it all again. “The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber” plays every Wednesday night until August 22 at the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre and you can get more information at: www.gmsm.ca. 

Matthew Payne (left) and Yvette Coleman  (photo: Ryan Butt)

        Almost everyone has heard of a Global Positioning System or GPS as it is more commonly known and it has greatly changed the face of “off the beaten track” recreation. These devises use a constellation of orbiting satellites which transmit signals that GPS units receive. Once the GPS device receives signals from several of these satellites it can determine where on the earth’s surface the GPS is located and can give a position in various coordinate systems like latitude and longitude. Prior to the advent of GPS technology, most wilderness navigation involved using a topographic map and compass which generally relies on good visibility to be able to see the terrain ahead and the ability to interpret contours.  So for many people who like the out of doors and like to explore the backcountry of Western Newfoundland on foot or snowmobile,  the GPS has become a god send. But before you head off into the wilderness it is a great idea to practice with your GPS closer to home. And an ideal activity for this is geocaching which was started twelve years ago.  Today there are over 1.5 million geocaches found around the world.  In fact a recent check of the Geocaching web site (http://www.geocaching.com) , showed that there are over 80 geocaches in the immediate Corner Brook area.  Geocaching is a great way to explore a new area and the photo below shows a geocache on the nearby Man in the Mountain trail. So while you are in town enjoying a GMSM performance in the evening you could easily spend  part of the day or a full day geocaching. 

The geocache on the Man in the Mountain trail-with Corner Brook in the distance