Faith Miller is selected as the student of the week. Faith is a senior at Smethport High School. She has been in the Health Assistant class at Seneca Highlands CTC for three years. During these years, she has maintained a 100% average. Her level of professionalism exceeds expectations in class as well as in her community. She enjoys volunteering throughout her community in a variety of roles, including with her church youth group, the Red Cross Blood Drives, and health-related events.

During the summer, Faith represented her high school as Miss Smethport and competed in the McKean County Fair. Faith participates in many extracurricular activities, including cross country, track, and Tae Kwon Do. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society.

She is a student committee member at the CTC. She has also participated in Skills USA for the Seneca Highlands CTC. This year, she placed third in the Health Occupations Portfolio contest. Last year, she was part of a four-person team that completed in the Health Knowledge Bowl contest. 

In the classroom, Faith has earned her OSHA 10 certificate, American Heart Association BLS, State Tested Nurse Aide, and Stop the Bleed certificates. She is always willing to assist other students in the lab or in theory components of the class. These certifications validate all of her hard work and will serve to improve her opportunities in the workforce.  In the fall, Faith plans to attend St. Bonaventure University’s nursing program. She also plans to obtain a job in the healthcare field to help her gain experience and spending money during her college years.  

Photo provided. Pictured during the creative process in action are pianist Lang Lang and Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin going over rehearsal notes.

This Sunday, March 26 at 3 p.m., filmmaker Jennifer Lin, whose sister Daria Lin-Guelig resides in Wellsboro, will be attending the free showing of her award-winning documentary film “Beethoven in Beijing” in the Deane Center’s Warehouse Theatre at 3 Central Avenue in Wellsboro. The film explores the Philadelphia Orchestra’s legacy in China, from 1973 until now.  

Following the screening of her film, Lin, a former foreign correspondent for “The Philadelphia Inquirer” and her former Inquirer colleague, David O’Reilly will engage in conversation about the making of the film. 

The screening is being presented free of charge to the public by the Endless Mountain Music Festival and the Deane Center for the Performing Arts, which are co-sponsoring this event. Refreshments and a question and answer session with the audience will follow. Donations are always appreciated. 

“Beethoven in Beijing” starts with a forgotten moment in history when an American President wangled an invitation to have his favorite orchestra visit communist China and help change the world. The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 1973 tour was a tentative gesture of cultural diplomacy that resonates yet today, with China producing millions of musicians, erecting dozens of new concert halls and filling chairs in orchestras around the world.

How did this happen? This film shows the awakening through vivid stories from the people who lived it then such as the Chinese musicians who nervously greeted Maestro Eugene Ormandy in 1973 and who live it today, like Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun and renowned pianist Lang Lang, who credit the Philadelphians with inspiring their careers.

Archival footage from then and first-person recollections from American and Chinese musicians bring to life that 1973 visit, while behind-the-scenes access on current tours captures the dynamism of present-day China. The result, complete with a sublime symphonic soundtrack, is a compelling look at the transcendent power of music.

“Beethoven in Beijing” is more than just an eye-and ear-opening look into a forgotten chapter in history when President Richard Nixon recruited the Philadelphia Orchestra to visit communist China in hopes of reopening the closed-off nation to the West.

To be sure, there are shocking accounts of the repressive horrors of the Cultural Revolution, when western music was banned and artists suffered.

But quickly the story becomes one of rebirth and optimism, as a nation craving artistic expression embraces classical music and within decades becomes a major player in the world’s concert halls. The documentary chronicles not only this sweeping renaissance but also the effects on individuals.

When Nixon asked for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s help in rekindling diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, he could not have known how this bit of cultural diplomacy would change the world of classical music over the next half-century.

For 31 years, Lin worked at The Inquirer as a reporter, including posts as a foreign correspondent in China, a financial correspondent on Wall Street, and a national correspondent in Washington, DC. She is also author of a family memoir, “Shanghai Faithful: Betrayal and Forgiveness in a Chinese Christian Family.” She is currently working on a documentary, “Beyond Yellowface”, 

about eliminating racial stereotypes from ballet and opera. 

For more information, call the Deane Center a 570-724-62

Photo provided “Memories of Patsy,” The national touring show which pays tribute to the music of Patsy Cline, is this Friday, March 24 at the Deane Center.

This Friday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro, the national touring show “Memories of Patsy,” an incredible tribute concert to the legendary Patsy Cline, will take the audience on a trip back in time to the days when this amazing singer graced the stages of America.

Find out why this remarkable show featuring a woman who sounds like Patsy Cline backed by a five-member band has received rave reviews nationwide. 

Cline is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and one of the first country singers to cross over into pop music. Born on Sept. 8, 1932, she died in an airplane crash on March 5, 1963 at the age of 30.   

In 1957, Cline made her first national TV appearance on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. After performing “Walkin’ After Midnight” the single became her first major hit on both the country and pop charts.

She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1958 to further her career, signed with a new manager, became a member of the Grand Ole Opry and in 1960 signed with Decca Records. Under the guidance of producer Owen Bradley, her sound changed and she achieved consistent success. Her 1961 single “I Fall to Pieces” was her first to top the Billboard Country Chart. Her next single “Crazy” also became a major hit. She had more hits in 1962 and 1963.

Some of the great tunes the audience can expect to hear at Wellsboro are: “Walkin’ After Midnight”, “Crazy”, “I Fall to Pieces”, “She’s Got You”, “San Antonio Rose”, “Blue Moon of Kentucky”, “Sweet Dreams” and many more. 

The concert is BYOB with audience members encouraged to bring their favorite snacks and beverages and sit at a table with family and friends. For tickets and to reserve a table, call the Deane Center at 570-724-6220 or visit deanecenter.com. Admission is $30.