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LAST NIK PHELPS AND THE SPROCKET ENSEMBLE BEFORE NIK AND NANCY MOVE TO BELGIUM

February 4, 2006 at 8PM doors open at 7:30

TRINITY CHAMBER CONCERT SERIES

At TRINITY CHAPEL 2320 Dana Street

between Bancroft Way and Durant Avenue in Berkeley

Information and press inquiries:

Telephone: 415/ 681-3189 e-mail: nik@niksprocket.org

Visit our Web Site: niksprocket.org

$12.00 General admission

$8.00 Senior, Disabled, Students ALL Ages Welcome

Most people think of animated short films as strictly Saturday morning kiddie fare, but composer Nik Phelps and his producer wife Nancy Denney-Phelps, with their “Ideas In Animation” series, have shown the Bay Area that cartoons are not just kid’s stuff. Nik and Nancy have been planning a permanent move to Gent, Belgium and at long last plans have reached realization and they will be leaving the Bay Area in early April. This concert on February 4 at the Trinity Chapel will be an opportunity for long time Sprocket fans to come say goodbye, and if you have never had the chance to hear Nik’s unique musical scores, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

The February Ideas In Animation concert will showcase some mature and dark themes that would send Scooby Doo ducking for cover. This will also feature the North American premier screenings of several animated shorts. Ideas In Animation screenings feature not just great animation, but live musical accompaniment of original scores composed by Nik Phelps, and performed by Nik’s group, the Sprocket Ensemble, giving the audiences the exciting and unusual experience of live music with film.

The Phelps’, long time fixtures of the Bay Area film scene, have also become familiar faces at international animation festivals in recent years. Exposure to new works at festivals like Annecy in France and KROK in Russia have allowed Nik and Nancy to build an amazing repertoire of animation from around the world, in addition to their already impressive collection of works by Bay Area and West Coast animators.

Eleven short animated films from around the world will be screened, including:

The Marathon by Mikhail Tumelya, Belorus is a whimsical look at the cycles of life.
Zasukanec by Spela Cadez, Slovinia/Germany , this claymation deals with romantic longing and hidden talents.
Une Histoire Vertebrale by Jeremy Clapin, France, a twisted look at finding your soulmate despite unusual handicaps.
Com Uma Sombra na Alma by Fernando Galrito and Joao Ramos, Portugal, is a dark film about trust, betrayal and obsession.
Life In Transition by John Dilworth, United States is about a flamboyant animator dealing with his inner demons.
Der Park by Nicholas Mahler, Austria, sweetly twisted fatalistic humor about a tree.
Wind Along The Coast by Ivan Maximov , Russia, a whimsical look at coping with the forces of nature.
Chahut by Gilles Cuvelier, Belgium, an ancient tradition gone amuck during Carnival.
Snip by Steve Woloshen, Canada, whimsical and exuberant abstract animation.
The Sprockets will add a few other International delights.

QUOTE from Nik Phelps: “We will miss all of our Bay Area friends, but Nancy and I are looking forward to the new challenges and adventures of life in Belgium!”