The cello appeared to be as large as its player, but Maria gamely carried it with her as ladies returned for several bows and then an encore, in which they surprised us with a brief rendition of Beatles' 'Hey Jude'. Like Doors tune, it was nicely adapted and very melodic. The evening's second act spoke truth when he came out after intermission and said, "How heck do you follow Ahn Trio?"

He needn't have worried. Christópheren Nomura is a highly accomplished vocalist whose rich tone and exuberant stage presence make him as much fun as Ahns. Nomura has done a great deal of operatic and concert work, but simple recitals such as tonight's performance are a specialty for him.

The first piece, Aaron Copland's arrangement of revivalist song 'Zion's Walls', revealed a problem with deep voices: they don't carry as well as higher voices. Belting out this inspiring tune near his volume limit, Nomura could produce sound, but he sacrificed clear enunciation normally heard in quieter pieces. The acoustics of Ham Hall couldn't have helped, either.

'Willie Has Gone To The War', first of several nineteenth-century songs by Stephen Foster, showed more of Nomura's great vocal finesse. I think his voice was better at lower volume - less forced, and somehow richer. 'If You've Only Got A Moustache' showed off Nomura's (and Foster's) humorous side, while 'Jeannie with Light Brown Hair', a very pretty but sad song about Foster's lost wife, again displayed singer's light touch while testing upper limit of his pitch range.

Accompanying Nomura was marvelous pianist and composer David Alpher. Tonight Nomura sang four of Alpher's own 'Songs of Transcendence', in which pianist had set to music poetry of such authors as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jones Very, and Margaret Fuller. These pieces struck me as somewhere between classical and "new age," with hints of jazz. The layering of complex, mostly unresolved chords created a strong sense of flow, and Alpher's touch on keyboard was fantastic. I found myself focusing on piano more than lyrics. More information on this music is available at www.davidalpher.com.

Okay, more fun! Just before Alpher's compositions, he and Nomura had performed delightfully incomprehensible Copland minstrel song 'Ching-a-ring-chaw', and two finished show with three William Bolcom pieces: 'The Song of Black Max' was a whimsical, faux-dramatic mystery tune; 'Waitin'' was melancholy, with a spare, pretty piano melody. The third piece, 'Amor', was a jazzy, show-tunish romp that displayed expressive acting talent that adds to Nomura's singing. This song didn't have a big ending, but it was still a nice,

To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/classic/vegas/rising/rising.html Rob LaGrone, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

Insurance: If dealer's second card is an Ace, player is given opportunity to make a side bet (take out insurance) that dealer's Hole card is a ten, which would be a Blackjack. In this situation, player would only stand to lose 50% of original bet if insurance is taken.

Pair: Two identical face cards or two identical numerical cards.

Pat Hand: A hand with a total of 17 to 21

Push: A tie between dealer and player.

Red Chip: A $5 chip.

Settlement: Finalising monetary outcome (be it a win, loss or push) of a bet.

Shoe: The shoe shaped device from which dealer draws out cards before dealing them.

Shuffle Up: When dealer prematurely shuffles cards in an effort to reduce player's card counting ability.

Soft Hand: A hand in which Ace card is counted as an eleven and not as a one.

Split Hand: When player's two first cards are identical in value and he/she splits hand into two and plays them separately.

Stand / Stay: When player declines another card from dealer.

Stiff Hand: A hand with a small chance of winning.

Surrender: When casino allows a player to discontinue play (before dealer checks for blackjack) after receiving 1st two cards by losing half of amount wagered.

Toke: To tip dealer.