September 3, 2003

Center Stage at BYU-Idaho to feature everyone

from Collin Raye to Australia’s Ten Tenors

 

 

            The Center Stage Performing Arts Series at Brigham Young University-Idaho will include a wide variety of entertainment during the coming season that begins Sept. 12 with a musical group from Canada’s Prince Edward Island.

            Other notable performers during the year include country singers Collin Raye and Kathy Mattea, Australia’s The Ten Tenors, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance from Denver, the American Brass Quintet, the joint men’s choirs from BYU and BYU-Idaho, and contemporary pianist Jon Schmidt.

            Tickets generally go on sale three weeks prior to a performance. Season tickets are still available to community members for $80.

            For tickets and other information, call the BYU-Idaho Ticket Office at 496-2230. A free magazine listing all performing arts events at BYU-Idaho is available at both the ticket office or the Rexburg Chamber of Commerce. The ticket office is open weekdays when school is in session from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (except on Tuesdays when the office closes at 2 p.m). Tickets may also be ordered over the Internet at www.byui.edu/tickets.

 

            The following shows and concerts will be presented this year at 7:30 p.m.:

            Barachois, an Acadian quartet from Prince Edward Island, will open the season Sept. 12 and 13 in the Kirkham Auditorium. They are celebrated from coast to coast and throughout the world for their originality, musicality, humor and dance. The four members of Barachois are multi-instrumentalists, all step dance like mad, and all sing in their mother tongue, French. Fluently bilingual, they collectively offer up a clever banter in English by way of explaining the unique charm inherent in their songs. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Collin Raye will perform a country music concert Sept. 18, in an outdoor concert that the stadium. The popular singer remains a man of passion who is committed to effecting positive change, provoking thought and making a difference through his music. He’s had eleven Number One singles, five platinum albums, been winner of the 1999 Gospel Music Association Country Song of the Year, and nominated for numerous Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards. Tickets are $20 for the general public and $5 for BYU-Idaho students.            Swingset, the faculty jazz ensemble at BYU-Idaho, performs a repertory of jazz and traditional standards and originals and is known for its stylistic variety, unique arrangements, and uplifting concerts. The concert will be Sept. 25 in the Snow Drama Theater. Swingset maintains a schedule of activities from major support of the annual BYU-Idaho Jazz Festival to extensive tours such as their recent itinerary of performances throughout central Italy. Its CD, “My Favorite Things,” was released in April 2002. Tickets are $4 for the general public and $1 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Scholars of London, who will perform Oct. 8 and 9 in the Barrus Concert Hall, is an English foursome that takes audiences on a tour of the joy of song spanning five centuries and many traditions, from beloved folk songs such as “Scarborough Fair” to a commissioned work based on Hopi poetry. From renaissance madrigals and motets to folk songs and contemporary works, the program entitled “Five Hundred Years of Song” highlights the Scholars of London’s outrageous stylistic elasticity. The name “Scholars” is derived from the fact that the original members of the group all won scholarships to Cambridge University to sing in the famed choir of King’s College Chapel. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            The BYU-Idaho Theatre Dept. will open its season with “The Crucible” that will run Oct. 15-18, 21-25 in the Kirkham Arena Theatre. This Arthur Miller classic is a gripping drama based on the Salem witch trials. It focuses on John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth, and the machinations of a young servant-girl Abigale, who maliciously causes the wife’s arrest for witchcraft. Written during the McCarthy era in America, the play dramatizes John Proctor’s need for personal salvation and his fight against the forces of religious and social prejudges. The production is directed by J. Omar Hansen. Tickets are $6 for the general public and $1 for BYU-Idaho students.   

            The Ten Tenors, who are immensely popular in Australia and Europe, are just breaking into the U.S. market. They will perform October 17 as part of homecoming activities

in the Hart Auditorium. Drawing from a vast range of musical experience including opera, musical theatre, jazz and rock, The Ten Tenors have been able to cross the usual cultural and demographic boundaries imposed on young musicians. They’re fun, they’re hip, they’re witty and they’re the perfect example of Australian style – they never take themselves too seriously. Tickets are $10 and $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students. A preshow Australian cuisine dinner will be served at 6 p.m. in the Manwaring Center for $12 extra.

            American Brass Quintet, which has performed on the world’s major concert stages, will perform Nov. 13 and 14 in the Barrus Concert Hall. Their exceptional performances feature repertoire ranging from their own definitive editions of Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces to commissioned worked by significant contemporary composers. The quintet is ensemble-in-residence at The Julliard School and the Aspen Music Festival. While at BYU-Idaho, they will conduct a three-day residency with music students. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Serenata Chamber Strings, which consists of members of the BYU-Idaho music faculty, will perform Nov. 22 in the Barrus Concert Hall. Since its creation in 1984, this ensemble has presented more than 30 different concerts on the Rexburg campus as well as throughout Utah and Idaho. Joined by BYU-Idaho faculty pianist, Stephen Allen, the ensemble will perform Franz Schubert’s“Trout” Quintet for Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass and Piano, as well as other selections from the intriguing world of string chamber music. Tickets are $4 for the general public and $1 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Amahl and the Night Visitors” will be presented by the Music and Theatre departments Dec. 9-13 in the Snow Drama Theatre. The opera, originally written for NBC television in 1951, takes place on Christmas Eve and tells the story of the crippled but imaginative and curious boy, Amahl. He is visited by the Three Wise Men as they journey to worship and give gifts to the New King, the Christ child. The young boy’s simple but honest questions elicit gestures of kindness from them and eventually the gold they were to give to the Christ child is offered to Amahl and his impoverished mother. Directed by Roger Merrill, the opera will feature BYU-Idaho theatrical students, including the BYU-Idaho Chamber Orchestra and Collegiate Singers. Tickets are $6 for the general public and $1 for BYU-Idaho students.

            “Jazz Up the Holidays” will feature Ed Calle, a tenor saxophonist from Miami, the BYU-Idaho Sound Alliance jazz band and student singers Dec. 12 in the Kirkham Auditorium. Calle has released a Christmas CD and will arrange other music specifically for the university students to perform with him. He last performed on campus five years ago at the annual jazz festival. His playing was electrifying. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Tonic Sol-fa will be featured at the Welcome Back Concert and Dance Jan. 10 in the Hart Auditorium. The contemporary a cappella group has been named one of the top five “must see” groups in the United States by Campus Activities Today Magazine, has won numerous original song and album awards, and was nominated multiple times for the prestigious “Entertainer of the Year” award by the National Association of Campus Activities. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $3 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Alexander String Quartet will perform Jan. 14 and 15 in the Barrus Concert Hall. Since 1981 the quartet from San Francisco has performed in the major music capitals of four continents, securing its standing among the premier ensembles of its kind. Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven and Bartók, the quartet has also established itself as an important advocate of new music. The quartet’s international career was assured in 1985 when it won both first prize and the audience prize at the London International String Quartet competition. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            The Theatre Department will perform “spinning into butter” Jan. 28-31 and Feb. 3-7 in the Kirkham Arena Theatre. When one of the few African-American students at a small liberal-arts campus in Vermont receives hate mail, a campus controversy erupts. At the center of the problem is the dean of students Sarah Daniels. Her self-examination of racial tolerance leads to surprising discoveries and painful insights – the consequences of which even she cannot predict. This BYU-Idaho theatrical production is directed by Hyrum Conrad. Tickets are $6 for the general public and $1 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Cleo Parker Robinson Dance from Denver will dance Jan. 29-30 in the Kirkham Auditorium. The dance company began as a grassroots organization in 1970 and developed into one of the great dance companies in the United States. Founded with the belief that the language of dance transcends the boundaries of culture, class and age, the group is committed to bringing dance into the lives of many diverse people. The predominately African-American dance ensemble comes from a rich tradition and the dancers honor that tradition through preserving their heritage, providing role models for youth, and ensuring that the arts are carried on by those who come after. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Kathy Mattea, who was named Country Music Association’s top female vocalist in 1989 and 1990, will perform in the Hart Auditorium Feb. 7. She has scored 16 Top 10 hits during her career, including two Grammy awards. From leaving her native West Virginia for Nashville at 19, through the musical journey to her new album, “Roses,” she has followed a path of discovery that has never led her astray. “I’ve always thought that if I can learn to listen to my heart and make music from there, everything else will take care of itself,” she says. Tickets are $12 and $10 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Felix Hell, who is only 18 years old, has already achieved great recognition in the world of organ and piano performance. The German native has won many first-place prizes for his playing and already studied at the Julliard School and The Curtis Institute of Music. Now living in the United States, he has performed more than 300 solo recitals around the world. Felix will perform Feb. 21 on the newly refurbished 65-rank Ruffatti organ in the Barrus Concert Hall. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            The Marvin Stamm Quartet will be featured at the sixth annual BYU-Idaho Jazz Festival March 6 in the Hart Auditorium. The quartet includes Marvin Stamm on trumpet, Bill Mays on piano, Rufus Reid on bass and Ed Soph on drums. Jazz Improv magazine writes: “If truth is what jazz is all about, I think it is essential that we include Marvin Stamm whenever there is discussion of today’s leading jazz trumpet players.” Tickets are $8 and $6 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

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            The Idaho Falls Symphony will perform March 10 in the Barrus Concert Hall. The symphony will present a program with works by Rossini, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Mozart. Featured soloist for the concert will be Rick Hansen of Rexburg, an accomplished violinist who also directs the Madison School District orchestra program. The symphony, which was formed in 1949, is directed by Dr. George Adams. Over the years this fine volunteer orchestra has brought the finest in symphonic music to Idaho Falls and the eastern Idaho area. Tickets are $8 for the general public and $2 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Tellers and Troubadours is a BYU-Idaho theatre troupe dedicated to presenting on stage stories, folktales, myths, legends, literature and history that have important meaning in our lives. This year the troupe will present a night of magic, folktales, folk songs and storytelling that reminds us all of the child in us all. Directed by J. Omar Hansen, the group will perform March 17-20 and 23-27 in the Kirkham Arena Theater. Tickets are $6 for the general public and $1 for BYU-Idaho students.

            The combined Men’s Choirs of BYU and BYU-Idaho will present the Mothers’ Weekend Concert March 20 at both 3 and 7:30 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium. The 230-voice BYU Men’s Chorus directed by Rosalind Hall and the 110-voice BYU-Idaho Men’s Choir directed by Randall Kempton are sure to be a highlight of a busy weekend. The choirs will perform a multi-faceted program of classical pieces, hymns, spirituals and popular arrangements. As a result of hours of dedicated rehearsal and a powerful style all their own, the choirs enjoy great popularity on their respective campuses. Tickets are $10 and $8 for the general public and $2 by BYU-Idaho students.

            “Into The Woods” will be performed April 8-10 and 13-17 in the Snow Drama Theatre. A bewitching crew of classic fairy tale characters romp through a “happily ever after” kingdom in James Lapine’s and Stephen Sondheim’s musical fairy tale “Into The Woods.” Interweaving a hilarious mix of Cinderella, Little Red Riding hood, The Baker’s Wife, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel (with cameo appearances by Sleeping Beauty and Snow White) in a multi-layered plot that ends happily in Act One, the musical then explores “happily ever after” in Act Two as previous actions come home to roost – with a vengeance. With wit, melody and sentiment, Into The Woods celebrates choices, companionship and the magical company of special characters, as appealing to adults as to children. This BYU-Idaho theatrical production is directed by John Bidwell. Tickets are $6 for the general public and $1 for BYU-Idaho students.

            Jon Schmidt will be the featured guest artist at the annual Big Band Cabaret April 16 and 17 in the Hart Auditorium. The third annual “community cabaret” will be held Friday and the “student cabaret” will follow on Saturday. After dinner, a one-hour show will be presented by piano entertainer Jon Schmidt, who consistently performs to sold-out audiences throughout the West. Schmidt will be followed by dancing to popular big band music provided by the BYU-Idaho jazz band, Sound Alliance, until 11:30. Tickets are $30 for the Friday buffet, concert and dance or $10 for the concert and dance only.

 

 

  


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