Art & Culture Maven

SoulOTheatre Festival - May 23 to 26, 2013 in Toronto

2013-05-19T21:39:00.005-04:00

From a media release:

Tracey Erin Smith's SoulOTheatre announces
A Window on the SoulO
a theatrical installation for its first-ever
SoulOTheatre Festival - May 23 to 26, 2013
With 7 top performer/playwrights from North America including
Chris Gibbs and Precious Chong!

• Tickets on sale here

Toronto - Artistic Director Tracey Erin Smith announces a new theatrical installation for the SoulOTheatre Festival, which runs May 23-26 at the Red Sandcastle Theatre in Toronto's Leslieville.

A Window on the SoulO puts everyone in the spotlight! For the duration of the festival, A Window on the Soulo will feature surprise appearances from festival performers along with SoulOTheatre graduates and students who all will take turns sitting for an hour at a time, writing in the store front, Queen Street window of the Red Sandcastle Theatre.

Observers and passersby will be invited to fill out and hold up cards to the window asking the artists to answer a specific question or suggest a topic for their writing.

Precious Chong, whose world premiere of Precious, like the Adjective closes the festival, will be in the window on May 23 from 7pm-8pm, just prior to the Gala Opening of the festival (Chris Gibbs' Antoine Feval).

The other mainstage productions showcasing the mighty art form of the one-person show include the Canadian premiere of Beowulf or Gilgamesh, You Decide! from Charlie Bethel, and showstoppers Goddess from Alex Dallas, Naked Ballerina from Sarah Murphy Dyson, Desperate Church Wives from Diane Johnstone and Cancer Can't Dance Like This from Daniel Stolfi.

SoulOTheatre's inaugural SoulOTheatre Festival includes some of the best solo performers from Canada and the United States. Smith, along with Artistic Producers Elenna Mosoff and Briane Nasimok, has scheduled four jam-packed days and evenings of hilarious, moving, innovative and provocative solo shows, along with workshops and panels covering everything a performer or prospective performer needs to know about putting on a one-person show.

Tracey Erin Smith's SoulOTheatre presents the inaugural
SoulOTheatre Festival
May 23 - 26, 2013
at The Red Sandcastle Theatre, 922 Queen Street East, Toronto

Opening Night Show & Festival Gala with Chris Gibbs: $50
Mainstage Single Tickets: $20 at the door; $15 in advance
Panels & Workshops: $10 at the door.

SAVE WITH A FESTIVAL PASS!
Full festival Pass: $90
A Festival Pass gives access to all shows, panels, and workshops (except for Opening Night Show/Gala & The Master Class)

For full schedule, info and tickets: Visit www.soulo.ca to book online or call 416-465-5609

Toronto Arts News: Toronto Arts Council Announces $800,000 in New Programs

2013-05-19T21:29:00.005-04:00

From a media release:

TORONTO ARTS NEWS
And for once it's good.

• Toronto Arts Council releases the City of Toronto/TAC report Creating Value with Increased Investment in the Arts

May 16, 2013, Toronto – TAC Invests $800,000 in New Programs

This morning at City Hall Claire Hopkinson, Director and CEO of Toronto Arts Council announced the release of two exciting new grants programs to a packed room crowded with artists and arts leaders, business patrons of the arts, politicians, and the media. The total investment represents $800,000 in new arts funding over the next two years, and is only a portion of new funding that TAC will be offering.

Toronto Arts Council will invest $300,000 to support thirty youth arts projects through a new strategic partnership with ArtReach Toronto. Through this strategic partnership, both Toronto Arts Council and ArtReach Toronto will focus on increasing access and opportunity for cultural participation for all youth regardless of age, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, geography or socioeconomic status.

Toronto Arts Council also announced a contribution of $500,000 over the next two years to artsVest, a matching incentive and sponsorship training program for small and mid-sized arts and culture organizations was developed by Business for the Arts. Launched in 2002, the artsVest program helps arts and culture organizations form funding partnerships with the business community by providing them with matching incentive funds, in-depth sponsorship training and community networking events. The TAC commitment to the artsVest program is being matched by a $500,000 ($250K per year) grant from Canadian Heritage. The second grant announced today is a contribution of $800,000.

Also today Toronto Arts Council released the City of Toronto/Toronto Arts Council report Creating Value with Increased Investment in the Arts, which identifies and targets immediate arts funding principles and priorities and longer term programs and goals. This report was created following the City of Toronto’s unanimous vote (April 4, 2013) to allocate a $6 million increase to arts and culture funding, from revenues generated through the Billboard tax, $4 million of which is directed to Toronto Arts Council’s grants program. This is an important first step towards realizing the City's commitment to $25 per capita arts funding.

Ballet Eifman of St. Petersburg in Canadian Premiere of Rodin at the Sony Centre Toronto May 23-25 2013

2013-05-19T21:19:00.005-04:00

From a media release:

Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and Show One Productions
proudly present the Toronto premiere of the
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
with the Canadian premiere of Rodin
Choreographed by Boris Eifman
May 23 to 25 2013

Toronto - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and Show One Productions proudly present the Toronto debut of Russia's most exciting modern ballet company, the internationally renowned Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg, with the Canadian premiere of its latest masterpiece, Rodin. This full-length contemporary ballet by visionary choreographer Boris Eifman runs three nights only - Thursday, May 23 to Saturday, May 25 - at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, its exclusive Canadian dates.

In Rodin, Boris Eifman, Artistic Director of the Eifman Ballet, draws his inspiration from the complex passions of a great artist. Rodin is an exploration of the remarkable life and art of the great French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) and his turbulent relationship with his apprentice, mistress and muse, Camille Claudel. Set to music by Ravel, Saint-Saëns and Massenet, Rodin is a tale of artistic inspiration and the terrible price of genius.

Oleg Gabyshev this week received the 2013 Golden Mask Russian National Theater Award for his title role in Rodin. (Rodin was also nominated for Best Production, Best Choreographer and Best Female Dancer -Lyubov Andreeva).

With Rodin, Eifman has created a contemporary performance where dance and sculpture come together and find an unprecedented camaraderie in a modern ballet of love, lust and jealousy. For 15 years, Rodin and Claudel had been as one sensual and creative body. A painful break-up shattered their personal and artistic relationship and Claudel's mental state. She declined into paranoia and lived out the rest of her life, isolated and forgotten for 30 years, in an asylum.

Boris Eifman is considered the face of modern Russian ballet. He is noted for creating original choreographic works based on classical ballet infused with the spirit of contemporary choreography. He has been on the cutting-edge of the art form, pushing it into the realm of what he calls "psychological ballet." His full-length ballets combine dramatic stagecraft, exquisite technique and powerful dramatic interpretation.

To capture the human spirit as Rodin and Claudel did so brilliantly in bronze and stone, was Eifman's intention in creating "one of the great ballets of the 21st century." (NYC Dance Stuff). "To turn a moment, frozen in stone, into an irrepressible stream of sensuous body movements is what I was striving for," says Eifman.

Of Rodin, Eifman explains: "The life and love of Rodin and Claudel is an amazing story of two artists in an incredibly dramatic alliance in which everything interlaced: passion, hatred, artistic jealousy. The spiritual and energetic interchange of the two sculptors is a unique phenomenon: living together with Rodin, Camille was not only inspiring him, helping him find a new style and create masterpieces, but also going through the impetuous development of her own talent; actually, she was transforming into a great master. After her break-up with Rodin, Claudel began to plunge into the darkness of insanity. Her soul was burnt to ashes with a pathological hatred to her former teacher and lover, who had stolen, in Camille's opinion, her life and gift. Rodin's longing for his muse and the torments of his conscience, as well as the Claudel's delusions-or the insane Erinye, an alter-ego full of sick obsessions-all of these are reflected in the new ballet."

About Boris Eifman / Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg:
Boris Eifman is noted in the world of contemporary dance for probing the psychological depths of his subjects and expressing them with riveting choreography and physical expression. Having created more than 40 ballets (Onegin, The Seagull, Anna Karenina, Russian Hamlet, and others), he is one of the few Russian choreographers to have sustained such a prolific creative life in recent decades. Eifman has received Russia's prestigious Golden Mask Award for both his works and his lifetime achievement in contemporary choreography. He is also a four-time recipient of the St. Petersburg theater award, The Golden Sofit. His other awards and distinctions include the Triumph Award, the Russian state award for his contribution to the development of the performing arts, induction into France's Order of Arts and Letter; the distinguished title of The People's Artist of Russia and a professorship at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.

Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and Show One Productions present
Ballet Eifman of St. Petersburg in Rodin
Choreographer: Boris Eifman
Music: Maurice Ravel, Camille Saint-Saëns, Jules Massenet, Erik Satie
Set Designer: Zinovy Margolin
Costumes: Olga Shaishmelashvili
Lighting: Gleb Filshtinsky, Boris Eifman

Thursday, May 23 to Saturday, May 25, 2013, 7:30PM - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front Street East

Tickets: $55-$145 (plus applicable service charges)
Sony Centre box office: 1-855-872-SONY (7669) OR online at www.sonycentre.ca
Discounts are available for groups of 8 or more. Call the Group Tix Company: 647-438-5559 or 1-866-447-7849 (toll free) or online at www.thegrouptixcompany.com

Eifman Ballet's Rodin from Sony Centre on Vimeo.

Film Screening: Let There Be Light May 22 2013 in New York City

2013-05-19T21:05:00.001-04:00

From a media release:

Film Screening: Let There Be Light
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 - 7:30 PM
New York City
Discussion with the producer/Director Peter Swanson will follow

NEW YORK CITY - A new film "Let There Be Light" will have its first New York screening on May 22nd at 7:30 PM at the Salmagundi Art Club in Greenwich Village.

Narrated by Garrison Keillor, the film follows grand master of stained glass Rowan LeCompte as he makes his last great window for Washington National Cathedral. The film recently won "Best of the Festival" at the DC Independent Film Festival. We are thrilled that this prestigious art club is hosting this event as the film captures the passion, pain and pleasure of the creative process.

Founded in 1871, the Salmangundi Art Club is one of the oldest art organizations in the United States. Housed in an historic brownstone mansion in Greenwich Village, New York City, the Club offers programs including art classes, exhibitions, painting demonstrations, and art auctions throughout the year for members and the general public.

Let There Be Light
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
7:30 PM
Discussion with the producer/Director Peter Swanson will follow
come Early for Dinner, or Drinks at the bar!

Reservations required - please email the filmmaker Peter Swanson at globalviz@aol.com
$10 donations are encouraged and appreciated

Immerse Yourself in Film: 360 Screenings May 31 & June 1 2013 in Toronto

2013-05-19T20:52:00.003-04:00

From a media release:

Lose Your Sanity at 360 Screenings
Tickets are 90% sold-out for immersive screening series
May 31 & June 1, 2013

• TICKETS

Toronto, ON- 360 Screenings has expanded their popular interactive screening series to include two days and three separate productions on May 31st and June 1st, each offering the same immersive experience. A fusion of theatre, cinema and cocktail party, 360 Screenings will be celebrating their one year anniversary with their largest event to-date with a record number of ticket sales.

360 Screenings allow audience members to become fully immersed in a beloved film of the past through different interactive experiences. Participants could find themselves leaving letters for friends and families during a zombie apocalypse, having a French lesson for their day in Paris, learning to make soap in an underground fight club or connecting to the other-side with the help of a psychic medium. Each production is held at a historic Toronto building, which is revealed 24 hours prior to the event. The film is kept secret until the conclusion of the evening with the actual screening. Actors, set designs and familiar scenes are re-created while audience members attempt to guess the film.

Clues through the 360 Screenings Twitter and Facebook pages leading up to the event lend themselves to the film's identity and encourage participants to interact before the event has even started. Past 360 Screenings have included Ghost, Fight Club, 28 Days Later and Amélie.

Notice the clue? Think you know the next film? Send your best guess to @360Screenings #guessthefilm! (Image below from the Fight Club screening in October 2012 in the Distillery District)

LOCATION: Secret until 24 hours in advance
DATES:
May 31st, 7:00pm
June 1st, 2:00pm
June 1st , 7:00pm
COST: $60 - $40 for art workers/under 30. Cash bar.
TICKETS
About 360 Screenings:
360 Screenings began in May 2012 with a production of Jerry Zucker’s GHOST. The film and 360 experience played to a sold out audience. 360 Screenings produce events that combine live performance with traditional film viewing. Beloved films of the past set the stage at historic and unique venues while audiences are instructed on what to wear, and where to show up only 24 hours prior to the screening. The film is kept hidden until the night of the event. From the moment audiences arrive they ‘step into the film.’ The venue, which could be a loft, a field, or any unique location, is furnished entirely to reflect the film's environment. Part cocktail party, part live performance event, part film screening, 360 Screenings is changing the way Canadians enjoy cinema. They invite film lovers of all walks to step into the film.

Produced with the assistance of the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto

360 Screenings is generously supported by:
Media Sponsor: BlogTO
Wine Sponsor: Creekside Estate Winery
Beer Sponsor: Steam Whistle

Free Download - Best New Sounds of Latin Music: Volume 4 from Nacional Records

2013-05-19T20:39:00.002-04:00

From my friends at Nacional Records in Los Angeles:

We wanted to share a new global bass remix from Raul Y Mexia by Captain Planet:

The remix is now available for FREE DOWNLOAD along with 22 other free songs on the brand new Nacional Records 2013 label sampler:

• AT THIS LINK

Raul Y Mexia are Latin music royalty, the two sons of legendary Los Tigres del Norte singer Hernan Hernandez. Their album was produced by Toy Selectah – who recently hit #1 on the Billboard charts in the US and Mexico with 3BallMTY’s “Intentalo.” Raul Y Mexia have been recently profiled in NY Times, Billboard and NPR, with upcoming syncs in HBO Latino, ESPN and the new Grand Theft Auto video game

The new Nacional Records ‘Best New Sounds of Latin Music. Volume 4’ compilation features hip-hop/cumbia fusion, bilingual indie rock, ethereal pop, heavy electronic dance music, Latin funk and everything in between.

The free download features new music from Grammy nominees Ana Tijoux, La Vida Boheme and Los Amigos Invisibles, plus exclusive unreleased music from upcoming albums from Natalia Clavier (vocalist from Thievery Corporation) and Elastic Bond, not to mention great tracks from fan-favorites Tom Tom Club and Mexican Institute of Sound.

The Glass Menagerie on Broadway with Zachary Quinto - Tickets Now On Sale

2013-05-19T20:21:00.003-04:00

From a release:

Zachary Quinto Stars in
THE GLASS MENAGERIE on Broadway
A.R.T.’s Acclaimed Production
Limited Engagement of Seventeen Weeks Only
Performances begin September 5, 2013 on Broadway at the Booth Theatre

• TICKETS NOW ON SALE

NEW YORK CITY - The Glass Menagerie is Tennessee William’s poetic masterpiece, anchored by the ageing southern belle Amanda Wingfield, who hopes for her son Tom to fulfill her dreams of finding the perfect “gentleman caller” for her shy and damaged daughter Laura.

The Glass Menagerie Cast Members:
Cherry Jones, Zachary Quinto, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Brian J. Smith (image below by Michael J. Lutch)

The Glass Menagerie Creative Team
Author: Tennessee Williams
Director: John Tiffany
Producer: Jeffrey Richards, John N. Hart
Press Agent: Jeffrey Richards Associates

Producers Jeffrey Richards and John N. Hart Jr., in association with the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), are pleased to announce that tickets are now on sale for the 17-week limited engagement of the critically-acclaimed revival of The Glass Menagerie at the Booth Theatre (222 W 45th Street) with performances beginning Thursday, September 5, 2013, and an opening night set for Thursday, September 26th.The production will star multiple Tony and Emmy Award-winner Cherry Jones as Amanda Wingfield, film and stage star Zachary Quinto as Tom, two-time Tony-nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger as Laura, and Brian J. Smith as Jim, the Gentleman Caller.

The Glass Menagerie is headed by the award-winning team of Once, directed by Tony Award-winner John Tiffany with set and costumes by Bob Crowley, lighting by Natasha Katz, and sound by Clive Goodwin. Original music is composed by Nico Muhly, and movement by longtime Tiffany collaborator Steven Hoggett.

Booth Theatre Booth Theatre Broadway
222 West 45th Street (Between Broadway and 8th Avenue) New York NY 10036

Tickets can be purchased at Telecharge.com, by calling (212) 239-6200or at the box office of the Booth Theatre.

CD Release: Oliver Mtukudzi's Sarawoga (U.S. Release May 21 2013)

2013-05-19T20:03:00.001-04:00

From a media release:

The Metaphor of Everyday Life: African Great Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi Returns with New Album, Ongoing Poetic Message
Sarawoga (U.S. release May 21, 2013)

Oliver Mtukudzi, affectionately called “Tuku” by fans worldwide, has weathered storms with his sharp observations and gracious emphasis on the basic human experiences that unite us all: childhood and aging, respect and hope, women’s rights and AIDS, community and connection.

“My music and art come from the everyday living I do,” Mtukudzi reflects. “I write what I see around me. When I see something, I have something real to talk about. If there is something to talk about, there’s something to sing about, and there’s always something new to talk about.”

Tuku’s latest album Sarawoga (U.S. release: May 21, 2013) proves that the venerable artist still has plenty to say. With a career that spans the birth of his native Zimbabwe and the advent of both Afropop and the global love affair with African roots music, Tuku’s quicksilver guitar work, keen ear for melody, and evocative voice have earned him intense adulation at home. His organic, savvy mix of traditional ways, pan-African influences, and cosmopolitan pop forms became widely known as Tuku Music. It has made Tuku a household name across Southern Africa, as well as across Europe and North America, thanks in part to major releases of his work in the 1990s and 2000s.

Revered as both accomplished musician and public figure, Tuku has explored a variety of media over his long, successful career: launched a popular local arts center, mentored countless local musicians, produced musicals, made films, and spoken out in a soft but persuasive way on key issues in Zimbabwean and African society.

Born into a family of modest means but great musical spirit, Tuku grew up singing with his parents and siblings in a rough-edged neighborhood in Harare, in what was still Rhodesia, a colony dominated by a ruling European minority. “I left school and for three years, I couldn’t find a job. I was one of the few guys among my peers with a fine secondary education,” Tuku recalls. “But I couldn’t get a job because I was black.”

Tuku found unique ways to address and combat oppression. As a young performer in his early twenties, he and his colleagues began confronting the regime through music. He cut his first successful single in 1975 and performed with another of Zimbabwe’s favorite musical sons, Thomas Mapfumo, as part of the legendary Wagon Wheels. Forerunners of the Afropop revolution, the band put an electric spin on long-standing traditions, in songs inspired, among other subjects, by their country’s recent war of liberation from colonial oppression.

“Before independence in 1980, it was the fight against the Rhodesian regime. My music then spoke against oppression and the repressive regime and how we were suffering at the hands of the regime,” Tuku remembers. “My music then helped people identify themselves…who we were and what we wanted to be.”

Though his early work fell squarely into the burgeoning rock- and funk-inspired Afropop of the era, Tuku always felt it as a continuation of older, deeper roots. “Even when I played with electric equipment, I always adapted older tunes,” explains Tuku. “I played guitar like I was playing a traditional instrument.”

After striking out on his own from the Wagon Wheels and recruiting his own band of stylish young performers, The Black Seeds, Tuku experienced the ups and downs that mark the careers of many seasoned musicians. He collaborated with dozens of Zimbabwean talents, worked with South African producers and musicians (including members of the Southern African super group Mahube he helped found), and organically blended musical directions from across Southern Africa.

Yet in one of his most significant creative moves, Tuku eventually turned back to his musical foundation, to traditional sounds, stunning the Zimbabwean scene by playing pop on traditional instruments like mbira (thumb piano) and marimba, alongside his trademark acoustic guitar. “People didn’t think you could have traditional instruments play like an organ or synth,” he notes. “But you can find that sound in a traditional instrument.”

Tuku went about reframing and refining these sounds to make a very clear and passionate point. He hoped to find a new place in the musical culture for these vital, older instruments. “I realized that our youngsters were thinking that these instruments were the worst and were looking down on them. But the pop songs everyone was listening to sounded just as good on traditional instruments,” recounts Tuku. “So I did three albums playing all songs that way, on traditional instruments, to prove the point that our instruments aren’t inferior and our young people shouldn’t feel inferior, either.”

Tuku’s message—from his first songs protesting colonial injustice to his latest compositions calling for respect and kindness—has always been woven from metaphor. Favoring imagery and small snapshots to sweeping political statements, Tuku sees his lyrics as springing from a deep well of vivid metaphor found in Shona, the majority vernacular language of Zimbabwe, just as his music finds its beginnings in traditional sounds. This more literary approach to expression not only had its aesthetic advantages, but embraces the full ambiguity and complexity of life.

“The metaphorical possibilities are part the beauty of my language,” Tuku muses. “It is not only the most beautiful but the best way to express many things. It gives a full view of life, lots of life.”

With five dozen albums under his belt, as well as an ongoing curiosity to explore other media (film, theater) and work with young, aspiring artists, Tuku has kept his passion for musical creativity, even after nearly five decades of work. Still savoring tours and life on the road, Tuku says, “You get to a place and even if you’ve been waiting and travelling, you find something else, something fresh, there. It’s something new and it’s wonderful.”

Now accompanied by a mixed ensemble of young and veteran musicians, Tuku constantly explores subtle new ways of drawing his listeners into greater thoughtfulness, of expressing the universal in life’s little things.

“One of the songs on this album”—Tuku’s 61st—“is a welcome song,” he says with a smile. “It’s a song that welcomes everybody, including the oppressor, because welcome has got no boundaries.” Much like Tuku music itself.

Eclectic Jazz: Carmen Souza's CD Release, New York City & Toronto Dates & More June 2013

2013-05-18T22:17:00.001-04:00

With material from a media release:

Carmen Souza
New CD: Kachupada

• @drom New York City June 14, 2013

@ TD Toronto Jazz Festival
Wednesday, June 26th 2013
Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8
8pm & 10pm / $35.60 /

• Tickets Here

Cape Verdean songstress Carmen Souza announces a North American summer tour, celebrating the release of her new album Kachupada. On June 14th she'll be in New York CIty at drom and June 26th she’ll be performing at the Jazz Bistro in Toronto.

Carmen Souza and Theo Pas‘cal complement each other musically in an ingenious way has already been shown in their successful cooperation over the last few years. The latest studio-album called Kachupada, that was recorded in London and Lisbon will be released in North America on June 11, 2013, continues this tradition. The title of the album was inspired by the favorite Cape Verdean dish Kachupada that, with its wide variety of ingredients and spices, reflects the multiplicity of influences in Carmen Souza‘s music.

Carmen Souza tells stories taken from real life, she indulges in melancholy, radiates vitality and on the wings of her African heritage she resorts to her rich musical treasure trove. Carmen Souza intermingles jazz-lines with Cape Verde-an sounds, scatting tunes, caressing the melodies. Her interpretation of the jazz-standards “My Favourite Things“ (Richard Rogers / Oscar Hammerstein II) or “Donna Lee“ (Charlie Parker / Miles Davis) sounds exotic and at the same time very familiar.

Carmen been peforming for more than half her life and it shows in the facility with which she uses her voice She growls, she squeaks and at times approaches heavenly purity. Her voice is fluid and elastic, expressive and emotive whether you understand the language or not. She plays with the words and rhythms - at times at dizzying speeds. The songs are often playful and bouncy in tone; sometimes influenced by the undeniable rhythms of African guitars. Influenced by its Portuguese history, Cape Verdean music often has a flavour akin to Latin or Cuban rhythms.

She has assembled a top notch cadre of musicians to help her out, capable of an impressive rhythmic complexity. Along with the solidest of rhythm sections and guitar, in various songs you'll hear flute, accordion, violin, keyboardsor saxophone..

One of the CDs highlights for me is Xinxinroti, a song where the eccentricities of her vocal style come in perfect synch with the music; at times delicate and breathy, at others vibrant and pure in tone. I was also taken with 6 On Ne Tarrafal, a plaintive acoustic guitar based ballad (see video above).

Carmen Souza represents a newer generation of artists whose globally influenced and idiom-bending music defies categorization and she'll be on tour in North America throughout June.

TOUR DATES
• June 14: DROM, NYC, NY
• June 15: REGATTA JAZZ CLUB, CAMBRIDGE, MA
• June 20: LEVITT PAVILION, PASADENA, CA
• June 21: KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER, KIRKLAND, WA
• June 22: VANCOUVER JAZZ FEST @ GRANVILLE ISLAND/PERFORMANCE WORKS, VANCOUVER
• June 23: VICTORIA JAZZ FEST @ UPSTAIRS CABARET, VICTORIA, CA
• June 25: OTTAWA JAZZ FEST @ OLG STAGE, FESTIVAL PLAZA, OTTAWA, CA
• June 26: TORONTO JAZZ FEST @ JAZZ BISTRO, TORONTO, CA
• June 27: ROCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL @ MAX OF EASTMAN PLACE, ROCHESTER, NY
• June 28: ROCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL @ XEROX AUDITORIUM AT XEROX PLAZA, ROCHESTER, NY
• June 29: FREIHOFER’S SARATOGA JAZZ FESTIVAL @ GAZEBO STAGE, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

DanceAfrica May 24 to 27 2013 at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

2013-05-18T22:07:00.004-04:00

From a media release:

DanceAfrica
May 24—May 27, 2013
Peter Jay Sharp Building
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
RUN TIME: 2hrs with intermission

Part of 2013 Winter/Spring Season
Artistic Director Chuck Davis

BROOKLYN - NEW YORK CITY - Created by Chuck Davis in 1977, DanceAfrica—the nation’s largest festival dedicated to African dance—brings together performance, art, film, and an array of community events for an exhilarating celebration of culture from Africa and its diaspora. For the annual Memorial Day weekend performances, BAM welcomes Umkhathi Theatre Works from Zimbabwe, plus Brooklyn’s own BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble and additional companies, for a program that promises to inspire. And don’t miss the one-and-only outdoor bazaar! Agoo! Amée!!

Umkhathi Theatre Works (Zimbabwe)
Umkhathi Theatre Works is a theater and dance troupe formed in 1997 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, currently in residence at Salukazi Performing Arts Centre in Njube, Zimbabwe. The company has emerged as a leading theater organization in its home country and has performed throughout Africa and as far from home as Aberdeen, Scotland. Its mission is to strive for community development through the arts while reviving African cultures and traditions.

BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble
An annual favorite and symbol of youth involvement in the preservation of African heritage, the BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble returns to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House for its 16th consecutive year. Under the mentorship of Baba Chuck Davis, the “exuberant, disciplined young dancers” (The Village Voice) of Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation celebrate both ancestral roots and the modern-day community.

Chuck Davis
Dr. Charles "Chuck" Davis, artistic director and founding elder of DanceAfrica, is one of the foremost teachers and choreographers of traditional African dance in America. He has traveled extensively to Africa to study with leading artists.Davi sfounded the Chuck Davis Dance Company in New York in 1968 and the African American Dance Ensemble in Durham, NC, in 1983. He has been a panelist for several programs of the National Endowment for the Arts and is a recipient of the AARP Certificate of Excellence, the North Carolina Dance Alliance Award, the 1990 North Carolina Artist Award, and the North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine. He has served on the board of the North Carolina Arts Council since 1991 and in 1992 he received the North Carolina Award in Fine Arts, the state's highest honor. In 1996, Davis and the African American Dance Ensemble were awarded a $100,000 grant from the National Dance Residency Program, a three-year initiative launched in 1994 by the New York Foundation for the Arts and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. In 1998 he received an honorary doctorate from Medgar Evers College; he has received honorary doctorates from several universities, all of which mean a great deal to him. Most recently, Chuck Davis and DanceAfrica were cited as one of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: The First 100" by the Dance Heritage Coalition.

CATS returns to Toronto with new, all-Canadian cast May 28 - Opening June 11 2013

2013-05-18T22:01:00.004-04:00

From a media release:

CATS returns to Toronto with
new, all-Canadian cast
Previews: May 28, 2013; Opening night: Tuesday, June 11, 2013
• Tickets on sale: at Mirvish.com and 1.800.461.3333.

Produced by NuMu Inc., Starvox Entertainment and Classical Theatre Project with producers Marlene Smith, Geoffrey Smith, Corey Ross, David Galpern and Charles Roy

Toronto, ON – This May, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much-loved musical CATS returns to Toronto with an all-Canadian cast. CATS has been presented in more than 20 countries and translated into 10 languages since its London debut in 1981. The Tony Award-winning show begins previews on Tuesday, May 28 and opens on Tuesday, June 11 at David Mirvish’s Panasonic Theatre.

NuMu Inc.’s chair Marlene Smith spearheads the project, collaborating with her son, Geoffrey Smith, NuMu Inc.’s chief business officer; Corey Ross, president of Starvox Entertainment; and David Galpern and Charles Roy of Classical Theatre Project. Marlene Smith has produced live theatre for 55 years and is widely recognized for changing the face of Canadian theatre with the first Canadian production of CATS, which ran simultaneously in Toronto and on Broadway.

“We are thrilled to bring such an iconic show back to Toronto. It is a particular honour to be working with Marlene, who has made an indelible mark in Canadian theatre,” said Ross. “We’re excited to introduce CATS to a new generation of theatre-goers and offer fans a chance to re-visit a favourite musical.”

Directed and re-imagined by Dave Campbell, a theatre and television director who has helmed various productions of the show across Canada and the U.S., with choreography by Gino Berti and musical direction by Lona Davis, the new production will feature multimedia design against an innovative new set designed by Tim Webb. The creative and producing teams auditioned more than 400 artists to assemble a sensational all-Canadian cast – for the first time in almost 30 years.

Based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, with music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, CATS tells the tale of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and their night of junkyard follies. The second longest-running show in Broadway history, CATS features such well-known characters as Mr. Mistoffelees, Grizabella, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, Rum Tum Tugger and Old Deuteronomy.

Single tickets ($50 to $99) are now on sale and are also available as part of a Mirvish subscription package at www.mirvish.com or 416.872.1212.

Venue: David Mirvish’s Panasonic Theatre, 651 Yonge St., Toronto
Dates: Previews begin Tuesday, May 28; Opening night: Tuesday, June 11

John Turturro Stars in Ibsen`s The Master Builder May 12 - June 9 2013 at BAM (Brooklyn)

2013-05-09T10:31:00.003-04:00

From a media release:

The Master Builder
May 12—June 9, 2013
BAM Harvey Theater, Brooklyn (New York City)
RUN TIME: Approx 2hrs 30min with intermission

• Tickets

By Henrik Ibsen
Translated by David Edgar
Directed by Andrei Belgrader
Produced by BAM

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY - Ruthless and revered architect Halvard Solness (an electrifying John Turturro) is obsessively driven—until a young woman from his past stops him in his tracks. Hilde (Wrenn Schmidt, Boardwalk Empire), a force of unbridled sexual energy coupled with childlike willfulness, enters the master builder’s home and head, trailing mysterious talk of past promises. As she urges the megalomaniacal Solness to ever greater and less sustainable heights, his tragedy-haunted wife Aline (Katherine Borowitz) watches from the sidelines, an unwilling participant in an off-kilter love triangle.

A psychologically heady and physically potent new version of Ibsen’s late masterwork, The Master Builder is a triumphant return to BAM for Turturro and director Andrei Belgrader, who last collaborated on the critically acclaimed Endgame (2008 Spring Season).

John Turturro studied at the Yale School of Drama and for his theatrical debut created the title role of John Patrick Shanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, for which he won an Obie Award and a Theater World Award. Turturro recently appeared as Lopakhin in the highly acclaimed Classic Stage Company production of The Cherry Orchard.

Turturro was nominated for a SAG Award for his portrayal of Howard Cosell in Monday Night Mayhem and won an Emmy Award for his guest appearance on Monk. In 2007 he appeared in the miniseries The Bronx is Burning as notorious Yankee skipper Billy Martin, which garnered him a SAG Award nomination.

Turturro has performed in more than 60 films, including Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, and Jungle Fever; Robert Redford’s Quiz Show; Francesco Rosi’s La Tregua; and Joel and Ethan Coen’s Miller’s Crossing, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother Where Art Thou. For his lead role in the Coen brothers’ Barton Fink, Turturro won the Best Actor Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He also received the Camera D’Or at Cannes for his directorial debut, Mac, in 1991. Turturro also directed Illuminata, Romance & Cigarettes, Passione: a Musical Adventure, and the upcoming Fading Gigolo, written by Turturro and starring him, Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Liev Schreiber, and Vanessa Paradis.

Cast:

Katherine Borowitz (Aline Solness)

Ken Cheeseman (Dr. Herdal)

Julian Gamble (Knut Brovik)

Kelly Hutchinson (Kaja Fosli)

Max Gordon Moore (Ragnar Brovik)

Wrenn Schmidt (Hilde Wangel)

John Turturro (Halvard Solness)

Set design by Santo Loquasto

Costume design by Marco Piemontese

Lighting design by James F. Ingalls

Sound design by Ryan Rumery

English Language Premiere of Claude Gavreau's The Charge of the Expormidable Moose May 10-26 2013 in Toronto

2013-05-09T10:19:00.001-04:00

From a media release:

THE CHARGE OF THE EXPORMIDABLE MOOSE
May 10-26, 2013 in Toronto
English Language World Premiere of Quebec Playwright’s Masterpiece

"Toronto's enterprising One Little Goat Theatre Company” (New York Times) presents the English language world premiere of The Charge of the Expormidable Moose by Claude Gauvreau. Considered a "giant" and "revolutionary" of Quebec theatre (Le Devoir), Gauvreau is little known outside his native province. Gauvreau's provocative seven-person play, widely considered to be his masterpiece, is translated by Ray Ellenwood and directed by One Little Goat’s Artistic Director, Adam Seelig.

• The Equity production opens Friday, May 10, 2013 and runs to May 26, Tuesdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Tarragon Theatre Extra Space, 30 Bridgman Avenue. Tickets are $25; $20 for students, seniors and artists; and $28/$23 in the final week; Sundays PWYC. Info and tickets are available from the Tarragon box office at 416-531-1827, or from www.OneLittleGoat.org.

The design team for One Little Goat’s largest production to date boasts over a dozen Dora awards and nominations collectively: Jackie Chau, sets and costumes; Laird MacDonald, lighting; and Thomas Ryder Payne, sound. The seven-person cast will be announced in the spring.

Claude Gauvreau (1925-1971)
Revered in Quebec as a visionary poet-playwright, an original contributor to the 1948 Refus Global manifesto by Montreal's radical Automatistes, admired by director Robert Lepage and performance poets The Four Horsemen, Claude Gauvreau is an artistic force. His innovative use of language, which he called "explorean", tested the very limits of lyricism. Overwhelmed by the suicide of his love and muse (performer Muriel Guilbault), Gauvreau experienced continual psychiatric treatment until, in 1971, he ended his life.

The Charge of the Expormidable Moose revolves around a poet who is envied, mocked and ultimately sacrificed by his fellow housemates (or are they fellow inmates?). Playful and surreal, yet deeply rooted in powerful experiences, The Charge of the Expormidable Moose combines the absurdity of Ionesco with the cruelty of Artaud to create an exceptional drama.

One Little Goat, North America’s only company devoted to contemporary poetic theatre, “has done audiences a huge service” (Toronto Star) through its highly interpretive, provocative approach to international plays. The company's Canadian and world premieres have garnered praise from the New York Times, Globe and Mail, Economist, Now and others. More information on the company is available on Wikipedia and at www.OneLittleGoat.org.

The Charge of the Expormidable Moose is generously supported by the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council and the Bureau de Québec à Toronto, and is presented in partnership with Théâtre français de Toronto.

American Ballet Theatre Spring Season in New York City May 13 to July 6 2013

2013-05-01T23:08:00.002-04:00

From a media release:

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE SPRING SEASON:
WORLD PREMIERE OF SHOSTAKOVICH EVENING BY ALEXEI RATMANSKY,
COMPANY PREMIERE OF A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY
AND NEW PRODUCTION OF LE CORSAIRE
TO HIGHLIGHT ABT'S 2013 SPRING SEASON AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE,
MAY 13-JULY 6, 2013

Irina Dvorovenko to Give Final Performance on May 18
• Tickets at this link

NEW YORK CITY - American Ballet Theatre's 2013 season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 13-July 6 will be highlighted by the World Premiere of a three-part work set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich and choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, the Company Premiere of Sir Frederick Ashton's A Month in the Country and a new production of Le Corsaire. Tickets for ABT's Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House are on sale now at the box office.

Principal Dancers for the 2013 Metropolitan Opera House season include Roberto Bolle, Herman Cornejo, Irina Dvorovenko, Marcelo Gomes, David Hallberg, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, Natalia Osipova, Veronika Part, Xiomara Reyes, Hee Seo, Polina Semionova, Daniil Simkin, Cory Stearns, Ivan Vasiliev and Diana Vishneva.

• American Ballet Theatre's 2013 Spring season opens with a Gala Performance featuring ABT's Principal Dancers on Monday, May 13 at 6:30 P.M. For information on ABT's Spring Gala, please call the Special Events Office at 212-477-3030, ext. 3310.

Guest Artists
Guest Artists for the 2013 Spring season include Alina Cojocaru, principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, and Vadim Muntagirov, principal dancer with English National Ballet. Cojocaru will perform the role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, opposite Herman Cornejo as Prince Siegfried, on Friday, June 21 and Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, opposite Cornejo as Prince Désiré, on Wednesday evening, July 3. Muntagirov will dance the role of Prince Désiré, opposite Hee Seo as Princess Aurora, on Tuesday, July 2.

Exchange Artists
Steven McRae, a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, and Alban Lendorf, a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, will perform as Exchange Artists during ABT's 2013 Spring season as part of an exchange program with their respective companies. McRae will dance the role of Lankendem in Le Corsaire at the matinee on Wednesday, June 5 and the evening performance on Saturday, June 8. Lendorf will perform Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, opposite Xiomara Reyes as Princess Aurora, at the matinee on Saturday, July 6.

World Premiere
The season will be highlighted by the World Premiere of a complete evening of three works by Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky on Friday, May 31. Ratmansky's works are set to symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich and feature scenery by George Tsypin, costumes by Keso Dekker and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. The first work, Symphony #9, was given its World Premiere at New York City Center on October 18, 2012, led by Polina Semionova, Marcelo Gomes, Herman Cornejo, Simone Messmer and Craig Salstein. Symphony #9 will be performed by the same cast on May 31, alongside the World Premieres of the second and third works. The second work, set to Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony for Strings (Op. 110a), will be led by David Hallberg, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent and Isabella Boylston. The evening's third work, set to Symphony No.1, will be led by Diana Vishneva, Calvin Royal III, Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev. The complete Shostakovich evening will receive four performances through June 3.

Company Premiere
American Ballet Theatre will present four performances of mixed repertory May 21-23. Sir Frederick Ashton's A Month in the Country will be given its ABT Company Premiere on Tuesday evening, May 21, led by Julie Kent and Roberto Bolle. Based on the play of the same name by Ivan Turgenev, A Month In the Country features music by Frédéric Chopin, arranged by John Lanchbery, with designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman and lighting by John B. Read. The libretto tells the story of an elegant Russian household thrown into turmoil by the presence of a young tutor. A Month in the Country received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on February 12, 1976, led by Lynn Seymour as Natalia Petrovna and Anthony Dowell as Beliaev. The ballet is staged for ABT by Grant Coyle.

Revival and Repertory Program
Sharing the program with A Month in the Country will be the revival of George Balanchine's Symphony in C and Mark Morris' Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes. Symphony in C, featuring music by Georges Bizet, costumes after Karinska and lighting by Mark Stanley, was given its World Premiere by the Paris Opera Ballet under the title Le Palais de Cristal on July 8, 1947 and received its United States Premiere by Ballet Society (now New York City Ballet) on March 22, 1948. ABT first performed the ballet at City Center in New York on October 23, 2001, led by Paloma Herrera, Ethan Stiefel, Nina Ananiashvili, Jose Manuel Carreño, Ashley Tuttle, Angel Corella, Sandra Brown and Sascha Radetsky. Symphony in C received its Revival Premiere on February 22, 2013 at the Hong Kong Cultural Center in Hong Kong, China. The ballet is staged for ABT by Merrill Ashley and Stacey Caddell.

Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, a work for twelve dancers, is staged by Tina Fehlandt and features music by Virgil Thomson and costumes by Santo Loquasto. Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes was given its World Premiere by ABT on May 31, 1988. An excerpt of the ballet was given its first performance at the Dancing For Life benefit at the New York State Theater on October 5, 1987.

All-New Production of Le Corsaire
American Ballet Theatre will present a new production of Le Corsaire, with sets by Christian Prego, costumes by Aníbal Lápiz and lighting by Brad Fields, on Tuesday, June 4, led by Natalia Osipova, Ivan Vasiliev, Herman Cornejo, Daniil Simkin and Isabella Boylston. Based on the Lord Byron poem "The Corsair" (1814), the ballet features choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev after Marius Petipa, and staging by Anna-Marie Holmes after Petipa and Sergeyev, with music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo and Prince Oldenbourg. Le Corsaire received its Company Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on June 19, 1998 with Nina Ananiashvili (Medora), Ashley Tuttle (Gulnare), Giuseppe Picone (Conrad), Angel Corella (Birbanto), Jose Manuel Carreño (Ali, the slave) and Vladimir Malakhov (Lankendem). This new production was premiered by Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 18, 2011 and will receive its ABT Company Premiere at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on April 11, 2013.

Full-Length Ballets
American Ballet Theatre's 2013 Spring Season at The Metropolitan Opera House will feature an additional six full-length ballets during the eight-week engagement.

The Company will perform John Cranko's Onegin beginning Tuesday, May 14 with Julie Kent as Tatiana and Roberto Bolle as Onegin. On Saturday evening, May 18, Irina Dvorovenko will give her final performance with American Ballet Theatre in the role of Tatiana. Set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, arranged and orchestrated by Kurt-Heinz Stolze, Onegin is based on the poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. Onegin received its World Premiere on April 13, 1965 by the Stuttgart Ballet in Stuttgart, Germany. The ballet received its Company Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on June 1, 2001 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York with Julie Kent (Tatiana), Robert Hill (Onegin), Vladimir Malakhov (Lensky) and Maria Riccetto (Olga). This new production, with sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by James F. Ingalls, was premiered by the National Ballet of Canada on June 19, 2010 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Canada and was first performed by ABT on June 4, 2012 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Staged for ABT by Reid Anderson and Jane Bourne, Onegin will be given eight performances May 14 through 20.

The first of eight performances of Don Quixote will be led by Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo on Friday evening, May 24. This performance will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ms. Reyes and Mr. Cornejo as Principal Dancers with ABT. Staged by Kevin McKenzie and Susan Jones, with choreography after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky, Don Quixote is set to music by Ludwig Minkus and features scenery and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Natasha Katz. The McKenzie/Jones staging of the current production was first performed by ABT on June 12, 1995.

Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet will be given eight performances beginning Monday evening, June 10 with Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes in the title roles. Set to the score by Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet features scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting by Thomas Skelton. The ballet received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet in London on February 9, 1965 and was given its ABT Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on April 22, 1985.

Eight performances of Swan Lake, choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa, will be given beginning Monday, June 17 with Polina Semionova and David Hallberg leading the opening night cast. Swan Lake is set to the score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Duane Schuler. This production of Swan Lake premiered on March 24, 2000 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. with Julie Kent (Odette-Odile), Angel Corella (Prince Siegfried) and Marcelo Gomes (von Rothbart).

Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes will dance the leading roles in the season's first performance of Sir Frederick Ashton's Sylvia on Monday evening, June 24. A ballet in three acts, Sylvia is set to music by Léo Delibes and features costumes and scenery after original designs by Robin and Christopher Ironside. Additional designs for the revival of Sylvia are by Peter Farmer and lighting is by Mark Jonathan. The World Premiere of the original production of Sylvia was given by The Royal Ballet on September 3, 1952 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, danced by Margot Fonteyn (Sylvia), Michael Somes (Aminta), John Hart (Orion) and Alexander Grant (Eros). The World Premiere of the revival of Sylvia was given by The Royal Ballet on November 4, 2004 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, danced by Darcey Bussell (Sylvia), Jonathan Cope (Aminta), Thiago Soares (Orion) and Martin Harvey (Eros). Sylvia received its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York on June 3, 2005, danced by Gillian Murphy (Sylvia), Maxim Beloserkovsky (Aminta), Marcelo Gomes (Orion) and Herman Cornejo (Eros). The ballet, staged for ABT by Christopher Newton, will receive eight performances through June 29.

The final week of the eight-week Metropolitan Opera House season will feature seven performances of The Sleeping Beauty, July 1-6. Set to a score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty, choreographed after Marius Petipa, has additional choreography and staging by Kevin McKenzie, Gelsey Kirkland and Michael Chernov. The production features scenery by Tony Walton, costumes by Willa Kim with additional designs by Holly Hynes, and lighting by Richard Pilbrow and Dawn Chiang. Paloma Herrera and Cory Stearns will lead the season's first performance of The Sleeping Beauty on Monday evening, July 1. This production of The Sleeping Beauty received its World Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on June 1, 2007, with Veronika Part (Princess Aurora), Marcelo Gomes (Prince Désiré), Michele Wiles (Lilac Fairy), Martine van Hamel (Carabosse) and Herman Cornejo (Bluebird).

ABTKids
ABTKids, American Ballet Theatre's annual one-hour introduction to ballet, is scheduled for Saturday morning, June 1 at 11:30 A.M. All tickets for ABTKids are $25.

ABTKids Workshop Series
ABTKids Workshop Series, one-hour activity-based programs led by ABT Teaching Artists, are available to ABTKids ticket holders on Saturday, June 1 (9:30 A.M.) and to matinee ticket holders Saturday, June 15 (11:00 A.M.) and Saturday, June 29 (11:00 A.M). Saturday workshops will be held in the rehearsal studios of the Metropolitan Opera House. Tickets to the workshops are $20 per person. For tickets and more information on the ABTKids Workshop series, please call 212-419-4321.

• Single tickets for American Ballet Theatre's 2013 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House are available at the Met box office, by phone at 212-362-6000, or online. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City.

Images:
- Veronika Part & Cory Stearns in Onegin by Fabrizio Ferri
- Hee Seo & Cory Sterns in Romeo & Juliet by Rosalie O'Connor
- Diana Vishneva by MIRA
- Yurko Kaliya & Joseph Gorak in Onegin by Gene Schiavone

Royal Cambodian Ballet: The Legend of Apsara Mera May 2-4 2013 at BAM (Brooklyn)

2013-05-01T23:01:00.003-04:00

From a release:

The Legend of Apsara Mera
May 2—May 4, 2013
+ Post-Show Artist Talk on Fri, May 3 & Master Class May 4
Peter Jay Sharp Building
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
RUN TIME: 1hr 20min

• Buy Tickets

Part of 2013 Winter/Spring Season

BAM and Season of Cambodia present
The Legend of Apsara Mera

The Royal Ballet of Cambodia
Choreographed by HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS NORODOM BUPPHA DEVI
In collaboration with Proeung Chhieng and Soth Somaly

*Season of Cambodia is an initiative of Cambodian Living Arts

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY - For a thousand years, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia danced only for the gods. Resurrected spectacularly in the wake of the Khmer Rouge into a closely guarded yet flourishing modern form, the Royal Ballet comes to BAM with the breathtaking Legend of Apsara Mera, featured as a centerpiece of the citywide Season of Cambodia festival.

With movement constructed by Her Royal Highness Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, a former prima ballerina in the Khmer tradition, Apsara Mera conjures the sanctified realm of two origin stories integral to Khmer culture: “Churning of the Sea of Milk” and “The Legend of Kambu and Mera.” Sumptuous movement, finely wrought costumes, and chanting evoke the comings and goings of celestial serpents and nymphs in this powerful offering from Southeast Asia, infused with divine ambrosia and modern expression alike.

Post-Show Artist Talk
with The Royal Ballet of Cambodia, moderated by Jennifer Homans
Fri, May 3, 2013
This artist talk takes place in the performance venue and is free for same-day ticket holders.

Master Class: The Royal Ballet of Cambodia
Sat, May 4, 2013
In conjunction with The Legend of Apsara Mera
• Make your reservation here
Participants discover the Cambodian classical court dance known as robam boran. Offering insight into the rich history of this timeless training, the workshop teaches basic moves and gestures, as well as a brief routine. Her Royal Highness Princess Norodom Buppha Devi oversees the class with assistance from several of her senior dancers. Reservation required.

Royal Ballet of Cambodia
In 2004, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia was proclaimed by UNESCO a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity,” a designation Her Royal Highness Norodom Buppha Devi campaigned to secure. It was also the result of the efforts of Cambodia’s royal family to recover, document, and celebrate Cambodia’s artistic traditions in the post-Khmer Rouge period. The Royal Ballet of Cambodia is renowned for its interpretation of the centuries-old form of Cambodian classical dance, which was developed in the royal court; historically all roles, regardless of gender, have generally been danced by women.

Kaeja D'Dance May 7 to 11 2013 at Harbourfront Toronto

2013-05-01T22:57:00.004-04:00

From a media release:

Kaeja d’Dance Announces 2013 Full Evening Contemporary Dance Concert to Premier at the
Harbourfront Centre
May 7-11, 2013

TORONTO... Co-Artistic Directors Karen and Allen Kaeja of Kaeja d’Dance are thrilled to announce their 2013 concert featuring two brand-new electrifying works: X-ODUS and Crave. Sensual, raw and “hyper-physical, high impact” (Toronto Star) the double-bill speaks to its audience of leaving, returning and the desire to be loved, highlighting unsettled solitude and the attempt to reconnect. XODUS and Crave run May 7-11, 2013 at the Enwave Theatre as a part of the Harbourfront Centre’s
NextSteps Series.

Allen Kaeja’s new work, X-ODUS reflects five individuals who are caught in a web of their unconscious design interact with explosive interruptions, subtle deceit, doubt and underlying intrigue. Each encounter uncovers the hidden worlds of complex relationships suddenly exposed and realized or fractured. These fragile and willful layers propel their capacity for empathy, tolerance and love. To arrive one has to leave. Karen Kaeja’s new duet, Crave, exposes the beauty and chaos of intimacy. Does the need to navigate loneliness towards connecting to another individual always surrender to love? Be it solitude, unsettledness, disconnection or longing, when do we welcome these awkward interfaces? Dark, whimsical, suspicious and naïve, the duo magnifies a life full of secrets and racing hearts that are held in the body and the traces that remain as they transform over time.

The concert features dancers Stephanie Tremblay-Abubo, Michael Caldwell, Zhenya Cerneacov, Karen Kaeja, Merideth Plumb plus ten guest appearances. Lighting is designed by Kimberly Purtell with original music scores by Sarah Sugarman and Edgardo Moreno.

• X-ODUS and Crave premiere Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at the Enwave Theatre at 8:00 PM, running until Saturday May 11.
• Visit Harbourfront Centre’s website for tickets.

• Kaeja d’Dance also presents their Gala evening on May 11, featuring prime seating and special Gala ticket purchaser perks.
• Contact the Kaeja d’Dance office at urban@kaeja.org or 416.516.6030 for tickets.

About Kaeja d’Dance
Established in 1991, Toronto's Kaeja d'Dance creates award-winning contemporary dance performances, site works with extreme numbers of dancers, acclaimed screen dance and in-demand education & outreach programs. Living fully at the heart of Kaeja are Co-Artistic Directors Karen & Allen Kaeja. They break ground, take risks and bring together exquisite dancers and collaborators to infuse extraordinary experiences both on and off the stage in local and international communities. Kaeja d’Dance is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, The Ontario Arts Council, The Toronto Arts Council, foundations and private donors.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Concerts for May 2013

2013-05-01T22:53:00.003-04:00

From a media release:

the TSO blooms in May with colourful piano pieces,
Symphonie fantastique and the score of
West Side Story performed live with the film!

• Tickets for all concerts at this link

May begins with sensuality, humour, and passion with Maestro Stéphane Denève's scintillating panorama of French classics for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra; the dream-like landscape of Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Poulenc's playful Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra performed by French pianists Frank Braley and Eric Le Sage, and the imaginative world of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique (May 1, 2, & 4).
• Pre-concert chat in the North Lobby on May 4 at 7:15pm with Rick Phillips.

On May 8 & 9, guest conductor Christoph König will lead the TSO through Brahms's towering Symphony No. 1, nicknamed 'Beethoven's Tenth.' Brahms's piece shares the bill with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, showcasing the distinguished talent of Argentine pianist, Ingrid Fliter, praised by London's Sunday Times for her "exhilarating and powerful performances."
• Pre-concert chat in the North Lobby on May 8 at 7:15pm with Rick Phillips.

From the company that introduced young audiences to How the Gimquat Found Her Song, Platypus Theatre brings an afternoon of colourful masks, puppets, and costumes to the TSO with Emily Saves the Orchestra (May 11 at 1:30pm & 3:30pm). During a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony led by conductor Evan Mitchell, Emily, a spunky 10-year-old, is drawn out of her seat and onto the stage by the sound of the beautiful music. Her bold behaviour brings her more than she has bargained for as she soon finds herself face to face with the terrible monster Cacopholous, and in a battle to save music!
• Young People's Concerts are performances for families with children ages 5-12.

As part of the Afterworks concert series, May 15 will feature the TSO début of pianist Kirill Gerstein as he performs Tchaikovsky's dynamic, folk-flavoured Concerto No. 1. The New York Times praised Gerstein's reading as "brilliant, perceptive and stunningly fresh." Afterworks concerts are 75-minute Wednesday classical music performances that begin at 6:30pm and are hosted by CBC personality Tom Allen. Skip rush hour and arrive early for complimentary pre-show hors d'oeuvres.

On May 16 & 18, Maestro Giancarlo Guerrero leads the TSO in Bartók's bold and brightly-coloured Concerto for Orchestra. The concert will also showcase Kirill Gerstein performing Tchaikovsky's dynamic, folk-flavoured Piano Concerto No. 1, and another dose of electricity with Rimsky-Korsakov's celebratory Russian Easter Festival Overture.
• Pre-concert chat in the North Lobby on May 16 at 7:15pm with Rick Phillips.

Spring is a time for love, new beginnings and Brahms's stirring A German Requiem (May 22, 23 & 25). TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian will lead this programme, including the Canadian première of Peter Lieberson's lyrical song-cycle, Songs of Love and Sorrow, inspired by love poems from the work of Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, and sung by bass-baritone Gerald Finley (May 22 & 23 only).
• Intermission chat in the lobby on May 22 & 23.
• Pre-concert chat in the North Lobby on May 25 at 6:45pm with Rick Phillips.
• Casual Concerts (May 25) are performed without an intermission and are followed by a party in the lobby with live music by The Boxcar Boys.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is taking the movie-going experience to a whole new level! Led by TSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke, the Orchestra will play Leonard Bernstein's electrifying score live, while the re-mastered film is shown in hi-def on the big screen with the original vocals and dialogue intact (May 28 & 29). Winner of ten Academy Awards®, the film, based on the book by Arthur Laurents, was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. It features Robbins's choreography, screenplay by Ernest Lehman, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The score includes such classic songs as Maria, Tonight, I Feel Pretty, and America.

About the TSO: Founded in 1922, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada's major cultural institutions and is internationally recognized as a leading orchestra. Under the leadership of Music Director Peter Oundjian, the TSO is committed to innovative programming and showcases a roster of distinguished guest artistsand conductors. In addition to performances, the TSO serves the community with one of the largest music education outreach programmes amongst North American orchestras, connecting students throughout Ontario with acclaimed curriculum-based programming.

Website: TSO.CA
Twitter: @TorontoSymphony
YouTube: youtube.com/torontosymphony

All concerts at Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. unless otherwise noted

Call TSO's ticket line at 416.593.4828
Chinese hotline: 416.593.0688
Online Tickets at TSO.CA

Gianmaria Testa Solo May 4, 2013 - Joe's Pub, New York City

2013-05-01T22:20:00.006-04:00

From a media release:

Gianmaria Testa
Produzioni Fuorivia presents Gianmaria Testa Solo
May 4, 2013 - Joe's Pub, New York City

NEW YORK CITY - Gianmaria Testa sings in Italian and lives in Italy. The cases of the life have wanted that its first three albums have been produced in France (Montgolfières, Extra-Muros and Lampo), but in five years he imposed himself as artist of talent: the press (both French and Italian) has been unanimous in individualizing him such as one of the most important actual Italian singer songwriters.

Gianmaria is a deeply popular and at the same time refined singer songwriter; a songwriter of the hoarse and velvety voice that makes his true strength in the “naked song”. Texts could be considered as small poetries that speak of fogs and meetings, of loneliness and of hills and music that evoke the tango, the jazz, the bossanova, the habanera, the waltz and they create warm suggestions, intense, that can wrap. His singing images and feelings is simple, of popular matrix, traditional, and therefore winning, it goes beyond banal comparisons and easy approaches and it is deposited directly in the intimate of whom listens.

If the international success of the first albums produced it’s certainly important, the intoxicating applause of the Olympia, the concerts in the great European and American theaters, are however extraordinarily intimate the colours of the earths of Langa; it is really typical of Gianmaria Testa to convert into music the heels of a woman that loses herself along the platform of an anonymous station as the fingernails stained with lime of a mason who dies with his house built alone in his eyes and in his heart.

Gianmaria already has to his asset more than 2000 concerts in France (among which the New Morning, the Olympia and L’Alhambra), in Italy (in some of the most prestigious theaters: Teatro Regio in Turin, Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Teatro Valle in Rome, Teatro Duse in Bologna, the new Auditorium in Rome, etc.), in Belgium, in Luxembourg (Philharmonie) in Switzerland, in Germany (Prinzregententheater Munich; Babylon Berlin; Alte Oper Frankfurt), in Austria (Konzerthaus Vienna) in Portugal, The Netherlands (Muziekgebouw Amsterdam), Canada (Théâtre Maisonneuve Montréal; Palais Montcalm Québec city) and United States.

It is certainly still of actuality Gianmaria’s new album VITAMIA ("My Life" released in October 2011). Eleven tracks that embody personal and politcal reflections spanning some fifty years of "18 Thousand days" (to quote the title of one of the album's songs). Like life itself, VITAMIA is a fresco of human emotions that draws on an immense diversity of musical colors and naunces.

VITAMIA may very well be the CD that you weren't expecting from Gianmaria Testa-one in which musical settings and the sheer pleasure of making music play leading roles, with a pronounced and dramatic alternation between soft and loud dynamics.

VITAMIA album arrives five years after Da questa parte del mare, his concept album on the theme of modern migrations, winner of the 2007 Targa Tenco Prize.

It can seems unusual that Gianmaria Testa, one of the Italian artists more open to the collaborations and to the comparisons in special projects which mix different genres and artists (Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu, Stefano Bollani, Greg Cohen, Gabriele Mirabassi, Erri De Luca, etc) decides to sing in solo, just voice and guitars.

But after a more deeper reflection, we can say that it is not so strange.

For a long time Gianmaria has spoken of "song form", of that perfect equilibrium between text, melody and harmony that alone can hold up everything. “If songs do not live and move listeners on their own, played simply on guitar,” Gianmaria Testa remarks, “then no arrangement or gimmick can save them.”

That's why a solo concert, so intimate and familiar, full of emotions and unmatched intensity. A concert essentially based on Gianmaria Testa's songs, the old and new ones, including new arrangements, new suggestions, and new emotions

Morgan Freeman to be Honoured May 6 2013 in Toronto

2013-05-01T21:56:00.005-04:00

From a media release:

Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman to be honoured with Key of Knowledge Award by Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University
Proceeds to support the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada
May 6, 2013
Toronto Centre for the Arts

TORONTO, ON – Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (CFHU) today announced they will honour Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman with The Key of Knowledge Award, for his dedication to combating racism and promoting knowledge and education worldwide. The award will be given at A Celebration of Excellence, an event honouring individuals who have changed the world and impacted lives through the advancement of knowledge on Monday, May 6 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Canada’s premier institute in Israel and a symbol of the scientific cooperation and friendship between both countries. In addition, proceeds will establish The Morgan Freeman Scholarship Fund for international students participating in the Public Health and Community Medicine Program at Hebrew University. The evening will feature a question-and-answer period with Freeman, moderated by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Saltzman.

“There is a saying that ‘he who opens a school door, closes a prison.’ Some of the greatest problems in our world today, from racism, to the environment, health, malnutrition and disease, are caused due to a lack of education and knowledge," said Freeman. "This is why I have dedicated so much of my time to promoting education around the world, and it is why I am proud to receive the Key of Knowledge Award from the Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University – an organization that celebrates learning and academic excellence.”

• Sponsorship packages are available from $1,800 to $100,000.
• Packages include a cocktail reception and VIP dinner with honourees Freeman, renowned IMRIC brain scientist Dr. Amir Amedi, and Dr. Josephine Ojiambo, Kenya’s Ambassador to the United Nations and Hebrew University Alumni.
• Tickets to the awards ceremony and main event ($180) include a dessert reception at intermission.

*All gifts are tax deductible to the maximum extent allowable.

About Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem:
Founded in 1944 by Canadian philanthropist Allan Bronfman, Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University (CFHU) promotes awareness, leadership and financial support for The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. It does so by establishing student scholarships, supporting academic research and faculty exchanges, and recruiting Canadian students to attend the Rothberg International School. In addition, CFHU builds partnerships between Canadian and Israeli scientists through Hebrew University’s Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC). Through IMRIC, Israeli and Canadian scientists are working together to find solutions and better treatments for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart- and brain-related disorders. In 2008, CFHU undertook a $50-million campaign to fund IMRIC and provide its researchers with the equipment, infrastructure and facilities they need to carry out their work.

About the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada:
The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) brings together the brightest minds from across Israel and Canada to find solutions to medical problems such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and brain related disorders. Today, IMRIC enjoys 15 partnerships with Canadian institutions such as The Rick Hansen Foundation, McGill University, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, and Toronto Western Hospital.

On Stage in Toronto: George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead Opens April 26 to May 19 2013

2013-04-24T23:34:00.003-04:00

From a media release:

Night of the Living Dead Goes Live in Toronto
George A. Romero’s
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE
At Theatre Passe Muraille
April 26 - May19, 2013

Toronto. 45 years after George A. Romero premiered his little independent monster flick, Night of the Living Dead, Romero along with Christopher Harrison, Phil Pattison, and Marty Birthelmer of Nictophobia Films bring Toronto audiences the stage production, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE at Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Avenue in Toronto.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE previews April 23-25, opens April 26 and closes May 19, 2013. Tickets are available at Theatre Passe Muraille Box Office or online at www.NIGHTOFTHELIVINGDEADLIVE.COM.

Undisputedly the most popular horror film of all time, in April this cinematic masterpiece will be presented on stage like you’ve never seen it before. Just like the film, the stage production will be presented entirely in black and white from the set design to the actors (alive and undead). The performance will be audience interactive, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats. Measures have been taken to maintain a PG rating to allow for an all-ages attendance.

Told in the intimate setting of Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille, Night of the Living Dead Live will bring audiences closer to the story than every before as they are literally sitting in the now famous house with the characters as they fight and kill their way through the marauding ghouls. By the end of the show, everyone in the room will know what it feels like to experience a night with the living dead!

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE is co-created by Christopher Harrison (Devil’s Night, The Man Who Loved Flowers) and Phil Pattison (Devil’s Night, The Man Who Loved Flowers), who are also producing the project with Marty Birthhelmer (the upcoming The Mummers) through their production company, Nictophobia Films and executive produced by the legendary George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Living Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead), Russ Streiner (best known as Johnny (“They’re coming to get you, Barbra”) in the original horror classic, and John A. Russo, co-author of Night of the Living Dead. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE is directed by Christopher Bond (Evil Dead, The Musical, A Little Bit Zombie) who was also the director, co-creator and co-composer of EVIL DEAD, THE MUSICAL.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE, by playwrights Trevor Martin (Patch Town, A Little Bit Zombie), Canadian Comedy Award-winner Dale Boyer (Second City, “Live from the CenTre”) and Christopher Bond, features (name cast and their credits) in a production designed by Lindsay Anne Black (My Mother's Lesbian Jewish-Wiccan Wedding), choreographed by Stacey Maroske with sound design by Richard Feren, costume design by Claudia Kada (Mein Kempf, Evil Dead: The Musical), lighting by multi-award winner Michelle Ramsey (Helen’s Necklace, My Mother's Lesbian Jewish-Wiccan Wedding), Special FX design by Carlos Henriques (Death Race, Witchslayer Gretl, Red: Werewolf Hunter) and music by Juno Award-winner, Mike Trebilcock (The Tenant, Reid Coolsaet: Road to London) and Jamie Lamb (Monkey Toast, Ken Kostick & Co.).

Tickets range from $49.50 - $59.50 (inclusive of HST) and are available at Theatre Passe Muraille Box Office or online at www.NIGHTOFTHELIVINGDEADLIVE.COM.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE opens April 26 and runs to May 19, 2013
(Previews April 23-25 7:30 PM)

MOVE Music Festival - April 27, 2013 in Albany New York

2013-04-24T23:30:00.003-04:00

From a media release:

Industry Veteran Bob Tulipan To Give Keynote Speech
MOVE Music Festival on Saturday, April 27, 2013
in Albany - New York

(Albany, NY) -- Get ready music lovers! Albany ranks as the nation’s 9th largest breeding ground for new music and is the location for this year’s MOVE Festival for the second year running. For those that couldn't afford the price of a ticket to Austin last month, MOVE Music Festival is the alternative. Move is an indie music festival that premiered last spring and is completely focused on spotlighting diverse and emerging talent, much akin to the early days of SXSW. It takes place on Saturday, April 27.

“The idea behind Move is to giving regional bands a chance to launch their careers in the independent music scene,” comments festival owner and founder Bernie Walters. The festival is the perfect platform for these bands to gain experience in performing live to a local audience as well as to industry insiders,” he continues.

Move will host a roundtable panel discussion featuring an impressive list of experts as well as a keynote speech from industry veteran Bob Tulipan. Bob's career spans virtually every facet of the music business from promotions to management. He's worked with acts like The Rolling Stones, The Police, Patti Smith and Public Image Ltd and assisted with concerts and festivals such as Woodstock '94 and '99, Live Aid, Warped Tours and Lollapalooza. He currently represents UK band Strangefruit and regularly lends his expert opinion on to print and broadcast media around the world.

Virtually every aspect of the industry will be represented at the roundtable. In addition, Benji Rogers, co-founder of Pledge Music, Lou Plaia, co-founder of Reverb Nation, Allie Crystal of Universal Music Publishing and legendary drummer Jerry Marotta will be in attendance. For more information on attending industry, visit http://movemusicfest.com/bios/.

SXSW grew from 700 attendees in 1987 to over 300,000 in 2012 and even beyond that this year. In the same way that SXSW started out as an organic stage for showcasing and promoting indie music and film, and encouraging progressive dialogue within those industries, MOVE is attempting to do the same.
General admission wristbands cost $15 plus shipping and handling. Check out the Pledge Drive where you can pledge for early access & discounted packages to MOVE 2013!

Nine Pianists, Six Grand Pianos: Piano Ecstasy April 26 2013 in Toronto

2013-04-24T23:26:00.004-04:00

From a media release:

Soundstreams presents:
PIANO ECSTASY
April 26, 2013 at 8:00 pm at Koerner Hall

Nine pianists, six grand pianos, works by Reich, Cage and Shostakovich, and a world premiere.

(Toronto)—Soundstreams continues its 30th anniversary season with Piano Ecstasy at Koerner Hall on April 26 at 8:00 pm. A celebration of music for multiple pianos, this concert features nine virtuoso Canadian pianists, six grand pianos, works by Steve Reich, John Cage, Dmitri Shostakovich, Witold Lutoslawski, and Colin McPhee, and the world premiere of Glenn Buhr’s Two Pieces for Three Pianos.

The nine featured pianists from across Canada are James Parker (Gryphon Trio), Christina Petrowska Quilico, Russell Hartenberger (NEXUS), Serouj Kradjian (Amici Chamber Ensemble), Gregory Oh and Simon Docking (Toca Loca), Chris Donnelly, Tania Gill, and Glenn Buhr. They will perform together in various configurations throughout the evening in a dazzling display of technique and versatility.

Opening the concert are John Cage’s The Beatles 1962-1970, where six pianists simultaneously play snippets of dozens of Beatles songs, Shostakovich’s cheerful Concertino for Two Pianos, Op. 94, Lutoslawski’s delightful Variation on a Theme of Paganini for Two Pianos, and the gamelan-inspired Balinese Ceremonial Music by Canadian composer Colin McPhee.

The second half of the evening features the world premiere of Waterloo-based composer Glenn Buhr’s Two Pieces for Three Pianos and culminates with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steve Reich’s minimalist masterpiece, Six Pianos.

Robert Lowrey Piano Experts is the major sponsor of Piano Ecstasy; visit their huge facility in central Toronto, and discover why they really are "Canada's Piano Store."

Images:
Glenn Buhr, Simon Docking, Christina Quilico

Piano Ecstasy
Friday, April 26, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor St. W.

Glenn Buhr, piano
Simon Docking, piano
Chris Donnelly, piano
Tania Gill, piano

Russell Hartenberger, piano

Serouj Kradjian, piano
Gregory Oh, piano
James Parker, piano
Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano

John Cage: The Beatles 1962-1970
Dmitri Shostakovich: Concertino for Two Pianos, Op. 94
Witold Lutoslawski: Variation on a Theme of Paganini for Two PianosColin McPhee: Balinese Ceremonial Music
Glenn Buhr: Two Pieces for Three Pianos (world premiere)

Steve Reich: Six Pianos

Tickets range from $20-$65 and are available through The Royal Conservatory Box Office at 416-408-0208 or online at www.soundstreams.ca

CD Release: Feisty Folk with Jon Davis and 'Open Shore' - at the Rivoli Toronto April 26 2013

2013-04-24T23:18:00.007-04:00

From a media release:

CD Release:
Jon Davis Releases ‘Open Shore’
Open Shore will surely open doors for this songster who serves up feisty folk, indie-seasoned rock and fluff-free pop

Opening set: Matt Tomlinson
The Rivoli, 334 Queen St W, Toronto
Friday, April 26, 8:30pm
$10 adv / $15 (416) 596-1908

TORONTO - Jon Davis has achieved full lift-off with the launch of his sophomore release – Open Shore - a powerful, 11-track album showcasing a painterly ability to translate human emotion into delicate aural canvasses of light blue steel and shale grey, with vibrant splashes of golden hue.

Possessed of a delicate, almost chameleonic voice, you can hear distant similarities in style from James Taylor to Nick Drake, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Royal Wood, to Lindsey Buckingham. Anyone looking to appreciate this for themselves should earmark Davis’ CD release on Friday, April 26th at Toronto hotspot, The Rivoli.

Having endured a traumatic head injury in ’06, Davis found himself hurtling along a path towards recovery – moving past personal hardships to arrive at a destination where obstacles became opportunities.

One of these is most certainly Open Shore, which speaks to this challenging but triumphant journey. A talent in full bloom, Davis colours this disc with a full complement of smart, insightful lyrics across hook-laden melodies, caressing folk and jazz with an indie-seasoned rock edge, leavened with strong elements of fluff-free pop.

Open Shore by Jon Davis

Throughout are messages of hope, and the search for endless possibility. You can hear this in the opening track – “Overcome”. Wrapped in a buoyant, James Taylor-esque joie de vivre, it firmly positions Davis as having cleared the shadows by moving into the light. Consider “The Prince’s Shadow” – a song whose lyrics combat despair as its aggressive hook reveals the singer front and centre.

Davis presents “After The Birds” as a heartfelt paean to balancing needs over our wants. His soft singing voice, reminiscent of the late Kenny Rankin, sets its sparse presentation into motion as a moody, sweeping soundscape before it spins out of control in the vein of “Aladdin Sane”.

Counter this with the timeless poetry of Thomas More in “If All Those Endearing Young Charms” as Davis’ gentle, acoustic guitar-driven approach rekindles Nick Drake – his solemn, weathered vocal hitting home his transformation of More’s words depicting the power of love over appearances.

Through Open Shore, Jon Davis challenges how we view our world and what we can do to make it better. It’s an uplifting wake-up call that’s as reassuring as the gentle, forever lapping of the waves, offering us the encouragement we need to get past personal trials by showing us how to – as he does in “The Scarecrow and the Sunflower” – touch the beauty.

Atom Egoyan Returns to the COC with his Acclaimed Production of Salome April 21 to May 22 2013

2013-04-20T22:57:00.003-04:00

From a media release:

celebrated canadian director Atom egoyan returns to the coc with his acclaimed production of RICHARD strauss’S visceral and shocking opera, salome
April 21 to May 22, 2013
at the Four Seasons Centre for the Arts, Toronto

Toronto – The Canadian Opera Company’s 2013 spring season marks the return of celebrated Canadian director Atom Egoyan with his searing, critically acclaimed COC production of Richard Strauss’s Salome. At the opera’s 1905 premiere, the audience and critics were shocked by its subject matter and erotic themes; Salome’s world of voyeurism and sexual abuse still elicits an equally visceral response today. In past presentations of this production, in 1996 and 2002, the COC’s Salome was described as a “brilliant modern day interpretation” (Classical 96 FM) that is “marvelously wicked and wickedly marvelous,” (The Globe and Mail) and “relevant to a 21st-century audience” (NOW Magazine). COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducts his third opera of the season for the company when he leads the COC Orchestra through Strauss’s intoxicating music. Sung in German with English SURTITLES™, Salome runs for eight performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on April 21, 27, May 1, 4, 7, 10, 16 and 22, 2013.

Adapted from Oscar Wilde’s play, the opera recounts the ancient story of Salome, who demands the head of Jochanaan (John the Baptist) in return for performing the Dance of the Seven Veils. Salome lives in a hedonistic royal court, with her perverse and shameless stepfather, Herod, and her imperious mother, Herodias. Salome’s desire for the imprisoned Jochanaan is mirrored by a soldier’s tortured infatuation for her, and Herod’s own lust for his stepdaughter. Consumed by passion, the family is inevitably torn apart by its destructive obsessions.

Renowned Canadian filmmaker (The Sweet Hereafter, Chloe) and director Atom Egoyan brings some of the original erotic shock value back to Strauss’s Salome. The setting of the opera is moved from a first-century palace in the Holy Land to a foreboding and abstract environment, stripping away the markers of an affluent environment to focus on the characters themselves. Multi-media elements, such as film and video, as well as shadow puppetry and lighting effects, further serve to heighten the opera’s impact and emphasize the perverse natures of Herod, Herodias and Salome.

Acclaimed American set designer Derek McLane, projections designer Phillip Barker, costume designer Catherine Zuber, lighting designer Michael Whitfield and choreographer Serge Bennathan all return for the revival of the COC’s Salome. Shadow puppet designer Clea Minaker makes her COC debut.

Among the variety of film, video and photographic projections designed by Barker for the COC’s Salome are works by Canadian Edward Burtynsky, who, since the 1996 premiere of the production, has achieved international recognition for his large-format photographs. Burtynsky is responsible for many of the still images that appear in Salome.

COC Music Director Johannes Debus conducts seven of Salome’s eight performances with COC resident conductor Derek Bate taking the podium on May 22. They lead a 106-piece orchestra through a lush and exotic score that seethes with the emotions, neuroses and unspoken drives of the opera’s characters.

In Swedish-American soprano Erika Sunnegårdh, the COC has a Salome who can meet the role’s challenging vocal and physical demands. Since her critically acclaimed operatic debut in 2004 in the role of Turandot at Malmö Opera, Sunnegårdh has established herself as not only one of the most versatile and exciting sopranos on the world stage, but also earned a reputation for fearless and emotionally nuanced characterizations, with performances at Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Welsh National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Oper Frankfurt, Metropolitan Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, among others. Sunnegårdh makes her COC debut in the title role.

Celebrated Canadian tenor Richard Margison, last with the COC for 2011’s Ariadne auf Naxos, makes his role debut as Herod. Hailed for his ringing top notes and spine-tingling power, Margison is one of the most critically acclaimed singers on the international stage today. He performs regularly in many of the world’s leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie and Gran Teatre del Liceu. Cast opposite Margison, as Herodias, is one of the world’s greatest mezzo-sopranos, Hanna Schwarz. She has sung under the batons of classical music’s greatest conductors, including Sir Simon Rattle, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Lorin Maazel, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Christoph von Dohnányi and Leonard Bernstein, and her international career has brought her to San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Royal Opera House Covent Garden. The role of Herodias marks Schwarz’s COC debut.

Rounding out the impressive cast is a line-up of familiar and new opera stars.

Sharing the role of Jochanaan are two internationally renowned singers: German baritone Martin Gantner (April 21, 27, and May 1, 4), in his COC debut, and American bass-baritone Alan Held (May 7, 10, 16, 22), whose recent COC performances in Tristan und Isolde and the double-bill of A Florentine Tragedy/Gianni Schicchi have won him the admiration of Toronto audiences and critics alike.

American tenor Nathaniel Peake, a 2010 Metropolitan Opera National Council Winner who makes his COC debut in the COC’s 2013 spring production of Lucia di Lammermoor, sings Narraboth, the captain of the guard. Israeli mezzo-soprano Maya Lahyani, praised for her “big, voluptuous sound” and “vigorous stage presence” (The San Francisco Chronicle), makes her COC debut as the Page of Herodias.

British tenor Adrian Thompson, recently with the COC in 2011’s Nixon in China, sings the First Jew. Singing the Second, Third and Fourth Jews, respectively, are three graduates of the COC’s Ensemble Studio: tenors Michael Colvin, Michael Barrett, and Adam Luther. The Fifth Jew is sung by American bass Jeremy Milner, who makes his COC debut. American baritone Craig Irvin, recently seen in the COC’s 2012 production of Gianni Schicchi, sings the First Nazarene. Ensemble Studio tenor Owen McCausland is the Second Nazarene. American bass-baritone Evan Boyer, who can also be seen this spring in the COC’s Dialogues des Carmélites, makes his COC debut as the First Soldier. American bass-baritone Sam Handley makes his COC debut as the Second Soldier. COC Ensemble Studio members, bass-baritone Neil Craighead and soprano Claire de Sévigné, sing the roles of a Cappadocian and a Slave, respectively.

TICKET INFORMATION
Single tickets for Salome are $12 – $325 (includes applicable taxes). Tickets are available online at coc.ca, by calling 416-363-8231, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, located at 145 Queen St. W., Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Hot Docs 2013 - April 25 to May 4, 2013: Six More Picks

2013-04-20T22:51:00.002-04:00

From a media release:

Picks from my friends at GAT PR:
Hot Docs Film Festival
April 25 to May 4, 2013 in Toronto

15 Reasons to Live – Directed by Alan Zweig - World Premiere
When documentarian Alan Zweig discovered Ray Robertson’s non-fiction book Why Not? Fifteen Reasons To Live, (and came to know Ray Robertson), he was intrigued by the concept of organizing the panoply of life itself into a list. Said 15 reasons are: Love, solitude, critical mind, art, individuality, home, work, humour, friendship, intoxication, praise, meaning, body, duty and death. To savour them all would presumably be to truly live. Thus was born 15 Reasons To Live, the most ambitious work to date by Zweig (Lovable; I, Curmudgeon; Vinyl), with his first use of a crew, a wide location schedule (stretching a thousand miles from North Carolina to Montreal), and a first-time use of animation mixed with live documentary.

Attending Hot Docs: Director Alan Zweig, Producer Julian Rosenberg
Premiere - Sat, Apr 27 - 6:30 PM - TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
Screening 2 - Mon, Apr 29 - 1:30 PM - Isabel Bader Theatre
Screening 3 - Sun, May 5 - 1:30 PM - TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

ALIAS – Directed by Michelle Latimer - World Premiere
The media message has always been that rap glamourizes and feeds the “thug life.” From NWA’s Straight Outta Compton, to the West Coast/East Coast powderkeg that killed Tupac and Notorious B.I.G., to a string of shootings in Toronto recording studios, the music has been demonized and stigmatized as the “gateway” to youth gang culture. But ALIAS, the feature documentary by Michelle Latimer, looks directly at the lives of Toronto rappers, who’ve sprung from ‘hoods that have turned into angry “territories.” There she found stories that belied the stereotypes, young rappers using the form as an alternative to gang life, and as a possible escape. And their expression – while a stark and realistic portrait of Canada’s growing underclass - is anything but an endorsement of thug life.

Attending Hot Docs: Director Michelle Latimer, Rappers Alkatraz, Alias Donmillion, Trench, Producer Nida Marji
Premiere - Fri, Apr 26 - 6:30 PM - Royal Cinema
Screening 2 - Sun, Apr 28 - 1:30 PM - Scotiabank Theatre, Cinema 3
Screening 3 - Sat, May 4 - 9:00 PM - Scotiabank, Cinema 4

Free the Mind – Directed by Phie Ambo - Canadian Premiere
Phie Ambo’s Free The Mind: Can You Rewire The Brain Just By Taking A Breath? shows pathologies like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, ADHD and anxiety being tackled directly, while painting a wide-eyed picture of the organ responsible, a mysterious, unimaginably complex chemical computer with potential that we’ve only begun to explore. Inspired by her own bout of panic attacks years earlier – treated with meditation rather than medication – the eclectic Danish filmmaker aimed her camera at the works of University of Wisconsin scholar Richard Davidson, the founder of The Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, and three of his case studies.

Attending Hot Docs: Director Phie Ambo, Scholar Richard Davidson, Producer Sigrid Dyekjaer
Premiere - Thu, May 2 - 6:30 PM - Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Screening 2 - Fri, May 3 - 6:00 PM - ROM Theatre
Screening 3 - Sat, May 4 - 11:00 AM - Isabel Bader Theatre

The Ghosts in Our Machine – Directed by Liz Marshall - World Premiere
With dramatic impact, Liz Marshall’s The Ghosts In Our Machine gently reveals a stark reality that is hidden from our view. Through the heart and lens of acclaimed animal photographer Jo-Anne McArthur, this consciousness-raising documentary shines a cinematic light on the animals we don’t easily acknowledge - the “ghosts” - are commodities within the machine of our modern world. Over the course of a year, award-winning director Liz Marshall follows McArthur as she photographs several animal stories in parts of Canada, the U.S. and in Europe. Each story is a window into global animal industries: Food, Fashion, Entertainment and Research. All part of an epic photo project called We Animals (www.weanimals.org) now in its 15th year and shot all over the globe, McArthur has documented the lives of animals with heart-breaking empathic vividness and professionalism.

Attending Hot Docs: Director Liz Marshall, Subject Jo-Anne McArthur, Producer Nina Beveridge
Premiere - Sun, Apr 28 - 6:30 PM - Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Screening 2 - Wed, May 1 - 11:00 AM - Isabel Bader Theatre
Screening 3 - Sat, May 4 - 11:00 AM - Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

The Manor – Directed by Shawney Cohen - Opening Night & World Premiere
When Shawney Cohen was six his father bought The Manor, a small-town strip club/motel. Thirty years later, his father has ballooned to 400 pounds, while his mother, at 85 pounds, ironically struggles with anorexia. And Shawney? He’s been a strip club manager for longer than he’s been a filmmaker. The two career paths dovetail in The Manor, a soul-searching feature debut, where he turns the camera on his father Roger, mother Brenda, brother Sammy, and also on himself, creating an intimate portrait of four people struggling to call themselves a family.

Attending Hot Docs: Director Shawney Cohen. Family will attend opening night
Premiere - Thu, Apr 25 - 7:00 PM - Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Screening 2 - Thu, Apr 25 - 9:30 PM - Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Screening 3 - Mon, Apr 29 - 12:00 PM - TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

Tales from the Organ Trade – Directed by Ric Esther Bienstock - North American Premiere
Tales From The Organ Trade, by acclaimed documentarian Ric Esther Bienstock (Sex Slaves: aka The Real Sex Traffic, Ebola: Inside an Outbreak), and narrated by David Cronenberg, travels the world, shining a light on what seems a rampant human indignity. The documentary is a gritty and unflinching descent into the shadowy world of black-market organ trafficking: the street-level brokers, the rogue surgeons, the impoverished men and women who are willing to sacrifice a slice of their own bodies for a quick payday, and the desperate patients who face the agonizing choice of obeying the law or saving their lives.

Attending Hot Docs: Director Ric Esther Bienstock
Premiere - Sun, Apr 28 - 7:00 PM - Isabel Bader Theatre
Screening 2 - Mon, Apr 29 - 1:00 PM - TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
Screening 3 - Thu, May 2 - 4:00 PM - Scotiabank Theatre, Cinema 4