A Symphonic Spring Serenade

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Birmingham Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra

The Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra closes its 38th season Sunday with “Spring Serenade.” The exciting program salutes the best of film with music from On Golden Pond and The Sea Hawk, and explores the world of opera and ballet with selections from Bizet’s Carmen, Thomas’ Mignon, and Luigini’s Ballet Egyptien. With a host of additional unforgettable works, the BBSO’s final concert is sure to leave you wanting more.

The concert will be held Sunday, May 19, beginning at 7 p.m., at Groves High School Auditorium, 20500 West Thirteen Mile Road, Beverly Hills. Tickets are $25 at the door (free for students 18 and under).

Music Director Charles Greenwell will present a program of delightful classics and film music. In addition to waltzes of Franz Lehar and Johann Strauss, Jr., maestro Greenwell will lead the ensemble in excerpts from Bizet’s “Carmen,” works by Leroy Anderson and Morton Gould as well as thrilling music from “The Sea Hawk” by Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

The program:

Gould: American Salute
Lehar: Gold & Silver Waltzes
Nicolai: Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor
Luigini: Ballet Egyptien (excerpts)
Grusin: Theme from On Golden Pond
Korngold: Music from The Sea Hawk
Anderson: TBD
Bizet: Excerpts from Carmen
J. Strauss, Jr.: Emperor Waltzes

  Click here for tickets and more information or phone  (248) 352-BBSO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This concert will also be accompanied by a silent auction. This will be held before the concert and at intermission. Valuable goods and services will be auctioned.

 

 

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Filed Under: Classical, Community, Culture, Feature, Music Tagged With: , , ,

20th Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jonathan Biss opens GLCMF

The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival launches its celebratory 20th Anniversary Season with an opening night performance featuring Jonathan Biss and the Pacifica Quartet. The festival opens Saturday, June 8 at the Seligman Performing Arts Center.

Details from the GLCMF:

The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary season June 8-23 with more than 20 concerts in downtown and metro venues. In celebration of a milestone year, the 2013 Festival will feature the return of favorite artists, five new commissions performed by five returning ensembles, and the return of three legendary composers. The festivities kick off on Opening Night, Saturday, June 8 at Seligman Performing Arts Center. The concert will feature world-famous pianist Jonathan Biss and Grammy Award winning ensemble, the Pacifica Quartet.

Pianist Jonathan Biss performed at the very first Festival in 1994 at the age of 13. His last Festival appearance occurred in 1998.

Jonathan Biss, who appeared on the very first Festival season in 1994 at the age of 13, has since appeared with the foremost orchestras of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia and released a number of solo albums. The most recent album being the first CD in a nine-year, nine-disc recording cycle of Beethoven’s complete sonatas in January 2012. His last Festival appearance occurred in 1998.

Biss will bookend the concert with a performance of Beethoven’s “Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 16″ with his parents, violinist Miriam Fried and violist Paul Biss, along with cellist Andrés Díaz. Biss will also close out the evening with a performance of Dvořák’s “Piano Quintet No. 2, Op. 81″ – a work widely acknowledged as a masterpiece of its form. Biss will perform the work with the members of the Pacifica Quartet.

 The Pacifica Quartet made their Festival debut in 1998 as part of the Shouse Institute. This year marks their first return engagement.

Also featured on the evening will be a new work by composer Keeril Makan, co-commissioned by the Festival and the Boston Celebrity Series for the Pacifica Quartet. The work was premiered on the Celebrity Boston Series to a sold-out audience in October of 2012 at Bard College. Makan is an Associate Professor of Music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome and a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship.

The Pacifica Quartet made their Festival debut in 1998 as a part of the Shouse Ensemble Institute for young and emerging ensembles. This will be their first return performance to the Festival. Named the quartet-in-residence and full-time faculty members at Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music in March 2012, the Pacifica was the quartet-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009 – 2012) – a position previously held by the Guarneri String Quartet – and received the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance.

The Festival’s opening night performance will set the tone for the two-week festival. Upcoming concerts during the Festival’s first week will include a Sunday, June 9 at 3 p.m. performance at Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church, and four concerts running Tuesday, June 11 through Friday, June 14 at Temple Beth El and Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church. The first week concerts will feature many of the opening night artists as well a number of additional artists including: the Jupiter String Quartet, the Parker Quartet, pianist James Tocco and cellists Paul Katz and Robert deMaine. The Festival’s closing night performance will take place on Saturday, June 22. Find out more about these upcoming concerts by calling (248) 559-2097 or going online to www.greatlakeschambermusic.org.

Opening Night is sponsored by Plante Moran. Major sponsorship for the 2013 Festival is provided by JPMorgan Chase.

 

 JUNE 8 CONCERT INFORMATION

Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 16…………………………………… Ludwig van Beethoven

Miriam Fried, violin; Paul Biss, viola; Andrés Díaz, cello; Jonathan Biss, piano

Return ……………………………………………………………………………………………Keeril Makan

The Pacifica Quartet: Simin Ganatra, violin; Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Brandon Vamos, cello

 Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81…………………………………………..Antonín Dvořák

Jonathan Biss, piano; Pacifica Quartet

ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Festival is co-sponsored by St. Hugo of the Hills, Temple Beth El, Kirk in the Hills, and Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings. Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale. To order or to find out more, please visit www.greatlakeschambermusic.org or call (248) 559-2097.

Filed Under: Classical, Community, Culture, Music, Spotlight, Who We Are Tagged With: , , , , ,

Kickstart Your Summer with the Arts!

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Edsel and Eleanor Ford House and Daffodil Garden by Stephen J. Brown

WRCJ 90.9 FM and Edsel & Eleanor Ford House invite you to Kickstart Your Summer!

Don’t miss a fun filled event for families, students and arts and cultural organizations. You also can be part of a live radio broadcast on WRCJ 90.9 FM, hosted by Dave Wagner and Chris Felcyn.

Join us on the grounds of the historic Edsel & Eleanor Ford House on the shore of Lake St. Clair on Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Among the fun:

  • Free Admission and Free Parking
  • Live entertainment will be provided by musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Livonia Symphony, Macomb Symphony, Cantata Academy Chorale, The Detroit Children’s Choir, Grosse Pointe Community Chorus, Motor City Brass Band and many others
  • Over 40 Exhibitors – Arts, Music, Educational and Civic Organizations
  • Instrument “Petting Zoo” and other children’s activities
  • Tours of the historic Edsel & Eleanor Ford House will be available with an admission fee of $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $5 for children ages 6 – 12 and free for children under 5.

Families will be able to sample tasty food from Ford House’s Cotswold Café, Dirty Dog Jazz Café and Fresh Farms Market.

Representatives from the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Cranbrook Academy of Art & Art Museum, Cranbrook Music Guild, Dearborn Symphony, Detroit Public TV, Grosse Pointe Symphony, Michigan Opera Theatre, Windsor Symphony, and many other arts and cultural organizations will be on hand with activities and information.

The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House is located at 1100 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Shores. For more information, visit us online at www.wrcjfm.org.

The image above of the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House and the Daffodil Garden is a detail from a photograph by Stephen J. Brown. Click here to see it and other photographs by Mr. Brown.

 

Filed Under: Architecture, Art & Design, Classical, Community, Culture, Dance, Detroit Inspires, Fun, History, Jazz, Music, News

Ten Buildings That Changed America

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Cranbrook-Academy-of-Art

The always-colorful and interesting Reed Kroloff, architect, editor, educator, and Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, is featured tonight on “Ten Buildings That Changed American,” an upbeat DPTV program that also features the Ford Highland Park Plant.

“10 Buildings” is a one-hour dash through more than 200 years of the remarkably creative output of American architecture, and we hope you enjoy it. The program airs Thursday at 9 p.m. and again this Sunday at 4 p.m.

Details from PBS:

Ever wondered how your house got its plan? Or why you occupy your office the way you do? How would you have designed an airport if you didn’t know what a jet was?

These questions and more are addressed in the new PBS documentary “10 Buildings that Changed America,” airing this week on Detroit Public Television. As its title suggests, the program considers how 10 landmark buildings reshaped life as we know it in the United States.

Hosted by Geoffrey Baer, the program features interviews with leading architects, historians, and critics, including Reed Kroloff, Director of the Art Academy. Speaking from the living room of Saarinen house, Reed appears in a number of the show’s ten segments, which includes an analysis of Eero Saarinen’s Dulles Airport, the original model of which now resides in the Cranbrook Art Museum.

 

 

Filed Under: Architecture, Art & Design, Culture, Detroit Inspires, History, News, Painting, Sculpture, Video, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , , , ,

The Royal Handel

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

George Frideric Handel

Experience “Soaring Sounds in a Sacred Space” when Christ Church Grosse Pointe presents “The Royal Handel” Sunday, May 19 at 4:30 p.m. Featuring works by George Frideric Handel, the concert includes performances by the Christ Church Chorale, Schola, and Orchestra.

Tickets are $20 per person. For reservations, call (313) 885-4841 or visit www.christchurchgp.org.

Program:

Coronation Anthems, HWV 258-261

My Song Shall Be Always, HWV 252

Selections from Water Music

The program is part of Christ Church Grosse Pointe’s “Soaring Sounds in a Sacred Space” series.

Christ Church Grosse Pointe is located at 61 Grosse Pointe Boulevard, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236.

 The image of the composer above is attributed to painter Balthasar Denner, perhaps between 1726-1728, when Handel was in his early 40s.

Filed Under: Classical, Community, Culture, Music, Spotlight Tagged With: ,

Hastings Street

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Mosaic-Youth-Theatre-present-Hastings-Street

At a time when history was just around the corner, this was the street at the center of it all! Experience a special time in Detroit’s cultural history when Mosaic Youth Theatre presents “Hastings Street.” Performances are Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Detroit Film Theatre inside the Detroit Institute of Arts.

For teenagers in Detroit’s “Black Bottom,” the 1940’s were a time of exploration and conflict. Hastings Street was at the heart of it all – filled with business and commerce by day; and bright lights, blues music, and danger by night.

Originally commissioned for the Detroit Tri-centenary Celebrations, Hastings Street swings with a jazzy beat and the low-down blues the 1940’s. Told through song, dance and an unforgettable story, the production is proudly presented with the support of Ford Motor Company Fund.

Tickets are $32 for premium seating, $22 for adults and $15 for students and senior citizens (available at box office only). For reservations and more information, please call (313) 872-6910.

 

Filed Under: Blues, Community, Culture, Dance, Feature, Jazz, Music, Theatre, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , ,

1001 Laughs

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Arab American National Museum presents Mo Amer

The Arab American National Museum present Mohammed Amer and “1001 Laughs.” Hosted by Amer Zahr, the evening of comedy happens Friday, May 17, beginning at 8 p.m. at the AANM in Dearborn.

Tickets are $15. For reservations and details, visit www.1001laughs.com or call (734) 945-4575.

 

More about the artist, from the artist:

Against the tense geopolitical backdrop of Mideast politics, American foreign policy, and terrorist acts by religious fanatics, what the world needs more than ever is a good laugh. Enter: Mohammed Amer.

Dubbed “the Arab-American Bill Cosby,” Mohammed “Mo” Amer is a bona fide headliner, an established standup comedian from Houston, Texas. In the classic storyteller tradition, Mo is the rare comic gem who started performing standup in high school while still in his mid-teens, racking up years of experience touring literally across the world, with an impressive global and national standup resume before even hitting his 30th birthday.

He has performed in over two dozen countries on five continents—as the first and only Arab-American refugee comic to perform for U.S. and coalition troops overseas, as well as with “Allah Made Me Funny—The Official Muslim Comedy Tour.” Adoring fans have watched him at sold-out shows worldwide, including: Royal Albert Hall and Hammersmith-Apollo (London); Acer Arena (Sydney); Nelson Mandela Theatre (Johannesburg); Shrine Auditorium (Los Angeles); as well as at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, the Malmo Arts Festival (Sweden), Amman Comedy Festival (Jordan), and the World’s Funniest Island Festival (Australia).

He has been interviewed on television and radio dozens of times, including on NPR, BBC, and CNN.

His work promotes art and understanding between the diverse cultures of the world, and his ethnic and family background uniquely situate him to speak from the heart about the absurd problems of religion, terror, and the politics of our age—through the lens of honest, endearing, personal stories about his family and himself. Mo’s solo show, entitled “Legally Homeless-Trials of a Refugee,” is presently in development for a feature length docu-comedy (expected premium cable broadcast in 2013). He is also co-writing a feature screenplay with award-winning filmmaker Iman Zawahry and longtime standup collaborator, Azhar Usman.

 

Filed Under: Community, Feature, Fun, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , ,

A Musical Evening in England

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Chamber-Music-at-the-Scarab-Club

Chamber Music at the Scarab Club celebrates the final concert of its 15th season with a program of music created by English composers. “An Evening in England” will be performed Sunday, June 2 at the Scarab Club in Detroit, beginning at 7 p.m.

The program includes the Bax Quintet for Harp and Strings, featuring harpist Maurice Draughn; York Bowen’s Quintet for Bass Clarinet and Strings with clarinetist Brian Bowman; and two selections for string quartet by Vaughan Williams and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Tickets are $18 if reserved in advance and $22 at the door, $10 for students.

For tickets and more info, call (248) 474-8930 or email chambermusic@scarabclub.org.

 

 The Artists

Maurice Draughn – harp
Brian Bowman – bass clarinet
Velda Kelly – violin
Andrew Wu - violin
Scott Stefanko – viola
Nadine Deleury – cello

The Program

Quintet for Harp and Strings – Arnold BAX (1883-1953)
Phantasy Quintet for Bass Clarinet and Strings – York BOWEN (1884-1961)
Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes for String Quartet – Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872-1958)
Fantasie-Stücke for String Quartet – Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (1875-1912)

 

More from Chamber Music at the Scarab Club:

Don’t miss the season finale of Chamber Music at the Scarab Club! Relax in the courtyard garden before and after the concert, view the current art exhibits in both galleries and enjoy Detroit chamber musicians perform English music in a perfect setting.

Arnold Bax is beginning to become a more well-known composer but his music still has not been heard by many. His Quintet for Harp and Strings is an expressive one-movement piece. Bax has a singular and very romantic style with gorgeous expansive themes. This work was written in 1919 around the time of his first visit to Ireland, a country and culture that fascinated him throughout his entire life.

York Bowen is another prolific composer who is relatively unknown. This exceptional work was luckily suggested by one of the CMSC performers. Bowen showcases the bass clarinet, an instrument rarely included in chamber music, especially not with a string quartet! This is a well-structured and exciting piece that will cause you to wonder why the bass clarinet as a chamber instrument isn’t heard more often. Bowen was a pianist, but is said to have played every instrument in the orchestra. No wonder he could write so well for this unusual combination of instruments!

Ralph Vaughan Williams is certainly a name everyone will recognize. The Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes are truly beautiful and richly melodic. The composer felt a responsibility to write works for different combinations of instruments that could be played by people “whiling away the waiting hours of war’. Written in 1940-41 for string quartet, Vaughan Williams specifically noted in the parts that these preludes could also be played by a variety of other instruments, assuming that people would use whatever they had on hand.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was an African-British composer who had a short but influential life. He made several trips from his native London to the United States and was greatly admired in this country as well as in England. Composed in 1898, the Fantasie-Stücke (Fantasy Pieces) consists of five relatively short and light-hearted works, each representing a different character or mood.

As always, each piece on the concert will be introduced by one of the musicians and the performance will be followed by a delicious and friendly reception.

 

Filed Under: Architecture, Classical, Culture, Music, News Tagged With:

Jamie and Jordan

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Performance Network Theatre presents Jamie and Jordan

The Children’s Theatre Network of Performance Network Theatre invites audiences to gather at the theater on Saturday, May 25 at 1 p.m. for the perfect family summer kickoff, “Jamie and Jordan,” a baseball-themed musical about health and friendships with book and lyrics by Kim Carney and music by Gene Gaunt.

Tickets are $7 for children, $10 for adults, and $20 for a family package of four. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at performancenetwork.org, by calling (734) 663-0681.

Details from Performance Network:

This hilarious musical tale teaches children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and healthy friendships. Born in the same hospital on the same day, neighbors Jamie and Jordan are lifelong best friends. When a twist of fate (and an ankle!) separates them, they learn that healthy choices are worth the extra effort. Parents and guardians will love the educational content and the positive message, and kids will love the entertaining songs and humor, as well as the free milk and snack reception in the lobby after the show.

Children’s Theatre Network is committed to providing education and entertainment to children and families in a safe environment. Although the Children’s Theatre Network Saturday Series is coming to a close over the summer, the learning will continue with the Build-A-Play two week workshop from July 8-18. Suited for children ages seven to 11, students will learn improvisation, movement, and storytelling from Children’s Theatre Network Director Becky Fox and Writer/Actor Anne Rhoades.

In addition to its Saturday Series, the Children’s Theatre Network provides classes and workshops, engages in school outreach with the revolutionary “Get in the Game” program, and tours its shows to area schools and communities. For more information or to sign up, call  (734) 663-0681.

Further information and ticket reservations can be found online at www.performancenetwork.org or by calling  (734) 663-0681 during box office hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.

Founded in 1981, Performance Network Theatre has grown from a fledgling company to Ann Arbor’s only resident professional theatre. The Network reaches 40,000 theatre patrons and children each year through its year-round Professional Series and its Children’s Theatre Network.

Filed Under: Fun, Jazz, Music, News, Popular, Theatre Tagged With: ,

Frog Belly Rat Bone

May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Matrix Theatre Company presents Frog Belly Rat Bone

The Matrix Theatre Company’s School of Theatre presents The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone. Written by Timothy Basil Ering, the story follows the adventures of a little boy who takes a journey to discover a very special treasure which ends with new friends and a colorful, joyous world.

Told through puppetry, The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone runs from Friday, May 31 through Sunday, June 2. All Friday and Saturday performances are at 7 p.m., and Sunday performances are at 3 p.m. Adult tickets are priced at $8. Students, seniors, and children are $5.

All performances are held at Matrix Theatre, 2730 Bagley in the heart of Detroit’s Mexicantown. Visit www.matrixtheatre.org to register online, or call (313) 967-0599. Call (313) 967-0999 for detailed information.

Frog Belly Rat Bone is a delightful fantasy about a very special boy who lived in a dull, gray endless place called Cementland. After much searching among piles of greasy toaster ovens and wet, smelly socks, he spies a box filled with hundreds of “tiny grey specks” and a wrinkled note that says: “Put these wondrous riches in the earth and enjoy.”

Horrified to learn that thieves are after his treasure, the boy scrounges the junkyard and creates a creature to stand guard – a scarecrow-like gardener with crooked bony arms, a giant belly, a jaunty crown, and preternatural wisdom: Frog Belly Rat Bone, king and protector of the specks. The story is full of surprises and an ending with an inspiring message on world beautification.

The Matrix Theatre Company’s School of Theatre, challenges and encourages students to become creators of their own work by writing and performing original works. They believe that everyone has a story to tell and that the best way to learn is by doing. Therefore, the School of Theatre at Matrix has its own season where students perform shows they have, in most cases, authored themselves.

 

Matrix Theatre Company

Celebrating 22 years as a non-profit community-based theatre, Matrix Theatre Company is located in southwest Detroit. By using the transformative power of theatre to change lives, build community and foster social justice, Matrix creates everything from scratch, from puppets of all sizes to more than 130 original plays. It provides creative opportunities for children, youth, adults and elders, especially those in isolated or challenged communities, to become creators, producers, and audiences of original and heritage theatre. For further information or to follow Matrix on Facebook, Twitter and Blogger, go to matrixtheatre.org.

Matrix’s Inclusive Theatre Initiative (ITI) strives to offer the transformative power of theatre to all. It aims to build a community for those with and without disabilities. It is a model of relating to people, rooted in the essential dignity and value of each person, offering ways to build deeper connections between people, places, and institutions.

 

Filed Under: Community, Culture, Fun, News, Theatre, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , ,
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