Performing Arts Center Purchase 2013-14 Season
The Performing Arts Center Purchase 2013-14 season offers a rich cross section of music, dance, theater, film and special programs for kids and families. You will find internationally acclaimed names and up and coming stars that span musical genres from classical music to jazz, cabaret, and blues. PAC’s dance series is second to none for fans of ballet and modern dance. And film buffs can see the best of independent and foreign films before their US openings at Harlan Jacobson’s Talk Cinema series.
The season kicks off on September 28th with jazz great Cassandra Wilson. Other featured artists include the Mariinsky Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Joshua Bell, and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Hot tickets include Michael Feinstein, Savion Glover, Dr. John and The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites. Here’s a What To Do guide to PAC’s 36th season:
September:
Cassandra Wilson: A two time Grammy Award winner who has expanded the jazz playbook by incorporating country, blues and folk into her repertoires. Sat, 9/28: 8pm.
Dennis O’Hare An Iliad: Tony Award winning actor Dennis O’Hare and co-writer and Director Lisa Peterson present Homer’s Trojan War in a performance of “one classic story, one actor, a stage full of characters.” Sun, 9/29: 5pm.
October:
Mariinsky Orchestra: Ignat Solzhenitsynconducts St. Petersburg’s orchestra in an all- Russian program: Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead, and Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 5 in D Minor. Sat, 10/12: 8pm.
Gabriela Montero, piano: Celebrated for her real time improvisations of classical music, Montero performed at President Obama’s first inauguration. Sun, 10/13: 3pm.
Martha Graham Dance Company: Martha Graham influence on dance has been compared to Picasso’s on art, Stravinsky’s on music and Frank Lloyd Wright’s on architecture. “My dancers never fall to simply fall, they fall to rise.” Sat, 10/19: 8pm.
Savion Glover STePz: The area premiere of the newest work by the leading tap-master. Sat, 10/26: 8pm.
Imani Winds: North America’s premier wind quintet enriches the classical repertoire with jazz, Afro-Caribbean and South American sounds. Sun, 10/27: 3pm.
Irish Chamber Orchestra with Sir James Galway: The man with the golden flute, Sir James Galway and Lady Jeanne Galway join this chamber orchestra from Limerick, Ireland. Tues, 10/29: 8pm.
November:
Crafts at Purchase: A juried event featuring over 100 of America’s best emerging and established craft artists. Presented by Artrider, producers of the nationally acclaimed Crafts at Lyndhurst. A benefit for PAC. Fri-Sun, 11/1-3.
Doug Varone and Dancers: A dance series debut of award-winning Purchase College Alumnus Doug Varone and company. Sat. 11/9: 8pm.
Joshua Bell, violin: A classical artist that is also a household name. Bell performed his first solo at 14 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He recently performed the Academy Award nominated song, “Before My Time” with Scarlett Johansson. Sat, 11/16: 8pm.
Yamato: The Drummers of Japan: “Pure energy meets spiritual high.” – The Scotsman. Fri, 11/22: 8pm.
December:
Vienna Boys’ Choir: “Before there was a Beethoven or a Mozart or a Bach there was the Vienna Boys’ Choir singing for the Austrian Court.” (Who knew?) Sat, 12/7: 8pm.
Christopher O’Reilly & Matt Haimovitz, piano/cello: “Piano and cello collaboration bringing the coffeehouse to the recital hall.” Sun, 12/8: 3pm.
January:
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra w/Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano: The PAC house band returns with the 2009 Van Cliburn International Competition winner Noboyuki Tsujii on piano. Sun, 1/26: 3pm.
February:
Garrick Ohlsson, piano: White Plains’ hometown hero has been awarded a shelf full of prizes throughout his career: first prize in the Chopin and Busoni competitions, the Avery Fisher Prize, and more. Fri, 2/7: 8pm
The Crossroads Project: Science, visual arts, dance, music and the environment connect in this performance piece developed as a campus-wide initiative by Professor of Music Composition, and Symphony Space Artistic Director Laura Kaminsky. Sun, 2/9: 3pm.
Dr. John: Voodoo, mysticism, funk, R&B, and psychedelic rock. “Must have been the right place …” Sat, 2/15: 8pm.
Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company: This powerhouse comedy troupe brings its high wire act of improvisation comedy to PAC. “Twisted and uproarious.” – Entertainment Weekly. Sat, 2/22: 8pm.
Kim Kashkashian, viola: No, not Kardashian, Kashkashian. She brought home the Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo earlier this year. Sun, 2/23: 3pm.
March:
Decoda: Edgy and traditional ensemble selected in partnership with Carnegie Hall was presented under the name The Declassified in 2012. Sun, 3/2: 3pm.
Dervish: Music of Ireland: Irish-Celtic songs to warm the heart and celebrate the season. Fri, 3/7: 8pm.
Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana: “The hottest of hot dances … sizzles.” Sun, 3/16: 3pm.
April:
Chanticleer: Twelve guys in tuxes return to PAC with their a cappella best that made them the first vocal ensemble ever inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. Sat, 4/5: 8pm.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia returns to PAC with a triple bill of Eric Carle favorites: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little Cloud and The Mixed-Up Chameleon. Sun, 4/6: 3pm
American Symphony Orchestra w/ Zhi Ma, violin: Leopold Stokowski’s orchestral invention from the 1960’s has been conducted by Leon Botstein for the past 20 years. With Zhi Ma on violin. Thurs, 4/10: 8pm.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo: Proving once again that classical ballet can be downright hilarious. “By now their shtick has become classical.” – The Newark Star Ledger. Sat, 4/12: 8pm.
eighth blackbird: The finesse of a string quartet and the energy of a rock band.“ … a new breed of super-musicians.” – Los Angeles Times. Sun, 4/13: 3pm.
May:
Michael Feinstein’s The Gershwins and Me: A glam evening celebrating the Gershwin’s to support PAC with cabaret artist extraordinaire Michael Feinstein. Sat, 5/3: 8pm.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: PAC describes them as having matinee idol beauty, Olympian athleticism and Nobel Laureate inventiveness. The New York Times calls them a “breath of fresh air.” Sun, 5/4: 3pm.
Harlan Jacobson’s Talk Cinema: See the best in independent and foreign films before their US openings. Rub elbows with critics, scholars and filmmakers during the post screening discussions. Recent seasons previewed award winners like Melancholia, The Artist, and Silver Linings Playbook. Tues, 9/24, 11/12, 12/3, 1/28, 2/18, 3/18, 4/29, 5/13: 7pm. Plus, Sat, 10/26m 3/1: 10am.
For more fall events check out our What To Do: In & Around Town: Events.
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