Performing Arts Center 2017

admin Posted On December 19, 2016

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Performing Arts Center 2017: Here’s 23 great events for culture-vultures who love jazz, classical and roots music, theatre, dance, cabaret or Daniel The Tiger.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center – Brahms and Fauré, Sat, 1/28: 5pm. Copland called Fauré the “French Brahms,” an apt analogy when one considers the dense textures, rhapsodic stringing together of ideas, fastidious craftsmanship and emotional, yet restrained, musical expression of both composers. But whereas Brahms sweeps us away with earthy passion, Fauré’s magic resides in the luminous, sensuous and elusive beauty of his music. With pianist Alessio Bax (pictured here), Ani Kafavian (violin), Yura Lee (viola) and Paul Watkins (cello). (Recital Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Paul Taylor Dance Company – Sat, 1/28: 8pm: After over 60 years, Paul Taylor continues to win critical acclaim for the vibrancy and power of his dances. One of modern dance’s seminal artists, Taylor is equally known for tackling big themes like war, sexuality and mortality and cheeky topics like insects. He performed for Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham and George Balanchine. And helped launch the careers of choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, David Parson and Laura Dean. (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Into The Woods – Thurs-Fri, 2/2-3: 8pm: “Enchanting … Magnetic … Ingenious,” wrote Ben Brantley about this stripped down version of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods. Gone are the “literal-minded storybook flourishes.” In their place the ensemble is “costumed in Grandma’s-closet outfits.” And “Everyone plays an instrument and helps change the scenery.” Brantley wrote, “love the stuffed wolf’s head, love the stick horses for the Princes, love the briefcase for the cow.” This Fiasco Theatre production premiered at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre in 2013 and opened off-Broadway at Manhattan’s Laura Pels Theatre in 2015. (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra – Sun, 2/5: 3pm.Orpheus returns to The Center with its first-ever rendition of Tchaikovsky’s sweeping Violin Concerto featuring soloist Vadim Guzman. Guzman, who The New York Timespraised for his “visceral power” will perform on a 1690 ‘ex-Leopold Auer’ Stradivarius. It is the very same violin for which the concerto was originally composed. The program includes Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 and works Chabrier and Michael Hersch. (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Venice Baroque Orchestra – Sat, 2/11: 8pm: National Public Radio called VBO “One of the world’s most adventurous and dramatic period-instrument ensembles.” Their discography includes the world premiere recording of Andromeda Liberata, Metastasio’s L’Olimpiade and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. The ensemble’s founder, Andrea Marcon will lead from the harpsichord with guest soloist Nicola Benedetti on violin. (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Kronos Quartet – Sun, 2/12: 3pm: Performing since 1972, Kronos Quartet gained notoriety with their 1986 string interpretation of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”. Since then they have composed 750 original works as well as covering a broad range of music genres from Mexican folk music to Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”. They have performed genre-bending works with Pat Metheny, Tow Waits, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, David Grisman and the Dave Matthews Band. Their PAC program will include new works commissioned in partnership with Carnegie Hall in its Fifty for the Future project. (PepsiCo Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Spectrum Dance Theater + Donald Byrd – Sun, 2/18: 8pm: Under the direction of Donald Byrd, the Pacific Northwest’s preeminent dance company has gained a reputation for innovation and surprises. Byrd earned a Tony nomination for his choreography in The Color Purple. He toured the country with his funky Harlem Nutcracker set to the Duke Ellington-Billy Straythorn arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. “Spectrum…showed us again how contemporary dance, especially when paired with great live music, can be one of the most exciting of art forms.” –The Seattle Times (PepsiCo Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Jazz at The Center II – To Ella with Love, Ann Hampton Callaway celebrates Ella Fitzgerald, Sat, 2/25: 8pm: Jazz/Cabaret diva Ann Hampton Callaway pays tribute to the great Ella Fitzgerald. Calloway, a Platinum Award winning songwriter, received a Tony-nom for her role in the musical Swing! The Purchase Jazz Orchestra will accompany Ms. Calloway, who has won 15 MAC Awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets. “For sheer vocal beauty, no contemporary singer matches Ms. Callaway.”– Stephen Holden, The New York Times (Pepsico Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Matt Haimovitz, (cello) – The Bach Suites, Sun, 2/26: 3pm: Itzhak Perlman discovered this musical pioneer at the age of 12. He began his professional career at the age of 15 when he took the stage with Zubin Mehta. He has performed Bach’s cello suites in nightclubs and adapted Jimi Hendrix’s improvisational “Star Spangled Banner” for cello. Haimovitz will perform selected Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello in advance of releasing his recording of the full set. (Recital Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Decoda – Sun, 3/5: 3pm: Carnegie Hall’s first-ever Affiliate Ensemble, Decoda brings impactful musical experiences to communities around the globe. They perform concerts in major international venues and develop projects with community partners. TimeOutNYcalled them a “chamber music collective of some of the brightest young classical musicians in the world…” Decoda will feature students from the Purchase College Conservatories of Music, Dance and Theater Arts in this performance. (Recital Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood LIVE! – Sun, 3/12: 2pm. This interactive, theatrical production is based on the hit PBS Kids television series, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Join Daniel and friends on a Trolley ride through the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. In this show, filled with singing and dancing, Daniel and friends share stories of friendship and celebrate new experiences. Expect a host of “grr-ific” surprises! Consider a VIP ticket for a Meet & Greet with Daniel Tiger. (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Danú – Sat, 3/18: 8pm: Keep the St Patrick’s Day party going! For over a decade, Danú’s virtuoso players on flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accordion, bouzouki, and vocals have toured the world. In that time they recorded seven critically acclaimed albums. Hailing from historic County Waterford, they are one of today’s leading traditional Irish ensembles. Their high-energy concerts feature a mix of ancient Irish music and new repertoire, taking audiences on a musical journey to their native Isle. (PepsiCo Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Ignacio Berroa Quartet: Afro-Cuban Jazz & Beyond – Sun, 3/19: 3pm. Jazz Legend Dizzy Gillespie best defined drummer Ignacio Berroa as “the only Latin drummer in the history of American music that intimately knows both worlds; his native Afro-Cuban music as well as Jazz.” Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1953, Ignacio trained to become a classical violinist before turning his sights to drumming. His musicianship and versatility have allowed to him to build a tremendously successful career; he is considered to be one of the greatest drummers of our times. (PepsiCo Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Shen Wei Dance Arts – Sat, 3/25: 8pm: Shen Wei Dance Arts has won acclaim for “a body of works so strikingly original they defy categorization” (The Boston Globe). Shen Wei’s choreography draws on influences from traditional Chinese culture and arts, European Surrealism and American high modernism. Their performances incorporate vivid colors, striking design, and imaginative use of space into a kinetic theatrical experience. “This is Dance that must be savored moment by moment.” –The New York Times (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey – Sun, 3/26: 3pm. From the writer of the Academy Award-winning film Trevor comes The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey. James Lecesne’s one-man show follows the disappearance of a 14-year-old boy. A boy who dared to be different and the New Jersey town that won’t be the same without him. Tony Speciale directs with music by Tony Award-winning composer Duncan Sheik. “A tale that shimmers with needling suspense. Lecesne’s performance glows with such humanity (and robust humor) that you may find yourself choking back a tear or two.” -Charles Isherwood, The New York Times (PepsiCo Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

The Orchestra Now – Sat, 4/1: 8pm: The Orchestra Now is an innovative pre-professional orchestra in residence at Bard College. Their PAC program shows how they are breaking down barriers between contemporary audiences and classical music. Led by James Bagwell, the concert features a Bernard Herrmann prelude to a Hitchcock film. The program also features Roy Harris’ distinctly American third symphony, and Philip Glass’ symphony based on David Bowie’s album Low. (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Sun, 4/2: 3pm: Jazz legend Phil Cohran’s seven sons mix brass band tradition with hip hop, soul and funk. They have played with Prince, Mos Def, Mick Jones (The Clash), and Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz). Their music and life and experiences were the subject of the documentary film Brothers Hypnotic. Recently their song, “War” was featured in the movie Hunger Games. “Trafficking in a free-flowing blend of jazz, hip-hop and Afrobeat, the group can resemble the world’s funkiest marching band one minute, an unhinged New Orleans funeral procession the next. “ — Los Angeles Times (PepsiCo Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Rosanne Cash – Fri, 4/7: 8pm: One of the country’s preeminent singer-songwriters, Rosanne Cash celebrates her triple Grammy winning album, The River & the Thread. The 2014 album is a collection of original songs that re-connect Rosanne to the American South. The songs, written with her husband John Leventhal, offer a poetic survey of people and places that define the American South. The album follows her Grammy nominated and award-winning album The List from 2009. (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

David Sedaris – Sat, 4/8: 8pm: Best-selling author of Naked, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris returns to The Center. Sedaris’s material mines his peculiar childhood in North Carolina, his bizarre career path and his life in Paris. He is well known for his unique and sophisticated observations on neuroses and drugs. Sedaris will present a selection of readings and recollections, including excerpts from a new and unpublished work. (Concert Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Fei Fei Dong (piano) – Sun, 4/23: 3pm: The Plains Dealer praised Fei Fei Dong for her ”bountiful gifts and passionate immersion into the music she touches.” She is a winner of the 2014 CAG Victor Elmaleh Competition and a top six finalist at the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. She continues to build a reputation for her poetic interpretations, charming audiences with her “winning stage presence.” (Dallas Morning News). (Recital Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Jazz at The Center III, A Tribute to Sonny Rollins – Sat, 4/29: 8pm: Cited by Miles Davis as the greatest tenor ever, Sonny Rollins is an inventive saxophonist and an astonishing soloist. His fluid and harmonically innovated ideas, effortless manner, and easily identifiable sound have influenced generations of performers. Rollins recorded with Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk and the Modern Jazz Quartet. He helped fuel proliferate mainstream jazz music to a wide audience. Line-up for the evening: TBA. (PepsiCo Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Return to Mozart – Sat, 5/6: 5pm. CMS explores the influences of Mozart from the twentieth century back to the classical era. Would Mozart recognize his inspirations in the bracing ferocity of Bartok’s Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano? Or Shostakovich’s Trio No. 2 in E Minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello? See if you can when the program returns to the peaceful place Mozart creates in his Quintet in A Major for Clarinet. (Recital Hall, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Company – Sat, 5/13: 8pm: The innovative Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company presents a new work, Lance: Pretty aka The Escape Artist, (Part II of the Analogy Trilogy). Lance tells an often tragic and sometimes outrageously humorous narrative based on the life of Bill T. Jones’ nephew Lance. The work explores Lance’s life in the underworld of the 80s and 90s club culture and sex trade. Composer Nick Hallett and baritone Matthew Gamble provide accompaniment with a mixture of lullabies, R&B and house music. They will perform onstage while the dance evokes a ballet class, a disco, and more indefinable interior landscapes. (PepsiCo Theatre, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)