Performing Arts Center 2017-18 Season
Performing Arts Center 2017-18 Season: The world’s greatest orchestras, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Westchester’s best jazz series curated by jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis, world class dance plus cutting edge theater and family entertainment – all at The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College. Here’s their full season schedule from October to May.
SITI Company: Hanjo, Performing Arts Center – Fri, 10/6: 8pm: This cross-cultural and bi-lingual play about a hanjo (a summer fan or summer fling) by Yukio Mishima is based on a 14th century Noh play adapted from a Han Dynasty poem. Mishima sets Hanjo in 20th century Japan bringing age-old issues of gender and identity into a relevant modern setting. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Cicely Parnas, Performing Arts Center – Sun, 10/8: 3pm: Two-time Grammy Award-winners, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra returns to PAC with the acclaimed American cellist Cicely Parnas. The program features Arensky’s Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings and Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata for cello and string orchestra. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
An Evening with Branford Marsalis, Performing Arts Center – Fri, 10/13: 8pm: Three-time Grammy-winner and NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis (saxophone) and his Quartet kicks off PAC’s 2017-18 jazz series. The series, curated by Purchase Professor and acclaimed jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis, includes a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, a night of Gypsy Swing, the Gershwin Big Band and more. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
The Westchester Philharmonic Season Opener, Performing Arts Center – Sun, 10/15: 3pm: Jaime Laredo conducts the Westchester Phil and award-winning violinist Jinjoo Cho in Mozart’s Symphony No. 7, Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 and Dvorak’s Violin concertos. Cho has performed at Carnegie Hall and with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Kyle Abraham/A.I.M. Dance, Performing Arts Center – Fri, 10/21: 8pm & Sat, 10/22: 3pm: Kyle Abraham’s choreography is informed by his upbringing in classical music and his explorations of hip-hop culture. His new program Dearest Home, staged in collaboration with a variety of age groups and sub-culture, is comprised of solos and duets focusing on love, longing and loss. Abraham studied at SUNY Purchase and worked with the Bill T. Jones/Arne Zane Dance company. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Black Violin, Performing Arts Center – Fri, 11/3: 8pm: This popular PAC act of “Wil B” Baptiste and “Kev Marcus” Sylvester returns for it’s third season after sell-out crowds for its genre-bending music that fuses hip-hop and pop with classical music. Their appeal stretches across generations and they draw crowds from date-nighters to families with kids and teens. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Jazz at the Center, A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 11/4: 8pm: In this centennial celebration, Purchase College Professor Jon Faddis assembles an all-star line-up of today’s jazz artists to pay tribute to the Be-Bop music of one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time. Faddis has been widely credited with the successful recreation of Gillespie’s style dating back to the 70s. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org
Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 11/11: 8pm: Alexander Sidnev conducts the world renowned Moscow Orchestra and phenom cellist Narek Hakhanazayan in a program of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde Overture, Schumann’s Cello Concerto and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
CMS of Lincoln Center Flute Affair, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 11/18: 5pm: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the nation’s premier repertory company, continues it’s collaboration with PAC with another four part series this season. In this first installment they celebrate the flute compositions of four great composers across three centuries. Including the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Hummel and Dutilleux. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Performing Arts Center – Sun, 12/3: 3pm: George Balanchine’s most celebrated muse, Suzanne Farrell, in her company’s final performance ever, serves up a pageant of the choreographer’s handpicked favorites. Including classic works of the canon and iconic works created especially for her by Mr. Balanchine. The NYT’s praised the company for “tackling arduous roles… with energy, scale, nuance and musical sophistication seldom found anywhere.” (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
The Brentano Quartet, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 12/9: 8pm: The Brentano Quartet, part of PAC’s Great Performer series, received both the Naumburg Award and the Martin Segal Prize in 1995 after debuting in New York City the previous year. They have served as the first-ever Ensemble-in-Residence at Princeton University and as the faculty Quartet-in-Residence at Yale University. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: The Musical, Performing Arts Center – Tues, 12/12: 7pm: Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph come to life in this musical production of the classic, animated TV special, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. You won’t find family theatre anywhere in the county with higher production values and stage performances than this for the holiday season. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Rob Mathes Holiday Concert, Performing Arts Center – Fri-Sat, 12/15-16: 8pm: This annual celebration featuring Mathes and his all-star band and chorus, is a high-energy evening of rock, jazz, and blues – original tunes and holiday classics. Mathes has worked with virtually every big name including Bono, Bennett, Sting, and Springsteen. “This holiday production puts a new spin on Christmas classics” –The New York Times (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
The Kronos Quartet, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 1/20: 8pm: Since its founding in 1973, Kronos Quartet has become one of the most celebrated and influential ensembles in classical music. Known for its spirit of exploration, these Grammy-winners rose to prominence with their classical string rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”. Their repertoire ranges from the works of Steve Reich, who has written several pieces for them, to their collection of African works, Pieces of Africa. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
CMS of Lincoln Center, Brahms & Dvorak, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 1/27: 5pm: In their second PAC performance of the season, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center pairs the works of neo-classicist Brahms with Dvorak, the champion of Czech folk music. The program includes Drorak’s Selected Slavonic Dances for Piano, Four Hands, Brahms’ Selected Hungarian Dances for Piano, Four Hands and Dvorak’s Quintet in A Major for Piano, Two Violins, Viola and Cello. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Globalfest: The New Golden Age of Latin Music, Performing Arts Center – Fri, 2/2: 8pm: Las Cafeteras and Orkesta Mendoza join forces in a celebration of Mexican-American music from Arizona and California. Two of today’s hottest interpreters of the Latin sound explore new directions with forays into infectious Indie-mambo and Latin Big Band traditions that merges cumbia, merengue and ranchera with electronica, strings and Western pop. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
wild up, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 2/10: 8pm: The Los Angeles Times wrote of this adventurous chamber orchestra, “You’d be forgiven for mistaking wild Up, a newly formed Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, for an indie rock band.” They “punch out rhythms as if they were going out of style” with a force that can be “harsh and driving and bursting into episodes of free jazz.” New Music Box wrote, “wild up’s repertoire… felt genuinely subversive, as if they were smuggled on the program under the cover of night.” In other words, these folks are wild! (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Spesh! Velvet Caravan, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 2/17: 8pm: Some call it Gypsy Swing. Some call it European Red Neck music. Either way they’re so sure their ensemble’s collection of Gypsy, Honky-Tonk, Swing and Latin beats will make you want to dance that this performance features nightclub seating (with a dance floor) and dinner and drinks available at the bar. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
CMS of Lincoln Center, Vienna to Hollywood, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 2/24: 5pm: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center pairs the works of Vienna and Hollywood. Featuring Schubert’s (Vienna) Fantasie in F Minor for Piano, Four Hands and Fantasie in C Major for Violin and Piano. And Korngold’s (Hollywood – The Adventures of Robin Hood) Suite for Piano, Left Hand, Two Violins and Cello. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
American Rhapsody, The Gershwin Big Band, Performing Arts Center – Sun, 2/25: 3pm: Led by front-man Michael Andrew, who the NYT’s described as “the next Harry Connick Jr.”, The Gershwin Big Band’s collection of world class jazz musicians hits the “refresh” button on George Gershwin’s iconic brew of Broadway, Hollywood, opera and American standards. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
L.A. Dance Project, Performing Arts Center – Fri-Sat, 3/2-3: 8pm: Led by choreographer Benjamin Millipied, a former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet, who is also the husband of Natalie Portman and the choreographer of the film Black Swan, LADP brings a contemporary approach to art and movement. Millepied along with composer Nico Muhly and art consultant Matthieu Humery join forces to bring multi-disciplinary talents to the dance platform. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Sara Chang, violin, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 3/10: 8pm: One of the foremost violinists today, Sarah Chang debuted with the New York Philharmonic at the age of eight. (Think about it.) She has performed as soloist with the world’s greatest orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony. As a chamber musician she has collaborated with Yo Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, Isaac Stern and many others. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Pig Iron Theatre Company: Poet in New York, Performing Arts Center – Fri, 3/16: 8pm: Dancer and actor, Dito van Reigersberg plays 11 characters in this acclaimed one-man show about Federico Garcia Lorca’s 10-month trip to New York in 1929. Depicted in the performance are Lorca’s meetings with Hart Crane, Walt Whitman and Salvador Dali, a visit to Wall Street, a Harlem nightclub and a party in Brooklyn. Van Reigersberg defines each character with a distinct voice, a posture, a walk and an accent. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Lisa Batiashvili, violin, Performing Arts Center – Fri, 3/23: 8pm: A PAC audience favorite, the Orpheus Chamber orchestra with soloist Lisa Batiashvili perform a program of Schubert and Prokofiev. Including Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, Prokofiev’s Schubert Waltzes Suite and his Second Violin Concerto. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
RUBBERBANDance Group, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 3/31: 8pm: Hip-hop meets the ballet in choreographer and dancer Victor Quijada and dancer and co-director Anne Plamondon’s RUBBERBANDance Group. Quijada, who began his career as a street dancer at the age of 8 went on to work with Twyla Tharp. Both influences can be seen in his contemporary works. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Jeremy Dank, piano, Performing Arts Center – Sun, 4/15: 3pm: Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists – an artist The New York Times hails as someone “you want to hear no matter what he performs.” Winner of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, the Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year award, Denk was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
CMS of Lincoln Center, Classical Evolution, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 4/21: 5pm: In their final appearance of the 2017-18 season, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center explores the Classical style with three works that have endured the test of time. Including, Mozart’s Trio in E-flat Major for Clarinet, Viola and Piano; Weber’s Quintet in B-flat Major for Clarinet, Two Violins, Viola and Cello, and Brahms Quintet in F Minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola and Cello. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
Jazz at the Center, Big Band Dance Party, Performing Arts Center – Sat, 4/28: 8pm: The Purchase Jazz Orchestra closes out the Jazz at The Center series with a night of big band jazz favorites. Jazz at the Center is curated by Jon Faddis, Professor and Director of Jazz Performance at Purchase College, and one of the most innovative jazz trumpeters of our time. . (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
PAC Gala, Jessica Lang Dance, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 5/5: 8pm: Former Twyla Tharp dancer, Jessica Lang’s dance company received a Joyce Theater Artist Residency in 2011. Here they perform the world premiere of a new work set to the music of Tony Bennett. The evening begins with PAC’s annual Gala featuring cocktails and dinner before the show and dessert and drinks after. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)
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Photos courtesy of the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College