Classical,
Shades of beauty
Chiaroscuro is an Italian word that invites contemplation of that which lies beyond the appearance of light and shade. It was a fitting program title for the debut of a superb new choral ensemble that emerged Saturday, May 30, in Kansas City and Lawrence, under the direction of former King's Singer and Professor Emeritus of Choral Conducting at Yale, Simon Carrington. These performances, in my opinion, made it clear that the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers have staked a claim for themselves among the highest strata of musical artistry in which vocal chamber music ensembles such as Chanticleer and the Tallis Scholars dwell - an unprecedented triumph for an ensemble to achieve in its debut.
The story behind the group's formation is almost as remarkable as the ensemble itself. (See the May 27 interview with Simon Carrington by Douglas Helvering.) Co-founders of the group Amy Waldron, Craig Kenkel and Jeffrey Carter formed a board of directors with arts patrons Leona Schaefer (of Fiona’s List) and her husband, Director of Music at Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral, John Schaefer, along with Randall and Elizabeth Oestreicher. The goal was to bring together former Carrington students now singers at the top of their game who shared the desire to form an elite professional vocal chamber ensemble. Carrington, a genial musical genius of profound insight and experience, knew precisely how to breathe life into their vision, which for him begins with the sound.
To achieve the "Simon sound," Carrington uses the model of a harmonic pyramid, building upon the foundation of the basses to balance texture and tone from the lower voices up, instead of working down from the predominant soprano melody line. It is a technique employed by the best orchestral directors to achieve transparent chordal balance, and learned, perhaps, from Carrington's own early experiences as a professional orchestral string bass player.
Although many of the singers had not sung under his direction for years, Carrington prepared a seating chart to facilitate the optimum blend of the 24 voices for the first of only four days of rehearsals before he heard anyone sing a single tone. He subsequently made only one minor adjustment, achieving in the first moments of the first rehearsal a blend of the voices almost exactly as he had conceptualized, an example of his keen ear and extraordinary musical memory. Sopranos were alternated with altos, tenors with baritones, so that each singer was able to hear his/her own part independently within the surrounding harmonies for superior control of balance, and to give each voice a space to fully unfold.
The ambitious program of 12 pieces, drawn from some of the most challenging vocal works composed over a span of six centuries, provided a rich palette of styles and technical hurdles for the ensemble to show its stuff. One piece led seamlessy into another, all sung with such ease of delivery and attention to nuance of text and line that the difficulty of the music was never apparent. The listener was transported into the chiaroscuro of an endless variety of contrasts: periods, styles, textures, dynamics and languages. This music was delivered straight from the hearts of the ensemble to the hearts of the listeners.
The first set of pieces opened with the "Kyrie" from the Missa Gaudeamus by Josquin des Pres, built upon a Gregorian chant heard in the bass. The marvelous ring of the sopranos sent the first of countless zings of the day flying into the rafters of the cathedral. Without pause, the Emendemus in melius by William Byrd followed, in which a program was not necessary to follow the perfect diction. A chord sounded by organist Dale Morehouse set up the tonality for the next piece, Soul of the World by Henry Purcell. Its contrasting upbeat tempo and startling fortissimo dynamic produced a joyful sound on the text "soul of the world inspired by Thee."
Standout soprano soloist Stephanie Moore mesmerized the audience with her pure tessitura in the hauntingly lovely piece, Music for a While by Purcell. The ensemble matched her in delicate nuance, achieving a texture akin to fine lace.
That was followed by a "little" oratorio, La Reniement de St. Pierre by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, which Carrington humorously assured the audience not to "worry about; it is only about 10 minutes long." The work featured exemplary solos by Craig Allen as Jesus, Jay Carter as Peter, and the magnificent baritone voices of Chris Gilliam and Nick Probst as Historicus I and II, equally matched by the other soloists, and joined by continuo players Paul Laird on cello and Dale Morehouse, organ. The choir's sound was remarkable, with an infinite variety of sparkle among the voices. The master stroke of the work was its conclusion, with wave upon wave of immensely beautiful sorrow from the choir in its narration of Peter weeping bitterly upon realizing his betrayal of Christ. It was a high point of the concert.
Composer Ian Coleman, chairman of the William Jewell Department of Music, wrote a piece for the ensemble's debut, Hold Fast to Dreams. Opening to individual tones with an interesting hiss effect, it featured dreamy, cloud-like sound clusters in which perfect seconds in the sopranos were as clear as bells.
Perhaps the most charming and amusing piece on the program, and also perhaps the most difficult rhythmically and harmonically, was Bob Chilcott's Weather Report, which, as Carrington amusingly explained, had to do with the British preoccupation with bad weather. Its jazzy rhythmical chords were intermingled with the solo work of soprano Ida Nicolosi and alto Kacey Coakley, who demonstrated how exciting perfect octaves can sound, even when spaced two octaves apart.
The Magnificat by Arvo Pärt was my favorite work on the program. The pure voices of the sopranos, sung without vibrato and perfectly matched in timbre, drew me in from the opening major second tones sung flawlessly. Later I asked soprano Joyce Steeby which two sopranos had been singing those opening notes and was amazed to learn that six, not two, sopranos were singing in phenomenal unison.
Geoffrey Wilcken's anthem Grant Us Thy peace concluded the program. Its text and harmonies were a good fit within the context of the program, with the singers intoning "for dark and light are both alike to Thee."
Although the noon concert at Grace and Holy Trinity was sublime with the added visual enhancement of light and shadows playing across stone surfaces, the evening concert at Saint John the Evangelist in Lawrence was even better. One might have feared that the densely packed audience, together with the sound-absorbing carpeted aisles, would deaden the reverberation, but the walls echoed with glorious sonic splendor. The more intimate space allowed the singers' diction to be heard even more clearly than at the noon performance. The ensemble took greater chances that night, freed from having to save a little for another performance. In fact, as the concert progressed, they let it rip! Soprano Esteli Gomez punched out the high D-flat on the last note of the Chilcott Weather Report with electrifying abandon. Both audiences were rewarded by an encore of exquisite beauty, Mark Hayes' lush arrangement of Home on the Range.
The exhilarated audiences were left to speculate what lies ahead for this stellar new ensemble. Both concerts were recorded by local Kansas City companies, in video by Clearfocus Multimedia and in surround sound by BRC Audio Productions, so DVDs and CDs in surround sound will become available in the near future. Let's hope that recordings and more concerts will soon follow. Considering the high artistic level the SCCS has achieved on its first venture -- after only four days of rehearsals -- they are an important new presence that deserves to be nurtured and shared for a long time.
Review:
The Simon Carrington Chamber Singers
Simon Carrington, Music Director
Chiaroscuro: Contrasts of Light and Shade
Saturday, May 30, 2009, Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kansas City, MO and
Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1234 Kentucky, Lawrence, KS
www.simoncarringtonchambersingers.com
Cover photo credit: Luke Sickman of Clearfocus Multimedia
Fiona's List for June 3 - 14
June has arrived and has brought some fine musical events for you. Fiona's Pick of the Week is the Kansas City Baroque Consortium concert on the 3rd. There IS a difference with period instruments, gut strings and Baroque bow!
Fiona's other favorites for the next 12 days include the FREE Kansas City Symphony concert on the 4th, the night of Argentine song on the 4th, Balinese Music and Dance program on the 6th, the Bach Aria Soloists with Owen/Cox Dance Group on the 6th (with Christopher Barksdale), the Klausner/Cass duo on the 7th, Sarah Titterington's solo baroque violin recital on the 7th, the Stacey Uthe, Robert Grady, Lamar Sims, recital on the 7th, a voice and organ concert with Bill Krusemark, bass-baritone and Ruth Krusemark, organ on the 7th, the Kacico Dance Project on the 12th, and the organ concert on the 14th.
To see all upcoming events through August 2009, click on KC Events tab at the top of the website.
Consider attending the 23rd annual Sunflower Music Festival in Topeka June 5th through 13th. For information on the concerts, the music, and the participants, check out www.sunflowermusicfestival.org.
For something different, try one of the other "fiona favorites" found just below the theatre listings on fiona's list. There's something for you for every night of the week. My recommendation this time is Doug Talley performing on June 5th and 10th.
Fiona HIGHLY recommends another list of events for families, friends, educators, & neighbors of children 10 and under. Miss Jackie's June list includes puppet shows, Deanna Rose Farmstead, Powell Gardens, facts and fiction about bats, Funky Mama concert, Jim Cosgrove concert, and more. To receive her monthly list, send an email to: missjackielists@gmail.com
Until next Wednesday morning,
Fiona
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Kansas City Swing Dance Club presents
Original "Fedora's" Tango Lorca
Kansas City Baroque Consortium presents
<><><>fiona's PICK OF THE WEEK <><><>
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital: Pam Robison
Beau Bledsoe presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
The Kansas City Symphony presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital: Ted Stewart
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital: Thom Greathouse
UMKC Conservatory Community Music & Dance Academy presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital: Jan Van Otterloo
Bach Aria Soloists with Owen/Cox Dance Group presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
Asbury United Methodist Church presents
The East Hill Singers Chorus
Carnegie Arts Center presents
Music Appreciation Series: Musical Conversations
Bethany Lutheran Church presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
The Jewish Community Center presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
Northland Symphony Orchestra presents
Summer Pops Concert: American Musical Theater
Village Presbyterian Church presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance presents
Master's Recital: Diane Riffie, organ
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital: Jeff King
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital: Jan Kraybill
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital: Jan Kraybill
Kacico Dance presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
East 39th Street Community of Christ
Senior recital: Taylor Comstock
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance presents
Doctoral Recital: Robert Griffeath, tenor
Heartland Men's Chorus presents
Summer Concert
Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
Community of Christ presents
Organ recital: Jeff King
Central Presbyterian Church presents
<><><>fiona's PICK<><><>
Village Presbyterian Church presents
The East Hill Singers chorus
Heartland Men's Chorus presents
Summer Concert
THEATRE LISTINGS
A Flea in Her Ear
New Theatre Restaurant presents
Don't Dress for Dinner
American Heartland Theatre presents
Unnecessary Farce
Unicorn Theatre presents
Speech & Debate Call or visit the website for performance times. Unicorn Theatre Jerome Stage, 3828 Main St., Kansas City, MO
The Chestnut Fine Arts Center presents
Babes in Hollywood: The Music of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney Quality Hill Playhouse presents
All Sinatra
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ABEL RAMIREZ
Big Band on Tuesdays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Ari's Greek Restaurant, 2049 E. Santa Fe, Olathe, KS
No cover charge. Phone 913-393-3950 for more information. .
BMW Band, live jazz
Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m.
Lafferty's Lounge, 6301 Blue Parkway, KCMO, 816-924-6888
BOB REEDER, KATHY MURPHY and the rest of the group,
Thursdays 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
O'Dowd's at Zona Rosa, 8600 NW Prairie View Rd, KCMO, 816-268-6333
<><><>fiona's other PICK of the week<><><>
DOUG TALLEY with SEAN GIDDINGS
Friday June 5 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Cafe Augusta, 12122 W. 87th Street Parkway, Lenexa, KS
913-859-9556
<><><>fiona's other PICK of the week<><><>
DOUG TALLEY with JIM SNYDER & the KC Bluehawks
Wednesday June 10 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Merriam Marketplace, 5740 Merriam Drive, Merriam, KS
EDDIE DELAHUNT, Irish singer
Wednesdays AND Sundays 8 p.m. - ?
O'Dowd's, 4742 Pennsylvania, KCMO, 816-561-2700
EDDIE DELAHUNT
Fridays, 6 p.m. - ?
Mike Kelly's Westsider, 1515 Westport Rd, KCMO, 816-931-9417
JOE DEFIO
Little Big Band on Fridays and Saturdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Ari's Greek Restaurant, 2049 E. Santa Fe, Olathe, KS
No cover charge. Phone 913-393-3950 for more information.
LYNN ZIMMER and The Jazz Band
Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Gaslight Grill, 5020 W. 137th Street, Leawood, KS, 913-897-3540
MARILYN WOOD, piano,
Mondays 7 to 10 p.m. (open mic night)
Fridays 9:00 to midnight and Saturdays 7 to 10 p.m.
Californos, 4124 Pennsylvania, KCMO, 816-531-7878
SCOTT McDONALD TRIO, jazz
Sunday, June 7 from 5 to 8 p.m.
The Bristol Seafood Grill
5400 West 119th Street, Overland Park, KS
913-663-5777
SCOTT McDONALD, solo keyboard/vocals; jazz/pop
Friday June 5 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Taste Restaurant, 7938 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, KS
913-766-0320
SONS of BRASIL with ROGER WILDER
Thursday June 11 from 8 p.m. to Midnight
Jardine's, 4536 Main St, KCMO, 816-561-6480
STAN KESSLER Quartet with KATHLEEN HOLEMAN
Saturday June 6 from 9 p.m. to Midnight
12 Baltimore, 106 West 12th Street, KCMO, 816-346-4410
STAN KESSLER Trio
Saturday June 13 from 4 to 6 p.m.
119 Shops, 119th and Roe, Leawood, KS
KC Events this week and beyond
Click here to see all the events on the KC Events performing arts calendar.
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As an arts organziation or musician, you can add and edit your own events.
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- Click on Submit an Event or Manage Your Events.
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Classical,
From Kahani to Moscow with Peter Serkin and the KC Symphony
Peter Serkin, the son of famed pianist Rudolf Serkin, is one of the top pianists performing today. A champion of contemporary music, he provides a unique voice for today's music scene. Serkin has commissioned or had dedicated to him, numerous works by contemporary composers. Friday night's concert featured one such work, Flying to Kahani by Charles Wuorinen.
Wuorinen's opera, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, based on Salman Rushdie's novel of the same name, premiered at New York City Opera in 2004. Wuorinen wrote Flying to Kahani soon thereafter and dedicated it to Peter Serkin. According to Wuorinen's program notes, Kahani is the undiscovered second moon to Earth as described in Rushdie's book. "The 11 year old hero and a companion mount a mechanical bird to fly to this hidden satellite. As they approach their destination, they come upon Kahani's vast sea. It is the 'Ocean of the Streams of Story,' from which all stories originate.
"For the purposes of Flying to Kahani, I prefer to think of this sea as the source of all compositions, of which Flying to Kahani is, of course, one. My opera has provided certain basic materials for the generation of the present work, but both in its form and its melos [i.e., melodic content], it is quite distinct from its sources. In fact, although some of the soloist's substance ultimately derives from vocal elements in the opera, most of it is newly conceived to fulfill at once a virtuoso and an integrative role."
All very interesting, but what does the piece sound like? It is an 11-12 minute single movement piano concerto, or perhaps piano fantasy. I found it to be a disjointed series of random dissonant noises scattered throughout the orchestra and the solo piano. Unlike a lot of modern music I have heard, this one lacked any apparent melody or motives that I could grasp. I kept thinking that the best aspect of this work was that it would be over in a few minutes. You couldn't drag me to a performance of the opera upon which this piece was based. The audience's polite applause barely allowed the soloist to exit the stage.
Following the sour of the Wuorinen piece, the sweet was Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2, in B-Flat Major, Op. 19. You know how you go to a fancy restaurant and are served a little scoop of sorbet prior to the entrée as a palate cleaner? Beethoven served as an ear cleanser after the Wuorinen and before the Shostakovich of the second half.
Serkin chose the neglected stepchild of Beethoven's Concerti No. 2 to follow the Wuorinen. I actually like No. 2 very much and find it delightful from its startling beginning to its fun rondo last movement. At times, it sounds just like one of the great Mozart concerti, but just when you think you have it pigeonholed, Beethoven brings out a phrase or section that sounds just like ...Beethoven.
This is a transition piece from the classicism of Mozart to the stormy composer Beethoven would later become. To me it was 70 percent Mozart, 25 percent Beethoven and 5 percent Haydn. Serkin played with a lovely delicacy. The orchestra's texture was so transparent you could hear all the inner voices. I would have liked a little faster tempo in the second movement but the third movement Rondo had all the pep and pizzazz one could ask for.
Sidenote: Following intermission, Maestro Stern made a kind few remarks about two retiring members of the Symphony. (The audience applauded these retiring musicians louder, longer and with more passion than they did the Wuorinen piece.) By coincidence, I had just watched the 1953 movie Tonight We Sing, which was a Hollywood version of the career of Sol Hurok. In a nice cameo role, Isaac Stern portrayed the famous violinist Eugene Ysaye. In his spoken dialogue, he sounded exactly like his son, Michael Stern. For another Hollywood movie just full of classical stars, read my blog on KCMetropolis.org about the movie Carnegie Hall.
The second half of the concert was devoted to Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. This is probably Shostakovich's most popular work and certainly his most popular symphony. It has been widely criticized as being bombastic and written only to please Stalin after Shostakovich got in trouble with his opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. He was under considerable pressure from the Soviet government to toe the line and conform more to the Soviet heroic social realism style of composition. As I listened to the piece, I was struck by how much Hollywood film composers of the 1950s and beyond were influenced by the harmonies and orchestrations of this symphony. I was also struck by how sad and depressing the symphony is despite its seemingly triumphant ending.
There has been more controversy concerning this work and, in fact, all of Shostakovich's works since the publication of Testimony by Solomon Volkov, a purported book of memoirs by Shostakovich in which he discussed his compositions and analyzed them. If you are a big fan of Shostakovich, I would recommend further research in this area.
I was seated just a few rows from the very back of the balcony, and the sound up there is marvelous. The secret of the Lyric Theatre (and many theatres) is that the sound is usually better way upstairs than in the expensive seats down below. Try it sometime. The sound is right in your face and at times I felt pinned to the back of my seat by the sheer force of the wall of sound coming at me. I could clearly hear all the excellent instrumental solos.. I thought Maestro Stern brought out all the anguish written into the Symphony as well as its irony and sarcasm. His tempos were just right and the entire experience was first rate.
The Lyric Theatre looked 90 percent or more filled in the balcony, which is a good sign for the financial health of the Kansas City Symphony. The Symphony sounds great and is recording a new CD this week; the Performing Arts Center will open in a year or two and we are lucky to have Michael Stern as music director.
REVIEW:
Kansas City Symphony
Peter Serkin, piano
Friday, May 29 (Reviewed)
Saturday, May 30
Sunday, May 31
Lyric Theatre, Downtown Kansas City, MO
http://www.kcsymphony.org/
theSTEADY,
"The Steady" chronicles the lives of working performers
Imagine for a moment that you are a professional performing artist: an actor, dancer or musician.
Not a superstar, mind you, just a working-class artist who makes a significant portion of his or her income through their craft. Discard fantasies of stardom, riches and sordid tabloid romances. Those are the fruits of celebrity, not artistry, and while the two aren't mutually exclusive, there is a distinct difference. The greedy fame-chaser seeks celebrity; the artist intrinsically pursues his or her craft.
So for our purposes, let's say you're just an artist, plain and simple. In that case, there are days when you wake up and look yourself in the mirror and think:
This is the life I've chosen for myself.
Some days, during a dry spell, after pulling a bartending double to make this month's rent, it's an exhausted rueful look. Other mornings, a triumphant grin stares back at you because you know you've got gigs booked months in advance. Nevertheless, the phrase remains the same, reminding you that the artist's journey is littered with both humiliating disappointments and intoxicating glory.
When people ask me what I do for a living, I usually reply that I'm a performer. The typical response is amused curiosity -- "Wow, that's so interesting!" -- followed quickly by an intense cross examination that almost invariably starts with, "So what's your real job?" If I can convince them that I'm indeed a working artist and not just a puffed-up hobbyist, they lob a well-intended but irritatingly backhanded word of encouragement my way: "Oh, then we'll see you in Hollywood soon!" Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Don't get me wrong: I may venture out to either coast before too long. And I'm certainly not one of those pretentious types who sniff derisively at insane, tabloid-scale global commercial success. Stardom would be great -- just remind me to become drinking buddies with the paparazzi early on. But as we've mentioned before, celebrity and artistry are not one and the same.
Many people correlate the success of performers with the level of their stardom. So where does that leave the working artist who isn't a household name? I'm paying my bills doing what I love, and I enjoy living in Kansas City. So why should waking up every morning in Overland Park invalidate what I do when I step onstage?
Practicing law in Kansas City doesn't mean an attorney has failed at his calling or set his sights too low; why should the stigma of failure be placed on a singer who chooses to make a living here instead of on some worldwide stadium tour? It begs the artist's rebuttal: "Oh, so you're an (insert more conventional job title here)! Well, good for you! Go for it, follow your dreams!" Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Life as an artist is usually generalized as whimsical, nomadic and impoverished. It's certainly not the easiest or most practical path to financial or domestic security. Nevertheless, in an artistic landscape where grants are shrinking, theatres are closing their doors and the recording industry's major-label rubric is imploding, it's fascinating to see the artistry thriving within our own little corners of the world.
In the midst of a shrinking job market and anemic economy, the working artist continues to survive. A lean year isn't so intimidating when you've become accustomed to a lean life. Artists possess resiliency and a willingness to swallow pride and do whatever is necessary to make ends meet while still yet serving their art. Most valuable of all is their ability to adapt and cleverly use the resources available to them.
A half-century ago, theatre was synonymous with Broadway. Then when New York City became too bloated and oversaturated with aspiring thespians, the regional theatre boom occurred. During the golden era of rock 'n' roll, kids would sit around spinning records and strumming guitars, plotting how to get signed and conquer the world. Now bedroom geniuses with a decent computer, some software and recording equipment can premiere new songs instantly with one swift tweet. Music veterans such as songstress Jill Sobule (of Lilith Fair-era "I Kissed a Girl" fame) and drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle, Devo) funded their latest albums in large part through grassroots, Web-based fan donations. Middlemen the world over have officially been put on notice.
It's no different here in our neighborhood, where there is no shortage of self-starting, self-sustaining artists who carry on the legacy of Kansas City's rich musical heritage and who are shaping the identity of our burgeoning performing arts scene:
Alacartoona, Quixotic, Barclay Martin Ensemble, Mark Southerland, Mark Lowrey, Megan Birdsall, Jeff Harshbarger, Shay Estes and whatever mad theatrical alchemy Ron Megee is dreaming up at the moment: These are just a handful of the performers who find steady work around town, supporting themselves while enriching the local scene.
Another case in point: Every month, as an excuse to get together and keep up with each other, many of us meet under the banner of Staged Readings (led by local actor Matt Rapport, professional stage manager Beth Ellen Spencer and rock mainstay Cody Wyoming) to mount irreverent, DIY tributes to our favorite movies. It was during rehearsals for our assault on "Blazing Saddles" that I met groovy hepcat and operatic tenor Nathan Granner. He shared an idea with me about a music and culture column that would shed light on what it meant to be a working performer in Kansas City and invited me to write it.
So imagine it's a dreary morning and we're all stuck on I-35 during rush hour. Some of us are headed to our cubicle at the firm, preparing to tackle that next big campaign. Others are off to stock shelves or answer phones or fill prescriptions. And some are going to sing, dance and entertain in the hopes that they can conjure a smile or a few tears from everyone else, doing their part to relieve the stress of life and stir the heart, mind and spirit.
The performer is a part of the tapestry of Kansas City. With "The Steady," I've been asked to chronicle their experiences and illuminate the why of that mirror-front declaration: This is the life I've chosen -- the tumultuous but rich life of the steady-gigging, lunchpail-in-hand working artist.
"The Steady" is my voice in the community. Sometimes I'll speak through performance reviews, sometimes with interviews or artist profiles. Sometimes it'll just be me waxing on my own experiences in the industry. I'll focus primarily on fringe music genres such as new classical, jazz and cabaret, as well as clowning, alternative dance and performance art, or pretty much anything that piques my interest or that you, the reader, express a desire to have covered.
Above all, I'd like to cultivate a personal, individual connection between Kansas City audiences and the artists who have chosen to devote their lives to entertaining them. I hope you'll join me.
See you at the show.
Film,
Rachel Weisz overshadows the boys in "Brothers Bloom"
Eccentric. Of all the brilliant adjectives in the English vernacular, eccentric is, in the opinion of this ever so humble writer, the best one to describe the interesting con artist comedy Brothers Bloom.
It is at the impressionable ages of 13 and 10 when parentless brothers Stephen and Bloom, respectively, craft their first con. While it gets them kicked out of their umpteenth foster home, their successful endeavor sets them on path to being international superstars in the con world.
Twenty-five years later, Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) is still hatching complicated schemes that map out new, yet unreal lives that Bloom (Adrien Brody) must inhabit until the con is over. While Stephen and their "fifth Beatle" Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), still enjoy the risky lifestyle they lead, an emotionally drained Bloom desires to have a real life of his own - however, his brother has one more con game in mind. Enter Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz), a reclusive heiress whose skills in life include juggling chain saws while riding a unicycle.
Bloom violates an important rule in the con game by falling in love with the unconventional Penelope, but a ghost from the brothers' past poses a threat to Stephen's quest for the perfect con.
Upon first glance, Brothers Bloom has an impressive cast - Brody received a Best Actor Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist; Weisz received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2006 for The Constant Gardener; Kikuchi received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 2007 for Babel; and Ruffalo (Zodiac) ... well, I'm sure at least his mom is proud of him and she probably thinks he deserves to get an Oscar nod every year. Despite the talented cast, there is little to be said that's glowingly positive about any performances from the cast with the superb exception of Weisz. She is a breath of fresh air and seems to have as much fun playing her eccentric character as Penelope does living life once she meets Bloom. The romantic chemistry between Brody and Weisz is almost completely carried by her as Brody goes too far with his displays of lonely, hound dog looks and depression.
The Brothers Bloom becomes a little plodding at times and the back story involving a Russian con artist, who's the brothers' nemesis, is woefully bland. Still, it contains a few laughs and its eccentricities, much like Penelope herself, are enough to keep you engaged enough to be curious to see what's around the corner. Overall, Brothers Bloom manages to be slightly better than your average con game.
On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, Brothers Bloom receives an C+ .
Brothers Bloom is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 109 minutes.
Now Showing
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf, Overland Park
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.
Dance Around the City,
Dance Column for June 2009
Reach...a movement collective, inc.
Live. Breathe. Dance
Saturday, June 6 at 8 p.m.
Off Center Theatre/Crown Center
2450 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO
Established in 1998, Reach...a movement collective, inc. is a diverse group of local dancers and artists who come together to present a variety of different works that span the scope of modern dance: contemporary, theatrical, comical and experimental. This concert will feature new works presented by Bobbi Foudree, Kat Kimmitz, Marisa MacKay, Stephanie Whittler and Gwen Yoshimra, as well as a new piece by past Reach director and current cross-country choreographer/dancer, M. Suzanne Ryan. An encore performance of Marisa MacKay's "Wind Damage" which debuted in the informal concert of The Choreographer's Festival in Lawrence, Kansas (2008), showcasing the Reach dancers, including Christopher Dunn, Bobbi Foudree, Kat Kimmitz, Marisa MacKay, Maggie Osgood, Richard Parsons, Stephanie Whittler, Jo Wertz and Gwen Yoshimra.
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online at https://tickets.ahtkc.com/Online/default.asp CHECK THIS OUT!
Owen/Cox Dance Group with the Bach Aria Soloists
World Premiere, Baroque in Motion
Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, UMKC,
4949 Cherry St., KCMO 64110
The Owen/Cox Dance Group is a young company in the area that features very
accomplished dancers, doing original works of choreography, and often performing to original music. The Bach Aria Soloists is a dynamic ensemble dedicated to the brilliant music of Bach, the Baroque, and contemporary music. In this collaborative world premiere event, featuring violinist Elizabeth Suh Lane and dancer/choreographer Jennifer Owen, will present original dance set to the Baroque sounds of the Bach Aria Soloists. Included in the program will be Bach's Sonata No. 6 for Violin & Harpsicord, Ravel's Sonata for Violin & Cello.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.bachariasoloists.org.
UMKC Conservatory of Music presents
Gamelan Genta Kasturi
Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Pierson Auditorium, University Center
UMKC Campus
5000 Rockhill Rd, Kansas City MO
Founded in 2003 by I Ketut Gede Asnawa and family, the ensemble was led by Mr. Asnawa until his appointment in 2007 as professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as part of the Center For World Music. The Gamelan Genta Kasturi (Ensemble of Blossoming Sound) will present a concert of traditional and modern Balinese Music and Dance with special guests from Bali, Indonesia, including I Ketut Gede Asnawa, his wife Putu Oka Mardiani, and daughters Ayu Putu Niastarika, Ni Made Nias Yunirika and Ni Nyoman Nias Yonitika.
Free admission. a donation of $10 is suggested.
For tickets call 816-235-1515 or online at http://conservatory.umkc.edu/community_academy/gamelan.aspx
Kansas City Ballet presents
Kansas City Youth Ballet
Sunday, June 7, 2009,3 p.m.
Loose Park Rose Garden
5200 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO
Founded in the Spring of 1997, the Kansas City Youth Ballet is a non-profit dance company attached to the Kansas City Ballet School. The company is made up of younger dancers, aged 13-18 years, who study at the Kansas City Ballet School, under the directorship of Alecia Good. These performances showcase many original works by local and national choreographers, and occasionally, new emerging artists. This is family entertainment suitable for all ages.
Free Admission. For more information visit www.kcballet.org/kcbschool/kcwyb/schedule.html
Quixotic Dance Fusion
Lux Esalare
Friday, June 19 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 20 at 8 p.m.
Thursday, June 25 at 8 p.m.
Friday, June 26 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 27 at 8 p.m.
Spencer Theatre at UMKC
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
Founded in Kansas City in 2004 Quixotic is the brainchild of award winning sound designer & visual artist Anthony Magliano and by award winning dancer/choreographer Keelan Whitmore.
Quixotic is an ensemble of musicians, dancers, aerialists, composers, designers, and choreographers collaborating to produce new forms of artistic expression. This inventive group of artists goes beyond the limits of any specific art form to create a total sensory experience for its audience. Quixotic makes performance art interactive and eliminates the barrier between performer and audience.
Lux Esalare features imaginative aerial and dance works to an all new sound track featuring live video feeds and unique interactive projection surfaces.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.quixoticfusion.com
City Classics,
Classical Column for June 3-17
UMKC Conservatory of Music presents
Gamelan Genta Kasturi
Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Pierson Auditorium, University Center
UMKC Campus
5000 Rockhill Rd, Kansas City MO
Founded in 2003 by I Ketut Gede Asnawa and family, the ensemble was led by Mr. Asnawa until his appointment in 2007 as professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as part of the Center For World Music. The Gamelan Genta Kasturi (Ensemble of Blossoming Sound) will present a concert of traditional and modern Balinese Music and Dance with special guests from Bali, Indonesia, including I Ketut Gede Asnawa, his wife Putu Oka Mardiani, and daughters Ayu Putu Niastarika, Ni Made Nias Yunirika and Ni Nyoman Nias Yonitika.
For tickets call 816-235-1515 or online at http://conservatory.umkc.edu/community_academy/gamelan.aspx
Owen/Cox Dance Group with the Bach Aria Soloists
World Premiere, Baroque in Motion
Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, UMKC,
4949 Cherry St., KCMO 64110
The Owen/Cox Dance Group is a young company in the area that features very
accomplished dancers, doing original works of choreography, and often performing to original music. The Bach Aria Soloists is a dynamic ensemble dedicated to the brilliant music of Bach, the Baroque, and contemporary music. In this collaborative world premiere event, featuring violinist Elizabeth Suh Lane and dancer/choreographer Jennifer Owen, will present original dance set to the Baroque sounds of the Bach Aria Soloists. Included in the program will be Bach's Sonata No. 6 for Violin & Harpsicord, Ravel's Sonata for Violin & Cello.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.bachariasoloists.org.
Kansas City Symphony
Symphony in the Flint Hills
Saturday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Private ranch east of Florence, KS
Who would have thought it? Fifteen years ago Matfield Green rancher Jane Koger celebrated her 40th birthday by inviting the people of Chase County, Kansas to a "Symphony on the Prairie." She organized and produced this symphony with an all-woman orchestra, whose members came from the symphony orchestras of St. Louis, Denver and Kansas City, to perform in a natural amphitheater on the prairie of her Homestead Ranch.
Amazingly, more than 3,000 people, not only from Chase County but from around the Midwest and beyond, brought their lawn chairs and picnic lunches and enjoyed a performance of symphonic music played amidst the natural beauty of Kansas' Flint Hills.
A few years went by without any repeat performances, but four years ago the Kansas City Symphony, at the invitation of Flint Hills conservation activists, decided to give it a try on their own. The resulting "Symphony in the Flint Hills" was an immediate hit, and since that time the concert sells out within mere hours of being announced.
This year's concert is no exception. If you don't have tickets yet, you can call the number below to be put on a waiting list. For those lucky enough to have reserved spots, you will hear the Symphony wrap up its 2008-2009 season with performances of the music of Copland, Dvorak, Grofe, Bernstein and others evoking the music of the great American West (well, okay, Dvorak isn't American, but his Symphony No. 9, entitled From the New World, was written here). Those who regularly attend this event say it is one of the musical and travel highlights of the year.
To be put on the waiting list for tickets, call the Symphony ticket office at (816) 471-0400. Further information on Symphony in the Flint Hills is available at a special web site devoted to the concert, www.symphonyintheflinthills.org.
Heartland Men's Chorus
Heartthrobs: The Best of the Boy Bands
Saturday, June 13 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 14 at 4:00 p.m.
Folly Theater
12th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
True classical music selections are a little slim in Kansas City during the early summer, so we'll stretch the boundaries a bit on this one. The Heartland Men's Chorus, which sometimes performs classical selections, takes a decided turn toward the popular this weekend as the group "sings your favorite songs from male vocal ensembles of the 1950s through today," according to the publicity for this concert. The Chorus will perform hits from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Drifters, N'Sync and even The Village People.
For tickets call 816-931-3338 or online at www.hmckc.org
Local Arts News,
Coterie Theatre announces 2009-10 season
The Coterie Theatre's 2009-2010 season of live theatre offers a range of performances that includes Edgar Allan Poe, zombies, Laura Ingalls Wilder's famous house on the prairie and Broadway superstar ducks. Highlights include two musicals, four world premieres and a festival of new works. Now entering its 31st season of live theatre, the Coterie Theatre continues to provide unique theatre experiences for families and young audiences.
"Even with the ups and downs of the economy, we've found a way for the Coterie to produce a number of premieres next year, including the musicals Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi and Lucky Duck, which has music by Henry Krieger who wrote Dreamgirls," said Jeff Church, producing artistic director.
"For the holidays, we're proud to offer the beloved Little House on the Prairie, with all new sets and costumes, directed by Ric Averill, who will also play Pa. This luscious adaptation will include snippets of period songs," Church said. "Our Family Series also includes a tremendous baseball adventure play, based on the Dan Gutman book Honus and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure.
"The Coterie At Night Series - for artistic teens and college kids - has the premiere of Maul of the Dead by terrific local screenwriter Mitch Brian," he said. "And the Coterie's Annual Young Playwrights' Festival will contain many premieres of short plays. Our other Coterie At Night offering will be the hilarious Spooky Dog: A Scooby-Doo Mystery (Plagiarized, Improvised, Not for Kiddies!).
The artistic talent for the 2009-2010 season includes a guest list of prominent actors and directors: Bruce Roach (starring in Tell-Tale Electric Poe), Ric Averill (directing and acting in Little House on the Prairie), Cynthia Levin (directing Honus and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure) and Ron Megee (directing Maul of the Dead and Spooky Dog: A Scooby-Doo Mystery, Plagiarized, Improvised, Not for Kiddies!).
The 2009-10 Coterie Theatre Season
September 15 - October 9, 2009
Tell-Tale Electric Poe. World Premiere. From works by Edgar Allan Poe; directed by Jeff Church. Blending an actor with a musician, expertly selected Poe passages are complemented by musical lines and retorts from a reactive electric guitar! This masterful two person show overflows with poetry, riffs, ghosts and morbid prose! Featuring Bruce Roach with Rex Hobart. Preteen/Young Adult Series.
October 16-31, 2009
Maul of the Dead. World Permiere. By Mitch Brian; directed by Ron Megee. It is 1978, the day after Night of the Living Dead (but 10 years later)! Six refugees hide in an abandoned shopping center, only to find that zombies seem to lurk around every mannequin. A pale 'Sid Vicious' beauty joins our motley crew of survivors, as does her best friend, Donna (the perfume-counter girl). As audiences arrive-like the characters in the play-they will experience the invasion of Crown Center from attacking zombie hoards whose undead instinct has led them back to the mall. Coterie At Night Series at Off Centre Theatre, Crown Center .
November 3 - December 29, 2009
Little House on the Prairie. Based on the book by Laura Ingalls Wilder; adapted by Pamela Sterling; directed by Ric Averill. In this beloved classic, the Ingalls family-Laura, Ma, Pa, Mary and Carrie-sells their house, leaves the Big Woods of Wisconsin and heads west to Indian Territory near Independence , Kansas . With gorgeous new scenery, the Coterie presents a beloved classic; based on the book, evoking the amazing period of our Westward Expansion. Family Series.
January 26 - February 28, 2010
Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi . World Premiere. Book and lyrics by Douglas M. Parker; music by Denver Casado; directed by Jeff Church. Young Samuel Clemens leaves home to be a cub pilot on a Mississippi steamboat in 1858 and finds himself learning about life. And death. And love. And writing! A musical premiere based on Twain's autobiographical coming-of-age novel! Preteen/Young Adult Series.
February 11 - March 8, 2010
Spooky Dog, A Scooby-Doo Mystery (Plagiarized, Improvised, Not for Kiddies!). By Eric Pliner and Amy Rhodes; directed by Ron Megee; produced with UMKC Theatre. Jinkies! It's time to bone up on your Scooby snacks and hop on the jivin' mystery mobile and relive Saturday mornings. Four ghost-seeking teens and a dog detective named Spooky look and act eerily like the long-running cartoon series Scooby Doo, Where Are You?.. Only - in the Coterie's version - they perform scripted parody, classic improv, campy songs and just a dash of audience participation to create a great Coterie At Night show. (For the mod college gang, high school hipsters, and even groovy adults!) Coterie At Night Series at la Esquina located in The Crossroads West.
April 6 - May 16, 2010
Honus & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure. By Dan Gutman; adapted by Steven Dietz; directed by Cynthia Levin. With the discovery of the most valuable baseball card in the world, a 1909 T-206 Honus Wagner, the Coterie takes a time-bending encounter with a struggling little-leaguer and the legendary Pittsburgh Pirate's slugger. Family Series.
June 22 - August 8, 2010
Lucky Duck. A Theatre for Young Audiences Premiere. Music by Henry Krieger; lyrics by Bill Russell; book by Bill Russell and Jeffrey Hatcher. A singing swan supermodel! It's The Ugly Duckling meets Project Runway, with music by the composer of Dreamgirls! Homely songbird Serena runs away from her fowl days of barnyard mockery to seek her special destiny. But Serena discovers that beauty is only feather deep, and she must find her own voice to succeed. Hear star turn numbers like "Average, Simple Mega Superstar" and "Wipe the Egg Off Your Face!" Family Series.
April 28-29, 2010
Young Playwrights' Festival. A festival of World Premiere works by Kansas City 's most talented teen playwrights performed by professionals. The festival features a collection of new work by the city's best young writers. The rich and varied theatrical writings which emerge from a year-long process are forged into an ambitious festival of script-in-hand stagings utilizing the finest actors, directors, and designers to make this a special experience about quality writing by young people. Special Event.
Tickets
For tickets call (816) 474-6552 or online at coterietheatre.org.
The Coterie Theatre, named "One of the Five Best Theatres for Young Audiences in the U.S. " by TIME magazine, is located on level one, Crown Center Shops in Kansas City , MO.
City Stage,
Theatre Column for May 27 - June 10
Now Playing
New Theatre Restaurant
Don't Dress for Dinner
By Marc Camoletti
Runs April 15 - June 21
9229 Foster, Overland Park, KS.
Starring Jamie Farr (Klinger from televisions famed M*A*S*H), this twisting comedy ran for two years in Paris and an astonishing seven years in London where it played for over 2000 performances between the Apollo and Duchess Theatres.
This rollercoaster ride of a play involves a husband, a wife, a mistress, a best friend and a cook. What possible mischief could come from these Marc Camoletti characters? Author of the recent New Theatre production Boeing-Boeing, Camoletti trained as an architect until three of his plays were produced in Paris simultaneously which launched his career. This French born playwright has seen great success with his works - many of which have been produced in 55 countries. 18 of his plays have seen 20,000 performances in Paris alone. Although he passed away in 2003, his hilarious works are still being produced to this day.
For tickets call 913-649-SHOW or online at www.newtheatre.com
American Heartland Theatre
Unnecessary Farce
By Paul Slade Smith
Directed by William J. Christie
Runs May 8 - June 21
Crown Center (Upper Level)
2450 Grand Boulevard, Downtown Kansas City, MO
From their website: "A farce, indeed, and a very good one, too! This laugh -out loud comedy has everything one can hope for in a modern-day farce: two likeable cops operating way out of their league, a supposedly crooked mayor with impeccable timing, his innocent-acting wife, a shy accountant with a penchant for dropping her drawers, a nervous double agent who'd like to get IN those drawers, a Scottish hit man whose brogue gets thicker the angrier he gets, two adjoining hotel rooms, simmering sexual tension and eight doors a slammin'"
The cast includes John Wilson, Jill Szoo, Jessalyn Kincaid, Kevin Albert, Craig Benton, Zach Woods, and Cynthia Hyer.
One more thing: An interpreted performance will be available for the hearing impaired on June 17 at 7:30pm.
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online www.ahtkc.com
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
A Flea in Her Ear
by Georges Feydeau
Directed by Gary Griffin
Runs May 15 - June 7
Call or visit the website for performance times.
Spencer Theatre at UMKC
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
In their own words: Having recently directed The Color Purple on Broadway, Olivier Award-winner Gary Griffin brings us a new adaptation of Feydeau's masterful French farce that was a recent hit at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. The story begins when Madame Raymonde Chandebise suspects that her husband Victor's lack of affection indicates he is having an affair behind her back. To prove her suspicions, Raymonde writes an anonymous letter to him requesting a romantic rendezvous at a disreputable hotel. Victor misinterprets the letter and sends his friend Tournel, a notorious womanizer, in his place. This results in a series of misunderstandings, misplaced jealousies, mistaken identities and numerous side-splitting complications.
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online at www.kcrep.org
Theatre for Young America
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Extended run now through June 20
H&R Block City Stage in Union Station.
Theatre for Young America has extended its presentation of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe through June 20on the H&R Block City Stage in Union Station. This extension is allows patrons who see The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to have the opportunity to view Disney's Chronicles of Narnia Exhibit at Union Station. The Chronicles of Narnia Exhibit, runs May 22nd through August 23rd. Tickets for exhibit are available throuhg Union Station at (816) 461-2020 or go online at www.unionstation.org.
This adaptation is based on the C. S. Lewis novel of the same name. The first on a seven book series, it is s the story of four children, Susan, Lucy, Edmond and Peter who escape the London blitz of World War II, when they are sent to live with their uncle in the countryside. Lucy's discovery of a magic wardrobe in her uncle's home, leads her and her siblings into a world where "it is always winter, but never Christmas", the land known as Narnia. Here the children discover strange wonders: centaurs, talking beavers, goblins, fairies, and a fawn-like creature known as Tumnus, who befriends the children. But Narnia is a land of contrasts as well. There is evil, in the person of the ambitious and calculating White Witch who battles to rule all of Narnia, and goodness and nobility, embodied in the powerful Lion King Aslan, who opposes her and her diabolic schemes.
For tickets call 816.460.2083. or online at www.unionstation.org
The Chestnut Fine Arts Center
Babes in Hollywood: The Music of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney
Directed by Brad Zimmerman
Thursday May 21 through Sunday June 21
Call or visit the website for performance times
Chestnut Fine Arts Center
234 N Chestnut, Olathe, KS
Babes in Hollywood salutes the legendary musical careers of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney and features such American classics as Over the Rainbow, You Made Me Love You, Easter Parade, But Not for Me, The Man Who Got Away, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Meet Me in St. Louis, That's Entertainment, Where or When, Born in a Trunk, Yankee Doodle Boy, Come Rain or Come Shine, Strike up the Band and many more.
For tickets call 913-764-2121. Visit www.chestnutfinearts.com for more information.
On Going
Coterie Theatre at Night
The Breakfast Club
Directed by Ron McGee
Open ended run every Monday night
Westport Coffeehouse
4010 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO
A resurrection of the defining 1980's "Brat Pack" movie is being played out on stage as Ron McGee directs The Breakfast Club. More then a cult classic, this play - adapted from the original 1985 film - takes us on a retro-journey of five teenage strangers forced to live out a Saturday detention. Souls are revealed, love sparks, and reality sets in as this play not only reminds us of how times in America once were but how everything stays the same. It should be noted that this production is not suited for those under 16 or 17 years of age.
One More Thing: Stay after the play and hangout with the cast on stage, drink coffee, and listen to 80's music.
Another Thing: Visit www.youtube.com/user/anthonyalexanderpro to watch interviews of the cast and learn about their research of the characters they are portraying.
For tickets call 816-474-6552 or online www.coterietheatre.org
Coming in Early June!
Theatre for Yong America
Treasure Island
Runs June 9 - July 3
Union Station's City Stage
30 West Pershing Road, Downtown Kansas City, MO
In their own words: "Dramatized from the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, this exciting play starts at the Admiral Benbow Inn, where an old sea captain is given the black spot - a death mark - by pirates. Young Jim Hawkins finds the treasure map and soon sets sail for the mysterious Treasure Island. Manned by a crew of rowdy pirates, the ship becomes a scene of mutiny and conflict which spill out onto the island where Jim Hawkins proves his mettle."
For tickets call 816-460-2083 or online at www.tya.org
Unicorn Theatre
Speech & Debate
By Stephen Karam
Directed by Missy Koonce
Runs June 12 - July 12
3828 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
In their words:
"Three misfit teens reluctantly join forces to combat local corruption, sex scandals and bad casting in the high school play by forming their school's first speech and debate team. They soon realize three voices are stronger that one and this could be their chance to finally be heard by the school and even the world. Their expose culminates in a time-traveling George Michael-inspired musical version of Miller's The Crucible."
For tickets call 816-531-7529 or online at www.unicorntheatre.org
City Voices,
Vocal Column for May 27 - June 10
The Simon Carrington Chamber Singers
Home Ground Concert: Chiaroscuro - Contrasts of Light And Shade
Saturday, May 30 at noon
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
13th & Broadway, Downtown Kansas City, MO
Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m.
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
1234 Kentucky, Lawrence, KS
In what is proving to be perhaps the most anticipated choral event of the season, this new group of highly skilled musicians will partner with the legendary Simon Carrington to present a cornucopia of choral music. The program features music from the Renaissance to today with composers like Josquin, Byrd, Purcell, Charpentier, Brahms, Chilcott, Pärt, and local composer Ian Coleman. The ensemble is made up of some of this area's (and the country's) best of Carrington's former students.
Tickets are available at the door for both performances. Visit them on the internet at www.simoncarringtonchambersingers.com
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and Grace United Methodist Church
Westminster Concert Bell Choir (from Westminster Choir College)
Sunday, May 31 at 4 p.m.
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
Wornall and Meyer Blvd, Kansas City, MO
While this concert is not vocal or choral, it does feature one of the country's best choirs - the Westminster Concert Bell Choir from Westminster Choir College. This world-renowned bell choir is on their 2009 national tour. Don't miss this opportunity to see one of the best at what they do.
Free admission. A free will offering is gratefully accepted.
For more information visit www.rider.edu/888_2107.htm
View one of their YouTube videos at www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Av4NBqwJE
The Engagement Recital
Ben Gulley, Tenor
Sarah Kleeman, Mezzo
Dale Morehouse, Piano
Tuesday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Country Club United Methodist Church
57th and Wornall, Kansas City, MO
Come and enjoy the merging of these two artists as one on the evening of June 2nd, 2009. This recital will mark the Kansas City debut of mezzo soprano Sarah Kleeman, with tenor and fiance Ben Gulley, and Dale Morehouse on piano.
The program will include works ranging from classical music, contemporary song and musical theater.
Admission charge. Tickets available at the door.
Bach Aria Soloists with the Owen/Cox Dance Group
Baroque in Motion - A Collaborative World Premiere Event
Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall, UMKC Campus
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO
This is the world premiere of this production, which combines dance vocal music. The choreography is by Jennifer Owen and is set to music by Bach, Ravel, Purcell, Handel, and more. Featured soloists are Grammy-award winning soprano Rebecca Lloyd, tenor David Adams, cellist Paula Kosower (from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), and harpsichordists Elisa Bickers.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.bachariasoloists.com
View one of their YouTube videos at www.youtube.com/watch?v=u53bKpa1YCc
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