World-famous violinist in town for concert
If hearing good music and watching snazzy dance is your thing, this is a banner week for you to take in a smorgasbord of performing arts in the Brazos Valley.
It starts today at 5 p.m. at Rudder Theatre when Maestro Marcelo Bussiki raises his baton to the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra's presentation of From Vivaldi to Piazolla -- The Four Seasons. The exquisite sound of our own symphonic music-makers will be joined by internationally known classical violinist Lara St. John, who has performed around the globe for most of her life. St. John picked up the violin at age 2, and at age 10 made her European stage debut with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon. A partial list of her passport stamps include Japan, China and Australia, not to mention the most famous American concert halls, including the Boston Pops. She comes to College Station familiar with today's Vivaldi program as she released it on a CD with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and conductor Eduardo Marture in 2009.
"I attended a performance of Lara's several years ago and was particularly impressed with her level of musicianship," Bussiki said. "Lara and her instrument were one inseparable expressive entity."
Bussiki noted that the Los Angeles Times called St. John a "volcanic violinist."
"I couldn't agree more," he said. "Her performances are powerful and expressive within the confinements of the style, and she explores it all."
Mary Koeninger, the BVSO's executive director, says this show is a perfect fit to the orchestra's traditional crowd-pleasing lineup.
"We choose our programs very carefully, based on what we believe both our Symphony subscription members and the community at large would connect to in a meaningful way," she said. "I am confident that the balance achieved through the program's musical choices and the performances of our fantastic musicians, our wonderful guest composer, and phenomenal solo guest performer will be something that will be remembered and talked about for a long time."
Individual tickets are $32 for adults and $12 for students and children and can be purchased at the door. For more information, go to www.bvso.org.
BV Chorale dinner concert
Eat, drink and be entertained this Saturday night at the Brazos Valley Chorale's Dinner Concert at the Hilton Hotel's Oakwood Ballroom. Entertainment with a capital "E" is the theme for this fundraiser, so they call it the "E" concert.
Guests will dine while hearing Electricity from Billy Elliot, written by Elton John, performed by Earth, Wind and Fire -- (you're getting the "E"ssence of this right?)
Chances are guests will hear the 95 chorale singers also belt out Endless Love, Everybody Rejoice (from The Wiz), Edelweiss and Everything's Coming Up Roses.
The dinner concert is part of the Chorale's 42nd season and Jess Wade is in his 23rd year as conductor and artistic director. The "E" season started with a profoundly successful Elijah and next presents Echoes on May 6.
Tickets for Saturday's Dinner "E" Pops Concert are $65 and can be ordered online at bvchorale.org or by calling 776-1776, or can be purchased by mail (P.O. Box 10644, College Station 77842)
Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and the program starts an hour later. A silent auction will be open prior to the dinner and conclude after the intermission.
'Perpetual Motion' at Texas A&M
Did you know there's a Fightin' Texas A&M dance program and they're ready to rock?
For three shows next weekend they'll welcome guest artists Holly Schmidt and Jane Weiner to a performance called Perpetual Motion. It will include A&M dance faculty and students and will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Read Building Room 273 (under Kyle Field connected to G. Rollie White). Tickets are $10 and $6 for students and seniors. For more information, go to tamudance.tamu.edu or call Christine Bergeron at 845-5025.
TAMU Orchestra and Band
The Texas A&M University Orchestra and Bands will spotlight their Jazz Ensembles and String Orchestra on Saturday at Rudder High School and their Wind Symphony, Symphonic Winds, Symphonic Band and Concert Band on Sunday at Rudder Threatre. It's all free for everyone.
On Saturday at the high school at 3251 Austin's Colony Parkway in Bryan, the Jazz Ensembles, directed by Christopher Hollar, will perform the music of Buddy Rich and Sammy Nestico starting at 1 p.m. At 4 p.m., the String Orchestra, directed by Paul Sikes, will play Karl Jenkins, Palladio (Allegretto); Benedetto Marcello, Introduzione, aria, presto in A, with Travis Almany as guest conductor; Percy Grainger, Irish Tune from County Derry; Gustav Holst, Brook Green Suite; J.S. Bach, Three Choral Preludes, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; and Russell Peck, Signs of Life II (Movement I).
Next Sunday at Rudder Theatre at 3 p.m., the Winds Symphony, directed by Timothy Rhea, will present Profanation from Jeremiah Symphony, Leonard Bernstein/Bencricutto; Overture for Winds, Felix Mendelssohn, with Paul Sikes as guest conductor; An Original Suite, Gordon Jacob; Kaddish, W. Francis McBeth; The Little Ripper, David Stanhope; and Music for Prague 1968, Karel Husa.
Next, Almany will direct the Symphonic Winds in Voice of the Guns, Kenneth Alford; Footsteps, Dana Wilson; Chorale and Alleluia, Howard Hanson; Pie Jesu, Faure & Webber, arranged by James Sudduth; The Planets-Mars, Gustav Holst; and Windsprints, Richard L. Saucedo.
At 6:30 p.m., Sikes will take over the symphonic band performing Fanfares from Libuse, Bedrich Smetana/Nelybel; Homage, Jan Van der Roost; Down a Country Lane, Aaron Copland/Patterson; Joyant Narrative, W. Francis McBeth, with Almany as guest conductor; Chorale and Shaker Dance, John Zdechlik; and New Corn Palace, Karl King. Finally, Almany directs the Concert Band in A Festival Prelude, Alfred Reed; Choreography, Robert Sheldon; Salutation, Roland F. Seitz; and Rikudium, Jan Van der Roost.
'12 Angry Men' Auditions
The Huntsville Community Theatre is holding auditions tomorrow and Tuesday for 12 Angry Men, which will be staged the weekends of April 20-22 and 27-29. Auditions both nights are at 6 p.m. at the J. Phillip Gibbs Jr. Centre for the Performing Arts (Old Town Theatre), 1023 12th St. in Huntsville. The cast calls for 12 male actors. For more information, go to www.huntsvillecommunitytheatre.org or call 936-355-6112.
Save The Date
Sunday: Christ United Methodist Church presents Singing Forevermore: A Festival of Hymns, 2:30 p.m. (690-4673, christ-umc.org)
Sunday: Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra presents From Vivaldi to Piazzola; The Four Seasons, 5 p.m., Rudder Theatre (696-6100, bvso.org)
Thursday: Noisefold at Rudder Theatre, 7:30 p.m. (845-1234)
Thursday-April 28: Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History presents Getting to the Core: the JOIDES Resolution, (776-2195, brazosvalleymuseum.org)
Thursday-Sunday: Brenham Unity Theatre presents Billy Bishop Goes to War, (979-830-8358, unitybrenham.org)
Friday: Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History presents Educators Showcase (776-2195, brazosvalleymuseum.org)
Friday-Saturday: TAMU Dance Program presents Perpetual Motion, Read Building, Room 263 (845-5025, tamudance.tamu.edu)
Saturday: Brazos Valley Chorale Concert, 6:30 p.m., College Station Hilton (776-1776, bvchorale.org)
Feb. 27: MSC Opas presents Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester, 7:30 p.m., Rudder Auditorium (845-1234, mscopas.org)
March 2: Northgate Philharmonic Ball, 7 p.m., A&M United Methodist Church (224-1268, am-umc.org)
March 2-11: The Theatre Company presents The Drowsy Chaperone (779-1302, theatrecompany.com)
All Month: George Bush Library and Museum presents Headed to the White House (691-4000, bushlibrary.tamu.edu)
All Month: Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley in Downtown Bryan offers various programs, including Monday Madness, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (779-5437, cmbv.org)
* Tom Turbiville is The Eagle's arts columnist. He is also sports director for WTAW-1620 AM and Bryan Broadcasting. Email him at tom.turbiville@theeagle.com.
