March Places

A preview of events Performing Arts at

Johnson County Community College www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter Places

March 2009

In the Mood – A Swing Show!

Estonian National Symphony Orchestra

Maestros in Concert

Ballet Boyz

Up & Coming Jazz Artists Ballet Boyz

Spirit Horse

Get ‘In the Mood’ at the Carlsen Center

“Baby won’t you swing with me?” was the lyrical question on everyone’s lips when In the Mood hit No.1 on the charts in 1940.

Now almost 70 years later, In the Mood, a big band theatrical swing revue, will take audience members on a retro toe-tapping trip back to the 1940s at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 15, in Yardley Hall. Featuring the In the Mood Singers and Dancers and String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra, the centerpiece of the show is music that moved a nation’s spirit – music by Glenn Miller,Tommy Dorsey,Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Erskin Hawkins, The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra and more.

The music, arrangements, choreography and costumes are authentic to the ’40s, a time when the combination of up-tempo big-band instrumentals and intimate, romantic ballads set the mood for a future filled with promise, hope and prosperity.

Much more than a concert, In the Mood takes a look at the life and times of America’s greatest generation in the 1940s. Through radio, theaters and ballrooms, the big bands were drawing record crowds. Vocal groups and soloists sang a repertory of great songs, and, for the last time in the 20th century, the entire country shared a common popular music.

This body of song did much to sustain national morale during World War II.

The National Archives in Washington, D.C., brought In the Mood to audiences as part of their commemoration of the 50th anniversary of World War II, and the response was extraordinary, with crowds lining up for hours before curtain time. In 1993, the Archives presented a repeat performance, out-of-doors on Constitution Avenue. Thousands attended, and many stayed to dance the night away. As a result, In the Mood, in affiliation with the USO (United Service Organizations), began a series of tours which played to audiences across the United States during the 50th Commemoration of World War II. The show’s association with the National Archives and the USO was altogether appropriate, for much of the underpinning research was drawn from resources of these organizations.

Bud Forrest is the In the Mood producer and the late Vic Schoen the arranger.

As the Glenn Miller song says, “Don’t keep me waitin’ when I’m in the mood.”

Tickets $25 and $35

Estonians Love to

Make Beautiful Music

Eri Klas

The acclaimed 100-member Estonian National Symphony Orchestra makes its inaugural U.S. tour this season, performing at 8 p.m. Friday, March 20, in Yardley Hall. Estonian maestro Eri Klas conducts, and 2005 Van Cliburn silver medalist Joyce Yang performs as piano soloist. Artists Insights begin at 7 p.m.

Based in the Estonian capital Tallinn, the ENSO has made a name for itself with the 2003 Grammy Award-winning Sibelius Cantatas and the 2006 BBC Music Magazine’s Best Orchestral Recording award of Grieg’s Peer Gynt. The Orchestra has presented the premieres of works by well-known Estonian composers Eduard Tubin, Eino Tamberg, Lepo Sumera, Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Tõnu Kõrvits, Toivo Tulev and others. Featured pianist Joyce Yang performs Serge Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Other selections include Symphony No. 2 by Jean Sibelius and a short work by Arvo Pärt.

While recent achievements have put the ENSO on the musical map, it has a long and bittersweet history. Founded as the Estonian Radio Symphony Orchestra, it gave its first concert in a broadcast by Tallinn Radio on Dec. 18, 1926. During the Soviet regime, in the 1950s, the orchestra became the first in the Soviet Union to perform the works of modernist composers such as Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schöenberg, Anton Webern and Carl Orff, previously suppressed by Stalin’s regime.

Following the collapse of Soviet rule and the rebirth of independent Estonia in 1991, the otherwise joyous occasion re-opened Estonian borders and allowed nearly half of the Orchestra’s members to migrate to the West in search of better career opportunities. This exodus of talent marked a lull in the Orchestra’s history.

By 1993, the Orchestra had reached a low point. But the eight seasons under conductor Arvo Volmer (1993-2001) proved successful. Volmer managed to create what was in essence an almost entirely new orchestra.

Since the 2001-2002 season, the ENSO principal conductor and music director has been a renowned performer of St. Petersburg’s new school of conductors, Nikolai Alexeev who conducted last season's concert of

St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Today the Orchestra has 100 permanent members. The average season includes 60 concerts.

Klas is a frequent guest conductor in North America and equally in demand throughout Europe. His titles with other orchestras include artistic director of the Tallinn Philharmonic; principal guest conductor of the Finnish National Opera and the Holland Kammerphilharmonie; and conductor laureate of the Tampere Philharmonic and the Estonian National Opera.

Tickets $35 and $45

Joyce Yang

Indian Masters Perform

Two legends of Indian music Zakir Hussain, percussion, and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, santoor, will perform as Maestros in Concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 21, in Yardley Hall. The concert will feature the traditional repertoire of North Indian drumming as well as excursions into jazz, fusion and electronic music.

Hussain is a classical tabla virtuoso of the first order, bringing his instrument to a global audience. The tabla (Sanskrit for drum) – a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres is a popular Indian percussion instrument.

The favorite accompanist for most of the great classical musicians and dancers of India, Hussain has been one of the first Indian musicians to collaborate with the West – compositions for the opening music for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, YoYo Ma’s Silk Road Project, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre and many film scores.

He has had recordings and performances with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart and legendary drummer Billy Cobham, among many others. Born in 1951, Hussain is the recipient of countless honors. He was the youngest percussionist to be awarded the Padma Shri, an honor from the Indian government, and was chosen by his country in 2007 to compose an anthem celebrating India’s 60th year of independence.

Sharma’s instrument is the santoor, a hammered dulcimer important to North Indian classical music. Born in 1938 in Jammu, Kashmir, Sharma studied vocals, tabla and the santoor – a 72-stringed lute covering three octaves. The strings are not plucked. Rather they are played by striking them with two mallet walnuts. Originally a folk instrument from the Kashmir Valley, Sharma raised the santoor to the status of a classic instrument and made it indispensable to Indian film music.

Both Hussain and Sharma were child prodigies. Hussain, the foremost

disciple of his father the legendary Ustad Allarakha, began his professional career at age 12 and toured internationally with great success by the age of 18. Sharma, the son of Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma, a prominent Indian classical musician, performed on the classical stage at age 17. The two recorded the album Santoor featuring the two artists in live performance.

Tickets $25 and $35

Clever Boyz

Behind the light-hearted attitude of the Ballet Boyz is some serious dancing. Since leaving the Royal Ballet to form their own company, Ballet Boyz Michael Nunn and William Trevitt have established themselves as one of the most cheekily original and innovative forces in dance. Their programming is a mix of media – live performance and video of behind-the-scenes outtakes.

Ballet Boyz brings its witty and evocative style to the United States with Balletboyz: The Greatest Hits! at 8 p.m. Friday, March 27, in Yardley Hall. Featured works are by Russell Maliphant, Broken Fall; Liv Lorent, Propeller; Rafael Bonachela, EdOx; and Craig Revel Horwood, Yumba vs Nonino. For its U.S. tour, the Ballet Boyz will be Nunn, Trevitt, Oxana Panchenko and two other dancers. A company member will host the post-performance Q&A.

Ballet Boyz has made a dramatic mark on the British dance scene, thrilling audiences and dance critics alike with an exhilarating mix of award-winning repertoire, performance style and high artistic standards.

Nunn and Trevitt lead a unique team, and their evocative style sets new standards for dance as they grace the stage with ferocity, strength and determination as well as tremendous elegance and poise.

Intrinsic to the Ballet Boyz is the way the company produces and presents dance that uses film and video clips created by Nunn and Trevitt showing behind-the-scenes activities of dancers mixed with on-stage performances, thereby demystifying the art of dance and the choreographic process.

For instance, a perfectly masterful on-stage dance is prefaced by the dancer shown doubled over with exhaustion rehearsing in the dance studio. Or a dancer is filmed being coached in an Isadora Duncan dance before he captures the work’s complexity in front of the audience.

In November 2008, the team won the International Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts Programming for its documentary Strictly Bolshoi. Nunn and Trevitt were given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to follow choreographer Christopher Wheeldon as he created a new work for the Bolshoi Ballet.

Born in London, Nunn trained at the Bush Davies School and the Royal Ballet Upper School. He joined the Royal Ballet in 1987 and became soloist in 1997.

In just seven years the company earned a reputation for commissioning new work and now has numerous works in its repertoire crafted by some of the most important and influential choreographers of our generation.

Tickets $25 and $35

The Carlsen Center ArtsEducation program will have the Ballet Boyz in residency Wednesday-Friday, March 25-27, for students. For information about master classes and an off-site performance, call the ArtsEducation office, 913-469-8500, ext. 4221.

Jazz Clinic Adds Strings in 2008 Stan Kessler, professional trumpet and flugelhorn player in Kansas City for more than 37 years, leads The Sons of Brasil and Stan Kessler Quartet. During the Nov. 17-20 Up & Coming Jazz Artists clinic, however, Kessler addressed a group of approximately 40 high school students about the “inner game of music,” the way to approach music beyond its mechanics and mathematics.

“You’ve got your rhythm; you’ve got intellectual knowledge. So what’s the one obstacle to performing live on stage?,” Kessler asked the group.

“Fear” was the spontaneous, unanimous answer.

The experienced musician acknowledged the answer as correct and gave students four ways to defeat fear – “preparations, passion, practice and performance.”

Kessler’s The Zen of Performance was just one of the new features of the four-day Up & Coming Jazz Artists program, now in its fourth year. A record 140 students, grades 6-12, were taught by 11 professional jazz musicians – Kessler, Michael Pagán, Ron Stinson, Doug Auwarter, Joe Parisi, Gerald Spaits, Danny Embrey, Steve Dekker, Dan Thomas, Marvin Gruenbaum and Bobby Watson.

In addition to the usual sectional clinics of bass, guitar, piano, saxophone, trombone, trumpet and drum/percussion and a culminating concert with clinicians and students, the clinic added jazz strings and Hot Topics to the format.

Jazz strings was taught by Marvin Gruenbaum, violist, Kansas City Symphony. After a brief tune-up on this particular day, three violas, two bass and one violin gave a swinging jazz interpretation of Honey Suckle Rose. Gruenbaum encouraged them to close the printed page and play the music.

The Hot Topics, classes added to practical application, were Blindfold Test, The Zen of Performance, Jazz Pushups, From Havana to Rio, Theory and Beyond and Swingin' with Strings.

Up & Coming Jazz Artists is sponsored by the Carlsen Center ArtsEducation program, the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music jazz studies and the JCCC music department.

(left to right) John Page, Spencer Merryfield, Branford Harris, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, play in the final Up & Coming Artists jazz concert.

Stan Kessler talks to jazz students about The Zen of Performance.

(left to right) Josh Hall, Kurt Zacharias and Paige Kincade, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, take to the stage in the Up & Coming Jazz Artists concert.

Aaron House, violin, took part

in the new strings workshop offered

in 2008.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Pete Eye

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The Goldenbergs

1413 Maestros in Concert

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Performing Arts EventsJ o h n s o n C o u n t y C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e

March 2009

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Trompe L’oeil * Brendan Kinsella, JCCC Theatre Dept. and KC Symphony Sunday * Jazz Night Spirit Horse

NMOCA, 7:30 p.m. A Hero’s Life piano * Pete Eye Trio with Kathy Kosins, * Chamber Choir and ArtsEducation Polsky Theatre $5

Michael Stern, director, Andrew Fuller, violin Jazz Series jazz vocalist MadRegalia 9:45 a.m. and noon * JCCC-Olathe East H.S.

AlisonBalsom,trumpet Ruel Joyce noon JCCC Music Dept. 7:30 p.m. Yardley Hall $5 Concert Band 2 p.m.Yardley Hall Recital Series Polsky Theatre 7:30 p.m. Polsky Theatre 7:30 p.m. Yardley Hall

$32-$55 noon Recital Hall Polsky Theatre * Holiday by Philip Barry JCCC Theatre Dept. 7:30 p.m. Black Box Theatre

8 9 10

* Holiday * Roger Oyster, * Charles Williams

by Philip Barry trombone Quartet

JCCC Theatre Dept. Ruel Joyce Jazz Series

2 p.m. Recital Series noon Recital Hall

Black Box Theatre noon Recital Hall

▲15 16 17 20 21

In the Mood * The Goldenbergs, Estonian National* Ron Gutierrez Maestros in Concert

Special Event violin and piano Symphony Orchestra Quartet Special Event

2 p.m. Yardley Hall Ruel Joyce Classics SeriesJazz Series 8 p.m. Yardley Hall

$25, $35 Recital Series 8 p.m. Yardley Hall noon Recital Hall $25, $35

noon Recital Hall $35, $45

22 23 24 27 Ballet Boyz 28 * Brown & Gold

* Douglas Niedt, Dance Series▲

Men’s Follies * Sherry Jones/guitar 8 p.m. Yardley Hall

1:30 p.m. reception, Mike Ning Trio Ruel Joyce $25, $35

lobby Jazz Series ▲ Recital Series

2:30 p.m. noon Recital Hall Ballet Boyz Residency ArtsEducationnoon Recital HallPolsky Theatre call 913-469-8500, ext. 4221

31

* Bill Crain Quartet Jazz Series

29 30

* Brass Knights Ruel Joyce

Recital Series noon Polsky Theatre

noon Polsky Theatre

For best seats, order early.

Call 913-469-4445 or buy tickets online www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter for tickets and information.

Service fee applicable.

Purchase live online

Box Office: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday • Call 913-469-4445 Tickets are required for most events in Polsky Theatre and Yardley Hall. Programs, dates and times are subject to change. There is a $1 per ticket handling charge at the JCCC box office. Discounts are available for music, theater and dance students.

Carlsen Center Administrative Office: Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday • Call 913-469-4450 A request for interpretative services must be made 72 hours before a performance. Call the box office at 913-469-4445 or TDD/TTY 913-469-4485.

Persons with disabilities who desire additional support services may contact services for patrons with disabilities, 913-469-8500, ext. 3521, or TDD/TTY 913-469-3885.

*free-admission event

Canadian ‘ Spirit Horse’ Captures Native Traditions Spirit Horse, a play that explores family bonds and Native Canadian traditions through an adventure-filled story, takes to the stage at 9:45 a.m. and noon Friday, March 6, in Yardley Hall as part of the Carlsen Center ArtsEducation program.

A Native Canadian adaptation of the highly successful British play, Tir Na N’og by Greg Banks, the play tells the story of two young First Nations children and their father, making their transition to urban life in a Calgary, Alberta, apartment.

When the play opens, Jesse and Angelina, sisters who are members of the Stoney Nation, look out for each other in the city. Jesse, the eldest, lived at the reserve until her sister was born. Jesse learned her native language and had a taste of traditional life. Angelina was raised in the city and knows little of her people. She wishes desperately that she had her mother, who died at her birth.

The father has turned his back on his First Nations community and moved to Calgary, blaming his wife’s death on traditional medicine.

The girls’ connection to their heritage is through their grandfather who still lives on Stoney Nation land. Grandfather discovers a Spirit Horse that mysteriously appears from under the lake near Wildwind Mountain. The adventure takes off as the girls bond with the Spirit Horse and try to keep the mysterious horse in their high-rise apartment.

Spirit Horse is recommended for grades 4-8, and study guides are available at the Carlsen Center Web site. The play was adapted by First Nations playwright Drew Hayden Taylor.

Tickets $5

www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter

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