The Marie P. DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts will present 30 internationally renowned touring groups during its 2005-06 season. The schedule will focus on three musical genres—classical, world, and jazz—but will also include modern dance, touring theater, and bluegrass and popular music.
The season opens Friday, Sept. 2 with the a capella group Toxic Audio and concludes with jazz from the Bill Charlap Trio on Friday, April 21.
This season, a unique partnership between the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and the University will allow classical pianist Leon Bates to become the University’s first performing guest artist in residence. Bates will perform in the center with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and in several other community contexts.
For the third year, Notre Dame will sponsor events at the Morris Performing Arts Center as part of the ND Presents: Live at the Morris series.
A complete schedule of the music department’s productions, and the art-house and classic programming of the Department of Film, Television & Theatre will be updated on the center’s Web site, performingarts.nd.edu.
Tickets to events generally go on sale eight weeks prior to performance dates. Ticket information including information on season ticket subscriptions is available at the performing arts center ticket office at 631-2800.
2005-06 performing arts center events are:
- 8p.m. Friday, Sept. 2: A capella quintet Toxic Audio, winner of the 2004 Drama Desk Award for “Most Unique Theatrical Experience.” Critics frequently compare Toxic Audio to the productions of Stomp and Blue Man Group, and the group’s vocal pyrotechnics, delightfully goofy humor, and improvisational prowess have made them a hit with audiences.
- 8p.m. Friday, Sept. 9: The multimedia “A Universe of Dreams” will bridge the gulf between art and science. Featuring classical music group Ensemble Galilei and National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” host Neal Conan , the performance combines music, words, and images from such sources as the Hubble Space Telescope in celebration of the International Year of Physics.
- 9p.m. Friday, Sept. 16: An evening with rock pianist and Grammy Award- winner Bruce Hornsby. Hornsby has been a favorite supporting musician for such solo acts as Bob Dylan, Don Henley, and Bonnie Raitt, and he performed with the Grateful Dead from 1990 to 1992. Hornsby’s performance observes the first alumni reunion of graduates of the Film, Television, and Theatre program.
- 8p.m. Friday, Sept. 30: The “Bard of Armagh,” legendary Irish musician Tommy Makem appears with his sons, The Makem Brothers, to continue a tradition of traditional Irish music. Makem premiered at the 1961 Newport Folk Festival. Makem’s banjo, tinwhistle, and magnificent baritone voice have been instrumental in developing an American audience for traditional Irish music.
- 7:30p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6: Opera Verdi Europa performs opera’s greatest hits, including works from “Aida,” “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata,” “Il Trovatore,” “Nabucco” and “Un Ballo in Maschera.” Novice opera fans and aficionados will enjoy the dazzling costumes, orchestral accompaniment and exceptional voices.
- 9p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13: *The Preservation Hall Jazz Band * preserves the unique style of music that evolved in New Orleans around the turn of the century while remaining relevant to today’s audiences. Its foundation of contemporary jazz is currently woven by John Brunious, trumpet; Frank Demond, trombone; Benjamin Jaffe, bass; Ralph Johnson, clarinet; Joe Lastie, Jr., drums; and Rickie Monie, piano.
- 9p.m. Friday, Oct. 14: Academy Award-winning composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch, composer of such memorable movie theme songs as “The Sting” and “The Way We Were,” conducts a review of his memorable songbook. Hamlisch is among a rare few—Mel Brooks, Audrey Hepburn and Mike Nichols included—who have won all of the four major national performing arts recognitions. For Hamlisch, that includes three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, and a Tony—as well as a Pulitzer Prize for his musical “A Chorus Line.”
- 9p.m. Friday, Oct. 21: A celebration of Gypsy song and traditional Spanish dance with Ballet Flamenco Jos Porcel, famed for its explosion of color, energy and sensuous rhythm. Flamenco developed in southern Spain in the fifteenth century, the result of the combination of two diverse cultures: the Gypsies, with their Arabic, Jewish, and Indian roots, and the native Andalucians. Porcel and his dance company have showcased flamenco throughout the world, providing an invaluable window on Spain’s rich history.
- 7:30p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27: Atlanta’s 7 Stages Theatre performs Athol Fugard’s *"Master Harold and the Boys," * a groundbreaking play about South African apartheid. With an eye to its mission statement of focusing on “social, spiritual, and artistic values in contemporary culture,” 7 Stages commemorates the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid with their touring production of Athol Fugard’s most famous play.
- 8p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29: Three-time Grammy Award-winning soprano Dawn Upshaw and the ensemble eighth blackbird will perform Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov’s “Ayre.”
- 7:30p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov.1-2: Merce Cunningham Dance Company, one of the most influential forces in modern dance in the last 50 years, performs samples of Cunningham’s groundbreaking choreography.
- 7p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6: Grammy Award-winning Senegalese pop musician Youssou N’Dour
-“The Voice of Africa”-will incorporate traditional Senegalese instrumentalists and singers with Egyptian orchestration, resulting in a daring synthesis of northern and western African sound.
- 7:30p.m. Friday, Nov. 8: Ethos Trio presents contemporary jazz from Mexico. One of the most promising contemporary music groups in Mexico, the Ethos Trio consists of Jos Gurría on drums, bassist Arturo Luna, and pianist Javier Resndiz. The trio fuses elements of jazz and classical music, giving American audiences a rare opportunity to hear from Mexico’s improvisational jazz masters.
- 7:30p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9: Polish classical pianist Krystian Zimerman. Zimerman first captured the attention of music critics in 1975, when he won the prestigious Grand Prix at the Chopin Competition. Performing in concert halls worldwide, Zimerman has focused on performing music in the place and culture of its origin: French works in Paris; Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert in Vienna; Brahms in Hamburg; American music in New York. His repertoire encompasses the works of Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, Brahms, Grieg, Bartók, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and the chamber music of Csar Franck and Karol Szymanowski.
- 3p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27: The Vienna Choir *Boys * launches the holiday season with angelic voices. Established more than 500 years ago, it is one of the oldest children’s choirs in the world, featuring the voices of children ages 10 through 14 years.
- 7:30p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1: The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, with special guest conductor Hans Graf of the Houston Symphony and featuring violinist Sarah Chang, will perform Strauss, Sibelius and Rachmaninoff.
- 8p.m. Friday, Dec. 9: Classical guitarist virtuoso Christopher Parkening and baritone *Jubilant Sykes, * who draws on gospel and jazz influences, have been performing regularly since 1996. They promise to warm up the holiday season with their unique collaboration.
- 7p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11: A traditional Celtic Christmas comes our way with the first all-women traditional Irish band, Cherish the Ladies. Voted the Top North American Celtic act by NPR Radio’s “Thistle and Shamrock,” the band is composed of Joanie Madden on flute, whistles, and vocals; Heidi Talbot on bodhran and lead vocals; Mary Coogan on guitar, banjo, and mandolin; Mirella Murray on accordion, and Roisin Dillon on fiddle.
- 2:30p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22: Celebrate Mozart’s birthday with the South Bend * Symphony Chamber Orchestra. *
- 8p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4: Arab composer, violinist, and oud master Simon Shaheen in concert with *Qantara * (meaning “arch” or “bridge” in Arabic). Hear a fusion of jazz, classical, Indian, and Latin music.
- 8p.m. Friday, Feb. 10: Grammy Award-winning violinist Mark O’Connor, whose Hot Swing tour pays tribute to a mentor who encouraged him to blend jazz, country and bluegrass fiddling. The tour features Jon Burr on bass, Bryan Sutton on guitar, Howard Alden on guitar, and Roberta Gambarini and Annie Sellick on vocals.
- 7:30p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14: Canadian classical pianist Angela Hewitt, recognized as the contemporary keyboardist whose work defines Bach in modern times.
- 8p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18: The 25-member Soweto Gospel Choir performs an inspirational vocal program of tribal, traditional, and popular African gospel music in eight languages. Earthy rhythms, rich harmonies, and charismatic a capella__performances combine to uplift the soul and express South Africa’s hopes for the future.
- 7p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26: Flautist Sir James Galway, Lady Jeanne Galway and the Polish Chamber Orchestra. Galway is widely regarded as a supreme interpreter of the classical flute repertoire and a consummate entertainer.
- 7:30p.m. Thursday, March 2: After a sold-out show in March, 2005, The Chieftains
-Ireland’s official ambassadors of music-return to Notre Dame for another evening of traditional Irish music. Six-time Grammy winners and 18-time Grammy nominees, The Chieftains guarantee an experience in the universal appeal of Irish music.
- 8p.m. Saturday, March 4: Classical guitarist Robert Bluestone in Woven Harmony , a multimedia concert featuring the textile art of Rebecca Bluestone. The Santa Fe husband-and-wife duo combine their mutual interests into a performance event that merges visual art and music.
- 7:30p.m. Thursday, March 9: Bassist Edgar Meyer * and *Mike Marshall, a guitarist and mandolin artist, perform bluegrass with classical influences.
- 7:30p.m. Tuesday, March 21: Pomerium, performing sacred music of the Renaissance. Founded by Notre Dame choral professor Alexander Blachly in 1972, Pomerium is widely known for its 14-voice a capella interpretations of Du Fay, Ockeghem, Busnoys, Josquin, Lassus, and Palestrina.
- 7:30p.m. Thursday, March 23: The Kirov Orchestra * directed by *Valery Gergiev, recognized as one of the most exciting conductors of modern times. He conducts one of the oldest musical institutions in Russia. The success of the Kirov’s continual touring has earned them the reputation as what one journalist referred to as “the world’s first global orchestra.”
- 8p.m. Saturday, March 25: Flook *. * The undeniable darling of British music critics, Flook is an entirely acoustic Anglo-Irish band consisting of Sarah Allen (alto flutes, piano, accordion), formerly with The Barely Works; Brian Finnegan (flutes,whistles), founder of the now-defunct Upstairs in a Tent; Red Ciel’s Ed Boyd (steel-strung guitar), and John Joe Kelly, an outstanding bodhran player who has logged time with both Altan and Paul Brady. Flook’s most recent release, “Rubai,” was voted Album of the Year on LiveIreland.com.
- 8p.m. Saturday, April 1: *The Academy of Ancient Music, * one of the world’s most recognized period-instrument orchestras and the first to record all of Mozart’s symphonies on period instruments. The group and has since recorded the complete piano concertos and symphonies of Beethoven. Their prize-winning recordings include Mozart’s “La clemenza di Tito,” Haydn’s “Orfeo ed Euridice,” and Handel’s “Rinaldo,” which was awarded Gramophone and Cannes Classical awards.
- 8p.m. Friday, April 21: Bill Charlap Trio. A proponent of the Great American Songbook, jazz pianist Bill Charlap interprets American musical theatre and popular music standards in ways that maintain the original essence of the music, and that create a bridge between Broadway and jazz. Charlap’s current trio includes bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington.
Originally published by at newsinfo.nd.edu on August 18, 2005.