2017-18
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE: A CINE-CONCERT
April 13, 2018
BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET April 14, 2018
DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM Ingrid Silva, Dance Theatre of Harlem. (Photo: Rachel Neville)
April 18, 2018
BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL April 19, 2018
CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT April 20, 2018
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WELCOME IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU TO THE BARCLAY.
Whether you are a frequent attendee or a first-time visitor to Irvine Barclay Theatre, we thank you for joining us tonight. The events in this program book represent the eclectic performances that make the Barclay such a special place in which to appreciate the performing arts. Whether experiencing the great music of the Triplets of Belleville, the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Cécile McLorin Salvant, or enjoying the beautifully inventive Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Barclay’s unique and powerful performances always leave a lasting impression. We are indebted to all who help us maintain this unique community resource: our staff and our Board of Directors; our public partners — the City of Irvine and UCI; and you, the audience. I especially want to thank our season sponsor, City National Bank, for its enthusiastic support. Please check out our Jazz Series for the upcoming season on page 21 of this program book. I hope you’ll be inspired to sample other presentations throughout this season and join us in welcoming an exceptional array of artists in the months to come.
Jerry Mandel, Ph.D. President, Irvine Barclay Theatre
Board of Directors CHAIR Ken Rohl Founder ROHL LLC Ramona Agrela Associate Chancellor University of California, Irvine Francisco J. Ayala Professor and National Medal of Science Laureate University of California, Irvine Stephen Barker Dean, Claire Trevor School of the Arts University of California, Irvine
Karen Cahill Community Leader
Michelle Grettenberg Deputy City Manager City of Irvine Jennifer Klein Community Leader
Jeff Lefkoff Associate Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor University of California, Irvine James C. Lindberg, MD, MBA Chief Medical Officer PersonalCare Physicians, LLC Terry McDonald Community Leader
William Parker Professor Emeritus Physics and Astronomy University of California, Irvine Penelope Parmes Parmes Law, Inc.
Gary Singer Senior Advisor RSI Holding LLC Julia Stannard Vice President/Private Banker City National Bank
Greg Rohl ROHL VP of Marketing ROHL LLC
Lynn O’Hearn Wagner Community Leader
Lynn Schott Councilmember City of Irvine
HONORARY Donald P. Wagner Mayor City of Irvine
Mickie L. Shapiro Community Leader
Howard Gillman, Ph.D. Chancellor University of California, Irvine
IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 3
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4/13
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE: A CINE-CONCERT April 13, 2018 | Cheng Hall This performance is presented without an intermission.
BENOÎT CHAREST Composer-Conductor Featuring
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE a film by Sylvain Chomet and
LE TERRIBLE ORCHESTRE DE BELLEVILLE conducted by the composer Benoît Charest
DAN THOUIN Keyboard and Accordion BRYAN HEAD Drums
MICHAEL EMENEAU Percussion and Electric Vibraphone
PAGET WILLIAMS Tour Manager
GUILLAUME BRIAND Sound and Technical Director
BRUNO LAMARCHE Saxophone, Clarinet and Flute MAXIME ST-PIERRE Trumpet
EDOUARD TOUCHETTE Trombone ZACK LOBER Bass
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THE FILM It has been more than a decade since the release of the Franco-Québécois animated movie, The Triplets of Belleville. Many still remember this film, its resounding success and incredible soundtrack, which was acclaimed many times at the Oscars, the Genie Awards and the French Césars. This much beloved animated film is screened as composer Benoît Charest leads Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville in the live performance of his original score for the film, including his Academy Award-nominated best song, “Belleville Rendez-vous.” In the spirit of the film, Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville immediately transports audiences to the exciting streets of 1920s Paris and Le Jazz Hot. The musical ensemble is made up of eight musicians with wacky instruments, reminiscent of 1930s France. The terrific Belleville Orchestra blends live music and cinema, enticing audiences into their colorful Parisian period cabaret. THE STORY
Adopted by his near-sighted grandmother, Madame Souza, Champion is a lonely little boy. Noticing that the lad is never happier than on a bicycle, Madame Souza puts him through a rigorous training process. Years go by, and Champion becomes worthy of his name. Now he is ready to enter the world-famous cycling race, the Tour de France. However, during this cycling contest, two mysterious, squareshouldered henchmen in black kidnap Champion. Madame Souza and her faithful dog, Bruno, set out to rescue him.
Their quest takes them across the ocean to a giant megalopolis called Belleville, where they encounter a trio of eccentric jazz-era divas, the renowned “Triplets of Belleville.” The three music hall stars decide to take Madame Souza and Bruno under their wing. The motley sleuths follow the clues to an underground speakeasy, where they entertain the crowd. Thanks to Bruno’s brilliant sense of smell, the chase is on! But will they succeed in beating the devilish plans of the evil French mafia? ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Sylvain Chomet (Director) was born in 1963 in MaisonsLafitte, France. In 1982, he graduated from high school specializing in art and in 1987 received a diploma from the prestigious comic strip studio at Angoulême (France). In 1986, he published his first book-length comic, Secrets of the Dragonfly (Futuropolis), and drew an adaptation of a Victor Hugo novel, Bug-Jargal, in collaboration with Nicolas de Crécy. Chomet moved to London in 1988 to work as an animator at the Richard Purdum studio. In September of that year, he established a freelance practice, working on commercials for clients such as Swissair, Principality, Swinton and Renault.
In 1991, Chomet started work on his first animated film project, The Old Lady and the Pigeons, with backgrounds designed by Nicolas de Crécy. In 1992, he wrote the script for a comic entitled The Bridge in Mud (Glénat), a science-fiction historical saga, now in its fourth episode. 6 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE
The following year, he wrote the story Léon-la-Came, drawn by Nicolas de Crécy and serialized in (A SUIVRE) magazine. The book version was published by Casterman in 1995. It won the René Goscinny Prize in January 1996.
Since 1993, Sylvain Chomet has been based in Canada. He spent 1995 and 1996 finishing his short film, The Old Lady and the Pigeons. This film won the Cartoon d’Or prize, the Grand Prize at the Annecy Festival, a BAFTA, the Audience Prize and the Jury Prize at the Angers Premiers Plans Festival. It also received an Oscar nomination for best animated short film and a nomination for the French Césars. In early 1997, Sylvain Chomet published Ugly, Poor and Sick, again with Nicolas de Crécy. The book version (Casterman) won the Alph-Art Best Comic Prize at the Angoulême Comic Strip Festival in 1997.
Benoît Charest (Composer-Conductor / Chief Musician / Guitar), an Oscar-nominated composer from Montréal, has written over 20 film scores, including 2004’s The Triplets of Belleville, which has earned him many awards. Ben studied at McGill and Montréal Universities before learning his trade touring as a sideman with various bands. A versatile composer and an accomplished jazz guitarist, he regularly performs with some of Montréal’s finest musicians. Ben wrote his first score for an NFB documentary in 1992 and is presently writing music for his jazz organ trio and touring with Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville.
Dan Thouin (Keyboard / Accordion) was seven when he first sat behind the family organ. Ten years later, he was studying classical piano. Soon he startet flirting with the jazz scene. Later, he took an interest in electronica and pop music, collaborating with the likes of Mara Tremblay, Yann Perreau and Marie-Jo Thério, and touring with Jason Bajada and Ghislain Poirier. In 2002, Thouin assembled the Large Ensemble, an all-star local group mixing jazz and rock. Informed by Miles Davis’ late 60s musical experimentations, Thouin used the band to flex their improvisational muscles. Bryan Head (Drums), a Los Angeles-based drummer and percussionist, has performed and recorded with such varying artists as Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, Foreigner, surf legend Dick Dale, Julian Lennon, Shelby Lynne, The Plimsouls, Abandoned Pools, Peter Case and John Doe of X.
Michael Emeneau (Percussion / Electric Vibraphone) has worked professionally as a vibraphonist, producer, re-mixer and arranger for 25 years, playing such diverse genres as jazz, rock, drum and bass, salsa, techno, country, Hindustani, gospel, baroque and orchestral music. During this time, he has produced 16 albums, recorded on another 150, composed music for eight films, toured internationally, and lived on three continents. As a solo recording artist, he has released a series of highly acclaimed solo CDs on the boutique record labels, Hearts of Space, Daikini, and Six Degrees Records. Currently, he is a member of Benoît Charest’s Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville and Tur Malka, featuring Canadian jazz vocal legend, Karen Young.
Bruno Lamarche (Saxophone / Flute / Clarinet), a multiinstrumentalist, has been known in Canada and Europe for more than 20 years. He has had the honor of working with luminaries such as Buddhakick, Félix Stüssi, Ray Anderson, Bernard Primeau, Joel Miller, Ben Monder, Philip Catherine, Christine Duncan, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Don Thompson and, of course, Benoît Charest. His wide-ranging career has seen him perform with Altsys, Dixieband, ONJM, and Jazzlab. A recognized arranger, Mr. Lamarche earned a Bachelor of Jazz Performance at McGill University, where he also received the Marion Magor Memorial Scholarship and the James McGill Award. Maxime St-Pierre (Trumpet) became a solid trumpeter working with many scholarly music bands such as Cegep St-Laurent, Montréal University, Vic Vogel, Dems Christianson and Montréal Jazz Big Band. He has also worked with many popular singers and groups, including Jean Jean-Pierre Ferland, Daniel Belanger, Jean Leloup, Michel Legrand, Yannick Rieu, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Michel Cusson Wild Unit, Eva! Manigat, La Bande á Magoo and Kappa.
Edouard Touchette (Trombone), from Frelighsburg, Canada, picked up the trombone at a young age. He moved to Montréal and went on to collaborate with established bands, including Papagroove, Coyote Bill and the University of Montréal Big Band. At 21, he’s already making his way as a freelance trombonist in the city.
Zack Lober (Bass). A native of Montréal, Canada, bassist/ composer Zack Lober spent 11 years in New York City before relocating to his current home base of Boston in 2016. He is a co-founder of the critically acclaimed jazz groups, The Story and Byproduct, and currently leads his own group called The Ancestry Project, which features live music and visual performance, incorporating Lober’s musical explorations with turntables. He is also active as an educator and holds a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed in New York City as a sideman in groups led by artists including David Binney, Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, Frank London, John Escreet, Greg Ward, Jamie Baum, Phil Grenadier and Jerry Bergonzi; and has also performed throughout Europe, India, Mexico, Canada, and the United States in bands led by Ingrid Jensen, Christine Jensen, Chet Doxas and Christophe Schweizer. Paget Williams (Tour Manager), a native of Montréal, has been working in the music business since the mid-80s. He has been a tour manager for many artists such as Manu Chao, Amadou and Mariam, Bebel Gilberto, Marilyn Manson, NOFX, Martha Wainwright, Carla Bruni, The Herbaliser, and Jain. He also works in the field of production, production management and stage management on many events, including Osheaga Montréal, Owls Head Festival, World Ski and Festival Whistler, among others. Guillaume Briand (Sound / Technical Director) became a musician when he discovered his passion for the art of
sound. At age 17, he decided to follow his heart. He began his career working as a sound engineer at Productions Jeun ‘Est, Les Foufounes Électriques, le Grand Bambou, Spectra, Cabaret La Tulipe and Cabaret Juste Pour Rire. He has travelled the world, creating soundscapes in France, Italy, China, the United States, Singapore and Germany, where he worked with percussionist and hybrid artist Merlin Ettore. He has toured with the extreme heavy metal group, Unexpect, from Montréal, and has performed his sonic magic at stadiums throughout Europe. He also serves as a technical director for touring shows, including Queen Ka and the cine-concert, The Triplets of Belleville. Les Armateurs (Production Company), founded by Didier Brunner in 1994, has brought two new writer-directors to the world of cartoon films, Michel Ocelot and Sylvain Chomet. The aim of the company is to discover talent and to produce a range of original and ambitious work aimed at family audiences and young adults.
The Triplets of Belleville was born at the International Animated Film Festival of Annecy. Les Armateurs had just given seven years of its life, and passion to finance and make The Old Lady and the Pigeons, a 26-minute cartoon costing more than 800,000 euros. The writing and directing talent revealed in the film was such that Mr. Brunner knew he wanted to pursue collaboration with Sylvain more ambitiously, to take even greater risks by producing Sylvain’s first feature film, and to give him an opportunity to express the full extent of his gifts. It was time to capitalize on the theatrical success of Kirikou and the Witch, which made Les Armateurs a credible partner in the field of ambitious animated features and to build on the success of The Old Lady and the Pigeons within the profession (Oscars, BAFTA, César, Annecy, etc.). Despite the magnificent graphics of The Triplets of Belleville, neither the story nor the setting is aimed specifically at a young audience. Brunner knew that he was asking his partners to accompany him in an innovative and risky venture, given the expense of the production. They held true to their course, one of the fundamental qualities of Les Armateurs. The crew showed admirable resilience, and today Les Armateurs is proud to be able to steer its ship of fantasy into a safe harbor. The Triplets of Belleville is a film by Sylvain Chomet Rated PG-13 by the MPAA. © 2002 Les Armateurs, Production Champion, Vivi Film, France 3 Cinema, RGP France and Sylvain Chomet. All Rights Reserved. Licensed in the United States/ Mexico/Australia through Sony Pictures Classics. Exclusive Worldwide Touring Management by: David Lieberman Artists’ Representatives P.O. Box 10368 Newport Beach, CA 92658 714-979-4700 724-979-4740 (Fax) info@dlartists.com www.dlartists.com
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4/14
BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET April 14, 2018 | Cheng Hall This performance is presented without an intermission.
Media Sponsor:
BRANFORD MARSALIS Saxophones JOEY CALDERAZZO Piano ERIC REVIS Bass
JUSTIN FAULKNER Drums IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 9
BRANFORD MARSALIS Branford Marsalis has stayed the course. From his early acclaim as a saxophonist bringing new energy and new audiences to jazz, he has refined and expanded his talents and his horizons as a musician, composer, bandleader and educator—a 21st century mainstay of artistic excellence. Growing up in the rich environment of New Orleans as the oldest son of pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis, Branford was drawn to music along with siblings Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason. His first instrument, the clarinet, gave way to the alto and then the tenor and soprano saxophones when the teenage Branford began working in local bands. A growing fascination with jazz as he entered college gave him the basic tools to obtain his first major jobs, with trumpet legend Clark Terry and alongside Wynton in Art Blakey’s legendary Jazz Messengers. When the brothers left to form the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, the world of uncompromising acoustic jazz was invigorated. Branford formed his own quartet in 1986 and, with a few minor interruptions in the early years, has sustained the unit as his primary means of expression. Known for the telepathic communication among its uncommonly consistent personnel, its deep book of original music replete with expressive melodies and provocative forms, and an unrivaled spirit in both live and recorded performances, the Branford Marsalis Quartet has long been recognized as the standard to which other ensembles of its kind must be measured.
The Quartet rarely invites other musicians into the folds of their cohesive unit, but in December 2015, they were joined by guest vocalist Kurt Elling for a weekend engagement at New Orleans’ Snug Harbor. This culminated with three days in the studios of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music where, energized by the artistic promise of this collaboration, the musicians all contributed new arrangements to record with this special line-up. The result can be heard on their June 2016 release, Upward Spiral, which was nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Album. Branford has not confined his music to the quartet context. In addition to guest turns with a legion of giants, including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins, he has excelled in duets with several major pianists, including his boyhood friend, Harry Connick, Jr. and the longtime pianist in his quartet, Joey Calderazzo. Branford’s first solo concert, at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, is documented on his 2014 recording, In My Solitude.
Classical music inhabits a growing portion of Branford’s musical universe. With a repertoire including works by Copland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, Vaughan Williams, Villa-Lobos and Sally Beamish (who reconceived a work in progress, “Under the Wing of the Rock,” to feature Branford’s saxophone after hearing him perform one of her earlier pieces), Branford is frequently heard with leading symphony orchestras, including those in Chicago, Detroit, Dusseldorf and North Carolina as well as the New York Philharmonic. He served as creative director 10 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE
for the Cincinnati Symphony’s Ascent series in 2012–13. Broadway has also welcomed Branford’s contributions. His initial effort, original music for a revival of August Wilson’s Fences, garnered a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play and a Tony nomination for Best Original Score Written for the Theater. Branford also provided music for The Mountaintop, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, and served as musical curator for the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun. Branford’s screen credits include the original music for Mo’ Better Blues and acting roles in School Daze and Throw Momma from the Train. Branford formed the Marsalis Music label in 2002, and under his direction it has documented his own music, talented new stars such as Miguel Zenón and unheralded older masters, including one of Branford’s teachers, the late Alvin Batiste. Branford has also shared his knowledge as an educator, forming extended teaching relationships at Michigan State, San Francisco State and North Carolina Central Universities and conducting workshops at sites throughout the United States and the world.
As for other public stages, Branford spent a period touring with Sting, collaborated with the Grateful Dead and Bruce Hornsby, served as musical director of The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno and hosted National Public Radio’s widely syndicated Jazz Set. The range and quality of these diverse activities established Branford as a familiar presence beyond the worlds of jazz and classical music, while his efforts to help heal and rebuild New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina mark him as an artist with an uncommonly effective social vision. Together with Harry Connick, Jr. and New Orleans Habitat for Humanity, Branford conceived and helped to realize The Musicians’ Village, a community in the Upper Ninth Ward that provides homes to the displaced families of musicians and other local residents. At the heart of The Musicians’ Village stands the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, a community center dedicated to preserving the rich New Orleans musical legacy, containing state-of-the art spaces for performance, instruction and recording. Some might gauge Branford Marsalis’ success by his numerous awards, including three Grammys and (together with his father and brothers) his citation as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. To Branford, however, these are only way stations along what continues to be one of the most fascinating and rewarding journeys in the world of music. Artist Representation: Opus 3 Artists 470 Park Avenue South, 9th Floor North New York, NY 10016 212-584-7500 www.opus3artists.com
4/18
DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM April 18, 2018 | Cheng Hall This performance will include two 15-minute intermissions.
Sponsored by an anonymous fund of the
Orange County Community Foundation Founders
Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook Artistic Director
Virginia Johnson Executive Director
Anna Glass
Ballet Master
Keith Saunders Ballet Master
Kellye A. Saunders
Interim General Manager
Melinda Bloom
Media Sponsor:
ArtsReach activities in conjunction with Dance Theatre of Harlem are sponsored by
Dance Artists
Lindsey Croop Yinet Fernandez Alicia Mae Holloway Crystal Serrano Ingrid Silva Amanda Smith Alison Stroming Stephanie Rae Williams Donald Nguyen Davison Da’Von Doane Choong Hoon Lee Christopher McDaniel Anthony Santos Dylan Santos Jorge Andrés Villarini Artistic Director Emeritus
Arthur Mitchell
Support for Dance Theatre of Harlem’s 2017–2018 Tour Program and activities are made possible in part by: Annonymous; The Arnhold Foundation; The Arts Federation; The Dauray Fund; Ford Foundation; Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation; Howard Gilman Foundation; The DuBose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund; The Hulitar Family Foundation; Estee Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation; John L. McHugh Foundation; Margaret T. Morris Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; The Thompson Family Foundation; and Xerox Foundation.
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PROGRAM
BRAHMS VARIATIONS
VESSELS
World Premiere: Virginia Arts Festival, May 14, 2016 Choreography: Robert Garland Music: Johannes Brahms Costume Design and Execution: Pamela Allen-Cummings Lighting: Roma Flowers
World Premiere: October 17, 2014 Choreography: Darrell Grand Moultrie Music: Ezio Bosso Costume Design and Execution: George Hudačko Lighting Design: Clifton Taylor
Lindsey Croop, Jorge Andrés Villarini, Alicia Mae Holloway, Yinet Fernandez, Amanda Smith, Ingrid Silva, Anthony Santos, Dylan Santos, Donald Nguyen Davison, Christopher McDaniel
“The inspiration for the ballet is Louis XIV, French Patron of the Arts and Grandfather of the ballet canon. Arthur Mitchell was a big persona in my life, a Harlem version of the French Monarch. So, the ballet is, in part, Louis the XIV’s court meeting Harlem Swag.” — Robert Garland The ballet is dedicated to former DTH Ballerina and Norfolk Native Lorraine Graves, and Fabian Barnes, our good friend and colleague…rest in peace brother.
Brahms Variations is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. INTERMISSION
DANCING ON THE FRONT PORCH OF HEAVEN Odes to Love and Loss World Premiere: 1993, DTH Premiere: October 4, 2013 Choreography: Ulysses Dove; The Estate of Ulysses Dove: Alfred Dove Administrator Music: Arvo Pärt (Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, 1977) Staging: Anne Dabrowski Costume Design: Jorge Gallardo Lighting Design: Björn Nilsson; Recreated by Peter D. Leonard Ingrid Silva, Alison Stroming, Stephanie Rae Williams, Da’von Doane, Christopher McDaniel, Choong Hoon Lee
Subtitled “Odes to Love and Loss,” Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven was choreographed for the Royal Swedish Ballet in 1993 during a challenging period in Ulysses Dove’s life. Having lost 13 close friends and relatives, among them his father, Dove himself explained, “I want to tell an experience in movement, a story without words, and create a poetic monument over people I loved.” Set to Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, Dove’s spare but demanding choreography invites dancer and viewer alike to live in each moment as if it were the last.
INTERMISSION
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Light Stephanie Rae Williams, Amanda Smith, Yinet Fernandez, Crystal Serrano, Alicia Mae Holloway, Da’Von Doane, Choong Hoon Lee, Dylan Santos, Donald Nguyen Davison, Anthony Santos Belief Amanda Smith, Yinet Fernandez, Crystal Serrano, Alicia Mae Holloway Love Stephanie Rae Williams, Da’von Doane Abundance The Company
The entire journey is cyclic. Let us all be infused with something beautiful that can be transferred to others.
This commission is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
ABOUT DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM Forty-eight years ago, Arthur Mitchell and his mentor, Karel Shook, founded Dance Theatre of Harlem as a beacon of hope for the youth in the underprivileged neighborhood where Mitchell grew up. An acclaimed principal dancer with George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet, Mitchell took the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a call to action. Drawing on his expertise and his prominence as the first African American to be a member of a major U.S. ballet company, Mitchell’s ground-breaking idea was to transform the lives of young people in Harlem by providing training in classical ballet. In a few short years his response to tragedy became a leading dance institution comprised of a touring company, training school and arts education program of unparalleled global acclaim. Now a singular presence in the ballet world, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company tours nationally and internationally, presenting a powerful vision for ballet in the 21st century. The 16-member, multiethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes classical and neoclassical works as well as innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression commissioned to connect to contemporary audiences.
THE DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM COMPANY Lindsey Croop: Born: Midland, TX. Training: A Petite Dance Studio, Midland Festival Ballet under Susan Clark. Education: cum laude graduate of Butler University, degree in Dance Arts Administration and Journalism. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (sixth year), Nashville Ballet (trainee). Repertoire: works by Robert Garland, Nacho Duato, Ulysses Dove, George Balanchine, Donald Byrd, Elena Kunikova and Dianne McIntyre. Donald Nguyen Davison: Born: Loma Linda, CA. Training: San Francisco Ballet School, Ballet Austin. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (first season), Anaheim Ballet, San Diego Ballet, California Ballet, Festival Ballet Theatre. Repertoire: The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Graduation Ball.
Da’Von Doane: Born: Salisbury, MD. Training: Salisbury Studio of Dance (now Salisbury Dance Academy), Betty Webster, Tatiana Akinfieva-Smith, Elena Manakhova, Atlantic Contemporary Ballet Theatre. Early Dance Experience: Eastern Shore Ballet Theatre, Kirov Academy of Ballet and Atlantic Contemporary Ballet Theatre. Named one of “25 to Watch” in 2014 by Dance Magazine. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (sixth year), Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, Claudia Schreier & Company, Ballet Noir and Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre. Repertoire: works by George Balanchine, Christopher Huggins, Arthur Mitchell, Billy Wilson and Donald Byrd. Yinet Fernandez: Born: Mariano, Havana, Cuba. Training: Provincial School of the Arts, National School of Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (first year), Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Connecticut Ballet. Repertoire: The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppélia, La Fille mal gardée, Don Quixote. Alicia Mae Holloway: Born: Morgantown, WV. Training: Kate and Company Studio, Morgantown Dance Studio with Desiree Witt, Lauren Stone, Marilyn Pipes, Eunice Kim, Robert Steele, School of American Ballet with Suki Schorer, Suzy Pilarre, Darci Kistler, Kay Mazzo and Jock Soto. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (third year) and Suzanne Farrell Ballet (apprentice). Repertoire: works by Robert Garland, Elena Kunikova and Nacho Duato.
Choong Hoon Lee: Born: Seoul, South Korea. Training: Korean National University of Arts and School of American Ballet. Early Experience: semi-finalist, Varna International Ballet Competition, Gwanju International Competition (gold medal in Pas de Deux). Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (third year), Mariinsky Ballet, Korean National Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and New York Theatre Ballet. Repertoire: works by Robert Garland and Ulysses Dove; and soloist roles in Othello, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Spartacus, Paquita, Le Corsaire and Giselle.
Christopher McDaniel: Born: East Harlem, NY. Training: Dance Theatre of Harlem School, LaGuardia School of Performing Arts, Ballet Academy East, Boston Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (first season), Ballet San Antonio, Los Angeles Ballet.
Anthony Santos: Born: New York, NY. Training: Alvin Ailey School, North Carolina School of the Arts. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (first year), Zest Collective and Caitlin Trainor Dance. Repertoire: works by Darrell Grand Moultrie, Robert Garland and Nacho Duato.
Dylan Santos: Born: São Paulo, Brazil. Training: Centro de Artes Pavilhao D under Ricardo Scheir and Harid Conservatory. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fourth year), Houston Ballet (trainee), Orlando Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Paris Opera Ballet. Repertoire: works by George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Robert Garland, Ulysses Dove and Marius Petipa.
Crystal Serrano: Born: Denver, CO. Training: Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet, Olympic Ballet Theatre. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (first year), Ballet San Antonio, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet. Repertoire: Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Peter Pan, Firebird, Donizetti Variations, Cinderella, The Four Temperaments, Allegro Brillante, The Sleeping Beauty, Serenade and Swan Lake.
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Ingrid Silva: Born: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Training: Projeto Dançando Para Não Dançar, Escola de Danca Maria Olenewa, and Centro de Movimento Debora Colker. Education: Universidade da Cidade. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (sixth year), Grupo Corpo (apprentice), Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, Dançando Para Não Dançar, Armitage Gone! Dance, The Francesca Harper Project. Repertoire: works by Arthur Mitchell, Donald Byrd, George Balanchine, John Alleyne, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Francesca Harper, Robert Garland, David Fernandez, Carol Armitage, Deborah Colker, Rodrigo Pederneiras and many others. Amanda Smith: Born: Orange County, CA. Training: Charlotte Ballet, SUNY Purchase, Joffrey Ballet School, Anaheim Ballet, Pointe of Grace, Ballet Pacifica. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (first year), Charlotte Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, Black Iris Project. Repertoire: works by George Balanchine, Mark Diamond, Sasha James, Dwight Rhoden, Alonzo King, Jiří Kylián and Helen Pickett. Alison Stroming: Born: Recife, Brazil. Training: School of American Ballet and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, Junior Division. Early Experience: children’s roles with New York City Ballet, 2010 New York Miss Outstanding Teen, and Dizzy Feet Foundation Award 2010. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fourth year), Alberta Ballet, Ballet San Jose. Special Awards: National Capezio Athlete. Repertoire: works by George Balanchine, Donald Byrd, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Ulysses Dove, Robert Garland, Dwight Rhoden, Twyla Tharp and Ohad Naharin. Jorge Andres Villarini: Born: San Juan, Puerto Rico. Training: Escuela de Baile Andanza in Puerto Rico and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. Education: Marymount Manhattan College (B.F.A.). Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (fourth year), Ballet Met, Martha Graham Dance Company. Special Awards: Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Columbus Dances Choreographic Fellowship. Repertoire: works by Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine, John Butler, Nacho Duato, Frederick Franklin, Martha Graham, Alwin Nikolais, Amedeo Amodio, James Kudelka, Edward Liang, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Rodney Rivera, Christopher Wheeldon and Shen Wei. Stephanie Rae Williams: Born: Salt Lake City, UT. Training: Dallas Dance Academy with Lyndette Galen and Fiona Fairrie, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Springboard Danse Montréal, The Juilliard School, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet and Houston Ballet Academy. Professional Experience: Dance Theatre of Harlem (sixth year), Dance Theatre of Harlem
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Ensemble, The Francesca Harper Project, Complexions Contemporary Dance Company, Ballet Black, Texas Ballet Theater. Special Awards: August 2013 Dance Magazine “On the Rise,” 2006 National Foundation for the Arts Award, 2006 Youth America Grand Prix finalist, and 2004 Texas Commission on the Arts Young Master. Repertoire: works by Arthur Mitchell, Donald Byrd, George Balanchine, John Alleyne, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Francesca Harper, Robert Garland and David Fernandez. Virginia Johnson (Artistic Director). A founding member of Dance Theatre of Harlem, Virginia Johnson was one of its principal ballerinas over a career that spanned nearly 30 years. After retiring in 1997, Ms. Johnson went on to found Pointe magazine and was editor-in-chief for 10 years.
A native of Washington, D.C., Ms. Johnson began her training with Therrell Smith. She studied with Mary Day at the Washington School of Ballet and graduated from the Academy of the Washington School of Ballet. She went on to be a University Scholar in the School of the Arts at New York University before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Virginia Johnson is universally recognized as one of the great ballerinas of her generation and is perhaps best known for her performances in the ballets Giselle, A Streetcar Named Desire and Fall River Legend. She has received such honors as a Young Achiever Award from the National Council of Women, Outstanding Young Woman of America, the Dance Magazine Award, a Pen and Brush Achievement Award, the Washington Performing Arts Society’s 2008-2009 Pola Nirenska Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2009 Martha Hill Fund Mid-Career Award. Arthur Mitchell (Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus) is known around the world for creating and sustaining the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the internationally acclaimed ballet company he co-founded with Karel Shook in 1969. Following a brilliant career as a principal artist with the New York City Ballet, Mr. Mitchell dedicated his life to changing perceptions and advancing the art form of ballet through the first permanently established African American and racially diverse ballet company.
Born in New York City in 1934, Mr. Mitchell began his dance training at New York City’s High School of the Performing Arts, where he won the coveted annual dance award and subsequently a full scholarship to the School of American Ballet. In 1955, he became the first male African American to become a permanent member of a major ballet company when he joined New York City Ballet. Mr. Mitchell rose quickly to the rank of principal dancer during his 15-year career with New York City Ballet and electrified audiences with his performances in a broad spectrum of roles. Upon learning of the death of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and with financial assistance from Mrs. Alva B. Gimbel, the Ford Foundation and his own savings, Mr. Mitchell founded Dance Theatre of Harlem with his mentor and ballet instructor, Karel Shook. With an illustrious career that has spanned over 50 years, Mr. Mitchell is the recipient of The Kennedy Center Honors, a National Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the New York Living Landmark Award, the Handel Medallion, the NAACP Image Award, and more than a dozen honorary degrees.
Keith Saunders (Ballet Master), a native of Baltimore, MD, began dancing in 1971 while a student at Harvard University. He began his ballet training in 1973 at the National Center for Afro-American Artists in Dorchester, MA. Mr. Saunders joined Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1975 and continued his development under the tutelage of Arthur Mitchell, Karel Shook and William Griffith. He became a principal dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem and performed a wide range of roles throughout the company’s repertoire for more than 17 years. He also danced with France’s Ballet du Nord (1986) and BalletMet of Columbus, OH (1987–1989).
As a guest artist, Mr. Saunders appeared with Boston Repertory Ballet, Maryland Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, Ballethnic Dance Company and the David Parsons Company, among others. He has been a faculty member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem School, the BalletMet Dance Academy, the New Ballet School (Ballet Tech), Steps NYC, and the 92nd Street Y. In 2003, Mr. Saunders was guest artist-in-residence in the Dance Department at the University of Wyoming. He has taught and choreographed at their Snowy Range Dance Festival eight times.
Keith Saunders was appointed Dance Theatre of Harlem’s assistant ballet master in 1994 and ballet master in 1996. From 2004 to 2010, Mr. Saunders was director of Dancing Through Barriers®, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s international education and outreach initiative, in addition to directing the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble. In 2017, Saunders earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from Hollins University of Roanoke, VA.
Kellye A. Saunders (Ballet Master) began her dance training at the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet in Washington, D.C. She continued her dance education with Rosella Hightower at Le Centre de Danse International in Cannes, France, under the tutelage of Rosella Hightower, before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem. Ms. Saunders spent most of her career with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she was a principal dancer. Some of Ms. Saunders’ featured roles include Firebird, Giselle, A Song for Dead Warriors, Apollo, Serenade, Adrian (Angel on Earth), The Four Temperaments, The Moor’s Pavane, Allegro Brillante and Fancy Free. Ms. Saunders has also appeared in the Broadway productions of The Red Shoes and Porgy and Bess and as a guest artist dancing the role of The Striptease Girl in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue in a collaborative project with the New York City Ballet. After leaving Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ms. Saunders joined Ballet NY and Collage Dance Collective as a principal dancer. Some of her other guest appearances include performances with Washington Ballet, Maryland Ballet, Ballethnic Dance Company, Gala of International Ballet Stars, Configurations Dance Company, The Flint Institute of Music, Complexions Contemporary Dance and The Metropolitan Opera. Ms. Saunders has had extensive experience teaching and coaching dancers at both academic and professional levels. From 2010 to 2013, Ms. Saunders served as the project coordinator for the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Harlem Dance Works 2.0 Series. Harlem Dance Works 2.0 was a series of choreographic workshops whose purpose was to produce new repertoire for the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company. She is currently a ballet master of the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company.
Robert Garland (Resident Choreographer). “[Gloria], Robert Garland’s 2012 ballet celebrating Dance Theatre of Harlem’s rebirth is a transcendent work that relies as much on imagination as steps.” —The New York Times
Robert Garland was a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company, achieving the rank of principal dancer. After creating a work for the Dance Theatre of Harlem School Ensemble, Arthur Mitchell invited Robert Garland to create a work for The Dance Theatre of Harlem Company and appointed him the organization’s first resident choreographer. He is also director of the Professional Training Program of the Dance Theatre of Harlem School and the organization’s webmaster.
In addition to choreographing several ballets for Dance Theatre of Harlem, Mr. Garland has also created works for New York City Ballet, Britain’s Royal Ballet, Oakland Ballet and many others. His commercial work has included music videos, commercials and short films, including the children’s television show Sesame Street, a Nike commercial featuring New York Yankee Derek Jeter, the NAACP Image Awards, a short film for designer Donna Karan, and the “Charmin Cha-Cha” for Proctor and Gamble. Mr. Garland holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Juilliard School in New York City. Anna Glass (Executive Director) has been involved in the performing arts as both an artist and arts administrator for over 20 years. She recently produced Carmen de Lavallade’s newest solo show, As I Remember It, an intimate portrait of this legendary artist. Anna previously served as the managing director of 651 ARTS, a presenting/producing arts organization dedicated to celebrating contemporary performing arts of the African Diaspora. While at 651 ARTS, she co-produced numerous projects, including the highly regarded national tour of FLY: Five First Ladies of Dance.
Anna has served as a consultant, providing strategic planning and fundraising guidance to various non-profit arts organizations, including Urban Bush Women and the Weeksville Heritage Center. She currently serves on the board of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. She has served as a Hub Site for the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project grant program. After receiving her Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton School of Law, Anna became the Artist Representative for the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, a company she performed with for three years (DCDC2). She is a licensed attorney in the State of New York and lives in Harlem with her husband and daughter. DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM, INC. Everett Center for the Performing Arts 466 West 152nd Street New York, NY 10031-1814 (212) 690-2800, (212) 690-8736 fax www.dancetheatreofharlem.org
IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 15
DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael D. Armstrong Chairman Leslie Wims Morris Vice-Chairman
Ackneil M. Muldrow, III Vice-Chairman Zandra Perry Ogbomo Treasurer Don M. Tellock, Esq. Secretary
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Artistic Director Virginia Johnson
Executive Director Anna Glass
Director of Development Paola Muggia
Director, Individual Giving Sharon Duncan Marketing Manager Keyana K. Patterson Grant Writer Sallie Sanders
Controller Nicole Frisina, Wen Song, Your Part-Time Controller Staff Accountant Mark Rowan Accountant Melissa Filippi
HR Consultant Hero Doucas, Marsh & McLennan Agency
Assistant to the Executive Director Jordan Oldham Building Operations Manager Kenneth Thomas
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Kendrick F. Ashton Jr. Nancy Pforzheimer Aronson Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III Kevin M. Cofsky Isabel Kallman Spencer Means Jessye Norman
Building / Maintenance Alberto Recinos, Lillian Recinoas, Marco Recinos, Altagraciรก Tejeda, Ana Tejeda, Janifer Tejeda Front Desk LaShawn Wallace, Matt Akins, Dara Bean, Kanika Brown, Liz McAllister COMPANY STAFF Ballet Master Keith Saunders
Ballet Master Kellye A. Saunders
Resident Choreographer Robert Garland
Interim General Manager & Company Manager Melinda Bloom Stage Manager Heather Olcott
Lighting Supervisor Leo Janks
Wardrobe Supervisor Katy Freeman Booking Manager Edward Schoelwer
Physical Therapists Alison Deleget & Joshua Honrado, Harkness Center for Dance Injuries
DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM SCHOOL Director Robert Garland
Associate Director Lower/Upper School Augustus van Heerden Associate Director, Tendu Program Rachel Sekyi
Student Affairs Officer Karen Farnum-Williams COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Arts Education and Outreach Manager Sophia Morris-Pittman Program Associate Theara Ward
THE WOODEN FLOOR PERFORMS
Unifying AN INSPIRING CONTEMPORARY DANCE EVENT A powerful, must-see contemporary dance performance, featuring the nation's top artists, designers, and choreographers working in collaboration with youth from low-income communities. These young dancers and their introspective work consistently produce poignant, ground-breaking dance pieces that have drawn national accolades.
35TH ANNUAL CONCERT M AY 3 1 - J U N E 2 , 2 0 1 8 I R V I N E B A R C L AY T H E AT R E
Tickets on sale now! Reserve your tickets at TheWoodenFloor.org/UnifyingCatalysts
Photography by Christine Cotter Š2018 The Wooden Floor.
Arts Night Out Free pre-performance chat Saturday, June 2 at 6:45pm Presented by
Based in Santa Ana, California, The Wooden Floor is one of the foremost creative youth development nonprofit organizations in the country. We transform the lives of young people in low-income communities through the power of dance and access to higher education.
IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 17
Enjoy Great Music with Pacific Symphony Classical & Pops & Organ Concerts Rach 2 Featuring Boris Giltburg May 31-June 2 • 8 p.m.
Saturday Night Fever – Music of the Bee Gees June 8-9 • 8 p.m.
Watts Plays Beethoven May 3-5 • 8 p.m. Nosferatu — A Symphony of Horror April 29 • 3 p.m. (1922 silent film with organist Dennis James)
Sounds of Hollywood Featuring Anne Akiko Meyers June 14-16 • 8 p.m.
PacificSymphony.org (714) 755-5799
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4/19
BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL April 19, 2018 | Cheng Hall This performance is presented without an intermission.
BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL Vocals
TEDD FIRTH Piano BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL Dubbed “the last leading man” by The New York Times, two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a career that spans Broadway, television, film and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras. He has received two Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for his star turn in Kiss Me, Kate. He also gave Tony-nominated performances in Man of La Mancha, August Wilson’s King Hedley II and Ragtime. Other notable Broadway shows include Kiss of the Spider Woman, Jelly’s Last Jam, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Shuffle Along. Off-Broadway credits include Do Re Mi, Carnival, Kismet and The Bandwagon at City Center Encores and Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park.
Stokes (as he prefers to be called) was born in Seattle, Washington, on Halloween. His father, George Mitchell, was a civilian electronics engineer working for the Navy and later the chief radio officer with both the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Exxon. His father was also one of the original Tuskegee Airman, having taught radio code at Moton Field, Alabama. His mother, Lillian Mitchell, was an educator. Stokes spent his childhood in Seattle, San Diego, Guam and the Philippines. He moved back to the United States at the age of 14 and began studying acting, singing and dancing at San Diego Junior Theatre. Within two years, he was performing on various San Diego stages, including the Old Globe Theatre and San Diego’s Starlight Opera Company. A transfer to Los Angeles with the 12th Night Repertory Company gave him the opportunity to start a long career in television and film.
An extremely versatile singer, Stokes has performed at venues all over the country spanning jazz, opera, pops, country and the musical theater world. He has performed with John Williams, Gustavo Dudamel, Marvin Hamlisch, Keith Lockhart, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Big Band, The Mormon Tabernacle choir and The Muppets. Stokes has made multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall, beginning with his debut with the San Francisco Symphony through his televised performance in South Pacific opposite Reba McEntire to his sold-out solo concert, which he continues to perform throughout the U.S. Venues he has appeared at include
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Disney Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, The Hollywood Bowl, Radio City Music Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center. He has twice been invited to perform at The White House and has sung for Presidents Clinton and Obama.
Stokes has delved deeply into various music disciplines. In addition to singing, he began piano studies at the age of six. His musical curiosity lead him to an interest in orchestration, arranging and film scoring, which he first started studying on his own in his late teens. He later studied film scoring, orchestration and conducting through UCLA and scored and conducted a number of Trapper John, MD episodes, a series on which he was also a regular cast member. His musical talent has extended to the present day as producer, arranger and orchestrator on his own albums, including his last release, Simply Broadway. Simply Broadway is an album of classic Broadway tunes that have been musically re-imagined but still retain the spirit of the originals. It features the Tony-winning singer accompanied by a solo piano and was released in the fall of 2012. It was recorded in the “old-school” style, without overdubs or audio separation —Stokes and his pianist, Tedd Firth, were in the same room at the same time as they recorded the tracks. The song selection includes works from Camelot, Porgy and Bess, Company, Sunday in the Park with George, Les Miserables and other classics. Stokes has appeared on more than 20 albums, his most recent being a recording of “What the World Needs Now” with other members of the Broadway community to help those affected by the tragedy at The Pulse club in Orlando, Florida. He is currently in the studio completing his latest album, Plays with Music, which will be released this year. His extensive screen credits began with a guest starring role on Roots: The Next Generations, which lead to a seven-year stint on Trapper John, MD. His 40-year long TV/film run continued with memorable appearances on everything from PBS’ Great Performances to Frasier, The Prince of Egypt (singing “Through Heaven’s Eyes”), Glee, Jumping the Broom, Madam Secretary and The Blacklist. For the past two seasons, he has had recurring roles on Mr. Robot and Hulu’s The Path. As a voice-over artist, he has portrayed dozens of characters on animated TV episodes. NPR aired his narration of Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait with the U.S. Marine Band. His second performance at The White House, A Celebration of American Creativity, aired this year on PBS. As a writer, Stokes has contributed to the book Hirschfeld’s Harlem, wrote the preface to At This Theatre and coauthored the children’s book Lights on Broadway.
Stokes has received a number of awards for both his charitable and artistic work, including the New Dramatists Distinguished Achievement Award, The Actors Fund’s Julie Harris Award, Canada’s Dora Mavor Moore Award (The Canadian “Tony”) and the Americans for the Arts Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award. In 1998, he
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joined the likes of Helen Hayes, Sir John Gielgud, Alec Guinness and James Earl Jones when he became the sole recipient of the Distinguished Performance Award from the Drama League, the nation’s oldest theatrical honor, for his performance in Ragtime. In November of 2016, he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
Stokes is a great proponent of arts education and speaks passionately about the importance of art in all of our lives. Last year, he was the entertainment host on the first night of the Lincoln Center Global Exchange and is a member of Americans for the Arts, a non-partisan arts lobbying organization. He has enjoyed working with numerous other charitable organizations, from the March of Dimes to the USO. Stokes has been the Chairman of the Board of The Actors Fund for the past 13 years, and this year received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for his work with that organization. For fun, he has been known to fly planes and jump out of them (usually not at the same time), and he can ride a bicycle on a high wire. He resides in New York City with his wife, son and rescued mutt. TEDD FIRTH Tedd Firth is a New York City-based accompanist, jazz pianist and arranger. As an accompanist, he has worked with Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lee Ann Womack, Tom Wopat, Faith Prince, Marilyn Maye, Hilary Kole, Linda Lavin, James Naughton, Lucie Arnaz, Jane Olivor, Karen Akers, Darius DeHaas, Mary Cleere Haran, Margaret Whiting, Carol Sloane, Bob Stewart, Marlene VerPlanck, Nancy Marano, KT Sullivan, Claiborne Cary and many others. Among the jazz musicians he has performed or recorded with are John Pizzarelli, Houston Person, Frank Wess, Mark Whitfield, Red Holloway, Benny Golson and Joe Morello. New York appearances include Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, Birdland, The Iridium, the Algonquin, Café Carlyle, Feinstein’s at the Regency, the Rainbow Room, Town Hall, The Russian Tea Room and Gracie Mansion. Numerous national appearances include a performance at The White House. Tedd’s work as an arranger/orchestrator has been performed by Peter Nero and The Philly POPS, the Detroit, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras, the Ocean City Pops (NJ), the Stamford Symphony and the Spokane Jazz Orchestra. Television appearances include The Today Show, All My Children and The Caroline Rhea Show.
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June 2–9, 2018
Claire Trevor Theatre
Bold, brash, and fun, American Idiot takes Green Day ’s chart-topping 2005 punk rock album and brings it vibrantly to life. The young anti-hero, a self-proclaimed “Jesus of Suburbia,” along with his two buddies, attempt to break out of their mindnumbing, aimless suburban existence. Each of the men struggles to find the balance between rage and love — a conflict that defines their generation, in the socio-political climate of the Trump era.
Box Office (949) 824-2787 | www.arts.uci.edu/tickets $18 / $15 / $11
IBTl_2017_7.5x4.5_Book10v2.indd 1
3/12/2018 4:00:40 PM
The City of Irvine plays an invaluable role in the successful operation of Irvine Barclay Theatre. We thank the City for its generous support.
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Photo by Paul R. Kennedy.
4/20
CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT Sponsored by:
Jacquelynn & Roland Beverly
April 20, 2018 | Cheng Hall This performance is presented without an intermission.
Media Sponsor:
CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT Vocals
SULLIVAN FORTNER Piano
CÉCILE McLORIN SALVANT Cécile McLorin Salvant grew up in a bilingual household in Miami, the child of a French mother and Haitian father. She started piano studies at age five, and at eight began singing with the Miami Choral Society. After graduating high school, McLorin Salvant decided to pursue her education in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. In this unlikely setting, she embarked on a new career as a jazz performer, while pursuing a degree in French law and her training as a classical and baroque singer. Shortly before the release of Cécile McLorin Salvant’s debut Mack Avenue album, WomanChild, critic Ben Ratliff made a bold prediction in the pages of The New York Times. McLorin Salvant, he claimed, “is still mostly unknown to jazz audiences”—then added: “though not for much longer.”
McLorin Salvant has more than validated that forecast. The past three years have been a whirlwind of success and acclaim for the young vocalist, who first came to the attention of jazz fans with her triumph at the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. WomanChild went on to earn a bevy of honors, including a Grammy Award nomination and a selection as Jazz Album of the Year by the DownBeat International Critics Poll.
Her 2016 Grammy Award-winning album, For One to Love, may be the defining jazz statement on romance in the new millennium, a heartfelt album that both embodies the full range of the American popular song idiom, but distills it into a distinctly personal expression of a modern-day poet-troubadour. On For One to Love, McLorin Salvant shows her uncanny knack of channeling her own personality into the work of her predecessors, both the acclaimed (Bessie Smith) and the less well-known (Blanche Calloway, whose fame during her lifetime was eclipsed by her brother Cab). “I’ve made some choices about celebrating strong women,” McLorin Salvant explains. “And I want to celebrate independence, the courage not to look or act a certain way.”
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She’s taking another big leap forward with Dreams and Daggers, her highly-anticipated third album for Mack Avenue Records (released on September 29, 2017), for which she received the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. McLorin Salvant says of this project: “The songs on this album are of dreams and daggers. The daggers have been used at times to attack, at times to defend. For power, no doubt, to take it, to keep it. The dreams are the ones I caught looking out a window, or from the light sleep before the deep. I don’t always know what they mean, but they are the ones I was able to keep. And yet dreams can be desires too. I wrote them down to make them true. That we may bring our wildness into view. That we may be unruled and unruly.” “If anyone can extend the lineage of the Big Three —Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald— it is this 28-year-old virtuoso.” (Stephen Holden, The New York Times) Artist Representation: The Kurland Agency 173 Brighton Avenue Boston, MA 02134 www.thekurlandagency.com
SULLIVAN FORTNER Lauded as one of the top jazz pianists of his generation, Sullivan Fortner is recognized for his virtuosic technique and captivating performances. The winner of three prestigious awards— a Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association and the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists—Sullivan’s music embodies the essence of the blues and jazz as he connects music of all eras and genres through his improvisation.
As a leader, The Sullivan Fortner Trio has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Discover Jazz Festival, Tri-C JazzFest, Jazz Standard and the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Fortner has been heard with other leading musicians around the world, including Dianne Reeves, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, John Scofield, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Fred Hersch, Sean Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roberta Gambarini, Peter Bernstein, Stefon Harris, Nicholas Peyton, Billy Hart, Dave Liebman, Gary Bartz, Etienne Charles and Christian Scott.
Enter to win your
Dream Hawaiian Vacation 5 Nights in an Ocean Front Guest Room + Airfare!
Get your tickets in the lobby! $20 each or 6 for $100
The prize drawing will be held on stage at the Barclay’s Voices of Hawaii show Wednesday, May 23, 2018
The 2018 Hawaiian Music Masters Series is also sponsored by
Richard & Elizabeth Steele Fund | Trisha Steele 24 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE
For Your Information Ticket Services Order online 24/7 at www.thebarclay.org or www.facebook.com/IrvineBarclay/events
Call the Box Office at 949.854.4646 Monday through Friday from 10am until 6pm; Saturday and Sunday from noon until 4pm. On days of a performance, the Box Office remains open through intermission. MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover accepted. Late Seating To prevent disruption of a performance in progress, patrons who have not entered the theatre when the performance begins may be asked to wait in the lobby until there is a suitable interval.
Ushers Ushers are located at each auditorium entrance and at designated stations in the lobby. Please consult an usher if you need assistance. If you are interested in joining the usher staff, please contact the Patron Services Manager at: 949.854.4193; darling@thebarclay.org. Public Parking Parking is provided for a fee in the structure located at the corner of West Peltason and Campus Drive.
Restrooms Restrooms are located on the main lobby level near the box office. Drinking fountains are located on either side of the main lobby staircase and on the second level. Listening Devices Listening devices for amplifying stage sound are available at the concessions bar free of charge.
Cellular Phones, Beepers, Watch Alarms As a courtesy to all patrons, please turn these units to off or non-audible before the performance begins. Cameras and Recording Equipment The taking of photographs and use of any mechanical or digital recording devices are strictly prohibited.
Children Children are welcome. However, not all events are appropriate for small children. A paid ticket is required for everyone entering the theatre, including infants and children. The box office can provide advice regarding an event’s suitability.
Theatre Tours Backstage tours of the Barclay are offered through the theatre’s ArtsReach program. For information, or to reserve tours for schools or community groups please call 949.854.4193.
Irvine Barclay Theatre Online Get the latest information on what’s happening at Irvine Barclay Theatre by joining the Barclay’s E-list to receive email updates and special offers. Go to the Barclay’s website at www.thebarclay.org or email us at info@thebarclay.org.
Theatre Safety & Security To ensure the safety of our patrons and clients, IBT continually evaluates security measures for those entering our venue. All patrons attending an event at IBT are subject to screening by IBT staff. This may include, but is not limited to, a visual inspection, a bag inspection, metal detection and/or an interview. At this time, no large bags are permitted in the venue.
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Staff /IrvineBarclay
Jerry Mandel, Ph.D. President
Gary Payne
Karen Wood
Karen Drews Hanlon
Lori Grayson
Ginny W. Hayward
Production & Facility Manager
Communications Assistant Program Book Editor
Development Associate
Chief Operating and Finance Officer Manager of Programming, Artists & Contracts
Lu Bauer
Box Office Manager
Josh Roberts
Assistant Box Office Manager
Ingrid Strayer
Finance Assistant
General Manager
Jeff Stamper Tim Owens
Associate Production & Facility Manager
Robin Darling
Director of Communications
Helena Danovich
Michelle Maasz Brouwer Social Media & Audience Development
Director of Development
Fatima Rizvi
Brooke Lester
Development Assistant
Patron Services Manager
Tracy Porco
Community Outreach Coordinator IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 25
Annual Fund for
THANK
EXCELLENCE
YOU
Irvine Barclay Theatre gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of our donors who help support the “big talent” in our “small hall.” Gifts to the Annual Fund for Excellence assist the Barclay in presenting an international roster of performers while keeping tickets reasonably priced. They also support our ArtsReach programs provided to the schools at little or no cost and “family-friendly” programming on stage. The Barclay’s mission also embraces making its beautiful facilities available to diverse community organizations, UCI, and other educational institutions. Thank you to all of our generous donors listed here for their contributions during the previous 12 months! If you would like to join the ranks of those who make it all possible at the Barclay, you may make a donation online at www.thebarclay.org or call 949.854.4607. PUBLIC PARTNERS
City of Irvine University of California, Irvine BRAVO BARCLAY PRESENTING SPONSOR $10,000+
An Anonymous Fund of the Orange County Community Foundation Drs. Francisco and Hana Ayala Bruce and Karen Cahill City National Bank Haskell & White LLP HumanKind Philanthropic Fund Jennifer Klein Toni and Terry McDonald National Endowment for the Arts William and Janice Parker Family Fund Penelope Parmes Rohl LLC – Kenneth and Helene Rohl
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Gregory and Mishel Rohl Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund Trisha Steele Frank Wagner and Lynn O’Hearn Wagner
BRAVO BARCLAY PARTNER $5,000 – $9,999
The Allergan Foundation Roland and Jacquelynn Beverly Gartley Charitable Foundation Fund Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort and Spa New England Foundation for the Arts Salwa and Sabri Rizkalla Gary and Melanie Singer
BRAVO BARCLAY BENEFACTOR $2,500 – $4,999
Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails Anonymous James and Dolores Kase Liza and Stuart Krassner Jerry and Whitney Mandel Mike Peak Linda I. Smith Foundation Western States Arts Federation BRAVO BARCLAY PATRON $1,000 – $2,499
Douglas Bradley Ellen Breitman and Brien Amspoker Carol and Les Elliot Gary Fabian and Deb Solon Bill and Marjorie Fleming David and Janet Henze Yvonne and Damien Jordan
Jack and Joy Kayajanian Dr. Paul and Mrs. Ellen Lee The Lewis Family Charitable Gift Fund Peter and Alexandra Neptune Amy Opfell and Vladimir Lange Chiyo and Stanton Rowe Nancy Smith St. Matthew’s Montessori School Judy and Wes Whitmore Majid and Sohaila Zarrinkelk ENCORE CIRCLE ENTHUSIAST $250 – $999 Michele and Richard Africano Oscar R. Aguirre Richard Alexander Diane and Dennis Baker Robert and Delphi Ballinger Lindy Balmer Richard Bergstrom Scott and Cheryl Berry Mary Watson-Bruce Clifford and Jennifer Cheng
Don and Debra Drysdale Roger du Plessis Frederic and Aviva Forster Melissa and Michael Fox Mark A. Franzen IBM Matching Grants Program Judy and Terry Jones Dave and Peggy Kelleher Tracy Laulhere Kim Smith Lazarus Vicki and Richard Lee Leslie Levine Chunhong Li Bruce and Esmeralda Ogilvie PayPal Giving Fund Yvette Pergola Dorcas Preston Susan Rhodes and Goran Matijasevic Stephen M. Rochford Joel B. Rothman Deborah and Frank Rugani Diane Sagey Louise Schwennesen Hugh Stevenson and Jan Burns Thomas and Marilyn Sutton Target Marilyn and Angelo Vassos Vendini, Inc. Kathy Vickers and Jeremy Freimund John and Judy Vinke Charles and Marilyn Wright Kurt and Ellen Youngs
Stephen Biskar Michael and Margaret Bodeau Suzanne Boras Lupe Borboa Leia Bowers Bobby R. and Edith S. Brannon Scott Brinkerhoff Margaret and James Brumm Douglas T. Burch, Jr. Linda and Roland Bye David Calica Luisa Cano Harold and Eleanor Carpenter Judith Cassedy-MacPherson Gerald Castillo Grace Chen Rita R. Chenoweth Denise Chilcote Deanna Choi Michael and Kate Clark William Cline Joseph L. and Kathleen Y. Coleman Martin Cooper Anahid Crecelius Madeleine and Alan Crivaro Hilary Davis and Dr. Sandy Ratner Nancy Dewsbury Donna Di Bari Michael and Kathy Dogali Joan M. Donahue Mara Dragos Rad and Toni Dwyer James Evans Peggie Fariss Ruby Foo Roberta Fox Keri Fujii Ellen Fujikawa Peter and Anne Garrell Margaret Gates Gerald Gibbs S. Glass Family Ben and Sandie Goelman Janice Groh Paul and Nancy Groner Sanjiv and Geeta Grover Carole S. Harrison Barbara Helton
David Herzlinger and Jeanne Spudick Richard and Sara Hess Dan and Nicole Honigman Anthony Houghton Robert Ingold Karen Kewell Jacoby Korey Jorgensen Judy Kaufman and George Farkas Kerry Krisher Arthur S. Kroll Rosa Kwong Dr. and Mrs. John LaGourgue Dr. Martin G. Langer Hilary Lemansky Benjamin and Sunny Leos Neal Littlejohn Anne Llewellyn Joe Lowden Christian and Sharon Maas Robert D. and Pat MacDonald Christian Markey Pablo Martinez Natalia Martinez-Ware Christine A. Marx Colette Matsui Duane and Kathleen Mauzey Jaklyn Rae McClendon Michael and Susan McGuire Cindy and John McOwen Jodi Meade Lauri and Mike Mendenhall Defoe Miller William Miller David Moehring Hiroko and Yoshiharu Moriwaki John and Marjorie Murray Roy and Gwen Nakabayashi Reiko and Mitsuhiko Nakano Julie Nakata Susan Naples Steven Nelson Catherine Ngo Mike and Pat Noggle Huey Yann Ooi Lauren and Richard Packard Jeri Pauloski
Danielle Peterson Peter and Ursula Piotrowski Christopher Pollick Judith Posnikoff Edward and Betty Quilligan Sarah Quinn Elaine Ramsay Christopher and Lynne Ramsey Wallace Realini Claudia Redfern Dennis Repp Cynthia Reynolds Theodore and Virginia Robins Francie Rope Nancy Lee Ruyter Irene A Sakioka Jack and Katharine Schoellerman William and Jean Schultz Frances Segal Todd Seidner Tully Seymour Joyce Shadburn Lori Shapiro Gilbert Singh John L. Smith and Mary Anne Anthony-Smith Dorothy J. Solinger Edward Spilsbury Rick Spleen William Spurgeon Diane Stovall Ingrid Strayer Richard and Jane Sungaila Celia and Julio Taleisnik Keith Tate Ms. Cindy Thomas Johanna Tilley Gary and Peranza Topjon George and Abril Turner Tony and Nancy Vasek John Walker Anne Walthall Kim Waterson William Weiberg Diane Wick Richard and Barbara Wilkes George and Flo-Ree Woodruff
NATIONAL CHOREOGRAPHERS INITIATIVE
David and Beverly Carmichael Concierge Podiatry Newport Beach Bobbi Cox Sophia and Larry Cripe Bronwynn Daniels Diane Diefenderfer and David Hanlon Roger du Plessis Gale Edelberg and Bob Butnik Henry and Janet Eggers David Emmes and Paula Tomei Cliff Faulkner and Shigeru Yaji Roberta Fox Mary and Andrew Franklin Sandy and Don French Judith A. Gorski Gale A. Granger and Barbara S. Granger Dr. and Mrs. Denis Gray Dana Huff Chuck Johnston Dr. Burton L. Karson
Joanne and Dennis Keith Michael Kerr Robert Labaree and Gillian Finley Don and Grace Laffoon Dr. Martin G. Langer Kathryn Lynch and Robert McDonnell Molly Lynch and Alan Andrews Sharon McNalley Britt Meyer Nancy Meyer John Miller Ed Moen and Janek Schergen John and Marjorie Murray Mr. and Mrs. Mitsuhiko Nakano Carl Neisser Tom and Marilyn Nielsen Anne B. Nutt Marshall Parker John and Charlene Pasko James Penrod Janice and Richard Plastino
Dolly A. Platt, Ph.D Edward and Diana Putz Barbara Roberts Robinson Foundation Michelle Rohe Andrew Rose Geoffrey and Debbie Sampson Jack and Katy Schellerman Sally Anne and Don Sheridan Igal and Diane Silber Ann Sim Jackie Smiley Elizabeth Stahr Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund Jennifer Szabo Karen and Gary Thorne Barbara and Jack Tingley Max and Peggy Weismair Mary Vensel White and T. Jason White William Gillespie Foundation
ENCORE CIRCLE SUPPORTER $100 – $249 Mahvash Ahangi Steven and Alexandria Allan Robert Allgeier AmazonSmile Foundation Debbie Aslanian Jim Aust Stuart Baron George and Linda Bauer Linda Berquist Richard H. Bigelow
As a partner in the annual National Choreographers Initiative, Irvine Barclay Theatre is also pleased to acknowledge all those who support this important contribution to American dance.
Betty B. and Roy Anderson David Anderson Betsy Andrews and Alex Moad Mrs. Alan V. Andrews Diane and Dennis Baker Ballet Barres West William H. Bardens Dr. Michael Bear Beau Corps Studio Helene Belisle Paul Blank Stacie Brandt Laurie and Bart Brown
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