Feb. 2010 Places

Places

A preview of Performing Arts at Johnson County Community College www.jccc.edu/TheSeries

February 2010

Philharmonia of the Nations Band of the Irish Guards and the Royal Regiment of Scotland Porgy and Bess Arts Education Reaches Out

Porgy and Bess celebrates its 75th anniversary

Philharmonia showcases international harmony

Philharmonia of the Nations

In 1995, Justus Frantz founded a unique orchestra: the Philharmonia of the Nations. The highly talented young musicians in this multicultural philharmonic orchestra hail from more than 40 countries and five continents.

Chinese perform with Americans, Irish with English and Syrians with Israelis.

Their common language is music.

The Philharmonia of the Nations with Jon Nakamatsu, solo pianist, and Frantz, conductor, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center as part of the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College. The evening program will be Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 Titan.

Artists Insights by Dr. Bill Everett, musicologist, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, begin at 7 p.m.

Featured soloist, American pianist Nakamatsu, came to international attention in 1997 as gold medalist in the 10th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He performed previously in Yardley Hall with the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet in October 2000, playing two versions of Piano Sextet — one by Francis Poulenc and one by Ludwig Thuille.

Enjoying a successful career as both an international pianist and as a conductor, Frantz is a tireless supporter of young musical talent, holding worldwide auditions for positions in the orchestra. It was while working with Leonard Bernstein that he adopted Bernstein’s credo, “Let’s make music as friends.” Bernstein’s dream of an international, young professional

orchestra led Justus to form the Philharmonia of the Nations. His discoveries include star violinist Midori, pianist Evgeny Kissin and violinist Maxim Vengerov.

“I want to stress that although the musicians are young professionals, they are very, very good,” said Charles Rogers, artistic director, Performing Arts Series at JCCC. “The director, Justus Frantz, is well respected in the music world.”

The orchestra does not have a permanent location; its home is the music.

The musicians have performed more than 1,000 concerts around the world and will continue to travel promoting musical and cultural harmony.

Their tours give proof to the fact that music can transcend cultural boundaries. In July 2001, the Philharmonia performed a private concert for Pope John Paul II in his summer residence Castel, Gandolfo. Two days after September 11, the orchestra gave a concert in honor of the tragedy’s victims in the church of St. Michael, Hamburg.

In January 2003, the Philharmonia of the Nations had the honor to perform the original manuscript score of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 as part of UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” register. The Ninth Symphony with its idea of joy and worldwide fraternity is a guiding principle of the Philharmonia of the Nations.

Tickets $45, $35

A performance fit for royalty If you can’t make it to the Queen’s Birthday Parade, you can still enjoy royal pomp and circumstance. Join the Band of the Irish Guards and the Pipes, Drums and Highland Dancers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland when they perform Hands Across the Sea at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 19-20, in Yardley Hall.

The Irish Guards were formed in 1900 on the expressed wish of HM Queen Victoria to commemorate the bravery of the many Irish Regiments who had fought in the South African campaigns. More than a century later, the Band of the Irish Guards makes its debut tour of the United States. The combined bands have a total of 85 musicians and dancers performing the music of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Britain.

In regimental uniform of scarlet tunic, blue overalls, Wellington boots and bearskin hats, the bands play a full program that includes national anthems (God Save the Queen, Oh, Canada and The Star Spangled Banner); music from the highlands, valley, glens, royal castles and Emerald Isle; sword dances; tributes to the American Armed Forces; an opening muster; final fanfare of Ode to Joy, Amazing Grace and Auld Lang Syne; and a final muster and march off with music such as Scotland the Brave.

The British Army has a tradition of bands providing musical support to troops during active service. It engenders a unique esprit de corps, and, during both World Wars, the Band of the Irish Guards regularly traveled to give morale-boosting performances to the troops.

The current band has a variety of professional ensembles that include a Concert Band, Marching Band, Salon Orchestra, Dance Band, Fanfare Trumpeters and several other smaller ensembles. The band’s main duty is to play, in turn with the other 4 Foot Guards Bands, for the Mounting of The Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace and for ceremonial occasions such

The Irish Guards

as state visits, royal weddings, royal garden parties, Guards of Honor and the Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Color). The Band of the Irish Guards has worldwide tours, critically acclaimed recordings, and film and television appearances listed in its credits.

In addition to their musical activities, musicians are trained as medics in the event of mobilization. Three of the musicians served in the first Gulf War and, in June 1999, the band was deployed to Kosovo as part of a NATO peace-keeping force.

The Royal Regiment of Scotland (the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) have a combined history dating to 1881, although individually the two Highland groups date to 1794. Their pedigrees are complex, but it is interesting to note that the name “Princess Louise’s” often applies to the regiment after Princess Louise (daughter of Queen Victoria) married the Marquise of Lorne (heir to the Duke of Argyll) in 1871.

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders last appeared on a North American tour with the Black Watch in 1989 and the 1st Battalion Queens Regiment in 1993.

Since 2002 the Highlanders have served in Iraq, Bosnia, Belize, Kenya and recently returned from Helmand Province in Afghanistan, where the Pipes and Drums were deployed as part of the heavy machine gun platoon, working closely with the U.S. Marine Corps. They are due to return to Helmand Province Afghanistan in 2010.

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, are now based in Canterbury, Kent, England.

Tickets $40, $30

Performing Arts reach out Sones de México, Chicago’s premier Mexican folk music ensemble, is accustomed to playing for large groups. But Sones took time out for “small” groups with its programs at the Hiersteiner Child Development Center and local schools during its Performing Arts Outreach residency Sept. 22-25.

At the HCDC, Sones taught children a sequence of movements to accompany a song appropriately named Los Enanos, The Little Ones.

While Juan Dies, bass player, led the smiling group in music, Lorena Iñiguez, dancer and instrumentalist, demonstrated the sequence of steps — from becoming very little on the ground to becoming very big and reaching for the sky.

The HCDC classes were divided into three age categories from 12 months to preschool. Participation ranged from children in the youngest group clapping their hands to children in the older class alternating foot patterns in a full-fledged dance.

“Look at how absorbed and involved they are,” said Sara McElhenny, director, HCDC. “This kind of workshop helps bring a new culture to the children, helps them learn rhythm and allows them to experience the joy of doing things together.”

In addition to the HCDC, Angel Mercier, program director, PAS Arts Education, arranged for Sones to work with grade-school to middle-school students at four area schools, the Paola Community Center and TLC for Children and Families, which serves children and youth in crisis.

Sones also taught two separate lessons – one Mexican dance lesson and a second about its 70 acoustic instruments – in the Carlsen Center before the performance, enriching the audience’s experience.

HCDC student Dayton Brown took a liking to Juan Dies and his guitar.

Acoustic guitarist Tommy Emmanuel issued an invite to the public to experience his technique close up and engage in a Q & A. Approximately 218 people attended the session that preceded his sold-out evening performance in Yardley Hall.

“Our objective this year with Performing Arts Outreach is to keep the artists a little longer and build a comprehensive experience around that,” Mercier said. “With each artist or ensemble, we are aiming to keep components educational and fun and to involve the community and campus at all ages.”

Magic brings healing and fun It may have looked like hocus-pocus, but Kevin Spencer was teaching rehabilitation therapy techniques to health professionals in his Healing of Magic workshop at JCCC in October. Using objects as simple as a rubber band, dollar bill and scarf, Spencer was teaching therapy modalities through sleight of hand.

techniques in rehab was new to her. She enjoyed the hands-on techniques that could improve clients’ quality of life and give them something to enjoy.

“It is all about spatial relationship,” Spencer calls to the class as they practice jumping a rubber band from one set of fingers to another. “Think about how you can use this trick to enhance your clients’ strength, flexibility, muscular development and cognitive abilities.”

Once a trick was mastered, Spencer asked the therapists to adapt it for someone who was arthritic, had only one hand or was quadraplegic. But Spencer was sure to emphasize the “ah” factor.

As part of the Performing Arts Series, Kevin and Cindy Spencer, the 2009 Magicians of the Year, performed Theatre of Illusion Oct. 10 in Yardley Hall.

During a weeklong residency preceding the performance, Kevin Spencer and two assistants, Alan Matheny and Etan Schneider, worked magic on the community as part of the PAS Arts Education program.

Two seminars were cosponsored by Arts Education and JCCC’s Health and Human Services — Healing of Magic on Oct. 6 and Hocus Focus for RNs, LPNs, social workers, counselors, psychologists and education professionals working with children or adults who have behavioral or learning disabilities on Oct. 8.

Glenna Young, RN, who specializes in mental health, enrolled in the Healing of Magic workshop to benefit her grandson, who has ADD, ADHD and autism. Occupational therapist Jennifer Bennett said using magic

Kevin Spencer assists Glenna Young, RN, with the “secret move” of the double-jumping rubber bands trick.

“Sometimes people get depressed with a lot of the medical treatment and rehabilitation,” Bennett said. “The magic tricks require the motions they need, and they have a fun purpose.”

“Work on presentation with your clients,” he said. “You don’t want to practice good therapy and bad magic tricks.”

In addition to the two seminars, Spencer and his assistants performed hands-on activities with patients at the oncology and dialysis units at Children’s Mercy Hospital and with children and mothers at SAFEHOME. They also had a special interactive performance created for adults with developmental disabilities or severe learning disabilities in JCCC’s CLEAR program.

“After a memorable experience working with the brave children at Children’s Mercy Hospital, we moved on to another group of very brave kids. This time, they weren’t in a hospital. These children and their mothers were in a safe house for the abused and neglected. Working with these kids literally brought tears to our eyes as we watched them play, learn and laugh,” Spencer said.

Porgy and Bess

At 75, Porgy and Bess remains a powerful force George Gershwin’s masterpiece Porgy and Bess celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2010 with a new production featuring an all-star cast of 30 and live orchestra at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 26-27, in Yardley Hall.

Artists Insights by Dr. Bill Everett, musicologist, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Dr. Paul Laird, musicologist, the University of Kansas, begin at 7 p.m.

The title roles are performed by Samuel Stevenson, Metropolitan Opera veteran, as Porgy, and Peabody Conservatory-trained Jerris Cates as Bess.

The cast’s virtuosic singing and powerful acting consistently receive enthusiastic reviews.

Considered by many to be America’s greatest opera, Porgy and Bess’ place in history was years in the making. Summertime, I Got Plenty of Nuttin’ and Bess, You Is My Woman Now are well-known favorites today, but Gershwin took a gamble when he premiered the work in New York in 1935 with an all-black cast.

Based on a novel by DuBose Heyward (who collaborated with Ira Gershwin on the lyrics), the classic story is set in the fictitious slum of Catfish Row in 1912 Charleston and follows the bittersweet love of the crippled beggar Porgy who tries to save the beautiful, haunted Bess from the seductive life of dope and prostitution.

Before Gershwin started work on the score and orchestration, he spent a

summer on Folly Island near Charleston, becoming familiar with the music and customs of the area. The language of Porgy and Bess, the Gullah language, is a Creole-blend of English and African languages.

Although Gershwin billed it as an “American folk opera,” the musical/opera contains no folk tunes. Instead, Porgy and Bess uses popular song styles – jazz, blues and Gershwin’s special orchestration to achieve a story that intertwines pride, prejudice, pathos and passions.

The music, plot and language stunned music and drama critics at its Broadway premiere. While critical success was mixed, the show was considered a commercial failure. History proved it otherwise. Critical and popular attitude is now unreserved acclaim. Porgy and Bess has taken its place alongside Carmen and Die Meistersinger on the world’s stages, according to Roger Kimball, musical theater historian, who has written excellent program notes for this production.

Black History Month is an appropriate time to attend this carefully researched production of Porgy and Bess. At its 70th anniversary, NPR said Gershwin’s landmark opera remains “a controversial mirror of America’s evolving attitudes about race, culture and class.”

At its 75th anniversary, the opera’s genius continues, underscored by the emotion of its music, historical context and eternal optimism that Porgy is on his way to rescue Bess.

Tickets $50, $40

Performing Arts Events J 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

February 2010 Sunday

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Band of the Irish Guards

Frederic Chen

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Candace Evans

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*Candace Evans Trio Jazz Series noon Recital Hall

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Porgy and Bess

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20 Band of the Irish Guards and Royal Regiment of Scotland Center Stage Series 8 p.m. Yardley Hall $40, $30

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27 Porgy and Bess, 75th anniversary production Classics Series 8 p.m. Yardley Hall $50, $40

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Kansas City Symphony Classical Series Stern conducts Beethoven and Tchaikovsky 2 p.m. Yardley Hall $55, $45, $12 youth

22 *Brookside String Quartet Ruel Joyce Recital Series noon Recital Hall

Philharmonia of the Nations with pianist Jon Nakamatsu Classics Series 8 p.m. Yardley Hall $45, $35

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JCCC Fashion Merchandising & Design noon and 7 p.m.

Polsky Theatre $8 public in advance, $10 at the door $5 students /employees

*Frederic Chen, piano Ruel Joyce Recital Series noon Recital Hall

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18 Viva la Fashion, Spring It On!

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Saturday

Brookside String Quartet

Call 913-469-4445

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.

www.jccc.edu/TheSeries

Carlsen Center Administrative Office: Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday • Call 913-469-4450

For best seats, order early. or buy tickets online

for tickets and information.

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.

Service fee applicable.

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.

Purchase live online

*free-admission event

JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 12345 COLLEGE BLVD OVERLAND PARK KS 66210-1299

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID Johnson County Community College

www.jccc.edu/TheSeries

Paul Taylor Dance Company and JCCC The Paul Taylor Dance Company performed Brief Encounters, a co-commission of the Performing Arts Series, Nov. 13-14 at Yardley Hall. PAS has supported Taylor and his dance company through the years, commissioning or co-commissioning four previous dances: Black Tuesday (2001), Dante Variations (2004), Banquet of Vultures (2006) and De Sue単os que se Repiten (2007).

This photo was captured during an open rehearsal by the company before the November performance.

Bettie de Jong, Paul Taylor Dance Company rehearsal director for 34 years, gives notes to dancers Laura Halzack and Orion Duckstein.