Places by Chris Gray

Places A preview of Performing Arts at Johnson County Community College www.jccc.edu/TheSeries January/February 2013

Shrek – The Musical

Jazz Winterlude Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet Moulin Rouge® BBC Concert Orchestra Harlem Quartet Shrek – The Musical Shirley MacLaine The Swingle Singers

Julian Lage

Deborah Brown

Eldar

Jazz Winterlude features world-renowned artists, top KC talent Jazz Winterlude will make its annual return in January to Johnson County Community College, again showcasing some of the best jazz musicians around Kansas City and beyond. The two-day festival, which will take place in the Carlsen Center on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 18-19, features Julian Lage, a Grammy-nominated guitarist; Deborah Brown, a world-renowned vocalist and Eldar Djangirov, a New York-based pianist. More than a half-dozen area jazz artists and ensembles also will perform, including the David Basse Orchestra and the Megan Birdsall Quartet. View the full schedule at jccc.edu/jazzwinterlude. “For us, Jazz Winterlude is all about the music,” organizer Doreen Maronde said. “We want students to have the opportunity to work with professionals; we want the audience to sample new things as well as hear their favorites. And we think the strength of the Kansas City musical community gives us a unique opportunity to do this.” The 2013 Jazz Winterlude will be free to audience members, thanks to contributions from community supporters. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Her career took off in Europe and she eventually settled in the Netherlands. Her most recent CD, All Too Soon, was recorded in Kansas City. Brown recently returned from a stint in Holland and from performances in Washington, D.C., and Seattle. Eldar also claims Kansas City as his musical home. As a 12-year-old, he appeared on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz show on National Public Radio and garnered praise from masters such as Dr. Billy Taylor and Dave Brubeck. Since then, he has forged a career playing festivals and concerts in North America, Europe and Asia. He has released four trio albums and, most recently, a solo album titled Three Stories.

Winterlude Schedule Friday, Jan. 18 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. 7-7:50 p.m. 8-9 p.m. 9:15-10:15 p.m.

The festival will open at 8:30 a.m. Friday in Yardley Hall, when students from area school bands will participate in day-long clinics and classes taught by local musicians. The public is invited to observe.

Saturday, Jan. 19

The headliners Friday evening will be the Julian Lage Duo and the Deborah Brown Quartet with Matt Otto. Eldar will perform Saturday evening.

2-2:50 p.m.

Lage grew up in California and gained pivotal early exposure as a protégé of legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton. He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his debut Sounding Point. Lage’s follow-up effort, Gladwell, continued to reflect his wide-ranging talents. He has recorded or performed with Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor and many others.

3-3:50 p.m.

Deborah Brown is a Kansas City native who has performed at festivals and in concert halls throughout Europe. Growing up, she absorbed some of the famous jazz sounds in Kansas City before being invited to perform abroad.

1-1:50 p.m.

4-4:50 p.m. 7-7:50 p.m. 8 to10 p.m.

School band clinics and classes David Basse Orchestra Julian Lage Duo Deborah Brown Quartet with Matt Otto

Megan Birdsall Quartet (Polsky Theatre) Michael O’Shiver Duo, harp/guitar (Recital Hall) Everette DeVan/Chris Hazelton Group, B3 organs (Polsky Theatre) Alice Jenkins,vocal/piano (Recital Hall) Diverse Quartet (Polsky Theatre) Candace Evans Trio (Recital Hall) New Red Onion Jazz Babies (Polsky Theatre ) Alaturka, Turkish Jazz (Recital Hall) Killer Strayhorn Eldar

Events in Yardley Hall unless otherwise noted. Dinner options available. Visit jccc.edu/jazzwinterlude.

Moulin Rouge®– The Ballet tells classic tale of love at cabaret The story is set in Paris during the late 19th century when the city exuded exquisite contradictions. Pomp and excess ran hand in hand with poverty and hardship and the heady elixir of personal freedom bred lifestyles that were often reckless and addictive. Matthew and Nathalie, who were drawn to Paris by the city’s passion, tempt the fates as they seek love and destiny in the infamous cabaret called The Moulin Rouge. You can find out what happens when Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet presents Moulin Rouge® – The Ballet at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, at Yardley Hall. The box office sensation features high-kicking choreography and a passionate story of love, ambition and heartbreak. It has been seen by close to 60,000 people across North America. A member of the ballet company will provide a pre-show talk at 6 p.m. Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet was founded in 1939 by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally. It holds the double distinction of being Canada’s premier ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. Today, the company spends 15 or more weeks a year on the road performing. It has 24 dancers, a production crew of seven and a semi-trailer that carries about 55,000 pounds of equipment.

Moulin Rouge® was the creation of choreographer Jorden Morris. It had its world premiere in October 2009. It is now the company’s biggest box office success to date. The Moulin Rouge is an actual nightclub in Paris that dates back to the late 19th century. The club featured women performing scandalous dances such

as the can-can and was made famous by the paintings of artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. It remains a popular tourist attraction today, where visitors can step back in time and enjoy dinner and a show. Tickets: $46, $37 913-469-4445 jccc.edu/TheSeries

Shrek – The Musical set for two shows at Yardley Hall Shrek – The Musical, which brings the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre to life on stage, will be performed at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb.16, at Johnson County Community College. The show will take place in the Carlsen Center’s Yardley Hall. Paul Laird, professor of musicology, University of Kansas, will provide pre-show talks at 1 and 6:30 p.m. The musical, which features 19 songs, great dancing and breathtaking scenery, is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film. It is set in a faraway kingdom and things get ugly when an unseemly ogre – not a handsome prince – shows up to rescue a feisty princess named Fiona.

Throw in a donkey who won’t shut up, a villain with a short temper, a cookie with an attitude and more than a dozen other fairy tale misfits and you’ve got a situation that calls for a real hero. And who might that be? Shrek, of course. Before Shrek was a musical, or even a movie, he began life as a storybook character created by New Yorker cartoonist and author William Steig in 1990. The production played on Broadway from 2008 to 2010 and revised versions have been touring since. The creative team includes David Lindsay-Abaire and Jason Moore, who began working on the show in 2002, and Jeanine Tesori, who joined them in 2004. The director of the national tour is Stephen Sposito. The musical stars Perry Sook as Shrek, Whitney Winfield as Princess Fiona, and Jeremy Gaston as Donkey. The rousing musical score includes Don’t Let Me Go, I Know It’s Today and This Is Our Story. Tickets: $65, $55 913-469-4445 jccc.edu/TheSeries

BBC Orchestra brings flexible style to Yardley Hall The BBC Concert Orchestra, one of the most versatile orchestras in the world, will appear at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, in the Carlsen Center’s Yardley Hall. A pre-show talk will take place at 7 p.m. and be delivered by William Everett, associate professor of musicology and associate dean for graduate studies and curriculum at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The British orchestra is led by Maestro Keith Lockhart, who became principal conductor in August 2010. Lockhart also continues his work as conductor for the Boston Pops, which he has done since 1995. Cellist Sophie Shao is the soloist. The New York Times has applauded her “eloquent, powerful” interpretations of repertoire ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Crumb. The orchestra’s bywords are versatility and flexibility. Its standard 56-strong membership can expand or contract according to what is on the program.

Harlem Quartet builds diversity in classical ways

The BBC Concert Orchestra was formed in 1952. From its humble beginnings as a radio orchestra, it has developed an enviable reputation in the fields of light music, opera, ballet and musicals. Its performances can be heard not only in concert halls but also on radio and television. Tickets: $52, $42 913-469-4445 jccc.edu/TheSeries

The program: Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op. 33a; Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 Sophie Shao, cello; Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 (Scottish).

Zalkind

Gavilan

White

Amador

The Harlem Quartet, praised for its ”panache” by The New York Times, will appear at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, in Yardley Hall. A pre-show talk will take place at 6 p.m. and be delivered by Paul Laird, professor of musicology at the School of Music at the University of Kansas. The four-member ensemble, which often highlights minority composers, strives to advance diversity in classical music. In that effort, the quartet engages young and new audiences through the presentation of varied repertoire. The Harlem Quartet made its debuts at Carnegie Hall and Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater in the fall of 2006. The quartet was founded that year by the Sphinx Organization, a national nonprofit focused on building diversity in classical music and providing access to music education in underserved communities. Each of the quartet members is a seasoned solo artist, having appeared

with a wide variety of orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Pops and the Atlanta and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras. The members are Ilmar Gavilan and Melissa White, both on violin; Jaime Amador, viola, and Matthew Zalkind, cello. Tickets: $33, $27 913-469-4445 jccc.edu/TheSeries

The program is expected to include: Haydn’s String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2; Beethoven’s String Quartet in B flat Major Op. 18, No. 6; Chick Corea’s The Adventures of Hippocrates; and Wynton Marsalis’ At the Octoroon Balls.

Shirley MacLaine shares trademark wit, memories of life in show business Shirley MacLaine has enraptured audiences for five decades. Now she’s inviting you to spend a provocative evening with her. MacLaine will appear at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Yardley Hall, when she will combine a montage of memorable film moments with private revelations about her extraordinary life, career and spiritual journey. Her work comprises more than 50 feature films highlighted by an Academy Award win and six nominations, six Emmy Awards, the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award and the title of international best-selling author. In June, MacLaine was awarded the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award. And in January, she joined the cast of Downton Abbey, the breakout PBS hit. A longtime outspoken advocate for civil rights and liberties, women’s rights and spiritual understanding, MacLaine became known for her faith in reincarnation, angels, the power of crystals and other New Age beliefs. She has addressed these topics at length, as well as her Hollywood career, in her books Out on a Limb and Dancing in the Night. “I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I’ve written for myself,” MacLaine says, “and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part.” MacLaine made her professional debut dancing in a Broadway revival of Oklahoma! in the 1950s. Her first film was Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble With Harry, which earned her a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress in 1955. In 1983, MacLaine won her Oscar for her work on Terms of Endearment. MacLaine was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1998. MacLaine’s additional credits include the notable films of Steel Magnolias with Julia Roberts, Postcards from the Edge with Meryl Streep, In Her Shoes with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette, and Rumor Has It with Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner. MacLaine’s television credits include the telefilms, These Old Broads, Carolina and Salem Witch Trials. She also starred in the CBS miniseries, Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay, the life story of the cosmetics queen Mary Kay Ash. Recently, MacLaine appeared in the Lifetime made-for-TV movie Coco Chanel and was nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. Her latest film was the ensemble film Valentine’s Day, released in 2008. And her latest book, I’m Over All That: And Other Confessions, came out in 2011. Tickets: $150, $65, $55 913-469-4445 jccc.edu/TheSeries

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

JCCCTheSeries.wordpress.com

January 2013 Monday

Sunday

C o l l e g e

Tuesday

Wednesday

@JCCCTheSeries

Facebook.com/JCCCTheSeries

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

19 Jazz Winterlude* Begins 1 p.m. Begins 8:30 a.m. Eldar, 8 p.m. Julian Lage, 8 p.m. Carlsen Center** Deborah Brown, 9:15 p.m. Carlsen Center**

25 Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet Moulin Rouge® 7 p.m. Yardley Hall $46, $37

▲

18 Jazz Winterlude*

February 2013 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

6 School Show The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Thursday

reasons to be pretty 2 p.m. Bodker Black Box Theatre** The Swingle Singers 7 p.m. Yardley Hall $45, $35

▲

Academic Theatre reasons to be pretty 7:30 p.m. Bodker Black Box Theatre**

Ruel Joyce Jazz Series Mary Thompson, flute Ellen Bottorff, piano Noon, Recital Hall**

JCCC Jazz Series Greg Meise Trio Noon, Recital Hall**

16 Shrek – The Musical 2 and 7:30 p.m. Yardley Hall $65, $55

Ruel Joyce Jazz Series Sunho Kim, violin Dan Velicer, piano Noon, Recital Hall**

24 Academic Theatre

▲

Harlem Quartet 7 p.m. Yardley Hall $33, $27

Saturday

BBC Concert Orchestra with Keith Lockhart 8 p.m. Yardley Hall $52, $42

9:45 a.m., noon Yardley Hall, call box office to RSVP

Friday

23 Academic Theatre reasons to be pretty 2 and 7:30 p.m. Bodker Black Box Theatre** Shirley MacLaine 8 p.m. Yardley Hall $150, $65, $55

* For schedule, visit www.jccc.edu/jazzwinterlude ** Free

For best seats, order early. Call 913-469-4445 or buy tickets online at www.jccc.edu/TheSeries. 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. Discounts are available for students. PAS Administrative Office: Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday • Call 913-469-4450. Requests for reasonable modifications should be made by contacting Access Services, 913-469-8500, ext. 3521, or by email at accessservices@jccc.edu. Interpreters for the deaf may be requested by email at accessservices@jccc.edu. Please place “Interpreter Request” in the subject line. Be sure to include the date of the performance you will be attending. A 72-hour advance notice is required.

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

Swingle Singers feature vocal agility and captivating showmanship The Swingle Singers, an international a cappella phenomenon, will appear at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, in the Carlsen Center’s Yardley Hall. The group, which has been around almost five decades, now is comprised of seven London-based singers who deliver folk ballads, funk jams and fugues with equal precision and passion. They are carrying on the group’s tradition of pushing the boundaries of what the human voice can achieve. The Swingle Singers got its start in 1963 when eight Paris-based jazz session singers worked their way through some Bach keyboard repertoire one day and discovered a natural swing to the music. Without changing a note of the original score, they adapted the music for voice, added a rhythm section and persuaded Phillips record company to record it for them as Christmas presents for family and friends. To their surprise, Jazz Sebastian Bach reached No. 1 on the charts and won several Grammy awards. The a cappella group, complete with its own vocal rhythm section, has performed on the world’s most famous stages, sustaining a level of international popularity beyond the dreams of its founder, American-born Ward Swingle. The current lineup, of course, is made up of new members since 1963. Ward Swingle affectionately refers to them as his grandchildren. Today’s Swingles represent a modern incarnation of an ensemble whose music has evolved and expanded to encompass styles far and beyond the swung Baroque and infamous “ba va da” of the 1960s, although audiences will usually hear a tribute to the original French group. Along with the

repertoire, the stage show has grown into a full-blown lights and choreography spectacle. The Swingle Singers have won five Grammy awards and released more than 50 recordings, including unique arrangements of songs by Björk, Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox, Sting and the Beach Boys. Ferris Wheels is the group’s latest recording. Tickets: $45, $35 913-469-4445 jccc.edu/TheSeries