Opening Nights - 2018 Winter Program by Opening Nights

F L O R I D A S TAT E UNIVERSITY WINTER 2018 C E L E B R AT I N G 20 YEARS OF THE ARTS

OpeningNights2017_PRINT.pdf 1 9/8/2017 5:00:55 PM

The City of Tallahassee

Congratulates Florida State University on the

The artists, direction, and outstanding performances continue to enrich the lives of our citizens and shine a spotlight on the cultural connection between the city and university.

17/18

SPONSORS P L AT I N U M L E V E L

GOLD LEVEL KE N KATO & NAN NAGY

WEALTH MANAGEMENT ADVISORS

FSU License Plate

SILVER LEVEL

MIKEY BESTEBREURTJE & WILSON BAKER

HERB & MARY JERVIS

BERNADETTE & ROGER LUCA

BRONZE LEVEL T E R ESA B E AZ L EY W I DM E R

AU D IO/VID EO CO N NECTIO NS Architects Lewis + Whitlock

C H A R LES S. & SUSAN A . ST RAT TO N

ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN PLANNING

GILCHRIST ROSS CROWE

CY N TH I A TIE & JOHN TAY LO R

JIM & BETTY ANN RO D G E RS

ARCHITECTS

L A RRY & J O D EEB RO D & VI RG I N I A VAUG H N

JA NET HINKL E

L EE HINKL E

M I C H AE L SH E R I DAN & J U DY W I LSON SH E R I DAN

L INDA S MITH

GRANT SUPPORT

IN-KIND SPONSORS

WCTV tv

OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 3

, Marisa Chanin, B.S. 17 Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Undergraduate Humanitarian of the Year Award Winner

What does preeminence mean?

u. ed fs

It means some of the finest arts programs in the world. It means being one of only four U.S. universities to receive the most prestigious award for internationalization. It means elite research and the world record-breaking National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. It means a $10 billion economic impact on our state. And it means stellar alumni shaping the future like Marisa Chanin. Preeminence means Florida State University.

One of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great universities: wide-ranging in academic excellence, tenaciously entrepreneurial, and a trailblazer in preparing one of the most diverse student populations in the nation to become globally competent and competitive. Preeminence means vaulting 10 spots in two years among Top 50 public universities. It means a 4-year graduation rate that is 15th in the country.

Season is in Full Swing! T

he 20th Anniversary Season is in full swing, and I am honored to be a part of Opening Nights at Florida State University. During the past two decades FSU has presented some of the most celebrated artists in the world as well as artists on their rise to fame. The program is recognized as one of the nation’s leading university performing arts series. I intend to build on this tradition of excellence and advance the program to reflect that of a preeminent university. Opening Nights will continue to offer a diverse lineup that represents all genres of the performing arts: music, theatre, dance, spoken word and film. The performing and cultural arts bring a community together, showcase exceptional talent, introduce new ideas, inspire creativity and improve the quality of life. Yet, the success of any performing arts program is dependent on community support. I am pleased to be stepping into a program that is strongly supported by our sponsors, members, patrons and the community as a whole. Providing arts and culture is an essential investment in a community’s future. Your thoughts and ideas on programming are important to me. Over the next several months, I look forward to meeting with our patrons, various groups both on and off campus, and those that haven’t been involved to get input and feedback on Opening Nights. And now, here is an overview of the winter program: Pink Martini with Storm Large (1/22) kicks off our 2018 performances. The traditional February festival starts with The Reduced Shakespeare Company at Tallahassee Community College’s Fred Turner Auditorium (2/2 & 2/3), followed by the College of Music PRISM concert (2/4), Maceo Parker with Ray Charles Orchestra (2/5), Jake Shimabukuro (2/7) and JJ Grey & Mofro (2/8). If you purchase tickets for Ira Glass (2/10) you are eligible to purchase tickets for an exclusive pre-show reception and photo opportunity with Ira with the proceeds benefiting WFSU, our local public broadcast station. Rufus Wainwright (2/11) will perform on both piano and guitar, followed by 10-time Grammy® winner George Benson (2/13) and then Michael McDonald will close out the festival on Valentine’s Day. Kathy Mattea is performing two shows at Pebble Hill Plantation (2/18). Southern Circuit Film “DEEJ” (2/18) is followed by classical violin virtuoso and social media guru Ray Chen (2/24). Jazz vocalist and trumpeter Bria Skonberg (2/24) will perform for the 20th anniversary season at FSU Panama City. Thank you for your commitment to the performing arts and Opening Nights. I look forward to being a part of FSU and the Tallahassee community!

Michael Blachly Director, Opening Nights at Florida State University OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 5

2018'S NEWEST SOLO ACT THE ALL-NEW 2018 TOYOTA CAMRY

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LegacyToyota.com Proud Sponsor of Opening Nights

CONTENTS Florida State University John Thrasher, President Opening Nights Staff Michael Blachly Director Bethany Atwell Assistant Director

Lori Elliott Marketing & Communications Manager

To Ray With Love

Jake Shimabukuro

JJ Grey & Mofro

Ira Glass

Calla MacNamara Education & Engagement Manager

Andrea Restrepo Artist Services Intern

Pink Martini

Reduced Shakespeare Company

Caroline Conway Director of Development

Grace Atkins Operations Assistant

Amanda Hartsfield Multimedia Design Specialist University Communications, Creative Services Rodney Johnson Assistant Director of Creative Services University Communications, Creative Services

PRISM

Opening Nights Development Council Gus Corbella, Chair Michael Obrecht, Chair-elect Ruth Akers Teresa Atkins Lauren Bacon Sara Bayliss Brandi Brown Kimberly Criser Eric Friall Heather Mitchell Nan Nagy Ron Sachs Susan Stratton Erin VanSickle Brian Wolfe

Kathy Mattea

Florida State University Office of the President College of Arts and Sciences College of Fine Arts College of Motion Picture Arts College of Music Askew Student Life Cinema Fine Arts Ticket Office Florida State University Foundation University Communications

DEEJ

Rufus Wainwright

George Benson

Michael McDonald

33 35

Ray Chen, violin

Bria Skonberg

SOUTHERN CIRCUIT FILM TOUR

Cover: Bria Skonberg by Georgia Nerheim OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 7

2017-18 MEMBERS A S O F 1 2 / 2 8 / 2 0 1 7 Producer’s Circle

Talbot D’Alemberte & Patsy Palmer

Friend Level

Loreto E. Espinoza & Judith A. Westbrook

Bart & Tamara Aitken

Cheryl Wright Derstine

Barbara & Gary Alford

Law Office of Linda A. Bailey

William & Caryl Donnellan

The Honorable Stephen Everett & Meghan Everett

Jann & Ray Bellamy

Drs. Charles & Sharon Aronovitch

Dr. Jack Widrich Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Ken Evert

Ingolf Askevold

The Girvin Group, Inc.

Grayal Earl Farr

Ted & Syauchen Baker

Grossman Furlow & Bayo, LLC

Efren & Emerlinda Baltazar

Keith & Vangie Fields & Ann McClean

Sue Hansen

Sara & Slater Bayliss

Stan & Carole Fiore

Paige Harbaugh & Tara Wah

Greg & Sharon Beaumont

Jack & Susan Fiorito

Mart P. Hill

Patti & Joe Beckham

Patricia J. Flowers

Ken & Debbie Hodges

Brian & Carol Berkowitz

Barbara R. Foorman

Bret & Leigh Ingerman

Rob Contreras & Ellen Berler

Ted & Haley Frazee

Ty & Robyn Jackson

Kathy Bible & Peter Mullen

Louise & Marc Freeman

Laura & Bill Kirchhoff

Nancy Bivins

Jon & Jean Kline

Byron Block

Laura Patricia Gaffney & Elizabeth Renee Alsobrook

Bill & Dottie Lee

The Boebinger Family

Steve MacNamara & Liberty Tayor

Eileen & Don Bourassa

DeWitt & Kathy Miller

Dr. Steven C. Bryan Cabinet Source LLC

Nancy Linnan & Jim York

Christy Noe, Kim Cavanah, Dr. Melanie Donofro, Lisa Springer

John & Jenna Lockwood

Novey Law

Geof Mansfield & Jennifer Fitzwater

Paul Sullivan

Mike & Judy Pate The Piekarewicz Family

LuMarie Polivka-West, Larry Polivka & Dwight Polivka

PSBI

Gale Poteat & Clara Cook

Sherrill & Jimmy Ragans

Diane & Joseph Bodiford Phillip & Betty Brown Gus & Tanya Corbella Mr. & Mrs. Marshall Criser III Richard & Judi Earls Robert & Jan Estevez Ruth, Rick & Madeline Feiock Eric & Andrea Friall TD & Kathi Giddings William Hall & Martha Olive-Hall Myron & Judy Hayden Lou & Calynne Hill Del & Diane Hughes Debby Kearney Lawton & Beth Langford

Bridgewater Builders

Kathryn Karrh Cashin Ivette & Jorge Chamizo Pete & Bonnie Chamlis Bud & Kitty Chiles

Elenita Gomez & Jack Brennan Scott & Gina Gorman Susan & Charles Groff Kristin & Sheldon Gusky Helen D. Haines David & Kathy Hale Don Hansard & Nada Marz Linda Harkey Brenda Buchan & Tracy Hatch

Bill & Susan Clark

Elizabeth E. Hirst & Tom & Martha Brushwood

David & Mary Coburn

Lori Holcomb & Robert Fingar

Karen & Bob Cohen

The Hollingsworth Family

Jan & Mark Pudlow

Jimmy Cole & Jonathan Klepper

Todd & Jeri Hunter

Regional Therapy Services, Inc.

Jo Anna & Michael Rosciam

Andre & Eleanor Connan

Dr. Jayne M. Standley

Ronald Shaeffer

Bob & Mary Z. Cox

Janet R. Thornton

Josh & Wendy Somerset

Jim & Sandy Dafoe

Marjorie R. Turnbull

Alan & Mary Jo Spector

Kathleen Daly & Reinhart Lerch

Carol Lees Gregg & Kathy Villacorta

Sean & Susan Stafford

Mike & Jeri Damasiewicz

Barry & Allison Tant Richard

William & Mary Davis

Stan & Ramona Wilcox

Mark, Susan, Maxwell & Sujin VanHoeij

Davis-Zimmerman

Elizabeth Voorhies & Paul Weimer

Diverse Computing, Inc.

Stan & Paula Warmath

Steve & Missy Dobson

Kip & Bev Wells

Pamala J. Doffek

Eliot Wigginton

Elizabeth Dudek

Henry & Mary Williams

Patrick & Kathy Dunnigan

John D. Woods, M.D.

Grady Enlow & June Dollar

Partner Level Jean Ainsworth Bob & Mary Bedford Bass Sox Mercer Brandi & Steve Brown Steve Carter & Phyllis Thompson

Thomas Painter

8 | OPENING NIGHTS FALL 2017

Ruth & Gib DeBusk Sandra & William Dixon

Doug & Melissa Ingram Jackson Properties Michael R. & Diane R. James Mark & Lisa Jones Jeffrey N. Joyce John & Linda Kilgore Lewis & Patsy Killian Barbara Hamby & David Kirby Greg & Angela Knecht Mr. Sai & Mrs. Amulya Konda Ron & Grace Labasky William & Stacey Lampkin Tony & Maryanne Lancaster Lance & Cary Langston Kathleen Laufenberg & Kent Spriggs

Raoul Lavin & Greg Burke Ken & Lisa LeGette Shanshan Liang Brian R. Lockwood Anne Longman & Peter Antonacci Jim & Sharon Lowe Leah Martineau Marge Masterman keithmccraw.com - Custom Cabinetry

Kent Strauss Management & Realty Del Suggs & Denice Jones Neddy & DeWitt Sumners Warren W. & Paula E. Sutton Elizabeth Swiman & Mark Bertolami Dr. Bill & Ida Thompson, Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic

Ludmila De Faria

Susan McConnell

Bob & Trudy Deyle

Tom, Leisa, & Sean McCullion

Michael & Nan Diamonti

The McNeal/Dunn Family

Jeannie Head Dixon

Frank & Francesca Melichar

Kristin Dozier & John Webb

Dr. Marion Merzer & Martin Merzer

J. Byron Greene & Pamela Davis Greene Mary E Dyal

Jason & Vivian Moore

Linda Enfinger

Archie Gardner & Michael Moore

Jean & John Thrasher

Rick & Joyce Fausone

James & Shelley Tinney

Barbara B. Foley Gary & Ellen Fournier

Yvonne E. McIntosh, Ph.D.

Phillip Tomberlin Jr. & Martin Kavka

Michael Mesler & Susan Potts

Jon & Angela Turner

Sara Hart & Abraham Middleton

Dr. Ernesto & Lisa Umana

Emoryette McDonald

Emily & Pete Millett

Donna Blanton & John Van Gieson

Mark Mustian & Greta Sliger

Richard Wagner

Bob Nabors

Kenny & Linda Walker

Michael & Julie Obrecht

Lisa & Bernie Waxman

Oglesby Plants International

Andrew Welch

Ermine M. Owenby

John & Carmen Whiddon

Niraj Pandit

C. Gary & Wendy S. Williams

Stephen & Patricia Peters

Dennis & Barbara Williams

Lamar & Leslie Polston

Hon. Jim & Jo Wolf

Audrey E. Post

David & Mary Jean Yon

Mary Anne Price

Berneice Cox & Gary Yordon

Jack Quine & Bettye Anne Case Joanne & David Rasmussen Douglass & Ann Rauscher

Associate Level

Bill & Cyndi Mincy

Nancy Elgin & James Moorer Dianne Nagle & Bill Pickron

Barbara Ann Frederich

Kelly, Paul, Dane, & Luke O’Rourke

Terry & Durene Gilbert

Linda & Ed Oaksford

Barbara J. Gill Jeff & Leah Glass

Dr. Debbie Justice-Obley & Ross Obley

Marie Beverly Go

OliverSperry Renovation

Richard & Christine Gordon

Sara Pankaskie

Dave & Margaret Groves

John Dozier & Martha Paradeis

Frank Kapplow & Mona Hamilton

Carolyn S. Parlato

Eleanor Hawkins Tanja A. Hinton

Sharon Strickland & Richard Pearlman

Myles Hollander

Tom & Dianne Phillips

The Horvat Family

Beth Anne Posey

Liz Jameson

Eva Lynn Powell

Connie B. Jones

David & Jo Ann Prescott & Lori Jones

Amy M. Jones Matthew Keelean

John & Meg Paschal

Mark & Anne Priddy Steve Fox & Nikki Pritchett

Jill & Todd Adams

Kim Kelling & Todd Engstrom

Barbara L. Aguirre

Kelly & Rip Kirby

Kenneth J. & Charlotte Orth Reckford

Dewey & Marie Riou

Kathy Atkins-Gunter & Bill Gunter

Robert & Gail Knight

Bill & Connie Reinhardt

Fred & Anna Roberson

Ira & Davia Kramer

Ron & Genny Blazek

Carol & Hank Rosen

Dottie Roberts & Doug Bruce

Jerry & Alex Kutz

Jennifer & Scott Boyles

Edward Gray & Stacey Rutledge

Eleanore Rosenberg

Richard A. LaCondre

Louis & Mafé Brooks

Jennifer & Jay LaVia

J. Sapolsky

Terry & Krista Schoen

Jenny & John Bryant Barbara Busharis & Stan Tozer

Drs. Benjamin & Mary Sterner Lawson

Claudia & John Scholz

Doug & Cynthia Sessions Debbie Shapiro

Dominic & Debbie Calabro

Dr. Jim Lee

Drs. Fred & Rosezetta Seamon

Dr. Cedric & Nadine Shepheard

Elizabeth Carlton

The Lemberg-Bangura Family

Richard Senesac, Ph.D.

Signature Art Gallery

Steve Ray John & Amy Recht

Genevieve C. Scott

Robert & Linda Clickner

Charles & Karl Lester

Delopez & Shahawy

Six Pillars Financial Advisors

Jim & Louise Cobbe

Lifeng Lin

Mr. & Mrs. Charles C. Shields

Donnajo Smith

Lynn Cole

Jane Lo & S. Sher

Mirella & Theo Siegrist

Gary & Patricia Smith

Margaret & Chris Cooksey

Leslie Lundberg

Debajyoti & Rumi Sinha

Alicia Smith

Virginia Craig

Douglas & Joyce Mann

Carey Smith

Meredith & William Snowden

Charles “Jack” Craig

Rachel Massey

Lane & Fraser Smith

Tony Starace & Mabel Wells

Art Cunkle

Scott & Lisa McAnally

Dee Ann & Crit Smith

Joyce & Lee Stillwell

Liz Dameron

Rick & Nancy McClure

Ben & Leah Smith OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 9

WE M AKE NORTHWEST FLORIDA A WONDERFUL PL ACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PL AY.

ARTS

E D U C ATI O N

ARTS

E D U C ATI O N

ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENT

H E A LT H C A R H E A LT H C A R E

The St. Joe Community Foundation was created with the express purpose of making Northwest Florida a wonderful place to live, work and play. Over the Sponsor ofover Opening Nights to enhance past 16 years, the FoundationProud has contributed $18 Million The St. Joe Community Foundation was createdatwith the express performances Florida Statepurpose of cultural strengthen improve the makingarts, Northwest Florida aeducation, wonderful place to live, healthcare work Overprotect the University Panama Cityand play.and environment. can we help nonprofit organization? past 16 years,How the Foundation has your contributed over $18 Million toArts, enhance Providing funding for Education, Cultural Healthcare and the Environment. Over $18 million cultural arts, strengthen education, improve healthcare and protect the granted in Northwest Florida since 1999. environment. How can we help your nonprofit organization?

How can we Help You? How can we Help You? FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT JOEFOUNDATION.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT JOEFOUNDATION.COM © The St. Joe Company 20158 All Rights Reserved. “St. Joe Community Foundation” is a service mark of The St. Joe Company or its affiliates. © The St. Joe Company 2015 All Rights Reserved. “St. Joe Community Foundation” is a service mark of The St. Joe Company or its affiliates.

2017-18 MEMBERS CONTINUED

Anthony Cammarata & Kim Hamilton Bram & Maura Canter Lynda Carter-Markham Katherine Carmona

John & Maggie Stewart

Laura A. Cassels

Val Sullivan & Val Kibler

Colleen Castille

Dan Taylor & Tony Archer

Susan Catts

Ben & Joy Watkins

Heidi Chavers

David & Jane Watson

Marian & Betty Lou Christ

Forrest Watson

Richard & Lauren Clary

Barbara Mason White Palmer & Leslie Williams

Christine Coble, Charlene Estes, Maggie Moorman & Sara Staskiews

Lynda Roser & Marilyn Yon

William Collins

Marilynn Wills

Vicki Combs & Dennie Hill

Ken Winker

Karen Cooley & Mark Blair

Lynne & Oscar Winston

Bob & Ellen Crabtree

Andrew & Ann Wong

Doug & Dianne Croley

John & Libby Woodward

Dr. Kevin Jones & Dr. Michele Dames

James Hovey

Glenda Rabby & Ted Chiricos

Rick & Linda Hyson

Brenda Rabalais

IFS Business Interiors

Eric & Kimberley Ramcharran

Janet Kistner

Pat Ramsey

Beata Isabel Kucala

Cathy & Barney Ray

Wade S. Johnson

Carla King Richardson

Cindy & Joe Johnson

Margo Rogers

Jeffrey & Jessica Kahn

Jean Sadowski

Chet Kaufman

Dan & Lisa Salveter

Steve & Beth Kelly

Kati Schardl

Thom & Marj Kirsch

Drs. David & Winnie Schmeling

Charles & Dian LaTour

William & Susan Shearer

C Laurence & Lucinda P. Keesey

Matthew Sheldon Seminole Sitters

Mark & Jan LeBar

Betty Serow

Terence Leland Mark & Maria Leon

Leah Reilly Sherman & Noreen Reilly

Dr. Henry Lewis III

Leah Sibbitt & Chris Grubb

Jennifer Lloyd

Patricia & Chesterfield Smith

Jan Taylor & Tom Long

Margaret & Russell Dancy

Tiffany Lynn

Robert Goldman & Lu Ann Snider

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar

JuliAnne DelMonego

Dr. & Mrs. Edward Lyon

Margaret Stalvey

Kathy & Richard Zorn

Carol & John DeLoach

Melanie Mason & Blake Canter

Dana Farmer & Karen Stanford

The Deyo Family

Glenn Mayne

Richard & Nora Doran

Grover & Judy McKee

Bayard Stern & Rachelle McClure

Francisco Alarcon

Rodney & Virlindia Doss

John & Kathi McMillan

Jerry Altman & Ellen Berkowitz

Thomas & Staci Duggar

Neal & Jane Meadows

Thomas & Dana Ando

Jane & Mike Dunn

Lisa Medley

Jim & Marsha Antista

Jessica Ervin-Hang

Lee Kendall Metcalf

Randy & Cathy Armour

Richard Feezel

Corbin & Murray Moore

Florence Helen Ashby

Mark Fontaine

David & Kacelle Moore

Tiffany Baker & Johnathan Grandage

Tim & Jamela Fordyce

Mike & Judi Moss

Scott Frazier & Kelly Jones

Dr. Angela Murphy

Libby & Sid Bigham

Leah Gentry

Rodney & Almasi Vickers

Bloch Piano Tuning/ Restoration/Sales

John & Mary Geringer

Drs. Robert & Janet Newburgh

Daniel Gidaro

Lee & Lisa Nichols

Jacque & Mitchell Gilberg

Jerilyn & Greg Nikiel

Paige Gill & Beau Jackson

Cliff & Lynn Nilson

Dean Gioia & Amy Weatherby

Bobbie & John Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dea

Howard Glassman & Diane Salz

Jane & John Ohlin

Trimmel Gomes

Stan & Lisa Peacock

Steven & Dale Grigas

M. L. Pearson

Allison Hankinson

Thomas & Vivian Pelham

Lynda Hartnig & Tom Nicholson

Dr. Christine Peterson

Eileen & Chris Hawkins

Sunny Carol Phillips

Karen Hawkins

Bill Pike & B.J. Vickers

Elizabeth Herbert

Gary & Debbie Pullen

Stephen Hodges & Elizabeth Pulliam

Lisa Qualls & Matthew Scheiner

Marilyn Young & Michael Launer

Debut Level

S. Bole Alan & Susan Bowers Keith & Valerie Bowers James & Sheila Boylan Bill & Lisa Branch William Brandt Ann & Bill Brattain Richard Brightman Laura E. Brock Walt & Debbie Bunnell Ansje Burdick & Andy Opel Nick & Hannah Byrd Dr. & Mrs. James Cade

Shaw Stiller Jesse & Catherine Hope Suber Mary Helen Sukhia Lon Sweat & Nancy Brand Priscilla & William Tharpe Beth & Fred Tedio Heather Terhune Anita Favors Thompson Train. Fight. Win. Tallahassee Brian & Jennifer Traft Karen & Mark Trammell Marianna Tutwiler James & Judith Underhill Erin VanSickle Tommy & Kim Verran Dan & Denise Vollmer Bob & Suzi Wattendorf Ann Weichelt Zach & Stacy Wheeler Andrea & Pete White Arthur Wiedinger Bill Woolley & Maria Jimenez Nancy Wright Ted Zateslo OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 11

YOUR STORIES, OUR COMMUNITY

lottery

MONDAY

January

22 7:30 P.M. LOCATION

Ruby Diamond Concert Hall Photo by Autumn deWilde

TICKETS

$75 | $65 | $55 | $25 openingnights.fsu.edu 850.644.6500 GENRE

Pink Martini

jazz, classical, pop

with Storm Large

“Pink Martini is a rollicking aroundthe-world musical adventure… if the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we’d be that band.” - Thomas Lauderdale, bandleader/pianist In 1994 in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, Thomas Lauderdale was working in politics, thinking that one day he would run for mayor. Like other eager politicians-intraining, he went to every political fundraiser under the sun... but was dismayed to find the music at these events underwhelming, lackluster, loud and un-neighborly. Drawing inspiration from music from all over the world—crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop—and hoping to appeal to conservatives and liberals alike, he founded the “little orchestra” Pink Martini in 1994 to provide more beautiful and inclusive musical soundtracks for political fundraisers for causes such as civil rights, affordable housing, the environment, libraries, public broadcasting, education and parks.

SPONSORED BY

Continued on page 41 OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 13

FINE &

Performing Arts AT TALLAHASSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ART EXHIBIT: ROOPALI KAMBO Jan. 11 – Feb. 8 Monday – Friday 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. TCC Fine Art Gallery

ART EXHIBIT: ANNUAL JURIED STUDENT ART EXHIBIT Apr. 5 – 9 Monday – Friday 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. TCC Fine Art Gallery

ART EXHIBIT: DENISE BOOKWALTER Feb. 15 – Mar. 22 Monday – Friday 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. TCC Fine Art Gallery

ART EXHIBIT: PYRAMID STUDIO ARTISTS May 10 – July 19 Monday – Friday 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. TCC Fine Art Gallery

THEATRE TCC! PRESENTS: SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE! Apr. 5-7 & 12-14 | 8 p.m. Turner Auditorium

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

February

2&3 7:30 P.M.

LOCATION

Turner Auditorium Photo by Jeff Thomas

TICKETS

$50 | $35

openingnights.fsu.edu

The Reduced Shakespeare Company

850.644.6500 GENRE

theatre, comedy

William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) Written and Directed by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor

While touring England, the Reduced Shakespeare Company uncovered a manuscript that turned out to be the literary Holy Grail: William Shakespeare’s long lost first play! No, really. We found this centuries-old manuscript in a parking lot in Leicester, England. We are totally not making this up. Every famous character and Shakespearean plot device come together in a single story so comically outrageous it’s no wonder the Bard of Avon hid it away. Historical evidence suggests that this manuscript, Shakespeare’s very first written work, is so romantically rich, historically accurate, and theatrically overstuffed that in a stroke of genius The Bard decided to break it up into the 37 plays (...or, depending on recent scholarship, 38...39....) that we know today as the Shakespearean canon. In this “tale told by idiots,” the Reduced Shakespeare Company weaves all of The Bard’s famous characters, greatest lines, and magnificent speeches into a brand new Shakespearean smorgasbord that erupts when Puck & Ariel hijack the plot of Comedy of Errors, creating such new and strange bedfellows as Kate and Beatrice, Hamlet and master motivator Lady Macbeth, Dromio and Juliet, as well as King Lear and his three daughters who turn out to be the three weird sisters from Macbeth. William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) is a comic misadventure that will feel strangely familiar yet excitingly new.

*In the spirit of Shakespeare himself, RSC shows contain some occasional bawdy language and mild innuendo. All children (and parents) are different, so we’ve chosen to rate our shows PG-13: Pretty Good If You’re Thirteen.

SPONSORED BY

Continued on page 43 OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 15

SUNDAY

February

2:00 P.M. LOCATION

Ruby Diamond Concert Hall TICKETS

$35 | $25

openingnights.fsu.edu 850.644.6500 GENRE

marching band, classical, pop, jazz

PRISM

A Collaboration with the Florida State University College of Music Featuring students from Florida State’s top-ranked College of Music, PRISM offers a wide array of entertainment from Chamber Winds, Symphonic Band, jazz ensembles, the Marching Chiefs, and many more exciting groups. The Tallahassee Democrat might put it best: “The PRISM shows are built on a more-is-more philosophy…PRISM’s contrast between traditional fare and more experimental groups may be one of the reasons behind the program’s success. Its multifaceted nature makes PRISM a gem among music lovers. Because of its design, [the performance] offers a unique show depending on where an audience member sits - those in the balcony will be nearer to certain ensembles than those in other sections, and vice versa.” So come experience this unique event that lauds our students and faculty. It’s fantastic, fresh, and not to be missed!

SPONSORED BY

OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 17

MONDAY

February

7:30 P.M. LOCATION

Ruby Diamond Concert Hall TICKETS

$65 | $55 | $45 | $25 openingnights.fsu.edu 850.644.6500 GENRE Photo by Philip Ducap

jazz

To Ray with Love Starring Maceo Parker

Featuring the Ray Charles Orchestra & The Raelettes It’s the fall of 1963 and Maceo Parker is standing out back of the Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, trying to catch a glimpse of his idol, Ray Charles. He’s looking for anyone he would recognize from the band but all he sees is strangers. Out of the corner of his eye he sees the flare of a lighter. Instantly Maceo recognizes Hank Crawford, the epitome of cool in his leather jacket and matching boots. It is nearly midnight but Crawford still has his sunglasses on. The back door of the Coliseum opens and the rest of the band spill out. Then Ray Charles emerges and in an awestruck moment the young saxophonist makes a promise to himself and a silent one to Ray Charles: “one of these days you’re all gonna know me.”

ENCORE PERFORMER 2014

SPONSORED BY

Continued on page 47 OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 19

LOCAL TICKETS. ONE PLACE. 850Tix is your source for local events across Northwest Florida. From the same trusted award-winning team that has published Tallahassee Magazine for more than 37 years, our goal is to promote the community our readers know and love. From festivals to tours and sports to the arts, the event choices in Northwest Florida are endless and all on 850Tix.com.

CONCERTS | EVENTS | CLASSES | SHOWS | TOURS

TALLAHASSEE Launching early 2018 // Visit 850Tix.com for more information.

Photo by Coleman Sanders

WEDNESDAY

February

7:30 P.M. LOCATION

Ruby Diamond Concert Hall TICKETS

$50 | $40 | $30 | $25 openingnights.fsu.edu 850.644.6500 GENRE

rock, jazz, folk, classical

Jake Shimabukuro Jake Shimabukuro can still vividly remember the first time he held a ukulele, at age four. It was an encounter that would shape his destiny and give the world one of the most exceptional and innovative uke players in the history of the instrumentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an artist who has drawn comparisons to musical titans such as Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis.

ENCORE PERFORMER 2014

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OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 27

BE CREATIVE. ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHAT YOU DO BEST.

3131 Lonnbladh Rd. | www.earlbacon.com | 878-2121

TUESDAY

February

13 7:30 P.M. LOCATION

Ruby Diamond Concert Hall TICKETS

$85 | $75 | $65 | $25 openingnights.fsu.edu 850.644.6500 GENRE

jazz, R&B, funk, soul

George Benson “George Benson is the best guitarist in the world in all kinds of music. Rock, jazz, blues—he plays better than anybody else!” - B.B. King Appreciated as both a musician and performer by millions, George Benson has always had the dual role of expert improviser and vibrant entertainer. He has consistently placed his keenly discerning art in the service of a rousing good time. Rounding out his singular approach with sly, seductive rhythm and blues, he’s earned himself an impeccable reputation as one of music’s most enterprising and engaging stars.

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February

14 7:30 P.M. LOCATION

Ruby Diamond Concert Hall TICKETS

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classic rock, pop Photo by Timothy White

Michael McDonald One of the world’s most distinctive singing voices, Michael McDonald is often imitated but never duplicated (although Justin Timberlake has come close on “The Tonight Show” to comedic effect, as has actor John Viener on “Family Guy”). He’s had enough humility over the years to freely blend that voice with others’, whether as a member of Steely Dan, a Doobie Brother, as a highly successful solo artist and songwriter, a member of the supergroup the Dukes of September or, most recently, reaching the Coachella generation as a celebrated co-star on Thundercat’s indie hit “Show You the Way.” Fans who’ve wanted to hear that 50,000-watt clear channel of a voice all by itself have had to bide their time—not just minute by minute, but year by year—waiting for McDonald to reclaim a solo spotlight.

ENCORE PERFORMER 2004

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Continued on page 55

OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 31

Congratulations Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of Opening Nights Performing Arts. When members of the community support the arts, they help inspire and enrich everyone. Artistic diversity can be a powerful force for unity, creating shared experiences and a desire for excellence. Bank of America is proud to support Opening Nights at Florida State University for its success in bringing the arts to performers and audiences throughout our community. Visit us at bankofamerica.com/local Life’s better when we’re connected®

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ENCORE PERFORMER 2014

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SUNDAY

February

18 5:00 P.M. LOCATION

Askew Student Life Cinema TICKETS

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documentary

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South Arts Southern Circuit Film Festival PRESENTED BY OPENING NIGHTS AND THE ASKEW STUDENT LIFE CINEMA “I won the lottery when my parents adopted me from foster care; I won it again when they included me in regular education. Now, I seek to help kids much less fortunate than I by showing people what a nonspeaking student with autism can do. In Deej, the camera intrudes on every aspect of my life. If seeing truly is believing, then perhaps eyes can be opened to the full potential of kids with significant disabilities. Shot over a six-year period, Deej reveals not only what the ideal of full inclusion requires but also what it can accomplish.” – DJ Savarese

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Filmmaker: Robert Rooy Continued on page 59 OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 35

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THURSDAY

February

22 7:30 P.M.

LOCATION

Opperman Music Hall TICKETS

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classical PROGRAM

Ray Chen, violin “Chen crashes through any supposed barriers erected around classical music with his playing.” - The San Diego Tribune Ray Chen is a violinist who redefines what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st Century. With a media presence that enhances and inspires the classical audience, reaching out to millions through his unprecedented online following, Ray Chen’s remarkable musicianship transmits to a global audience that is reflected in his engagements with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world. Continued on page 60

Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor Saint-Saëns Intermission Solo Sonata No. 4 in E minor Ysaye Suite populaire espagnole De Falla Czardaz Monti

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OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 37

CELEBRATING

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February

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The St. Joe Community Foundation Lecture Hall

(FSU Panama City Campus)

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jazz, pop

Bria Skonberg “Ms. Skonberg has become the shining hope of hot jazz, on the strength of a clarion trumpet style indebted to Louis Armstrong, a smooth purr of a singing voice inspired by Anita O’Day and the wholesome glow of youth.” - New York Times Canadian singer, trumpeter and songwriter Bria Skonberg has been described as one of the “most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.” (Wall Street Journal). Recognized as one of 25 for the Future by DownBeat Magazine, Bria Skonberg has been a force in the new generation of jazz with her bold horn melodies and smoky vocals, and adventurous concoctions of classic and new.

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Continued on page 61 OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 39

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Herb & Mary Jervis

Storm Large made her debut with Pink Martini in April 2011. Photo by Chris Hornbecker.

Pink Martini Continued from pg. 13

One year later, Lauderdale called China Forbes, a Harvard classmate who was living in New York City, and asked her to join Pink Martini. They began to write songs together. Their first song “Sympathique” became an overnight sensation in France, was nominated for “Song of the Year” at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards, and to this day remains a mantra (“Je ne veux pas travailler” or “I don’t want to work”) for striking French workers. Says Lauderdale, “We’re very much an American band, but we spend a lot of time abroad and therefore have the incredible diplomatic opportunity to represent a broader, more inclusive America… the America which remains the most heterogeneously populated country in the world… composed of people of every country, every language, every religion.” Featuring a dozen musicians, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and North America. Pink Martini made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 under

the direction of Norman Leyden. Since then, the band has gone on to play with more than 50 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the BBC Concert Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall in London. Other appearances include the grand opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, with return sold-out engagements for New Year’s Eve 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2011; four sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall; the opening party of the remodeled Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Governor’s Ball at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in 2008; the opening of the 2008 Sydney Festival in Australia; multiple sold-out appearances, and a festival opening, at the Montreal Jazz Festival, two sold-out concerts at Paris’ legendary L’Olympia Theatre in 2011; and Paris’ fashion house Lanvin’s 10-year anniversary celebration for designer Alber Elbaz in 2012. In its twentieth year, Pink Martini was inducted into both the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame and the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

STORM LARGE

Storm Large shot to national prominence in

2006 as a finalist on the CBS show Rock Star: Supernova, where, despite having been eliminated in the week before the finale, Storm built

a fan base that follows her around the world to this day. Storm spent the ’90s singing in clubs throughout San Francisco. Tired of the club scene, she moved to Portland to pursue a new career as a chef, but a last-minute cancellation in 2002 at the Portland club Dante’s turned into a standing Wednesday night engagement for Storm and her band, The Balls. It wasn’t long before Storm had a cult-like following in Portland, and a renewed singing career. In 2007, she starred in Portland Center Stage’s production of Cabaret with Wade McCollum.

The show was a smash hit, and earned Large glowing reviews. Her autobiographical musical memoir Crazy Enough played to packed

houses in 2009 during its unprecedented 21week sold-out run at Portland Center Stage. She went on to perform a cabaret version of the show to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Adelaide Festival in Australia, and Joe’s Pub in New York. Her memoir Crazy Enough was released by Simon and

Schuster in 2012, was named Oprah’s Book of the Week, and awarded the 2013 Oregon Book Award for Creative Nonfiction. OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 41

Season

Days of Dance April 13 & 14, 20 & 21

dance.fsu.edu

WWW.THF-CPA.COM TALLAHASSEE

42 | OPENING NIGH TS FALL 2017

TAMPA

School of Dance

Spring MFA February 9 & 10

Storm made her debut with Pink Martini in April 2011, singing four sold-out concerts with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She continues to perform with the band, touring nationally and internationally, and appears on the band’s most recent albums, Get Happy and Je dis oui! She debuted with the Oregon Symphony in 2010 and made her Carnegie Hall debut in May 2013, singing Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with the Detroit Symphony as part of the Spring for Music Festival. The New York Times called her “sensational.” In fall 2014, Storm and her new band released the album Le Bonheur, a collection of tortured and titillating love songs from the American Songbook that are beautiful, familiar, yet twisted, much like the lady herself.

THOMAS LAUDERDALE

Raised on a plant nursery in rural Indiana, Pink Martini bandleader Thomas M. Lauderdale began piano lessons at age six with Patricia Garrison. When his family moved to Portland in 1982, he began studying with Sylvia Killman, who to this day continues to serve as his coach and mentor. He has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras and ensembles, including the Oregon Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Chamber Music Northwest and Oregon Ballet Theatre (where he collaborated with choreographer James Canfield and visual artists Storm Tharp and Malia Jensen on a ballet based on Felix Salten’s Bambi, written in 1923). In 2008, he played Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F with the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Christoph Campestrini. Lauderdale returned as soloist with the Oregon Symphony in multiple concerts in 2011, and again in 2015, under the direction of Carlos Kalmar. In 2017, he and his partner Hunter Noack created and performed a dazzling, rhapsodic two-piano arrangement of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with choreographer Nicolo Fonte for Oregon Ballet Theatre. Active in Oregon politics since a student at U.S. Grant High School (where he was student body president), Thomas served under Portland Mayor Bud Clark and Oregon governor Neil Goldschmidt. In 1991, he worked under Portland City Commissioner Gretchen

Kafoury on the drafting and passage of the city’s civil rights ordinance. He graduated with honors from Harvard with a degree in History and Literature in 1992. He spent most of his collegiate years, however, in cocktail dresses, taking on the role of “cruise director” … throwing waltzes with live orchestras and ice sculptures, disco masquerades with gigantic pineapples on wheels, midnight swimming parties, and operating a Tuesday night coffeehouse called Café Mardi. Instead of running for political office, Lauderdale founded Pink Martini in 1994 to play political fundraisers for progressive causes such as civil rights, the environment, affordable housing and public broadcasting. In addition to his work with Pink Martini, Lauderdale is currently working on three different recording projects with international superstar and singing sensation Meow Meow, the surf band Satan’s Pilgrims and singer/civil rights leader Kathleen Saadat.

W R I T T E N & D I R ECT E D BY Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor

STA R R I N G Reed Martin, Teddy Spencer, Austin Tichenor William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) was first performed by the Reduced Shakespeare Company at the Folger Theatre (Janet Alexander Griffin, Artistic Director) in Washington DC, April 21 - May 8, 2016. Directed by the authors, the script was workshopped and developed in a non-RSC production at Shakespeare Napa Valley (Jennifer King, Artistic Director). That production then moved to Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival (Grant Mudge, Producing Artistic Director). The cast was Dan Saski, Teddy Spencer, and Chad Yarish.

ONSTAGE

Continued from pg. 15

Reed Martin co-created and performed in the original productions of America, Bible, Western Civilization, All The Great Books, Hollywood, Sports, Christmas, and Comedy—all (abridged). He also contributed additional material to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). He has performed in London’s West End, at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater, ACT San Francisco, McCarter Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The White House and Madison Square Garden, as well as in 11 foreign countries. He toured for two years as a clown/ assistant ringmaster with Ringling Brothers/ Barnum & Bailey Circus. Reed has written for the BBC, National Public Radio, TBS, Britain’s Channel Four, RTE Ireland, Public Radio International, Sky TV UK, the Washington Post, and Vogue magazine. Reed’s work has been nominated for an Olivier Award in London, a Helen Hayes Award in Washington, DC, and a San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critic’s Circle Award. He lives in Northern California with his wife and two sons, all three of whom are much funnier than he is.

WARNING: This show is a high-speed, roller-coaster type condensation of William Shakespeare’s massive first play and is not recommended for people with heart ailments, back problems, English degrees, inner ear disorders, people inclined to motion sickness, and/or the humor-impaired. The Reduced Shakespeare Company cannot be held responsible for expectant mothers.

Teddy Spencer is a Northern California native and having a “hella sweet” time since joining the RSC for the World Premiere of Long Lost Shakes. Regionally, Teddy has worked with the Dallas Theater Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the Folger Theatre, Capital Stage Company, Sacramento Theatre Company, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Tex-

In Spring 2008, Lauderdale completed his first film score for Chiara Clemente’s documentary Our City Dreams, a portrait of five New York City-based women artists of different generations. In 2016, Lauderdale created the score and three featured songs for the Belgian film Souvenir, starring the legendary French actress Isabelle Huppert. Lauderdale currently serves on the boards of the Oregon Symphony, Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Oregon Historical Society, Confluence Project with Maya Lin and the Derek Rieth Foundation. He lives with his partner Hunter Noack in downtown Portland, Oregon.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company

OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 43

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as Shakespeare Festival, Arabian Shakespeare Festival, Napa Valley Shakespeare, the Theatre at Monmouth, the Undermain, and Summer Repertory Theatre. Teddy holds a BA in both Musical Theatre and Psychology from California State University, Chico, and an MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University. He is an Artistic Associate with the Arabian Shakespeare Festival, a Company Member with SF PlayGround, and the proud father of a dog named Dweebs. Austin Tichenor has performed with the RSC around the world, off-Broadway, in London’s West End, and in the PBS version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). He has written stage adaptations of Frankenstein, a Kafka-for-kids adaptation of “The Metamorphosis” called Dancing on the Ceiling, and (with Reed Martin) the irreverent reference book Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired (abridged), the comic e-book memoir How The Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly For The Better), and the stage comedies America, Bible, Western Civilization, All The Great Books, Hollywood, Sports, Christmas, and Comedy—all (abridged)—all of which are published and/or translated into over a dozen languages. TV credits include recurring roles on Alias, 24, The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Felicity; and various Guys in Ties on ER, X-Files, West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Nip/Tuck, and shows like them. Austin produces and hosts the weekly RSC Podcast, available on iTunes and at ReducedShakespeare.com.

lighting design (creative) in theater, music, and dance, for the Kennedy Center, Walnut Street Theater, Actors’ Theater of Louisville, among many others. Recent projects include Barbara Cook in Concert, The International Ballet Festival, and The Sondheim Celebration. Favorite projects include: Quilters, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Noises Off, Pump Boys & Dinettes, Radio Gals, A Tuna Christmas, Forever Plaid, and A Christmas Carol. Daniel Singer (RSC Founder) has been a theatrical impresario from the moment he looked up ‘impresario’ in the dictionary. Upon his return from studying “proper dramatic technique” in London, he became a director at the original Renaissance Pleasure Faire, where he founded the subversive Reduced Shakespeare Company. In 1989 Daniel hung up his doublet-and-hose to design theme park attractions at Walt Disney Imagineering, and became a freelance designer, writer and event producer in Los Angeles. His new hit comedy A Perfect Likeness chronicles Lewis Carroll’s (fictitious) attempt to get his literary hero Charles Dickens to pose for a photograph in 1866 Oxford. Coming soon to a theater near you!

A REDUCED HISTORY

BACKSTAGE

Alli Bostedt (RSC Office Manager) took her first foray into theatre at age 4. She soon discovered that every stage has a backstage and has attempted to remain there ever since. A native of Las Vegas, Alli lives in California with a talking shower curtain and an extensive rubber ducky collection.

Since its pass-the-hat origins in 1981, the Reduced Shakespeare Company has created 10 world-renowned stage shows, two television specials, several failed TV pilots, and numerous radio pieces, all of which have been seen, performed, and heard the world over. The company’s stops have included the White House, off-Broadway, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, London’s West End, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre and Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, as well as performances in Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Malta, Singapore and Bermuda, plus countless civic and university venues throughout the USA, the UK, and Europe.

Jane Martin (RSC General Manager) Prior to joining the RSC and sleeping with Reed, Jane was Artistic Director of the Hawk’s Well Theatre in Sligo, Ireland and then producer of the physical comedy troupe The Right Size in London, England. In her copious free time away from RSC business, Jane spends time raising two boys (three, if you count Reed) and teaching Theater at Sonoma Valley High School.

The RSC’s first three shows—The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), The Complete History of America (abridged), and The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) - ran for nine years at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus as London’s longest-running comedies. For years the RSC had more shows running in the West End than Andrew Lloyd Webber. They were also funnier.

Elaine M. Randolph (Stage Manager) Credits include stage management (compulsive) and

In 2016, in honor of its 35th anniversary and the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death,

the RSC premiered its 10th stage show William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. And in 2013, the RSC premiered the subject it was born to reduce—The Complete History of Comedy (abridged)—to critical and commercial acclaim at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. The “Bad Boys of Abridgment” have also applied their fast, funny and physical approach to World History in Western Civilization: The Complete Musical (abridged) [original title: The Complete Millennium Musical (abridged)], which toured simultaneously in the US, UK and Australia); Athletics in The Complete World of Sports (abridged), which played in London during the 2012 Olympics; Literature in All the Great Books (abridged); and the Movies in Completely Hollywood (abridged), which skewers the 197 greatest films of all time. All these shows have received critical acclaim across the US, UK, Belgium, Holland, Hong Kong, and Barbados, and played to packed houses at the Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Seattle’s ACT Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and Sweden (in Swedish!). And in 2011, the world premiere of The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) became Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s best-selling holiday show ever, and the third-bestselling show in MRT’s history. For TV, the RSC compressed the first five seasons of Lost into a ten-minute film called Lost Reduced, and was a Jeopardy! category in the 2005 and 2006 Tournaments of Champions. They wrote and starred in The Ring Reduced, a half-hour version of Wagner’s Ring Cycle for Channel 4 (UK), and reduced the Edinburgh Festival for BBC and the soap opera Glenroe for RTE Ireland. Shakespeare (abridged) aired on PBS and is available on DVD, as is America (abridged). For National Public Radio, the RSC has been heard on All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Talk of the Nation, Day to Day, West Coast Live, and To The Best of Our Knowledge. The BBC World Service commissioned the six-part Reduced Shakespeare Radio Show. The Reduced Shakespeare Company Christmas was heard on Public Radio International. The RSC won the prestigious Shorty Award in New York City and the Delft Audience OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 45

Charles & Susan Stratton Proud Supporters of Opening Nights and avid fans of ON staff

Larry & Jo Deeb Opening Nights... A great reason to be in Tallahassee!

Award in Holland. They’ve also been nominated for an Olivier Award in London, two Helen Hayes Awards in Washington, DC, and the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award. RSC scripts are published in the US and UK, and translated into over a dozen languages. Hyperion published their irreverent reference book Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired (abridged). The company established its own imprint Reduced Books to publish the comic memoir How The Bible Changed Our Lives (Mostly For The Better) in all e-book formats. And the RSC Podcast, a free 20-minute audio glimpse of life backstage and on the road, is available every week at iTunes and reducedshakespeare.com.

ADDITIONAL CREDITS G E N E RA L M A N AG E R Jane Martin

O F F I C E M A N AG E R

C O M PA N Y F O U N D E R Daniel Singer For their contributions to the development of the script, the Authors wish to thank: Dee Ryan, Adrian Scarborough, Rob Richards, Dominic Conti, Jennifer King, Michael Faulkner, John Tichenor, Andrew Klein, Dr. Catherine Woodring, Benedict the Mad, Quincy & Daisy Tichenor, Peter Holland, Samuel Taylor, Elaine Randolph, Alli Bostedt, Campbell & Cian Martin, Kate Powers, Grant Mudge, Christopher Moore, Freya Marcelius, Cameo Cinema in St. Helena, Calif., Ron Severdia and the Shakespeare Pro App, Sonoma Valley High School Drama Dept, Dan Saski, Teddy Spencer, Chad Yarish, the late great Howard Ashman, and Jane Martin. Folger Shakespeare Library Editions are the Official Complete Works Resource for this play. The actors and stage managers in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

Alli Bostedt

STA G E M A N A G E R Elaine Randolph

Maceo Parker

BAC K D RO P D ES I G N

Continued from pg. 19

Tim Holtslag

C O ST U M E D E S I G N E R Skipper Skeoch

M A S K S & P U P P E TS Freya Marcelius

PROPS

In 1993 that promise came true for Maceo when he opened shows for Ray Charles all over Europe, and did the same the following year at the Lincoln Centre in New York. Just as James Brown would have Maceo sing Georgia in his shows, Prince had Maceo do the same thing during his Musicology tour as

a tribute to Ray Charles after he passed away in 2004. It was the loss of Ray Charles that led Maceo to think about somehow doing something with the Ray Charles Orchestra. As he toured the world for the next 10 years he wondered what would happen to the band following the loss of their leader and how important it might be to put that band “back together” and perform Ray’s work. In the interim years Maceo recorded two Big Band albums the first of which “Roots and Grooves” of which was part tribute to Ray Charles and received huge critical acclaim. Finally in 2014 following a chance remark spotted by his manager on Facebook, the idea of putting Maceo with the Ray Charles Orchestra and Raelettes went from a dream to a real possibility. Two years later that possibility in turn became a reality. In 2016 Maceo performed a tribute to Ray Charles with the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Raelettes on August 17 at the Hollywood Bowl as part of Hollywood Bowl’s 2016 season. Followed a month later by a show at the 59th annual Monterey Jazz Festival. This was the first time that the RC Orchestra had performed together since Ray Charles passed away in 2004, and the shows have now been already experienced by several thousand people. For Maceo, for the Orchestra and for the Raelettes this is a dream come true. The essence of the music of Ray Charles shines through these performances and already there are

Alli Bostedt

WA R D R O B E S U P E R V I S O R Alli Bostedt

SOUND DESIGN Austin Tichenor, Brandon Roe

P O ST E R A R T Lar DeSouza

W E B M A ST E R Matt Rippy

U . S . TO U R D I R E C T I O N Baylin Artists Management

L EGA L COU N S E L Sharon Colchamiro, Esq.

When Maceo Parker performed a tribute to Ray Charles with the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Raelettes in August 2016, it was the first time the RC Orchestra had performed together since Ray Charles passed away in 2004. Photo by Laurent Graffion. OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 47

festivals who have booked this project for their 2017 or 2018 seasons. “I’ve known for a long time that Maceo was the right person to pay tribute to Ray in a genuine way that I think Ray would have enjoyed. The fact that he insists on wanting to work with Ray’s musicians and backup singers only solidifies that he would like to present this music with and in the spirit that it was taught to us and performed by Ray. We think the songs that we’ve selected are a great representation of Ray Charles’ biggest hits and the tunes that he liked to sing on a regular basis.” - Steve Sigmund, Musical Director for the Tribute, and First Trombone with Ray Charles Orchestra for over 20 years.

Jake Shimabukuro Continued from pg. 21

“My mom played, and I kept bugging her to teach me,” he recalls. “So one day we sat down on the floor and she put her old Kamaka ukulele in my hands. I remember being so nervous. Then she showed me how to strum the strings and taught me my first chord. I fell in love with the ukulele immediately. From that day on, you had to pry the instrument away from me in order to get me to do anything else.” That first brush with musical fate took place in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Jake was born and still makes his home. Growing up, he studied and played a number of other musical instruments—drums, piano and guitar. “But

none of those instruments spoke to me the way the ukulele did,” he says. “There was something about the uke that was different. Music was my passion, but I had no idea that I could make it as a musician. I always thought that maybe I’d be a school teacher and incorporate music into the classroom, rather than being on a stage performing in front of people.” Of course, Shimabukuro would end up performing on many of the world’s most renowned stages. Starting his career in Hawaii, he took his inspiration from some of the islands’ great uke players—Eddie Kamae, Ohta-San and Peter Moon. But he quickly expanded his scope from there, drawing influences from across the musical spectrum. “As I got older,” he says, “I realized that I could also learn from guitar players, drummers, violinists, pianists, singers and even dancers. And then I started to observe athletes. Athletes are artists, too. I was heavily influenced by people like Bruce Lee and Michael Jordan—applying their philosophy and intense, mental focus to music performance.” As a member of the group Pure Heart, Shimabukuro became a local phenomenon. From Hawaii, his fame next spread to Japan. He was signed to Epic Records (Sony/Japan) in 2001 as a solo artist. It was the start of what would become a deep catalog of solo albums, noted for their dazzling fretwork, ambitious repertoire and wistful melodicism. And in 2005, Shimabukuro became an international phenomenon when a video of him performing the George Harrison song “While My Guitar

Jake Shimabukuro and band, photo by Coleman Saunders 4 8 | OPENING NIGH TS FALL 2017

Gently Weeps” went viral on YouTube. “At the time, I didn’t even know what YouTube was,” Jake laughs. “Nobody did, especially in Hawaii. But I had some friends who were going to college on the mainland and they sent me a link to the video. By the time I saw it, it already had millions of views. My name wasn’t even on it then. All it said was ‘Asian guy shreds on ukulele,’ or something like that. That’s what opened up the doors to touring in North America, Europe, Asia and beyond. It was a big turning point for me.” By adapting a guitar hero anthem for the ukulele (Eric Clapton had played lead guitar on the Beatles’ original recording) Shimabukuro made a significant statement: The ukulele, with its humble four strings and modest two-octave range, is an instrument limited only by the imagination and creativity of the person playing it. Along with his own original compositions, Jake became noted for his solo uke arrangements of such varied pieces as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” “A lot of those are just songs that I really love,” he says. “I’d sit at home and work out how to play some of them on the ukulele. A lot of it is for my own curiosity. I always wondered, ‘Man, what would “Bohemian Rhapsody” sound like on a ukulele?’ And then it’s my stubborn nature not to give up until I’d figured out how to do it.” Widespread acclaim brought high-visibility collaborations with a wide range of artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Buffett, Bette Midler, Cyndi Lauper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Dave Koz, Michael McDonald, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Tommy Emmanuel, and Marty Friedman. Jake Shimabukuro has topped Billboard’s World Music Chart on numerous occasions, and has sold out prestigious venues and festivals such as the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, Sydney Opera House, Wolf Trap, Bonnaroo, SXSW, and the Playboy Jazz Festival. He even played for Queen Elizabeth II at The Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, England. Shimabukuro’s busy touring schedule—140 dates a year—is complemented by a rich and varied catalog of albums that capture the many moods of the uke. His most recent CD, Nashville Sessions, is one of his most adventurous, multifaceted and engaging records to date,

blending elements of jazz virtuosity with heartfelt melodicism. A husband and father of two, Jake balances his stellar career with family life and community service. He travels to schools around the world spreading positive messages to young people, encouraging them to live drug free and find their passion—just as he did at age four when his mother gave him his first ukulele lesson. In the time since then, he has played a key role in the current revival of interest in the ukulele. “When I first started touring the mainland,” he recalls, “everybody would say, ‘Oh man, I didn’t know you could play that kind of music on that thing.’ But now there are so many iconic artists playing the ukulele, like Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder, Train, Jimmy Buffett, Michael McDonald, Dave Mathews and Taylor Swift. Even popular cartoons like ‘Peg + Cat’ and ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ have ukulele soundtracks. The popularity of the ukulele keeps growing every year. And I’m constantly discovering new sounds, styles and expressive possibilities within the instrument through projects like the Nashville Sessions album. By the time we finished that recording, I already had tons of ideas for the next album. I can’t wait to get back into the studio and experiment some more.”

“I like an album to have a balance, like a novel or like a film. A triumph, a dark brooding moment, or a moment of peace—that’s the only thing I consistently try to achieve with a record.” - JJ Grey Photo by Todd Cooper

JJ Grey & Mofro Continued from pg. 23

Onstage, Grey delivers his songs with compassion and a relentless honesty, but perhaps not until Ol’ Glory has a studio record captured the fierceness and intimacy that defines a Grey live performance. “I wanted that crucial livedin feel,” Grey says of Ol’ Glory, and here he hits his mark. On the new album, Grey and his current Mofro lineup offer grace and groove in equal measure, with an easygoing quality to the production that makes those beautiful muscular drum-breaks sound as though the band has set up in your living room. Despite a redoubtable stage presence, Grey does get performance anxiety—specifically, when he’s suspended 50 feet above the soil of his pecan grove, clearing moss from the upper trees. “The tops of the trees are even worse,” he laughs, “say closer to 70, maybe even 80 feet.

I’m not phobic about heights, but I don’t think anyone’s crazy about getting up in a bucket and swinging all around. I wanted to fertilize this year but didn’t get a chance. This February I will, about two tons—to feed the trees.” When he isn’t touring, Grey exerts his prodigious energies on the family land, a former chicken-farm that was run by his maternal grandmother and grandfather. The farm boasts a recording studio, a warehouse that doubles as Grey’s gym, an open-air barn, and of course those 50-odd pecan trees that occasionally require Grey to go airborne with his sprayer. For devoted listeners, there is something fitting, even affirmative in Grey’s commitment to the land of his north Florida home. The farms and eddying swamps of his youth are as much a part of Grey’s music as the Louisiana swamp-blues tradition, or the singer’s collection of old Stax records.

As a boy, Grey was drawn to country-rockers, including Jerry Reed, and to Otis Redding and the other luminaries of Memphis soul; Run-D.M.C., meanwhile, played on repeat in the parking lot of his high school (note the hip-hop inflections on “A Night to Remember”). Merging these traditions, and working with a blue-collar ethic that brooked no b*******, Grey began touring as Mofro in the late ‘90s, with backbeats that crossed Steve Cropper with George Clinton and a lyrical directness that made his debut LP Blackwater (2001) a calling-card among roots-rock aficionados. Soon, he was expanding his tours beyond America and the U.K., playing ever-larger clubs and eventually massive festivals, as his fan base grew from a modest group of loyal initiates into something resembling a national coalition. Grey takes no shortcuts on the homestead, and he certainly takes no shortcuts in his music. OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 49

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While he has metaphorically speaking “drawn blood” making all his albums, his latest effort, Ol’ Glory, found him spending more time than ever working over the new material. A hip-shooting, off-the-cuff performer (often his first vocal takes end up pleasing him best), Grey was able to stretch his legs a bit while constructing the lyrics and vocal lines to Ol’ Glory. “I would visit it much more often in my mind, visit it more often on the guitar in my house,” Grey says. “I like an album to have a balance, like a novel or like a film. A triumph, a dark brooding moment, or a moment of peace— that’s the only thing I consistently try to achieve with a record.” Grey has been living this balance throughout his career, and Ol’ Glory is a beautifully paced little film. On “The Island,” Grey sounds like Coleridge on a happy day: “All beneath the canopy / of ageless oaks whose secrets keep / Forever in her beauty / This island is my home.” “A Night to Remember” finds the singer in first-rate swagger: “I flipped up my collar ah man / I went ahead and put on my best James Dean / and you’d a thought I was Clark Gable squinting through that smoke.” And “Turn Loose” has Grey in fast-rhyme mode in keeping with the song’s title: “You work a stride / curbside thumbing a ride / on Lane Avenue / While your kids be on their knees / praying Jesus please.” From the profane to the sacred, the sly to the sublime, Grey feels out his range as a songwriter with ever-greater assurance. The mood and drive of Ol’ Glory are testament to this achievement. The album ranks with Grey’s very best work; among other things, the secret spirituality of his music is perhaps more accessible here than ever before. On “Everything Is a Song,” he sings of “the joy with no opposite,” a sacred state that Grey describes to me: “It can happen to anybody: you sit still and you feel things tingling around you, everything’s alive around you, and in that a smile comes on your face involuntarily, and in that I felt no opposite. It has no part of the play of good and bad or of comedy or tragedy. I know it’s just a play on words but it feels like more than just being happy because you got what you wanted—this is a joy. A joy that doesn’t get involved one way or the next; it just is.” Grey’s most treasured albums include Otis

Redding’s In Person at the Whisky a Go Go and Jerry Reed’s greatest hits, and the singer once told me that he grew up “wanting to be Jerry Reed but with less of a country, more of a soul thing.” With Ol’ Glory, Grey does his idols proud. It’s a country record where the stories are all part of one great mystery; it’s a blues record with one foot in the church; it’s a Memphis soul record that takes place in the country. In short, Ol’ Glory is that most singular thing, a record by JJ Grey—the north Florida sage and soul-bent swamp rocker.

Ira Glass Continued from pg. 25

Glass began his career as an intern at National Public Radio’s network headquarters in Washington, DC in 1978, when he was 19 years old. Over the years, he worked on nearly every NPR network news program and held virtually every production job in NPR’s Washington headquarters. He has been a tape cutter, newscast writer, desk assistant, editor, reporter and producer. He has filled in as host of Talk of the Nation and Weekend All Things Considered. A television adaptation of This American Life ran on Showtime for two seasons in 2007 and 2008, winning three Emmys. Glass is one of the producers of Mike Birbiglia’s new film “Don’t Think Twice,” and produced and cowrote Birbiglia’s first film “Sleepwalk with Me.” Under Glass’s editorial direction, This American Life has won the highest honors for broadcasting and journalistic excellence, including five Peabody awards. The American Journalism Review declared that the show is “at the vanguard of a journalistic revolution.”

George Benson Continued from pg. 29

Few might have predicted that striking level of stardom some 40 years ago, when Benson was a fledgling guitarist working the corner pubs of his native Pittsburgh. That’s where his yearn to please a crowd was born. “I was an entertainer first,” he says proudly “As a kid I sang, danced, and played the ukulele in a nightclub. As my

career has progressed, I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the baddest jazz cats on the planet. But that doesn’t change my desire to entertain folks. That’s really who I am.” It was Wes Montgomery, one of jazz’s most creative players, who came across Benson early on; the vet complimented the young guitarist, urging him to continue his already impressive work. In the early 1960s, Benson apprenticed with organist Brother Jack McDuff; he found the organist’s gritty swing a fertile ground for the sly, confident, and adventurous guitar lines, which earned him an early rep as a master. “Jack turned me on to a lot of stuff,” muses Benson. “A lot of the jazz tunes we played together were danceable, and that furthered my understanding of what people wanted. When jazz was danceable, it was king. The intellectual stuff that came later on—Charlie Parker and all that—turned toward a brainier sound. That was good, and I dug it. But I really like when people kick up their heels and go crazy.” Montgomery had called one of his best records Boss Guitar. Benson had both the conviction and chops to nip at his hero’s heels; his 1964 debut was released as The New Boss Guitar. It lived up to its title. Benson’s tone was juicy, and his blues solos sparkled with a carefully honed logic. A jaunty funk and swing aesthetic prevailed. By the time legendary talent scout John Hammond signed Benson to Columbia, the guitarist’s name was bubbling throughout the industry. His work for the label proved Hammond’s hunch to be on-target: brains and flash were in perfect synch. “I’d sat down with a great blind pianist from San Francisco name Freddy Gambrel,” recalls Benson. “He turned me on to some wonderful ways to get in and out of chord changes and weld harmonies together. Of course I still wanted to be like Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Hank Garland—my heroes. I’ve always liked the hot guitar guys.” Playing the combination won Benson access to all sorts of arenas. His work was boundless: in the late ’60s he sat in on heady Miles Davis sessions, and also put a personal spin on the tunes from the Beatles’ Abbey Road. Hooking up with the CTI label in 1970, he was united with many of jazz’s finest instrumentalists, including Stanley Turrentine, OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 51

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about keeping the sparkle in his playing. “The younger cats awaken something in me from the early days,” says Benson, “I love listening and playing with guys like Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, and Christian McBride. When they tell me I’ve still got the chops, I feel great.” Benson followed That’s Right with Standing Together, also on GRP. The album assured that his chops were sharper than ever, as he used elements of hip-hop and Caribbean rhythms to keep his personalized R&B on the edgy side. “I’m not against ear candy,” he chuckles, “but I like mine to be significant, not just noises in the record. Some of those backing tracks we used are cool. They gave me little tidbits of sound to bounce my guitar lines off of.” George Benson boasts 10 Grammy® awards, nine #1 Albums, three #1 Hit Singles, 18 Top 10 Albums and is a winner of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award and the prestigious Legend Soul Train Award.

Ron Carter, and Freddie Hubbard. His visibility and prestige grew even further. Classic albums, such as Beyond the Blue Horizon, abounded. But after a while different ideas began to flow from Benson’s muse. And the environment didn’t seem right for growth. “I’d been screaming about my guitar sound for years, and they didn’t want to hear about it. I wanted to use my band in the studio, just get comfortable and test out some stuff. But it was like pulling teeth. The first time I tried to sing along with my guitar, everybody in the studio booed. They all said that it wouldn’t work. When I got with Tommy LiPuma all that changed. He said ‘Sure, let’s go with some vocals, see where we get.’ And you know what happened after that.” What happened was Breezin’, the first jazz record to attain platinum sales. The 1976 blockbuster, his first in a long association with Warner Bros. Records, brought the instrumental title track to jazz radio. And Benson’s soulful update of Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade,” which featured the guitarist scatting along with his solo break, was a pop smash. He followed up with many pop hits, including a sultry version of “On Broadway” and the irresistible “Give Me The Night,” which thrilled many a dancer. Benson was a superstar. Some old fans were miffed about this new pop success. “I guess that’s the biggest crime I’ve

made as far as jazz lovers go,” offers Benson. “They don’t always like to see you play for the general public. They want to be catered to. But I’ve tried that approach and it doesn’t work for me. Nobody can stay one way for 30 years. I’ve always tried to let my experience show itself. You learn, you change. The door opened and I walked through it. Throughout the 1980s, Warner Bros. and LiPuma followed their smash success with several terrific Benson records. Individually, they blended grooves and guitar work, proving that R&B was a natural part of Benson’s profile. Collectively, they cemented his global renown. The guitarist has won 10 Grammys®, played around the world, and thrilled many crowds with his playing. In the mid-’90s Benson followed LiPuma to the GRP label. Their association had proven artistically and commercially fertile; both wanted to sustain it. Together they cut the 1996 gem That’s Right. It offered a modern version of contemporary jazz that reminded its listeners Benson was one of the genre’s forefathers. These days Benson’s interests are many. He’s often spotted out at Manhattan jazz clubs, checking the action of fledgling guitarists. The most impressive of the lot are sometimes invited back to Benson HQ for jam sessions and stylistic powwows. The guitarist is resolute

On Absolute Benson, he surprises us once again by emphasizing instrumental music. Only three of the album’s tunes feature any vocals, so his distinctive guitar playing takes center stage. Blending jazz with R&B and blues, Absolute Benson aims for accessibility and recalls Benson’s albums of the early-to-mid 1970s. Absolute Benson illustrates Benson’s virtuosity without sacrificing his commitment to the groove, the beat, and the melody. Unfazed by the constrictions of predictability, he’s built a career on sniffing out what people enjoy hearing, and what he enjoys playing. “I had to break a couple rules along the way,” he reflects. “There was an unwritten law: be cool, don’t get too raunchy. But jazz was once hanging-out music. And the easiest way to involve people is by getting ‘em tapping their feet. When they’re tapping a bit, they’ll go your way. That’s when I can float any kind of jazz line into the music. Once the audience knows I respect them, they let me be whatever I want to be. I hope…no, I firmly believe, that will always be the case. On the album Irreplaceable he marks a directional shift back to silky sexy soul music… with a decidedly contemporary urban edge. “I’m just trying to wake some people up,” Benson says with the confident patois of a Pittsburgh hipster, “give them something that they wouldn’t expect. Just like in `76 when I recorded Breezin’ and everybody expected instrumentals at 8,000 notes per second like I’d done in the past. I dropped a vocal, ‘This Masquerade,’ on `em instead! So, we’re comOPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 53

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ing in strong from the left this time. When the DJ says, ‘That was George Benson,’ folks will be like, `What?’ They’re not gonna believe it…and that’s what we want.”

Michael McDonald Continued from pg. 31

Enter Wide Open, McDonald’s first new album in nine years, and his first set of all-original material since 2000. McDonald has nonetheless remained relevant through the early 21st century; he received his 13th Grammy nomination for Motown, a platinum-selling tribute to the greatest of all soul labels. He subsequently released a top 10-charting sequel, Motown Two along with a Christmas album, both of which certified as Gold Records. Following came Soul Speak, a collection of classic covers and a handful of original songs. But Wide Open finds him rediscovering his other voice—that is, his songwriting voice— in a big way, penning or co-writing 11 of the album’s 12 tracks. It’s a cogent reminder that he won Record and Song of the Year Grammys for co-writing as well as singing the Doobie Brothers hit “What a Fool Believes.” Wide Open marks a return to that classic’s emotional urgency alongside fiercer and fresher band arrangements than he’s ever created before. In advance of a fall tour, McDonald will be premiering some of the new material on an episode of PBS’ “Soundstage.” Even before falling back into a solo touring cycle, McDonald has availed himself of other live opportunities, like participating in a traveling 40th anniversary tribute to The Band’s The Last Waltz, making a surprise appearance with Thundercat at Coachella, or inviting Solange to sing with him at the Okeechobee Festival. He also recently recorded an Etta James cover for an album saluting Muscle Shoals’ historic Fame Studios. But Wide Open is the project that finds the always-humble singer once again saluting an equally worthy muse: his own.

Was it vital to you to get an album of fresh material out after you’d had that success with the Motown albums? I’m thrilled beyond belief that this album came about. Did I plan it? Not so much. I was in the headspace of being ready to accept whatever happened next. The hardest part was

getting back in there and wrestling with my own musical ideas after doing the Motown records, which were nothing but fun. I grew up in clubs singing those songs, and it freed me of so many of the responsibilities that you’d normally have with a record, like: Are the songs good enough? That’s one thing I loved about the Motown records: You didn’t hear one A&R guy go, “I’m not sure I hear a single!” Every one of ‘em was a top five record in its day. Singing those songs was just a sheer joyous undertaking, and in some ways, way too easy. To get back in the studio and get down on a ground level with my own songs took a little bit of confidence re-building.

It’s easy to see how “Ain’t No Mountain (High Enough)” would be a high hurdle, if you’re comparing your own songs to those classics. So what finally got you ready to record your own stuff again? It’s the culmination of a lot of different things that, had they not happened, this record would have never happened. I like the idea of that with every record—that it’s best when it seems like it’s a product of unintended circumstances. A lot of these tracks came out of demos that I cut while I was doing other things, like the Motown records. I was storing up ideas in the can that at the time I thought other people might do. For a number of years I was trying to be a songwriter in Nashville. I was co-oping on the studio space with a young friend of mine, Shannon Forrest, who plays with Toto and is one of Nashville’s A-list drummers. I had known him since he was a kid; his fatherin-law and I were in bands together in our teens back in St. Louis. Shannon had a big SSL console that he had no place to put, and I had this house studio with so much old gear and old keyboards in it that it was more of a warehouse. Getting that console in there all of a sudden made it a real studio. Shannon was a great engineer, as it turned out, so he kept the studio busy, and I would sneak in after hours with him and throw these demos down. Unbeknownst to me, he pulled these songwriting demo files out and started bringing in bass players and guitarists to play on them. One day he sat me down and said, “I want to play you something. I hope you don’t mind...” I didn’t, obviously, even though I was shocked. Together, we started bringing in other people. In the end, the songs have basically the same vocal from those demos, but almost everything

was built up around it. I’m happy that I did it, and had I not owned that dormant studio, and not let Shannon bring that console in, this would have never happened.

So you still have elements left over from those raw demos, but you also have people the caliber of Marcus Miller, Tom Scott, Robben Ford, Warren Haynes, and Michael Landau playing on here. For starters, how did Branford Marsalis end up playing such an extensive sax part on “Blessing in Disguise”? He’s the main voice on that throughout the song, aside from the lyric, obviously. I just met him on this project. I’ve been a fan for years, for sure. We bugged him a little to try and get him on the record and were thrilled when we succeeded. He was somewhere up the coast from Santa Barbara doing an artist-in-residence at one of the colleges up there, so we got in the car and did a road trip. He was so gracious, and it was literally one of those things where he’d play it once to learn the song, put it down a second time, and that was the take.

It would be enough to have either Warren Haynes or Robben Ford playing a guitar solo on a track, but on “Just Strong Enough,” you have both. And it’s an eight-minute track, the longest on the album, so there’s some room to stretch out. How did that song come together? Warren Haynes and Robben Ford are both playing pretty much throughout the whole song. You’ve got two guitar players, both not knowing or hearing what the other one was doing, who just seemed to play in all the right places. But everything about “Just Strong Enough” was like that. It’s a song I wrote with Gary Nicholson and we both were dreaming that maybe Bonnie Raitt might do the song. She considered it but it just wasn’t in the cards that she would do it on a record. As kind of a last-minute thought we went in and recorded it as a trio—myself, Willie Weeks and Shannon—just piano, bass and drums. That almost got us in trouble because it kept the song with such a nice, intimate feeling that we weren’t sure would work if we added things. Yet it seemed to hold up under the additions as it became something completely different. We added the two guitarists. We added a string section. We did one horn section. Then I gave the track to the Levee Horns, another horn section out of New Orleans, and said, “Give OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 55

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Wide Open is Michael McDonald’s first new album in nine years and his first set of all-original material since 2000. Photo by Timothy White

me something that sounds like a funeral band.” And when we pulled up all these elements that seemingly had nothing to do with each other they all worked perfectly. Not just two guitar soloists, but two different horn sections—and they all seemed to fall right in the right space without stepping on each other, like pieces of a puzzle that fell into place. I thought, “That must be providence.” I always love that feeling that a record is just kind of creating itself.

“Hail Mary” opens the album with some really dramatic chord progressions that bring out the desperation in the lyric. Your songs continue to have this great knack for capturing the obsessive part of love, going back to “What a Fool Believes.” I kind of seem to go there more than I probably should. But those are usually the songs I write alone. [Laughs.] I never seem to be able to find a subject that I resonate with more. When it comes to world events, I love when people write well about that stuff. I feel like I’m one of those people that, if I get in the argument, I’m probably going to learn more about what I don’t know than convince anybody what I think is right. I have my own opinions, of course, and I do express ‘em from time to time and I annoy a lot of people with that on Facebook. But when it comes to songs it just seems to me that there’s almost nothing more important than how we are as human beings and reflecting on how we interact with other people.

Yet the two songs that end the album, “Too Short” and “Free a Man,” do veer into that more socially conscious area. I was prompted to write “Too Short” because I have this real affection for that kind of lilting, syncopated, almost folkish music that comes from the West African coast. It’s about how when I have a problem and I think things aren’t going my way I don’t have to look too far to see the people who would probably trade with me in a heartbeat, who do much better than I do at being grateful and rising to the occasion. Seemingly the secret of that, and to living fully, is being of service to other people—and I say that as a person who doesn’t even like to think that, who thinks that sitting on my own couch and watching TV and eating chips would be the perfect experience. But the fact is, life has taught me that I’m never happier than when I’m having relationships where I have to consider other people and put them first. As for “Free a Man,” that was written by the Richard Stekol, who was with the group Honk, one of those bands that operated under the radar a little bit but had so many advocates among other musicians. To me, Richard was as good as Dylan and Leonard Cohen as a songwriter. The song is about the conversation all of us are having right now, about understanding that love and freedom go hand in hand, and how we choke ourselves when we would somehow restrict other people’s destinies.

In addition to your work on the Motown

albums and this new record, you’ve also been recording and performing recently with younger musicians in settings where you might be considered the outlier. You sang on Thundercat’s recording “Show You the Way,” and you recently turned up with him at Coachella, performing not just that collaboration but “What a Fool Believes.” Yeah, we played three songs together during his set, and it was great fun. Steve [Bruner, the man behind Thundercat] is an amazingly talented young guy. The whole weekend for me was a learning experience, too. I suddenly realized there are a lot of similarities between the young bands that I haven’t had a chance to hear and what I do in a normal performance case. If I marvel at anything, its how much better these guys do it than we did. There’s a different learning curve today, with the way technology is. But watching Steve play bass, it’s almost like he’s the culmination of Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. In his own way he’s put something together that is influenced by so many of the people that came before him. I always think of stuntmen; back in the old days the big trick was falling off your horse, and now these guys are falling off 15-story buildings. It’s amazing what some of these young musicians accomplish, and Steve is one of those.

The audience at Coachella loved you, which maybe didn’t seem like a complete given going in, given the demographic. And then you did a gig at the Okeechobee Festival OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 57

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recently with a group that included members of Snarky Puppy and Vulfpeck, where Solange showed up to sing with you. The intergenerational thing seems to be going your way. Yeah, it’s been fun to get out and play with bands like this. I think we were around long enough ago that it’s not like we just showed up from 10 years ago, so people aren’t holding up crosses, screaming at us. [Laughs.] You know, each generation tries to disassociate itself with the last generation, and then about three decades later, people kind of start to maybe appreciate what you might have done a while back that you don’t even realize you did.

You’ve had an amazing career without ever seeming remotely careerist. You’ve seemed equally comfortable whether you were operating as a Doobie Brother or part of the Dukes of September or under your own name, and you don’t appear to place different values on sitting in with Thundercat or the Last Waltz 40 tour versus focusing exclusively on your own record. I saw a documentary on Jaco Pastorius not too long ago. One of the things he said in the movie really scared me and enlightened me at the same time. He said, “You know, all I ever thought about was the next gig.” And it kind of sent a chill down my spine, because it was the truth about me that I was hearing, and I was having that moment where I didn’t know whether to worry about it or think, “Okay, if it was good enough for Jaco...” I definitely feel grateful to get the chance to make music, on this level or on any level, really. What makes me happy is the same thing that made me happy when I was 14 in a van going to some unair-conditioned, god-awful nightclub, completely thrilled at the idea of going with my buddies to play this gig. I still feel like I’m some kid who’s found a stash of candy, and somebody’s gonna come in at any moment and grab me by the back of the neck and make me go back to school. At 65, it’s still that much fun. That’s the most I’ll ever be able to ask of it.

Kathy Mattea Continued from pg. 33

BILL COOLEY

“In what is surely one of the longest and mu-

sically richest partnerships in Nashville, Bill Cooley has been playing guitar in Kathy Mattea’s band for 20 years.” So wrote the dean of Nashville’s music critics, Robert K. Oermann, seven years ago. As Kathy and Bill start their 27th year together, they are out on the road with the “Acoustic Living Room” Tour, just the two of them onstage, playing new songs they’ve worked up at their regular Thursday afternoon rehearsals, as well as her classic hits and requests. Meanwhile, Bill has released his 4th CD, In Search of Home. “It is a departure from my first three in that it’s a solo guitar album,” he says. “No rhythm section, no string section and no horn section. As I was writing and arranging these songs, every idea had to be considered not only for it’s musical worth but whether I could technically pull it off. But limitations set you free, as Stravinsky said, and it feels like I’ve found a new form of expression on an instrument I’ve been playing for over 50 years.” There are a couple exceptions on this CD. Bill’s youngest son Aaron trades guitar licks with him on “Dad’s Blues.” Aaron is 33 and an up and coming musical force to be reckoned with. This track was recorded last minute and the spontaneous interplay between them makes for an exciting ride. And Kathy sings “That’s What Makes You Strong,” a wonderful Jesse Winchester song, to close the album. Along with Kathy’s stunning vocal, the track features producer Paul Martin on tasteful B3 and an overdubbed guitar solo by Bill as the tune fades out. The album has received glowing reviews in the press, including Premier Guitar Magazine’s Editor’s List for Best Music of 2016. Minor7th. com’s review said, “‘In Search of Home’ is an assured, subtle collection of 11 originals and one cover that quietly dazzle in their pristine execution, crisp technique, and range of color. The versatile Cooley is adept at seemingly any style.” And The Nashville Musician magazine calls “In Search of Home” “a dynamic blend of folk strumming, classical harmonies and bluesy licks. Cooley is able to incorporate these seeming opposites into a seamless whole.” Bill has had a 40-year career as a working professional. Originally from Santa Barbara, Calif., he moved to Nashville in 1985. A dozen years later he was called “one of Nashville’s most respected sidemen” by Guitar Player

magazine. He has toured and recorded with Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson and Hal Ketchum, in addition to Kathy. As a songwriter, he’s had cuts by Kathy and Reba, among others. As an arranger, Bill has played an important role on Kathy’s albums, including the last two, “Coal” and “Calling Me Home,” where Kathy explored her Appalachian heritage. After two years of intense work, Kathy and Bill have just recorded her next album, with Tim O’Brien producing.

DEEJ Continued from pg. 35

FILMMAKER STATEMENT

“When I first met DJ, I saw an attractive, earnest teenager who had been given a second chance at life through the love and encouragement of extraordinary parents. But it didn’t take me long to understand that there was much more to this young man. His views on life were more sophisticated and perceptive than those of many adults, and his fresh, poetic ways of describing them outshone those of almost anyone else I’d met. I was also impressed by the fierce conviction that DJ brought to everything he undertook. He burned with an inner fire to “find freedom” in his own life and to “break barriers” for others like him. While he had come so far from a tormented past, what was striking was how far he wanted to go. I was also struck by the piercing perspective that he brought to the issues surrounding disability—and to my own misunderstandings about it. Disability—especially neurological— is an elusive subject because non-disabled people’s perceptions and assumptions are seldom even voiced and as a result, are hard to pinpoint, much less change. This is true even for filmmakers. Even as our relationship matured, I often still found myself misunderstanding DJ’s thought process and his intentions. So how to ask an audience to do better? The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a program of South Arts. This screening is supported in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 59

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Ray Chen Continued from pg. 37

Winner of the Queen Elisabeth and Yehudi Menuhin Competitions, Ray Chen is among the most compelling young violinists today. He is dedicated to expanding the reach of classical music through education and social media. In 2017, Ray signed to Decca Classics in a major new recording deal and multimedia

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Ray has appeared with some of the leading orchestras around the world including the London Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de France where he joined Daniele Gatti for the televised Bastille Day concert in Paris to an audience of over 800,000. Other recent highlights include his 2016 debut at the BBC Proms where he appeared with the BBC Symphone at Royal Albert Hall in London.

was profiled by The Strad and Gramophone

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15 where he studied with Aaron Rosand and was supported by Young Concert Artists. He plays the 1715 “Joachim” Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. This instrument was once owned by the famed Hungarian violinist, Joseph Joachim (1831-1907).

was distinguished with the prestigious ECHO

JULIO ELIZALDE

partnership. Ray had previously released three critically acclaimed albums on Sony: a recital program “Virtuoso” of works by Bach, Tartini, Franck and Wieniawski and the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky concertos with Swedish Radio Orchestra and Daniel Harding. Following the success of these recording. Ray magazines as “the one to watch.” “Virtuoso” Klassik award. His third recording, an all-Mozart album with Christoph Eschenbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, was released in January 2014. 60 | OPENING NIGH TS FALL 2017

Praised as a musician of “compelling artistry and power” by the Seattle Times, the gifted American pianist Julio Elizalde is a multi-faceted artists who enjoys a versatile career as

soloist, chamber musician, artistic administrator, educator, and curator. He has performed in many of the major music centers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America to popular and critical acclaim. Since 2014, he has served as the Artistic Director of the Olympic Music Festival near Seattle, Washington. Mr. Elizalde has appeared with many of the leading artists of our time. He tours internationally with world-renowned violinists Sarah Chang and Ray Chen and has performed alongside conductors Itzhak Perlman, Teddy Abrams, and Anne Manson. He has collaborated with artists such as violinist Pamela Frank, composers Osvaldo Golijov and Stephen Hough, baritone William Sharp, and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets. Mr. Elizalde is a founding member of the New Trio, with violinist Andrew Wan, co-concertmaster of L’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Patrick Jee, cellist of the New York Philharmonic. The New Trio was the winner of both the Fischoff and Coleman National

Chamber Music Competitions and is the recipient of the Harvard Musical Association’s prestigious Arthur W. Foote Prize. As part of the New Trio, Mr. Elizalde has performed for leading American politicians such as President Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Henry Kissinger, and the late senator Ted Kennedy. He was a featured performer for the soundtrack of the 2013 film Jimmy P, composed by Academy Award-winner, Howard Shore. Mr. Elizalde is a passionately active educator, having recently served as a Visiting Professor of piano at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. Since 2011, he has been a member of the faculty at the Manchester Music Festival in Vermont since 2011 and has given masterclasses at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Lawrence University, and the Music Institute of Chicago. He has also appeared at various summer music festivals including Yellow Barn, Taos, Caramoor, Bowdoin, Kneisel Hall, and the Music Academy of the West. Mr. Elizalde was a juror for the 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition held at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Mr. Elizalde received a bachelor of music degree with honors from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Paul Hersh. He holds Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal, Joseph Kalichstein, and Robert McDonald.

Bria Skonberg Continued from pg. 39

Bria is signed to Sony Music Masterworks’ OKeh Records and released her debut LP in September 2016, Bria, which won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts. She collaborated again with producer Matt Pierson, as well as multi-Grammy winner Gil Goldstein, for her second Sony album, With A Twist, released May 2017. Noted as a millennial “shaking up the jazz world,” (Vanity Fair), Bria Skonberg has played festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz

Festival, and hundreds more. Originally from the small town of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Bria studied jazz and performance at Capilano University in Vancouver while balancing a full road schedule with two bands. After graduating, she traveled extensively, performing in China and Japan and throughout Europe. When she wasn’t traveling, Bria was honing her chops with Dal Richards, Vancouver’s King of Swing. Playing BC Place Stadium at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver capped off this exciting period, with Bria featured at the Paralympics opening ceremony. In 2012, Bria released So Is The Day (Random Act Records). That collection showcased a developing flair for original songs and new takes on standards, including a duet with John Pizzarelli. So Is The Day received rave reviews from critics; “while tipping a hat to tradition, [So Is The Day] appropriately pushes Bria Skonberg to the forefront of today’s musical

talents” (All About Jazz). In 2015, following her second album Into Your Own, Skonberg received the distinguished Jazz At Lincoln Center Swing Award. Further accolades include: Best Trumpet from Hot House Magazine’s “Fans Decision Jazz Award 2017,” Best Vocal and Best Trumpet from Hot House Magazine (2014-15), Outstanding Jazz Artist at the New York Bistro Awards (2014), DownBeat Rising Star (2013-15), and a nominee for Jazz Journalists Association Up and Coming Artist (2013). She is an avid educator and supporter of public school opportunities, giving numerous workshops and concerts for students of all ages. Bria has been a faculty member at the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Camp (2008–present), Centrum Jazz Camp, performs outreach on behalf of Jazz at Lincoln Center and co-founded the New York Hot Jazz Camp for adults in 2015. She is also co-founder of the New York Hot Jazz Festival.

“I love the idea of being a global ambassador… spreading joy, relating the human experience, and putting good into the world to counteract the negative. I want to make music that makes people feel, and think.” -Bria Skonberg

Bria Skonberg’s debut album, Bria, was released in September 2016 and won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts. She collaborated with multi-Grammy winner Gil Goldstein on her second album, With a Twist, which was released in May 2017. OPENINGNIGHTS.FSU.EDU | 61

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