Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts announces its 19th season | Press Releases

Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts announces the 2008-2009 season, a panoply of culture and art that includes music, dance, art and theater and vigorously expresses the kaleidoscopic world in which we live.

The musical schedule offers jazz, world music, classical, guitar and popular featuring such iconic musicians as the McCoy Tyner Quartet, Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Sharon Isbin, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The line-up also includes fresh talents like the new face of Portuguese Fado - Mariza, Joan Osborne, Raul Midón and Imani Winds. The popular pre-concert Art to Heart discussion series continues for many of the programs including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

The National Acrobats of China bring amazing feats of physical prowess while Spanish flamenco, contemporary ballet, modern dance and classical ballet companies embody the limitless facets of movement. The popularity of the continuing resident radio dramas in the Wien has sparked a new radio drama series in the Kelley Theatre. And the Young Audience Sunday series features the Cashore Marionettes and Theatreworks/USA returns with Pancakes, Pigs, Scrooge, dirty socks and more.

A detailed listing of events and dates follow:

Classic Impressions

The series includes some familiar appearances, a repeat of a stellar program and several new additions. A pre-concert Art to Heart discussion is featured with nearly every program and a subscription discount or a flexible plan for choosing programs reduces already low-ticket prices. Full series of 7 concerts, for $196; 3 concerts for $84; single tickets $35

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. with Journalist Robert Sherman
Wu Han and David Finckel, Artistic Directors
Saturday, October 4 at 8 p.m.
$35
Wu Han joins seven of her colleagues in an evening of Milhaud, Boulez, Ravel and Messiaen.

Imani Winds
Pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. with Journalist Robert Sherman
Saturday, November 1 at 8 p.m.
$35
Since its inception in 1997, the Grammy-nominated Imani Winds, comprised of five unabashedly adventurous yet delightfully accessible musicians, has been enriching the traditional wind quintet repertoire with European, African, Latin American and American music traditions.

Sharon Isbin
Pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. with Journalist Robert Sherman
Friday, January 30 at 8 p.m.
$35
Acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique and versatility, Grammy-Award winner Sharon Isbin has been hailed as "the pre-eminent guitarist of our time."
Ms. Isbin has appeared as a soloist with over 160 orchestras, has over 20 recordings, and has been acclaimed for expanding the guitar repertoire with some of the finest new works of the century.

Simone Dinnerstein
Pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. with Howard Kissel, New York Daily News chief drama critic and cultural tourist
Friday, February 27 at 8 p.m.
$35
Simone Dinnerstein has fast been gaining international attention as a commanding and charismatic artist, and as one of the most compelling women pianists performing today.

Her recording of Bach's "Goldberg Variations" earned her the #1 spot on the Billboard Classical Chart on release. She plays Schubert, Bach, Webern and Schumann.

Live Music Project - Music of the Silver Screen/Silent Movie Night
Friday, March 13 at 8 p.m.
$35
The Live Music Project will take you through a magical evening, demonstrating how music and film work together. Watch fascinating and frightening scenes from some of the great silent films with brand new orchestral scores, and also hear a few beloved standards.

Live Music Project - Jewish Themes
Pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. with Howard Kissel, New York Daily News chief drama critic and cultural tourist
Saturday, May 2 at 8 p.m.
$35
Back by popular demand, a repeat of this interesting and emotional program.
The secular and mystical worlds will both be included, with such varied offerings as works by Mendelssohn, Bloch (Suite Hébraïque), and hateful writings of Wagner. Also, original music written for this concert will accompany dramatic readings of The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto and the dark legend of a creature created to protect Jews, the Golem.

Chamber Music Society Of Lincoln Center
Pre-concert Art to Heart discussion from 7 p.m. to 7:40 p.m. with Journalist Robert Sherman
Wu Han and David Finckel, Artistic Directors
Saturday, May 16 at 8 p.m.
$35
An evening of Mendelssohn played by the acclaimed Chamber Music Society ensemble.

Concerts, Comedy and Special Events

A delicious and, sometimes provocative, mélange of world music, theatre, dance, acrobatics and popular music for all generations; subscriber discounts available as well as discounts for a flexible "4 or more" plan. Single tickets as listed.

Peter, Bethany & Rufus - The Spirit of Woodstock
Friday, September 19 at 8 p.m.
$35, $30
Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary performs in concert with his daughter, Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadocia, cello virtuoso and Bethany's musical partner. Together, the three musicians from two vastly different generations revisit the Woodstock of Peter's youth. Yarrow joins deeply moving tributes to the music of the 60's such as Puff the Magic Dragon and Blowin' in the Wind with the music of Bethany and Rufus and is pulled into the vitality of today's musical perspectivewith elements of contemporary groove and world music.

Irving Berlin's I Love A Piano
Sunday, September 28 at 4 p.m.
$40, $35, $30
I Love a Piano is a nostalgic musical journey spanning seven decades of American history as seen through the eyes of Irving Berlin. The Boston Globe calls it "A full spectrum of brilliant Berlin..."

gt; McCoy Tyner Quartet
Friday, October 17 at 8 p.m.
$50, $45, $40

McCoy Tyner's blues-based piano style, replete with sophisticated chords and an explosively percussive left hand transcended conventional styles to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music. His harmonic contributions and dramatic rhythmic devices form the vocabulary of a majority of jazz pianists. With a long list of albums released under his name and honors and awards to his credit, he continues to leave his mark on generations of improvisers today.

Raul Midón
Friday, October 24 at 8 p.m.
$35, $30
The New Mexico-born, New York-based Raul Midón brings to his music earnest, lyrical songwriting; full-bodied vocals steeped in soul; a singular syncopated, flamenco- and jazz-infused acoustic guitar style; a unique vocal trumpet improvisation; and hopeful disposition. Midón brings currency to a rich tradition of pop inventiveness, combining the beguiling soulfulness of Stevie Wonder, the inventive appropriation of non-indigenous musical elements pioneered by Paul Simon and the trend-defying individuality of Bill Withers.

Linda Eder
Friday, October 31 at 8 p.m.
$60, $55, $50
One of the most important and exciting contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, Linda Eder is universally acclaimed for her incredible range, both vocally and stylistically. Singing with amazing power and clarity, Eder's visual presence and phenomenal talent have won her raves from critics and fans alike.

Noche Flamenca
Martín Santangelo and Soledad Barrio, Artistic Directors
Friday, November 7 at 8 p.m.
$45, $40, $35
"...she danced as if possessed by the spirit of a Gypsy encampment... She breathed the essence of flamenco "-John Rockwell, The New York Times

Born of passion and desire, Noche Flamenca was founded in Madrid in 1993 by artistic director Martín Santangelo and his wife Soledad Barrio and has developed into one of Spain's most successful flamenco companies. All aspects of flamenco, dance, song and music, are interrelated and given equal weight in Noche Flamenca, creating a true communal spirit within the company, which is the very heart and soul of flamenco.

The Bacon Brothers
Saturday, November 8 at 8 p.m.
$50, $45, $40
Perhaps no other band has gotten more mileage out of the element of surprise than the Bacon Brothers. Through countless gigs and five albums, these guys can play! Kevin Bacon is well known in the acting world, but he is equally dedicated to his musical craft and he and older brother Michael are lifelong musicians, which is part of the reason why they've become so good at turning heads and tweaking ears, harvesting an ever-growing fan-base along the way.

The Aquila Theatre Company in William Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors"
Friday, November 14 at 8 p.m.
$30
With precision, sensitivity and unity of ensemble, The Aquila Theatre Company articulates the human essence inherent in classical drama. "The Comedy of Errors" is one of Shakespeare's most vibrant and sparkling comedies.It is a witty tale of mistaken identity, assumed personas, hilarious machinations and whimsical family ties. The New York Times wrote of Aquila's brilliant "Comedy of Errors": "No one who sees the rousing production by the excellent Aquila Theatre Company will forget a whit of it."

Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts and University College Present: "Tings Dey Happen"
Written and performed by Dan Hoyle; developed with and directed by Charlie Varon
Thursday and Friday, November 20, 21 at 8 p.m.
$25
Dan Hoyle is an actor and writer based in San Francisco. "Tings Dey Happen," his third solo show, ran for six months at The Marsh in San Francisco where it won the 2007 Will Glickman Award for Best New Play and five months Off-Broadway in New York at The Culture Project. Hoyle's essays have been featured in The San Francisco Chronicle, SportsIllustrated.com, and Alternet. He also performs with his father, actor and comedian Geoff Hoyle. This play is a distillation of the Niger Delta as the playwright experienced it. Many of the characters are composites, the monologues a blend of several people's words. This play is an honor to these people and a hope that the stories stay with you after you leave the theater.

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones - The Holiday Tour with special guests The Alash Ensemble
Friday December 12 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
$50, $45
Béla Fleck & the Flecktones have been perfecting a dynamic hybrid of bluegrass, jazz and pop for more than 15 years and have practically created their own genre. Their virtuoso musicianship and mastery of improvisation coupled with their eclectic range is daunting, but it's all fair game in the limitless musical universe of the Flecktones.

New Haven Symphony Orchestra - "Holiday Pops Concert"
Gerald Steichen, Associate Conductor
Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m.
$40, $35
Gerald Steichen again leads the orchestra in a blaze of holiday merriment with surprises galore! Celebrate the season with an enchanting blend of holiday favorites!

Joshua Kane
Borders of the Mind
The Psychic Show for the whole family (10 & up)
Conceived and Performed by Joshua Kane
Saturday and Sunday, January 31 at 3 p.m. & 8 p.m., February 1 at 3 p.m.
$20, $15 children
With warmth and charm, Joshua Kane returns to the Quick Center to lead audiences through a fun demonstration of the powers of the mind. Like Professor X of the legend, Kane identifies those in the audience with special abilities who will successfully project their own thoughts and tap the powers of their own intuition. Back by popular demand - Joshua Kane played to sold-out audiences at the Quick Center in 2007!

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Friday, February 6 at 8 p.m.
$40, $35, $30
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the Grammy Award-winning a cappella group from South Africa and is regarded as the country's cultural emissary at home and around the world. Formed over 40 years ago by Joseph Shabalala, they rose to international prominence after appearing on Paul Simon's "Graceland" album. Ladysmith continues to record and perform the unique and beautiful deep traditional harmonies of South Africa in major venues around the globe.

Mariza The new face of Portuguese Fado
Friday, February 20 at 8 p.m.
$35, $30, $25
Fado is the traditional music of Portugal - proud, austere and deeply melancholic. Mariza is the music's biggest star for a reason: "She sings it not as musty nostalgia but as exuberant twenty-first-century pop, with a low, mesmerizing alto that's as commanding as any pop singer today... remaking fado's ancient sadness into a majestic modern sound." - Rolling Stone

National Acrobats of China
Saturday, March 7 at 8 p.m.
$40, $35, $30
A dazzling company whose work includes martial arts, traditional music, acrobatics and illusion from the Republic of China. This internationally acclaimed company's skillful performers often use objects of daily life, such as chairs, tables, poles, ladders, bowls, plates, bottles, and jars as props to perform their amazing feats of physical prowess. Their perfect movements and flexible showmanship have provided entertainment to people from all over the world.

Roy Hargrove Quintet
Friday March 20 at 8 p.m.
$40, $35
Trumpeter Roy Hargrove has firmly established himself as among the premier players in jazz and beyond. Ever-stretching into more challenging and colorful ways to flex his musical chops, Hargrove has left indelible imprints in a vast array of artful settings.

Joan Osborne
Saturday, April 4 at 8 p.m.
$50, $45, $40
One of the most critically acclaimed R&B/Soul voices of her generation, Joan Osborne returned to those roots with her 2007 album Breakfast In Bed where she got the chance to make her very own mix, a collection of soul classics and new songs she wrote to fit in seamlessly alongside them. Inspired by singers such as Etta James and Ray Charles, Osborne first stormed the charts with her 1995 debut Relish with songs like (What If God Was) One Of Us and St. Teresa. "I try to emulate the emotional rawness of their music and wanted to revisit the simplicity of the lyrics and direct style of songwriting." Since then, Osborne has kept expanding her musical universe, performing with artists as different as Taj Mahal, The Dead, Luciano Pavarotti and The Dixie Chicks, but always keeping that Motown soul beat.

The Roches
Friday April 17 at 8 p.m.
$40, $35
The Roches are Maggie, Terre, and Suzzy, three sisters from New York City. Known for their swirling harmonies and extraordinary lyrical perspective as well as their smart and fun live performances, they have created a unique musical expression perhaps best described as "Roche Music."

Dance America

There is a post-show Art to Heart Q & A with the company following each performance.

Subscribers receive a discount and a flexible plan is available. Single tickets are $45, $40, $35

Parsons Dance Company
Friday, October 3 at 8 p.m.
The sexy, athleticism, exuberant personality and joyous movement of Parsons Dance is a fusion of the gesture and movement that make up the modern dance vocabulary, and the discipline and precise execution one expects from a classical company. David Parsons has been hailed as an innovative American choreographer and dance companies worldwide have performed his extraordinary body of work.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Jim Vincent, Artistic Director
Saturday, February 14 at 8 p.m.
Dancer and choreographer Lou Conte opened the doors to his Hubbard Street Dance studio more than 30 years ago, launching one of the country's most successful dance companies and yielding movement so arresting it caught even Fred Astaire's eye. Today, under the leadership of Jim Vincent, audiences adore the passion, energy and artistry of Hubbard's captivating works.

Russian National Ballet's "Giselle"
Sergei Radchenko, Artistic Director
Friday, March 27 at 8 p.m.
The Russian National Ballet was founded in Moscow when the great dancers and choreographers collaborated to form new and vibrant companies. The Russian National Ballet is not only committed to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet, but to invigorate this tradition with new developments in the dance world. The timeless classic "Giselle" is often considered the finest achievement of the classical ballets.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Dwight Rhoden, Artistic Director / Desmond Richardson, Artistic Director
Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m.
Founders Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, along with their New York City-based company of dance thoroughbreds-consist of roughly twenty incredibly trained classical and contemporary dancers who have awakened audiences to a new, exciting genre that combines the best of athleticism, lyricism, and technical training and experience.

"Hailed as two of the greatest virtuosos ever to emerge from Ailey land - Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson." - The New York Times

"Rhoden's work is post-Balanchinean choreography, a new aesthetic in movement, stage picture, and performance concepts reflecting a post-modern, techno-savvy worldview." - Dance Magazine

Radio Dramas

Wien Experimental Theatre

In its eighth season at the Wien Experimental Theatre, this popular series of live re-creations of vintage and original radio dramas takes the audience back in time with live music, commercials and live sound effects! Four for $88; Single tickets $25

Thrillers and Killers
Friday, September 26 at 8 p.m., Saturday, September 27 at 3 p.m. & 8 p.m.
(General Seating)
Hear shows both frightening and action-packed from radio's golden age. Aside from the usual murder and mayhem of horror and mystery shows, there will be a focus on the dark origins of both the Lone Ranger and the Shadow.

Favorite Shows
Friday, January 23 at 8 p.m., Saturday, January 24 at 3 p.m. & 8 p.m.
(General Seating)
After seven years of performing radio re-creations at the Quick Center's Wien Experimental Theatre, the producer has collected a long list of audience favorites from all genres - from edge-of-your-seat suspense to the outrageous live sound-effects (which include people being turned inside-out) - and presents a not-to-be-missed show!

New!
Radio Dramas at The Kelley Theatre

Single Tickets $30
L.A. Theatre Works' "War of the Worlds" and " The Lost World"
Saturday, October 25 at 8 p.m.
(General Seating)
Susan Albert Loewenberg, producing director presents "War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells, adapted by Howard Koch and " The Lost World," written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by John de Lancie and Nat Segaloff.

The L.A. Theatre Works, America's premiere radio theatre company performs a special back-to-back double bill of chills, thrills and great literature as it presents two masterpieces of science fiction and adventure: "War of the Worlds" and "The Lost World." The company re-creates the breathless pace and the convincing details of Orson Welles' infamous radio broadcast and with a stylistic switch, it compellingly inhabits Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's campy adventure, "The Lost World," about a scientific expedition that travels deep into the Amazon jungle - and back in time.

Salvage Vanguard Theater's "Intergalactic Nemesis"
Saturday, March 14 at 8 p.m.
(General Seating)
The award-winning company, Salvage Vanguard Theater located in Austin, Texas, is committed to fostering a dynamic exchange between visionary artists and audiences new to their work, by combining explosive energy with expert technique, and creating forms that defy tradition and define new American theater. The nationally acclaimed family friendly production of "The Intergalactic Nemesis" is a hilarious melodramatic radio drama with great writing, original music, live sound effects, and a group of talented actors who play dozens of characters.

Young Audience Sunday Series

All Young Audience Sunday Series single tickets are $15 adults, $12 children. Subscribers save 20% with six performances for $69 adults, $57 children or through a flexible "Pick 4 or more" plan. And Birthday Party Specials are available for some performances: Purchase 10 or more tickets, take $2 off each ticket and the Quick Center provides the tables and chairs while you bring the rest.

The Cashore Marionettes (Grades 3-6) "Simple Gifts "
Sunday, September 21 at 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
The internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes are unmatched in artistry, grace and refinement of movement and redefine the art of puppetry. The program, "Simple Gifts," is a series of touching portrayals and poignant scenes from everyday life set to stunning music by such composers as Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven and Copland. The Cashore Marionettes are so well conceived and projected, the movement so convincing, the illusion so powerful, that the result is a compelling, unforgettable theatrical experience.

"If You Give a Pig a Pancake & Other Stories" - Theatreworks/USA production (Grades K-4)
Sunday, October 5 at 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
A bright and bouncy new musical revue based on everyone's favorite books including "Diary of a Worm," "Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores," "How I Became a Pirate," "If You Give a Pig a Pancake," "Lilly's Big Day," "The Paper Bag Princess" and more!

"The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks" - Theatreworks/USA production (Grades 3-7)
Sunday, November 16 at 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
It's impossible for Michael to keep his room clean! But when he and his neatnik brother get a new plant, all of his stinky socks mysteriously disappear, as his horticultural wonder gets taller and taller... A hysterical botanical musical based on Nancy McArthur's best-selling books.

"A Christmas Carol" - Theatreworks/USA production (All grades)
Sunday, December 21 at 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
"Tis the season for merriment and fun! Catch the holiday spirit with Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and all the rest in this heart-warming musical based on the Dickens' classic. "A thorough delight - inspired, funny and intimate." - The New York Times

"Nate the Great" - Theatreworks/USA production (Grades K-4)
Sunday, February 8 at 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
Who do you call when there's a mystery you just can't solve? Nate the Great of course! He has found lost balloons, slippers, chickens, and even a lost goldfish. But, can he solve the baffling case of the missing painting? Find out in this new musical based on the book by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.

"The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley" Presented by IntraMusic Theatricals (Pre K-5)
Sunday, April 26 at 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
Based on the beloved book by Jeff Brown, this is the story of Stanley, a normal everyday kid, who one night while sleeping is flattened by a bulletin board - really flat - so flat his friends fly him like a kite and he decides to travel the world by mailing himself in an envelope. In a whirlwind musical travelogue, Stanley becomes the ultimate pen pal meeting new friends and learning about different cultures through song and dance while closing in on becoming a 3-D boy once more.

Artsbound

Outreach Program Study Guides are available on the Quick Center website or at the Box Office. Call the Box Office for more information at (203) 254-4010 or toll free 1-877-ARTS-396. Tickets are $7.

The Cashore Marionettes (Grades 3-6)
"Simple Gifts"
Monday, September 22 at 10 a.m.

"If You Give a Pig a Pancake & Other Stories"
Theatreworks/USA production (Grades K-4)
Monday, October 6 at 10 a.m.

Noche Flamenca (Grades 4-12)
Friday, November 7 at 10 a.m.

The Aquila Theatre Company (Grades 5-12)
"The Comedy of Errors" by William Shakespeare
Friday, November 14 at 10 a.m.

"The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks"
Theatreworks/USA production (Grades 3-7)
Monday, November 17 at 10 a.m.

"Nate the Great"
Theatreworks/USA production (Grades K-4)
Monday, February 9 at 10 a.m.

Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery

Admission to the gallery is free. The hours are: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 4 p.m. Closed Monday. The gallery is always open when performances occur at the Quick Center.

A New Reality: Black-and-White Photography in Contemporary Art , an exhibition of 98 photographic works.
September 19-December 7, 2008

The exhibition is derived from a major private collection of photography amassed by New Jersey residents Anne and Arthur Goldstein. A New Reality exploresthe continued use of black-and-white photography as a medium of visual and historical consequence. The exhibition alsoreflects the expanding technical and conceptual role of photography, emphasizingits recent adaptation to the complex and psychologically charged images and narratives desired by contemporary artists.

Marilyn Cohen: Layers of Time and Memories . A Retrospective of Hand-dyed watercolor, torn paper collage portrait paintings from 1988-2006
January 22-March 8, 2009

Marilyn Cohen's work is a reflection of collage - layers of lives and families, images and memories. The colors and textures are like the colors and textures in each life. The layers of paper echo the layers of generations that create a family while she creates a celebration of life.

Robert Vickrey: The Magic Of Realism
March 23-April 26 2009

Capturing reflections of light, fleeting shadows, and beguiling figures, Robert Vickrey, N.A., (1926-)is one of America's most acclaimed realists. His poetical interpretations of childhood innocence and adults lost in the labyrinths of contemporary life have been featured in nine Whitney Annuals and awarded gold medals by numerous art societies. His egg tempera works, created with a Renaissance sense of precisionist detail, are included in over 75 of the nation's leading art museums, several to be displayed in this national tour organized by the Walsh Art Gallery.

Ernest Garthwaite: Wetlands: A Spiritual Refrain
May 7-July 12, 2009

Always exploring new material within the wetlands series, since initiating his focus there in the 1980's, Garthwaite creates close-up compositions of these grassy areas for his latest environmental homily. These Asian-influenced landscape paintings, gestural abstractions of documented New England wetlands, are large-scale works that project a vision of beauty and truth.

Director's Choice Lectures

Four lectures on Modern and Contemporary art topics
Guest speakers to be announced fall 2008
Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Single Ticket $5

Oct. 8 2008
Dec. 3 2008
Feb. 4 2009
Apr. 1 2009

Subscription orders have seating priority if placed by Friday, July 11. Subscriptions include the flexible "Pick 4 or more" plan. Some series' restrictions apply. Tickets are available at www.quickcenter.com or by calling the Box Office at (203) 254-4010. The toll free number is 877-ARTS-396.