Cantus

America’s newest full-time vocal ensemble sings with one of the freshest and most engaging sounds in choral music today. From art songs to folk songs, from Smokey Robinson to Richard Strauss, Cantus’ brilliant sound, innovative programming and heart-felt singing have garnered the highest praise from critics and audiences alike. The singers–solo quality all–produce a wonderfully warm, gutsy and masculine sounds as well as a kind of smooth delivery, overtly emotionality, and uncanny sense of ensemble. They have a peerless gusto–a sense of boundless joy in music making. “Cantus’ sonic blend was so beaming and elastic that it seemed to originate as a single, gorgeous variegated voice.” The Washington Post

Thursday, March 12 7:30 PM
Bowker Auditorium
$30, $15; Five College Students and Youth 17 and under $15

If you’ve seen this show before or will have attended this wonderful choral performance, please leave a comment because we want to know what you think! Be a critic! Be a fan! (psst.. you can find us on MySpace and Facebook!)

National Acrobats of China

Direct from China, this dazzling company of 35 performers will mesmerize and mystify you with stunning displays of the best in Chinese martial arts, illusion, and acrobatics, all set to traditional music. Founded over fifty years ago, this troupe has been one of the most influential acrobatic ensembles in the world, having won every important award in international competitions. The National Acrobats of China never cease to amaze audiences around the globe. Co-presented with the Asian Arts and Culture Program.

Monday, March 9
Concert Hall 7:30 pm
$35, $25, $15; Five College Students and Youth 17 and under $15

Monica Rabinowitz: Line #5- Knyazhevo

Monica Rabinowitz re-creates the memories of her Bulgarian grandmother’s life and projects them onto the interior windshield of a deconstructed tram car in her installation, Line #5- Knyazhevo.

Although the Jews of “Old Bulgaria” were saved from deportation to Nazi concentration camps during WWII, they were subject to the law for Defense of the Nation. Similar to the restrictive Nuremburg Laws passed in Germany, Bulgarian Jews were required to wear the yellow Star of David and were stripped of their homes, livelihoods, and citizenship. Young Jewish men between the ages of 24 and 45 were sent to forced labor camps in the Bulgarian countryside. As a result, a number of Jews fled Bulgaria seeking refuge.

In Line #5-Knyazhevo, Rabinowitz tells a visual narrative of the Nazi occupation and her family’s departure from Bulgaria in 1942. After visiting Sofia for the first time during the summer of 2007, her grandmother’s memories became temporarily displaced by her new experience of the city. Through constructed photographic imagery, video footage, sound, tram seating, and moving windshield wipers, Rabinowitz’s installation evokes a sense of time and place and negotiates the coexistence of both her own and her grandmother’s experiences.

Line #5 – Knyazhevo is supported in part by a grant from the Harold Grinspoon
Foundation.

March 1 – April 30 (tentative)
Hampden Gallery Incubator Space
Free and open to the public

Luis Bravo

Widely applauded for its elegant artistry and sizzling sensuality, Luis Bravo’s Forever Tango is a Broadway favorite that continues to wow audiences worldwide. Featuring an all-Argentine cast of fourteen of the world’s finest tango dancers and a twelve-piece orchestra, Forever Tango brings excitement and passion to the stage. Steamy and seductive, tango has captivated dance enthusiasts around the world with its mesmerizing rhythms, gestures, and movements. Forever Tango traces the evolution of tango—from its start in 19th-century Argentina to today’s popular incarnations.

Friday, February 27
Concert Hall 8:00 pm
$40, $35, $15; Five College Students and Youth 17 and under $15

Awaji Puppet Theater: Japanese Puppets

AWAJI PUPPET THEATER is a traditional Japanese puppet theater form with a history of over 500 years. This form is thought to be the cradle of all other Japanese puppet theater traditions, pulling together puppet-manipulation, live shamisen music, and recitation/narration. Intricate and gorgeously costumed puppets perform in front beautiful stage sets. The program will feature traditional dance, music and classic drama. A unique presentation with an on stage puppet demonstration on building and moving the puppet by master artists.

The North American tour of Awaji Puppet Theater Company is organized and produced by the Japan Society, New York, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and is supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and The Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN program.

If you’ve seen this show before or will see it, please leave a comment and let us know what you think! We love hearing what you have to say. Be a critic! Be a fan!

‘Kidd’ Jordan Trio

The legendary New Orleans saxophonist and educatorEdward ‘Kidd’ Jordan brings his Trio, featuring William Parker (bass) and Alvin Fielder (drums), for an incendiary evening of improvised music. A revered educator at Southern University, Jordan’s resume includes records and performances with Ray Charles, Ornette Coleman, Ellis Marsalis and Cecil Taylor. The indefatigable 73 year old visionary was made Knight (Chevalier) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 1985, and honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in June at the Vision Festival in New York.

February 26, 8:00 PM
Bezanson Recital Hall
$12/$7

Mariza

Of the crop of singers who have breathed new life into fado, the traditional Portuguese song form, none has risen so fast as Mariza. Considered throughout the world to be the reigning ambassador of Portuguese fado, Mariza has been seducing audiences globally with her awesome singing, charismatic stage presence, and powerful blend of traditional and contemporary songs. “Mariza has it all—charisma, a voice to die for, and stunning looks… destined to become one of the world’s great divas,” says The New York Times. Funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the American Masterpieces initiative, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

Mariza
Music Samples

Thursday, February 19
Concert Hall 7:30 pm
$35, $30, $15; Five College Students and Youth 17 and under $15