Peking Acrobats at the UW! — January 10th, 2009 –

This is going to be a hot ticket in the coming weeks, so I’d suggest getting your seat reserved ASAP. Check out the video; these artists are amazing!

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Peking Acrobats

Saturday, January 10, 2009 – 2 PM & 8 PM
Single-ticket price: $35; $32 for subscribers; $20 for students
Purchase Now

“[Performances] from the seemingly impossible to the virtually unbelievable.” Los Angeles Times

From daring maneuvers atop a pagoda of chairs to wire-walking, tumbling, somersaulting, and juggling, this troupe of highly trained acrobats is sure to astonish you. In China, this ever-evolving folk art form dates back to the Ch’in Dynasty (211 to 207 BC), and this troupe is simply the best of the best.

Did you know? Because of the unusual and difficult feats involved in their work, Chinese acrobats are highly honored in their home country and are recognized for their skills much like American opera stars are here.

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ps- sorry about the dumb “Did you know?’ Opera stars? Really?

University of Washington Chorale and Chamber Singers!

Come watch the University of Washington’s premier chorale ensembles, Chorale and Chamber Singers, perform chorale literature in an exciting night of chorale excellence! If you have not seen a high caliber choral ensemble perform before, this is definatly your best chance to experience something awesome, and i assure you our singing will brighten up your day (or colld rainy night!)! The cost is 10$ for all but worth every cent! November 25th @ 7:30pm-9pm Meany Hall $10

Chamber Dance at UW *October 9 -12*

Last night I attended the Chamber Dance company’s 20th anniversary performance at Meany Hall. Celebrating the modern/post-modern in dance, I am both pleased to recommend the performance as well as hesitant to brand it an all together dance-piece. The first three performances were set to famous music pieces (Night on Bald Mountain, Valkeryie) and utilized silk sheets and a fantastic lightshow to create a very fluid, mesmerizing performance. But the “dance” aspect itself was lost in the push for modernist interaction with various medias. Little more than spins and repetitive arm movements (to move the sheets connected as seen in the picture to the left) were used. The lights were gorgeous, but then again, I didnot attend the Chamber performance for a LSD-inspired lightshow.

Finally, the core dance program was brought onto stage with the fourth performance. From then until an unfortunate post-modernist piece, there was compelling choreography and movements to entertain your eyes (no lights! thank goodness). After two fabulous performances, the most unfortunate piece came onto stage.

Now I appreciate social/political commentary… as a political science student, I know the necessity of bringing issues to light with whatever means possible. But the Bull (1994) “dance” (there goes those “‘s again) between two males in tuxedos did not succeed in its message. Touching, grouping, slapping, and much crotch-grabbing was the jist behind this overly-long “comedic” piece. There was no dance involved (albeit one intricate balls-grabbing jump into each other’s arms). It was noisy, offensive to conservatives in the audience, and unfortunate that the few children in the audience were enjoying the slapstick more than the adults.

For two amazing dance performances, please check out the Chamber Dance Program’s 20th anniversary at Meany Hall.

Ticket Pricing:
$18 General Admission
$16 Faculty/Staff/UAA
$10 Students/Seniors

For a light show and a poor effort at social comedy– well…. check out the Chamber Dance Program’s 20th anniversary.

(As always, the review is IMHO *in my humble opinion*)

John O’Conor recital at UW! — April 8th —

Internationally celebrated Irish pianist John O’Conor presents an all-Beethoven recital – the “Pathétique,” “Waldstein,” and “Moonlight” sonatas, and Bagatelles, Op. 126. (Advance ticket purchase encouraged.)

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Meany Hall
7:30pm

Please purchase advanced tickets at: http://www.meany.org/tickets/production.aspx?performanceNumber=2075
TICKET PRICES $20 general admission, $15 students/seniors.

Praise for John O’Conor:

John O’Conor first gained widespread attention in the United States in 1986 with the release of the initial volume of the complete recorded Beethoven sonata cycle, which was issued as a box set in 1994. CD Review described Mr. O’Conor’s performances of these sonatas as “piano recording of the highest calibre and Beethoven playing at its best”, and went on to say “This Beethoven series should become the complete set of choice for the next decade.”

Mr. O’Conor has made more than 20 recordings for the Telarc label, including the complete Beethoven Bagatelles, which was cited by the New York Times as the best recording of these works; four volumes of Mozart Piano Concertos with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; numerous works by Schubert, including the late A major sonata, the complete ‘Impromptus and Moments Musicals’, Waltzes, and the ‘Trout’ Quintet with the Cleveland Quartet; and two volumes of short piano pieces entitled “Piano Classics” and “Autumn Songs”. An avid proponent of the works of his fellow countryman John Field, he has recorded most of the composer’s major works, including the complete Concertos, Sonatas and Nocturnes. His recording of Field’s ‘Nocturnes’ featured on Billboard’s classical charts for many weeks. He has also made a recording of his favourite Irish airs with the Irish Chamber Orchestra entitled “My Ireland”. (http://www.adamant.org/oconor.htm)

UW World Series presents Simon Trpceski — April 1st —

Simon Trpceski is one of the most remarkable young musicians to have emerged in recent years, playing with many of the world’s great orchestras and delighting audiences worldwide. His touring engagements have taken him to London, Tokyo, Sydney, Sorrento, Helsinki, and Singapore, to name just a few. He made his debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 2005 and has been invited to perform again with them for their 2007-08 season. Trpceski is making his third appearance with the UW World Series performing works by Debussy, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff.

Program:
Debussy: Children’s Corner
Prokofiev: Tales of an Old Grandmother, Op. 31
Prokofiev: Toccata in D Minor, Op. 11
Rachmaninoff: Selection of Pieces
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83

Price: $20.00 student tickets! Bring your Husky ID.
Location: Meany Hall on campus
Time: 8pm

PS- As the name might suggest, he was born in the former Yugoslav in the area that is now considered Macedonia, in case you were wondering….

Bhangra Bash 2008 – March 29th, 2008

Bhangra is the traditional folk dance from the Punjab reason of South Asia that has been sweeping across the West with its recent fusion with other music and dance genres. With the combination of music, dance, and the dhol drum, Bhangra celebrates the vitality of life.

Organized by the Indian Student Association (ISA), this dance competition has attracted hundreds of performers from the U.S. and Canada.

Live from Meany Hall on the UW Campus, some of the hottest bhangra dance teams will be competing on March 29th, 2008.

Student tickets: $20.00 at the HUB Ticket Office

For more information: http://students.washington.edu/uwisa/bhangrabash/index.html