Lyle Lovett and His Acoustic Group
Friday, September 19 at 8pm
A singer, composer and actor, Lyle Lovett has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, the Texas-based musician fuses elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers. Among his many accolades are four Grammy Awards, the Americana Music Association’s inaugural Trailblazer Award and he was most recently named the Texas State Musician.
Since his self-titled debut in 1986, Lyle Lovett has evolved into one of music’s most vibrant and iconic performers. His oeuvre, rich and eclectic, is one of the most beloved of any living artist working today.
“One of America’s most beloved singer/songwriters.”
—Garden & Gun
George Kahumoku Jr. & Masters of Hawaiian Music
Saturday, September 27 at 8pm
Four-time Grammy Award winner George Kahumoku Jr., on slack key guitar and vocals; Ledward Kaapana, legend of slack key guitar, vocals and one of Hawaii’s most prolific songwriters; and Uncle Richard Ho’opi’I—an NEA Folk Heritage Fellow for Hawaiian falsetto singing—on ‘ukulle and vocals combine to bring their audiences an authentic and fun-filled Hawaiian experience.
They share music, stories, culture, and joy with audiences from kids to kupuna (elders) and everyone in-between.
“…The vocals and slack-key wizardry of George Kahumoku…is as cleansing as a Sunday drive through God’s country.”
—Wayne Harada, Honolulu Advertiser
“…every performance is the essence of aloha.”
—Jamie O’Brien, popmatters.com
Black Violin
Friday, October 24 at 8pm
Started by Wil Baptiste and Kevin “Kev Marcus” Sylvester, Black Violin is a blend of classical, hip-hop, rock, R&B and bluegrass. When performing live, they are accompanied by their crack band, featuring ace turntable whiz DJTK (Dwayne Dayal) and a drummer.
Black Violin has performed an average of 200 shows per year in 49 states and 36 countries, including appearing at both the official President’s Inaugural Ball and the Kids Inaugural in Washington, DC. They have collaborated with several celebrated acts including P. Diddy, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Aretha Franklin and The Eagles.
“Black Violin works hard, but makes it all look like play… Sometimes they play with the intense seriousness of orchestral soloists; at others they fiddle as if at a hoedown; at still others they strum the violin and viola like guitars.”
—New York Times
Split Knuckle Theater—Endurance
Friday-Saturday, November 21-22 at 8pm
Salisbury Theatre, UAF Campus
Split Knuckle is a critically acclaimed company that creates dynamic, physical, visually striking theatre from simple materials.
Trapped in Antarctica with no hope of rescue, the great British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton kept 27 men alive for two years in the most inhospitable climate on earth.
Ninety-five years later, in the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression, Hartford insurance man Walter Spivey, struggling to justify his recent promotion and save his employees jobs, relives Shackleton’s story.
Can one of the greatest leaders in human history inspire him to conquer the corporate world?
The Intergalactic Nemesis
Friday, January 30 at 8pm
Everything cool these days seems to be coming out of Austin, Texas, and this show is the latest example. Telling an all-ages adventure story set in the 1930s, The Intergalactic Nemesis mashes up comic book and radio-play formats into a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience, a new art form, the Live-Action Graphic Novel.
Three actors voice the dozens of characters, a Foley artist creates all the sound effects, and a pianist plays a cinematic score, while more than 1,250 individual full-color hi-res comic book panels tell a hilarious sci-fi adventure story visually from an enormous movie screen. And it’s all done live in front of your eyes!
“Something you must experience if you’re a fan of awesome!”
—collider.com
TorQ Percussion
Friday, February 20 at 8pm
Winners of the 2009 Mississauga Arts Council award for Best Emerging Performing Arts Ensemble, TorQ Percussion Quartet was formed by four Canadian percussionists looking to bring new vitality to percussion repertoire and performance. Renowned for their engaging performances, members Richard Burrows, Adam Campbell, Jamie Drake and Daniel Morphy are committed to making new music accessible to audiences that span generations and geography and have already performed to critical acclaim across Canada and beyond.
In addition to promoting new music, TorQ is actively involved in music education initiatives and performs approximately 70 school shows per year. They are also frequent educational collaborators with Soundstreams Canada and present master classes and workshops for various organizations across the country. All four members of TorQ are faculty members of the Durham Integrated Arts Camp, run by the Durham District School Board.
African Guitar Summit
Friday, March 13 at 8pm
This star-studded collective unites the talents of six musicians, each an expert in their individual style and together creating musical magic with African Guitar Summit. Experience live this superb and unique achievement for African music— the mix of musicians who are distinct in cultural backgrounds and languages—yet sharing stories and singing each other’s praises.
African Guitar Summit features, from Guinea, the smooth fire Alpha YaYa Diallo and the heartbeat of drummer, Kofi Ackah; from Kenya, the Fiesta guitar of Professor Adam Solomon; from Burundi/Rwanda, the bluesy Mighty Popo; and from Madagascar the quicksilver guitars and harmonies of Donne Roberts and Madagascar Slim.
Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli:
The Nat King Cole Tribute
Saturday, April 4 at 8pm
Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli have crafted a tribute to the titan of fifties vocal pop—Nat King Cole—from his hits to the well-loved tracks of sophisticated cool jazz.
Nat King Cole broke the pop barrier with his smoky, smooth vocals, stringing along a huge number of solid hits right after his first “Straighten Up And Fly Right” soared up the charts in 1943. As a singer, he was called “the best friend a song ever had,” and Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli make his music live on.
“It’s a mark of how much Lewis understands what people want from a piece of music that he remains one of jazz’s most broadly popular figures, yet still holds on to an unshakeable degree of respectability.”
—BBC
BodyVox
Saturday, May 2 at 8pm
To truly experience BodyVox you have to watch it live! Led by Emmy Award-winning choreographers Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, BodyVox is known for its visual virtuosity, distinctive wit and unique ability to combine dance, theater and film into breathtaking productions rich in imagery, athleticism and humor.
Based in Portland, Oregon, BodyVox’s movement surges from a fascination with the endless possibilities of the human body in motion, informed by years of cross training and layers of experience. Hampton and Roland are distinguished artists on the world stage, formed by their years working as creators and performers with innovative dance companies. BodyVox builds upon this tradition of excellence with a unique voice that is equally influenced by its Northwest roots and worldview.
Since its founding in 1997, BodyVox has toured to critical acclaim on stages around the world, developed 8 award winning films, 18 original shows and 3 operas, featuring nearly 200 original dances.
