Potpourri Potpourri (September 16, 2005)

Stanford Lively Arts

Stanford Lively Arts is again planning an array of events from many corners of the arts world. Performers will include the Choir of Westminster Abbey, the Martha Graham Dance Company and the Emerson String Quartet.

This year, there is some thematic programming, with several music, dance and theater performances falling under the umbrella of "Imagine America." Concerts will include the Ying Quartet with folk musician Mike Seeger, who will dig into the States' musical legacy and come up with everything from "Amazing Grace" to Samuel Barber's "String Quartet." NPR radio personality Rob Kapilow will also give two lively "What Makes It Great?" presentations that aim to give new insight into familiar compositions.

Lively Arts also partners with the St. Lawrence String Quartet to create "Sundays with the St. Lawrence," a three-concert series. In addition, Lively Arts brings artists to the Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View (see the Music section).

All performances are on the Stanford University campus. The venues include: Memorial Auditorium on Serra Street at Galvez; Dinkelspiel Auditorium on Lagunita Drive; and Memorial Church, located on the Main Quad at the end of Palm Drive. Parking is free after 4 p.m. and on weekends.

Discounts are available when tickets are purchased for several events. Call (650) 725-ARTS or go to livelyarts.stanford.edu.

The 36th season opens with the Eroica Trio, who will play compositions by Bach, Schubert and Mark O'Connor. The concert is set for 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 2 at Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Tickets are $48/$44 for adults and $24/$22 for Stanford students.

Oct. 7 brings "Tango Flamenco" at 8 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. Spanish flamenco melds with Argentine tango in this spirited performance by the Compania Talent Danza Ballet Espanol. Tickets are $44/$38/$26 for adults and $22/$19/$13 for Stanford students.

The St. Lawrence String Quartet will perform with pianist Jeremy Denk at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 16, with a program including compositions by Debussy, Osvaldo Golijov and Franck. The performance in Dinkelspiel Auditorium is the first of three "Sundays with the St. Lawrence" shows. A pre-performance discussion is set for 1:15 p.m. Tickets are $44/$40 for adults and $22/$20 for Stanford students.

Oct. 23 marks the Northern California premiere of "Ayre," a song cycle by Osvaldo Golijov derived from 15th-century Spanish folk tunes. Soprano Dawn Upshaw will perform with contemporary ensemble Eighth Blackbird and South American composer and guitarist Gustavo Santaolalla. Tickets are $50/$42/$30 for adults and $25/$21/$15 for Stanford students. Premier seating is $80.

The Choir of Westminster Abbey will fill Memorial Church with young voices under the direction of James O'Donnell on Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for Stanford students.

On Oct. 30 at 2:30 p.m., the winner of the latest Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will play in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Every four years since 1962, top young pianists from around the world compete in the competition. Tickets are $38/$34 for adults and $19/$17 for Stanford students.

Portuguese fado music sung by Dulce Pontes is planned for Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, with a pre-performance discussion at 6:45 p.m. on fado. Tickets are $38/$34 for adults and $19/$17 for Stanford students.

The four-sibling Ying Quartet performs with folk musician Mike Seeger at 8 p.m. on Nov. 30 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. This is the West Coast premiere of "No Boundaries," a program looking at diverse aspects of America's musical legacy, from Appalachian folk music to modern classical. Tickets are $44/$40 for adults and $22/$20 for Stanford students.

In the program "What makes it Great?" radio personality Rob Kapilow will look into why a classic is a classic, using anecdotes, audience participation and a healthy dose of exuberance. Singer Michael Winther will be featured. The program will be held at 8 p.m. Dec. 7 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Tickets are $30/$24 for adults and $15/$12 for Stanford students.

"A Chanticleer Christmas," an annual holiday program by the vocal ensemble Chanticleer, is scheduled for Dec. 13 and 14 at 8 p.m. in Memorial Church. The concert will include sacred songs, spirituals, and carols. Tickets are $44 for adults and $22 for Stanford students.

In the second "What Makes it Great?" program at 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, Rob Kapilow will enlist the help of the Stanford Chamber Strings to examine Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring" (which will be performed on Jan. 25 by the Martha Graham Dance Company.) The program takes place in Dinkelspiel Auditorium; tickets are $30/$24 for adults and $15/$12 for Stanford students.

The Emerson String Quartet performs an all-Scandinavian program in Dinkelspiel Auditorium on Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. Featured works are by Carl Nielsen, Jean Sibelius, and Edvard Grieg. Tickets are $48/$44 for adults and $24/$22 for Stanford students.

As part of the "Imagine America" series, the Martha Graham Dance Company takes on the modern American classic "Appalachian Spring" on Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. Set to Aaron Copland's score and staged in period dress, the work depicts life in a small 19th-century frontier town. There will be a free pre-performance discussion at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $46/$40/$28 for adults and $23/$20/$14 for Stanford students.

Israeli singer Chava Alberstein performs with Gypsy band Les Yeux Noirs at 8 p.m. on Jan. 28 in Memorial Auditorium. Alberstein croons folk songs in Yiddish, Hebrew and English. Tickets are $44/$38/$26 for adults and $22/$19/$13 for Stanford students.

The Wayne Shorter Quartet featuring Brian Blade, John Patitucci, and Danilo Perez presents jazz music at 7 p.m. on Jan 29 in Memorial Auditorium. Saxophonist and composer Shorter has jammed with such big names as John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Tickets are $50/$42/$30 for adults and $25/$21/$15 for Stanford students. Premier seating is $80.

The NPR program "From the Top with Christopher O'Riley" shows off the stories and music of exceptional young musicians from across the country and is hosted by pianist Christopher O'Riley. The performance will be recorded live for broadcast. It is on Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Tickets are $36/$32 for adults and $18/$16 for Stanford students.

Boston Brass, a group of spirited virtuoso musicians, will perform on Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Their arrangements run the gamut from Shostakovich to Count Basie. Tickets are $38/$34 for adults and $19/$17 for Stanford students.

The Actors' Gang perform the off-Broadway hit "The Exonerated" under the direction of Academy Award winner Tim Robbins on Feb. 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The Los Angeles-based theater ensemble has chosen a production that details the true stories of six wrongfully convicted Death Row inmates. A post-performance discussion is set for Feb. 10. Tickets are $38/$34 for adults and $19/$17 for Stanford students.

The St. Lawrence String Quartet, with Todd Palmer on clarinet and Eric Ruske on horn , will perform the second concert in the "Sundays with the St. Lawrence" series on Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The program will honor the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. A pre-performance discussion is planned. Tickets are $44/$40 for adults and $22/$20 for Stanford students.

Kartik Seshadri will perform a sitar recital of Indian classical music on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Seshadri has performed at both the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Center. Tickets are $42/$38 for adults and $21/$19 for Stanford students.

The Salzburg Chamber Soloists will present a performance paying tribute to Mozart as part of the multi-nation celebration of the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth. The event will be held on March 5 at 2:30 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Tickets are $44/$40 for adults and $22/$20 for Stanford students.

Harpsichordist Richard Egarr plays Bach's "Goldberg Variations" on his first solo tour in the United States. The program is on March 8 at 8 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium, and includes a pre-performance discussion led by conductor Peter Susskind at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $38/$34 for adults and $19/$17 for Stanford students.

Illusionist Michael Moschen, a juggler with a MacArthur Genius Award, will bring fluid hoops, glowing balls, acrobatics, vaudeville and pantomime to Memorial Auditorium on March 12 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $40/$34/$26 for adults and $20/$17/$13 for Stanford students.

The Kronos Quartet brings a West Coast premiere of Gabriela Frank's new composition, which is based on South American music and creation myths, to Dinkelspiel Auditorium on March 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $44/$40 for adults and $22/$20 for Stanford students.

Pianist Murray Perahia will tickle the ivories March 17 at 8 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. He last played with Lively Arts in 2000. Tickets are $50/$42/$30 for adults and $25/$21/$15 for Stanford students. Premier seating is $80.

The Australian Expressions Dance Company delivers a new take on Shakespeare's "Richard III" to Memorial Auditorium on March 18 at 8 p.m. The show combines speech, visual media, and athleticism. Tickets are $38/$32/$20 for adults and $19/$16/$10 for Stanford students. A post-performance discussion is free to the public.

The Claremont Trio performs works by Haydn, Leon Kirchner and Robert Schumann at Dinkelspiel Auditorium at 8 p.m. on April 5. Tickets are $36/$32 for adults and $18/$16 for Stanford students.

Die Kolner Akademie plays the Baroque composition "St. Matthew Passion" by Johann Meder at 8 p.m. on April 7 in Memorial Church. Tickets are $38 for adults and $19 for Stanford students.

Eliot Fisk and Paco Pena will perform a classical flamenco guitar recital on April 9 at 2:30 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The program will include classical, Spanish and Latin music. Tickets are $48/$44 for adults and $24/$22 for Stanford students.

The St. Lawrence String Quartet performs with cellist Matt Haimowitz in the season finale of the "Sundays with the St. Lawrence" series at 2:30 p.m. April 23 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The musicians will play Schubert's "String Quintet in C Major." Tickets are $44/$40 for adults and $22/$20 for Stanford students.

The poet and performing artist Sekou Sundiata will perform with a 10-member ensemble at 8 p.m. on April 25 through April 27 at the Pigott Theater, using music, poems, monologues and other methods to look at how America defines itself with its global power. Tickets are $38 for adults and $19 for Stanford students. A post-performance discussion on April 26 is free to the public.

The Parsons Dance Company will set Brazilian dance by David Parson and his nine-member troupe to the music of Miles Davis on April 29 at 8 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $44/$38/$26 for adults and $22/$19/$13 for Stanford students. The post-production discussion is free.

Violinist Chee-Yun plays with pianist Wendy Chen at 2:30 p.m. on May 7 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The Juilliard-trained violinist will perform music by Brahms, Strauss and other composers. Tickets are $42/$38 for adults and $21/$19 for Stanford students.

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