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Minneapolis, Minnesota
Absent spring and summer foliage, the water level on the shores of Pelican Lake in central Minnesota's Monticello Township appears high and gray against the contrasting brown shadings of the surrounding landscape. Adjacent farmland that has been plowed and disked needs rain while awaiting spring planting. A drive through the area in today's balmy 65º under mostly sunny skies provided metaphorical optimism about the prospects of all who use this time to prepare and position themselves to harvest the fruits of the economic recovery!
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Zenon Dance Company's 26th spring season, inaugurated at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis tonight, features a varied program that highlights the formidable strengths of the company's four male dancers. Gregory Waletski's accomplished solo in Seán Curran's 2008 quartet, "Hard Bargain," set to Handel opera arias, is worth the price of admission by itself. Mary Ann Bradley excels as the dancing master of ceremonies in "Elegant Echoes," Danny Buraczeski's distinctive jazz work from 2007 to music by Jelly Roll Morton. The premiere of "Not From Texas" by Megan McClellan and Brian Sostek offers a gloriously upbeat but annoyingly one-note paean to the whimsical virtues of cowboys – and so many virtues! Andrea Miller's "Picnic, Lightning" may become an acquired taste with repeated servings; the Chopin-flavored portions tickled my palate the most. The season continues through Apr. 26. Tickets at 612.436.1129.
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"If you remember the 60s, you weren't there. …When I moved to New York City in my 20s and lived in the Village, I went to therapy because it was in the lease." So said folk music legend Judy Collins while holding court for four, standing room performances at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, Apr. 6-7, accompanied by Russell Walden on piano and herself on 12-string guitar. The gig was a ramp-up to her engagement at Café Carlyle in Manhattan's Carlyle Hotel, Apr. 21-May 30. The year 2009 is one of milestones for the Seattle-born Collins: she turns 70 on May 1; celebrates 50 years of paid singing since her start at Michael's Pub in Boulder, Colorado; and marks 40 years since her appearance on the cover of Life magazine, May 2, 1969. The chanteuse also is an author ("Sanity and Grace, A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength"). Her Apr. 7 interview on the Midmorning program of Minnesota Public Radio can be heard here.
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The opening of the 2009 Minnesota Twins Season, Apr. 6, a joint production with the visiting Seattle Mariners ensemble, lacked inspiration and dramatic arc. Most of the performers from both groups were not of the first rank. Joe Mauer, a star on the Twins' roster, was sidelined for the evening by injuries. Promising but disjointed high points during the performance neither satisfied nor went anywhere, and Minnesota's personnel missed several opportunities for showmanship. Minnesota's ensemble sported new ensembles that included white costumes trimmed in red, accented with fire-red caps. Judges statistics: No errors; Minnesota performers 6 hits, 1 run, 7 left on; Seattle performers 6 hits, 6 runs, 1 left on. Audience: Sold out for ninth consecutive year at 48,514. Those seated in the cheaper sections behaved with manners and sat still to watch the program, while better-heeled patrons moved about with restless moodiness. The season continues with 181 performances through Oct. 4.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Please come tonight for our...show. We have worked very hard to make this the tightest and most entertaining "Buckets and Tap Shoes" performance EVER! –Facebook post by Rick Ausland, Mar. 29, 2009, for the last of 5 performances at the Music Box Theatre, Minneapolis.
In the year 2039, what passes for that era's version of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" might well feature the Ausland brothers, Rick and Andy, in the latest of their recurring appearances on the program. As always, their presence would include an energetic and accomplished funky tap dance segment that brings the studio audience to its feet while clapping and cheering to the rhythm.
The duo's conversation with Leno's successor might include reminiscences about their early steps toward stardom during the first, recession-wracked decade of the century when they tapped-out their reputation one gig at a time: Dover, Charleston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Rapid City, New York, Madison, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Denver, Kansas City, Hawaii, Austria, Finland, Russia, Ecuador. To name just a very few.
Mention might be made of their beginnings, applying drum sticks to five-gallon paint buckets and tap dancing on the streets of Minneapolis outside the Metrodome and various nightclubs in the Warehouse District – improvised outings that garnered much applause and occasional abuse.
Some members of that futuristic Leno audience might recall their own presence on the electric evening of November 29, 2003, when Rick, Andy, and their accomplices exploded through the back doors of the Walker Art Center's old auditorium to thump and bump their way to the stage and into recorded history, while the audience for a Choreographer's Evening went totally nuts for the first time in years.
While the Ausland's memories of the blood, sweat, and tears of the early years probably will have dimmed by 2039, they may retain a deep reservoir of satisfaction and gratitude for the meaningful experiences they shared with countless people around the globe. One hopes so. We knew these guys were good long before someone writing in the New York Times said they were "utterly brilliant."
Rick and Andy have tap danced since they were kids. In 1997, they formed Ten Foot Five Productions with three friends as a vehicle for a dance competition (10 feet/5 guys). Known more popularly as Buckets and Tap Shoes, their company of musicians, percussionists, and hoofers presented a major series of five concert performances at The Music Box Theatre in Minneapolis, Mar. 26-29, 2009.
The well-paced program included elements of funk, jazz, classical, hip-hop, blues, and rock in two dozen segments. The proceedings opened with a parade by five performers entering from the back of the house, pounding on a variety of drums as they danced their way to the stage to the accompaniment of rhythmic clapping by the audience. Attired neck-to-ankle in navy blue industrial coveralls, the five lined-up across the stage for an extended section of original, percussive music, switching positions with each other repeatedly without missing a beat.
Costumes changed frequently throughout the show and reflected multiple, individual combinations of blue jeans, slacks, t-shirts, button-down shirts – with and without ties, occasional sport coats, and vests.
Episodes of call-and-response kept audience members participating and engaged – not that they required assistance in that regard. Boundaries between program segments were sometimes marked by moments of abrupt, motionless silence with each performer bathed in a straight-down square of light.
A tap dance in three parts ended the 40-minute first half. On a blacked-out stage, Andy tapped a virtuosic solo while shining a flashlight at his feet. This was followed by Rick's solo-with-flashlight, executed from the center of the orchestra audience while navigating stairs in the dark. A duet by both ensued onstage, accompanied by atmospheric smoke. The section worked well, but one wished for a brighter illumination, aimed more directly on the dancers's feet, rather than in front of, in order to highlight the complex footwork.
Rick and Andy returned precisely 15 minutes later to accompany a recording of Mozart's Turkish Rondo, hoofing in perfect sync with the music and each other. This morphed into a charming and jazzy, downstage interlude by bassist Dan Ristrom and trumpeter Aaron Wiener which, in turn, morphed into a set with the up-ended paint buckets, complete with juggled drumsticks and empty Culligan water bottles. More morphing followed as Ristrom and Wiener provided a funky interlude leading to a Funkeapolis tap dance that sequed into a Funkeapolis tune sung by all five, including drummer Chris Vanderpoll.
At that point, I stopped taking notes because the pace accelerated while the performers danced solo and as a group, vocalized, and stirred a cauldron of audience frenzy that bubbled over to a wild, standing ovation, an encore, and a second ovation. Six minutes before 10pm, everyone in the audience was energized and everyone on stage was exhausted. All were joyous.
The concentration of so much multi-faceted talent in these five individuals makes their enterprise shine like a jewel, one that should be treasured more widely and deeply than it is. Each has clearly devoted the requisite 10,000 hours of training to become a master of his profession, and each is well on the way to acquiring 10,000 hours of experience on stage. As it can for many artists, the heart aches in its witness of their commitment and earnest desire to succeed.
Theirs are generous souls, devoting a page of the printed program to recognize and thank more than 75 individuals and organizations that have lent them assistance. They also are shy fellows, omitting any information about themselves, their backgrounds, and their experiences. In this particular they err; new people, like the women seated behind me, want to know more, while those who are more familiar need help remembering the details from one encounter to the next. Nonetheless, they have become savvy about promoting their performances, and arranged demonstration appearances on the Fox, ABC, and NBC television stations in the Twin Cities.
They are true pros. However, they are in need of a stronger infrastructure that can calm the frenzy and lift the load of their offstage activities. For the long term, they should examine whether a non-profit or for-profit business model can more efficiently serve, sustain, and advance their interests. In either case, the infusion of a modest but significant amount of capital would propel them to the heights that rightfully should be theirs. Someone(s) needs to take on their cause.
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The Music Box Theatre, located near downtown Minneapolis and the city's convention center, is an architectural gem – from an audience perspective – built as a vaudeville house in 1920. Currently operating on a for-profit basis, the theater is a 440-seat house, renting for a modest base charge of $3,500 a week. While its stage is not suitable for most concert dance, its raked seating offers good sightlines to audiences.
It needs improvement in at least one area. For the Saturday evening performance by Buckets and Tap Shoes, advertised to begin at 8pm, only one ticket seller occupied the box office. At 8pm, 43 people still stood in line to purchase tickets or pick up will call orders. Two individuals, who clearly worked for the theater, stood by watching the line's slow progression, while occasionally helping a third employee at the concessions counter. This is a low level of service that, tempered by degree, is as outrageous as the poor performance of many of our wizards of Wall Street finance.
The customer always comes first. It does not matter whether one's job description includes the selling of tickets; employees with pride in their work ethic will add value to their skill sets by taking the initiative to pitch in, to learn, and to help out. When 43 people are waiting to give you $20 each – plus sales tax plus service charge – you need to make it easy for them to do it, even if it comes at the expense of missing out on a sale for a $2 cookie or cup of java. In at least this instance, the Music Box personnel needed to embody a fraction of the can-do spirit that animates some of their renters.
To balance and round out the observation: What was one to make of the customers who were still entering the lobby to join the ticket line at 8:06pm? Did they not know the start time? Did they not leave home in sufficient time to locate a new venue? Did they assume that no one else would be waiting to make a last-minute purchase? Did they think it would be acceptable to take their seats after the performance started? Did they think at all? Hopefully, they thought to tell their friends to turn out for the next performance.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
A showcase for 40 dance artists – choreographers and dancers – provided a welcome complement to the first weekend of spring-like weather in the Twin Cities, Mar. 13-15. Styled as "Renovate: Enhancing the Edifice of Twin Cities Dance," the three performances represented a second year of choreographer's evenings presented by Ballet of the Dolls and The Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.
As she did last year, Lisa Conlin, a member of the Dolls, curated the lineup of 11 dance works with advisory assistance this year from Uri Sands, artistic director of TU Dance, and Penelope Freeh, artistic associate of James Sewell Ballet. The major aim of Renovate is to introduce and highlight new talents by giving them a stage, publicity, and an audience. With one exception, all of the choreographers were new to me, as were most of the dancers.
Hip-hop and breakdance veterans Lisa Berman and Carlos Garcia opened the program with "Breakin' Through Cancer," using a music mix including Everyday People, Everday Struggle, Underdog, HAIR, Do Your Thing, and Age of Aquarius. The two choreographers were joined in a variety of solo, group, all guys, and all gals configurations by Amy Sackett, Nicki Cullinan, Madeline Howie, Aneka McMullen, Joe Tran, Tybierius Nguyen, and Mikhail Sakhvadze. The ensemble moved with a nice cohesion and energy. As breaking evolves, however, its movers with staying power for the concert stage will be those who can differentiate themselves from their peers and colleagues. A sharper attack and finer synchronization would be welcome seasonings for this group's nascent virtuosity.
Megan Parlanti performed very fluidly in Stephen Schroeder's "Trial By Grace," created for her senior concert at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Her costume, a tunic and skirt in contrasting shades of darker blue, was striking and well-suited to the flavor of the dance. Schroeder's background as a modern dancer with Zenon Dance Company and Arena Dances is reflected here in the soloist's athletic use of space and, in the third section, time spent on the floor becoming acquainted with the floor. The abrupt editing shifts between musical selections – from Kate Havneik, Univers Zero, Jerry Rau, and Edit: sdeezers – injected a dissonance that served no apparent purpose.
Remember the color of Dreamsicles, those orange-white ice cream treats on a stick? That was the flavorful color of the costumes worn by Estevan Esparza and Pam Plagge in "Lucumi," the duet of Cuban dance they created for themselves to music by Pancho Quinto and Grupo Danzon. They performed nicely together, with Plagge displaying an articulated spine and body not matched by Esparza. Their choreography has a decent base on which to add more complexity and depth in future endeavors.
Although probably not intended or controlled by Esparza and Plagge, the abrupt departure of their many fans – seated near the stage – at the conclusion of "Lucumi" on Sunday was a rude disruption for the audience and the next performers in the first half of the program. The insult was exacerbated as the fans broke into conversation while exiting the theater and one of their number noisily dropped a beverage bottle into the trash.
While the printed playbill for the evening included a number of brief and helpful program notes, the absence of any information about the featured choreographers was notable. For sure, large photos and small-print bios were posted in the theater lobby. The omission was striking on a number of counts. Artists at every stage of development desire to be taken seriously. When the audience does not know who these artists are, and from what background and influences spring their creative impulses, it is near impossible to develop an investment in their work. This was true with Esparza and Plagge; I found nothing of use about him on the internet, while for her I searched enough to learn that she has studied somewhat in Havana and been presented in a choreographer's evening at the Walker Art Center. One should not have to look for basic information. A purpose of showcasing newer artists is to remove them from the insider's game and bring them forward for increased scrutiny and visibility.
Bryan Gerber is a modern dancer with a background in ballet, jazz, and yoga whose heroes include the modern dance pioneers Martha Graham and Ted Shawn. He accompanied the opening of his solo, "Finding Balance," with humming and other vocalizations that gave way to a recording of Rachmaninov's Vocalise, Op. 34/14. Attired in bare torso and shin-length black skirt, Gerber's well-structured movements, largely within a central pool of light, had the look and feel of a captive bird exploring its boundaries.
"Sisterlove," Lisa Conlin's lovely trio for herself and Dolls colleagues Heather Cadigan and Stephanie Fellner, opened with the three women seated, facing upstage, and backed by a meditative segment of Mike Hallenbeck's sound mix. The mix drew from Tim Story, Assumpta Est Maria in Coelum, Ray Lynch, and Minoru Miki. As the abstract narrative unfolded, the dancers interacted with large and small pieces of translucent white and black fabrics.
The last time I saw Jim Lieberthal's work several years ago, he had choreographed a dance for people in wheelchairs. The curiosity of his artistic voice leads him on some worthwhile journeys. He was joined here in performance by Brian Evans, a member of the Stuart Pimsler Dance Theater, and Debra McGee, a member of Arena Dances. I liked the overall crafting of "The Bottom Fell Out...and then." The dancers came across as three independent, interdependent creatures or machines, moving in an angular and staccato – pizzicato? – response to the metallic vibes, clanks, and hammering of music by Ben Siems.
Jaime Carrera is a visual and performance artist who hails from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, by way of Kansas and Chicago. "Frontera," his Renovate offering, is part of a trilogy about Mexican immigrants. In this conceptual solo work, set to music by Cuatro Milpas and El Llorar, Carrera moves with idiosyncratic movement phrases. In an interview with 3MinuteEgg about "Tableaux," his recent production at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater, Carrera remarked that he has "done a lot of stuff." It would be interesting to see him attempt fewer things and pull from within more of the complexity and nuance that clearly motivates his expression.
The choreography, vocals, text, and costumes composed by Cathy Wright resulted in the most cohesive work on the program. "Wombman," set to music by Matthew S. Smith, featured performers Nina Ebbighausen, Kristen Ostebee, Christine Maginnis, Sharon Picasso, and Jennifer Mack. The particular combination of costumes and music suggested a mating of Weimar-era decadence with "A Clockwork Orange." In a cast of strong performers, Maginnis shows she still has it going on after a career spanning parts of three decades. Wright's work has been presented by dance companies in Utah, where she earned a BFA degree in modern dance from the University of Utah, and by the Momentum Series of the Walker Art Center and Southern Theater.
Marciano Silva dos Santos, a native of Brazil, provided some of the evening's most complex and interesting movement in "3'0'1," a work for three men and two women, with music by Moana Maru. A solo by dos Santos, a member of both TU Dance and Stuart Pimsler Dance Theater, opened the piece, followed by a quartet of Brian Evans, Cade Holmseth, and Kari Mosel – of the Pimsler company – and Jenny Pennaz. The quartet started from positions on the floor with organic and cliched movement, and progressed to a satisfying finish.
The "most complete" performer on the Ritz stage was Christian Adeti, a native of Accra, Ghana. As a drum and dance instructor and performer, Adeti serves as artistic director of the Titambe West African Dance Ensemble of Minnesota, and has taught at Carleton College in Minnesota, North High School in Minneapolis, and Zenon Dance School. "Ganbolt Dance" drew its inspiration from the mining communities of South Africa where "the men sing and play as they look for gold." Adeti's body served literally as his instrument for drumming, vocalization, and percussion. He was accompanied by performers Autumn Compton and Whitney McClusky.
Julie Warder provided "Jammin," the last-but-not-least program closer. Again, it would have been nice to know something more about this artist than just her name. Working with music by Christian McBride, Warder led her dancers through an abstract drama with the right touch of athletic precision: neither too much nor too little. The performers included Brian Evans, Debra McGee, Cade Holmseth, Kency Roberson, and Aneka McMullen.
Housekeeping details: Throughout the evening, the lighting design did not distract, but would have benefited from a brighter illumination of the performers. The house manager needed to start the show at the advertised 7pm, rather than at 7:10pm. Those quibbles aside, the folks at Ballet of the Dolls and the Ritz Theater should be encouraged to renew Renovate for a third year in 2010.
Italicized text revised/extended 3/19/09, 5:34 AM.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Minnesota Orchestra presented the world premiere of its commission, "Oboe Concerto," by composer Christopher Rouse this week. A thoroughly pleasant work, it was given a fine reading by Basil Reeve and his colleagues under the baton of Osmo Vänskä. Along with other works, the program also included Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique." I have not heard this symphony live since Eiji Oue led the Orchestra. As conducted by Vänskä, the work had more energy and nuance than one hears on many recordings.
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Why do some Republicans insist on speaking about real Virginians, real Americans, and now real people?
Michael Kranish reported in the Boston Globe last week about criticism of the economic stimulus bill moving through Congress. The House version – passed without a single Republican vote – contains $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. The funds are not in the current draft of the yet-to-be-passed Senate version. Kranish cited Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the third-ranking Republican in the House, "who has urged Obama to 'get the pork barrel spending out,'" and Rep. Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican, who wants to transfer the proposed NEA funding to highway construction. "We have real people out of work right now and putting $50 million in the NEA and pretending that's going to save jobs as opposed to putting $50 million in a road project is disingenuous," Kingston said [emphasis added].Michael Steele, the newly-elected GOP chairman, shares that line of thought. Speaking on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos this morning, Steele said "What this administration is talking about is making work. It is creating work.... It's not a job."
It makes one wonder what is real.
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The Minneapolis Convention Center stands four blocks from my house and serves as the portal to the downtown skyway system – enclosed bridges that span streets to connect buildings on the second level. Over the years I have observed and overheard the buzz of many convenings, including those of varied religious organizations. For three days last week, nearly 1,400 pastors swarmed the hallways and skyways leading to the Hilton Hotel for the "Desiring God" conference. According to their literature and website, this is a Baptist-related group that follows the ministry of John Piper, a senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Piper's congregation has played a positive role in its community, including as an advocate for affordable housing. Nonetheless, it was a bit startling to understand how divergent are some of its perspectives from one's own. To-wit, this answer to a question about the Desiring God conference:
Can Pastor's Wives Attend? We intentionally seek to foster a male fraternity because it is rare and uniquely refreshing for pastors to fellowship with men who carry similar burdens and to counsel one another with the kind of frankness that is awkward to do in mixed company. However, we do not prohibit wives from attending, knowing that there are circumstances where it is the best choice for marriage or ministry
This is startling because I have become used to churches where women serve as full partners in ministry and whatever burdens come with it.
St. Paul, Minnesota
James Sewell, a choreographer friend, wrote several years ago that he loves "to watch how musicians move when they play. They perform an expressive dance." He would have enjoyed watching the four energetic members of the Enso String Quartet.
Violinists Maureen Nelson and John Marcus, violist Melissa Reardon, and cellist Richard Belcher moved in the groove this morning when they performed Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor. Their efforts did not disappoint the audience of 100 in The Music Room at the SPCO Center in downtown St. Paul. The occasion was a free, 9am concert to help celebrate the 50th birthday of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Marcus employed the greatest amount of footwork, and his dynamic eyebrows are a match for those of Reardon who seemed to have the most engaged facial expressions. Nelson had the most articulated and commanding upper torso, and one would not want to mess with her stiletto heels. Constrained by his cello, Belcher poured great energy into his fingerings.
Inspired by Beethoven, Mendelssohn provided the romantic raw material – composed at age 18! – with which the quartet delivered a rich and passionate finished product. There was no way to discern that they had just learned the piece this week. It was a great 20 minutes to be alive!
In one of the SPCO's fine traditions, new music also was included on the program. The composer, violist, and arranger Ljova (Lev Zhurbin), born in Moscow in 1978, hails from an artistic family. His father, Alexander Zhurbin, is a Russian composer for film and musical theater, and his mother, Irena Ginzburg, is a poet, writer, and journalist. Ljova originally scored "Bagel on the Malecón" and "Ori's Fearful Symmetry" for five violas. Here, they were arranged for string quartet, both embodying a klezmer air.
The Enso String Quartet, formed in 1999 when the four principals were at Yale University, is serving in the SPCO's Young Artists Program. Collectively, its members have several degrees from Yale, the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory of Music, the University of Canterbury, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
The ensemble's name, enso, is derived from the Japanese Zen painting of the circle which represents many things: perfection and imperfection, the moment of chaos that is creation, the emptiness of the void, the endless circle of life, and the fullness of the spirit.
Against a clear sky outside the SPCO Center, the sun shone brightly on the ice sculptures in Rice Park, created for the St. Paul Winter Carnival. "Fountain of Unicorns," by Chris Swarbrich and Greg Smotzer, took first place in the ice carving competition. Photos here.
Enso String Quartet photo by David Mehr (l-r): Richard Belcher, Melissa Reardon, John Marcus, Maureen Nelson.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
For the fall performances of the Minnesota Dance Theatre, Artistic Director Lise Houlton assembled a group of dances that mirrors much of Minnesota's dance community, reflecting a diversity of choreographic impulses, a strong level of technical competence and artistic expression, and an earnest desire to impress. While the articulation of a clear and compelling purpose and vision has not been the troupe's strong suit, the present program was more cohesive and satisfying than many of its recent stagings.
The program, presented this weekend at The Lab Theater in Minneapolis's Warehouse District, offered two world premieres. Mathew Janczewski's Trébuchet was the more successful. Working with a variety of pulsing music tempos by Alexander East, Janczewski created a tight ensemble work that featured dynamic duets for Sam Feipel and Eve Schulte, and Justin Leaf and Melanie Verna, along with brief solos for each. The dance contains the large, athletic movement that characterizes Janczewski's signature style, but injected a welcome level of textured subtlety and nuance that has been absent in his modern choreography. His own company, Arena Dances, will perform next weekend at the Southern Theater.
Choreography comes less easily to Houlton. Her strong concepts benefit from decent ensemble patterns whose flow often is interrupted by awkward movement and phrasing for duets and trios. Point of Departure, her new ballet set to Haydn's Symphony No. 45, introduced a sharp and angular vocabulary that repeated and became more rounded and fluid over the course of the four movements as she connected more fully with the music's whimsy and humor. The company's three women, particularly Verna, smiled and moved gracefully in this showcase for the company's seven dancers. The men, however, were pressed to keep pace and to own the sometimes inorganic movement. An exception was Maxamillian Neubauer's solo turn in the last section when moments of personality emerged. Overall, a pleasant 30 minutes of dancing.
The choreography of Lynne Taylor-Corbett is a frequent choice for many artistic directors who came of age as dancers during the 1970s and 1980s. Her Appearances, created for the Atlanta Ballet in 1984, juxtaposed gestures and imagery that loomed large against the cool jazz music of Pat Metheny with a smooth movement texture, not unlike good yogurt! It was danced cleanly by Verna, Schulte, Leaf, Feipel, Justin Marie Miller, and Abdo Sayegh.
Excerpts from two other ballets were performed expertly by guest artists Kaitlyn Gilliland and Ask la Cour. If one must see the Act 2 pas de deux from Swan Lake yet again, it should be performed with the high level of precision and effortless partnering displayed by these members of the New York City Ballet. While technically masterful, I found their performance cold and passionless, a view my companion did not share. On the other hand, there was no dispute about the passionate commitment that coursed through the duet from Agon, George Balanchine's neoclassic classic from 1957. Gilliland and la Cour danced it exquisitely, providing the evening's artistic highpoint.
Unlike their counterparts in theater and music who enjoy larger and more consistently loyal audiences for their work, many dancemakers and dance organizations eschew the use of program notes to explain what they are about. Not so with Minnesota Dance Theatre for these performances; let us hope their inclusion continues and inspires others.
Like a good many dance organizations, Minnesota Dance Theatre's persona could benefit from a scouring of its marketing materials to remove misnomers such as "groundbreaking," "extreme," and "daring." Along with quotations from long-dead critics who have not seen the current company and its work, these should be replaced with straightforward descriptors and more contemporary commentary.
The performances this weekend were the first for dance presented at The Lab Theater which opened last month under the direction of Mary Kelley Leer. As the former empress of Ruby's Cabaret from 1985 to 1992, Leer helped birth Moore by Four, Ballet of the Dolls, and many others. The Lab's limestone brick walls and cavernous space lend the enterprise a stronger air of flexibility and solidity than did Ruby's various venues. Going forward, however, more than one ticket seller will be needed to accomodate the 350 guests who will flock to the new venue's more popular attractions; it is not acceptable for a program to begin 11 minutes past the posted curtain time.
Minnesota Dance Theatre's fall performances continue, Oct. 18 at 7pm and Oct. 19 at 2pm, at The Lab Theater, 700 North 1st Street, Minneapolis. 612.338.0627 or www.mndance.org.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
After hollering through three baseball games in four days, I welcomed the chance to quietly witness one of the sweetest interludes of music at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant.
John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli and Benny Green played together for the first time at the Dakota in August this year. It was such a great experience for them and their audiences that they have returned for a two-day set of performances and CD recording sessions for the Dakota Live label.
Pizzarelli, a renowned, classical jazz guitarist from New Jersey, resembles, at 82, the late Minnesota senator Eugene McCarthy with his white hair and benevolent face. Pianist Green, whose wavy chestnut locks and slight, youthful build belie his 45 years, was born in New York and grew up in Berkeley. Both have enjoyed prolific performing and recording careers.
Their 75-minute set on Sunday included a variety of classical favorites, including "Green Dolphin," "Body and Soul," "If I Had," and "Easy to Remember, So Hard to Forget." A lengthy medley of Ellington and Strayhorn tunes included "Satin Doll," "Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me," "Mellow Tone," and "Sentimental."
The two played in joyful synchronicity, Green deftly touching the Yamaha keyboard in harmony with the tone, tempo, volume, and spirit of his elder partner. Theirs was a gracious and generous collaboration between generations that more than lived up to the billing for "satisfying" music.
According to Lowell Pickett, the Dakota's impresario, Pizzarelli and Green may tour together. Watch for them at a venue near you.
Benny Green & Bucky Pizzarelli continue at the Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 7pm & 9:30pm, Mon., Sept. 29. 612.332.1010 or www.dakotacooks.com.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra opened its 16th season for an audience of 300 at the Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis, Sept. 20, with a competent and accomplished rendition of four compositions that are performed rarely on the concert stage.
The music of Bedrich Smetana, represented by Three Dances from The Bartered Bride, was new to me and opened the evening. The full work received its premiere in 1870, its composition marked by the ferment of political turmoil and rising Czech nationalism that permeated the composer's native Bohemia at the time. Three excerpts – Polka, Furiant, and Dance of the Comedians – offered a musical picture of the milieu into which John and Lena Tapper, two of my paternal great grandparents, were born.
Playing from memory, guest pianist Paul Kovacovic displayed full control of the Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major by Camille Saint-Saëns, composed in Egypt and premiered in Paris in 1896. The motifs of the second movement form the basis of "Egyptian" as the concerto's nickname. To my ear, the upper register piano hammers that were supposed to represent the sounds of chirping crickets were less than tunefully bright. Kovacovic's many domestic and international projects included a collaboration earlier this year with Live Action Set at the Southern Theater.
If her skills as a registered nurse match her facility with the flute, then the patients of Hamsa Isles are well-served at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. This native of Cleveland and founding member of the orchestra displayed her artistry in Voyage for Flute and String Orchestra, a small gem from 1988 by John Corigliano.
The program closed with the Symphony No. 99 in E-flat Major, an unflashy but solid and satisfying work composed by Franz Joseph Haydn in Vienna in 1793.
Under the direction of Joseph Schlefke since 2001, the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra and its 53 members have become an articulate ensemble of individually strong, often exceptional, players, prompting no embarrassment and requiring no apology. The opportunity to see and hear them at the Ted Mann Concert Hall was a welcome change from their traditionally smaller and less formal venues. But.
They hold in their grasp the readiness to kick it up a notch artistically. Their collective posture and stage presence reflects an unwarranted reticence and a lack of visible esprit and conviction. Rather than owning the stage, they appear as shy and uncertain visitors. As the organization's front man and most public face, Schlefke could inspire his troops with a more practiced and self-assured persona. His years of experience and accomplishment should have banished his verbal and physical insecurities long ago.
If it chooses the pursuit, this group is ready to stretch itself into the big-time of higher visibility, greater artistic accomplishment, and heightened public scrutiny and support.
The Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra's 2008-2009 season continues: Dec. 5-6, 7:30pm, Hopkins High School Auditorium, Minnetonka; Mar. 14, 7:30pm, Hamline University, St. Paul; and May 30, 7:30pm, Hamline University, St. Paul. www.mnphil.org
San Francisco, California
The prospect of a choral program comprised of five Te Deums might leave one asking "How interesting could that be?" The answer, as provided by the San Francisco Lyric Chorus, was "Quite." The ensemble presented five settings at an afternoon performance, Aug. 24, of its summer concert at Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco.
Originally sung in Latin and translated into English during the 16th century, Te Deums are Christian hymns of praise and celebration that date from the fourth century. The Te Deum consists of 29 verses of prose divided into three sections. The extensive list of composers who have contributed settings includes John Taverner, Jean Baptiste Lully, Henry Purcell, Mozart, the Haydn brothers, Verdi, and many more. Prior to reading Helene Whitson's fabulously detailed program notes (references fill 1-1/3 pages of the printed program), I had no idea that the form filled such a niche in the musical canon.
Housed at Trinity since its 1995 founding, the San Francisco Lyric Chorus is an auditioned ensemble of 40 that performs music of all periods with an emphasis on lesser-known works.
To open the program, tenors Kevin Baum and Benjamin West led a procession of the chorus while singing Te Deum Laudamus (Latin rite, solemn tone) a cappella. Keyboardist Robert Train Adams with Trinity's 1924 Skinner organ and timpanist Allen Biggs accompanied the balance of the program, which was directed by Robert Gurney.
The Te Deum in A Major, composed by George Frideric Handel in the 1720s for the Chapel Royal, featured Jennifer Ashworth, soprano, Daniel Cromeenes, countertenor, Kevin Baum, tenor, and William Neely, bass. Generally, I am not a fan of the countertenor voice, but am happy to make exception for the sweet, haunting quality of Cromeenes's upper register. All of the soloists were in perfect voice throughout the program.
The setting of Te Deum in C used in the performance was the second composed by Joseph Haydn, and was commissioned by Austria's Empress Marie Therese in 1799.
Benjamin Britten wrote his Festival Te Deum in 1945 for the 100th anniversary of St. Mark's Church in Wiltshire, England. Ashworth sang the soprano solos.
Antonín Dvorák's Te Deum closed the program, and again featured Ashworth and Neely. The work was commissioned in 1892 for the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America and was performed that year at Carnegie Hall for the first time.
Trinity's acoustics and 19th century architecture contributed a special richness to the sound and ambience of the chorus's lovely presentation.
San Francisco, California
The West Wave Dance Festival 2008 showcased the work of more than 45 Bay Area dance and digital media artists, Aug. 16-24. Dancers' Group and DanceArt presented the 17th annual event in partnership with the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
The curated festival divided participants into three programs (waves) of dancemakers for live stage performances and one for performances on film. Each live program featured the work of a dozen choreographers and was presented twice over four evenings at Yerba Buena's Novellus Theater. Choreographers were challenged to create segments of at least 4 minutes, 32 seconds, and no more than 5 minutes.
DanceWave 2, which closed the festival on Friday evening, Aug. 22, presented many interesting and striking images but little of lasting consequence. With a couple exceptions, major choreographic voices do not appear to be emerging from this group.
Kara Davis, who involves her dancers in her creative process, excelled at showing how much material can be presented in 4-1/2 minutes – and how well – with one Tuesday afternoon..., set to sound by Gustavo Santaoalla. Although her performing and teaching background is primarily in ballet, this work had a distinctly contemporary coloring. Danced beautifully by David Harvey, Daniel Howerton, Alex Jenkins, Nick Korkos, Erin Kraemer, Adam Peterson, Alicia Pugh, Sierra Stockton, Dinah Walker, Sarah Wenzel, and Jenna Wozer, one Tuesday afternoon... was the most cohesive, complete, and satisfying part of the program.
In My Shoes, the evening's one aerial work, the feet of choreographer and solo performer Alayna Stroud spent more time on the floor, stepping out of and into shoes, than they did either in the air or wrapped around a vertical, silver pole apparatus. The music, engineered by Austin Donohue, was too loud.
The dancers lifted Robert Sund's neoclassical offering, Our steps will always rhyme, beyond a pastiche of boring ballet cliches. Robin Cornwell and Olivia Ramsay provided en pointe window dressing for Ryan Camou in his bravura and emotional opening solo. He then served as engaged audience to their elegantly-danced duet. Both segments were performed to sound by Leonard Cohen. Minnesota's dance scene would be well-served by a male dancer of Camou's prowess, particularly if he was given regular opportunities to soar.
Gorgeous, green and orange costumes adorned seven dancers who performed with bright smiles but limited conviction in Vakratunda Mahakaya, a spiritual prayer in the Odissi style of Indian dance. Ratikant Mohapatra choreographed the work to music by bansuri artist Hariprasad Chaurasia. The dance was performed by Shradha Chowdhury, Akanksha Kejriwal, Rasika Kumar, Niharika Mohanty, Vasanta Rao, Divya Saha, and Lavanya Viswanathan. Bronx cheers for the gall of Audience Member A, who twice snapped flash photos with a cell phone during the performance; bravos for the gutsy, Audience Member B who stood up and told A to stop.
Long, sheer, and white head scarves and skirts lent a visually pleasing presence to There, a trio choreographed by Wan-Chao Chang to "Form 3" by Greg Ellis. Wan-Chao was joined in the performance by Hannah Romanowsky and Kris Sague.
A six-foot-high wagon wheel, harnessed to a dancer's lower back by an eight-foot-long axle, served as the primary prop of the Cocktail Hour, a cute diversion by Cynthia Adams and Ken James, with sound by Marimba Chapinlandia. Early on, dancers balanced empty martini glasses while ducking beneath the slowly rotating axle. Later, James and a woman removed, exchanged, and donned each other's black shirt and pants (his) and red dress (hers) while ducking the axle. Later still, a dancer pushed a vacuum cleaner from stage right to stage left. Pick your own choreographic metaphor(s). The performers – in addition to Adams and James, Fiona McCann, Shawn Oda, Kimm E. Ward, and Andrea Weber – also are known as the Fellow Travelers Performance Group.
The artist statement that Christy Funsch provided to the Dancers' Group newsletter about her solo work, Dapper Indiscretion Blues, was either incoherent or clear as mud. Either way, it aptly described her choreography and supports my preference to view more of her apparent strengths as a modern performer.
The dancing by Natalie Greene, Elizabeth Morales, and Wendy Rein in Deborah Slater's Gone in 5 was not so good, but the portions that did not partner with props (a table and three chairs of varying heights) were stronger and more interesting than those that did.
Carolena Nericcio and the other performers of her FatChanceBellyDance – Kristine Adams, Wendy Allen, Sandi Ball, Anita Lalwani, and Marsha Poulin – used a process of improvisation that left their performance of Lifting the Mist of Illusion lacking in focus. Including more structure in their work might make their dancing more compelling and at least as interesting as their multi-hued costumes and sparkling jewelry.
May bird poop someday crown the head of Audience Member C who took a flash photo during the FatChanceBellyDance performance. This is not mere contempt on my part. A pre-performance announcement stated that the practice was strictly prohibited. Furthermore, unexpected flashes can be dangerous for performers. Plus, one's ticket purchase entitles the holder to view a live performance and to carry away whatever sensations and memories one will. It does not sanction the theft of intellectual property in the form of choreography; costume, set, and light design; or music. Finally, it is just plain rude, crude, and socially unacceptable to interfere in this manner with the experience of other audience members.
The original and live cello, violin, and guitar music by Andy Eggleston, Fay Ferency, and Matthew Herz was, far and away, the best part of How many presents/balls/ chips/scarves/books/hearts/circles can you wrap/catch/win/throw/ read/ cut out/make in four minutes thirty two seconds? The work, choreographed by Amy Lewis, featured more than 30 performers and should have been titled How much crap can you cram on stage in 4-1/2? Lots!
Micaya had a fun hip hop concept for To the Rear...March, set to music by DJ ACL. The performers, Stavroula Arabatgis, Daniel Derrick, Kim Dokes, Natalia Hellems, Meegan Hertensteiner, Clyde Lachica, Brandy Logue, Stephanie Lynn, Fumihiko Nishimura, and Christina Paoli, dived in and gave new meaning to "shake your bootie!"
Reuniting a host of characters in the aftermath of Pele's wrath might seem a daunting challenge for a five-minute segment, but it is one that Kumu Hula Kawika Alfiche pulled off reasonably well in Hi'iakaikapoli'opele. The choreographer and his students provided their own song and drum accompaniment to their dancing. This was my first exposure to Hawaiian dance in a concert setting; I would like to see more.
The opportunity to sample so much dance in a concentrated period is rare. The organizers, choreographers, performers, and funders deserve applause for making the effort. However, that the 757-seat Novellus Theater was not half full on the fourth and final night of the West Wave Dance Festival suggests that the enterprise may need more tweaking, with particular examination of scheduling, curating, pricing ($25), and location.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Sunday Styles section of today's New York Times included Alex Williams's report about trends in the use of Photoshop software to alter still photographs by adding or subtracting one or more elements ("I Was There. Just Ask Photoshop."). Williams cited the example of a divorcée who removed images of her former spouse from family vacation pictures. The apparent point of such subterfuge is to alter narratives and to view and document past realities as one wishes they had been, rather than how they were.
This goes beyond photography that emphasizes different aspects of landscape elements or variations of individual perception. This is John Edwards narcissism and Karl Rove cynicism. People who do this are committing fraud and creating falsehoods. It is not cute. It is not art.
That they are doing it at all matters because, as Williams noted, people who look at doctored photos come to believe and mis-remember such things as Uncle Frank having attended his son's wedding when, in reality, he was incarcerated on another continent for drug smuggling.
One finds no such lies in the work of Lee Friedlander.
Friedlander: Photography contains more than 500 photographs, most of them in black and white, in a retrospective spanning five decades at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The exhibit also includes books, special editions, and portfolios.
Far from being picture perfect, the photos capture haunting images-in-time of moments, people, and places in all of their layered complexity. For ease of viewing, they are organized by theme and decade.
Born in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1934, Friedlander studied at the Art Center in Los Angeles before moving to New York City in 1954. For the next 15 years, he created photos for Atlantic Records albums and for magazines that included Sports Illustrated and Seventeen. He has taught classes at UCLA, the University of Minnesota, and Rice University, and has received three Guggenheim Fellowships, five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award.
Friedlander summed up his work in 1963, calling it "the American social landscape," depicting the everyday backdrop of life. In addition to musicians like Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane, his subjects included unknown people plus friends and relatives, many of them photographed repeatedly over time.
He documented the lives of Ohio and Pennsylvania factory workers in the 1970s, and of office workers in their cubes in more recent years. One arresting photo from 1987 reflects the waves and skyline of Hong Kong harbor, a year after I saw them in person, as they were and not as I recall them. Although one is invited to impose a narrative upon the images, they speak eloquently for themselves in all of their ordinary beauty.
The Friedlander exhibit was organized by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and curated locally by George Slade who, until a few weeks ago, served as artistic director of the now-defunct Minnesota Center for Photography. Minneapolis is the next-to-last stop on a four-year tour. The exhibit can be seen next at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Mar. 1 through June 7, 2009.
I intend to visit again before it leaves Minneapolis.
Friedlander: Photography through Sept. 14, at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Target Gallery, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis. 10am-5pm, Tu, W, F, Sa; 10am-9pm, Th; 11am-5pm, Su. MIA Members Free, Adults $8, Seniors and Students $6, Children $4.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
DRP Dance is presenting Modern Muses, a work in seven movements, in the 2008 Minnesota Fringe Festival. This year marks DRP’s third appearance in the Fringe. It is my first encounter with the modern dance choreography of its founder, Danielle Robinson-Prater. Attending one of five performances at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis is a perfectly pleasant way to spend 45 minutes.
The opening segment, set to Arvo Part, introduces four dancers – Joanie Mix, Jill Hargreaves Murphy, Sara Stevenson Scrimshaw, and Gretchen Talbot – and their program. Black costumes and momentary pools of white light produce a classical set of images in a series of movement vignettes spaced around the stage.Three solos follow, labeled in order as the muses of hope, knowledge, and conflict. Hargreaves Murphy dances first, to Mozart, in a lyrical movement that mines the music’s timing smoothly and without complexity. Stevenson Scrimshaw takes the stage next with musical backing by Villa Lobos. She is followed by Mix, whose accompaniment by the electronic music artist Aphex Twin does not suggest conflict.
While the musical tempo picks up in a second full-group section – again, Aphex Twin – the collective movement tempo does not, although individual dancers give evidence of matching the music. This section sports the only few moments when the dancers show any uncertainty about the choreography. Talbot's subsequent solo as the Muse of Passion has an internal, organic feel that embodies the music by the Welsh composer Karl Jenkins more effectively than was the case for the group finale.
Robinson-Prater has a good sense of choreographic structure but command of a limited movement vocabulary. After a few minutes of viewing, one has the feeling of seeing the same dance repeated to different music. This choreographer and her dancers work hard. She is capable of much greater accomplishment, as are they.
In future, someone needs to proofread the printed program for spelling and the inclusion of last names for production personnel. Yes, the Fringe is a somewhat informal affair in the heat of August, but God lives in the details!
DRP Dance and Modern Muses continue at the Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave., S., Minneapolis, Aug. 9 @ 10pm and Aug. 10 @ 7pm. Admission: $12 + one-time purchase of a $3 Fringe Festival button.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Too many artists or their organizations presume a mantle of uniqueness in asserting that their work boldly goes where none have gone before: pushing boundaries, exploring new worlds, and creating new vocabularies or tomes in whatever discipline they pursue. Would, for the integrity of their p.r., that it was true.
Wisely, the four principals of Live Action Set – Noah Bremer, Megan Odell, Galen Treuer, and Vanessa Voskuil – avoid the overblown claims of such claptrap. They understand that the embodiment of their creativity must be innovative to them and its presentation delivered with accomplished and engaging conviction. They "get" that their collective motivation produces an "intangible creative synergy" distinct from their individual possibilities.
The results of their approach can be seen in Deviants, an engrossing, 70-minute offering in this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival. The show is a re-working of material presented at the Red Eye Theater in 2007.
Deviants is a work of intelligence by young adults, for adults of all ages, that easily could have become trite and facile. In a non-linear format, it examines constructions of the acceptable and the deviant, the desired and the repressed. Some of the forbidden fantasies-turned-obsessions, along with their real or imagined imagery, may challenge some viewers.
The genius of Deviants, if you will, may be found in its successful creation of an alternate reality and the ability of a very talented cast to transport an audience to its realms. The ensemble launches the journey using all of the raw, warehouse space of The Soap Factory, including trapdoors and pillars. While the pillars become an integral part of the set and scene, they pose an unacceptable barrier to sightlines.
The members of Live Action Set, with their varied backgrounds in theater and dance, have forged a cohesive, collective character that accents the strengths of each individual. Their future foraging across the artistic landscape will be welcome.
They are worthy successors to the ensemble of artists formerly known as Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis (and, formerly, Paris). The work presented by the Set at the Soap Factory echoes the fascinating, early-1980s productions by Jeune Lune in the Seven Corners neighborhood of Minneapolis. Jeune Lune's founders shared an aesthetic background in their training at the Ecole Jacques Lecoq. Although the founders of the Set do not share a similar set of experiences, their bond is a shared sensibility and a commitment to ensemble-driven outcomes.
Jeune Lune collapsed in financial distress last month, nearly 30 years after its first Minneapolis performance. Interestingly, Robert Rosen, a co-founder of Jeune Lune, served as director and co-creator of Deviants (and, Rosen and Bremer both studied at the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theater in California).
Whatever their longevity together, one can wish the artists of Live Action Set a happy and productive life of continued creativity.
Deviants continues at The Soap Factory, 518 2nd Street SE, Minneapolis. Aug. 5-10 @ 7pm; Aug. 8 & 9 @ 8:30pm; and Aug. 9 @ 5:30pm. Tickets: $12 + one-time purchase of Fringe Festival button for $3.
Miami, Florida
The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, was the setting, June 16, 2007, for the premiere of BraveSouls & Dreamers, the latest of many choral works commissioned by the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus since its founding in 1980. Composed in 10 movements by Robert Seeley, the lyrics by Robert Espindola were inspired by the words of Gandhi, Jesus, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Isaiah, Jimmy Carter, Confucius, Buddha, and the Qur’an.
Portland's artistic director, Bob Mensel, led an orchestra and 70 singers, including Seeley and Espindola, in a Thursday morning performance this week in the Symphony Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Miami.
Written for men’s chorus and orchestra, the cantata reflects on the tragedies of war and contrasting hopes for peace. Featured soloists included Jennifer Gill, mezzo soprano; Steve Fulmer, bass; Derek Becker, tenor; and Brian Robertson, baritone.
The performance of BraveSouls & Dreamers was part of the week-long Festival 2008 in Miami. The work is available on CD.
The Festival’s second, Thursday afternoon concert block at the Ziff Ballet Opera House included the Hampton Roads Men’s Chorus from Virginia. Arthur Broadbent III led 22 of the group’s 40 singers through Vows, a recent commission from composer Scott Henderson. The 23-minute work comments on the state of gay marriage in the U.S., asserting the need to love fully, faithfully, unconditionally, and forever.
The Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus, approaching its 10th season, brought 12 of its 48 singers to a GALA festival for the first time. Conducted by Michael Robert Patch, the black-tie-clad group presented five selections with a crooning and barber shop sound and feel: Vive L’amour (traditional; Paker & Shaw, arrangers; Edward Sell, soloist); Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen, composer; Mark Hayes, arranger; E. Y. Harburg, lyricist); Send in the Clowns (Stephen Sondheim, composer; Michael Martin, arranger); You’ve Got A Friend (Carole King, composer; Chuck Cassey, arranger); and Open Wide Your Eyes (John David Earnest, composer; Mervyn Goldstein, lyricist).
After attending GALA’s 2004 festival in Montreal, François Monette issued a call to form the Montreal Gay Men’s Chorus. Thirty one of the new group’s 40 members stepped-out lively on Thursday with an ambitious mix of singing and dancing to tunes from the movies. It will be interesting to watch them grow in strength and cohesion. The songs, in English or French, included I’m Gonna Wash That Man… (Oscar Hammerstein, composer; Richard Rogers, lyricist); En Courant (Goffin Gerald, composer; Masser Michael, lyricist); Can’t You Read My Mind – Love (John T. Williams, composer); Les Moulin de mon Coeur (Michel Legrand, composer; John Dawkins, arranger); Die Another Day (Mirwais Ahmadzai, composer; Madonna, lyricist); My Heart Will Go On (Horner James, composer; Jennings Will, lyricist); and One (Marvin Hamlisch, composer; Edward L. Kleban, lyricist).
Artistic Director Aric Henson and CHARIS – The St. Louis Women’s Chorus opened the Thursday evening concert block at the Knight Concert Hall. The group is celebrating its 15th anniversary and last appeared at a GALA festival 12 years ago. Seventeen singers, attired in a variety of chic evening wear, marked the return with four pieces from a recent concert, presenting Jubilant Song (James McCray, composer and arranger; Walt Whitman, lyricist); My Love Walks in Velvet (Gwyneth Walker, composer); The Gender Polka (David Maddux, composer); and Still I Rise (Rosephanye Powell, composer; Kendra Ellen Henry, soloist).
A program sung by 23 members of the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus included two recent commissions, one of them a world premiere. The premiere, Come Share Our Pride (Mark Hayes, composer), celebrated the inauguration of New Jersey’s civil union statute under which seven chorus members got hitched. The other commission, Wild Nights! (Joel Phillips, composer; Emily Dickinson, lyricist), was followed by Shoshone Love Song (Roger Emerson, composer); Walkin’ to School (Robert S. Cohen, composer; David Javerbaum, lyricist; Leyland Brenner, Tom Myers, Michael Schwarz, Ron Pae, Richard Alagona, Tomaso Collik-Migliaccio, and Joe Pisano, soloists); If Music Be the Food of Love (David Dickau, composer; Henry Heveningham, lyricist); and Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder (Negro Chain Gang Song; Robert DeCormier, arranger). Steven A. Russell conducted.
Everyone loved the boys from Germany in their fourth appearance at a GALA festival. Schola Cantorosa – Schwuler Männerchor Hamburg is 21 years old. Its performance stops have included London, Paris, Stockholm, Zürich, Amsterdam, Tampa, San Jose, and Montreal. Conductor Matthias Weickert led 15 singers – in blue satin pants, white tennies, and chamois-colored shirts slit to the navel – through a set of tunes, exercises, and dances. Selections included Paradise Cruise (Maury Alan Yeston, composer; Lutz Schubert, arranger); Clubdance (Jaques Offenbach, composer; Hans Peter Reutter, arranger); Aqua Fitness (Raymond William Froggart, composer; Dirk Früauff, arranger); The Party’s Over (Jule Styne, composer; Schubert, arranger; Betty Cowden, lyricist); Ich gehör nur mir (Sylvester Levay, composer; Sebastian de Domenico, arranger; Michael Kunze, lyricist); and There’s No Business Like Show Business (Irving Berlin, composer; Sebastian de Demenico, arranger).
The Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego closed the evening with four selections honoring the past, present, and future. Gary Holt conducted 50 singers, accompanied by piano and cello, in Song of Democracy (Howard Hanson, composer; Maurice E. Ford, arranger; Walt Whitman, lyricist); Last Letter Home (Lee Hoiby, composer; Jesse Givens, lyricist); How Glory Goes (Adam Guettel, composer; Steven Withers, arranger); and Something In Mind (Roger Bourland, composer; Adrienne Rich, lyricist).
The Southwest Florida Gay and Lesbian Chorus from Cape Coral opened the afternoon concert block at the Ziff Ballet Opera House, Fri., July 18. Led by Kevin S. Halesworth in their first appearance at GALA, 13 singers delivered friendly and spirited renditions of Bidi Bom (David Eddleman, composer); Benedictus (Brian Lewis, composer); Who Knows Where the Wind Blows? (Joseph M. Martin, composer; Joseph Martin and Pamela Martin, arrangers and lyricists); I Got A Name (Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox, composers; Jay Althouse, arranger; Norman Gimbel, lyricist); Everybody Rejoice (Luther Vandross, composer; Andy Beck, arranger); and Hand In Hand (Dawn Rodgers and Tricia Walker, composers; Kirby Shaw, arranger).
The Harrisburg Men’s Chorus from Pennsylvania just finished its 21st season. The group last sang at GALA for the 2000 festival in San Jose. Thirteen singers presented six songs conducted by David Walker. Soloists David Payne and Ed Diel sang with particularly good voice in Seasons of Love (Jonathan Larson, composer; Roger Emerson, arranger). The program also included Step to the Rear (Elmer Bernstein, composer; Chuck Cassey, arranger; Carolyn Leigh, lyricist); Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) (Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day, composers; Mike Taylor, arranger; Armstrong, lyricist); Harriet Tubman (Walter Robinson, composer; Kathleen McGuire, arranger); Fare Thee Well (traditional American folk song; Vicki Tucker Courtney, arranger; Ed Diel, soloist); and – performed with gusto – We Shall Be Free (Stephanie Davis, composer; Keith Christopher, arranger; Gary Brooks, lyricist; Eric St. Clair, soloist).
Patriotic themes informed the program offered by the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, formed in 2001. Twenty singers, wearing black suits and shirts with red rose boutonnieres, and led by Rebecca Gruber, gave a strong rendition of In Our America (Ben Allaway, composer; Julianne Allaway and Ben Allaway, lyricists), along with Libertatum and We All Have a Right (both works Jim Papoulis, composer; Francisco J. Nunez, arranger); The Quest Unending (Joseph M. Martin, composer; Alfred Lord Tennyson, lyricist); and The Colors of Love, from “We, the People” (Mark Koval, composer).
From Rhode Island, Terry J. Lindsay brought 17 singers of the Providence Gay Men’s Chorus. Decked-out in light blue polo shirts and khaki-colored slacks, the group started well and grew stronger in sound, confidence, and command of their material. They sang Freedom, from “Shenandoah” (Gary Geld, composer; Peter Udell, lyricist); Sky-Born Music (Carl Johengen, composer; Ralph Waldo Emerson, lyricist); The Dodger (Aaron Copland, composer; Irving Fine, arranger; Steve Isherwood, tenor soloist); Over The Rainbow (Harold Arlen, composer; Mark Hayes, arranger; E. Y. Harburg, lyricist); Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Carole King and Gerry Goffin, composers; Jerry Barrow, arranger); and Love Gone Wrong (Benny Andersson, composer; David Maddux, arranger; Bjorn Alvaeus, lyricist).
Of the 27 concert blocks offered at Miami’s Arsht Center for the Performing Arts this past week, the one that I am glad not to have missed by virtue of overall artistic excellence took place Friday afternoon, July 18, in the Knight Concert Hall. The five choral groups in the segment all commanded their material and audiences, entertained engagingly, and displayed awareness of top-notch production values. From a strong beginning, the block crescendoed to the end.
From Seattle, five members of The BEARatones made their GALA debut performing songs from their “Bear With Me” CD, including The BEARatones (Bear Patrol) (Charles Baker, composer; Aaron Rodriguez, soloist); California Dreamin’ (John E. A. Phillips and Michelle Gilliam, composers; Chris Blain, arranger); Miami Habañera (Charles Baker, composer); Giving You a Cuddle for Christmas (Chris Blain and Loz Blain, composers; Aaron Rodriguez, soloist); Bear With Me (David Maddux, composer); and Tap That Secret Code (Charles Baker, composer; Tony Gilkinson, soloist). The last was an over-the-top ode to the Minneapolis airport and those waiting for a flight to Boise from Gate 14 on the Gold Concourse.
Most pleasantly surprising were the 19 men and women of One Voice Chorus from Charlotte, North Carolina, conducted by Kathryn Mahan. Their soloists were especially fine singers in a set that included Yonda’ Come Day (spiritual; William Appling, arranger); I Know Where I’ve Been (Marc Shaiman, composer; Shaiman and Scott Wittman, lyricists); For Now, from “Avenue Q” (Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, composers; Mac Huff, arranger); For Good, from “Wicked” (Stephen Schwartz, composer; Mac Huff, arranger; Madeleine Bock, Jerry Gardner, soloists); what matters (Randi Driscoll, composer; Kevin Robison, arranger); and I Need to Wake Up (Melissa Etheridge, composer; Mark Brymer, arranger).
Thirty minutes with the men of the Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus were not enough. I wanted more! This smooth and accomplished group of 32 singers were, to a man, very comfortable with their choreography as they delivered a bright, clear and soaring sound. Under the direction of Daniel Hughes, and backed by piano, percussion, and bass, their rep included Come Travel with Me (Scott Farthing, composer; Walt Whitman, lyricist); Eres Tú (Juan Carlos Calderón, composer; Galt Johnson, arranger; Ray Tovar, soloist); Swing Set (In the Mood/Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy) (Joe Garland and Don Raye, composers; Daniel Hughes, arranger; Bette Midler and Hughie Prince, lyricists; Ray Mendonca, Bill Russell, Keith Byron, first trio; Brian Cagadas, Eric Tooley, Phil Boyer, second trio); Sto mi e milo (Macedonian folk song; Daniel Hughes, arranger); Grace (Mark Hayes, composer); and Wana baraka (Kenyan folk song, from Barack Obama’s ancestral village; Shawn Kirchner, arranger; Yvonne Farrow, choreographer).
For those who like their men really tall and handsome, the Gateway Men’s Chorus from St. Louis is the ticket! Gearing up for their 22nd season, 20 singers directed by Al Fischer made good choreographic use of the bright red lining on their tux jackets while singing Lady Luck Review (The Lady is a Tramp/Luck Be a Lady/A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody) (various composers and lyricists; Rich Cook, arranger); Try To Remember (Harvey Schmidt, composer; John R. Anderson, arranger; Tom Jones, lyricist); The Nearness of You (Hoagy Carmichael, composer; Harold B. Anderson, arranger; Ned Washington, lyricist); More, theme from “Mondo Cane” (R. Ortolani and N. Oliviero, composers; Stanley Lebowsky, arranger; Norman Newell, lyricist); Fever (John Davenport and Eddie Cooley, composers and lyricists); Sway (Pablo Beltran Ruiz, composer; Kirby Shaw, arranger; Norman Gimbel, lyricist); and Fly Me to the Moon (Bart Howard, composer; Neal Richardson, arranger).
Call me a patsy for the (at least, seemingly!) suave and sophisticated, but Men Alive: The Orange County Gay Men’s Chorus from Laguna Hills, California, was first class! An army of 120 black tuxedos and gray vests grabbed the stage and did not let go. This was the group’s second appearance at a GALA festival since its formation six-and-a-half years ago. These guys are cool! These guys are hot! Rich Cook directed them through seven delightful numbers, including Don’t Rain On My Parade (Neal Richardson, arranger; Bob Merrill and Jule Styne, lyricists); Glamorous (Bob Gunn, arranger; Will Adams, Elvis Williams, Stacy Ferguson, Jamal Jones, Christpher Jones, lyricists); Defying Gravity (Stephen Schwartz, composer; Gunn, arranger); Finlandia (Jean Sibelius, composer; Rich Cook, arranger); Always Look On the Bright Side of Life (Eric Idle, composer; Neal Richardson, arranger); Time To Say Goodbye (Cook, arranger; Francesco Sartori, Lucio Quarantotto, Frank Peterson, lyricists; Andre Chasse, exquisite soloist); and River Deep, Mountain High (Cook, arranger; Jeff Barry and Ellie Barry, Phil Spector, lyricists; Joe Tish, soloist).
Following this concert block, American Coaches mobilized its fleet of buses to transport Festival 2008 delegates to a night of escape at Club Nikki Beach. [Another post will follow.]
Miami, Florida
What would you do – if you only knew – that you are beautiful?
That ambiguous and unresolved question lingers in the air and a listener's mind as Through a Glass, Darkly fades into silence. It is a question that substance abusers confront in "the silence of beading sweat" when they have exhausted indulgence and options.
The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus commissioned Through a Glass, Darkly from composer Michael Shaieb, and presented it for the first time at the Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis, March 29, 2008, where it was filmed for broadcast on Twin Cities Public Television and turned into a DVD. Its subject is methamphetamine addiction and the effects it has on meth users and everyone they know.
One hundred TCGMC members, led by Dr. Stan Hill, reprised a fully-staged version of the 47-minute rock opera in two performances, Wed., July 16, at the Symphony Ballroom of Miami's Hilton Hotel. The three character leads were acted and sung dramatically by tenors Paul Brekke, Justin Scharr, and Bryan Fisher. Enthused audience members were drawn from 5,000 delegates to GALA Choruses Festival 2008.
Meth is highly addictive and tolerance to it develops quickly. Its most prominent effects include depression and physical decay. Its use among some gay populations on the North American coasts reaches 13%, but it is not confined to gays. In Minnesota, 69% of the state's 87 counties report that child protection cases have increased due to meth abuse. The Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force reports that 90% of the state's financial crimes, including identity theft, are connected to meth or crack abuse. In 2004, meth treatment accounted for almost 20% of all admissions to Twin Cities hospitals. The Minnesota County Attorneys Association maintains an informational website on the subject.
TCGMC's chief aim in creating and disseminating Through a Glass, Darkly is to grant people permission to talk about addiction. According to a rumor circulating in the Festival hallways, the work will be presented by choruses in Washington, D. C., San Diego, and San Francisco. All DVD copies of the TCGMC production were sold out within hours of Wednesday's performances.
The concert halls of the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts were silent Wednesday afternoon and evening as delegates took an afternoon break to gather at the Miami Convention Center for a 25th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of GALA Choruses. Buses then transported everyone to an evening of picnic and play at Miami's Jungle Island.
Miami, Florida
Flying House Productions is the third largest of Washington state's music organizations in budget, audience exposure, and ensemble size. The organization houses the Seattle Men's Chorus -- the largest community chorus in America, and the largest gay men's chorus in the world -- and the Seattle Women's Chorus. It also operates a publishing arm and a concert presenting series. More than 40,000 people attend its annual subscription series.Formed in 2002, the Seattle Women's Chorus has grown to more than 200 singers, more than 100 of whom traveled to Miami this week for GALA Choruses Festival 2008. The Chorus joined with women's music legend Cris Williamson to present Siren Song, a morning concert of Cris's work, Tue., July 15, in the Symphony Ballroom at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Miami.
Lori Surrency arranged the selections, which included Waterfall, Sweet Woman, Songbird, Sister, Mercy, Blue Rider, If I Live, Peter Pan, Midnight Oil, Live Wire, Sound of the Soul, and Lullabye.
A group of 21 gentlemen from Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill opened that evening's concert block at the Ziff Ballet Opera House. Formed in 1995, the Triangle Gay Men's Chorus, in black formal wear with long black ties, performed a pleasing set led by Artistic Director John-Philip Mullinax. In a GALA premiere, Kevin Michael Tillman soloed in "Winter Before the Fire," a movement from his composition Where is Love. The program included When I Hear Music (Michael G. Martin, composer); How Do I Love You (Penny Rodriguez, composer; E. B. Browning, lyricist); The Quest Unending (Joseph M. Martin, composer; words by Alfred Lord Tennyson); In Whatever Time We Have (Stephen Schwartz, composer; Mac Huff, arranger); and Holy is the Lord (Jeffrey I. Ames, composer).
Half of the 50-member Capital City Men's Chorus made the Miami music scene. Directed by Dr. Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, this fun group from Austin, Texas, will celebrate its 20th anniversary next season. Their performance opened with Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy (Tchaikovsky, composer) and was followed by Stars I Shall Find (David Dickau, composer; Sara Teasdale, lyricist); A Love That Will Never Grow Old (Gustavo Santaolalla, composer; Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, arranger; Bernie Taupin, lyricist; John Lopez, soloist); Resurrection (Karl Logue, composer; George Klawitter, lyricist); Live-A-Humble (traditional spiritual; Peter Bagley, arranger; Timothy Ryan, tenor, James Gaeta, baritone, soloists); and There Won't Be Bad Hair Days In Heaven (Jerry Garrison, composer). Gaeta and Freddy Herrera, Jr. added fine solo touches to The Parting Glass (Irish traditional; Jones-Ragona, arranger).
I really liked the Calgary Men's Chorus from Canada's Alberta province. The group embodies a sepia-tinted classicism. Jean-Louis Bleau conducted a quintet of strings and piano, an angelic boy soprano, and 22, tux-clad singers. Their perfectly lovely set of offerings in English or French included Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen, composer; Roger Emerson, arranger); Caresse sur l'Ocean and Vois sur ton Chemin (both works: Bruno Coulais, composer; Christophe Barratier and Coulais, lyricists); and One Voice (Greg John, composer; Greg John and Heather John, lyricists). Dancer Gessuri Gaitan performed the modern dance role of Sebastian in Homage a Sebastian (John Bouz, composer; R. McGinnis and L. Montgomery, lyricists).
Audience members waving green, white, and orange Irish flags greeted Gloria, Dublin's Lesbian & Gay Choir as it took the stage for its third GALA appearance (previously seen in San Jose and Montreal). John Francis Murphy directs the group, formed in 1995. As always, it was nice to hear Danny Boy (Weatherley, composer; Jonathan Rathbone, arranger). The 32 singers also presented Pai Duli (composer unknown; Steven Samitz, arranger); Change The World (Kirkpatrick/Kennedy/Sims, composers); Virga Jesse (Anton Bruckner, composer); Wanting Memories (Ysaye Barnwell, composer); Don't Stop Me Now (Mercury, composer); and Dúlamán (McGlynn, composer).
The men from Lakewood, Ohio, beamed individual character and oozed sex appeal in a playful set. Accompanied by percussion and piano, 42 of 100+ members of the North Coast Men's Chorus, dressed in black pants and pink polos, entertained with tunes conducted by Music Director Richard Cole. The line-up included Think Pink (Roger Edens, composer; Ralph Raymond Hays, arranger; Leonard Gershe, lyricist; James J. McPeak, soloist); Gonna Build a Mountain (Leslie Bricusse, composer; Norman Leyden, arranger; Anthony Newley, lyricist); You Made Me Love You (Joe McCarthy, composer; Robert W. Thygerson, arranger; James V. Monaco, lyricist); In What Ever Time We Have (Stephen Schwartz, composer; Patrick Sinozich, arranger); Coffee in a Cardboard Cup (Kander and Ebb, composers); Stand Up for Love (David Foster and Amy Foster, composers; Steven Milloy, arranger; Stephen Adams and Virgilio P. Fajardo, soloists). Twelve singer-dancers employed pink and white feather fans in Let Me Entertain You (Jule Styne, composer; David Maddux, arranger; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist).
The evening finished with Michael Shaieb's Through a Glass, Darkly, edited closely to fit the 30-minute limit. Commissioned and performed by the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus, led by Artistic Director Stan Hill, the work examines the effects of methamphetamine addiction. A filmed version of the March 2008 premiere has been broadcast multiple times on Twin Cities Public Television in Minnesota and is available in DVD format. Two full stagings of the work will be presented on Wednesday morning at the Hilton Hotel. [Another posting to follow.]
Before taking the stage of the Ziff Opera House, 20 TCGMC members attended the One Voice Mixed Chorus performance in the Knight Concert Hall across the street. Directed by Jane Ramseyer Miller, the men and women of One Voice presented TJAK! (Stephen Hatfield, composer; lyrics from Balinese Ketjak ceremony); How Can I Keep From Singing? (Robert Lowry, composer; Gwyneth Walker, arranger); Sicut Cervus (Giovanni Palestrina, composer; lyrics from Psalm 42); A Palette to Paint Us as We Are (Elizabeth Alexander, composer; Gerald Rich, lyricist); Distinctions (Kevin W. Wojahn, composer; Shams Tobriz, lyricist; commissioned by One Voice in 2006); I am Flying (Nan-Chang Chien, composer; Britt Abel and Joy MacArthur, soloists); and Musical Risotto (Jonathan Willcocks, composer; Darcy Juhl and Kristen Schweiloch, soloists).
