Apr 14, 2024 | Music, News, Regional Arts Events
The Susquehanna Valley Youth Chorale (SVYC), an educational outreach program of the Susquehanna Valley Chorale will present its spring performance on Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. at Sharon Lutheran Church, 120 S. Market Street in Selinsgrove.
Coleen Renshaw serves as Music Director and Conductor and Verlaine Shaw serves as Piano Accompanist.
Renshaw said of the program, “Every singer in the choir will be featured in a solo as a part of one of our selections. Styles of music will come from musical theater, songs from days gone by such as the 1950s and 1960s, rainbows, Spanish folk songs, and the jazz world.”
Featured songs will include: Over the Rainbow, All the Beautiful Colors, Blue Suede Shoes, True Colors and Yellow Submarine, along with many others.
The SVYC will also present The Colors of Nature, a commissioned piece of music which was written especially for this group of singers. The composer, Michaela Wagner, and lyricist Bethany Runkle, were both members of the SVYC organization in their younger days.
The Preparatory/Camerata chorus includes: Gabriel Dunkelberger of Middleburg, Rustam Shahram of Lewisburg, Audra Folk of Beaver Springs, Stella Foulds of Northumberland, Elyse Isaacs of Paxtonville, Bryce Leininger of Milton and Emma Straub of Selinsgrove.
Valley Singers includes: James Mabus of Millmont, Sarah Criswell of Mifflinburg, Madison Leininger of Milton, Sophia Strong of Hughesville, Mathieu Strong of Hughesville and Nikolai Strong of Hughesville.
Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students, 5 years and under free and are available at the door or by calling 570-547-0455.
For more information about the SVYC, please visit SVCMusic.org/sv-youth-chorale/
Apr 7, 2024 | Music, News, Regional Arts Events, Theater
The Weis Center for the Performing Arts will welcome Caña Dulce y Caña Brava from Veracruz, Mexico on Thursday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Weis Center.
The performance is sponsored, in part, by Geisinger and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. This engagement of La Banda Morisca is made possible in part through the Iber Exchange program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Ibermúsicas.
Arrive early!
Patrons are encouraged to arrive early for a free pre-performance talk from 6:45-7:15 p.m. in the Weis Center Atrium.
Also available before the show – dinner! Real Taste 570’s food truck will be parked on the Weis Center Plaza from 6:30-7:20 p.m. offering their Mexican Street menu for purchase. The menu includes tacos, burritos, quesadillas and side orders. Special thanks to Bucknell’s Thrive Innovation Fund for helping to co-sponsor the food truck for Bucknell students and patrons.
ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE
Caña Dulce y Caña Brava offers a performance that shows off the music, poetry, dance and traditional attire of Veracruz, Mexico, interpreted by artists who are beneficiaries of the jarocho culture and noteworthy performers with years of experience on both national and international stages. The group stands out as an artistic project that highlights feminine poetry and voices.
Creating an experience that connects the spectator with distinct emotions, one is taken on a voyage through multiple rhythms, accompanied by traditional string instruments, such as the harp and the jarana, percussion and zapateado (percussive dance), poetic improvisation in rhyme and visual effects. Offering an assortment of colors, textures and images to diverse and multi-generational audiences, the ensemble is defined by an original aesthetic concept that unites the traditional with the vanguard in a contemporary stage proposal.
SPREADING AND RECREATING THE TRADITIONAL MUSIC OF VERACRUZ
Since its formation in 2007, the group has carried the seal of feminine strength and beauty within the traditionally masculine world of Mexican son.
The sounds of the strings interweave with the poetic messages written from a woman’s perspective, creating a facet not before seen within this musical genre.
The zapateado (percussive dance) on the tarima (wooden platform) accentuates the beat, while the band’s colorful wardrobe embellishes their musicality. Appealing instrumental landscapes include the captivating vibrations of the horse jaw, the profound and mystical harmonies of the harp, the percussive atmosphere created by the jarana, the robust rhythm of the guitarra grande, and the renaissance-sounding bowed instruments created ex profeso for the group, resurrecting extinct baroque instrumentation.
Thanks to their dedication, innovation and consistency, the group has positioned itself as a reference point for current son jarocho music. They have collaborated with well-known artists such as Lila Downs, Geo Meneses, María Inés Ochoa and La Santa Cecilia (recording “Volver a los 17” by Violeta Parra, in the Grammy nominated album “Amar y Vivir”, 2017). Furthermore, Caña Dulce y Caña Brava has represented Mexico in forums and festivales worldwide in Latin America, the United States, Canada, Africa, Asia and Europe.
TICKETS
Tickets are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors 62+ and subscribers, $10 for youth 18 and under, $10 for Bucknell employees and retirees (limit 2), free for Bucknell students (limit 1) and $10 for non-Bucknell students (limit 2).
Tickets can be reserved by calling 570-577-1000 or online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.
Tickets are also available in person from several locations including the Weis Center lobby (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and the CAP Center Box Office, located on the ground floor of the Elaine Langone Center (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
For more information about this event, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or by e-mail at [email protected].
For more information about the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter or search for the Weis Center on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
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Mar 31, 2024 | Music, News, Regional Arts Events
The Weis Center for the Performing Arts will welcome Cellist Jonathan Swensen and Pianist Adam Golka on Sunday, April 7 at 2 p.m. at the Weis Center.
They will perform:
- J. S. Bach: Sonata for Viola da Gamba in G minor, BWV 1029
- Witold Lutoslawski: Grave for cello and piano
- Felix Mendelssohn: Sonata for cello and piano No.2 in D Major, Op.58
- Ernest Chausson: Pièce for cello and piano, Op.39
- César Franck: Sonata in A Major for cello and piano
ABOUT JONATHAN SWENSEN, CELLO
Rising star of the cello Jonathan Swensen is the recipient of the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant and was recently featured as both Musical America’s ‘New Artist of the Month’ and ‘One to Watch’ in Gramophone Magazine. Jonathan first fell in love with the cello upon hearing the Elgar Concerto at the age of six, and ultimately made his concerto debut performing that very piece with Portugal’s Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música.
September 2022 saw the release of Jonathan’s debut recording ‘Fantasia’, on Champs Hill Records, an album of works for solo cello which received rave reviews on its release, including from Gramophone, BBC Music, and The Strad which printed “An exciting young talent emerges. I would gladly buy a ticket to see Swensen on the strength of this appealing calling card.”
Jonathan has performed with orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Mobile Symphony, and the Greenville Symphony. He made his critically acclaimed recital debuts at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater and New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, with additional performances in Boston’s Jordan Hall, the Morgan Library and Museum, and the Krannert Center’s Foellinger Great Hall.
In addition to his many solo appearances, Jonathan is a frequent performer of chamber music in the U.S. and Europe, appearing at the Tivoli Festival, Copenhagen Summer Festival, Chamberfest Cleveland, Krzyżowa-Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Vancouver Recital Society, San Francisco Performances, and the Usedomer Musikfestival, among others.
Jonathan will join the Bowers Program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 2024.He captured First Prizes at the 2019 Windsor International String Competition, 2018 Khachaturian International Cello Competition, and the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Jonathan continued his studies with Torleif Thedéen at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, and Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory, where he received his Artist Diploma in May 2023.
ABOUT ADAM GOLKA, PIANO
Polish-American pianist Adam Golka first performed all of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas when he was 18 years-old, and he returned to the complete cycle in 2020-2021 for performances in NYC, Orlando, and Houston. He also presented all-Beethoven live streams for presenters in Ventura (CA), El Paso (TX), Sitka (AL), Spokane (WA), and the Library of Congress during the Covid shutdowns. Adam’s performances and presentations were complemented by 32 short films he created, known as ’32@32″ (available on YouTube), featuring not only conversations with musical legends such as Alfred Brendel and Leon Fleisher, but also extra-musical discussions such as those with an astrophysicist, philosopher, magician, painter, and a child, to name only a few.
As a concerto soloist, Adam has appeared as soloist with dozens of orchestras, including the BBC Scottish Symphony, NACO (Ottawa), Warsaw Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, Shanghai Philharmonic, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, as well as the San Francisco, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, New Jersey, San Diego, Phoenix, and Jacksonville symphonies in the US. In 2014-2015, Adam performed recitals as part of the “Sir András Schiff Selects” project at Klavier-Festival Ruhr (Essen), Tonhalle Zürich, Maison de France (Berlin), and 92Y Subculture (NYC). Adam has also performed solo recitals at Alice Tully Hall (NYC), Concertgebouw Kleine Zall (Amsterdam), Musashino Hall (Tokyo), Nakanoshima Hall (Osaka), Ravinia Festival, Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Concerts, and The Cliburn. Chamber music is also an integral part of Adam Golka’s musical life. He has participated in festivals such as Marlboro and Krzyżowa-Music, and he is a member of the Manhattan Chamber Players. He has been a winner of the Classical Fellowship of the American Pianists Association, the Gilmore Young Artist Award, and also the first prize and audience prize winner of the China Shanghai International Piano Competition.
Adam’s discography includes works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms for First Hand Records (UK), which have been regularly included in Apple’s “Piano Essentials” and Spotify’s “Beethoven Piano” playlists. Adam has studied with José Feghali and Leon Fleisher, and has enjoyed mentorship from Alfred Brendel, Richard Goode, András Schiff, Murray Perahia, Mitsuko Uchida, Ferenc Rados, and Evelyne Crochet. Adam resides in New York City and serves as an Artist-Teacher of Piano at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
TICKETS
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors 62+ and subscribers, $15 for youth 18 and under, $15 for Bucknell employees and retirees (limit 2), free for Bucknell students (limit 1) and $15 for non-Bucknell students (limit 2).
Tickets can be reserved by calling 570-577-1000 or online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.
Tickets are also available in person from several locations including the Weis Center lobby (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and the CAP Center Box Office, located on the ground floor of the Elaine Langone Center (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
For more information about this event, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or by e-mail at [email protected].
For more information about the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter or search for the Weis Center on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
Mar 31, 2024 | Music, News, Regional Arts Events
The internationally acclaimed Jazz Ambassadors of the U.S. Army Field Band will continue its long tradition of presenting free public performances when they appear on Friday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Weis Center.
The performance is sponsored, in part, by The Daily Item and the Standard Journal.
The concert is free; but tickets are required (see ticketing info at the end).
The Bucknell Jazz Band will perform at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Jazz Ambassadors at 7:50 p.m. Members of Bucknell’s ROTC program will offer the Presentation of Colors.
Known as America’s Big Band, the Jazz Ambassadors are the premier touring jazz orchestra of the U.S. Army. Formed in 1969, this 19-piece ensemble has received critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and abroad performing America’s original art form, jazz.
Performances by the Jazz Ambassadors offer some of the most versatile programming of any big band. Concerts include classic big band standards, instrumental and vocal solo features, patriotic favorites, contemporary jazz works and original arrangements and compositions by past and present members of the Jazz Ambassadors. Many of these original works are available for free download through Perspectives, a jazz education initiative by the Jazz Ambassadors.
The Jazz Ambassadors have performed in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Japan, India and Europe, and in joint concerts with the Boston Pops, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony and Seattle Symphony and at Carnegie Hall with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops.
Appearances at international jazz festivals in Montreux, Switzerland; Newport, R.I.; Toronto; Brussels, and the Netherlands have been met with enthusiastic acclaim, as well as concerts in England, Wales, Luxembourg, Germany, the Czech Republic and Norway.
TICKETS
Tickets are free, but required.
Tickets can be reserved by calling 570-577-1000 or online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.
Tickets are also available in person from several locations including the Weis Center lobby (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and the CAP Center Box Office, located on the ground floor of the Elaine Langone Center (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
For more information about this event, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or by e-mail at [email protected].
For more information about the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter or search for the Weis Center on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
Mar 17, 2024 | Music, News, Regional Arts Events
Tickets for the Josh Turner: The Greatest Hits Tour go on public sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 15, at CACLive.com!
Williamsport, March 11, 2024 – Country music legend Josh Turner is returning to the Community Arts Center in Williamsport this fall! As part of his The Greatest Hits Tour, Josh Turner will be at the CAC on Friday, September 27.
Turner returns to the Community Arts Center for the first time in five years to play timeless hits like “Long Black Train” and “Why Don’t We Just Dance.”
Josh Turner’s global reach has surpassed 5.8 billion global streams, 6.5 million album sales, and almost 12 million track sales worldwide. Turner’s five No. 1 singles include “Your Man,” of which the official music video surpassed 223 million views. Turner’s album Long Black Train celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA with nearly 1.5M album sales, 1.3M track downloads, and almost 315M streams to date. The title track was also certified Platinum, making up over 1M track downloads and almost 245M global streams. Turner released his first Greatest Hits album in September 2023, which features 11 of his biggest songs from seven of his studio albums.
In June 2021, Turner released Your Man Deluxe Edition, celebrating 15 years of Turner’s iconic double Platinum-selling album and the mini-documentary “Josh Turner Your Man 15th Anniversary”. The now certified triple-Platinum selling “Would You Go With Me,” featured on Your Man Deluxe Edition, experienced a viral surge across TikTok, leading to an increase in popularity, which landed the classic country tune on Spotify’s US Viral 50 along with Spotify Viral charts in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland.
A native of South Carolina, Turner has been nominated for three GMA Dove Awards and won his first GMA Dove Award in 2021 for “I Saw The Light” featuring Sonya Isaacs, from his I Serve a Savior album. Turner has been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, five CMA Awards, two ACM Awards, one CMT Award, seven ACA Awards, and has received six Inspirational Country Music Awards. Turner released his first Christmas album, King Size Manger, in 2021, and it was released on vinyl the following year.
Tickets for the Josh Turner: The Greatest Hits Tour go on public sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 15, at CAClive.com/JoshTurner or through the CAC Box Office at 570.326.2424. Mark your calendars for the return of this country music legend to Downtown Williamsport!
The Community Arts Center is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pennsylvania College of Technology, a national leader in applied technology education.
Mar 10, 2024 | Music, News, Regional Arts Events, Theater
The Weis Center for the Performing Arts will welcome Irish music ensemble Dervish on Friday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Weis Center.
The performance is sponsored, in part, by Martha and Alan Barrick, Coldwell Banker Penn One Real Estate, and WBRE/WYOU.
At the end of 2019 Dervish received a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the BBC, a fitting tribute to the band after over 30 years of recording and performing all over the world.
Described by the BBC as “an icon of Irish music”, the band have played at festivals from Rio de Janeiro to Glastonbury. They accompanied the Irish President on state visits to Latvia and Lithuania and Prime Minister of Ireland on a trade mission to China as Cultural Ambassadors taking time out to play an impromptu session on the Great Wall of China. Dervish have a line-up which includes some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians, fronted by one of the country’s best-known singers, Cathy Jordan.
The Guardian newspaper commented: “Dervish are simply brilliant…they carry Irish history with them.” Dervish are long-established as one of the biggest names in Irish music internationally. They’re renowned for live performances, which match dazzling sets of tunes with stunning interpretations of traditional songs. Their studio and live albums – 13 to date – make up one of the outstanding catalogues in Irish music.
They are regular visitors to the US, performing sell out shows from coast to coast. However, their fan base stretches across several continents, including Europe, Asia, and South America. They were the first Irish band to play the world’s biggest music festival, Rock in Rio, performing to an estimated 250,000 people. Over the years they’ve been on the same bill as artists such as James Brown, Neil Young, Sting and even Iron Maiden! In 2018 Dervish are still busy touring internationally and still making plans. The band are excited about signing for the renowned US roots label Rounder Records and will be releasing their first album on the label in 2018 featuring guest appearances by artists including Vince Gill, Steve Earl, David Gray and many others.
All six members of Dervish are steeped in the musical traditions of counties Sligo and Leitrim in north-west Ireland. It’s an area which matches Atlantic coastline with storied mountains and rural landscapes. It has inspired a host of musicians, artists and writers, including the Nobel Prize-winning poet W. B. Yeats.
In 2004 Dervish were given their home towns highest honour when they were given the freedom of Sligo City in a civic reception, an accolade they share with Yeats himself, Michael Flatley and Countess Markievicz. Dervish were formed in 1989 when four of the founding members met while playing informal sessions in the pubs of Sligo – Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/mandolin) and Michael Holmes (bouzouki). They were soon joined by Roscommon born singer and bodhran (drum) player Cathy Jordan, and later by all Ireland Fiddle Champion Tom Morrow in 1998.
It’s a remarkable and at times electric combination – “capable of playing with note-perfect accuracy and perfect control at nearly supersonic levels” (Irish Voice, New York).
But Dervish marry technical brilliance with a rare sensibility, born of an understanding of the music and many years of playing together. The Irish Times said their “integrity makes the group a formidable heir to the throne abandoned by The Bothy Band, if not a serious contender for The Chieftains’ international space.”
The News Journal (Delaware) described Dervish as: “The most compelling, most soulful Irish traditional folk band playing today. If you ever find yourself in the beautiful town of Sligo on the wild Atlantic way, check out the music sessions that take place in many establishments. The members of Dervish enjoy playing tunes back where it all began.”
TICKETS
Tickets are $30 for adults, $24 for seniors 62+ and subscribers, $20 for youth 18 and under, $20 for Bucknell employees and retirees (limit 2), free for Bucknell students (limit 1) and $20 for non-Bucknell students (limit 2).
Tickets can be reserved by calling 570-577-1000 or online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.
Tickets are also available in person from several locations including the Weis Center lobby (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and the CAP Center Box Office, located on the ground floor of the Elaine Langone Center (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
For more information about this event, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or by e-mail at [email protected].
For more information about the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter or search for the Weis Center on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
