The Brigham Young University College of Fine Arts and Communications announced its 2009-2010 Performing Arts Season. The season features visiting guest artists and university ensembles.
Most performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-4322 or at byuarts.com.
To begin the season, acclaimed danseuse Yogini Gandhi and troupe will present an evening of classical Indian dance Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 in the de Jong Concert Hall. A combination of talent, intellect and beauty, Yogini is one of the very few dancers who can perform two Indian classical dance styles — Kathak and Odissi — with equal dexterity and virtuosity. Single tickets will go on sale Aug. 3.
On Sept. 18 in the Madsen Recital Hall, husband-and-wife duo Wang Jian-xin and Li Feng-yun, both professors at Tianjin Conservatory of Music in Beijing, will perform. They have mastered the art of playing the ancient Chinese instruments of qin and xiao. Single tickets will be available Aug. 10.
Theatre Mitu, will present Arthur Miller’s classic American drama “Death of a Salesman” utilizing ancient Japanese Bunraku puppet techniques intermingled with contemporary theatrical storytelling methods. The presentation will be in the Pardoe Theatre Oct. 9-10 at 7:30 p.m. with another showing Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. Single tickets go on sale Sept. 8.
The King’s Singers will return to the de Jong Concert Hall Oct. 28-29. Wednesday’s performance will bring them together with the BYU Singers while Thursday’s will feature the King’s Singers with the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra in a pops concert. Single tickets will go on sale Sept. 28.
On Nov. 5, the Utah Symphony will perform in the de Jong Concert Hall. The concert will feature conductor Pinchas Zukerman, a 21-time Grammy nominee, and classic pianist Jonathan Biss. They will perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E minor. Single tickets will be available Oct. 5.
Winter semester at BYU will open with the Utah Symphony performing with Steward Goodyear on the piano and Roberto Minczuk conducting. They will perform Jan. 7, 2010, in the de Jong Concert Hall, and single tickets will go on sale Dec. 7. Minczuk, the conductor for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, will lead them in three works, including Beethoven’s Concerto for Piano No. 2 and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor.
The New Shanghai Circus will perform Feb. 2-3 in the de Jong Concert Hall. The presentation of Chinese circus acts dates back 2,000 years ago to the harvest festivals. This contemporary performance is described as “feats of circus art that reach literally breathtaking heights of skill,” by Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times. Single tickets go on sale Dec. 7.
The Turtle Island Quartet is “a sterling example of first-rate jazz music-making,” said the Los Angeles Times. They will be performing at the de Jong Concert Hall March 4. The quartet is also the winner of two Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album. Single ticket sales start Feb. 1.
“If it’s possible for a classically trained wind quintet to rock the house, Imani Winds blows the roof off,” said Elizabeth Blair of NPR’s “All Things Considered.” The Grammy-nominated ensemble will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall March 12. Imani Winds is famous for its bridging of European, American, African and Latin American traditions while elevating the traditional expectations of a wind quintet.
Phoenix-based Calo Flamenco, with more than 15 talented dancers and musicians, is one of the largest professional flamenco ensembles in the United States. They will be performing a ballet by their own Martìn Gaxiola March 23 in the de Jong Concert Hall. Gaxiola has toured the United States with the National Theatre of Performing Arts and has appeared on Emmy Award-winning PBS specials for his dancing. Single sales begin Feb. 22.
For more information, visit byuarts.com or call Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348.
Writer: Brandon Garrett
