The 2013–2014 Brigham Young University arts calendar features plays, recitals, operas and concerts with talented guests, as well as BYU faculty and student artists. Individual event tickets can be purchased at the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 422-4322 or online at byuarts.com/tickets.
September
Thursday and Friday, Sept. 5-6 – Audra McDonald, five-time Tony Award-winner, is bringing her acclaimed concert to the de Jong Concert Hall at BYU for the very first time. Unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both a singer and an actress, McDonald is regarded as one of today’s most highly regarded performers. Blessed with a luminous soprano and an incomparable gift for dramatic truth-telling, she is equally at home on Broadway and opera stages as in roles on film and television.
Friday, Sept. 6 – “Monika Bravo: Landscape of Belief” will run through March 15, 2014, at the Museum of Art. This sculptural, time-based electronic installation invites viewers to explore how we base our everyday actions, habits and words on established personal belief systems. Texts pulled from Italo Calvino’s book, “Invisible Cities,” are projected onto glass panels in the form of both real and imaginary cityscapes from across the globe. By carefully overlapping surfaces, texts and cartographies, a rich non-material space of emptiness is achieved throughout the composition. Visit moa.byu.edu for details and exhibit hours.
Saturday, Sept. 7 ‑ School of Music faculty member Claudine Bigelow and guest artist Donald Maurice of the New Zealand School of Music will present a viola recital at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Admission is free. They will perform selections from Béla Bartók’s 44 Duos for Two Violins transcribed for two violas, a repeat of a June 12, 2012 performance in New Zealand when Bigelow was a Fulbright Scholar there.
Wednesday through Saturday, Sept. 18-21 – Formerly known as “World of Dance,” eviDANCE will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. There will also be a matinee performance Saturday at 2 p.m. eviDANCE brings together BYU’s five celebrated dance companies for a thrilling night of performances from every dance genre. Tickets go on sale Aug. 19.
Monday, Sept. 23 – “Greek Theatre Festival: Oedipus the King” will play at 5 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. This classic Greek tragedy follows Oedipus’ journey to discover the source of the plague affecting Thebes, the killer of the old king Laius and the reality of his own identity. As he moves closer to the truth, the audience sees and hears Oedipus in action, his virtues and vices on display, and through this man, hero, savior, master and tyrant, the audience members see how they, too, relate to others and to the divine.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 – Hexnut, a modern band of five soloists, comes to BYU to present “Wrench – A Choreography Between Music and Image” at 7:30 pm. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Hexnut mixes the styles, sounds and playing techniques of contemporary classical, jazz, metal, improvisation and cartoon music. “Wrench” will blend a program of new music and the images of award-winning photographer Edward Burtynsky into a performance of integrated sound and projected image. The compositions by Jan-Bas Bollen, David Dramm, Anthony Fiumara, Ned McGowan, Mayke Nas, Seung-Ah Oh, Felipe Waller and BYU music professor Steve Ricks combine into a single set without pause. Admission is free. Also “Edward Burtynsky: The Industrial Sublime,” a free exhibition of the artist’s work, will be on display at the BYU Museum of Art through Nov. 16, 2013.
Thursday and Friday, Sept. 26-27 – The Fall Choir Showcase will feature the BYU Singers, Concert Choir, Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorus at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.
Friday through Saturday, Sept. 27-Oct. 12 – “The Nightingale,” a play based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen and adapted for the stage by Timothy Mason, will be performed in the Margetts Theatre. Directed by Julia Ashworth and Kori Wakamatsu, this tale of an emperor who neglects the lyrical song of a humble nightingale for the artificial splendor of a mechanical bird vividly depicts the majesty, grace and poetic ritual of ancient China. Performed in English and Mandarin and influenced by the traditions of Peking Opera, “The Nightingale” invites audience members to ponder the worth of the things we value most. “Do not be deceived by glitter and show. A true voice and a gentle heart are all you will ever need.”
At the BYU Museum of Art:
- "Royal Nebeker: An Artist's Journey," through Sept. 14, 2013.
- "Work to Do: Trent Alvey, Pam Bowman, Jann Haworth and Amy Jorgensen," through Sept. 28, 2013.
- "Shaping America: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection," through March 2018.
- "Edward Burtynsky: The Industrial Sublime," through Nov. 16, 2013.
- "People in a Hard Land: Iconic Images of Life in the Southwest," through September 2013.
- "michael whiting: 8-bit wonder," through April 26, 2014.
Admission is free. Hours are Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sundays and holidays. For more information about museum exhibits and programs, visit moa.byu.edu.
Writer: Hwa Lee
