A Center for the Arts


	THE ISAACS Saturday, September 7,2019 7:30pm The first in our 2019-20 Center Series The Isaacs, a multi-award winning family group who began singing 35 years ago are based out of Hendersonville, TN. They perform frequently at the Grand Ole Opry, are active members on the Gaither Homecoming Videos and Concert Series, and travel internationally throughout the year to perform to welcoming fans in countries such as South Africa, Norway, Holland, Scotland, Ireland ,Israel, Canada and many more.The vocalists are mother Lily Isaacs and siblings Ben Isaacs, Sonya Isaacs Yeary and Rebecca Isaacs Bowman. Playing their own acoustic instruments and joined by other band members, The Isaacs have a unique style that blends tight family harmony with contemporary acoustic instrumentation that appeals to a variety of audiences. Their musical style has been influenced by many genres of music including bluegrass, rhythm and blues, folk, and country, contemporary, acoustic and southern gospel.	tickets
	Ken Waldman: Alaska's Fiddling Poet Saturday, September 14 7:30 pm March 2, 1996, Ken Waldman survived a plane crash on a flight from Brevig Mission to Nome, which makes for a good story. A former college professor with an MFA in Creative Writing, he's been a visiting writer at nearly 100 colleges and universities, a visiting artist at over 230 schools in 33 states, and has led workshops from Alaska to Maine. As a performer, he's played from the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage to Berkeley's Freight and Salvage, occasionally as a soloist, more often as leader of one of his ever-changing troupes of nationally recognized musicians. He has released nine CDs of old-time Appalachian-style string-band music which include two for children. His eleven books consist of nine full-length poetry collections, a memoir about his life as a touring artist, and a volume of acrostic poems for kids.	tickets
	Le Vent du Nord Saturday, September 21 7:30 pm The award winning and highly acclaimed band Le Vent du Nord is a leading force in Quebec’s progressive francophone folk movement. The group’s vast repertoire draws from both traditional sources and original compositions, while enhancing it’s hard-driving soulful music (rooted in the Celtic diaspora) with a broad range of global influences. Featuring button accordion, guitar and fiddle, the band’s sound is defined by the hurdy-gurdy, which adds an earthy, rough-hewn flavor to even the most buoyant dance tunes.” — Boston Herald On stage these friends create intense, joyful and dynamic live performances that expand the bounds of tradition in striking global directions. This is the modern sound of tradition, a music of the here and now.	tickets
	Deuces Wild / Dueling Pianos Saturday, September 28 7:30pm Theaters are filled with laughter and tons of interaction - miaking this the most unique, memorable and intimate theater experience you'll ever have! You'll be amazed by their full bodied range of music and genres, and entertained to no end by performers who've been acting crazy together for over twelve years. Suitable for all ages, you are sure to have the time of your life!	tickets
	Stuart Pimsler Dance: MATINEE Page-to-Stage-to-Screen Saturday, October 5 7:30pm MATINEE is a dance/theater/film adaptation of American avant-garde novelist Robert Coover’s New Yorker short story, created and co-directed by Artistic Co-Directors Stuart Pimsler and Suzanne Costello in collaboration with filmmaker Andrew Welken. Join the artists of Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater as they share their creative process for adapting a short story into a multimedia performance. This lecture/demonstration performance will take you behind the scenes to see how MATINEE was created and will include excerpts from the final work. Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater (SPDT) is an internationally recognized performance company, founded in 1979 by Stuart Pimsler, and co-directed with Suzanne Costello since 1984. The company has been presented throughout the US and internationally in Canada, Europe, Israel, Taiwan, Russia, Bermuda, China, and Mexico. SPDT’s community inclusive work, which engages a diverse array of populations – students, caregivers, audiences, and community members – has been lauded as a “National Model” by The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and its Arts & Healthcare work has been recognized for “Best Practices” by the National Endowment for the Arts.	tickets
	3 Redneck Tenors Thursday, October 17, 2019 7:30 pm The second in our 2019-20 Center Series The 3 Redneck Tenors are a new breed in the “tenor genre” – their musical comedy featuring classically trained veteran artists is like Duck Dynasty goes to Carnegie Hall - down home laughs with big city music! It has been said that if Larry the Cable Guy, Il Divo, and Mrs. Doubtfire had a baby, that child would be The 3 Redneck Tenors. Written by opera-veteran Matthew Lord with music arranged by award-winning composer Craig Bohmler, and starring Mr. Lord, Blake Davidson, and Jonathan Fruge, The 3 Redneck Tenors were top finalists on "America's Got Talent" and have been thrilling audiences since 2006. These boys have seen it all, sing it all, and make us laugh 'till we double over, reminding us that in life, it's not just the destination, it's the journey. Get ready for one side splitting ride as we go on an excursion only the 3 Redneck Tenors could have had… delighting audiences with their vocal prowess and a smorgasbord of songs and music ranging from Gospel, to Country, to Broadway, Pop, and Classical.	tickets
	Triple Expresso Friday, November 1, 2019 7:30 pm The third in our 2019-20 Center Series Triple Espresso – a highly caffeinated comedy tells the story of three guys whose bid for showbiz fame and fortune ended in 4-minutes of magnificent failure on national television. Hugh Butternut, Buzz Maxwell, and Bobby Bean tell their rags-to-rags story earnestly, with hysterical results. Butternut is a musician, a vulnerable soul with a lounge lizard smile; Maxwell is an uncertain magician with an attitude; and Bean is an irrepressible, all-over-the-map entertainer with big dreams. The laughter is infectious and the comedy appeals to everyone from first graders to college students to baby-boomers to grandparents. Early in 1995, Bill Arnold, Michael Pearce Donley, and Bob Stromberg, three successful solo performers who admired each other’s work, gathered over coffee, never knowing the full impact the caffeinated brew would have on their future. They decided to write something they could perform as a trio. Something fun, something unusual, something that would make people laugh so hard they’d snort and embarrass themselves!	tickets
	Che Apalache Friday, November 8, 2019 7:30pm The fourth in our 2019-20 Center Series Che Apalache is a four-man string band based in Buenos Aires with members from Argentina, Mexico and the United States. The group’s founder is Joe Troop (fiddle), a North Carolinian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer who moved to Argentina in 2010. While patiently carving out a niche in the local music scene, Joe taught bluegrass and old-time music for a living. That’s how he met Pau Barjau (banjo), Franco Martino (guitar) and Martin Bobrik (mandolin), his most dedicated students. They quickly became picking buddies and in 2013 decided to hit the stage. Che Apalache began as a bluegrass band, but eventually incorporated Latin American styles into their repetoire. Combining instrumental prowess with tight vocal harmonies, they have created an authentic blend of genres to reflect the nature of their lives. Evoking images from Appalachia to the Andes, their debut album, “Latingrass,” is a testament to a powerful cultural and musical exchange.	tickets
	Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience Saturday, November 16, 2019 7:30 pm A Bonus Option for our 2019-20 Center Series Season Package! The Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience is a rare newcomer to traditional pop...fusing a big band spirit with an inventive edge...at once more risky than Buble, more modern than Sinatra. Shaun, an Emmy award-winning crooner (and lead singer of the internationally known vocal group, Tonic Sol-fa) indelibly stamps vocal jazz and swing with a contemporary punch - to the delight of both traditionalists and newcomers - emerging as an original voice in the continuing tradition of the American singer.	tickets
	At Christmas Thursday, December 12 7:30pm At Christmas is a unique blend of family fueled comedy and surprisingly tender and truthful Christmas experiences brilliantly written and performed by three alumni of Dudley Riggs Brave New Workshop, as well as a live, 6-piece band featuring one of the Twin Cities' favorite front men, Mick Sterling. This show is a lovely holiday gem that has touched thousands across the region with their surprisingly fresh interpretations of recognizable Christmas favorites.	tickets
	James Sewell Ballet Saturday, January 18, 2020 7:30pm The fifth in our 2019-20 Center Series Based in the Twin Cities, James Sewell Ballet studios are located at The Cowles Center for Dance & the Performing Arts in Downtown Minneapolis. James Sewell Ballet was the dream of Sally Rousse and James Sewell, two innovators who together re-imagined what a contemporary ballet company could look like: a chamber dance troupe that blends the elegance of classical ballet, the freedom of modern dance, and the can-do spirit of vaudeville. JSB’s annual cutting edge “Ballet Works Project,” features new works by emerging and established choreographers.	tickets
	Dolly Patsy Loretta Legendary Ladies of Country Music - A Tribute Friday, February 7, 2020 7:30pm The sixth in our 2019-20 Center Series Come celebrate the music and memories of Dolly, Patsy, Loretta, spanning three decades of the iconic songs of country music’s all-time legends Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. Join us for an unforgettable evening of live music featuring their number one hits, including I Will Always Love You, Jolene, Walking After Midnight, I Fall to Pieces, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Blue Kentucky Girl and many more legendary favorites! Dolly, Patsy, Loretta – The Legendary Ladies of Country Music features actresses seen in the Vegas productions of Phantom of the Opera, Million Dollar Quartet, BAZ, and Jersey Boys, and backed by the best musicians Nashville has to offer!	tickets
	American Shakespeare Center's Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream Friday, March 13, 2020 7:30pm The seventh in our 2019-20 Center Series Direct from the Blackfriars Playhouse, the American Shakespeare Center on Tour delivers seriously fun Shakespeare to audiences at performing arts centers, universities, and selective high schools throughout the U.S. Since 1988, ASC on Tour has entertained audiences each year by offering three plays performed in repertory by the same troupe of actors. From single-day events to week-long interactive residencies, ASC on Tour has earned its reputation as one of America’s most respected touring theatre groups. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare in 1595/96. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta (the former queen of the Amazons). These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (the mechanicals) who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world.	tickets
	Christian Howes with Community Musicians Saturday, April 25, 2020 7:30 pm The eighth in our 2019-20 Center Series Named top 3 in the Downbeat Critics Poll in his category and nominated Violinist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association, Christian Howes takes the violins far beyond its traditional classical repertoire. From jazz, gospel, a touch of latin, to bluegrass and Americana, Christian Howes is a versatile musician highly recognized as one of the pioneers of improvisation [for strings]. Among many accolades, his 2015 release, “American Spirit” was named among the Best Jazz Albums of 2015″ by the Huffington Post. This summer, Christian celebrates over 1 million views on his Youtube channel with the highly anticipated: Flipping Bach's Violin Partita. Howes is the founder of “Creative Strings“, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to expand music education through the creation of online curriculum, an annual summer conference, and dozens of visits to schools annually teaching improvisation, contemporary styles, and related subjects. He will be joined on stage by our local civic orchestra and high school orchestra musicians.	tickets