Art & Around
Compiled by Donald V. Calamia
Originally printed 11/12/04 (Issue 1246 - Between The Lines News)
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Fall in love with Rackham Symphony Choir twice in November
DETROIT - Rackham Symphony Choir is delighted to announce two nights of beloved opera classics just in time for those wearied by politics.
The performances on Nov. 14 and 21 are produced by Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan and feature the Rackham Symphony Choir with The Birmingham - Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra.
"Opera Favorites" on Sunday, Nov. 14 is an evening of opera's greatest arias and choruses. The concert features the debut of Soprano Eva Chirco Evola. On Sunday, Nov. 21, Verdi's beloved masterpiece "La Traviata" is performed in a rare concert style. They are both conducted by Rackham Symphony Choir's Suzanne Mallare Acton.
Many of Detroit's well-known opera voices - Curtis Peters, Karin White and Dino Valle - join with Eva Chirco Evola in the concert performance of "La Traviata.". The performance also features soloists by Rackham Symphony Choir members Fred Buchalter, Joseph Dluzniewski, Patrick Clampitt, Tony Ruda, Clifford Shaw and Dean Unick.
The concerts take place at 7 p.m. at the Ford Community Arts Center in Dearborn. Tickets for each performance are $20 each or can be purchased as a set of the two concerts for $30. They can be purchased in advance through Rackham Symphony Choir at 313-272-0334 or at the door.
Information about the organization is available at www.rackhamchoir.org.
Printmaking explored at The Great Frame Up
BIRMINGHAM - The Great Frame Up is hosting a "Statewide Printmaking Exhibit," featuring works by contemporary printmakers that highlight the uniqueness of printmaking through a multitude of subject matter and techniques.
The juror for the exhibition, Winnie Huang, received her MFA in printmaking from the University of Michigan. She has been a gallery director and college instructor, and has received numerous grants and fellowships.
The exhibit runs through Nov. 20.
The Great Frame Up, owned and operated by Mark Nutt, MFA, is located at 215 Peabody in downtown Birmingham.
For more information, call The Great Frame Up at 248-540-2555.
UMMA presents third in series of significant women artists
ANN ARBOR - A presentation of paintings by Agnes Martin represents the second installment of a series highlighting three of the most significant women artists of the late twentieth century, staged in the University of Michigan Museum of Arts' graceful two-story Apse.
For this presentation, UMMA borrowed one of the few series that Martin produced: "The Islands" (1979). This suite of twelve 72" x 72" paintings was purchased by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 1993. Coming ten years after their exhibition at the Whitney, this installation of The Islands will represent only the second public showing in the U.S. since their acquisition of these remarkable paintings.
As a set, The Islands are variations on a theme. Although sharing some characteristics with the serialism of Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and others, Martin's work achieves a more contemplative plane, seeming to strive for "the renewal of memories of moments of perfection," as she stated in 1973.
"Agnes Martin: The Islands" opens Nov. 20 and runs through Feb. 13 at the UMMA, 525 S. State St., Ann Arbor.
For complete information, call 734-764-0395 or go online to www.umma.umich.edu.
Musical menagerie comes to The Max
DETROIT - Lions and tigers and bears - or at least their musical counterparts - take up residence at The Max next month, launching the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Young People's Concert season with a roar.
In a program titled "The Animal Kingdom," Resident Conductor Thomas Wilkins and the DSO will perform a program of works that share an "animal" theme. Children ages four to 11 and their families will be treated to Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee;" Saint-Sa‘ns' "The Swan"; and one of the most famous and beloved children's orchestral works, Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf."
The DSO's Young People's Concerts offer an entertaining introduction both to the instruments of the orchestra and to the ways that music can tell stories, express emotions and reveal the characters of people, places and our furry and feathered friends. Maestro Wilkins, an award-winning music educator, employs an interactive method, encouraging audience participation and allowing kids to be themselves: bouncing in seats and armchair conducting is welcome and expected.
The concerts take place at Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Saturday, November 13 with performances at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Tickets for the 2004-05 Young People's Concerts range from $10 to $26. A limited number of box seats are $45. Tickets are available at the box office at the Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit, or by calling 313-576-5111. All tickets can also be purchased on line, 24-hours a day, via the DSO's Web site at www.detroitsymphony.com.
Birmingham-First Chamber Choir, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings present music of Bach
BIRMINGHAM - The Birmingham-First Concert Series proudly presents the Birmingham-First Chamber Choir and the world class Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings in Johann Sebastian Bach's jubilant "Magnificat" and the stirring "Cantata 214." Following last spring's memorable production of Bach's "St. John Passion," this promises to be another exceptional performance celebrating two joyous masterpieces of Bach.
Tom Trenney will conduct the choir, a select ensemble of twenty of Southeastern Michigan's finest singers, as well as the orchestra. Soloists include Lorna Young Hildebrandt and Rachel Edie Warrick (sopranos), Lara Alami (alto), Jeremy David Tarrant (countertenor), Jeff Tabor, Kent Wattleworth, and Grant Harville (tenors), Paul Max Tipton and Marc Meyers (basses).
The performance will be held Friday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church, located at 1669 West Maple Road, between the intersections at Cranbrook and Southfield Roads. A Meet-the-Artists Reception will follow the program. Childcare is provided for children through second grade.
The Birmingham-First Concert Series is offered as a musical gift to the congregation of First Presbyterian Church and the surrounding community. All events in the series are free of charge and are appropriate for audiences of all ages. Freewill offerings are collected at each program to benefit future events in the concert series.
For more information, call 248-644-2040.
