Action Wake Park, in partnership with Liquid Force, will host the third annual Liquid Force Field Day Saturday, June 1. This event will provide an opportunity for the public to try Action Wake Park completely free of cost.
“Last years Liquid Force Field day was an absolute success,” said Action Wake Park Owner Jerry Brouwer. “The day provides the water sports experience without the barrier of a boat for free and we couldn’t be more excited for the community to enjoy it.”
Liquid Force Field Day is from 12-8pm. The day will consist of:
● Free day passes ● Free rentals ● Free 2019 wakeboard demo gear provided by Liquid Force ● Professional world champion athletes Harley Clifford Meagan Ethell ● Free energy drinks provided by Red Bull ● Wakeboard big air contest from 5-6pm
Action Wake Park is Michigan’s first and only full-size cable wakeboard facility. Entering into its four season, the park aims to help the community learn water sports in a controlled environment without the barrier of a boat. The park features a fully stocked water sports proshop, concessions, and a large patio for viewing.
Summer at the Muskegon Museum of Art starts in May and celebrates Pop Culture and Rock ‘n’ Roll, along with displays from the permanent collection and paintings by first-ever Bennett Prize finalists. An array of special programs accompany the gallery shows.
Pop
Replay: The Exhibition celebrates American Pop and Geek culture through a variety of media, including large-scale LEGO® brick sculptures. The galleries housing the colorful show have been newly refinished with walls resembling giant LEGO bricks to make a backdrop for artwork that explores how iconic cartoons, video games, movies, and comic heroes and villains influence our culture. Kids of all ages can enjoy racing LEGO brick cars on a downhill racecourse, draw self-portraits on a mirror, practice figure drawing with wooden models, and build their own plastic brick creations. A $5 admission upgrade will be applied for entrance to the Replay exhibition galleries. Replay opened on May 9 and will run through Aug. 18, 2019.
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Photo credit: Paul Jendrasiak
Lights, Camera, Rock ‘n’ Roll: Music Photography by Paul Jendrasiak spans the career of the veteran Michigan concert photographer. Stunning front-row photographs of rock stars performing at venues throughout the state over the past two decades will bring back memories for many viewers. The exhibition runs May 23 through Sept. 1, 2019.
Programs
Paul Jendrasiak will be at the MMA to talk about his work and experiences at the opening of the show on May 23.
A Rock Star Super Saturday family program on Aug. 10 will give budding artists a chance to create their own limelight-worthy artwork.
Guitar with Wings: The Photography of Laurence Juber features photographs by Juber from his 2014 book Guitar with Wings, which showcases the intimate photographs he took of the McCartneys during his days with Wings. The exhibition runs May 16 through September 1, 2019.
Photo credit: Laurence Juber
Laurence Juber in Concert: “A Master” – Pete Townshend (The Who) Laurence Juber will perform in concert at the MMA on June 14. $25 Advance Tickets are available at the MMA by phone at 231.720.2580 or online HERE. Tickets will be $30 at the door.
Juber was lead guitarist in Paul McCarney’s band Wings and has since established himself as a world-renowned musician, winning two Grammys. He fuses folk, jazz, and pop to create a multifaceted performance.
Ticket includes a 5:30 pm pre-concert reception.
The Bennett Prize
Margaret Bowland, Detail of White Fives, 2012. Oil on linen, 84 x 70 in.
Rising Voices: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters opened May 2 with an announcement of the first-ever $50,000 prize winner, Aneka Ingold of Tampa, FL. Twenty-nine paintings by the winner and the other nine finalists from across the country comprise the show. The works exemplify universal issues as well as stories specific to the artists. The finalists were chosen from a field of over 600 entries. The Bennett Prize exhibition project and accompanying show catalogue were organized by the MMA, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and Steven Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt—avid collectors of and advocates for women artists painting in the figurative realist style. Special films, a figure drawing workshop, and an original theatrical performance will accompany the exhibition. Rising Voices runs through Sept. 8, 2019.
The Muskegon Museum of Art is located at 296 W. Webster Ave. in downtown Muskegon. The Museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays and closed Mondays. Parking is free and bus parking is available. Go to www.muskegonartmuseum.org for up-to-date visitor information, including gallery and store hours.
The Barn Theatre, Michigan’s oldest professional summer theatre, under the artistic leadership of Brendan Ragotzy, is thrilled to announce the 73rd season of plays and musicals to be presented at the landmark theatre.
The Barn Theatre School for Advanced Theatre Training, which continues to operate as a nonprofit entity, is excited to continue to provide southwest Michigan with professional, high- quality theatre while also expanding educational youth outreach and training programs. The very popular program, Backstage Xperience*, will be offered once again this season, as well as select ASL performances!
Barn Producer Brendan Ragotzy and wife Penelope Alex are excited to continue to offer nightly dinners this season and hope you’ll once again take advantage of the improved seating, ticket options, and online ticketing system.
The Box Office opens May 20, for online ticket sales, in-person sales and purchase via phone.
New this season:
Season ticket booklets will be available online as virtual tickets.
Renovations throughout the season, including new bathrooms near the Rehearsal Shed, Barn structure updates, the addition of a kitchen in the Rehearsal Shed and this fall, a full remodel of the Rehearsal Shed itself.
SPECIAL EVENT! Our Annual Gala: A Celebration in Song, June 1, 2019 Join us as we kick off the 73rd season with an unforgettable evening of music and memories! Barnies will take you behind the scenes in song and stories and give you a preview of the upcoming season. This special event is $50 per person. Reception and silent auction to follow the performance.
Disaster! — June 4-9 — ONE WEEK ONLY! Back by Popular Demand! Earthquakes, tidal waves, infernos and the unforgettable songs of the ’70s take center stage in this side-splitting homage to classic disaster films. Rated PG-13.
Love, Lies and the Doctor’s Dilemma — June 11-16 — ONE WEEK ONLY! One little white lie leads to another in this hilarious farce that comes complete with a former movie star, a mobster hit man, a walking-accident neighbor, and a gardener inexplicably masquerading as a psychiatrist Will everyone survive the mayhem?
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — June 18-30 In this wildly funny, fast-paced musical, an eclectic group of mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime while candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives. A riotous ride, complete with audience participation, this bee is a delightful den of comedic genius. Rated PG-13.
Sweeney Todd — Starring Robert Newman and Penelope Alex — July 2-14 The dark, witty and Tony Award-winning musical tale of love, murder and revenge set against the backdrop of 19th century London. Rated R.
Big the Musical — July 16-28 The classic 1987 motion picture fantasy bursts onto the stage in this unforgettable theatrical experience where a frustrated adolescent magically becomes an adult, discovering that life is not simply child’s play. Rated PG.
Steel Magnolias with Kim Zimmer, Lori Moore, Jennifer Furney — July 30-Aug. 11 Alternately hilarious and touching, this brilliant play exemplifies the female bond and illustrates the beauty of friendship when wading through life’s hardest times.
Mamma Mia — Aug. 13-25 Over sixty million people from around the globe have fallen in love with Mamma Mia! The story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless hit songs propels this funny, enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, creating the ultimate feel-good show! Rated PG-13.
Evil Dead: The Musical — Aug. 27-Sept. 1 — ONE WEEK ONLY! Evil Dead The Musical takes all the elements of the cult classic films and combines them for one of the craziest, funniest theatrical experiences of all time. Blood flies. Limbs are dismembered. Demons tell bad jokes… and all to music. It’s a bloody comedy start to finish! Rated R.
The Barn is located on Highway M-96 between Augusta and Galesburg. Performance schedule: Tuesday through Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 5pm.
Multi-platinum rock band Shinedown has announced new fall tour dates on their 2019 Attention Attention World Tour, produced by Frank Productions, with a stop in Grand Rapids at SMG-managed Van Andel Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, at 6:15pm. Shinedown has been selling out arenas and receiving rave reviews during their tour, backed by their biggest, most eye-popping production yet.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, May 17 at 10am. Tickets will be available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place® box offices and online at Ticketmaster.com. A purchase limit of eight (8) tickets will apply to every order. For all current pricing and availability, visit Ticketmaster.com.
Shinedown’s chart-topping album Attention Attention, out now via Atlantic Records, simultaneously hit #1 on Billboard’s Alternative, Top Rock and Hard Rock Albums Charts, debuted Top 5 on the Billboard 200 and spawned current Top 10 Active Rock hit Monsters, #1 Active Rock hit Devil, and the rousing track The Human Radio, in addition to Get Up.
The artist behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. and “Ecliptic” in Grand Rapids’ Rosa Parks Circle returns to Grand Rapids this month for an exhibition featuring her large-scale sculpture, “Flow.”
Organized by the Grand Rapids Art Museum in collaboration with Maya Lin Studio and running from May 18 to Sept. 8, the exhibition includes two new works that focus on bodies of water in the Midwest region and illuminate Lin’s dramatic exploration of the natural environment.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum is thrilled to present the work of acclaimed artist Maya Lin this summer,” said Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen. “Lin’s commitment to environmentalism and the creation of stirring public spaces—including ’Ecliptic’ in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids—supports the Museum’s initiative of raising awareness about sustainability and connecting people through art, creativity and design.”
With “Flow,” Lin focuses attention on the crucial role of water, both to our region, and to global survival. Lin has created two new sculptures for the exhibition that focus directly on West Michigan. ”Pin River – Grand River Watershed” (2019) is an installation made of steel pins embedded directly into the wall that forms a sparkling fifteen-foot-long outline of the Grand River Watershed. ”The Traces Left Behind (From the Great Bear Lake to the Great Lakes)”(2019) is a shimmering wall relief cast from recycled silver. In creating the work, Lin charted the span of contemporary bodies of water from the Arctic to the Great Lakes that were formed by the melting of the Laurentide Ice Shelf, which once covered much of the North American continent.
“A lot of my work has been about mapping the natural world and revealing aspects of the environment that you may not be aware of,” said Lin. “The two new works created for this show follow that interest of mine; one traces the complex watershed of the Grand River, the other takes a very recognizable mapping of the Great Lakes but adds the series of large lakes formed during the last ice age—creating a constellation-like flow of water that drifts along an invisible boundary line where the glaciers carved out these bodies of water when they retreated.”
Created in recycled silver, steel pins and common building materials, Lin conceives these sculptures with the use of charting, mapping, and scientific research to determine each work’s ultimate design, layout and structure. Through sculptural shape, scope and scale, Lin expands our awareness of the Great Lakes, the geological forces that created them, and their connection to other bodies of water.
“In her dramatic large-scale sculptures, Maya Lin draws attention to the natural world around us and to the forces that shape our environment,” commented GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “With this exhibition, she creates opportunities for all of us to see the natural landscape in new and different ways, prompting us to consider our relationship and responsibilities to the environment.”
Maya Lin, Blue Lake Pass, 2006. Duraflake particleboard (Courtesy Pace Gallery)
The exhibition also creates connection and dialogue with “Ecliptic,” the public park in Rosa Parks Circle created by Lin that marks its 20th anniversary next year. Water—specifically the nearby Grand River—inspired Lin’s conception of “Ecliptic.” Within the park, Lin featured water in three different forms—liquid, solid and vapor—through the park’s ice rink and amphitheater, mist fountain and table of flowing water. In connection with the exhibition, a selection of interpretive and interactive materials about “Ecliptic” are on view for visitors interested in engaging more with Lin’s creation of the park.
Several informative programs and presentations will be presented at GRAM in conjunction with the exhibition such as an Artist Talk with Lin on Art and Environment Friday at 6 p.m. at the GRAM’s Cook Auditorium. RSVP is required. Cost is $5 for GRAM members and $15 for the public.
Lead support for Maya Lin: Flow is generously provided by Herman Miller Cares, Frey Foundation, Eenhoorn LLC, and Wege Foundation.
For GRAM’s hours and admission fees, call 616.831.1000 or visit artmuseumgr.org.
Fountain Street Church is launching a new series, the ‘Summer Screen Club’. One night each month this summer, the church will host a panel discussion featuring regional non-profit organizations, and film and television experts to dissect, analyze, and discuss some of today’s most thought-provoking TV shows.
Participants watch the shows at their own pace, on their own schedules. It’s like a book club that you can binge watch. The first event of the series will be held on Thursday, June 20, 2019, from 6-8pm at Fountain Street Church, and will feature panelists Lydia VanHoven-Cook, of Better Body Image Conference, and Sarah Vesely, Executive Director of Wealthy Theater. All Summer Screen Club events are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged (not required) and can be done here.
The June 20, 2019, event will be discussing the Hulu series Shrill, based on the book Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West. The series stars and is co-written by Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live), with Executive Producers Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live), Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect), and Aidy Bryant. From the Shrill press site: “Annie [is] a fat young woman who wants to change her life — but not her body. Annie is trying to start her career while juggling bad boyfriends, a sick parent, and a perfectionist boss.”
Experience Grand Rapids (EXGR) invites locals to explore the Grand Rapids area during National Travel and Tourism Week from now through the 11th using EXGR resources such as Culture Pass GR and Vamonde. National Travel and Tourism Week is an annual event in the travel community put on by the U.S. Travel Association.
“National Travel and Tourism Week is when travel and tourism professionals across the country celebrate the value travel holds for the economy, businesses and personal well-being,” said Doug Small, CEO and President at Experience Grand Rapids. “During this week, we want to encourage locals to invite their family and friends to come and explore all the fun things Grand Rapids and Kent County has to offer. We also want to better educate people about the resources we have available.”
Destination marketing organizations (DMO) like EXGR have a few roles, one of them is to assist visitors, whether they are in town for leisure, convention or business travel, by providing helpful information about the area. EXGR does this through a variety of channels such as their website, social media and blogs.
For 2019, EXGR is promoting two newer initiatives to get locals out and about with their out-of-town friends and family:
Vamonde:
Vamonde is a national adventure app built for city and cultural discovery that guides visitors to the sights and stories that make travel memorable. EXGR has contributed several adventures such as Art Around the Corner, Grand Rapids Brunch Spots, Mountain Biking in GR, and more. The app is available in the Apple Store, Google Play and on desktop.
Culture Pass GR:
Culture Pass GR is a three-day pass to seven downtown cultural attractions that costs $24. The seven attractions include: Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum, John Ball Zoo and Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts. The pass also includes additional offers and discounts to several arts and culture organizations such as Broadway Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Treetop Adventure Park, and Opera Grand Rapids.
Courtesy Opera Grand Rapids
EXGR will also be promoting different city highlights throughout the week on social media. Follow the channels for information on activities in outdoor recreation, arts and culture, music, food, craft beverages and more.
“This week also allows us to highlight the importance of travel and tourism to our local economy,” explained Small. “According to the findings from Longwoods International, visitor spending in Kent County generates over $1.3 billion. These dollars help build the tax base and go back into the businesses and resources, such as our hotels, restaurants, parks and trails, cultural attractions and more. Spending by visitors also supports local businesses, provides jobs for over 30,000 people and contributes to making life better for our community.”
Grand Rapids Ballet—Michigan’s only professional ballet company—presents the highly anticipated return of its 2017 sold-out smash hit, Alice in Wonderland, May 3-5 and 10-11 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre.
Revue Magazine called it “a modern masterpiece!”
This exciting family-friendly show features the choreography of Grand Rapids Ballet favorite, Brian Enos, the artistic director of The Big Muddy Dance Company in St. Louis, Missouri. While known locally as a contemporary choreographer, Brian is just as talented at choreographing classical ballet. As Hedy Weiss of Chicago Sun-Times said, Brian’s work is “alternately sexy, playful, absurd, and quirkily exotic.”
The magical world and colorful characters are imagined by Argentinian visual artist, Luis Grané, best known for his award-winning illustration work on such major motion pictures as The Box Trolls, The Matrix, Hotel Transylvania, and Ratatouille. The ballet story will stay true to the beloved novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll originally published in 1865.
Evening and matinee performances will take place over two weekends:
Friday, May 3 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 5 at 2pm
Friday, May 10 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 11 at 7:30pm
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster, grballet.com, 616.454.4771 x 10, or at the box office at 341 Ellsworth Avenue SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.
Celebrating its 47th anniversary this season, Grand Rapids Ballet—Michigan’s only professional ballet company—is committed to lifting the human spirit through the art of dance under the current leadership of James Sofranko as artistic director, Glenn Del Vecchio as executive director, and Attila Mosolygo as director of Grand Rapids Ballet School and its Junior Company.
A proud recipient of the ArtServe Michigan Governor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Cultural Organization, Grand Rapids Ballet has a rich history marked by steady growth, a commitment to excellence, and strong community support.
Keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and visit grballet.com today.
Kellye Howard (photo by Mike Jue, Mike Jue Photography)
By Sandi Weindling, Journeyman Distillery
Journeyman Distillery’s Maxwell Tidey is looking to build on December’s sold-out Comedy on the Rocks premier with a May lineup that’s sure to slay.
Tidey has pursued his passion for comedy, producing local shows and working at the Drop Comedy Club in South Bend. A part-time server at Journeyman’s Staymaker Restaurant, he brought the idea of a comedy show to owners, Johanna and Bill Welter.
“We were open to giving it a try, but no question, Max’s enthusiasm is what made it a success,” the Welters agreed. “His energy is contagious… and persuasive,” said Johanna.
Tidey will reprise his role as host and producer of Comedy on the Rocks, importing top Chicago talent to Journeyman’s Still Room.
Comedy on the Rocks featured performer, Adam Gilbert of Fort Wayne, IN, has opened for the likes of writer/comedian Brian Posehn and said that he is, “pretty great on road trips.”
Gilbert opens for headliner Kellye Howard. Named Chicago’s “boldest” comedian by the Chicago Sun-Times, Howard takes inspiration from her experiences as a mother, daughter, wife, and woman. She was recently featured at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and has been seen on Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, FOX Laughs, and more. In her “spare” time she hosts the weekly podcast series Be Less Petty. Standup returns to Journeyman Distillery at 8:00pm ET on May 10th.
Admission is $20 per person and includes one complimentary beverage. Space is limited. Tickets are available online at journeymandistillery.com/calendar and on Eventbrite. For more information phone 269-820-2050.
Founded in 2010, Journeyman Distillery crafts, bottles, and serves organic and kosher-certified spirits at the historic Featherbone Factory in Three Oaks, Michigan. The distillery prides itself on using the highest quality grains sourced from Midwestern organic farmers in its award-winning spirits as well as at its Staymaker restaurant. Journeyman spirits are distributed in eleven states across the country and available for purchase direct from the distillery. Learn more and find your spirit at journeymandistillery.com.
It began with a brilliant fanfare that jolted you out of your seat, followed by an epic trumpet solo backed by a full symphony orchestra. Before either Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader spoke a line or appeared on screen, John Williams’ Grammy Award-winning score set the stage for the 1977 film Star Wars.
It was the birth of the blockbuster film and the return of soaring symphonic scores to accompany epic space adventures, heroic journeys across middle earth, and forays into the world of magic on the silver screen.
The Grand Rapids Symphony goes where no orchestra has gone before with highlights from such favorites as the 1978 film Superman starring Christopher Reeve, and the main themes from the Star Trek franchise including TV shows as well as movies.
Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt leads performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 10-11, and at 3 p.m. Sunday May 12, in DeVos Performance Hall. Guest Artist sponsor is Pinnacle Construction.
Special guest vocalist Mela Sarajane Dailey joins the Grand Rapids Symphony to sing Can You Read My Mind? from Superman. The Grammy Award-winning singer, who first appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony for its Holiday Pops in 2015, also sings two show-stopping operatic arias, the “Mad Scene” from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, and Vissi d’arte from Verdi’s Tosca.
“Live long and prosper” by attending the last Grand Rapids Symphony Pops concert which will feature music from “Star Trek. (Grand Rapids Symphony/Terry Johnston)
Bernhardt, who became Grand Rapids Symphony’s Principal Pops Conductor in 2015, is a personal friend of John Williams. When Williams served as conductor of the Boston Pops from 1980 to 1993, he hired Bernhardt in 1992 for the first time as a guest conductor to lead the Boston Pops. Last summer, Bernhardt marked his 25th anniversary with the Boston Pops.
Today, John Williams, a five-time Academy Award winner and a 51-time nominee for the Oscar for film composition, is famous for such films as the Indiana Jones series, the first two Jurassic Park films. In the mid-1970s, Williams was a rising star who won the Oscar for the 1974 film Jaws.
To compose music for the first Star Wars film and another eight films in the franchise that would follow, Williams revived the practice of composing leitmotifs or “leading motifs” to represent each character. Star Wars fans are familiar with The Imperial March and know that it’s Darth Vader’s theme. The main theme for Star Wars actually is Luke Skywalker’s theme, and the theme is heard in the score when Skywalker first appears on screen.
Williams used the same technique, which dates back to the 19th century operas of Richard Wagner, in such franchises as Harry Potter, in which key themes appear over and over across all eight films.
Grand Rapids Pops’ Star Wars, Star Trek, Middle Earth and More! includes music from the latest Star Warsinstallments including the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, the 2016 film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
The concert also includes music from the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkenss and a medley of music spanning the entire Star Trek franchise.
Bernhardt will lead the Grand Rapids Pops in a suite of melodies from The Lord of the Rings films, all composed by Howard Shore, who won Oscars for the first film in the series, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and for the third film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Tickets
Single tickets for the Fox Motors Pops series start at $18 and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616.454.9451 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum).
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place box office, weekdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. or on the day of the concert beginning two hours prior to the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
Griffin House will be making a stop at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up on Saturday, May 4. (Supplied/Griffin House)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
The song stories on Griffin House’s soon-to-be-released album Rising Star — some of which will undoubtedly be sweetly sung and appreciatively heard at his stop at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up on Saturday, May 4 — offer a peek in the real and/or imagined world of a singer who has spent much of the last 16 years on the road.
There are stories of the frustration with life if not the brutal business of making independent music. But there are also stories of understanding that, like a good country folk song lyric, “life is kinda what happens while you are making your way as best ya can.”
On “Hindsight”, House sings of a frustrating future: “Am I am fool for waiting / On a ship already gone / I only see the damage done in hindsight”. Yet there is also balance, an acceptance of whatever the future holds, as in “Cup of Fulfillment”: “There’s a light in the dark it’s the fire in our hearts / Even when our work is done / Long may your love live on”.
If that is not the true conflict of a singer wandering over the road of a music life, nothing is.
But I suspect listing to those tunes are just scratching the surface of House’s life and his music.
With something like 11 albums and 16 years of work in Nashville and around the country, House’s Rising Star (set for a June 28 release), described as “a self-reflective record that shows just how honed House is as a writer and musician”, is proof of the progression of his music and his life.
Rising Star cover art (Supplied)
Rising Star was created with old friends, Paul Moak and Ian Fitchuk, and also features co-writes with fellow Nashville musician Brian Elmquist of The Lone Bellow, longtime collaborator Jeff Trott (who also works with Sheryl Crow) and Joy Williams of The Civil Wars — with percussion from Grammy-winning “Album of the Year” producer Ian Fitchuk (he of Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour).
“This album seemed to come together with a little more grace and ease than records I’ve made in the past,” House said in supplied material. “And I think so much of that is attributed to how good the people I got worth with on this record are, they all just happen to be really good friends too.”
And that diversity of working relationships, of partners in musical crime, is clear on Rising Star.
The title tune is a sparse, almost spoken word poem of a song that leaves no doubt the writer not only knows what lonely feels like, but knows how to put that feeling into lyrics. And while “15 Minutes of Fame” give evidence of the dangers of getting what you pray for, “Crash and Burn” makes clear the dangers of not getting what you prayed for.
House song/stories often remind me of Gordon Lightfoot’s clear, cutting storytelling — and I liked Gord’s gold a lot — but with a very modern American outlook.
My favorite tune on the album, however, on first listen, is “Change”, which features some beautiful harmonies with Joy Williams, lyrical truths such as “We were never meant to stay the same”, and, maybe, a little glimpse of where House is in his home-life (with wife and two daughters).
Alas, the tune may not be on the program as he tours solo acoustic, often opening for the likes of John Mellencamp, Mat Kearny and Josh Ritter.
In addition to the release of the album Rising Star, House also stars in the full-length documentary film by the same title, set for release this year. According to supplied information, the film is co-produced with music video director and filmmaker Shane Drake, and chronicles House’s life as a musician and features music from his new album as well other tunes from his catalog.
Seven Steps Up is located 116 S. Jackson Street. For tickets and information call 616-930-4755 or visit sevenstepsup.com.
After building overwhelming anticipation, GRAMMY®-nominated multi-platinum powerhouse trio—Jonas Brothers—announce the details for their 40-city Happiness Begins Tour this summer and fall with special guests Bebe Rexha and Jordan McGraw. The announcement coincides with the launch of the pre-order for the band’s highly anticipated comeback album Happiness Begins, as well as the launch of their official merch store online.
Pre-order Happiness Begins (Republic Records) HERE. For exclusive items from the newly launched official merchandise store visit HERE.
Produced by Live Nation, the Happiness Begins Tour presented byAmerican Airlines and Mastercard kicks off Aug. 7th in Miami, FL before making a stop in Grand Rapids at SMG-managed Van Andel Arena on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, at 7:30pm. This marks the first headline tour for the Jonas Brothers in almost a decade.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, May 10 at 10am. Tickets will be available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place® box offices and online at Ticketmaster.com. See Ticketmaster.com for all current pricing and availability. A purchase limit of eight (8) tickets will apply to every order.
The Jonas Brothers have also partnered with Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan platform to ensure tickets get in to the hands of their fans, not scalpers or bots. Fans can register now through Monday, May 6th at 10pm ET HERE for the Verified Fan presale. Registered fans who receive a code will have access to purchase tickets before the general public from Wednesday, May 8th at 10am local time through Thursday, May 9th at 10pm local time.
Additionally, TIDAL subscribers will also have access to an exclusive presale beginning Thursday, May 9th at 10am local time through 10pm local time. TIDAL members can find details for purchasing tickets on TIDAL.com/JonasBrothers or via the TIDAL mobile, web and desktop apps.
Jonas Brothers VIP packages will be available and sold exclusively through HOST VIP. VIP package details will be announced on Friday, May 3rd prior to all ticketing pre-sales. VIP packages will be available for purchase on May 10th. A limited number of LaneOne Premium Packages will also be available, including amazing seats in first 5 rows, GA First On Floor, B-Stage VIP Bar area, transportation, preferred entrance and more. CheckLaneOnefor details.
The Happiness Begins pre-order will include instant gratification downloads of the band’s hit singles Sucker and Cool, produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning songwriter, producer, and lead singer of the multi-platinum band One Republic, Ryan Tedder. The third instant gratification titled Only Human, produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Shellback, will follow. Not only will this be the group’s first album since 2009, but it stands out as one of 2019’s most anticipated records.
These announcements set the stage for the boys to light up the Billboard Music Awards tonight with what promises to be a blockbuster performance. The band is expected to perform their first #1 hit at Top 40 radio Sucker, which has just clenched its second consecutive week at #1. Be sure to tune in to NBC at 8pm ET. Next up, you can catch them on Saturday Night Liveon May 11.
Students from the Grand Rapids Public Museum School will serve as docents on May 15. (Supplied)
By Christie Bender Grand Rapids Public Museum
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) just announced an additional Student Docent Day will be hosted by Grand Rapids Public Museum Middle School students on Wednesday, May 15.
Student Docent Days take place throughout the school year at the GRPM as part of GRPM Middle School students’ Place Based Design class. During this program, eighth grade students choose an artifact from the Museum’s Collections and through their classwork and research, design a story to guide Museum visitors to a deeper understanding of their chosen artifact and how it relates to existing exhibits.
“Student Docent Days are valuable because they allow students to share their work with a real audience,” said Erin Koren, Learning Specialist for the Grand Rapids Public Museum. “This additional day gives both the students another opportunity to share their learnings, but also GRPM visitors and field trip groups an engaging, new perspective on our exhibits.”
The additional Student Docent Day will take place on May 15 from 1:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The general public is encouraged to visit the Museum for the Student Docent Day, which is included with general admission to the Museum.
With THE WHO tour launching on May 7th at SMG-managed Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, an acclaimed lineup of artists has been announced for the slate of coveted special guest spots on the eagerly-anticipated trek! The rollout of diverse support acts includes some of the most impassioned artists in music, bringing a rousing repertoire of rock, country and bluegrass to audiences on the first leg of the tour. Confirmed for the Grand Rapids date are heavy rockers Dirty Honey.
For WHO fans everywhere, the upcoming tour means only one thing: the world’s most untamable rock band is about to deliver the goods once again. Never ones for nostalgia, singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend will be unleashing the combustible force that is The Who with symphonic accompaniment each night. The opportunity to see the iconic band accompanied by some of America’s most renowned orchestras includes both summer and fall dates in 2019. Produced by Live Nation, The Who’s North American MOVING ON! TOUR will bring their indelible brand of powerhouse rock to 29 cities beginning in May.
Tickets are on sale now. Tickets are available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place box offices and online at Ticketmaster.com. See Ticketmaster.com for all current pricing and availability.
The Who will also be releasing their first album of new songs in thirteen years later this year. On stage, the line-up will be rounded out by familiar Who players featuring guitarist/backup singer Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button and drummer Zak Starkey, and complemented by some of the best orchestras in the U.S. and Canada.
Every pair of tickets purchased online includes a redeemable code for a CD copy of The Who’s forthcoming album when it’s released. This offer is available to US and Canada customers only and not valid for tickets purchased via resale. In addition, $1 from each ticket sold for the MOVING ON!TOUR will benefit Teen Cancer America (www.teencanceramerica.org.)
Got your eye on Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s “Ring of Fire: The Music of Jonny Cash”? Hoping to score tickets to one of the five movies that the Grand Rapids Symphony will be offering in its 2019-2020 series?
Many art organizations have made (or will be making) announcements of shows for the 2019-2020 season, and if you want to assure that you have tickets to the shows you want to see, buying tickets early not only assures that but also can save you money and give you peaks towards other things such as free ticket exchanges when life disrupts your plans.
Here’s the lowdown on a few art organizations that offer early bird specials. Make sure to keep you eyes out as others, such as Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids, will be making announcements soon.
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
Packing a punch for the 2019-2020 season is Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, which will be offering “Ring of Fire: The Music of Jonny Cash,” “Frozen, Jr.,” “Elf the Musical,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Mtatilda the Musical,” “June B. Jones Is Not a Crook,” “The Wiz,” “Disney’s High School Musical,” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“What I love about this season is the opportunity to present all the plays that will be new to our audiences anchored by ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ one of the greatest plays ever written. Our season is full of well-loved stories, charming musicals, and a dose of holiday magic,” said Executive Director Bruce Tinker.
Season subscriptions are available through Aug. 21, however the early bird specials end April 30, (that is TUESDAY, APRIL 30). So now is the time to snap up tickets if you are interested. Civic offers a number of early bird packages, the Perm Package which includes preferred seating on performance day for five productions picked by the directors. Those productions are “Ring of Fire,” “Elf the Musical,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Matilda the Musical,” and “The Wiz.”
There are also several flex packages available that allow patrons to building their own season by using the tickets in any combination, all for one show or split them up over several shows. Those packages are $150 for six tickets, $200 for 8 tickets, and $250 for 10 tickets.
To purchase early bird subscriptions or to learn more about other options, visit grct.org or call the box office at 616-222-6650.
Opera Grand Rapids
As part of its regular season, Opera Grand Rapids will be featuring the Gilbert & Sullivan’s satire “The Mikado,” Nov. 1 and 2 at St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NW ; and Puccini’s “Turandot May 1 and 2 at DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe NW.
“We are thrilled to bring to life two iconic works for our Grand Rapids audiences for the up-coming season,” said James Meena, Artistic Director at Opera Grand Rapids. “By pairing Gilbert & Sullivan’s beloved satire, ‘The Mikado,’ with Puccini’s final opera, ‘Turandot,’ Opera Grand Rapids offers two truly contrasting stories, continuing the company’s long-standing reputation for providing unique musical experiences to the community.”
Through May 31, early-bird subscribers receive 25 percent off ticket prices. After May 31, the discount is 15 percent for subscribers. Individuals tickets, which range from $95 – $67, go on sale June 3. Student tickets are $5 with a valid student ID.
For ticket information, visit operagr.org or call 451-2741 next. 103.
Disney’s “Up” is one of the five films that Grand Rapids Symphony will have in its 2019-2020 season. (Pixar)
Grand Rapids Symphony
The Grand Rapids Symphony offers a host of concerts throughout the year and with that a number of subscription packages to fit about any budget. If you love moves, check out the Popcorn Package that has such films as “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Ghostbusters,” Home Alone, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” and “Up.” The movie concerts often sellout.
Other packages include two for the 2019 Picnic Pops, several for the classical series, the Pops Package, SymphonicBoom, Great Eras, and Coffee Classics. For those who like a little of everything, there is a create your own package where you can pick up to four performances. Prices for the packages vary so either check them out at grsymphony.org or call the Symphony Box Office at 616-454-9451, ext. 4.
Each year, a handful of special parades are held in which the participants travel across the 5-mile Mackinac Bridge. These events are fun not only for the participants, but for visitors in downtown Mackinaw City, too. Be sure to add these dates to your summer travel calendar:
Friday, April 26 4th Annual the Mack
Last year, more than 800 Jeeps participated in this annual trek. This year’s crossing will begin at 3pm in St. Ignace with all Jeeps heading south into Mackinaw City before looping around to return to the Upper Peninsula.
Saturday, July 20 6th Annual Mustang Stampede
Celebrating the classic Ford muscle car which was first introduced in 1964. Dozens of cars will be on display from 10am-4pm in Conkling Heritage Park, followed by the bridge parade at 4:30pm. Dinner follows, with live music and the awards ceremony.
Help break the English-held “World Record for Largest-ever MINI Cooper Parade” during this spectacular bi-annual (the current record of 1450 is held by the Surrey MINI Club Owners in the UK). In 2017, 1328 cars participated in the Straits area event (up from 1319 in 2015) and this year hopes to be the biggest group to date.
Saturday, Aug. 24 30th Annual Corvette Crossroads
File photo
Hundreds of Corvettes are on display at the Mackinaw Crossings Mall parking lot from 10-2, with awards in a variety of categories presented at 3pm. The procession lines up at 6pm, with the crossing of the Mackinac Bridge at 7pm. All Corvettes in town are welcome to cross the Mackinac Bridge (there is a nominal fee for non-show registered ‘Vettes to participate in the parade).
First held in 2008 (with 614 participants), this parade feature all makes, models, shapes and sizes of vintage tractors and farm equipment from around the country (and beyond). The line-up begins in downtown Mackinaw City at 9am, with the procession traveling across the bridge to downtown St. Ignace, ending at the Little Bear Arena. Last year, over 1,300 tractors joined in the parade.
Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863, and the March on Washington, 1963, a special exhibition opening at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) on Saturday, May 25, examines the relationship between two great people’s movements, which both grew out of decades of bold actions, resistance, organization, and vision. One hundred years separate them, yet they are linked in a larger story of liberty and the American experience — one that has had a profound impact on the generations that followed.
Created by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History, the exhibit was toured nationwide by the American Library Association’s Public Program Office. The Changing America exhibit is now a possession of the GRPM. In presenting and hosting it, the GRPM will be enhancing it for West Michigan by including artifacts and stories from a local perspective. In addition to artifacts from the GRPM Collections, many artifacts on display will be on loan from the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives. Local stories will be told through the eyes of our community and oral histories will be presented. The exhibition will also include a place for visitors to share their own stories. Shared stories will be added to the GRPM’s digital archive found at grpmcollections.org.
“The Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives (GRAAMA) is proud to combine with the Grand Rapids Public Museum to present Changing America,” said George Bayard III, Executive Director of GRAAMA. “We are happy to lend support and artifacts to this important exhibit chronicling a slice of African American history between the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington. We are eager to get our collection out where more people can view these authentic artifacts. Our loan of anti-slavery newspapers from the 1800s and buttons from the 1963 March on Washington will add detail to an already prestigious Smithsonian display.”
GRAAMA will launch a corresponding exhibit 1863-1963 American Freedom at its 87 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids, location featuring local civil rights activists, quilts and interviews. For more information, visit graama.org.
Courtesy Grand Rapids Public Museum
Changing America at the Grand Rapids Public Museum will run from May 25 through October 2019, will be located in the LACKS changing gallery on the Museum’s third floor, and will be free with general admission. Kent County adult residents receive reduced general admission and Kent County resident children aged 17 and under receive free general admission to the GRPM thanks to the county-wide millage passed in 2016.
In addition to the exhibition, the GRPM is partnering with several community groups to offer community programming as part of the exhibition. Mosaic Film Experience will host a summer camp “Mosaic Mobile Filmmaking” as part of the GRPM’s Camp Curious offerings in conjunction with the exhibit for students in grades 7 to 9. This Mosaic Mobile program is working with the GRPM to expand this story locally by capturing the stories of area civil rights leaders and will give students the opportunity to learn valuable media skills while broadening their knowledge of Grand Rapids history. The camp will take place from June 17 through June 21 and is only $25 per student to participate.
“It is important to connect youth to the past so they can understand their present,” said Skot Welch, Founder of The Mosaic Film Experience. “The Mosaic Mobile Filmmaking program with the Public Museum is a multi-generational project, making history relevant to our young people in a place where they become the story makers. This is an opportunity for them to tell the stories of Civil Rights in our community while allowing us to see this critical time in history through their eyes.”
Westside Collaborative is also partnering as part of the exhibition, and is working on a series of “I am Westside” videos that will be on display as part of the exhibition once completed. To learn more, visit westsidecollaborative.org.
For a full list of related programming, please visit grpm.org.
Changing America at the Grand Rapids Public Museum is sponsored by the David and Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, and Steelcase Inc.
After a rousing start to his Double Down Tour,Eric Church spoke directly to his faithful Church Choir in a video message, announcing additional shows to extend his 2019 trek into the fall. In addition to the previously announced shows hitting more than 25 cities, Church has now added three more dates, including a stop in Grand Rapids at SMG-managed Van Andel Arena on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5, 2019 at 8pm.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, May 3 at 10am. Tickets will be available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place® box offices and online at Ticketmaster.com. A purchase limit of six (6) tickets will apply to every order. See Ticketmaster.com for all current pricing and availability. *This show will utilize mobile tickets only. All box office purchases will be kept in will call until 2pm on the day of the show.
A pit ticket pre-sale begins on Tuesday, April 30 at 9:30am through the Eric Church Official App with a pre-sale for paid fan club members also running on April 30 from 10am through 10pm.
On March 14, the ACM Album of the Year nominee told his fans “I don’t want to be two months from the end of this thing — so we’re going to play a little more . . . I can’t thank you enough for what this is and what I’m seeing every night. I appreciate everyone giving me everything they’ve got, and I look forward to seeing you on the road!”
Church has set a new standard for touring with his back-to-back stands in each city of the Double Down Tour, with Rolling Stone pointing out each night’s unique “set list that dwarfs those of his country peers . . . where loose, funky explorations [are] given just as much space as the singer’s radio hits” and the Kansas City Star noting that the concept works “to showcase Church’s expansive range.” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch also praised the structure of the tour, proclaiming “it was perfection. And then, after two hours and 45 minutes of music, it was over. Until the next night
Church has also made a point to surprise unsuspecting fans with tickets to the pit encapsulated by the stage itself at various shows, handing out passes on the streets of Boston and in the top rows of the arena in Minneapolis. For a tour that has thrilled fans at every unpredictable turn thus far, the added shows are sure to bring even more excitement
About Eric Church
The three-time Country Music Association and six-time Academy of Country Music Award winner released his highly-anticipated album Desperate Man atop the Billboard Country Albums chart on Oct. 5. The album also debuted at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Rolling Stone describes the album as “classic Church: expertly crafted and country-radio-friendly, while also pushing boundaries in a way that sounds natural and unforced” and American Songwriter notes that it “sublimates the pain of a tumultuous year into his most adventuresome album yet.”
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced today that by popular demand, the Expedition: Dinosaur exhibition has been extended by two weeks! Visitors can now explore the fascinating world of dinosaurs and the hunt for their fossils through May 12.
This exhibit has something for all ages, from life-sized and life-like animatronic dinosaurs – some controlled by visitors – to mechanical and electronic learning stations. Visitors learn about modern imaging techniques like high-energy neutron beams that reveal the inside of a T. Rex skull in microscopic detail never seen before. The exhibit includes a number of hands-on interactives that explain dinosaur movement, digestion, and evolution, and show the life and methods of dinosaur hunters from the 1800s to today.
“The Grand Rapids Public Museum is pleased to extend Expedition: Dinosaur in response to the community’s excitement of the exhibit, giving us the opportunity to allow more visitors to experience the science behind paleontology and these fascinating creatures,” said Kate Kocienski, VP of Marketing and PR for the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Expedition: Dinosaur taps into our fascination with these incredible creatures, and is perhaps the closest experience to what it would have been like to be in the presence of a living, breathing Mesozoic-era dinosaur.
Admission for Expedition: Dinosaur is $12 for adults, $7 for children, $9 for Kent County adults, $4 for Kent County children, and $2 for Museum members.
Expedition: Dinosaur was developed by Stage Nine Exhibitions.
Bell’s Eccentric Café has announced its summer Bell’s Beer Garden concert series and there are some great West Michigan bands in the lineup as well as a pleasantly surprising visit by national headliners Kurt Vile, Conor Oberst and Langhorne Slim.
But you don’t have to wait for a big opening-weekend bash May 31-June 2 to wet your whistle and hear some great music — among other music planned indoors, The Way Down Wanderers, touring in support of their new illusions release, will make a stop at the Cafe on Saturday, May 11.
A taste of The Wanderers, and the very unique sounds of (usual) lead singer Austin Krause-Thompson and the band’s great harmonies — are available here in the form a their video for “All My Words” — gives one hankering for more of what can best be/maybe described as an boundary-blurring retro-alt-country newcomer well worth a listen.
Even before you hear the band’s music, it should be attractive enough to know that illusions, the band’s February 2019 sophomore release, was produced by Grammy winner David Schiffman (HAIM, Johnny Cash, Rage Against The Machine).
Way Down Wanderers (Supplied/KeithCotton)
The band, on illusions, in addition to Krause-Thompson on guitar/vocals, is Collin Krause on mandolin, violin, guitar/vocals; John Williams on upright bass, guitar/vocals; John Merikoski on percussion; and Travis Kowalsky on banjo and guitar.
In supplied material, somebody described the Peoria, Ill., band as having the retro sound of Beach Boys meet The Band, though I might add a little Seals and Crofts with an attitude, but with the roots music sounds of The Avett Brothers and Jason Isbell. Sounds right after listening to their sounds.
As far the “feel” of illusions? A line from the title song may be talking about the state of growth of the young band: “They say you grow and lose your illusions one day/Mine won’t fade away I will trade them in some day.”
And that is just the beginning; coming outside …
The Bell’s Eccentric Café Beer Garden season, officially kicks off Friday, May 31, with Steppin’ In it along with May Erlewine and the Motivations. The funk rock of Lettuce will hit the stage on Saturday, June 1. Wrapping up the weekend will be a family-friendly day Sunday, June 2 — a free day of family-friendly activities, games, specials, and music provided by The Crane Wives, Barn on Fire and others.
But that is just the opening act.
“With the Beer Garden improvements we are making now, combined with the incredible lineup, this summer is going to rival some of the best we’ve ever had,” Ryan Tovey, Eccentric Cafe general manager, said in supplied material.
Improvements to the garden include fresh landscaping, walkway repairs and stage renovation, we are told.
After opening weekend, the schedule includes Trampled By Turtles on June 15, Built to Spill on June 29, Whiskey Myers on July 9, Kurt Vile on July 19, Conor Oberst on July 23’ Sir Mix-A-Lot on July 27, The Corn Fed Girls and The Red Sea Pedestrians present “Abbey Road” on Aug. 10, Here Come the Mummies on Aug. 16’ Langhorne Slim & the Law on Sept. 14, and Zed Zeppelin, Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts, Uncle Kooky on Sunday, Sept. 15, a season-ending free show.
Several shows jump out as must-sees, but two top the list.
Kurt Vile (supplied/Jo McCaughey)
First Kurt Vile: now known for his solo work, the former lead guitarist of The War on Drugs, Vile recently released his first solo record in three years, “Bottle It In.” While his work with War on Drugs is still fresh — remember “Pain”? If not check out the video here — he’s into solo and collaboration work these days, where it is “Pretty Pimpin” off his 2015 solo release or his great work with Australian singer and guitarist Courtney Barnett, Lotta Sea Lice. Can’t wait.
The second is The Corn Fed Girls and The Red Sea Pedestrians present “Abbey Road”. Don’t know much about either group but am picturing a great late summer day with two bands coming together to cover one of the greatest albums of all time, the Beattles’ “Abbey Road”, in its entirety. “Here comes the sun, and I say it’s all right …”
Bell’s Eccentric Café is located at 355 E Kalamazoo Ave, in downtown Kalamazoo. Tickets for all shows are now available by visiting the Bell’s General Store, also at 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., or by visiting bellsbeer.com.
Relive and experience the sight and sounds, moods and emotions of the Beatles’ influence on music and pop culture on Saturday, July 20, 2019, when the Beatles tribute band BritBeat brings their multimedia show to Tibbits Opera House, 14 S. Hanchett Street, Coldwater, MI 49036.
Courtesy BritBeat
BritBeat has spent countless hours to create a show that tells the story of the Beatles that is compelling, accurate, thought-provoking, fun and filled with the passion, moods and emotions of the sixties. Every detail has gone in to the creation of BritBeat – A Multimedia Concert Journey through Beatles Music History. Each era of the Beatles history is recreated on stage covering the early days at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, The Ed Sullivan Show, the Shea Stadium Concert, the psychedelic Sgt. Pepper era, the Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey Road Studios recording sessions with six costume changes. Dedicated to offering a unique and different look into the music and history of the Beatles, BritBeat is more than a tribute band, it is a theatrical event.
Highlights of BritBeat’s touring history include performing with Herman’s Hermits, The Buckinghams, The Rascals, Jefferson Starship, Micky Dolenz, Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Beach Boys, The Guess Who, The Grass Roots and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap. One of the Beatles actually performed with BritBeat at U.S. Cellular Field for the 40th Anniversary of the Beatles at Comiskey Park. That Beatle would be Pete Best, the drummer for the Beatles before he was replaced by Ringo Starr in 1962.
In 2014 BritBeat was chosen by the State of Indiana to recreate the 1964 concert by the Beatles at the Indianapolis State Fair. In the same building, on the same stage, with the same microphones used by the Beatles, BritBeat performed a 50th Anniversary Concert at the Indianapolis State Fair Coliseum for thousands of fans in attendance, many of whom had attended the 1964 concert there 50 years earlier. It was quite a moment for a band paying tribute to their musical icons.
The concert at Tibbits on July 20 caps off a day full of fun in Coldwater, with the downtown ArtWalk that will feature artists, vintage vendors, hands-on art stations for kids, food trucks, and live entertainment leading up to BritBeat, which begins at 7:30pm.
This event includes a cash bar along with an ‘On Your Feet’ section for audience members who enjoy a livelier viewing experience. Ticket prices range from $20 to $34 (including fees). Tickets go on sale to Tibbits members on April 22, and are available at the Tibbits Admin offices at 93 W. Chicago St in Coldwater or by calling 517-278-6029. Tickets go on sale to the general public on April 29 and may also be purchased by visiting Tibbits.org at that time. This performance will be held at Tibbits Opera House, located at 14 S. Hanchett Street, Coldwater, MI 49036.
Artists who will perform include pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist Cho-Liang Lin, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist Jakob Koranyi, and clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois. (Supplied/SCMC)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
St. Cecilia Music Center’s 135th Anniversary Season will take a curtain call April 25 as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will be on stage with a program titled “From Mendelssohn” — works by the brilliant composer and other artists who admired him, namely Schumann, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.
Artists from CMS who will perform include pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist Cho-Liang Lin, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist Jakob Koranyi, and clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois.
St. Cecilia executive director Cathy Holbrook. (WKTV)
“The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is amazing to watch with artistry that is always flawless,” St. Cecilia executive director Cathy Holbrook said in supplied material. “It is appropriate that we end this season with them to celebrate of our 135th Anniversary.
“The nine women who began St. Cecilia Music Society, over a century ago, created a vision. That vision remains our mission today: ‘To promote the study, appreciation and performance of music in order to enrich the lives of West Michigan residents.’ We’re excited to honor these inspiring women at our final event for the season with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.”
St. Cecilia Music Center was founded in 1883 by nine Grand Rapids women. At that time it was the only organization of its kind to be run solely by women. Through their efforts, SCMC’s historic building on Ransom Avenue was erected in 1894.
About the concert
St. Cecilia, in supplied material about the concert, states: “Mendelssohn’s combined mastery of melody, form, counterpoint, and the chamber idiom was admired and imitated by composers for generations to come.
“In a program bookended by two works of Mendelssohn from 1845, one brief, the other epic, we hear Mendelssohn’s close friend Robert Schumann’s response to Mendelssohn’s piano trios; how, near the end of his life, Brahms recalled Mendelssohn’s lyricism through the viola’s dark voice; and, how Mendelssohn’s great admirer Tchaikovsky combined the German’s signature scherzo idiom with Russian melancholy and splendor in three selections from The Seasons for solo piano.”
The specific selections will include: Mendelssohn: Lied ohne Wortein D major for Cello and Piano, Op. 109 (1845); Schumann: Märchenerzählungenfor Clarinet, Viola, and Piano, Op. 132 (1853); Brahms: Sonata in E-flat major for Viola and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2 – composed 1894; Tchaikovsky: Selections from Les saisonsfor Piano, Op. 37 (1875-1876); and Mendelssohn:Trio No. 2 in C minor for Violin, Cello, and Piano, Op. 66 (1845).
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert on April 25 are $45 and $40 and can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at scmc-online.org.
A post-concert “Meet-the-artist” party, with complimentary wine will be offered to all ticket-holders giving the audience the opportunity to meet the artists and to obtain signed CDs of their releases.
Classical music counts Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and Gustav Mahler as among the greatest composers in history.
But Mozart and Mendelssohn both had sisters who also were talented musicians and composers. Same for the women that both Schumann and Mahler married. But music by Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann and Alma Mahler are little known. What music Marianne Mozart may have written has been lost. All we know of music composed by Mozart’s sister, nicknamed “Nannerl,” is an occasional mention in her younger brother’s letters.
It wasn’t until the 20th century that female composers entered the limelight.
Associate Conductor John Varineau leads the Grand Rapids Symphony in music that shattered glass ceilings, composed by pioneering women who broke new ground and blazed new trails in music.
The 8 p.m. concert in St. Cecilia Music Center welcomes back to Grand Rapids trombonist Ava Ordman, who formerly spent 24 seasons as principal trombonist of the Grand Rapids Symphony in the early 1970s through the late 1990s.
A part of the Grand Rapids Symphony’s PwC Great Eras series, the concert features music by American composers Ruth Crawford Seeger and Joan Tower and by British composer Anna Clyne, three women whose careers spanned more than a century from the early 20th century to the present.
Highlights of the evening concert will be given at 10 a.m. on Friday May 3 as The 20th/21st Century Coffee Concert. Part of the Porter Hills Coffee Classic series, the one-hour program is held without intermission. Doors open at 9 a.m. for complementary coffee and pastry.
The program is part of the Grand Rapids Symphony’s efforts to highlight the work of contemporary composers as well as to draw attention to the work of overlooked composers. Next season, one of the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Great Eras Series concerts will feature music by Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann in March 2020.
“The Grand Rapids Symphony is such a wonderful symphony, and we really do have something for everyone,” said Music Director Marcelo Lehninger about the concert.
Each of the three featured female composers shattered the glass ceiling in her own way.
In the first half of the 20th century, Ruth Crawford Seeger, a folk music specialist as well as a composer, became the first female composer in history to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1930. Though Seeger’s compositions included several modernist works that would inspire important composers throughout the 20th century, the Grand Rapids Symphony will perform two works by her, including “Rissolty Rossolty,” a fantasy for orchestra based on American folk tunes.
Joan Tower, who turned 80 last September, in 1990 became the first woman in history to win the Grawemeyer Awardfor composition, a prize worth $100,000 today. Tower’s composition “Made in America,” which uses snippets of “America the Beautiful,” won her the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition plus two more Grammys for Best Orchestral Performance and Best Classical Album for the recording made by the Nashville Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin. Grand Rapids Symphony will perform her work titled “Chamber Dance.”
Anna Clyne, a British-born composer, now based in the United States, is a winner of the 2010 Charles Ives Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the 2016 Hindemith Prize. Her double violin concerto, “Prince of Clouds,” was nominated for the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Grand Rapids Symphony will perform her piece titled “Within Her Arms.”
The fourth work on the program, co-commissioned by the Grand Rapids Symphony, is titled “Their Eyes Are Fireflies”Composer David Biedenbender wrote it for Ordman, who today is a professor of music at Michigan State University.
Ava Ordman, who became principal trombonist of the Grand Rapids Symphony in 1974, is the only woman to hold a principal or assistant principal chair in the orchestra’s brass section since the Grand Rapids Symphony began the transition to a fully professional orchestra in the early 1970s.
She has given the world premieres of several works including Steven Smith’s Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra with the Eugene Symphony Orchestra, and Libby Larsen’s “Mary Cassatt” with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Together with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Ordman recorded Donald Erb’s Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra for a CD released by Koss Classics in 1995.
Ordman has performed regularly with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, with the Cabrillo Music Festival in California, with the Western Brass Quintet at Western Michigan University and with the American Classic Trombone Quartet.
Tickets start at $26 for the Great Eras series and $16 for Coffee Classics and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across the street from Calder Plaza). Call (616) 454-9451 x 4 to order by phone. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum).
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 am – 6 pm or on the day of the concert at the venue beginning two hours before the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is preparing once again for Collections & Cocktails, an annual fundraiser focusing on the Museum’s Collections, their stories, and the preservation and education with these artifacts. This year’s event will be on Wednesday, May 8.
This year, Collections & Cocktails will focus on the Museum’s Magnificent Machines & Amusements Collection featuring artifacts such as the 1928 Spillman Carousel, an iron lung, steam engine, dog powered butter churn, and more artifacts that are not typically on display.
Collections & Cocktails also features a dinner and signature cocktails to go along with the exciting stories of these artifacts. Tickets are available to the public and can be found at grpm.org/2019Collections-Cocktails.
“The Magnificent Machines and Amusements Collection represents the ingenuity of people who have invented new ways to make our lives easier,” said Alex Forist, the Museum’s Chief Curator. “Collections & Cocktails will showcase some of these unique artifacts, and will highlight the importance of the care and maintenance of our Collections and give the community the opportunity to support these efforts.”
Anyone interested in supporting the care of these artifacts along with the thousands of others pieces in the GRPM Collections can do so through a sponsorship of Collections & Cocktails, purchasing a table at the event or individual tickets. More information on the event and funding opportunities can be found at grpm.org/2019Collections-Cocktails or by contacting Gina Schulz at gschulz@grpm.org or 616-929-1705.
One of the Museum’s most iconic pieces to be featured at the event is the 1928 Spillman Carousel. Manufactured by the Spillman Engineering Company of North Tonawanda, New York in 1928, the Carousel is one of only three of its style known to have been produced by the company. The Carousel has brought joy to thousands of community members over the years, and is currently undergoing restoration to keep it running for years to come.
Another featured piece from the GRPM Collections that hasn’t been on display since 2016 is an Iron Lung. The iron lung is a negative pressure cylinder in which patients would lie down in with their head sticking out through an opening at the top. Rows of iron lungs filled hospital wards at the height of the polio outbreaks of the 1940s and 1950s, assisting the breathing of mostly children but also adults.
With West Michigan roots, also featured from the Collections is a Toepler-Holtz machine. A Toepler-Holtz machine consists of a static generator in a glass and wooden cabinet with attachments to direct electrical currents for a variety of uses. Believed to have been manufactured in about 1900, it was first used in a doctor’s office in the Holland, MI area to treat various ailments.
Other rarely seen artifacts being featured at the event include the GRPM’s Weidenaar press, a steam engine, a dog-powered butter churn, BISSELL carpet sweepers, 1900s-era washing machines and additional pieces that have never been on display from the Museum’s Collections.
To see more of the Museum’s Collections visit the GRPM online database GRPMcollections.org.
Tickets are available at the Van Andel Arena® and DeVos Place® box offices and online at Ticketmaster.com. A purchase limit of eight (8) tickets applies to every order.
The Avett Brothers made mainstream waves with their 2009 major label debut, I and Love and You, landing at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 and garnering critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Paste, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Time. In 2012,The Carpenter hit #4 on the Billboard Top 200, while People,USA Today, and American Songwriter lauded the album.
The group appeared on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE! twice in a few months’ time. During their second performance, the Brooklyn Philharmonic joined to pay homage to Brooklyn with I and Love and You at Mr. Kimmel’s request. Their eighth studio album, Magpie and the Dandelion, debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200. They performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, and accompanied Chris Cornell for a Pearl Jam tribute on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The band supported The Rolling Stones in Raleigh during 2015’s Zip Code Tour.
True Sadness achieved The Avett Brothers’ highest career debut to date and dominated multiple charts. The Rick Rubin-produced album hit #1 on Billboard’s Top Albums Chart, #1 Top Rock Albums Chart, #1 Digital Albums Chart, #3 on the Billboard Top 200 and scored two Grammy nominations.
The Avett Brothers were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2018, HBO premiered May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers, a documentary co-directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio. Days after this debut, True Sadness launched to #3 on the iTunes Album Chart and #1 on the Rock Albums chart. The Avett Brothers debuted a new song, Roses and Sacrifice, live on Late Night with Seth Meyers in October 2018. The song was released in November 2018, with Rolling Stone calling it a “joyous sing-along.”
Also in November 2018, the band headlined the Concert for Hurricane Florence Relief in Greenville, North Carolina, raising $325,000 to help those affected by Hurricane Florence. The Avett Brothers continue to be revered as one of the top folk-rock acts in the country.
Eric Roberson, with special guest Jordan Hamilton, comes to DeVos Performance Hall on May 25, the third and final event of The Series: Creative Expressions of African-American Culture
By Hilarie Carpenter, SMG
SMG-managed DeVos Performance Hall, DeVos Place®, and the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA) Community Inclusion Group (CIG) have announced Eric Roberson with special guest Jordan Hamilton as the third and final event of The Series: Creative Expressions of African-American Culture on Saturday, May 25, 2019, at 8pm in SMG-managed DeVos Performance Hall.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, April 19 at 11am. Tickets will be available at the DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena® box offices and online at Ticketmaster.com. See Ticketmaster.com for all pricing and availability.
GRAMMY Award-nominee, singer, songwriter, and producer Eric Roberson continues to break boundaries as an independent artist in an industry dominated by major labels, manufactured sounds and mainstream radio. Described as the original pioneer of the independent movement in R&B/soul music, Roberson has achieved major milestones in his career, from being a successful songwriter and producer for notable artist such as Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Dwele, Vivian Green and countless others, as well as headlining sold out tours across the country.
This Rahway, NJ and Howard University alum became the first independent artist to be nominated for a BET Award in 2007 and was the recipient of the “Underground Artist of the Year” BETJ Virtual Award, with Rahsaan Patterson in 2008. In addition, Roberson was nominated in both 2010 and 2011 for a GRAMMY award in the “Best Urban/Alternative Performance” category and continues to blaze trails unheard of as an independent artist. In 2011, his studio album, Mister Nice Guy, debuted in the top 5 on the iTunes R&B/Soul charts and his 10th studio album, The Box, was released in 2014.
Roberson’s latest project is a three-album compilation, Earth, Wind, and Fire. The inspiration behind the album titles definitely pays homage to the iconic group, but Roberson also wanted to use music to voice some of today’s topical issues and in his special way, include personal influences into these albums.
“Earth is self-empowering, Wind is the love and Fire is the message,” says Roberson.
Jordan Hamilton, cellist of Last Gasp Collective and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, merges songwriting, loop pedals, sample machines, and vocals to create a sonic landscape of experimental hip-hop, folk, soul, and classical music. The Western Michigan University graduate aims to find new ways for the cello, a traditional instrument, to relate to a modern audience where it can be found playing the music of Bach, the Beatles, or Chance the Rapper. Filled with an eclectic range of songs, Jordan’s set is sure to capture the heart and mind while reflecting on new horizons.
The Series: Creative Expressions of African-American Culture is a program of the CAA and CIG designed to provide consistent, high-quality programming for members of the West Michigan region who have an interest in the various forms of arts and entertainment inspired by African-American culture.
Loved “La La Land?” Thought the music in “Greatest Showman” was pretty cool? Then you might want to check out the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s upcoming production of “James and the Giant Peach,” which features the music of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the musical duo behind the music of both “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman.”
The Civic production opening April 26 and runs through May 5 with a special low sensory night performance set for May 1. The book is written by Timothy Allen McDonald who with Leslie Bricusse successfully developed “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” into a musical which is part of the Broadway Grand Rapids’ 2019-2020 season.
A Roald Dahl tale, “James and the Giant Peach” follows young orphan James who is forced to live with his wicked Aunt Spiker an dAunt Sponge. His new life of slavery takes a hopeful turn, however, in the form of an oversized peach, courtesy of mysterious spellbook.
https://youtu.be/PYkR5uWT1eY
The 2015 professional cast performing “Everywhere That You Are” from “James and the Giant Peach.”
“This production is filled with bright, full and catchy music,” said guest director Jolene Frankey. “The talented art includes actors of all ages from 10 to adults, and they sound amazing. It really is magical fun for the whole family.”
Tickets $12 – $20. For tickets, call 616-222-6650 or visit www.GRCT.org.
Country music legend Willie Nelson and 27-time-winning Grammy sensation Alison Krauss are headed to Grand Rapids to play SMG-managed Van Andel Arena on Friday, Aug. 9 at 7:30pm. Get tickets to this exciting live concert starting Friday, April 19 at 11am at the DeVos Place & Van Andel Arena Box Offices and Ticketmaster.com. See Ticketmaster.com for all pricing and availability.
Willie Nelson is one of the most successful country music singer-songwriters in history, releasing 68 studio albums and 10 live albums. In 1973, he signed to Atlantic Records and put out Shotgun Willie, which veered into outlaw country, a stark contrast from the mainstream Nashville sound and clean-cut country artists of the era. 1975’s Red Headed Stranger and 1978’s Stardust followed on Columbia Records, both garnering commercial and critical success.
The ’80s saw the release of No. 1 albums Honeysuckle Rose, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Always on My Mind, and The Promiseland, as well as Nelson joining Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson in the country supergroup The Highwaymen, touring and releasing three studio albums between 1985 and 1995. Nelson continues to release a new album almost every year and delight ticket buyers in live shows to this day.
Alison Krauss is largely responsible for keeping bluegrass music alive and well in the U.S., and she’s got the awards to prove it. The singer-songwriter has received 27 Grammy Awards, making her the most awarded female artist in all of Grammy history — not too shabby for 47 short years. Krauss is a nationwide favorite in concert and has been performing onstage since the early 90s and selling out tours across North America since the early 2000s. She loves taking the stage just as much as recording in the studio, and ticket holders get to hear her soulful, soothing soprano up close, in addition to seeing her expertly play the fiddle, piano and mandolin.
The Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series will conclude its sixth season at Fountain Street Church on Sunday, May 5th. The concerts, curated and hosted by West Michigan jazz mainstay Robin Connell, pair the spontaneous wonder of jazz with the acoustic and architectural beauty of the century-old, neo-Romanesque sanctuary in downtown Grand Rapids. As the church celebrates its 150-year Anniversary in 2019, Connell will welcome fellow Michigan musicians Elgin Vines on bass and Alain Sullivan on saxophone.
Vines has been described as one of the most sought-after jazz bassists in West Michigan. As a student at Norfolk State University, he paid his tuition by gigging along the Virginia Beach strip and was a member of the house trio on the daily Morty Nevins Television Show for three years. After graduating, he went on the road with The New Direction for eight years, and then in 1972 settled in Grand Rapids to play for the Bennie Carew Trio and work as a technologist for Amway. In 2005, the West Michigan Jazz Society named him their Musician of the Year.
Sullivan is a 19-year-old jazz saxophonist, bandleader, composer/arranger, and woodwind instrumentalist based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He currently attends the University of Michigan, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry toward pre-medicine, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in jazz studies under the tutelage of its esteemed faculty, including Andrew Bishop, Ellen Rowe, Dennis Wilson, Robert Hurst, and Benny Green. He has performed in a wide variety of musical settings, including jazz settings of all types and several pit orchestras for musicals, doubling on flute and clarinet. He has played frequently throughout Michigan, across the country, and in Germany and Denmark. In 2018, he was presented with a YoungArts award, which is given to just a handful of young artists in multiple disciplines.
Connell herself is a prolific jazz pianist, vocalist, and educator who received the 2017 Musician of the Year award from West Michigan Jazz Society for her widespread collaboration with other artists and her continuing work on the Jazz in the Sanctuary series. Whether solo or in a group, she performs regularly throughout the region.
General admission to Jazz in the Sanctuary is $15 online or at the door. College students may show ID for $5 admission. Tickets and additional information are available at fountainstreet.org/jazz.
Fountain Street Church is an independent house of worship with an open pulpit and a 150-year history of progressive action in the heart of West Michigan.
For more information about Fountain Street Church or the Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series, please contact Conor Bardallis, Events Manager, at cbardallis@fountainstreet.org or 616-459-8386 ext. 221 or Virginia Anzengruber, Content and Communications Manager at vanzengruber@fountainstreet.org.
Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma visits with four of the cast of Stage GR’s “Les Miserables” production (from left): Jack Reeves, Alexa Wollney, Rocco Maggi, and Jaclyn VerHulst. (WKTV)
More than 60 area students from 26 different schools have come together to present the world’s second-longest running musical, “Les Miserables” as part of the StageGR season.
Show dates are April 25 -27 with all of the evening shows sold out. However, tickets are still available for the 11 a.m. and the 3 p.m. shows which are at Calvin College’s Gezon Auditorium, located on the Calvin College campus, 3201 Burton St. SE.
For the current segment of “Locally Entertaining,” I sat-down with four of the cast members of the production:
To listen to the “Locally Entertaining podcast, click here.
Jack Reeves, a senior from Grand Rapids City High School, plays the lead, Jean Valjean. Reeves may be a familiar face to many as he most recently was part of the Actors’ Theatre production of “Burnt Part Boys,” and received high praise for his portrayal of Quasimodo in StageGR’s “The Hunchback of Norte Dame.”
A hand-drawn poster by Jacob Kenny, another “Les Miserables” cast member. (StageGR)
Alexa Wollney, a junior at Byron Center High School, plays Madame Thenardier. She recently completed the role of Sebastian in Byron Center High School’s production of “The Little Mermaid,” and was just cast in Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s summer production of “All Shook Up!”
Rocco Maggi, an exchange student from Italy attending Byron Center Charter School, is in the ensemble. Prior to September 2018, Rocco had never been involved in theater (or even a musical) before. He has performed in three community theater productions, most recently as part of the ensemble of Grand Rapid Civic Theatre’s “Mamma Mia!”
Jaclyn VerHulst, a junior from Lowell High School, is in the ensemble. Jaclyn has performed in several local community productions and was recently in the Ionia Community Players’ production of “Legally Blonde.” She will be part of Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s summer production of “Alice in Wonderland.”
Story Synopsis: Based off the book by Victor Hugo (who also wrote “Hunchback of Norte Dame”), “Les Miserables,” also known as “Les Miz” in most English countries, follows Jean Valjean, a French peasant, and his desire for redemption after serving 19 years in jail for having stolen a loaf of bread for his sister’s starving child. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew after a bishop inspires him by a tremendous act of mercy, but he is relentlessly tracked down by a police inspector named Javert. Transformed by the bishop’s generosity, Valjean’s restored humanity moves him to adopt the orphaned girl Cosette and makes a vow to her dying mother that he will protect her with his life. Pursued by Javert, Jean leads a cautious life in Paris and along the way, he and a slew of character are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists attempt to overthrow the government at a street barricade.
The musical, which has won a number of awards, includes such songs as “On My Own,” “I Dreamed A Dream,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?,” and “One More Day.”
Fred and Lena Meijer (undated, in Milan, Italy studio of Arnaldo Pomodoro). (Supplied/Meijer Gardens)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
As part of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park current art exhibit, A National Treasure: Fred Meijer, His Collection and Legacy, there will be a special lecture titled “Great American Collectors” on Sunday, April 14, at 2 p.m.
The exhibition, running through Aug. 25, is “a celebration of Meijer’s desire to build a world-class sculpture collection,” according to supplied material. It displays “eleven different ‘chapters’, each based around original works of art from Meijer Gardens’ permanent collection as well as exclusive loans from sculptors and galleries that Meijer knew and admired. … in addition, the exhibition will debut a series of important recent acquisitions to Meijer Gardens’ permanent collection, including works by El Anatsui, George Segal and George Minne.”
The free (with regular admission) and open to the public “Great American Collectors” lecture will have Dr. Craig Hanson, Associate Professor at Calvin College discussing “the role of collectors in the United States, and the legacy of art patronage,” according to supplied material. “Fred Meijer, as an art collector, is among a small group of philanthropists who believed that art should be shared widely with the public. He saw his collection as a tool to enrich lives through the power of art.”
Other exhibit events scheduled associated with the exhibit there will be a series of free-with-admission programs:
The Art of Fine Art Collecting — Sunday, May 5, 2 p.m. Presented by Linda and Scott Lafontsee, Owners of Lafontsee Gallery. You don’t have to have the resources of Meijer Gardens to build your own fine art collection. Join the owners and artists behind Lafontsee Galleries to learn easy ways to live with original artwork that inspires you every day. Linda and Scott Lafontsee have represented local artists for over 30 years in Grand Rapids.
Charcoal Drawing with Anna Greidanus — Friday, June 14, 3-5 p.m. Presented by Anna Greidanus, Professor of Art, Calvin CollegeHead outdoors with artist Anna Greidanus and learn the relaxing and inspiring practice of charcoal drawing. A gestural, loose and rapid approach is both less intimidating to first time artists and an effective form of observation. Class size is limited to 15 guests. (Please register online at MeijerGardens.org/calendar)
Summer Sculpture Walks — Sculpture Park Niches, The Gallery – Tuesday, July 30, 6 p.m. Sculpture Park Niches, The Groves – Sunday, Aug. 11, 11:30 a.m. Get off the beaten path and explore lesser known areas of the Sculpture Park. See fantastic examples of Modern and Contemporary sculpture instrumental to Fred Meijer’s collection style and legacy. Meet outside of the Indoor Sculpture Galleries and be prepared to walk and stand for at least 90 minutes, rain or shine.
Exhibition programs are drop-in and registration is not required.
Announced today, Public Observing Nights at James C. Veen Observatory, presented by the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association (GRAAA) and Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM), begin for the 2019 season on Saturday, April 27. Public Observing Nights will continue on selected Saturday evenings twice monthly through October.
The Veen Observatory houses three large permanently mounted telescopes that allow visitors an up-close look at the night sky. The public is invited to Public Observing Nights throughout the summer to access these telescopes as well as addition instruments personally owned by GRAAA members.
Visitors to the facility will have the opportunity to take part in an audio-visual presentation introducing the facility and orientations to prominent constellations currently visible. Public Observing Night dates can be found online along with photos at graaa.org.
Scheduled Public Observing Nights are cancelled in the event of cloudiness. Status updates are posted at graaa.org no later than 6:30 p.m. on the date of each scheduled event, or can be found by calling 616.897.7065.
Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for those under 18. Grand Rapids Public Museum and GRAAA members, as well as children under age 5, are free. Cash, checks and some credit cards are accepted.
The James C. Veen Observatory is located at 3308 Kissing Rock Ave. in Lowell Township, and is open during Public Observing Nights or by appointment only. For additional inquiries, please visit graaa.org. Please note, to access Veen Observatory, there is a quarter mile uphill walk from the parking area that may be difficult for some. Parking attendants can provide information about available assistance.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum provides ongoing support to the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association in operation of James C. Veen Observatory.
Funny men: Pop Scholars turn 10. (popscholars.com)
WKTV Staff
Pop Scholars announced their 10th Anniversary Show, which will be held at 8 p.m. on May 10 at Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids.
“We are thrilled to celebrate our 10th Anniversary at Wealthy Theatre. The support we’ve received from the Grand Rapids community over the last 10 years is nothing short of incredible. We wanted to stop and thank all of the people that come out to our shows, but it’s also a way for us to celebrate what a great ride it has been for the four of us,” said Andy Allen, one of four founding members of Pop Scholars.
Pop Scholars is an improvisational comedy team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 2009, Pop Scholars regularly performs for sold out crowds at Wealthy Theatre and for corporate and non-profit events. The team is composed of Andy Allen, Dave Lyzenga, Matt Sterenberg and Mike Ryskamp.
Darlingside is bassist Dave Senft, guitarist and banjo player Don Mitchell, classical violinist and folk mandolinist Auyon Mukharji, and cellist and guitarist Harris Paseltiner. (supplied/Gaelle Beri)
WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
If you haven’t seen and heard the harmonic perfection of the quartet Darlingside — maybe the best alt-folk band you may have never heard of — your missing something special if you can’t snag some tickets to the group’s performance at Seven Steps Up, Monday, April 15, in-between gigs at Toronto and Chicago.
The group, which visited the venue last year and hit the Meijer Gardens summer concert stage a couple years ago, are buzzing through West Michigan in support of their new EP Look Up & Fly Away, as well as their outstanding 2018 album Extralife. (And if you haven’t heard Extralife, you missed one of last year’s most best and original releases.)
Released on Feb. 22, Look Up & Fly Away is comprised of six songs selected from a handful of outtakes from Extralife and, according to supplied material, has the band “exploring the different stages of life and death and continuing to spotlight the group’s poetic and timeless ability to capture complex, ecumenical topics.
“Stretching the boundaries of traditional folk, chamber pop, baroque, progressive and indie rock, Darlingside melds various styles together to create something not easily categorized and very much their own.”
Like Extralife, the EP will undoubtedly feature Darlingside’s signature hypnotic harmonies — often using a single mic for the four voices, sparse instrumentation, and almost mystic songwriting — think space music that does not put you to sleep.
Darlingside, especially on Extralife, was said to be reminiscent of The Beach Boys, Fleet Foxes and Simon & Garfunkel. Rolling Stone Country said the album is, “…both fresh and familiar, like some throwback piece of orchestral folk-pop recently removed from the vault.”
The Extralife single “Hold Your Head Up High” was recently nominated for the 2019 “International Song of the Year” UK Americana Award.
Seven Steps Up, by the way, is a great small concert venue in Spring Lake, at 116 S. Jackson Street. While the concert is officially listed as a sold-out, it does not hurt to check, call 616-930-4755 or visit sevenstepsup.com . And there are plenty of great acts coming to the venue in the near future.
One of the greatest conductors of his time, Mahler spent the fall, winter and spring on the podium. In the summer, he escaped to the Austrian countryside to compose. At the edge of a meadow, with a view of a lake and the Alpine mountains in the distance, Mahler had built a tiny hut with a desk, a piano and a book shelf where he would compose most of his greatest music including his Symphony No. 3 in D major.
Music Director Marcelo Lehninger will lead nearly 250 musicians in the performance of Mahler’s Third Symphony including 100 instrumentalists plus the women of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, and the voices of the Grand Rapids Symphony Junior Chorus, and Mandala, a select ensemble from the Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Chorus.
Special guest is mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, a three-time Grammy Award winner regarded as one of today’s finest interpreters of the music of Mahler. In fact, one of her three Grammy Awards is the 2003 award for Best Classical Album for her recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 and his Kindertotenlieder with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony.
DeYoung, who was born in Grand Rapids and who later attended Calvin College, makes her first appearance with the Grand Rapids Symphony since January 2005 during the orchestra’s 75th anniversary season. Guest Artist Sponsor is Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, which lasts 100 minutes, will be the only piece on the program.
Michelle DeYoung was burned in Grand Rapids. (Supplied)
“It’s one of the longest symphonies ever written,” Lehninger said. “But it’s so colorful, and there’s so many things happening, you’re never tired of it.”
Mahler, who enjoyed long walks in the countryside, was devoted to nature. The outdoors is a continuing theme in his music. In the summer of 1896, the young conductor Bruno Walter paid a visit to Mahler in the little Alpine village of Steinbach am Attersee. As Walter stood there admiring the beautiful mountain scenery, Mahler told him, “You needn’t stand staring at that. I’ve already composed it all.”
Mahler was speaking of his Third Symphony, which encapsulates his entire cosmology and is the longest symphony that he ever wrote. “A symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything,” he said.
Completed 1896, it was voted one of the 10 greatest symphonies of all time in a poll of more than 100 professional conductors held in 2016 by BBC Music Magazine. That list was topped by Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony No. 3 and his “Choral” Symphony No. 9 plus Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony No. 41.
In 2011, the adagio from Mahler’s Third Symphony was arranged for small orchestra by conductor Yoon Jae Lee and premiered in New York City by Ensemble 212 on the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
“It has become a huge part of my life,” DeYoung said about the music of Mahler in a 2017 interview at the Aspen Music Festival. “I love the emotional journey that he takes you on. In the symphonies, in the songs, in everything, if you allow yourself to go with it, you can really experience a very wide range of emotions throughout the one piece.”
“But he almost always, in symphonies and songs, ends with hope,” she added.
Michelle DeYoung, who was born in Grand Rapids while her father attended Calvin Theological Seminary, appears frequently with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras and the Cleveland Orchestra. Elsewhere, she has performed with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in the Netherlands, and the Sao Paulo Symphony in Brazil. In opera, she has appeared as Dalila in Samson et Dalila, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde; Herodias in Salome; Amneris in Aida; and as Fricka, Sieglinde and Waltraute in Wagner’s The Ring Cycle in such international opera houses as La Scala, Bayreuth Festival, Berliner Staatsoper, Opera National de Paris, and Tokyo Opera as well as in The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Seattle Opera in the United States.
Her past appearances with the Grand Rapids Symphony include Hector Berlioz’ The Damnation of Faust with the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus and Opera Grand Rapids Chorus in October 2003, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde during the orchestra’s 75th anniversary season in January 2005.
About 80 women from the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, directed by Pearl Shangkuan, will participate in the performance. Another 60 young singers including high school-age singers from the Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Chorus’s select ensemble, Mandala, and fourth, fifth and sixth graders from the Youth Chorus’s Junior Chorus, directed by Jackie Sonderfan-Schoon, also will perform.
Inside the Music, a free, pre-concert, multi-media presentation sponsored by BDO USA, will be held before each performance at 7 p.m. in the DeVos Place Recital Hall.
Tickets for the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical series start at $18 and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 am – 5 pm at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across the street from Calder Plaza). Call (616) 454-9451 x 4 to order by phone. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum).
Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 am – 6 pm or on the day of the concert beginning two hours before the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
