Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) will be playing out their final scenes in the final season of Game of Thrones. (Supplied/Helen Sloane/HBO)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
There are few “sure things” about HBO’s Game of Thrones: somebody’s gonna die in every episode — and usually not in a nice way; even avid fans have been, shall we say, getting a little winterized as the series dragged on the last couple of years; and, finally, the series’ final season will be a monster. Or maybe a dragon.
So there will be plenty of anticipation, and a some shedding of blood if not tears, when 20 Monroe Live presents a Game of Thrones (GoT) Season 8 Premiere Watch Party on Sunday, April 14, with complimentary tickets available.
The all-ages party will include watching the episode on a really big screen, raffle giveaways, a LARP (Live Action Role Playing) Battle of the Living vs. Dead, a cosplay costume contest, GoT-themed drinks and wine, and a photo booth for those not fully comfortable with the selfie thing.
The doors will open at 7:30 p.m., with the GoT Season 8 Episode 1 set to air at 9 p.m. Those attending are urged to bring their own seat (camping chairs, bean bags, blankets, etc.) as, according to supplied material, “Our floor is concrete.”
While there has been an almost wartime blackout of info about the final season of Game of Thrones, HBO has announced that there will be a six-episode, 8th and final season, airing at 9 p.m. (ET) Sundays, April 14-May 19, exclusively on HBO.
An interesting thing about the planned episodes are that they are not uniform in length. The premier and second episodes will be 54 and 58 minutes long, respectively. But the final four will be about 1 hour and 20 minutes each. Haven’t read anything as to why the abnormalities.
Of course, GoT has made a habit of not really being normal.
Quick ‘catch up’, which I am sure is flawed
The epic fantasy series, based on an adaptation of “A Song of Ice and Fire”, George R. R. Martin’s series of fantasy novels, the first of which is “A Game of Thrones”, premiered on HBO in 2011.
Just in case you haven’t been a fan and plan to catch up as the creators wrap up the series’ many loose ends in the final season, Mr. Martin’s world includes the fictional continent of Westeros, where most of the action takes place.
It also has a huge — though often short-lived — cast of mostly great actors/actresses ( Diana Rigg and Max von Sydow have both paid their time in fantasyland) and more storylines than you can shake a big, ol’ sword at.
But, basically, it has three main “story arcs.” The first arc is about the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, and the open and secret battles to control it — hint, there are few good guys trying to sit on the throne. The second focuses on the dragon lady —er, Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons (Emilia Clarke) — descendant of the realm’s deposed ruling dynasty. And, the third, the Night’s Watch, a group of soldiers guarding a huge wall against “wildlings” and the undead — and, no, it is not some metaphor for current American politics. I don’t think …
Anyway, the show has a ton of characters who come and go with some degree of regularity and violence — although at least two, maybe more, have died and come back got life.
And that brings us to a key question for the premiere episode of the final season: just which character is going to die?
I think the early favorite is the brainy but not very sexy Samwell Tarly (John Bradley), but my money is on the sexy but not very brainy “Kingslayer” Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau); he has done his final real task, impregnating his twin sister and current ruler of Westeros to continue the Lannister dynasty.
Oh, did I mention the nudity and sex? Remember, its HBO.
The details, should you need them
20 Monroe Live is located at 11 Ottawa Ave NW, Grand Rapids (attached to The BoB). To get your complimentary ticket (and a gift, we are told, as well as an extra raffle entry) visit here. To simply reserve your ticket from 20 Monroe, visit here or email RSVP20MonroeLive@LiveNation.com .
Tickets for the Sept. 19th Miranda Lambert’s ‘Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars’ tour (with very special guests Elle King, Pistol Annies, and Caylee Hammack) go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, April 12 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 pricing and availability.
What: Roadside Bars and Pink Guitars tour (Miranda Lambert with very special guests Elle King, Pistol Annies, and Caylee Hammack)
Grand Valley State University professor of psychology Dr. Michael Wolfe will present a lecture “Are we aware of our belief changes, and does it matter?” at the Wealthy Theater Annex front studio on Wednesday, April 10, at 7 p.m., in an event hosted by the Center for Inquiry (CFI) Michigan.
This event is free and open to the public. Suggested donation of $5. The Wealthy Theatre Annex is located at 1110 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids. For more information, visit here, and to learn about CFI Michigan, visit cfimichigan.org.
According to supplied information, Dr. Wolfe will describe recent research on belief change and the extent to which we are aware of changes to our beliefs.
A belief is defined as a statement about the truth value of something. Participants rate their beliefs on a subject. Later they read a one-sided text that is either consistent with or inconsistent with those beliefs, then are asked to try and remember how they rated those beliefs earlier. Awareness of belief change is found if subjects change their beliefs as a result of reading, and then can accurately report that they believed something different before the experiment.
The researchers also examine individual variation in people’s awareness of their belief changes to see if it relates to performance on other tasks. In particular, is it the case that people who are more aware of changes to their own beliefs are also more willing to seek out new information about the topic, while people who are less aware of their belief changes are less willing to seek out new information?
Dr. Wolfe will describe new research on people’s awareness of changes to their health status. Patients who participated in a longitudinal study of bariatric (weight loss) surgery rated their health every year for several years. They also rated how they perceived their health to have changed over the past year. The combination of these ratings makes it possible to examine the accuracy of their perceived changes in their health.
Dr. Wolfe is professor of psychology at Grand Valley State University and incoming chair of the Psychology Department. Dr. Wolfe received his PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Much of his research involves studies on reading comprehension and memory. In recent years, he has studied how and when beliefs may change as a result of reading, and the extent to which people are aware of these changes.
According to supplied information, the Center for Inquiry (CFI) Michigan is an Educational 501(c)3 Nonprofit that promotes and defends reason, science and freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavor.
A Life of Leadership explores the extraordinary life of Grand Rapidian Ralph W. Hauenstein. COL Hauenstein was a leader in the West Michigan community, remembered for his role as a journalist, his military and intelligence service, his dedication to the Catholic faith, his entrepreneurship, and his philanthropy in Grand Rapids. Hauenstein left a lasting legacy in the United States and around the world.
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1912, Hauenstein’s family moved to Grand Rapids when he was 12 years old and he graduated from Central High School in 1931. He was a public servant from his early years starting as a boy scout. Hauenstein was curious, inquisitive, and an exceptional storyteller, which led him to his first job as a police reporter for the Grand Rapids Press and later as a city editor with the Grand Rapids Herald.
Hauenstein joined the U.S. Army in 1935, serving first with the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1941 he began working as an intelligence officer in Iceland and rose to the rank of colonel. During World War II, he was promoted to Chief of Intelligence for the European Theater of Operations under General Dwight D. Eisenhower. An important part of his experience was the liberation of the German concentration camp at Dachau. His WWII experiences opened his eyes to the need for ethical, effective world leaders.
Hauenstein saw first-hand that many countries face food shortages. After the war he returned to Grand Rapids and became an entrepreneur in international trade and food equipment manufacturing, designing equipment to make Goldfish Crackers. His success in business allowed for substantial philanthropic contributions in Grand Rapids. He gave generously to many local causes and established the Grace Hauenstein Library at Aquinas College, Mercy Health Hauenstein Neuroscience Center and the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University.
The exhibition highlights Hauenstein’s extraordinary life, his contributions to our nation and community, and his legacy of leadership. Interactives allow visitors to test out writing a headline for the newspaper on an antique typewriter and try their hand at cracking a secret code. Photography from around the world brings visitors face-to-face with Hauenstein’s impact globally.
Ralph W. Hauenstein: A Life of Leadership is included with general admission to the Museum, and located on the Museum’s third floor.
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of: The Hauenstein Family and The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University. Images and objects on loan courtesy of Brian Hauenstein unless otherwise stated. The images in this exhibition were first digitized for public display by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University. Thank you also to the National Cryptologic Museum, NSA, Washington D.C. E
Farmers Alley Theatre welcomes Scott Moreau back to West Michigan for a special, one-weekend only concert event: LATE & ALONE: An Intimate Portrait of Johnny Cash April 12th & 13th.
Farmers Alley audiences will remember Scott from the record-breaking production of Million Dollar Quartet at the Little Theatre on Oakland Drive in December of 2016. Scott directed that sold-out run and pulled double duty as he portrayed the Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash.
Moreau comes to Kalamazoo direct from his sold-out performance at New York City’s famed 54 Below. Using anecdotes from his autobiography, multiple interviews, and live concerts, Scott tells Johnny’s story with his own words and songs. Featuring more than 20 songs from Johnny’s 40+ years in the music business, Moreau creates a stripped down look into the life of this American icon.
“Moreau channels the Man in Black and then some. He unleashes a voice that possesses not just Cash’s deep, rumbling, sepulchral timbre but also an astonishing power. This guy seems like he could knock down a brick wall just by singing at it.”
Boston Globe
LATE & ALONE: An Intimate Portrait of Johnny Cash has just two performances, April 12th & 13th at 8pm. Seating will be limited at the original black-box space at 221 Farmers Alley, so make your ticket reservations quickly by calling our Box Office at (269) 343-2727 or visiting www.farmersalleytheatre.com. Tickets are $30 general admission and $10 for students.
Calvin College hosts a series of shows throughout the year featuring national and international recording artists.
For April, the country duo Thompson Square makes at stop at the college’s Covenant Fine Arts Center, on Friday, April 5. The show, which will be acoustic, is at 8 p.m. with tickets $25.
The group is composed of husband-and-wife duo Keifer and Shawna Thompson. They are known for their number one hits “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” and “If I Didn’t Have You.” They have had multi-platinum international success and honors as vocal duo of the year from both the American Country Music and the Country Music Association awards. They recently released the album “Masterpiece,” with the title hit receiving positive reviews.
On April 13, Joy Williams will perform at 8 p.m at the college’s Covenant Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $20.
Joy Williams will perform on April 13.
Williams, who was born in Michigan, is one half of the folk rock duo Civil Wars. She has been working on a solo album and made her acting debut in 2016 in an episode of “Roadies.” She is also known for her recording of The Chainsmokers’ “Don’t Let Me Down,” which was used for a State Farm commercial in 2017.
The Covenant Fine Arts Center is located on the Calvin College campus, 3201 Burton St. SE. To get tickets for either show, call 616-526-6282 or visit www.calvin.edu/boxoffice.
By Colleen Cullison Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services
A new exhibit titled, “Stitched Lines,” by local artist and quilter Colleen Kole, opens at the Leep Art Gallery on April 4 at the Postma Center on the Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services campus in Grand Rapids.
Kole, a physical therapist for 20 years, used her hands constantly and her observational skills as well. She now uses the same hands and observational skills as a fiber artist whose medium is quiltmaking. She dyes her own fabrics and cuts freehand into the fabric using a rotary cutter. She then uses a design wall to compose her quilt. The final step is adding machine stitching to three layers which adds another level of texture and design to the piece.
“With this exhibit, ‘A Stich In Time,’ over the past few years, I have become fascinated with lines. A line can be divisive separating one thing from another. A line can make a shape. It can connect one point to another. It can be subtle or distinct. Changing the color of the line can make it strong or weak.
“In the works chosen for this exhibit, the line becomes an abstract representation of many things we hold close to our hearts. In the series Time Fragments, it represents memory and memory loss; Rooflines, the home and Transitions a sharp demarcation in the different transitions we encounter as we age. Finally, Do the Dance is representative of the perseverance we need in the midst of crisis. Quite simply I love a line. And all it may represents in our lives. May it not divide but connect.”
Kole is a member of the West Michigan Quilt Guild and the American Quilter’s Society, has many won awards and been in numerous exhibits. She also has been featured in several quilting magazines.
The Pine Rest Leep Art Gallery exhibit will be on display at the Postma Center located at 300 68th Street, SE, Grand Rapids, Mich., from April 3 to June 28, 2019. The Leep Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 616.222.4530 or go to www.pinerest.org/leep-art-gallery .
The world premiere of Sheets of Sand, based on Northville native Natalie Lomske’s winning screenplay, hits the big screen Monday, April 29th at the State Theatre in Traverse City. The story centers on a young woman with mild Cerebral Palsy and her emerging self-confidence in a world of prejudice and judgment.
Lomske’s script was jury-selected by 19 film professionals from a field of 34 entries in ProjectCinemaMI.org‘s competition. She received $500 and the opportunity to have her script crafted into a short film by Brauer Productions, Inc. Project Cinema MI created the competition to offer writers the chance to share their work and compete in this unique project.
During production, six professional film department heads mentored nine interns from the TBA Career Tech Center, NMC Audio Technology Department and other enthusiastic individuals. Interns learned the physical, mental, creative and social skills required to produce a dramatic film.
In addition to the film, there will be a screening of a short behind-the-scenes video created by UpNorth TV. A lively Q & A will follow with the producers.
When: Monday, April 29, 2019, 6-7pm
Where: State Theatre, Traverse City
Tickets are $5
All proceeds will be divided between:
Disability Network Northern Michigan
PCMI for future projects.
The State Theatre
ProjectCinemaMI.org is non-profit community filmmaking project that focuses on a hands-on experience that teaches the filmmaking process to all ages and skill levels. The goal is to promote cultural/art enrichment and professional development through an active learning environment run by professional filmmakers and is made possible from generous contributions from supportive Traverse City individuals and businesses.
WKTV Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma with (from left) actor Breighanna Minnema, actor Heather Cregg, choreographer Torrey Thomas and director Bruce Tinker. (WKTV)
In our first Local Entertaining podcast, WKTV Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma sits down with Grand Rapids Civic Theatre Director Bruce Tinker, Choreographer Torrey Thomas, and actors Heather Cregg and Breighanna Minnema to discuss the recent production of “Mamma Mia!.”
Check out the podcast by clicking here or going to “Podcasts” on our home page.
In this podcast, the group talks about everything from auditioning to performing.
Tinker discusses about how Grand Rapids Civic Theatre is often looking at scripts five years out and in the case of “Mamma Mia!” had been considering it for almost 20 years. The company had a highly successful three-week run, adding two more shows to the schedule just to accommodate demand. Tinker noted they could have probably continued running the show for awhile.
To see a recorded video of the podcast, head to The Whole Picture Podcasts on Facebook or click here.
Make sure to stay tune with Locally Entertaining as we explore the West Michigan arts scene. If you have an idea for the podcast, contact Joanne Bailey-Boorsma at joanne@wktv.org.
Woodland Mall will begin their season of the Bunny (photos) this weekend. (Supplied Graphic)
By Woodland Mall
Woodland Mall is preparing for the arrival of spring by hosting a series of events to help shoppers welcome spring with beautiful displays, special events, fashion, dining and entertainment options for those looking to celebrate with family or friends, and even pets.
The Mad Hatter Tea Party, an Enchanted Spring Party with Mermaids and Unicorns and family pet photos with the bunny are all in store at Woodland Mall in the coming weeks. Shoppers will also find the latest spring fashion trends to freshen their wardrobes.
“After an especially harsh end of winter, the arrival of spring could not be more welcome,” said Cecily McCabe, Woodland Mall marketing director. “Woodland Mall is pleased to provide fashion trends and family-friendly events that are fitting for the holidays year-round.”
Bunny photos begin Saturday, March 30, with two new fresh photo options and will be available for photos in Macy’s Court through Saturday, April 20. New this year, a second photo backdrop will be available for spring family photos in addition to traditional bunny photos. Pets are welcome to take part in family photos all day Mondays. For photo hours and pricing, please visit shopwoodlandmall.com.
For the more whimsical at heart, families can also attend the Mad Hatter Tea Party on Saturday, March 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event takes a fun and interactive twist on the Lewis Carroll classic story, to make photos with the bunny even more magical.
The Alice in Wonderland-themed tea party will include a special story time event presented by Barnes & Noble, sing-a-long songs, spring-themed crafts and coloring activities. Guests will receive a free gift with purchase of bunny photo. Tickets for the event are free but spots do fill up quickly, so those interested are asked to reserve a ticket online.
Members of the mall’s rewards program, PREIT Perks, receive an exclusive treat during the event: face painting. To sign up for PREIT Perks, find a kiosk in Woodland Mall or visit Woodland Mall online.
Also, for little ones who love mermaids and unicorns, be sure to mark the calendar for the Enchanted Spring Party on Saturday, April 13. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Macy’s Court, children will have the opportunity to meet a real mermaid and pose for an under-the-sea-themed photo, ride a unicorn and create a craft to take home.
The Bunny will also be available for photos during the event. Attendees who purchase a bunny or mermaid photo will receive a free gift. More information can be found online.
By Mike Klompstra, SMG Van Andel Arena & DeVos Place
Adam Sandler will be traveling across North America with his 100% Fresher tour this summer starting June 1st in Chicago, Illinois, before making a stop in Grand Rapids at SMG-managed Van Andel Arena at 8pm on Thursday, June 6, 2019.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, March 29 at 10am and 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. See Ticketmaster.com for all current pricing and availability.
A successful actor, writer, producer, and musician, Sandler has been performing for live audiences on a sold-out tour over the last couple of years across the U.S. and Canada. 100% Fresh was released on Netflix on October 23, 2018, and marked Sandler’s first comedy special in twenty years. In conjunction with Netflix, Warner Bros. Records released the audio companion to Sandler’s critically acclaimed Netflix special, 100% Fresh: A Netflix Original Comedy Special, on all streaming services and CD on March 22nd. Sandler’s comedy albums on Warner Bros. Records have gone multi-platinum and have collectively sold more than six million copies to date.
Beyond his beloved standup, Sandler’s films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide. His newest film Murder Mystery will stream on Netflix June 14th, with an all-star international cast including Jennifer Aniston and Luke Evans. Sandler will also star in the Safdie Brothers’ Uncut Gems out later this year.
Es difícil evitar el tema de las fronteras, ya que está en las noticias, las redes sociales y las mentes y bocas del público. A veces parecería que las divisiones sociales son grietas que se hacen cada vez más profundas, y los puentes brillan por su ausencia. Si al leer esto usted está asintiendo con la cabeza, le invitamos a marcar en su calendario las fechas del próximo Festival de Cine Latinoamericano de Grand Rapids (GRLAFF, por sus siglas en inglés), que tendrá lugar del 5 al 7 de abril del 2019.
Ganador del Premio Grandy 2018 al mejor evento artístico del año, el GRLAFF anuncia su novena temporada con un nuevo lema: “Cine Sin Fronteras”. Los organizadores eligieron esta frase porque refleja el deseo de propiciar el diálogo entre culturas y enriquecer el tejido social de la comunidad. Con esto en mente, el GRLAFF le presenta a la comunidad del Oeste de Michigan la oportunidad de vivir una experiencia inolvidable, no solo a través de imágenes impresionantes e historias singulares proyectadas en la pantalla gigante, sino también mediante la interacción personal con directores de películas, panelistas locales y otros miembros del público que asiste al Festival.
Durante el primer fin de semana de abril, el Festival inundará el Wealthy Theatre en Grand Rapids con figuras, sonidos y sabores de América Latina. “Estoy ansiosa por ver cómo responde el público a lo que tenemos planeado para 2019”, dice Mayra Fortes, profesora de Grand Valley State University y co-presidenta del Comité Organizador del GRLAFF. “Cada año, más personas de la comunidad asisten al Festival, y a los organizadores nos encanta escuchar cuánto disfrutaron el evento – desde las propias películas hasta los diálogos y la comida”. En el auditorio principal del teatro, a lo largo de tres días el Festival presentará ocho largometrajes, elegidos con mucho cuidado, de Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Paraguay y la República Dominicana, además del filme chileno Una mujer fantástica, que ganó el Oscar a la mejor película extranjera en el 2018.
Varios de los filmes este año serán seguidos por paneles con expertos locales sobre los temas puestos de relieve en las películas. El GRLAFF 2019 también revivirá una tradición de temporadas anteriores al presentar una selección de cortometrajes galardonados de Argentina, México, Chile, Colombia y Venezuela, el sábado a mediodía en el auditorio principal. Cada día habrá una oportunidad de probar bocadillos latinoamericanos preparados por restaurantes locales y de dialogar con directores, panelistas y otros miembros del público en el área de recepción del teatro.
No se pierda la oportunidad de conocer al director dominicano Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, quien presentará su película Cocote el viernes por la tarde. Cocote cuenta la historia de Alberto, un jardinero evangélico que regresa a su pueblo natal para asistir al entierro de su padre, pero que dentro de poco cae en cuenta de que éste fue asesinado y su familia lo ha llamado para vengar su muerte. El sábado por la tarde, el Festival contará con la presencia de Daresha Kyi, co-directora de Chavela. El documental, una coproducción entre Estados Unidos y México, es un retrato de la cantante costarricense Chavela Vargas, querida primero en México y más tarde en todo el mundo por su interpretación de rancheras tradicionales, a pesar de que su estilo de vida y su apariencia no encajaban con las normas sociales del día.
Estas oportunidades especiales de dialogar con directores visitantes son una de las cosas que más valoran los miembros de la comunidad que año tras año asisten al GRLAFF. “El Festival es importante porque es muy raro que veamos películas hechas por y para latinoamericanos”, dice Erika Carolina VanDyke, Coordinadora de Comunicaciones del Latino Community Coalition, una coalición de organizaciones basada en Grand Rapids. El año pasado, VanDyke asistió a la presentación de la película colombiana Jericó, y disfrutó de la sesión de preguntas y respuestas con la directora, Catalina Mesa. “El poder escuchar a la señorita Mesa, una paisana mía, y conocerla después, fue una experiencia que no olvidaré. Su película y su presencia hicieron que Colombia se sintiera un poco más cerca de Grand Rapids”, añade.
Si busca entretener a sus chiquillos y ofrecerles una conexión con la cultura latinoamericana, pues ¿por qué no traerlos al GRLAFF 2019? La asistencia al estreno de eventos para niños en el 2018 superó las expectativas de los organizadores, y un asistente al Festival comentó que “la programación para niños fue genial”. A petición del público, el Festival ha ampliado su programación para familias y la ofrecerá tanto el sábado como el domingo. Se presentará una película colombiana de dibujos animados, El libro de Lila, el sábado por la mañana en el auditorio principal, y un espectáculo de títeres en vivo, ambos días por la tarde en el micro-cine.
Como es de costumbre, el Festival es gratuito para toda la comunidad, gracias a la generosidad de los socios y patrocinadores de GRLAFF, y a las donaciones de parte del público. Los interesados pueden hacer su donación en persona durante el Festival, o por internet en grlaff.org/donate. La cantidad sugerida es de $5.00.
¿Qué? Festival de Cine Latinoamericano de Grand Rapids
¿Cuándo? 5-7 de abril de 2019
¿Dónde? Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Asegúrese de visitar el sitio web del Festival para planear su visita y de seguir al Festival en Twitter, Facebook y Instagram para mantenerse al día con las novedades, siempre con el nombre de usuario @GRLAFF y el hashtag #GRLAFF2019.
Getting up close and personal with the butterflies at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is Charlotte Chase from Shelbyville. (Meochia Nochi Thompson)
By Meochia Nochi Thompson WKTV Community Contributor
The fluttering you hear at Meijer Gardens this time of year isn’t your heart beating with excitement. It is the butterflies! They were on full display since March 1 and will stay until April 30 during the 24th Annual Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition. Seven thousand tropical butterflies and fifty different species from all over the world are featured. It is the largest, temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the nation. Also, there is a new and improved Observation Station which allows visitors to see the butterflies arise from their chrysalides and cocoons before being released into the conservatory.
The butterflies roam freely amongst visitors intrigued by their bright colors, size variations and beautiful patterns unique to each kind. They all seem to have their own personalities and appear just as excited to see their visitors, including one that landed on the ground to apparently, show off. It appeared injured as it stood in the middle of the crowd but after Charlotte Chase, age 6, looked closer, she knew better. The butterfly, peacefully, climbed onto one of her welcoming finger, flapped its wings for a bit and flew away. Then, it came back again and playfully landed on another visitor. Charlotte and her father Randall came all the way from Shelbyville to see the butterflies, and this time, their little family tradition really proved worth it.
Charlotte Chase of Shelbyville makes a new friend at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Meochia Nochi Thompson_
“We have come to the Gardens every year since my daughter was a little girl around one or two years old,” said Randall Chase. “We make it a habit as a part of our daddy daughter bonding time. We check out the butterflies, take a bunch of pictures and keep a bunch of memories.”
If you plan on visiting the butterflies, remember to wear bright colors to attract them. Also, dress light because the exhibit is 85 degrees with a humidity at 70 percent.
There is plenty of educational programing about the butterflies throughout Meijer Gardens including butterfly-themed activities in the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden. Don’t miss your chance to see the butterflies. Meijer Garden will stay open late during Spring Break, Monday, April 1 to Friday, April 5, 9 a.m. -9 p.m.
For more on the Butterflies Are Blooming or the Fredreik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, visit meijergardens.org.
Asleep at the Wheel’s current line-up is a mix o f founding members and new faces. (Supplied)
By St. Cecilia Music Center
St. Cecilia Music Center (SCMC) has added another concert to their 2018-19 Acoustic Café Folk series. Asleep at the Wheel, 10 GRAMMY Award winners with more than 25 studio and live albums to their 48-year history, will perform on April 11, 2019. Don’t miss out — get your tickets today.
The band will return to St. Cecilia with a new recording in their playlist. New Routes marks both a new path forward and a nod to the freewheeling roots of one of Texas’ most beloved bands.
After a decade of collaborating on records with friends, including Willie Nelson on 2009’s Willie and the Wheel, and paying ongoing tribute to the groundbreaking music of Western Swing pioneer Bob Wills, the Wheel is marking 2018 with their first album of new material in a decade.
With a fresh lineup, a bracing blend of original songs and vibrant cover material and some unanticipated new musical tangents, Asleep at the Wheel demonstrates convincingly it’s more relevant, enjoyable and musically nimble than any time in its 45-year history.
“It took me 60 years, but I’m doing what I’m meant to do—singing and playing and writing better than I ever have. A bandleader is just someone who gathers people around them to play the best music they can play. The idea is to feature everyone in the band,” founder Ray Benson says.
SCMC Executive Director Cathy Holbrook added, “We are so happy to bring Asleep at the Wheel back to Grand Rapids. They have a great loyal following and their new music will be highly anticipated by an eager crowd.”
Concert tickets for Asleep at the Wheel are $43 and $38. All concert tickets 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 here.
A post-concert “Meet-the-artist” party, with complimentary wine and beer from the folk series sponsor Greyline Brewing, will be offered to all ticket-holders giving the audience the opportunity to meet the artists and to obtain signed CDs of their releases.
Coming up: Guitarist Leo Kottke will return to SCMC on April 18, 2019. Over his many years of writing and performing, Kottke has composed scores for film soundtracks, children’s shows, and a symphony, as well as, released many albums. Focusing primarily on instrumental composition and playing, Kottke also sings sporadically, in an unconventional yet expressive baritone. In concert, Kottke intersperses humorous and monologues with vocal and instrumental selections played solo on his 6- and 12-string guitars.
The Lowell Showboat Sizzlin’ Summer Concerts are presented by LowellArts and the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. This outdoor concert series runs June 13 to Aug. 22, 2019. Thursday evening concerts begin at 7pm along the Flat River, 113 Riverwalk Plaza, in downtown Lowell, MI.
Food and spirits are available for purchase. Admission to the concerts and parking are free. The concerts draw upwards of 1,000 visitors each week. The concert venue is wheelchair-accessible. Bleacher seating is available or attendees can bring their own folding chair.
The Black Keys have confirmed their extensive, thirty-one-date arena tour of North America — and the “Let’s Rock” Tour will hit Grand Rapids at SMG-managed Van Andel Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, at 7pm. Special guests Modest Mouse will provide support on all dates, and Jessy Wilson will also open the Grand Rapids show.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, March 22 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.
Citi is the official presale credit card of The Black Keys — “Let’s Rock” Tour. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Tuesday, March 19 at 11am local time until Thursday, March 21 at 10pm local time through Citi’s Private Pass program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com/.
Fans on Van Andel Arena’s email list will also have access to a presale beginning Thursday, March 21. To gain access, sign up to the arena’s email list here by Wednesday, March 20 at 3pm local time.
Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys have released eight studio albums: their debut The Big Come Up (2002), followed by Thickfreakness (2003) and Rubber Factory (2004), along with their releases on Nonesuch Records, Magic Potion (2006), Attack & Release (2008), Brothers (2010), El Camino (2011), and, most recently, Turn Blue (2014). The band has won six Grammy Awards and headlined festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Governors Ball.
Dario Robleto (American, b. 1972), Survival Does Not Lie in the Heavens, 2012. Digital inkjet print mounted on Sintra, a collection of stage lights taken from the album covers of live performances of now deceased Gospel, Blues and Jazz musicians, Triptych, 31 x 31 inches, 46 x 46 inches, and 31 x 31 inches. (Grand Rapids Art Museum)
The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) is excited to announce the spring return of its bi-annual celebration of art and floral design, Art in Bloom(March 22 – 24, 2019). The one-weekend-only exhibition and competition presents the work of talented floral designers from across West Michigan.
Art in Bloom celebrates the arrival of spring at GRAM by inviting the region’s floral designers to create thought-provoking and elegantly crafted arrangements, all inspired by works in the Museum’s collection. The floral designs emphasize, challenge, and build upon elements and concepts within a selected work of art, creating a dialogue between the two works. The floral designs will be presented alongside the artwork in GRAM’s Level 3 galleries.
“We’re thrilled for the return of Art in Bloom to the Grand Rapids Art Museum,” commented GRAM Communications Manager Elizabeth Payne. “See the first signs of spring at GRAM and experience the Museum’s art collection alongside the creativity and talent of our region’s floral professionals.”
The 2019 Art in Bloom line-up features 17 floral designers and their interpretation of 17 works from the Museum’s collection on view—ranging from Robert Rauschenberg’s Sterling/Whirl toHans Arp’s La Sainte de la Lisiere.
Hector Guimard (French, 1867 – 1942), Balcony Railing, 1909 – 1911. Iron, 35.5 x 64 x 7 inches. (Grand Rapids Art Museum)
A panel comprised of floral and art experts and members of the Grand Rapids creative community will select the Juried Winner, which will be announced at the opening reception of Art in Bloom on Friday, March 22. Visitors can cast a vote for their favorite floral arrangement for the selection of the People’s Choice Award, to be announced on Sunday, March 24 at 2 pm.
The three-day exhibition and competition include a full floral-focused schedule of events throughout the Museum.
Support for Art in Bloom is generously provided by Karl and Patricia Betz, Gregg and Rajene Betz, Kimberly and David Moorhead, Janet Gatherer Boyles and John Boyles, Patricia and Charles Bloom, Reagan Marketing + Design, LLC, West Michigan Master Gardeners Association, and Holland Litho Printing Service.
About the Grand Rapids Art Museum Connecting people through art, creativity, and design. Established in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, the Art Museum is internationally known for its distinguished design and LEED® Gold certified status. Established in 1910 as the Grand Rapids Art Association, GRAM has grown to include more than 5,000 works of art, including American and European 19th and 20th-century painting and sculpture and more than 3,000 works on paper. Embracing the city’s legacy as a leading center of design and manufacturing, GRAM has a growing collection in the area of design and modern craft.
For GRAM’s hours and admission fees, call 616.831.1000 or visit artmuseumgr.org.
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma joanne@wktv.org Video by Anna Devarenne
Grand Rapids Ballet Junior Company Artistic Director Attila Mosolygo admits that or most people, when you mention “Beauty and the Beast,” they immediately think of the Disney version.
The junior company’s “Beauty and the Beast” production, which opens today, is actually based on the book.
“It is all your favorite characters and the same storyline, but just slightly different from the Disney version,” Mosolygo said.
Belle—a bright, beautiful young woman—is taken prisoner by a beast in its castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the beast’s hideous exterior, allowing her to recognize the kind heart and soul of the true prince that hides on the inside.
“We did ‘Beauty and the Beast’ about five years ago and I thought it would be an appropriate time to visit an old favorite story with a brand new cast and some updated costumes and scenery,” Mosolygo said.
The show is about an hour long, making it perfect for families with small and older children, Mosolygo said, adding that “besides opening night all productions are matinees so it is a great time for families to come.”
So the only evening production is tonight, March 15, at 7:30 p.m. All other showtimes are 2 p.m. March 16 , 17, 23, and 24. All performances are at the Ballet’s Peter Martin Wege Theatre, 341 Ellsworth Ave. SW. Tickets that are available are $18. For tickets, visit grballet.com or call 616-454-4771, ext. 10.
“Bodies Revealed” will allow people to learn about their own bodies. (Premier Exhibitions, Inc.)
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced today that after nearly a decade, the exhibition Bodies Revealed will return to the Museum this November. The exhibition features real, whole and partial body specimens that have been preserved through an innovative process, giving visitors the opportunity to view the complexity of their own organs and systems like never before.
Opening November 16, 2019, Bodies Revealed will allow people to learn about their own bodies and, ultimately, teach how to take better care of one’s own health and make positive lifestyle choices. In this phenomenal exhibition about the amazing and complex machine we call the human body, more than a dozen full body human specimens and hundreds of organs are respectfully displayed to tell the story of the miraculous systems at work within each of us. With a reverent, academic approach, this display allows people of all ages to more closely observe the skeletal, muscular, nervous, digestive, respiratory, reproductive and circulatory systems, and to absorb information normally reserved only for medical professionals.
The blood vessels in a hand. (Premier Exhibitions, Inc.)
“Bodies Revealed is an incredible learning opportunity that will enlighten, empower, fascinate and inspire curiosity in Museum visitors,” said Dale Robertson, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. “It is rare to get such an in-depth educational and professional look at our amazing bodies and the complicated way they work – this exhibition gives us this opportunity. We are thrilled to bring this exhibition back to West Michigan.”
Many of the whole body specimens are presented in vivid athletic poses that allow visitors to better understand their own everyday motions and activities, while other specimens illustrate the damage that can be caused to organs by habits like over-eating, lack of exercise and smoking.
The human body specimens in the exhibition are preserved through a technique called polymer preservation. The process permanently preserves human tissue through the use of liquid silicone rubber that is treated and hardened. The result is a rubberized specimen, preserved to the cellular level, showcasing the complexity of the body’s many bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels and organs.
“The educational impact of this exhibition is immeasurable,” said Roy Glover, Ph.D., professor emeritus of anatomy and cell biology at the University of Michigan and chief medical director for Bodies Revealed.
Bodies Revealed will open at the GRPM on November 16, 2019. Tickets will go on sale Fall of 2019. Bodies Revealed is brought to the GRPM by Premier Exhibitions, Inc.
Bodies Revealed is sponsored by David & Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, Bank of America, Meijer, The Steve & Amy Van Andel Foundation, Lacks Enterprises, Inc., Williams Kitchen & Bath, Media Place Partners, AMR of West Michigan and Hope Network Foundation.
Michigan is home to more lighthouses than any other state and some 30 of those are rumored to be haunted by the spirits of former keepers, mariners, and others with ties to these historic beacons.
Inside the pages of “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses,” long-time writer and promoter of all things Michigan, Dianna Stampfler, shares stories of those who dedicated their lives—and afterlives—to protecting the Great Lakes shoreline. The 144-page book, part of The History Press “Haunted America” series, is now available for purchase online at MiHauntedLighthouses.com for $19.99 (plus shipping/handling and tax). All copies purchased from the author are autographed and/or personalized.
“I have been researching, writing and presenting programs about Michigan’s lighthouses and their keepers for more than 20 years,” says Stampfler, who launched her company Promote Michigan in 2004 after serving for seven years as the marketing and media director with the West Michigan Tourist Association.
“I am honored that The History Press contacted me asking if I was interested in writing a book for them. I know many of these stories intimately, but I’ve been digging in even more to find photos, historical records, newspaper clippings and other details that shed light on the history of these beacons. I have even uncovered some facts that contradict what I previously believed about some of the keepers, which is exciting to me and hopefully to my readers.”
Throughout the year, Stampfler will present several public programs at libraries around the state where she will share these spirited stories – including the premiere date on Friday, March 22 at the Historical Society of Michigan’s Local History Conference in Sterling Heights. For the schedule of upcoming events, or to book a program, visit the Promote MichiganSpeaker’s Bureau online.
Stampfler has been professionally writing and broadcasting since high school. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in Community Journalism and Communications with an emphasis in radio broadcasting from Western Michigan University. She is a member of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, Great Lakes Maritime Museum, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, Historical Society of Michigan, Michigan Maritime Museum, National Museum of the Great Lakes and West Michigan Tourist Association. Stampfler was born and raised in Plainwell but currently lives in Walloon Lake, where she welcomes visits from her two adult children, her family, and friends.
It has motivated the work of nearly every great composer to follow in the history of Western Classical music. It continues to inspire those who hear it more than 269 years after Bach’s death.
The 12th biennial Grand Rapids Bach Festival, the first under its new Artistic Director Julian Wachner, returns to West Michigan in March with a week of concerts and activities celebrating the life and work of the composer whose music represents the pinnacle of the Baroque Era.
An affiliate of the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Grand Rapids Bach Festival will present the inaugural Linn Maxwell Keller Distinguished Bach Musician Award, a $10,000 cash prize in memory of Keller, an accomplished singer who founded the festival in 1997.
Julian Wachner, a keyboardist, conductor, composer and a Grammy nominated recording artist, serves as Director of Music and the Arts at New York City’s historic Trinity Church Wall Street, and Wachner will bring his 28-voice choir to Grand Rapids during the eight-day festival opening March 17. The Bach Festival Artistic Director chair is sponsored by John & Mary Loeks | Studio C.
“Bach has been a lifelong fascination and passion of mine,” said Wachner, who grew up in a musical family. “I started playing Bach before I could speak.”
The Grand Rapids Bach Festival Artistic Director Julian Wachner servers as Director of Music and the Arts at New York City’s historic Trinity Church Wall Street. (Supplied)
At Trinity Church Wall Street, which is just down the street from the World Trade Center and 9/11 Memorial, Wachner has been leading performances of the choral and orchestral music of J.S. Bach every week for more than six years.
“I’m really excited about bringing that experience to Grand Rapids,” he said. “There have been incredible artists who have joined the Grand Rapids Bach Festival including pianist Angela Hewitt and the Bach Collegium Japan under the director of Masaki Suzuki.”
“It’s an incredible honor to follow in all of their footsteps in being part of this wonderful festival,” Wachner said.
Besides musical performances, “Bach in the City” will include such activities as BACHBends yoga and KinderBACH for young children and adults. Locally, the Donut Conspiracy and Love’s Ice Cream have created special, limited-time taste treats especially for the 12th biennial festival.
Several events are free admission or freewill offering thanks to the support of major sponsors including: Prince Conference Center at Calvin College; Daniel L. & Ellen VanderMey; Grand Rapids Community College; and the Cathedral of Saint Andrews.
Dashon Burton is one of the Grand Rapids Bach Festival soloists. (Photo by Tatiana Daubek)
Bach Pass
The Grand Rapids Bach Festival’s Bach Pass, which admits holders to all ticketed concerts and provides preferred seating at free events, is available for $40 adults, $20 students. Order online.
Single tickets are available in advance or at the door for Grand Rapids Bach Festival programs. The GRS ticket office is open 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.)
Nola Richardson is competing in the GR Bach Festival Linn Maxwell Keller Award. (Supplied)
Festival schedule
Sunday, March 17 BACH IN SACRED SPACES Sunday morning Area Churches Grand Rapids Symphony musicians
Musicians of the Grand Rapids Symphony present the music of J.S. Bach and other composers inspired by Bach in Sunday services in centers of worship throughout the community to comfort and inspire. A jubilant opening to this year’s festival, presented free of charge.Tickets for these concerts are FREE
During his life, J.S. Bach was little-known as a composer, but he was widely regarded as one of the greatest organ virtuosos of his day. Bach’s music for organ has astonished and mesmerized audiences ever since. Three powerful showpieces, including Charles-Marie Widor’s famous Toccata, will thunder from 3,883 pipes of the Wicks Organ in the Basilica of St. Adalbert. As a bonus, Bach Festival Artistic Director Julian Wachner will improvise at the keyboard based on themes suggested by the audience. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students. Free with the 2019 GR Bach Festival’s Bach Pass.
Hear the next generation of voices in a FREE concert showcasing the six Keller Award semi-finalists. The $10,000 Linn Maxwell Keller Distinguished Bach Musician Award competition aims to encourage and support gifted young singers in pursuit of professional careers in music. During each Festival cycle, one award of $10,000 will be granted, with intention to advance the career and professional developments of the recipient. Tickets for this concert are FREE
Tuesday, March 19 MARIMBACH 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Grand Rapids Symphony percussion section
It’s Bach – with a backbeat! In the reverberant, Romanesque splendor of Fountain Street Church, a battery of percussion and percussionists will present MarimBACH – thrilling, percussive pronouncements on the Baroque. Tickets for this concert are FREE
“Terrific,” raves the Chicago Tribune of young organ sensation Isabelle Demers, who has attracted a legion of followers. “Her technical and musical dexterity proved that the next generation of organists is well capable of carrying the profession forward,” declared The American Organist. Experience her artistry on Grace Episcopal Church’s three-manual, 40-rank Noack tracker organ. FREE will offering
Wednesday, March 20 BACHBENDS 12 p.m. Wednesday, St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 7 p.m. Wednesday, First United Methodist Church, 227 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI 49503
J.S. Bach’s masterful counterpoint can provide the perfect accompaniment to lead you through such yoga poses as tree, warrior or downward-facing dog. Licensed yoga instructor and WOTV’s wellness expert Michele Fife leads a specially-curated playlist for both restorative and flow-type classes. Don’t just sit and listen when you can listen, feel and move. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students. Free with the 2019 GR Bach Festival’s Bach Pass.
The three finalists of the $10,000 Linn Maxwell Keller Distinguished Bach Musician Award competition will perform a FREE recital. Each candidate will perform two contrasting arias by J.S. Bach plus one vocal work by another composer of the singer’s choice. Tickets for this concert are FREE
From the famous Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street will travel to Grand Rapids to perform Bach’s Mass in A for choir, flute, strings and basso continuo, and Julian Wachner’s own Epistle Mass, which draws upon 1,000 years of musical influences from Gregorian Chant to contemporary times. Enjoy the music in historic St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, the oldest existing public building in Grand Rapids, dating from 1848. Tickets are $15 adults, $5 students. Free with the 2019 GR Bach Festival’s Bach Pass.
Bach composed more than 200 cantatas. This aching, exquisite trio of cantatas can be counted among his most personal. The radiant Cantata No. 170 surveys the world and begs for release. Cantata No. 51 is a sterling duet for soprano and trumpet. And, in “Ich habe genung,” as the solo tenor’s flesh weakens, his spirit soars. His weary words are frequently punctuated by pauses, and in those long pauses is heard the most poignant music of all. The truths found in Bach’s music will reveal themselves in the Tiffany windowed First United Methodist Church. Tickets are $5. Free with the 2019 GR Bach Festival’s Bach Pass.
Saturday, March 23 KINDERBACH 11 a.m. Saturday Phyllis Fratzke Early Childhood Learning Laboratory at GRCC, 200 Lyon St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Join us for an opportunity to play with your little one in an hour-long interactive KinderBach class. Inspired by Anna Harwell Celenza’s book, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the session will be led by a Grand Rapids Symphony musician and a dancer from Grand Rapids Ballet. Tickets are $10 adult plus one child (age 5 and under). Free with the 2019 GR Bach Festival’s Bach Pass.
Soprano Molly Netter is another Grand Rapids Bach Festival soloist. (Supplied)
Music for the season as well as music for all seasons. Bach’s Magnificat, his first liturgical composition with a text in Latin, soars and sings, inspiring choirs and listeners for nearly three centuries. Cantata No. 110 radiates joy for the coming of man with alternating biblical texts and arias. And Martin Luther’s own hymn is rejuvenated centuries later by Igor Stravinsky. The Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus joins soloists and orchestra for the performance in the sonic splendor of the Basilica of St. Adalbert. Tickets are $26 adults, $5 students. Free with the 2019 GR Bach Festival’s BachPass.
Sunday, March 24 BACH IN SACRED SPACES Sunday Area Churches Grand Rapids Symphony Musicians
In the spirit of Bach’s evergreen renewal of the soul, the festival concludes as it began as musicians from the Symphony again perform in Grand Rapids churches. All events are FREE, and bring the festival to a glorious conclusion – until 2021! Tickets for these concerts are FREE
Pianist Wu Han, violinists Arnaud Sussman and Alexander Sitkovetsky, and cellist Nicholas Canellakis. (Supplied/St. Cecilia)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center returns to St. Cecilia Music Center on Thursday, March 14, in a program entitled “Russian Mastery” and featuring works by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Arensky. The Chamber Music Society artists who will perform include co-artistic director and pianist Wu Han, violinists Arnaud Sussman and Alexander Sitkovetsky, and cellist Nicholas Canellakis.
“Every concert at SCMC performed by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is amazing to watch with artistry that is always flawless,” SCMC executive director Cathy Holbrook said in supplied material. “We are so lucky to have these brilliant musicians take the stage in Royce Auditorium. … We are also very excited to have Wu Han … back to provide background on some of the wonderful music they will be performing.”
According to supplied material, “Russia’s vastly expressive music over time has told the story of its country and people, painting a picture through music of its turbulent historical landscape. Specifically, the Prokofiev Two Violin Sonata, written in 1932, stands apart as an audaciously creative work from the period between World War I and World War II, while the remaining works will be glorious musical outpourings of the age of the Tsars and the Russian Empire.”
The selections to be performed include: Trio élégiaque in G minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello — Sergei Rachmaninov, composer; Souvenir d’un lieu cherfor Violin and Piano, Op. 42 — Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer; Sonata in C major for Two Violins, Op. 56 — Sergei Prokofiev, composer; Romance and Oriental Dance for Cello and Piano — Sergei Rachmaninov, composer; and Trio No. 1 in D minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 32 — Anton Arensky, composer.
The final CMS of Lincoln Center concert for this season will take place April 25, titled From Mendelssohn” will feature works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.
Tickets for the March 14 and April 25 concerts 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.
Becoming an opera singer is a difficult dream to achieve with success being even harder than making it on an NFL team. Couple it with the challenges of coming from a low-income housing project in Virginia and having a temper that lands you in juvenile detention, and well it would appear that Ryan Speedo Green would never make it the stage of The Metropolitan Opera.
But nine years after seeing his first opera at the age of 15, bass-bartonie Speedo was performing at The Met. His journey is chronicled in the book “Speedo Green: Sing For Your Life,” which he will discuss Thursday, March 26, at DeVos Performance Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. SW. Joining Speedo will be his author Daniel Bergner.
“When I was in fourth grade, nine to eleven years old, I was in a class with six of seven of the worst kids in the school district in southeastern Virginia. I was taught by this five-foot one, tiny blonde curly-hair lady..,” said Speedo during a 2016 interview with Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show.”
“The first thing I did on the first day of school was throw my desk at her and telling her that I would not be taught by a white woman. And instead of sending me to the office for my mother to take me home, she took my chair away and said you can learn from the floor and when you are ready to learn from your desk you can have both your chair and your desk back.”
This was the first tough love lesson that Speedo had ever received.
“She made it a point to teach everyone in the class, of all ethnicities, the Martin Luther King speech, ‘I Have a Dream speech,’” Speedo said during “The Daily Mail” interview. “And she made all of us learn it and memorize it and say it almost every day because she wanted all of us to know that in her class you would not be judged by the color of your skin but by the content of your character, and that stayed with me.
However, after leaving the “safety” of that classroom, Speedo continued to lash out, threatening to stab his mother and brother. He was sent to juvenile detention, landing in solitary confinement for lashing out at the other inmates.
“When I got out, I made the decision to surround myself with not only the right people but the right environment,” Speedo said, adding he sought out extra curricular activities, joining football and even Latin Club because it was so different from his home life.
“I took choir as an easy elective so I thought I would have this amazing football career, obviously that didn’t work out,” he said with a laugh.
Instead, at the age of 15, Speedo would see his first opera at The Metropolitan Opera.
“I thought opera was something only a white person could do,” Speedo said to Trevor. “I thought it was this big fat Viking woman breaking windows based off of cartoons.
“For me, I saw the opera, the opera was ‘Carman’ at The Metropolitan Opera, and what made it so monumental to me which changed my life, was the person singing the lead role, the title role, was an African American mezzo soprano by the name of Denyce Graves.”
At that moment, Speedo said he knew what he wanted to do with his life, sing opera, and nine years later he accomplished that performing as Mandarin in Puccini’s “Turnandot” in the 2012-2013 Met season.
The March 26 presentation, which is part of “The Series: Creative Expressions of African-American Culture” will feature Speedo and Bergner discussing Speedo’s journey from violence and despair to performing with one of the world’s most elite arts institutions. The presentation will include a live performance by Speedo of a short selection of arias followed by a question-and-answer session with Speedo and Daniel.
Tickets start at $40 and are available through DeVos Performance Hall at ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) just announced a fifth concert in the popular Concerts Under the Stars series. Local band Pink Sky will be performing a second night, concluding the 2019 series on Thursday, March 21,and Friday, March 22. Concert goers can sit back and enjoy the wonder of the cosmos with the wonder of music.
Concerts Under the Stars take place in the GRPM’s Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium featuring live, local bands performing, accompanied by a live light show on the planetarium dome.
Due to popular demand of this sold out Concerts Under the Stars series, Pink Sky will be performing two concerts. The band will play back to back on Thursday, March 21 and now also on Friday, March 22.
Pink Sky is an indie electronica artband that performs immersive live sets with analog synths, drum machines, samplers, electric pianos, and live visual projections. Accompanying Pink Sky with live visuals will be Nate Eizenga.
Concerts Under the Stars begins at 7:30 p.m., with Museum doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer, and other beverages will be available for purchase. Performers will play two sets, with a short intermission in between.
Tickets are $12 for GRPM members and $15 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for members and $18 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616.929.1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.
Pink Sky was formed in late 2016 by husband and wife, Ryan and Angelica Hay, as a response to a loss of identity after each suffered separate life-threatening traumas. Since then, Pink Sky has served as an attempt to create immersive beauty while reclaiming meaning and identity. Pink Sky hosts an art and music series (HAY YAH House Shows) in their home studio in Grand Rapids, featuring two synth-based artists and two visual artists each show.
Nate Eizenga is a Grand Rapids native who moonlights as a video artist focusing on accompaniment for live musical performances. By using controllers intended for digital music production to create, mix, and manipulate video in real time, he crafts a visual experience that toes the line between artistic spontaneity and musical synchronicity. Since his first public show in 2015, Nate has performed for numerous events, including Concerts Under the Stars 2017 and 2018.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) just announced that in partnership with Kent County Farm Bureau, they will be offering a Museum Free Day for the second year in a row! On March 10, the GRPM will open their doors free of charge for visitors to explore the Museum’s three floors of core exhibits.
“We’re thrilled to offer a free day at the Museum to the community again this year,” said Kate Kocienski, VP of Marketing and PR for the Grand Rapids Public Museum. “Thanks to Kent County Farm Bureau, everyone has the chance to explore the Museum free of charge and explore hands-on science, history and cultural artifacts.”
“Kent County Farm Bureau looks forward to once again partnering with the GRPM to welcome friends into the Museum free of charge,” said Jim May, Kent County Farm Bureau President. “On behalf of the more than 1,200 Kent County farmers, we invite you to the Museum to see agriculture in action!”
The GRPM offers fun, hands-on learning opportunities for all ages through a variety of core and traveling exhibits. Visitor favorites include the Streets of Old Grand Rapids, an immersive exhibit that transports visitors back to 19th century of downtown Grand Rapids, and West Michigan Habitats, that showcases the vast wildlife found in West Michigan.
The current GRPM original exhibit TOYS! will be included free of charge for visitors on the Museum’s Free Day! TOYS! is an interactive, multi-generational exhibition of toys and games to rekindle childhood memories and spark the creation of new ones.
On March 10 only, Kent County Farm Bureau will also have additional agriculture themed hands-on activities available a part of the Free Day. For additional information, please visit grpm.org.
Additional experiences for visitors include the special traveling exhibit Expedition: Dinosaur, planetarium shows, and the Museum’s 1928 Spillman Carousel – that are available for an additional charge.
The free day will be held during the Museum’s normal hours, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 10. For more information on the event, visit grpm.org.
Two happy children are having fun pretending to be in the dinosaur jaw. (Grand Rapids Public Museum)
Expedition: Dinosaur
A special traveling exhibition now open at the GRPM, Expedition: Dinosaur explores the fascinating world of dinosaurs and the hunt for their fossils! From life-sized and lifelike animatronic dinosaurs – some controlled by visitors – to mechanical and electronic learning stations, visitors become paleontologists. The exhibit taps into our fascination with these incredible creatures and 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. For more information and tickets, visit grpm.org/Dinos.
Expedition: Dinosaur was developed by Stage Nine Exhibitions.
Take a trip down memory lane in the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s “TOYS!” exhibit. (Grand Rapids Public Museum)
TOYS!
Baby Boomers loved Paper Dolls, Erector Sets, and Mr. Potato Head, Gen Xers preferred Holly Hobbie and Hot Wheels, and Millennials have never known a world without Super Mario or My Little Pony. Some toys, like Barbie and G.I. Joe, have adapted to appeal to different generations and remain popular today. Toys and games have changed over time, but the desire to imagine, compete, and create has not.
TOYS! is an interactive, multi-generation exhibition of toys and games to rekindle childhood memories and spark the creation of new ones. This GRPM original exhibit features toys and games from the Museum’s Collections and on loan from the community, allowing visitors to imagine, compete and create, while taking going on a journey of toys through generations.
Through the design process of the exhibition, the Museum worked with several experts from the community making sure the design was as inclusive as possible so everyone visiting can enjoy it. The exhibition will be presented in both English and Spanish, and will also include Braille.
Author Joanna Bailey-Boorsma with Maura Lamoreaux, who plays Tanya in Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s “Mamma Mia!” (WKTV)
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma joanne@wktv.org
If there is a winner that takes it all this year, it has to be the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s production of “Mamma Mia!”
Full of the flair that comes from ABBA’s music, the cast does an outstanding job, making the audience dance and sing in their seats.
“That’s what we wanted,” said Eric Beuker, who plays Harry Bright, after the Feb. 28 performance. “We wanted people to have a party, to have fun.”
Grand Rapids Civic Theatre presents “Mamma Mia!” through March 17. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Monday – Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday with two new shows added for 7 p.m. March 10 and 17. Call 222-6020.
After being ‘super troupers’ over this crazy winner, Fun is what a lot of people seeking causing them to literally flock to the show. The ‘gimme, gimme, gimme’ response has caused Grand Rapids Civic Theatre to announce two additional shows, Sunday, March 10 and 17 at 7 p.m. I would grab the tickets quick because Maura Lamoreaux, who plays Tanya, told us that even the Wednesday shows are filling up.
Let’s be honest, it’s hard not to have fun when it comes to an ABBA song. The Swedish pop group’s lyrics and beat make you want to grab the nearest hairbrush and start singing. For us, we were in the balcony, where the party was certainly happening from people clapping to the beat to those dressed in ABBA garb.
But the cast is what makes the show such a success. You can see they are having fun from the moment that Breighanna Minnema (Sophie) opens with “I Have a Dream” to the cast jiven to the last number, “Waterloo.” (Oh yes, Bob Wells, who plays Bill, we along with the people next to us, noticed you grooving away in your red body suit as the curtain was coming down.)
The two having the most fun on stage appeared to be Lamoreaux as Tanya and Sarah LaCroix as Roise. Each had their own shining moment, Lamoreaux with “Does Your Mother Know” and LaCroix with Wells on “Take a Chance on Me,” which about brought down the house in laughs. (There was a lot of high fiving among the ladies in the balcony.) Heather Cregg (Donna) gave a powerful rendition of “Winner Takes It All” and Minnema with Cullen Dyk (Sky) along with the ensemble presented a playful version of “Lay All Your Love On Me.”
Thanks to the sewing genius of Bob Fowle the costumes were sparkly authentic right now to the ABBA-style body suits. The set was simple but yet pulled you right into the Greek island where the story unfolds.
In the end, we just wanted to ‘thank you for the music’ to Director Bruce Tinker and the cast for providing a great night of entertainment.
So if the name of your game now is to snag some tickets, the best way is through Grand Rapids Civic Theatre at www.grct.org or by calling 616-222-6020.
The Benny Green Trio, with singer Veronica Swift, will be at St. Cecilia Music Center. (Supplied)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
The St. Cecilia Music Center will feature the Benny Green Trio with “rising star” jazz singer Veronica Swift on March 7 as the final Jazz Series concert of the center’s 135th Anniversary season.
Benny Green, a veteran of the jazz world combines a mastery of keyboard technique with decades of playing with the most celebrated artists of the last half century including Betty Carter, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Ray Brown, Diana Krall and Christian McBride. Swift is being recognized as one of the top new young jazz singers on the scene.
Veronica Swift, singing with the Benny Green Trio, will be at St. Cecilia Music Center. (Supplied)
The 24-year-old Swift will be releasing her next album on Mac Avenue Records in early 2019, which will feature the great pianist Benny Green and his trio as well the Emmet Cohen Trio.
“It will be exciting to see Veronica Swift in this point in her career performing from the new album with esteemed Jazz pianist Benny Green and his trio,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive director, said in supplied material. “Those who love great jazz will be blown away by this concert. It’s really a double bill because either of these artists would be big enough to feature in their own concert, so it’s a two-for-one night!”
Green began classical piano studies at the age of seven, according to supplied material. Influenced by his father, a tenor saxophonist, his attention soon turned to Jazz: “I began trying to improvise on the piano, imitating the records I’d been hearing from my father’s collection, which included a lot of Monk and Bird … it was a gradual process of teaching myself.”
Swift grew up on tour with her parents, renowned jazz pianist Hod O’Brien and celebrated jazz singer and educator/author Stephanie Nakasian, according to supplied material. It was with them where she first appeared at The Jazz Standard, and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. She recorded two CDs as a child – one at age 9 with Richie Cole and her father’s rhythm section and her mother, and one at age 13 with saxophonist Harry Allen. Her 2015 Album “Lonely Woman” features some of the hottest young jazz players on the scene including Emmet Cohen, Benny Bennack III, Daryl Johns (with whom she shared a Grammy Choir/Band experience), Matt Wigler, and Scott Lowrie. In addition to performing the Great American Songbook and Bebop and vocalese classics, she is also a passionate devotee of 1920s and ’30s music and has sung with Vince Giordano, Terry Waldo, and Drew Nugent.
Concert tickets for Veronica Swift with the Benny Green Trio are $40 and $45 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 pre-concert reception for $15 at 6:30 pm, with wine and hors d’oeuvres, is available by reservation in advance. A post-concert party with dessert, coffee and wine is open to all ticket-holders to meet the artists, obtain autographs and CD purchases.
In its 2019-2020 season the Grand Rapids Symphony will stage five full-length films “Ghostbusters,” “Home Alone,” “Up,” Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” and “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” For more, visit grsymphony.org.
Associate Conductor John Varineau will lead the Grand Rapids Symphony in the concert that’s part of the Fox Motors Pops series. Concert Sponsor is Crowe.
The comical adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swan and Captain Barbossa come to the silver screen in the 2003 film starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly and Geoffrey Rush, which launched the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Klaus Badelt, who won the 2004 ASCAP Award for his epic swashbuckling score, composed the music for the film that will be performed live by the Grand Rapids Symphony. The German film composer also wrote the music for such movies as The Time Machine in 2002 and Constantine in 2005.
John Varineau, who is in his 34th season with the Grand Rapids Symphony, regularly conducts concerts on each of the orchestra’s series, including the Fox Motors Pops, Gerber SymphonicBoomand the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops as well as for all of the Grand Rapids Symphony’s educational series.
Barbossa in search of the elusive Captain Jack Sparrow. (Grand Rapids Symphony.)
But Varineau also is the GR Pops’ go-to conductor for programs involving film and live music. This past season, Varineau has led the Grand Rapids Symphony in performances of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Next season, Varineau will be on the podium for the GR Pops’ Popcorn Package of films including Ghostbustersin October, an encore performance of Home Alone in November, and Up in March 2020.
In ThePirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the crystalline waters of the Caribbean present a vast playground where adventures and mystery abound for the roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow. But Jack’s idyllic pirate life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa, steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and then attacks the town of Port Royal, kidnapping the Governor’s beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Swann.
Elizabeth’s childhood friend, Will Turner, joins forces with Jack to commandeer the fastest ship in the British fleet, the H.M.S. Interceptor, in a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl. The duo and their ragtag crew are pursued by Elizabeth’s betrothed, the ambitious Commodore Norrington. aboard the H.M.S. Dauntless.
Unbeknownst to Will, a cursed treasure has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead, the moonlight eerily transforming them into living skeletons. The curse they carry can be broken only if the plundered treasure is restored in total and a blood debt repaid.
Against all odds, the Interceptor and Dauntless race toward a thrilling confrontation with Barbossa’s pirates on the mysterious Isla de Muerta. At stake is Jack Sparrow’s revenge, the Black Pearl, a fortune in forbidden treasure, the lifting of the pirates’ curse that has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as skeletons, the fate of the British navy, and the lives of our valiant heroes as they clash swords in fierce combat against the dreaded Pirates of the Caribbean.
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.
Grand Rapids own Michael Jr. performs March 3 at Grand Rapids First Church. (Supplied.)
By Meochia Nochi Thompson
It was a dare that launched comedian Michael Jr.’s career.
The homegrown comedian got his start after a projector went out and the lights came on in a crowded Grand Rapids theater, the former Studio 28 to be exact. A friend dared him to take the stage. That was where the actor/comedian “discovered” his calling. Later, fellow comic, George Wallace, took him to the famous Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach where he would slip onto yet another stage and the rest is history.
Grand Rapids very own comedian Michael, Jr. will be coming home to perform on March 3 at Grand Rapids First Church for his “In the Moment Tour.” His comedy is fresh, funny and has no foul language. Michael said that after being backstage with some notable comics and hearing their concerns about their children never being able to see their shows, he made a conscious decision to do clean comedy an entire family can watch, together.
Listen to Meochia’s interview with Michael Jr. on “Life Chats” on Magic 104.9 at www.mylifechats.com/listen.
Michael Jr. may be a familiar face to some since he appeared in the 2015 film “War Room” He recently released his latest comedy special “More Than Funny” and his the voice behind the popular podcast “Off the Cuff with Michael Jr.”
Michael Jr. is known for his clean comedy that an entire family can enjoy. (Supplied)
“With my comedy, I don’t want people to just laugh, I want them to be inspired,” Michael Jr. said during the Life Chats interview.
Michael specializes in comedy that inspires and loves to help others discover the funny sides of life. He has appeared at various colleges, comedy clubs and talk shows around the world including Notre Dame, The Laugh Factory, The Punchline, Oprah, The Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, CNN and more. He has several DVD’s, podcasts and a children’s book called “The Parts We Play.”
He is most proud of his Christian beliefs, his family, which includes his wife and five children, and serving his audience. Michael gives back laughter and charity to those in need of a good laugh. At many of his comedy shows he gives away merchandise to those who cannot afford it and ask those who can to pay it forward. Once, he helped a large family purchase their dream vehicle by hosting a No Show Comedy Event. People purchased tickets for a show that was never happening. The family’s vehicle was paid in full. His contagious generosity sets the stage for infectious laughter throughout diverse audiences all over the world. To learn more about Michael Jr. or purchase tickets for his upcoming show, visit michaeljr.com
“Can you tell me what it is?” asked GRAM Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen to a group of media representatives as he pointed to a large black metal box sitting on a wire frame in the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s exhibition area.
“A safe?” someone responded.
“It’s a refrigerator,” Friis-Hansen said. “So it’s kind of a safe — a safe for food.”
The piece, a recent gift from the George R. Kravis II collection, is one example of the 125 different items featured in the current GRAM exhibit “A Decade at the Center: Recent Gifts and Acquisitions,” which is up through April 28.
The exhibit, which closes out a yearlong celebration of GRAM’s tenth anniversary at its 101 Monroe Center location, is designed to get to the heart of the museum — it’s collection, featuring works of art and design acquired through gifts and purchases from the last five years.
“The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s collection of more than 6,000 works is the heart of the Museum, and just like the city it serves, has grown and transformed over the course of its more than 100-year history,” Friis-Hansen said.
Rembrandt etching on paper: “Nude Man Seated on the Ground with One Leg Extended.” 1646. (Photo supplied by GRAM)
Featuring works from Rembrandt to Grand Rapids’ own Mathias J. Alten and the man behind the hLa Grande Vitesses, Alexander Calder, “Decades at the Center” showcases artists from six continents representing a variety of mediums fromm prints to sculpture. The oldest pieces are two etchings from Martin Schongauer from the 15th century with some of the newest being a selection of items from the gift of 100 design objects from Kravis, one of the premier American collectors.
From the George Kravis collection: “KM Flatwork Ironer Iron,” model no. 444. 1939, (Photo supplied by GRAM)
Kravis, a broadcasting executive, collected thousands of pieces focused on industrial design. While the items were often everyday pieces — such as a bicycle or a phone — they showcased machine aesthetic and clean lines that married form with function, Friis-Hansen said.
“GRAM’s commitment to exhibiting and collecting design and craft is illustrated by the inclusion of important works of furniture, ceramics, glass and industrial design,” said GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt. “The modern and contemporary design objects in the exhibition — ranging from furniture and lamps to tableware and electronics — marry function and beauty and show the power design has to enhance our daily lives.”
“I’m most excited about works that have never been viewed at GRAM before,” said GRAM Chief Curator Ron Platt.
Dawoud Bay gelatin silver photograph: “Two Women at a Parade.” 1978, printed 2011. (Photo supplied by GRAM)
Along with the items from the Kravis collection, other new pieces are two powerful black-and-white portraits by photographer Dawoud Bey, known for his photographs of adolescents and other often marginalized subjects. There is also the 1950s “Peonies on a Table” by American representational painter Jane Freilicher.
The exhibit has been paired with “A Legacy of Love: Selections from The Mable Perkins Collection.”
“Mabel Perkins was probably the first serious art collector in Grand Rapids,” Platt said. “We received a large portion of her collection of master prints.
“It’s really at the heart of GRAM’s story as a collecting institution and sort of at the heart of the idea of gifts to a collection being very, very important not only to an institution but to a community.”
For GRAM’s hours and admission fees, visit artmuseumgr.org or call 616-831-1000.
Unlike most six-year-olds, William McGregor started his studies of the string instruments with the bass. (Supplied)
By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk Grand Rapids Symphony
A double bass, which plays the lowest notes of a string orchestra, stands more than 6 feet tall. William McGregor began playing double bass when he was only 2 years old.
Of course, the youngster originally from Ann Arbor didn’t start with a double bass that you see played by the professional musicians of the Grand Rapids Symphony. But while nearly every other toddler who plays a stringed instrument begins with a violin, McGregor did not.
A family friend who played double bass professionally was interested in starting a youngster on the instrument, so he took a cello, which is half the height of a double bass, and set it up to match the strings of a double bass, albeit tuned one-octave higher.
That’s how McGregor began studying music. Eventually, he grew into a full-size instrument, and the winner of the 2017 Stulberg International String Competition in Kalamazoo will appear with the Grand Rapids Symphony on Feb. 22 as soloist.
William Mc Gregor joins the Grand Rapids Symphony this Friday.
The 18-year-old musician, who began studies last fall as a freshman at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, will be soloist in Giovanni Bottesini’s Concerto for Double Bass No. 2 in B minor.
Music Director Marcelo Lehninger will lead the orchestra in 19th century Italian music for The Romantic Concert: Bella Italia! at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, in St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NW.
The PwC Great Eras series concert also will feature Gioachino Rossini’s overture to L’Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers) and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony No. 4.
Highlights of the evening concert will be given at 10 a.m. that morning as The Romantic Coffee Concert, part of the Porter Hills Coffee Classic series, a one-hour program held without intermission in St. Cecilia’s Royce Auditorium. Doors open at 9 a.m. for complementary coffee and pastry.
McGregor begin his double bass studies at age 2 in Ann Arbor with Derek Weller. In 2009, he was accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College program where he studied for nine years with Albert Laszlo. He has since emerged as one of the rising young stars of the double bass.
McGregor has performed in Master Classes with such eminent double bass players as Edgar Meyer. In 2011, he became a Fellowship scholarship student at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Not only was he the youngest full-time student there, he was selected to perform a Spotlight Recital at Aspen and also performed with the Aspen Concert Orchestra. The following summer, McGregor returned to Aspen where he performed with Philharmonic Orchestra and was selected to perform at String Showcase Recital.
McGregor won the grand prize at the Ensemble 212 Young Artist Competition in 2012 and performed a solo concerto with Ensemble 212 at The Kaufman Center’s Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. In November, he made his Carnegie Hall debut, with Paganini’s Mose in Egitto.
In October, 2013, McGregor was the First Prize Winner in the Salome Chamber Orchestra Young Artist Competition in New York City where he also received the Most Promising Young Artist Award. He returned in February 2014 to perform as soloist with the Salome Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall.
In 2015, McGregor was invited to solo with the Allentown Symphony under conductor Diane Wittry.
In May 2017, McGregor won the Gold Medal at the Stulberg International String Competition, an international competition promoting excellence in stringed instrument performance by young artists under age 20. He became only the second bass player in 42 years to win the competition, and he performed as soloist with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra in October 2017.
In January, 2018, he was named a National YoungArts Finalist and attended National YoungArts Week in Miami. In May, he was named one of just 20 U. S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and performed at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
William’s hobbies are all sports, especially Detroit and University of Michigan teams, and collecting and selling baseball cards.
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.
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer at a Republic of Korea airbase in 2016. The U.S. long-range bomber is one of the major deterrents to North Korean military actions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Steffen)
By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
So far this year the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan’s 2019 Great Decisions global discussion series has informed the public on the “State of the State Department”, dangers to democracy around the world, and America’s immigration policies — or lack there of.
The next discussion, Feb. 25 and 26, will be “A New Nuclear Arms Race?”, with Kelsey Davenport, of the Arms Control Association, discussing Russia, North Korea, Iran and “What’s our nuclear future?”
For the past 50 years, the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has played a critical role in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and reducing nuclear arsenals, according to the Arms Control Association website. Yet prospects for additional progress on U.S.-Russian arms control remain bleak as President Donald Trump’s administration has split from key allies over the nuclear deal with Iran, and the denuclearization of North Korea remains uncertain, according to supplied information on the lecture.
Davenport is the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, where she provides research and analysis on the nuclear and missile programs in Iran, North Korea, India, and Pakistan and on nuclear security issues, accord to the ACA website. Her areas of expertise include nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear and missile programs in Iran and North Korea, and nuclear security. Kelsey also reports on developments in these areas for Arms Control Today and is the author of the P5+1 and Iran Nuclear Deal Alerts.
Davenport’s discussion fits in with the overall goal of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan.
“To change the world — or to even begin to understand global issues — one first must know about the world, and that’s what we attempt to do with Great Decisions,” Michael Van Denend, executive director of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, previously said to WKTV.
The annual series, which bring leaders in international theory and action to Grand Rapids for lectures, will offer two options to attend: Mondays, 6-7:15 p.m., at Aquinas College Performing Arts Center; and Tuesdays, noon-1 p.m. at the Recital Hall in the Covenant Fine Arts Center at Calvin College.
There is a $10 general-public admission fee per discussion, with no reservations needed and free parking.
The series will continue through March 25-26.
The Great Decisions format features a world-class expert leading each conversation, followed by an extensive question-answer session.
The reminder of the 2019 series will feature:
Mar. 4 and 5: “China-U.S. Trade War”, with Amy Celico, Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG), discussing “How will we handle the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century?”
Mar. 11 and 12: “Life After the Arab Uprisings and the Islamic State”, a ground-level report from a brave Lebanese journalist, Rania Abouzeid, author of “No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria”, a New York Times 2018 Notable Book.
Mar. 18 and 19: “Global Cyber Threats” with FBI Special Agent Peter Jolliffe discussing “Cyber risks are on the rise — can we thwart them?”
And finally, on Mar. 25 and 26: “Mexico and the U.S.: The Economic Ties that Bind”, Carlos Capistran, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, New York City, discussing “What must we do to make certain both countries thrive?”
The Aquinas College Performing Arts Center is located at 1703 Robinson Road S.E., Grand Rapids. The Covenant Fine Arts Center at Calvin College is located at 1795 Knollcrest Cir SE, Grand Rapids.
The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan is located at 1700 Fulton Street E., Grand Rapids, For more information on sessions, dates and times, as well as detailed information on speakers, visit worldmichigan.org .
The War and Treaty, featuring Michael and Tanya Trotter, will be at the St. Cecilia Acoustic Café Folk Series Feb. 24. (Supplied/The Artists)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
St. Cecilia Music Center’s Acoustic Café Folk Series started off the month of February with a sell-out return of Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn on Feb. 9, and things will end strong on the folk front with the duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter (aka The War and Treaty) as well as Milk Carton Kids coming to town.
The War and Treaty will hit the intimate 630-seat Royce Auditorium stage for an unusual Sunday concert on Feb. 24, and Milk Carton Kids — Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, this time with a full band backing — for a more usual Thursday night show at St. Cecilia on Feb. 28.
Tickets remain available for both shows.
The War and Treaty “are quickly rising on the National scene … (their) upbeat emotional sound, with soul and folk roots, is sure to ignite a bright fire within our audience’s hearts,” Cathy Holbrook, St. Cecilia executive director, said in supplied material.
“We are (also) so happy to bring The Milk Carton Kids with their band to St. Cecilia Music Center this month to perform from their newest album,” Holbrook said. “It will be a great experience for all to see and hear as these two talented performers and their full band perform together.”
The War and Treaty
The War and Treaty may be familiar to some in the Grand Rapids area as they opened for Bob Seger’s Van Andel Arena concert in November 2018.
According to supplied information, they draw inspiration from different artists and genres including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Nina Simone — ya, that Johnny Cash and that Nina Simone.
And their music has been described as a blend of roots, folk, gospel, and soul, “reaching back through their deep-rooted history to conjure up the strength of their ancestors.”
The buzz here is all good.
The Milk Carton Kids
The Milk Carton Kids, you may remember as I do, had a brief appearance on the concert film “Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of Inside Llewyn Davis”, which was led by producer T-Bone Burnett. And their latest release — All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do, which came out in June of last year — was produced by Joe Henry. Both producers are great, and the music they produce is usually also great.
“The Kids”, an American indie folk duo consisting of Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, will be at St. Cecilia Feb. 28. (Supplied/The Artists)
“The Kids” music, which for lack of a better tune is often called American indie folk, has earned the usually solo-duo of Ryan and Pattengale a Grammy nomination in 2015 for Best American Roots Performance, another for Best Folk Album of the year in 2013, and they were the Americana Music Association’s Best Duo/Group of the year in 2014.
The Kids have proven in-demand collaborators, including musical partnerships with Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Dar Williams, and Chris Hillman, as well as teaming with T-Bone Burnett for “Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of Inside Llewyn Davis” — the concert documentary derived from the Coen Brothers film “Insider Llewyn Davis”. (A great movie with great early 1960s music, BTW.)
Two concerts in April will finish up the 2018-19 Acoustic Café Folk Series, both returning favorites: Asleep at the Wheel will return to SCMC on April 11, and Guitarist Leo Kottke will return to SCMC on April 18.
Tickets for The War and Treaty are $30 and $35; tickets for The Milk Carton Kids are $40 and $45. All tickets 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.
As the communications manager for the Kent County Road Commission, “Here We Go Again” could be an anthem for Maura Lamoreaux.
“You know it’s kind of funny but you are right about the connection,” Lamoreaux said with a laugh during a recent interview.
But the weather or the roads are not the reasons why Lamoreaux is singing the famous ABBA song, but rather it is because she plays Tanya in the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s production of “Mamma Mia!,” which opens Friday at the theater located at 30 N. Division Ave.
“I moved to Grand Rapids with my husband about eight years ago,” said Lamoreaux who has performed in theaters in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. “Mamma Mia!” will be her first stage appearance with Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. “With family and work, I just had not found the right time or opportunity to get involved in theater here.
It all changed when Lamoreaux saw the audition notice for “Mamma Mia!” with a storyline based on the music of mega super group ABBA.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I would love to be a part of that show,’” Lamoreaux said, “and so auditioned partly for my daughter to show her that you just have to go for it and if you don’t get it, that’s OK.”
She landed the part of Tanya, one of two friends, who come to help a third, Donna, plan her daughter’s wedding, which takes place at Donna’s hotel on a Greek island. What Donna does not know is that her daughter, Sophie, has invited three men to the event in hopes of determine which one is her father. What transpires is a trip through memory lane, sprinkled with some antics all guided by the songs of ABBA.
According to Maura Lamoreaux fun is the name of the game in Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s production of “Mamma Mia!”
“So not only is it a fun story, which it is; and the the cast is talented, which there is an immense amount of talent, but there is an immediate connection that much of the audience will already have to the music,” Lamoreaux said.
The musical, which opened in New York in 2001, was followed by the 2008 film of the same name starring Meryl Streep as Donna and Christine Baranski as Tanya, with “Mamma Mia! 2” released last year. The show features a number of iconic ABBA songs such as “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes It All,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Knowing You, Knowing Me,” and according to Billboard magazine, the group’s most famous song “Dancing Queen.”
“‘Dancing Queen’” is a celebration of three friends and the wonderful memories that they had together,” Lamoreaux said adding that it is one of her favorites in the show. (Her other is “Does Your Mother Know,” a song that her character Tanya performs.) “It connects me to dancing with my friends and my own memories and I bring all of that to what we are doing on stage.”
And ABBA’s music continues to be the soundtrack for many.
“There are people in the show who are in high school and I’m in my forties, yet we can all enjoy this music together,” Lamoreuax said.
It’s positive story of friendship and the relationship of a mother and daughter along with the music has made “Mamma Mia!” a much sought after production with tickets for the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre show being snatched up. The show runs through Mar. 17. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays – Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, which are $17-$39, visit the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre website, grct.org or call the box office at 616-222-6650.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) welcomes the ambient R&B music of Bronze Wolf on Thursday, Feb. 28 for the third concert in the 2019 Concerts Under the Stars series in the GRPM’s Chaffee Planetarium.
Bronze Wolf totes the sounds of exploratory dark-electronic pop. Blurring the lines, vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Eric Tempelaere, garners inspiration from every facet of life, molding stimuli into something personal – striving to make art and act of catharsis to please his own whims and embracing genre bending with no fear or regard for easy categorization. Accompanying Bronze Wolf with live visuals on the planetarium dome will be Nate Eizenga.
Concerts Under the Stars begins at 7:30 p.m., with Museum doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer, and other beverages will be available for purchase. Performers will play two sets, with a short intermission in between.
Tickets are $12 for GRPM members and $15 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for members and $18 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616.929.1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.
Bronze Wolf is expansive in his scope, yet internal in his expression – a proudly gay artist who has shed his small-town, conservative background in favor of an amorphous, ever expanding view of this world. From a young age, Eric was drooling over synthesizers and various electronic gear; scouring eBay for keytars, moogs, theremins, and Rhodes. To this day, Eric primarily uses the singular Nord synthesizer he saved up for in grade school with his paper route money, ultimately using limitations as a source of inspiration, allowing his songwriting to speak for itself.
Nate Eizenga is a Grand Rapids native who moonlights as a video artist focusing on accompaniment for live musical performances. By using controllers intended for digital music production to create, mix, and manipulate video in real time, he crafts a visual experience that toes the line between artistic spontaneity and musical synchronicity. Since his first public show in 2015, Nate has performed for numerous events, including Concerts Under the Stars 2017 and 2018.
The 2019 Concerts Under the Stars series will conclude on March 21 with the electronic sounds of Pink Sky.
