Arts and Culture / Magazine Feature

Newman Center announces new season line-up

The Newman Center for the Performing Arts will begin selling new subscriptions for the 2009–10 season May 15.

The center’s seventh season brings 15 performances of music, dance and theater to the stage of the June Swaner Gates Concert Hall.

“The theme is the power of community, and we have chosen an eclectic array of performers from around the world in many performance arts disciplines, many of whom have never performed in our community before, but including some old friends,” says Stephen Seifert, the center’s executive director.

  • Sept. 26: Larry Keigwin and Company, Bolero Colorado
    The professional dancers of Keigwin and Company from New York City and up to 50 members of the Colorado community will reflect aspirations and visions for the future of Colorado. In addition to Bolero Colorado, Keigwin and Company will perform several works from their amusing, provocative and entertaining repertoire.
  • Oct. 12: Tectonic Theater Project, The Laramie Project, 10 Years Later… an Epilogue
    Led by Moises Kaufman, The Laramie Project returns to look at how the vicious murder of a gay student at the University of Wyoming has affected the people of the town 10 years after the incident. A member of the Tectonic Theater Project will work with DU theater students in a two-day residency using Kaufman’s “Moment Work” process to prepare them for a public reading. The cast, including students and community members, will present the reading of the “Epilogue.”
  • Oct. 20: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
    Athletic and exuberant dancers present challenging and engaging performances drawn from an eclectic and continually evolving repertory by American and international choreographers. The program for Denver is scheduled to include “Lickety-Split” by Alejandro Cerrudo, “Gimme” by Lucas Crandall and “Gnawa” by Nacho Duato.
  • Nov. 14: Mariza
    In a few short years, this Portuguese songstress has gone from singing in the backroom of a Lisbon bar to being recognized all over the world as the queen of the Portuguese musical style known as fado.
  • Nov. 17: Rebel, Ensemble for Baroque Music, Kingdoms and Viceroys: Music of Spain and its Dominions
    Featuring special guests soprano Marta Almajano and Spanish guitarist Richard Savino, Rebel will perform vocal and instrumental works by Durón, Falconieri, Castellanos, Nebra, Orejón y Aparicio, de Salazar and Vivaldi. Their music is an intoxicating style that bears the imprint of folk music.
  • Dec. 10: Cantus, All Is Calm
    The program is inspired by actual historical events during World War I on Christmas, 1914. Through the words and songs of the men who lived it, the audience will be able to re-live this remarkable true story. This collaboration between Cantus and Theater Latté Da is done in the style of a radio musical drama.
  • Jan. 15: Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
    This legendary orchestra began as the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1966 and has performed continuously since. Their current name comes from the fact that they are booked at the Village Vanguard in New York City every Monday.
  • Jan. 26: Pilobolus
    This dance company is an American arts organization of international influence, which has created one of the most popular and varied bodies of work in the history of dance. Their performances have been characterized by a strong element of physical interaction between the bodies of the performers and exaggerations or contortions of the human form, often verging on gymnastics.
  • Feb. 19 and 20: Artists from the Cantaloupe Music Label, Mile High Voltage Festival
    The festival explores the ways popular and alternative music are changing the idea of what can be offered as classical. Performers will surprise the audience with new instruments, video as an integral part of music and boundary-crossing composition. Artists playing in the concert are Burkina Electric, Evan Ziporyn, Michael Harrison and So Percussion.
  • Feb. 24: Russian National Orchestra
    The orchestra will return for its second year led by conductor Patrick Summers and featuring Chinese superstar pianist Yuja Wang. Wang, 22, will perform Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto.
  • March 16: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    This musical group has united the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape.
  • March 25: Marcus Tardelli
    This Brazilian guitarist has risen quickly to become one of Brazil’s greatest stars. Revolutionary in his playing technique, Tardelli has developed an orchestral approach to his instrument. The program he has designed is reflective of his unique approach to playing and includes works by Alexander Scriabin, Guinga, Villa Lobos, Baden Powell, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Claude Debussy.
  • April 10: American Place Theatre, The Secret Life of Bees
    As part of the Literature to Life program, the American Place Theatre has adapted the novel The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd into a performance by a single extraordinary actress. The performance is preceded by an interactive discussion between the audience and a professional teaching artist and followed by a talkback with the actress.
  • April 20: Martha Graham Dance Co., Essential Graham – Prelude and Revolt
    As an artist who is one of the foremost pioneers of modern dance, Martha Graham invented a new language of movement, and used it to reveal the passion, rage and ecstasy common to human experience. This special performance includes archival film clips, still photos and narration interwoven with dancing from Graham’s prodigious body of work. It offers a guided tour of Graham’s revolutionary and long creative career.
  • May 8: American Bluegrass Masters
    For the first time in 50 years, the American Bluegrass Masters Tour unites Grammy Winner JD Crowe and Grand Ole Opry legend Bobby Osborne with the hottest bluegrass singers and pickers on the planet. Crowe and Osborne, among the founding fathers of bluegrass, embody the spirit, sounds and lore of the rural American South. Old-time tradition meets youthful energy in a concert of vibrant front-porch twang and infectious rhythms that define the American spirit.

Single tickets will go on sale June 15 and range from $18–$88, including parking. They will be available at the Newman Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com. For more information, call the box office at 303-871-7720.

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