The Performing Arts at Hamilton College announces an exciting roster of world-class professional performances for its 2005-06 season. From classical Indian music to multimedia musical spectacle, the Classical Connections and Contemporary Voices and Visions Series have something that everyone will enjoy. All performances are general admission and held at Wellin Hall in the Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts on the Hamilton college campus at 8 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
The Classical Connections Series opens with a concert of South Indian music with the Carnatic Music Ensemble featuring musicians Geetha Ramanathan Bennett, veena (Indian lute) and voice, Frank Bennett, mrdangan (drum), and Rusty Gillette, ghatam (clay pot) on Saturday, Sept. 17. Carnatic music consists primarily of songs (both instrumental and vocal) with extensive improvisation. The lyrical veena melodies, combined with the intricate percussion, create a rich texture that is both mesmerizing and exhilarating. An accomplished veena and vocal artist Geetha Ramanathan Bennett, has performed extensively in India, the U.S., U.K., Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada. Recently Geetha sang for the Hollywood feature film The Beeper, The Guru and the pilot television show Swaroop. Her veena can be heard in the Imax film Everest.
Classical Connections continues with a performance of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 3 p.m. Under the direction of Daniel Hege, the concert will include Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses, Brahms' Symphony No.1, and MacDowell's Piano Concerto No, 2 with André Watts. André Watts burst upon the music world at the age of 16, when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in their Young People's Concerts, broadcast nationwide on CBS-TV. More than 40 years later, André Watts remains one of today's most celebrated and beloved pianists. His performances each year with the world's great orchestras and conductors and his sold-out recitals and appearances at the most prestigious international festivals bring him to every corner of the globe.
American lyric soprano Rosa Lamoreaux presents a vocal recital on Friday, Nov. 11. Lamoreaux has been hailed for her versatile musicianship and her radiant, engaging, and effortless singing. In repertoire from Barber and Bernstein to Bach and Berlioz, she work has been critically acclaimed both on stage and on CD. Ms. Lamoreaux is acknowledged as one of the finest Bach soloists of her time, and has sung in countless performances of the B Minor Mass, including a sold-out engagement at Carnegie Hall with the Bethlehem Bach Festival Choir. Lamoreaux has graced the stages of renowned concert halls worldwide, including The Kennedy Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Library of Congress.
Named in honor of the great contralto, Marian Anderson, the Marian Anderson String Quartet performs on Friday, Feb. 10. This quartet is the first African-American music ensemble to win a major competition in the field of classical music. They've brought inspiration and hope to every segment of American society for over a decade, with performance venues ranging from the concert stage to the soup kitchens; from presidential inaugurals to juvenile correctional facilities. The Marian Anderson String Quartet continues to uphold its mission: to create new and diverse audiences for the field of chamber music.
The Classical Connections Series concludes on Friday, April 7, with The Proteus Ensemble. Taking its name from a Greek prophet god who was capable of assuming various forms, the Proteus Ensemble is dedicated to breathing fresh life into a wide variety of musical "forms" from the distant past to the present day. With a repertoire spanning from Monteverdi to Michael Torke, Proteus takes an innovative approach to programming. Drawing on its inherent diversity, the ensemble presets an eclectic programs that include the classics of the standard repertoire as well as the diverse styles and currents of recent music.
The Contemporary Voices and Visions Series begins on Saturday, Sept. 24, with the Ethos Percussion Group." The Kansas City Star writes "Ethos wows with energy, virtuosity. In this performance, ancient and modern percussion meet as Ethos collaborates with Master Indian musicians Pandit Samir Chatterjee on Tabla and Pandit Ramesh Misra on Sarengi to bring together the ancient traditions of Indian classical music and the vocabulary of the western tradition. The program concludes with an extraordinary collaboration featuring Ethos and the Hamilton College Choir and College Hill Singers in the CongoleseMass, Missa Luba.
Continuing the Contemporary Voices and Visions series on Saturday, Oct. 8, is Squonk Opera presenting their own brand of bizarre and surreal theater in Rodeo Smackdown. You won't want to miss this multimedia musical spectacle set in the world of cowboys, oilmen and rodeo queens. The internationally acclaimed Pittsburgh-based troupe, known for its zany props alike as its bold musical compositions, resets the story of Theseus and the Minotaur in the New West: A Cowboy, heir to Texas' oil king, must prove himself in a showdown with Bad Mood, the literally bull-headed offspring of the Range King.
Hamilton College joins forces with the Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership to present Taylor 2, an offshoot of the Paul Taylor Dance Company on Saturday, Jan. 21. Exuberant and soul-stirring with superior technical ability, Taylor 2 thrills the world with daring choreography, brilliant physicality and dance celebrating the human spirit. Paul Taylor has created a rich and diverse repertoire reflecting a phenomenal career spanning five decades. He established Taylor 2 to ensure that audiences all over the world could experience his work.
The power and thunder of Japanese taiko rolls into town on Feb. 18 with a performance by Portland Tiako. Established in 1994, Portland Taiko is a premiere North American taiko ensemble. Taiko, which is both the Japanese word for drum and the name of the art form, has its roots in ancient Japanese tradition. In ancient Japan, taiko was used to delineate the boundaries of the village, scare away invading armies and pests in the rice fields, aid meditation in religious ceremonies, and call the community together in times of both crisis and celebration. Today, Portland Taiko continues to call more than 70,000 people a year together with its innovative Asian American expressions rooted in ancient Japanese traditions
The Contemporary Voices and Visions Series concludes with a performance by jazz artist Cyrus Chestnut on Friday, Feb. 24. Part mystic, part musical wonder, and part purveyor of pure joy, pianist Cyrus Chestnut has selected the standard jazz trio as a vehicle for his musical expression and exploration. In Chestnut's own words "As you listen, simply close your eyes, open your ears and hearts, and let the peace, joy, and harmony permeate your spirit. . . . . May it take you on a beautiful journey and let you return feeling much better."
Five-concert season subscription packages are available for either Classical Connections or Contemporary Voices and Visions. Individual tickets may also be purchased. Subscription packages are $55 for adults with discounts for Hamilton employees, seniors and students. Individual tickets are $15 for adults, $10 - $12 for Hamilton employees. For more information about any performance or to receive a free season brochure, call the box office at 859-4331. Box office hours are 1 – 4 p.m. weekdays while Hamilton College classes are in session.
