Signature Music Events

DJANGOPHONIQUE

NOVEMBER 21 @ 2PM

Djangophonique is a musical project born out of reverence for the Parisian Jazz Manouche style that was made popular by the legendary Sinti guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Quintette du Hot Club de France. While remaining steeped in the rich and virtuosic tradition, the group brings this music into the present with stunning improv, spontaneity and musical interaction. Hot swing, lush ballads, musette waltzes, jazz standards, boleros, and moody minor pieces are all fused together with theatrical flair and musical humor. The group will appear as a duo with Andrew Brown and Brad Brose.

With over a decade of national touring experience, Andrew Brown is no stranger to the stage and delivers every performance with personality and enigmatic charm. Brad Brose plays his gypsy jazz guitar in legendary gypsy jazz clubs and festivals.6

SOPRANO DUO DANIELS AND KNOWLES

DECEMBER 13 @ 2PM

As far back as she can recall, music has been the central element that Ms. Putice Daniels has used to emit joy throughout the world. From singing at her grandfather’s church to performing with choirs at university, her vibrant and encapsulating soprano voice has brought delight, bliss, and comfort to many across the Metro-Detroit Area.

Ms. J. Timiesha Knowles was born on the isle of Nassau, Bahamas. From church halls to those of the Bahamian Government House, Knowles’s formative musical journey consists of appointments throughout the 700 islands and cays of the Bahamas and neighboring Caribbean islands such as Cuba, Jamaica, and Haiti. She has been described as a "soaring, earthy, and full soprano."

YANG AND OLIVIA

JANUARY 10 @ 7PM Chinese Lunar New Year with Yang and Olivia

Husband and wife duo Yang and Olivia are virtuosic talents who create an unforgettable storytelling event on violin and piano. Their programs feature combinations of Chinese music and Western classical. They have traveled to more than 30 cities in the United States, and perform and teach in China, Portugal, Brazil, and Taiwan. Yang Liu is a prize winner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and a first prize winner of China’s National Violin Competition. Dr. I-Hsuan Tsai was the staff pianist of world-renowned Aspen Music Festival and currently serves as chair of Theory and Piano and associate professor at VanderCook College of Music. Her book “Schubert’s Piano Trios” was published by Scholar’s Press in Germany in 2014. She co-founded Yang and Olivia Foundation to promote cultural exchange via classical music between China and the US.

RJ SPANGLER

FEBRUARY 28 @ 2PM Mardi Gras with the Paxton/Spangler Band

Lifelong buddies RJ Spangler & Tbone Paxton started working together in 1980 around Detroit with the Sun Messengers. They toured the east coast, Midwest and deep south for a number of years. Tbone was awarded a Motor City Music Award for best trombonist. In fact, he has been nominated a number of years in a row now as best jazz vocalist at the Detroit Music Awards. The two are cornerstone members of the 10 pc Planet D Nonet, and as such, have toured to 11 states, released as many CDs and garnered 9 Detroit Music Awards. They perform great song by Fats Waller, Hoagie Carmichael, Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Earl King, Danny Barker, Duke Ellington, The Stylistics, Roy Ayers, Leon Russell, Jimmy Cliff, Nat King Cole and of course, Louis Jordan. RJ was pianist/singer Eddie Bo's bandleader for many years. 7