Bravo! 2017-18 Season Preview: Intersections

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Intersections 2017-18 Season Preview

BRAVO! 2017-18: Intersections Professional Performing Arts At BYU

The 2017–18 season marks my tenth as curator and producer of this world-class performing arts series. BRAVO! has roots stretching back more than one hundred years, and I consider it a privilege and honor to continue the tradition of bringing the brightest stars of music, dance, and theatre to Provo each year to perform and teach, all while exposing them to the unique “Spirit of the Y.” As I look back, I’m impressed by the outstanding performances we’ve seen over the last decade; the deeply meaningful interactions our students have had with the luminaries of our day; and the generous support of donors, administrators, faculty, and patrons. All of these elements have combined to create something truly special and wonderful right here in the heart of campus.

COVER PHOTO: ANDY STAPLES

NATHALIE VAN EMPEL

As we look forward to a new season, I’m pleased to present a program of some of the finest theatre-makers, dancers, and concertizers currently gracing the stages of the world’s most illustrious venues. From Carnegie Hall to the Ryman Auditorium and Broadway to Abravanel Hall, these guest artists represent the crème de la crème of the performing arts world. Several of them have visited BYU previously, while others have been on our wish list for quite some time. I’m intrigued by the way these artists and their programs intersect with one another and with us in the seats as we watch and engage with them. What will these experiences do to us? How will we be transformed? This is the power of live performance—and the reason I’ve chosen to call this coming season’s program, “Intersections.”

I can’t wait to share these performances and experiences with you in the months ahead. Meanwhile, take a peek at the things we have in store for you (and get started on your wish list). We look forward to seeing you in the audience when the lights go down.

Thank you for your generous support of the arts at Brigham Young University.

Jeffrey Martin, Presenter BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts at BYU bravo.byu.edu

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara coaches students in the Music, Dance, Theatre program,

JAREN WILKEY

September 2015.

BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts at Brigham Young University presents unparalleled performances to university students, faculty, staff, and the community.

Performances are meant to enhance the skills of students, supplement faculty teaching initiatives, inspire creativity, encourage greatness, and support the university’s performance-oriented programs through visiting professional seminars and mentoring sessions. This 4

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collaboration between professional guest artists, students, and faculty helps fulfill the BYU mission of providing “intensive learning in a stimulating setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is pursued.”

Get the best seats at the best price to the most anticipated performances of the season with a BRAVO! series flex package. This custom seasonticket package allows you to choose any six or more BRAVO! Performances.

As a BRAVO! series subscriber, you’ll enjoy these benefits: + Preferred seats: the best seats are assigned to season patrons before any single tickets are issued. + Money savings: save $3 per ticket on most BRAVO! performances. + Priority ordering: exclusive first access to any additional events that may be added throughout the season. + Exchanges: no-fee exchanges to alternate nights of the same event.

Ordering Your Tickets

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Season Tickets 1) Online at bravo.byu.edu 2) Phone by calling (801) 422-2981 3) I n person at the BYU ticket office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or the Marriott Center

Please note that you must order a minimum of six different BRAVO! events to be eligible to purchase season tickets for this series. Ordering multiple performances of the same event does not qualify. Order early, as seats are assigned when you purchase. Order fulfillment priority is given to renewals. Single tickets for each event go on sale approximately four to six weeks before each performance.

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Table of Contents

8-9

10-11

Renée Elise Goldsberry

20-21

Kurt Elling & The Swingles

Friday–Saturday, Sept. 8–9, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.

de Jong Concert Hall

de Jong Concert Hall

Roomful of Teeth

22-23

Thursday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m.

Pardoe Theatre

An Evening with Jason Robert Brown & Kelli O’hara Thursday, Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m.

12-13

Julie Fowlis Music of the Scottish Isles Wednesday, Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m.

de Jong Concert Hall 24-25

Pardoe Theatre

Utah Symphony Thursday, Jan. 4, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

14-15

16-17

Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge

Thursday, Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m.

Pardoe Theatre

de Jong Concert Hall

Joshua Bell & Alessio Bax de Jong Concert Hall

The King’s Singers Thursday–Friday, Nov. 16–17, 7:30 p.m., de Jong Concert Hall

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Utah Symphony

Thursday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m.

18-19

26-27

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28-29

The Peking Acrobats Friday–Saturday, Jan. 19–20, times vary, de Jong Concert Hall

Wednesday–Saturday, Jan. 24–27,

Bravo Ballet! An Evening of Dance With Robert Fairchild, Megan Fairchild, Tiler Peck & Friends

times vary, Nelke Theatre

Friday–Saturday, Mar. 16–17, 7:30 p.m.

Ailie Cohen Puppet Maker: The Secret Life of Suitcases

42-43

de Jong Concert Hall 32-33

Out of Chaos: Macbeth Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 25–27,

44-45

times vary, Pardoe Theatre

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Chick Corea Tuesday, Mar. 20, 7:30 p.m.

34-35

de Jong Concert Hall

600 Highwaymen: The Fever

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

30-31

Thursday–Saturday, Feb. 1–3, times vary, Pardoe Theatre

46-47

Lawrence Brownlee Tuesday, Apr. 3, 7:30 p.m.

36-37

Madsen Recital Hall

Jake Shimabukuro Thursday, Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

38-39

48-49

Actors From The London Stage: The Taming of the Shrew Thursday–Saturday, Apr. 12–14,

Wu Man & The Huayin Shadow Puppet Band

times vary, Pardoe Theatre

Thursday, Mar. 1, 7:30 p.m.

Madsen Recital Hall

50-51

The Tallis Scholars Wednesday, Apr. 18, 7:30 p.m.

40-41

A Whole New World of Alan Menken

de Jong Concert Hall

Wednesday–Thursday, Mar. 7–8, 7:30 p.m., de Jong Concert Hall

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Renée Elise Goldsberry Friday–Saturday, Sept. 8–9, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

KARILYN SANDERS

Winner of the 2016 Tony Award for her performance as Angelica Schuyler in the musical phenomenon Hamilton, Renée Elise Goldsberry is equally at home in a Broadway theatre, on a film set, or on a concert hall stage. In this world-premiere concert performance, she shares some of the beloved songs and musical experiences that have shaped her life and helped her forge a career as one of her generation’s most electrifying artists.

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BYU School of Music faculty member Gayle Lockwood is one of Roomful of Teeth’s master teachers and regularly coaches the ensemble in contemporary vocal techniques.

Thursday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m.

Pardoe Theatre

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Roomful of Teeth

This Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble is dedicated to mining the expressive potential of the human voice. Through study with masters of singing traditions the world over, the eight-voice group of singers continually expands its vocabulary of singing techniques and, through an ongoing commissioning process, forges a new repertoire without borders.

BONICA AYALA

BYU School of Music faculty member Gayle Lockwood is one of

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Julie Fowlis Music of the Scottish Isles

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 7:30 p.m.

Pardoe Theatre

FOWLIS PHOTOGRAPHY

Julie Fowlis’s exquisite voice, interpretation of Scottish Gaelic culture, and ability to transport folk music out of the past and into something contemporary, dynamic, and irresistible have made her an award-winning crossover star. Music of the Scottish Isles brings the rich traditions of her homeland to life in this evening of stories and songs performed with her incomparable live band.

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Julie Fowlis will forever be recognized for singing the theme song to Brave, Disney-Pixar’s Academy Award–winning animated film set in the medieval highlands of Scotland.

DEVIN PEDDE

Thursday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Pardoe Theatre

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge

Renowned jazz guitarist Julian Lage and Punch Brothers anchor Chris Eldridge craft songs that sound familiar but are never easily classified. With music that bubbles with tinges of bluegrass and folk, insinuations of jazz and pop, and hints of classical and avant-garde composition, this duo rarely settles into any one particular category. Their acoustic innovation takes Americana music in exciting new directions as they perform songs from their recently released album, Mount Royal.

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Joshua Bell

, violin

Alessio Bax, piano Thursday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

With a career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and conductor, Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated violinists of his era and continues to enchant audiences with his breathtaking virtuosity and charismatic stage presence. His restless curiosity, passion, and universal appeal have earned him the rare title of “classical music superstar.�

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Joshua Bell performs on the 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin and uses a late 18th-century French bow made by Francois Tourte.

He first performed at BYU in

BILL PHELPS

November 2013.

Gold 50

Thursday–Friday, Nov. 16–17, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

The King’s Singers

ANDY STAPLES

One of the world’s most admired and successful vocal ensembles, the King’s Singers return to Provo during their extraordinary fiftieth anniversary season. From jazz standards to new commissions and medieval motets to Renaissance madrigals, this special program features music selected from multiple ages and genres performed throughout the world during the group’s illustrious history.

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

The Spirit of the Season

Kurt Elling featuring

The Swingles Thursday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

ELLIOT MANDEL

Grammy Award-winning American jazz vocalist Kurt Elling joins forces with the seven voices of the multi-Grammy Award-winning British a cappella group, The Swingles, to reimagine the winter holidays with music from their critically acclaimed albums, The Beautiful Day and Yule Songs, Vol. II.

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NEDIMNAZERALI

“Stunning reinventions of songs…with subtle beatboxing and audacious harmonies…superhero singing to truly raise goosebumps.”—Guardian

MATTHEW MURPHY

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

An Evening with Jason Robert Brown & Kelli O’Hara Thursday, Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

Known for his dazzling scores to renowned musicals, including The Last Five Years, Songs for a New World, Parade, and The Bridges of Madison County, Tony Award–winning composer Jason Robert Brown has been hailed as “one of Broadway’s smartest and most sophisticated songwriters since Stephen Sondheim” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Tony Award–winner Kelli O’Hara has unequivocally established herself as one of Broadway’s great leading ladies in critically acclaimed productions of The King and I, South Pacific, and The Light in the Piazza.

Join us as we present these two titans of Broadway together for this unmissable evening of music.

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Professional Performing Performing Arts Arts At At BYU BYU Bravo! Professional

Utah Symphony Thierry Fischer, conductor Hilary Hahn, violin

Thursday, Jan. 4, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

Haydn: Symphony no. 8 “Le soir” Dvořák: Selections from Slavonic Dances Dvořák: Violin Concerto

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MICHAEL PATRICK OLEARY

Called “impetuous and authoritative, brilliant and beautiful” by the New York Times, Grammy Award–winning violinist Hilary Hahn returns to perform Dvořák’s dramatic Violin Concerto. The program also continues Utah Symphony’s multi-season study of the early Haydn symphonies and includes selections from Dvořák’s irresistible Slavonic Dances, which made him an international star in 1878.

Thierry Fischer, conductor Stephen Hough, piano

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Utah Symphony Thursday, Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

SIM CANETTY-CLARK

Stephen Hough, “one of the finest pianists of the age” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), performs Rachmaninoff’s boldly romantic Piano Concerto no. 1. Preceding it is a newly discovered gem by the young Stravinsky, Funeral Song, performed only once before becoming lost for more than a century. It was composed just before his first big success (and this program’s big finish)—the colorful, hugely imaginative score for the ballet The Firebird.

Stravinsky: Funeral Song Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no. 1 Stravinsky: The Firebird

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

The Peking Acrobats Friday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 20, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

BRITTANY APP

Pushing the boundaries of human ability, the Peking Acrobats defy gravity with astonishing displays of contortion, flexibility, and control. Time-honoured music, performed live by musicians who skillfully play traditional Chinese instruments, combines with high-tech special effects and impressive athleticism to create a showcase of culture with the festive pageantry of a Chinese carnival.

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“The Peking Acrobats regularly passed from the seemingly impossible to the virtually unbelievable.” — Los Angeles Times

As an associate artist of Scotland’s Puppet State Theatre Company, Ailie Cohen collaborated on the production of The Man Who Planted

Trees, which was performed at BYU in September 2012.

Ailie Cohen Puppet Maker

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

The Secret Life of Suitcases Wednesday, Jan. 24, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 25, 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 27, 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Nelke Theatre

Workaholic Larry has got no time for fun, but that quickly changes when his fantastical, flying suitcase takes him on a thrilling global adventure! Celebrating a handmade aesthetic in a digital world, this intimate, big-hearted piece of puppet theatre for youth is the first-ever coproduction between Ailie Cohen, one of Scotland’s leading puppet creators, and the Unicorn Theatre, the UK’s leading theatre for young audiences.

50 minutes Age 4+ bravo.byu.edu

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Out of Chaos

Macbeth Thursday–Friday, Jan. 25–26, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 27, 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Pardoe Theatre

Shakespeare’s classic tale of blind ambition in medieval Scotland mixes with 21st–century sensibilities in this exhilarating, high-octane adaptation by some of Europe’s most exciting theatre-makers. Two actors inhabit 20 characters and bring them to life with all of the drama, intrigue, and madness for which this timeless story has become famous.

ALEX BRENNER

80 minutes Age 12+

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The two stars of this production have both previously performed at BYU: Paul O’Mahony in Much Ado About

Nothing (2014) and Troels Hagen Findsen in Next Door (2016).

“A lovely, haunting meditation on human connection, and disconnection…A poetic evocation of our mostly unspoken—and un-called upon—dependence on one

BARANOVA

another.” —New York Times

600 Highwaymen

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

The Fever Thursday, Feb. 1, 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 2, 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3, 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Pardoe Theatre

The latest work by this Brooklyn-based ensemble tests the limits of individual and collective responsibility and our willingness to be there for one another. Performed in complete collaboration with the audience, The Fever examines how we assemble, organize and care for the bodies around us. Who will you be when our eyes are on you? What will we see when we all look your way?

75 minutes Age 14+

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Jake Shimabukuro Thursday, Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

KAYOKO YAMAMOTO

Honolulu’s Jake Shimabukuro has elevated the ukulele from a beloved Hawaiian folk instrument to a world-class tool, fearlessly traversing boundaries and putting his inspired touch on everything from island standards to popular tunes and, most recently, classical symphonic concertos. This solo concert brings him to Provo for the first time with an adventurous and engaging program of signature tunes and new compositions.

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“Shimabukuro has elevated this simple, four string, two octave instrument to a classical art form…. He produces string sounds resembling an acoustic tenor guitar that mix flamenco, classical, blues, and acoustic rock fingerstyling.” – GratefulWeb.com

Equally at home in a variety of settings, Wu Man is a principal musician with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble and also recorded music for the soundtrack of the DreamWorks Animation film,

STEPHEN KAHN

Kung Fu Panda 3.

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Wu Man & The Huayin Shadow Puppet Band Thursday, Mar. 1, 7:30 p.m.

Madsen Recital Hall

Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man joins with the brilliant Huayin Shadow Puppet Band for an evening of old-time traditional music and shadow puppetry.

Amid shouts and the strumming of lutes and fiddles, the percussion of clappers and the ringing of gongs, the band sings and plays about rural life in remote China, painting an aural picture of places and sounds rarely heard in the West.

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

A Whole New World of

Alan Menken An Evening of Stories and Songs

Wednesday–Thursday, Mar. 7–8, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

Spend an evening with legendary songwriter Alan Menken— eight-time Oscar winner and recipient of more Tony Awards than any other living individual—as he shares the stories and songs behind a three-decade career of hit movies and musicals, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, Aladdin, Newsies, and more.

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PAUL KOLNIK

An Evening of Dance with Robert Fairchild, Megan Fairchild, Tiler Peck, and Friends

PAUL KOLNIK

Curated by Megan Fairchild and Robert Fairchild

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Bravo Ballet!

Friday–Saturday, Mar. 16–17, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

It’s a family affair when Utah siblings Robert Fairchild and Megan Fairchild, currently both principal dancers with New York City Ballet, curate and star in an exciting program of ballets by choreographers of yesterday and today. Joined by superstar ballerina Tiler Peck (also Robert’s wife) and several of their friends from New York’s internationally acclaimed ballet companies, this promises to be a truly special night to remember.

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Chick Corea Tuesday, Mar. 20, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

Composed of 15 of jazz music’s leading soloists, this distinguished big band draws from an extensive repertoire including original compositions as well as the masterworks of Ellington, Mingus, Coltrane, and other great jazz composers.

Universally acclaimed keyboardist, composer, and bandleader Chick Corea—winner of 22 Grammy Awards— joins the ensemble for a thrilling night of music making.

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“The finest big band in the world today.”

FRANK STEWART

—Daily Telegraph

“He sang with agility, elegance and Rossinian style, tossing off high notes and roulades…This was a winning performance for an increasingly important artist.” —New York Times

Nancy Peery Marriott Vocal Artist Series

Tuesday, Apr. 3, 7:30 p.m.

Madsen Recital Hall

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Lawrence Brownlee

LARRYNX PHOTOGRAPHY

The most in-demand American tenor in the world in the bel canto repertoire, Lawrence Brownlee continues to astonish audiences with the elegance and agility of his instrument.

From firmly American roots, Brownlee has become a star on the international opera and recital scenes, lauded for the seemingly effortless beauty of his voice.

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Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Actors From The London Stage

The Taming of the Shrew Thursday–Saturday, Apr. 12–14, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Apr. 14, 2:00 p.m.

Pardoe Theatre

PETER RINGENBERG

To woo, or not to woo: that may well be the question in Padua for suitors and sisters alike when five highly accomplished British actors—bearing credits from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain, and Shakespeare’s Globe, among others—play all the parts in this lean and lively production of Shakespeare’s boisterous, fiery comedy.

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Stage made their BYU debut in September 2014 performing Much Ado About Nothing outdoors in the courtyard of the Joseph F. Smith Building.

Bravo! Professional Performing Arts At BYU

Founded in 1975, Actors From The London

Professional Performing Arts At BYU

The Tallis Scholars Peter Phillips, conductor

Wednesday, Apr. 18, 7:30 p.m. de Jong Concert Hall

NICK RUTTER

Founded in 1973 by conductor Peter Phillips, this London-based chamber choir has become the leading exponent of Renaissance sacred music throughout the world. Equally at home in St. Paul’s Cathedral or concert halls across the globe, the ensemble makes its long-awaited Utah return alongside two of the BYU School of Music’s premier choral ensembles, BYU Singers and BYU Concert Choir, who join our guests for two pieces on the program.

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