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713 227
4-SPA
2005 - 2006 Season
spahouston.org
Click
here to download printable version.
MUSIC
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Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Gold Medalist
Friday, September 23, 2005 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
Van Cliburn knows a thing or two about winning piano competitions.
In 1958, this lanky Texan stunned the world by winning the First
Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, deep behind the Iron
Curtain. Since 1962, every four years, aspiring concert pianists
trek the long road to winning a Van Cliburn medal. Selected from
hundreds of the most promising artists around the globe, they
audition to perform for this competition in Fort Worth. Be among
the first to hear this year’s Gold Medalist. www.cliburn.org
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Ahn Trio
Friday, November 18, 2005 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
Graduates of the famed Juilliard School, these hip Seoul sisters
are credited for bringing chamber music to the MTV generation
with their “Ahn-Plugged” format. From New York City
to Moscow to Singapore, the Ahn Trio captures the minds, hearts
and souls of all who hear them. With a repertoire that ranges
from Leonard Bernstein to David Bowie, violinist Angella and
the twins, pianist Lucia and cellist Maria, are fine-tuning classical
music with a modern edge. www.ahntrio.com
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And with a closetful of Tonys, Grammys, and Oscars, Mr.
Hamlisch has composed scores for over 40 motion pictures and several
Broadway shows, including A Chorus Line, They’re
Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl and The
Way We Were. Two incredible talents, one memorable evening.
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Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - Riccardo
Muti, conductor
Sunday, March 12, 2006 · 2 pm
Jones Hall
A major-league Houston event! A very rare opportunity to hear
Austria's most highly coveted "cultural export." You'll
revel in a lively Viennese evening with one of the world's greatest
symphonies. Conducted by former Philadelphia Orchestra conductor,
Riccardo Muti, hailed by the Financial Times as "one
of those rare conductors who can make an orchestra surpass itself." more...
| Richard Strauss |
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Tod und Verklrung – Symphonische Dichlung op. 24 |
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
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Mozart Sinfonia concertante for Violin, Viola & Orchestra
E Flat major. KV 364 |
| Franz Schubert |
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Symphony Nr. 8 C major, D 944 (Great C Major Symphony,
old Nr. 9) |
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DANCE
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Ballet Hispanico
Nightclub
Friday, February 3, 2006 · 8 pm and Saturday, February
4, 2006 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
The music is fierce, the dancing is hot and the passion is undeniable.
Tango’s sensuous language traces three stories of love,
yearning and loss. Follow the intricate steps from the Buenos
Aires brothels to Spanish Harlem to the uninhibited New York
nightclubs. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “an
ingenious effort,” celebrated choreographers – Graciela
Danielle, Alexandre Magno and Sergio Trujillo – explore
steamy rhythms with music by Astor Piazzolla, Tito Puente and
contemporary DJs. Mature themes. www.ballethispanico.org
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Friday, February 17, 2006 · 8 pm
Jones Hall
For more than 45 years, this pioneering Company has dazzled
audiences with captivating performances and unparalleled artistry,
fulfilling Ailey’s vision that "dance is for everybody." From
his jazz-inspired works and intimate portraits to explosive epics
teeming with passion, Alvin Ailey changed the way people view
dance, the African-American aesthetic, and music in America.
Renowned for its soul-stirring, high-energy theatrics, the company
returns with new repertory and Ailey's signature masterpiece Revelations. www.alvinailey.org
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“For energy, athletic beauty, grace, high emotion,
and amazing technique there is almost nothing to touch it …one
of the greatest dance troupes in the world.” – The
London Times
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Buglisi/Foreman Dance
Saturday, April 8, 2006 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
After two decades of dancing together as principal artists with
Martha Graham, Jacqulyn Buglisi and Donlin Foreman, with Terese
Capucilli and Christine Dakin, formed Buglisi/Foreman Dance in
1994. With a company of 12 dancers, this distinguished quartet
broadens the Graham legacy by taking her principles into the
21st century. With flawless excellence and a dynamic new lyricism,
Buglisi/Foreman communicates through dance all that is important
in life. www.buglisi-foreman.org
“Stunning ... extravagant and beautiful
... each dance is an encounter with destiny.” – The
New York Times
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FAMILY
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Bowfire
Saturday, November 12, 2005 · 7 pm
Jones Hall
Musical theatre meets classical virtuosity when these blazing
bows reel off snippets of Celtic, jazz, bluegrass, folk, funk,
rock, classical, Old-time, gypsy, electric and other exciting
musical styles in the blink of an eye. When Bowfire's masterful
ten take the stage they create a razzle-dazzle, jaw-dropping
spectacle. You won't believe your ears! more...
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Peking Acrobats
Saturday, April 1, 2006 · 7 pm
Jones Hall
Juggling knives, precarious poses, arresting acrobatics. This
elite group of gymnasts, jugglers, cyclists and tumblers roll
spellbinding 2000 year-old Chinese traditions and exotic Chinese
music into a gravity-defying kaleidoscope of uplifting, awe-inspiring
entertainment. Your kids won’t forget it. And neither will
you. more...
"Amazing – and stunning and breathtaking and WOW!"– The
Seattle Times
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Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular
Friday, April 28, 2006 · 7 pm
Jones Hall
Hip hop, don’t stop. Back by popular demand, Break! is
full throttle fun. Set in the New York City streets, Break! traces
the thirty year story of hip-hop with breakdancing, popping,
bucket-drumming, and the electric boogaloo. The amazingly talented
cast has worked with the likes of Madonna, Janet Jackson, 50
Cent, P. Diddy, and Ringo Star.
loveproductions.com
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“Move over, Stomp. There’s a
new show in town, and it’s got kids screaming nonstop as if
they were on the downhill side of a killer roller coaster.” – Houston
Chronicle
INTERNATIONAL
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Ravi Shankar’s Festival of India
II
with Anoushka Shankar, sitar
Friday, September 16, 2005 · 8 pm
Jones Hall
Dubbed by the late Beatle George Harrison as the “godfather
of world music,” Ravi Shankar brings some of the best folk
musicians and singers from India to celebrate Indian classical
music. The evening features Mr. Shankar’s own compositions
for sitar, Indian violin, folk drums, wind instruments, and traditional
Indian vocals. You’ll adore the sitar-playing and conducting
of this 85 year old musical icon considered to be India’s
most revered musical son. Truly a night to remember. www.ravishankar.org
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Ballet Flamenco José Porcel
Saturday, October 15, 2005 · 8 pm
Jones Hall
Get ready for some fiery, hot flamenco … an explosion
of dance rhythms, colors and emotions that showcases the vitality
and passion of the Spanish people. A former principal dancer
for Ballet Nacional de España, Sevilla native José Porcel
possesses a strong dramatic flare, a wellspring of creative genius,
and a desire to push the envelope while preserving the traditional.
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Yamato—Drummers of Japan
Saturday, October 22, 2005 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
From the delicate patter of raindrops to the hammering of rolling
thunder, you’ll feel the exciting intensity of Yamato’s
taiko drumming and dancing all the way to your bones. Not dance
exactly, not music precisely, not solely spectacle. Japan's Yamato
drummers do it all with a ferocity somewhere between the seriousness
of samurai and the crazed exhibitionism of heavy-metal rock.
Prepare yourself for some soul-shaking. www.wadaiko-yamato.com
”If you’re looking for inspiring drumming and
infectious dance rhythms, you’ll be disappointed. This
is much, much more.” – The London Guardian
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NEW
NOW
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Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Friday, October 21, 2005 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
With an onstage roll of the dice, Split Sides, the
next revolutionary tour de force by Merce Cunningham, begins.
The dice determine the order of the music – by British
alternative rockers Radiohead and Icelandic
art rockers Sigur Rós – as well
as the choice of costumes, lights, scenery and choreography.
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With 32 different combinations possible, it’s an evening of
chance by the man The Wall Street Journal calls, “the
world’s greatest living choreographer.” For over 50 years,
Cunningham has been stretching the boundaries of contemporary dance,
collaborating with Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and John Cage. www.merce.org
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Accidental Nostalgia
Friday, January 13, 2005 · 8 pm and Saturday, January
14, 2005 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
Memory, what is it, and why does the brain choose to remember
certain things over others? This charming new operetta dives
smack into the matter full-force, with grit, humor and a good
deal of twang. Accompanied by her marvelous alt-country band,
Gloria Deluxe, and a host of multi-media effects, writer and
performer Cynthia Hopkins turns in a highly imaginative and fiendishly
successful performance with a sound that falls somewhere between
Lucinda Williams, Suzanne Vega and Natalie Merchant. Brief nudity. [ Gloria Deluxe ] [ Audio samples ]
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“Imagine Lotte Lenya’s kid sister shacking
up in a cheap Atlanta hotel with Tom Waits and spending her time
with visionaries, addicts, and murderers.” – Time
Out New York
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David Sedaris
Tuesday, May 2, 2006 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
Spend an evening with humorist, NPR commentator and best-selling
author David Sedaris, who Time Out New York claims “just
may be the funniest man alive.” Tweaking the familiar until
it warps, Sedaris mines the riotous journey through his North Carolina
childhood, his odd-job years in New York City and his move to France
before ever learning a word of the language. His wickedly witty
observations of the ordinary and the bizarre deliver insights and
laughs to sold-out crowds throughout the country. more...
“David Sedaris brings x-ray vision to the human psyche,
sparing no one – including himself.” – Entertainment
Weekly
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SPECIAL
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Marc André Hamelin, piano*
Saturday, January 21, 2006 · 8 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
Marc André Hamelin plays extreme piano...he's a fearless
adventurer. Known for his choice of distinguished but neglected
repertory, Hamelin brings spectacular technique to mind-bogglingly
difficult pieces by the likes of Alkan, Gowdowsky, Busoni, plus
favorites such as Bach and Schubert. Blazing virtuosity. [ more
info... ]
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| Program |
| French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816 |
Bach |
| Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119 |
Brahms |
| Sonata in B-flat, Op. Posth., D. 960 |
Schubert |
| Fantasy and Fugue on B.A.C.H. |
Liszt |
Presented in association with the International Piano Festival at the
University of Houston's Moores School on January 20-22.
Hamelin's hands are "among the wonders of the musical world." -- The
New Yorker
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Ballet Austin
Not Afraid of the Dark – The Show That Glows!
Friday, April 7, 2006 · 7 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
The lights go out. Shhhhhh! Did you hear that? What’s that
under the bed? Ballet Austin’s Not Afraid of the Dark takes
children into a marvelous “glow in the dark” world,
where turning off the lights isn’t scary at all. Nationally-recognized
children’s entertainer Joe Scruggs and Ballet Austin’s
Stephen Mills combine music and dance with an array of special
effects that leave children with the beauty and magic of darkness.
(appropriate for ages 4-9)
notafraidofthedark.com
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