Life is Sweet Blog

Laura Goodwin, VP of Learning & Engagement has seen a lot of kid shows, so to hear her say, “A Year with Frog & Toad is one of my all-time favorite performances for children AND families,” well, that means something. Here’s what she had to say:

The theme of friendship and finding your place make for a warm-hearted production that I wish every child in Northwest Arkansas could see and enjoy.

I love the look of the show; it’s beautifully costumed and the sets are charming. And the real stars are the music and lyrics—so clever. It’s truly enjoyable theater for both children and their adults. Some shows a parent enjoys because they see their child so enthralled—but Frog & Toad appeals to even the grown-ups in the audience. Who doesn’t have a hyper-sensitive Toad in their life, or been a Frog-like cheerleader when the situation called for it?

The friends’ musical journey reminds us that the petty trials, travails and insecurities of everyday life are bearable and even enjoyable because of supportive friendships. I look forward to seeing Frog & Toad with my seven year old (again)—what a concrete way to share and affirm that the energy we put into taking care of friendships are repaid a thousand fold. Seeing live theater is such an effective tool to discussing as a family the really important things in life like having a sense of humor about your weaknesses and being a good friend. Don’t miss it!

There will be two performances in Baum Walker Hall Saturday, January 16 at 11am and 3pm. Tickets range from $10.50 to $16.50 and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 479.443.5600 or by visiting www.waltonartscenter.org

Thank You Gregory: A Tribute to the Legends of Tap is a heartfelt and exhilarating homage to women, African Americans, tap dancing legend Gregory Hines and other champions of the tap genre.

When I think of tap dancing, I think of clickety-clack…similar to the sound and rhythm of my fingers on the keyboard as I type right now! BEAUTIFUL!

TAP into your creative juices– in a word or a few words, describe the energy or sound of tap dancing! Post your descriptions as a comment on this blog to enter a drawing for 2 free tickets to Thank You Gregory: A Tribute to the Legends of Tap, Jan. 20 at 7pm.

Winners will be announced on this blog Friday morning, Jan. 15.

Tickets still available for Wednesday, Jan. 20, 7pm & Thursday, Jan. 21, 7pm in Baum Walker Hall. Prices start at: $18.50. For more information about this performance or others, contact the Walton Arts Center Box Office by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting www.waltonartscenter.org

Every year, in January, WAC staff head to NYC for APAP, the national conference for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (@APAP2010 and #apap2010 for the twitter folk among you). This year there are 4 of us, and we’ll be joined by Peter Lane, our new CEO, on Saturday. This conference is a whirlwind of meetings, panel discussions and showcases, which are short excepts of shows that play all over NY. Some perform in suites here at the Hilton, others in consulates or studios, others in hotel ballrooms…it’s really amazing how much work gets shown here. There’s also a HUGE expo room where agents and artists meet with presenters to book shows and make deals.

We start the day at 8 or 9 and usually don’t end it until midnight. But don’t let the long hours fool you – we love it.

Yesterday was a travel day, and we had great travel karma. The roads to the airport were not as bad as they could have been, our flight departed on time, and it wasn’t very full, so we had plenty of legroom. We caught a cab immediately, and within moments of walking into the hotel, we saw friends and colleagues mingling about in the familiar buzz and chatter of APAP.

After getting settled, we met with an agent about a soon-to-be-announced (and very exciting) project, then visited Matthew Broderick’s restaurant, Angus McIndoe, for a quick drink. We then headed out to see an awesome show (related to the aforementioned project), and called it an early night.

Today, we traveled to meet with composer and artist Mikel Rouse (www.mikelrouse.com) who will be performing two shows of his Gravity Radio in Walton Arts Center’s Starr Theater on January 26. We’re not going to try to describe his work (that’s what the website is for), but we got to hear a new piece he was working on, and he shared some fantastic restaurant recommendations. We are shared a few of our own; he loves local restaurants and we’re hoping he’ll visit Hugo’s when he gets to Fayetteville.

Then it was the opening plenary of the conference, featuring National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesmann, DJ Spooky, and the amazing Elizabeth Streb, who challenged the arts community to take risks and seek opportunity every day.

Tonight, we’re off to the opera and perhaps a dance showcase or two. More tomorrow!

Jennifer Ross, Director, Programs
Jodi Beznoska, VP, Communications

RAT PACK IS BACK starts Tuesday, December 8 here at Walton Arts Center! For younger generations, this holiday tribute might be the only opportunity to experience Frank, Sammy, Dean and Joey. But for those that lived through the real hipster era, memories of the Rat Pack go beyond music and film. Some of Walton Arts Center’s own volunteers tell us what the Rat Pack meant to them…

I worked at Columbia Pictures when Frank Sinatra made “Pal Joey.” He had so much magnetism that it was a highlight of my day to see him walking to the set at noon. It was the ONLY time in my 7 years working in Hollywood that I took a sack lunch so I could sit out on the backlot and wait for him to pass by. He looked like a character from a Damon Runyon book. Sinatra was one of the few leading men that I got excited about –REALLY TRULY EXCITED. I wasn’t always an old lady.

~Marilyn Russell

At the time I thought the Rat Pack was great, but I remember the racial tension with Sammy Davis Jr. He was the backbone of the group(dance), but still had to endure the hardship of the era. I was taught the color of your skin didn’t matter and the performance was what it was all about.

~Patricia Sommer

I grew up in Las Vegas, and long ago during my high school days, Sammy Davis was still performing with his uncles in lounges. It was a crazy wonderful and innocent world in those days and often we schoolgirls would be asked to come out during rehearsals and have our pictures taken with the performers….to be used in fan magazine, etc. All the high school kids loved Sammy Davis and would often go out to the lounges (and have a coke) and watch him perform. We were exposed to performers, their good traits and bad. During the later years, we would often revisit Vegas and catch their shows. Needless to say, I am looking forward to spending an evening of remembrances.

~Marian Catron

For tickets to the RAT PACK IS BACK, visit www.waltonartscenter.org or call 479.443.5600.

Dr. Pat is a beloved Walton Arts Center staff member who is also very active in the choral community. She will be participating in the vocal performance of Handel’s Messiah and takes a few moments to reflect on her experiences.

Handel’s Messiah is one of the world’s most popular works of choral music. This year is the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death. So it is with special excitement that I finish rehearsals of this great Baroque composer’s work with the UA Master Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Todd Prickett.

Along with other singers in Northwest Arkansas, I have sung Handel’s Messiah previously, led by conductors including: Jack Groh, Carlton Woods, David Saladino and Graeme Langager. I was elated the first time I sang with the North Arkansas Community Chorus (before the Walton Arts Center was built.) The more intimately I explore the music, the more profoundly I heard it, and the more I continue to love in it. Handel eloquently expresses our humanity: our joys, longings and even cruelties. He gave us a voice worthy to celebrate and respond to the divine.

Messiah rehearsals begin for me after a busy day of work at Walton Arts Center. To confess the truth, I secretly wonder if I can really find the energy, focus and collaboration to sing this complex music. The conductor begins, the voices blend and by the end of rehearsal I feel energized and inspired by the communion with greatness.

Singing the Messiah on the stage of Baum Walker Hall gives me the best seat in the house. Standing on the stage with over 100 great singers, I see a Baroque orchestra before me with our conductor and guest soloists. Beyond them, an audience of 1200 lovely listeners, is ready to share the greatness with us. I hope to see you there.

Dr. Patricia Relph
Arts Learning Specialist
Walton Arts Center
prelph@waltonartscenter.org

Peyton Etzel of Rogers, AR will be dancing the cherished role of Clara in the upcoming production of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s The Nutcracker at Walton Arts Center, Nov. 27-29. Here’s what Peyton had to say about the experience:

“This Nutcracker experience at the Walton Arts Center has been amazing! Being Clara is so much fun – even though it is a ton of work. The local children’s cast has been rehearsing almost every Saturday since the end of August. We all work really hard but Ms. Kate makes it fun. I am really looking forward to working with the Aspen Santa Fe dancers this week. I can’t believe that the performance is only a few days away. It went by so fast!

- Peyton Etzel

For tickets to the Nutcracker, visit www.waltonartscenter.org or call 479.443.5600.

This year’s production of The Nutcracker will be presented by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, one of America’s leading contemporary dance companies, during their third visit to Walton Arts Center, on November 27, 28 & 29. The company came to Fayetteville in August to audition local boys and girls ages 5-17 for 68 roles. A local cast from 25 Northwest Arkansas dance studios was selected and Kate Riegler has been working with the dancers to prepare for this chance of a lifetime ever since!

Kate reflects on the past few months:

“Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was in auditions, looking at each hopeful child, and wondering what must be going through their minds. Once the cast had been chosen and rehearsals began, I was intrigued, as I always am, with each individual child and their unique personalities. This is something I love about dance; no matter how uniform a group is asked to be in their movements, they each bring something lovely and different to the larger picture.

This past Saturday marked the final rehearsal before Aspen Santa Fe Ballet returns and the children join them. I could sense their excitement from the time I walked into the Starr Theater at noon, until the last rehearsal of the day was complete at 5:30. We diligently worked together, cleaning up any sequences that lacked precision and clarifying the acting portions they must perform. Rehearsals are always fun and interesting, especially when they are required to act. They have all become quite good at telling the story. Each child brings something fresh to every run-through; a mark of their individual, youthful artistry. I have been privileged to witness the growth and development of these students. Their discipline has paid off; they are ready and energized for the week ahead.

I applaud them.”

-Kate Riegler, Local Ballet Mistress

Get tickets to the Nutcracker by calling 479.443.5600 or visit us online at www.waltonartscenter.org.

Saturday night at 8:00pm,Walton Arts Center was transformed into a bluegrass “mini-festival” that featured three female-fronted bands:Sierra Hull & Highway 111, Dixie Bee-Liners and Uncle Earl. Although it was day 19 of their 25-day tour, there was no shortage of enthusiasm, both on-stage and in the audience. All around it was a toe stompin, string pluckin, hand clappin good time!

All three sets contained moments of humor and brilliance. The all-girl ensemble, Uncle Earl had a sincerity that translated to elegant harmonies as they sang from their album “Waterloo, Tennessee.” The name immediately made me smile as I thought of the Stonewall Jackson classic, “Waterloo.” (Every puppy has its day, everybody has to pay. Everybody has to meet his Waterlooooooo.) Sprinkled with spontaneous Irish-style “clogging,” their performance was exciting and unforgettable! The Dixie Bee-Liners had a traditional bluegrass sound but their story telling was especially captivating. They played from their concept album, “Susanville” which is about different people in different cars all driving from Susanville, CA.

But for me, the biggest surprise was the opening performance. When 17-year old Sierra Hull walked on stage with ruffles, a thick Southern draw and tiny mandolin, you could literally hear the collective, “awwwww.” She was adorable, no doubt. But the second she began to play, a silence swept the audience. She commanded the room with her exquisite voice and the honest words complimented her instrumental intelligence. The title cut of her new album, “Secrets” was especially poignant and tender. In a day of GPS and navigation systems, it was fun to just get lost for a moment. The beautiful strings and wistful lyrics transported me to a tiny mountain town with fresh air and new beginnings. I have since listened to “Secrets” more times than I will ever admit.

The artists of American Revival brought their banjos, mandolins and fiddles from all-over places like Tennessee, New York, Colorado, Massachusetts and California. This demonstrates the emerging influences of bluegrass in contemporary America. “It’s the first time I’ve ever played in Arkansas,” one musician said, while another admits, “It’s the first time I’ve ever BEEN to Arkansas.” This reminded me that when Walton Arts Center brings up-and-coming stars to Northwest Arkansas, we’re not just providing a musical experience; we’re contributing to an important movement that makes up American Roots Music. Please watch for more new music!

-Beth Goodwin
Media & Community Outreach Coordinator

Several years ago, on a cold night in New York City, my colleagues and I sat in the historic Birdland Jazz Club, watching and listening to a “showcase” of several music groups. One band in particular peaked our interest before they even started playing. The “drum set” was an intriguing arrangement of a suitcase, cardboard boxes, tin cans and other such items – and the lead singer/fiddle player was so very pregnant we wondered if she was, perhaps, a month or so past due! Beyond those first impressions, once the band started to play, we sat absolutely captivated by the tight harmonies the excellent musicianship and the strong and pure alto voice leading the group. I came home from the conference with a sample CD that included songs from Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem’s first two CDs and I listened to it so often that my 3-year-old son started asking for specific songs by name and started singing them around the house.

Fast forward five years to May 2009: I’m looking for fun music and groups new to Walton Arts Center’s market for our inaugural Starrlight Music Club season and I immediately think of Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem. Their album, “Big Old Life”, released in 2007, is a collection of music that demands to be listened to time and again. It’s the CD I reach for when I’m in the car by myself and have a while to drive; I crank up the volume, roll down the window and sing along to this music that resonates with light and hope. While the songs and arrangements touch on the roots of our nation’s musical history – they perform Leonard Cohen’s “Heart with No Companion” as if it were an Appalachian ballad passed down through the generations – the music feels new and fresh.

If you have nothing to do Thursday night – or if you can rearrange your schedule – make time to come see Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem in Starr Theater. You will not be disappointed, and you’ll walk away humming lyrics that will stick with you for a while. Check out some of their music at www.raniarbo.com, and a review of “Big Old Life” from NPR’s All Things Considered.

Jennifer Ross
Director, Programming

Friday night was a special show here at Walton Arts Center. Many of you who saw Yo Yo Ma perform here in 2008 saw three young musicians from the Silk Road Project join him; on Friday night, those same three musicians returned with three additional musicians, including Kayhan Kahlor, who is a master of Persian music. Mr. Kahlor played the kamencheh (pronounced kham en chay). Eric Jacobsen on cello rounded out Brooklyn Rider, the string quartet featuring Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandeslman and Nicholas Cords, and Matthias Kunzli was added to the group for this performance on percussion.

We brought this show because we love the energy and spunk of Brooklyn Rider, and because we wanted our audiences to hear Kayhan Kahlor, and they didn’t disappoint. But our audiences got treated to a rare evening.

As Brooklyn Rider finished the 2nd piece of the first half of the show (a 24 minute suite of Armenian folk songs), Eric, the cellist, got a hold of the microphone and stood up before Kayhan Kahlor and the percussionist could take their places. “I’ve broken my C-String,” he announced sheepishly. “And my spare is at my hotel. Can we take intermission now?” After a few moments of astonishment, the audience laughed and clapped and the musicians departed the stage, the lights came up, and the house staff scrambled to get intermission ready.

Backstage and in the lobby, Walton Arts Center staff scurried about seeking a C-string; one was located, thanks to our Board member Stephen Gates, who also happened to be on the music faculty at the UA. But it took a while for the string to arrive, and so to the crowd’s delight, Mr. Kahloor sat alone on stage and played for nearly 15 minutes. Most Persian music is improvised, and so we may have heard something that night that no one else has ever hear or will hear again. I like to think so.

When he was done, the audience roared appreciatively, and the rest of the group filed back onstage, the cellist proudly displaying his C-stringed instrument, and they settled in for a performance of Silent City, written my Mr. Kahlor for this group. When it was done, the audience rose in a standing ovation, recognizing that they were hearing something special. Midway through the last piece of the set, as the cello eased into a solo, Eric stopped playing, grinned at the audience, and quipped “it’s so nice to have a C-String.” Amid the laughter, his brother, Colin, on violin, wryly responded “we’ll go on with the piece now” and they were off, earning themselves another standing ovation and an encore where they played the piece originally intended for the 1st set (before the C-String breakage).

It was a special evening, one that only those who were in the theater can ever claim as their own. And that’s the best part about live performance. I’m glad I got to see it.

-Jodi Beznoska
VP, Communications