Newman Center Unveils 2017-18 Concert Series
Fans of jazz and dance will find a lot to love about the 2017鈥18 Newman Center Presents series, which kicks off in September at the听听on the 成人AV campus.
Announced Monday, the forthcoming season also includes the debuts of two new series, one offering kid-friendly concerts for families and the other presenting matinee performances for K-12 students.
The programming reflects the priorities of Kendra Whitlock Ingram, who has served as executive director of the Newman Center since November. 鈥淢y predecessor, Steve Seifert, had done a really good job building an audience for dance and jazz, so I wanted to be sure to continue that tradition,鈥 she says, noting that the听听strategic plan and its calls for inclusive excellence and community engagement also inspired her choices. Planning the season, she says, was about 鈥渕aking sure that we had artists that were going to bring in different segments of the community that may have not been here before.鈥
On the jazz front, the Newman Center welcomes Grammy-winning vocalist听Gregory Porter听(Nov. 4); a special holiday program from hard-driving salsa band听Spanish Harlem Orchestra听(Dec. 7); vocalist听Tierney Sutton, performing songs from her album 鈥淭he Sting Variations,鈥 featuring her interpretations of Sting tunes such as 鈥淢essage in a Bottle鈥 and 鈥淔ields of Gold鈥 (Jan. 11); drummer听Antonio听Sanchez, who will perform the score to 2015 best-picture winner 鈥淏irdman鈥 (Feb. 22); and trumpeter听Terence听Blanchard, appearing with his E-Collective band (May 3, 2018).
The season鈥檚 dance lineup is anchored by the iconic听Martha Graham Dance Company,听staging a mix of classic pieces and new works (Oct. 7). Other scheduled performances include the Denver debut of Seattle-based听Spectrum Dance Theater, which will present 鈥淎 Rap on Race,鈥 a dance-theater piece exploring a historic conversation between James Baldwin and Margaret Mead (Jan. 26); the Denver debut of the听L.A. Dance Project听(March 10); and the听Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, which specializes in classical Indian dance (April 6, 2018).
The Newman Center reaches out to young music lovers with its two new concert series. The Family Series will feature programming geared for children ages 6 and older, as well as their families. It welcomes violin/viola duo听Black Violin听on Sept. 28鈥29;听Erth鈥檚 DINOSAUR ZOO LIVE,听a theatrical performance featuring an eye-popping collection of amazingly lifelike dinosaurs and other creatures (Nov. 11); the听Cashore Marionettes听(March 23鈥24); and听ODC Dance鈥檚听presentation of 鈥淭he Velveteen Rabbit鈥 (April 27, 2018). Families can arrive one hour early to experience the Newman Center KIDZONE, which will feature everything from coloring to face painting.
Another new offering, the Student Matinee Series, brings students in grades K-12 to the Newman Center for one-hour performances during the school day. Homeschool students are also welcome attend. Pricing and more information for teachers and school administrators will be available in August 2017.
Other events on the calendar include violin/viola duo听Black Violin, offering its trademark blend of classical, hip-hop, rock, R&B and bluegrass (Sept. 28鈥29);听鈥淎 New World,鈥听featuring a chamber-music performance of the score to video game franchise Final Fantasy (Oct. 20); R&B and gospel singer听Mavis Staples听(Nov. 17); a cappella group听The King鈥檚 Singers听(Nov. 19); a听Windham Hill 鈥淲inter Solstice鈥听concert with guitarists听Will Ackerman and Alex de Grassi and singer, fiddler and pianist听Barbara Higbie (Dec. 12); contemporary classical ensemble听wild Up听(Feb. 1); and superstar violinist听Sarah Chang,听performing excerpts from Vivaldi鈥檚 Four Seasons and Astor Piazzolla鈥檚 Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (March 13).
COMPLETE 2017鈥18 NEWMAN CENTER PRESENTS CALENDAR
Sept. 13: Pedrito Martinez Group (Partnership with the Biennial of the Americas)
Sept. 28鈥29: Black Violin
Oct. 7: Martha Graham Dance Company
Oct. 20: A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy
Nov. 4: Gregory Porter
Nov. 11: Erth鈥檚 DINOSAUR ZOO LIVE
Nov. 17: Mavis Staples
Nov. 19: The King鈥檚 Singers
Dec. 7: Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Dec. 12: Windham Hill 鈥淲inter Solstice鈥
Jan. 11: Tierney Sutton Band
Jan. 26: Spectrum Dance Theater
Feb. 1: wild Up
Feb. 22: Antonio Sanchez, BiRDMAN LiVE
March 10: L.A. Dance Project
March 13: Sarah Chang
March 23鈥24: Cashore Marionettes
April 6, 2018: Nrityagram Dance Ensemble
April 27, 2018: ODC Dance, 鈥淭he Velveteen Rabbit鈥
May 3, 2018: Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective
July 23鈥24, 2018: Presenting Denver Dance Festival