Newman Center Unveils 2018-19 Concert Series
For its 201819 season, 91心頭s油油is calling all jazz fans, dance aficionados and armchair travelers.
Along with healthy doses of dance and jazz, the season which kicks off Sept. 15 with a special downtown Denver performance by opera singer Kathleen Battle, performing with 91心頭s own Spirituals Project features three family-friendly presentations from National Geographic.
National Geographic has a roster of adventurers and scientists and photographers on a live touring circuit where they present a 60- to 75-minute program with HD video and photos of their experiences, says Kendra Whitlock Ingram, executive director of the Newman Center. Its super family-friendly, and the quality of the video and photos is just extraordinary.
The National Geographic series kicks off Dec. 13 with a presentation by油Kobie Boykins, a NASA engineer who worked on the Mars rover. Other speakers include mountaineer油Hilaree ONeill油(Jan. 23), who led a group of elite climbers on a grueling attempt to scale a remote peak in Myanmar, and photographer油Steve Winter油(March 3), who will share his experiences photographing big cats.
On the jazz front, the Newman Center welcomes guitarist油Pat Metheny油and his quartet (Oct. 17); the U.S. Armys油Jazz Ambassadors, playing a free concert (Oct. 20); the油Turtle Island Quartet油with pianist油Cyrus Chestnut油(Nov. 16); singer and Denver native油Dianne Reeves, performing songs from her holiday album, Christmas Time is Here (Dec. 6); traditional New Orleans jazzers油Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra油(Feb. 26); and MacArthur Genius Grant-winning pianist油Vijay Iver油and his sextet (May 9, 2019).
The two things that weve found the niche for programming in Denver are dance and jazz, Ingram says. So those are the two places we usually start with programming. On the jazz side, I always say we fit the artist that plays a thousand-seat venue, even though this year were presenting a few artists that have played much larger venues. Weve been really fortunate to lock them down for our season.
Ingram put a special focus on female artists for the venues 201819 dance season, booking such up-and-comers as油Camille A. Brown油(Oct. 4),油Jessica Lang油(Feb. 7) and油Michelle Dorrance油(April 4) whose ETM: Double Down finds eight tap dancers performing on special digital platforms that turn the stage into an instrument.
For the second season in a row, the Newman Center is reaching out to young music lovers. The油油brings students in grades K-12 to the Newman Center for one-hour performances by touring artists during the school day. The Family Series, meanwhile, will feature programming geared for children ages 6 and older, as well as their families. The latter series welcomes the油Okee Dokee Brothers油on Nov. 4, followed by油B The Underwater Bubble Show油on March 14.
Other shows on the 201819 Newman Center season include油Potted Potter油(Sept. 1923), a Broadway-caliber parody performance that condenses all seven Harry Potter books into 70 minutes;油Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, in a collaboration with pianist Joyce Yang (Nov. 1011);油A Canadian Brass Christmas油(Dec. 18); The Miracle of Indoor Plumbing, featuring油Jad Abumrad, host of Public Radios Radiolab (Jan. 12); the globally minded油Silkroad Ensemble油(Feb. 1); gospel superstars the油Blind Boys of Alabama油(Feb. 14);油Destination Freedom: Black Radio Days, an old-fashioned radio show featuring Denvers own Flobots (March 22, 2019); and contemporary classical ensemble the油Bang on a Can All-Stars油(April 12, 2019), in a concert featuring students from 91心頭s Lamont School of Music.
Season subscriptions are on sale now; single tickets will be available in mid-July. Click油油for more information and to purchase tickets.
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COMPLETE 201819 NEWMAN CENTER PRESENTS CALENDAR
- Sept. 15: Kathleen Battle: Underground Railroad A Spiritual Journey, featuring the Spirituals Project (at Ellie Caulkins Opera House in downtown Denver)
- Sept. 1923: Potted Potter
- Oct. 4: Camille A. Brown and Dancers
- Oct. 17: Pat Metheny, with Antonio Sanchez, Linda May Han Oh and Gwilym Simcock
- Oct. 20: Jazz Ambassadors: Americas Big Band (free concert)
- Nov. 4: The Okee Dokee Brothers
- Nov. 1011: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: An Evening with Joyce Yang
- Nov. 16: Turtle Island Quartet with Cyrus Chestnut
- Dec. 6: Dianne Reeves: Christmas Time is Here
- Dec. 13: National Geographic: Kobie Boykins (Exploring Mars)
- Dec. 18: A Canadian Brass Christmas
- Jan. 12: The Miracle of Indoor Plumbing: An Evening with Jad Abumrad
- Jan. 23: National Geographic: Hilaree ONeill (Point of No Return)
- Feb. 1: Silkroad Ensemble
- Feb. 7: Jessica Lang Dance
- Feb. 14: Blind Boys of Alabama
- Feb. 26: Delfeayo Marsalis presents the Uptown Jazz Orchestra
- March 3: National Geographic: Steve Winter (On the Trail of Big Cats)
- March 14: B The Underwater Bubble Show
- March 22: Destination Freedom: Black Radio Days
- April 4: Dorrance Dance ETM: Double Down
- April 12: Bang on a Can All-Stars
- May 9: Vijay Iyer Sextet