Fowler Center Announces its 2015-16 Season
JONESBORO – Arkansas State University’s Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, announces the lineup for its 2015-16 season. The Riceland Distinguished Performance Series will present seven concerts featuring music, dance and theatre.
The season, which begins Sept. 25, will include Mike Farrell, formerly of the award-winning TV series, “Mash,” performing his rendition of a play on the subject of global warming. The series also features the brass instrumental groups, Boston Brass and the Huntertones, the men’s acapella group, Cantus, the southern jazz group, Dukes of Dixieland, a family magician show, and the Arkansas Symphony.
The Fowler Center will also present a family friendly event, Super Scientific Circus, sponsored by the Arkansas Science Festival.
Here are descriptions of the various presentations this season, summarized from information from the performers' representatives. For more details, visit the Fowler Center website.
Mike Farrell in “Dr. Keeling’s Curve” (One-Man Show) Friday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m.
Noted actor and activist Mike Farrell plays Dr. David Keeling, the scientist whose research on CO2 gave the world its first early warnings of global warming. In this highly acclaimed performance, Farrell brings to life the quirky and brilliant man who created the Keeling Curse, the iconic chart that illustrates the rise in atmospheric CO2 levels from 1958 to the present. The story combines Keeling’s personal journey with the insights of atmospheric scientists who, hundreds of years earlier, made discoveries that laid the foundations for Keeling’s own extraordinary work. We meet Jean Joseph Baptiste Fourier whose obsession with heat led to an understanding of the greenhouse effect, and Svante Arrhenius who proved a link between global warming and CO2. The play paints very human portraits of these and other great scientists. For more information, visit www.drkeelingscurve.com.
Super Scientific Circus Friday, Oct. 9, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Jointly presented by the Fowler Center and the Arkansas Science Festival, The Super Scientific Circus, starring Mr. Fish and Trent the Mime, proves that science can be fun and funny. Alternately assisted and foiled by the comedic antics of Trent the Mime, Mr. Fish uses amazing circus skills involving boomerangs, bubbles, beach balls, bull whips, and magic to introduce the principles of friction, inertia, centripetal force, aerodynamics, sonic booms, air pressure, and ultraviolet light. For more information, visit www.superscientificcircus.com.
The Magic of David Garrard Friday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
Get ready for a fun filled night that will keep you on the front of your seat. David Garrard has been amazing audiences for nearly 50 years. David’s unique mix of magic and music has made him popular with audiences throughout the United States. From his amazing Houdini straight jacket escape, to his disappearing act, he will have you wondering, “How in the world did he do that?” When not traveling with his magic, David casts a spell on the boys and girls at St. Matthews Baptist Church, where he is in his 39th year as Minister to Children. For more information, visit www.davidgarrardmagic.com.
The Arkansas Symphony “Beethoven and Blue Jeans” Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra is under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann, hailed by the BBC as a conductor who is quickly gaining a tremendous reputation as an “expressively graceful yet passionate” artist on three continents. The Arkansas Symphony will perform a concert titled, “Beethoven and Blue Jeans,” which consists of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 95,” McAllister’s “Black Dog,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a.” Don’t miss this night of wonderful classical masterpieces performed by a first-class orchestra. For more information, visit www.arkansassymphony.org.
Boston Brass “Christmas Bells are Swingin’ ” Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m.
For 27 years, Boston Brass has set out to establish a one-of-a-kind musical experience. From exciting classical arrangements, to burning jazz standards, and the best of the original brass quintet repertoire, Boston Brass treats audiences to a unique brand of entertainment, which captivates all ages. The ensemble's lively repartee, touched with humor and personality, attempts to bridge the ocean of classical formality to delight audiences in an evening of great music and boisterous fun. The philosophy of Boston Brass is to provide audiences with a wide selection of musical styles in unique arrangements, provided in a friendly and fun atmosphere. Come join us and get in the mood for Christmas with the Boston Brass performing “Christmas Bells are Swingin’.” For more information, visit www.bostonbrass.com/artist.php?view=media.
Cantus Monday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
The “intellectually, emotionally and musically rich” (Star Tribune) nine-member men’s vocal ensemble Cantus is known worldwide for its trademark warmth and blend and its engaging performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century. As one of the nation’s few full-time men’s vocal ensembles, Cantus has grown in prominence with its distinctive approach to creating music. Cantus performs more than 60 concerts each year in national and international touring, and in its home of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Past performances have brought Cantus to the stages of the Kennedy Center, UCLA, San Francisco Performances, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and New York’s Merkin Concert Hall. Committed to the expansion of the vocal music repertoire, Cantus actively commissions new music for men’s voices, and has received commissioning grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Composers Forum and Chamber Music America. Working without a conductor, the members of Cantus rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process. For more information, visit www.allianceartistmanagement.com/artist.php?id=cantus.
Dukes of Dixieland Thursday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m.
Back in 1974, producer John Shoup re-formed the Dukes of Dixieland and opened their jazz club atop the Monteleone Hotel in the French Quarter, calling it "Dukes' Place” with the blessing of its previous owner, Louis Prima. Playing four sets a night, often stretching till dawn, the Dukes started accepting 30 dates a year with orchestras, festivals and Performing Arts Centers in the USA and overseas, never straying long before returning home to Dukes’ Place until 1986, then a new home on Bourbon Street called Mahogany Hall. In 1992 they moved home base to the Steamboat Natchez, where they have remained ever since. You don’t have to go to New Orleans to hear this exclusive jazz band sound. Join us at the Fowler Center for a trip back in time to the sound of the New Orleans jazz legends. For more information, visit www.dukesofdixieland.com.
The Huntertones Monday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m.
The Brooklyn-based band, The Huntertones, is a unique voice in the world of genre-defying music. What started in 2010 as a six-piece instrumental group in Columbus, Ohio has become an innovative ensemble propelled by the original music and adventurous arranging of Chris Ott, Dan White, and Jon Lampley. Their heavy horn-driven compositions meld jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, gospel, R&B, and rock to produce a signature sound that resonates with all types of audiences. The band’s mission is simple: create live music on real instruments that will often make you think and always make you move. For more information, visit www.huntertones.com.
# # #
