The house of the Musco Center for the Arts, viewed from the stage.
ORANGE, Calif., March 7, 2016 —
Tickets are on sale and selling quickly for the Opening & Preview Season of Chapman University’s new Marybelle and Sebastian P.
Musco Center for the Arts
, featuring music, dance and theatre events throughout April and May by professional and University artists and ensembles. Tickets are available for purchase online via Musco Center’s website at
www.muscocenter.org
.
The Opening & Preview Season will include internationally acclaimed virtuosos and ensembles that define excellence, as well as the finest Chapman student performances from the University’s nationally recognized College of Performing Arts (CoPA), which encompasses the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, the Department of Dance and the Department of Theatre.
Kicking things off with a day filled with performances and fun, the Center will throw its doors open to the entire community on Saturday, April 2 with a free Community Open House & Arts Festival from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Open House will include performances on four stages inside and outside the Center, by artists from all over Southern California: musicians, singers, dancers, ensembles and much more, as well as backstage tours, family activities and much more. The day includes a showcase performance by College of Performing Arts soloists and ensembles, as well as a concert by Pacific Symphony. Details will be announced soon.
As for the rest of the spring: “We have an extraordinary line-up of artists for the Opening & Preview Season at Musco Center,” said
William D. Hall, D.M.
, the Center’s founding dean and artistic director. “This will be the perfect introduction to the beauty, range and power of future seasons at this magnificent new center for the arts.”
Performances for the Opening & Preview Season represent a diverse range of world talents, ensembles and entertainers. Highlights include a new CoPA production of Shakespeare’s
The Merchant of Venice
, staged to coincide with the Bard’s 400th birthday, as well as music and dance by The Chapman Orchestra, Opera Chapman and other outstanding student ensembles.
Renowned visiting artists and companies on the roster include:
- Los Angeles Percussion Quartet
- The Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, joined by the Chapman Big Band & Jazz Combo, for Jumpin’ with Stan Kenton
- Musco Center Distinguished Piano Series, presenting the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medal‑winning concert pianist Vadym Kholodenko
- Great Voices Series with renowned American opera baritone Rod Gilfry
- Arts & Lecture Speaker Series with Jeff Corwin, American animal and nature conservationist and Animal Planet host
- American Idol star David Archuleta appearing at Chapman’s Baccalaureate Interfaith Service, leading into the University’s Commencement weekend
Musco Center was designed by award-winning architects
Pfeiffer Partners
, with acoustics by world‑renowned Yasuhisa Toyota of
Nagata Acoustics
. Once complete, it will serve as a new cultural beacon for campus life and the broader community, giving notice that world‑class arts education and artistic achievement have found a new home in Southern California.
ABOUT MUSCO CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University — opening on March 19, 2016 — is expected to take its place among the nation’s top university arts education and performance venues, offering students and distinguished faculty the opportunity to achieve the highest standard of arts‑related education through hands-on, real-world production and performance experience. At Musco Center, the surrounding community will enjoy large‑scale opera and theatre productions, touring dance companies, symphonies, chamber performances, jazz concerts, popular music and much more. For more information about Musco Center and its upcoming events, visit
www.muscocenter.org
.
MUSCO CENTER FOR THE ARTS – OPENING & PREVIEW SEASON
Saturday, March 19, 6 pm
Grand Opening – SOLD OUT!
Featuring Plácido Domingo, Deborah Voigt and Milena Kitic; and an orchestra and chorus of 150 voices conducted by John DeMain
Chapman University celebrates the Grand Opening of the Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts with a historic all-star performance. SOLD OUT.
Saturday, April 2, 11 am-10 pm
Community Open House & Arts Festival
Enjoy a cavalcade of performances, family activities, delicious food, backstage tours and nonstop fun – demonstrating the full capabilities of Musco Center and the tremendous range of Chapman’s College of Performing Arts, and celebrating the diversity of the City of Orange and its surrounding communities. On four stages inside and outside the Center, there will be continuous performances for all ages, by artists from throughout Southern California – musicians, ensembles, singers, dancers and much more. Admission FREE to all – check
muscocenter.org
for more information!
Sunday, April 3, 2 pm
Musco Center and Pacific Symphony Present
Interplay 2016: American Visions, American Voices
Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 (
Concord Sonata
)
Steven Mayer, Piano William Sharp, Baritone
Piano and voice combine in American master Charles Ives’ magisterial work that evokes the spirit of Concord, Massachusetts and the icons who gave it its literary crown – Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Hailed at its 1939 premiere as “the greatest music composed by an American.” Curated by Pacific Symphony as part of the Interplay 2016 festival, presented in partnership with Musco Center and Chapman University.
General Admission: $20. Non-Chapman Students: $15. Chapman Students/Faculty/Staff with ID: $10.
Sunday, April 10, 7:30pm
Musco Center Presents
Los Angeles Percussion Quartet
Rhythms of Our Time
This Grammy-nominated ensemble, featuring Chapman music faculty members Nick Terry and Justin DeHart, is a world-class chamber group utilizing the full panoply of percussive instruments: African drums, marimbas, bells, drum sets, electronica and more. “Mesmerizing and colorful” –
New York Times
.
Reserved Tickets: $20-$35. Student Discount – $10 off (any level) with ID.
Friday April 15, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 16, 2pm and 7:30pm
Saturday, April 23, 2pm
COPA Theatre Presents
The Merchant of Venice
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Thomas Bradac
Shakespeare’s immortal story of deceit, prejudice and justice is searingly portrayed in this new production directed by Chapman’s own Thomas Bradac, and starring acclaimed Shakespearean actor/Chapman theatre professor Michael Nehring as Shylock.
Reserved Tickets: $10-$25. Student Reserved Tickets: $10 (all levels) with ID.
Friday, April 22, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 23, 3pm
Sunday, April 24, 3pm
COPA Music Presents
Opera Chapman
Peter Atherton, artistic director
Carol Neblett, associate director
Gianni Schicchi
and
Suor Angelica
by Giacomo Puccini
Two of Puccini’s best-loved one-act operas are presented in fully costumed and staged performances by outstanding student singers and orchestra. There’s roguish, brilliant comedy in
Gianni Schicchi
(featuring the beloved aria “O mio babbino caro”) – contrasted with the hope and pathos of
Suor Angelica
.
Reserved Tickets: $10-$25. Student Reserved Tickets: $10 (all levels) with ID.
Tuesday, April 26, 7:30pm
Musco Center Presents
Distinguished Piano Series Concert
Vadym Kholodenko
Van Cliburn Competition Gold Medalist
Experience the blazing virtuosity of one of the world’s finest young pianists, the Kiev-born winner of the 2013 Van Cliburn Piano Competition.
Reserved Tickets: $20-$45. Student Discount – $10 off (any level) with ID.
Wednesday, April 27, 7:30pm
Musco Center Presents
EmC x BD: Emerging Voices in Choreography by Backhausdance
High-flying innovation from some of California’s top contemporary dance companies, including Whyteberg, TheFyberVision, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Backhausdance and Blythe Barton Dance. Reserved tickets $10-$25. Student Reserved Tickets $10 (any level) with ID.
Friday, April 29, 7:30 pm
COPA Music Presents
Chapman Wind Symphony
Christopher Nicholas, conductor
Christopher Nicholas conducts this gifted ensemble of more than 40 student performers in an eclectic repertoire ranging from classical masterworks to contemporary pieces. Program to be announced.
General Admission: $15. Non-Chapman students: $10. Chapman students/faculty/staff with ID: $5.
Sunday, May 1, 2pm
Musco Center Presents
Arts & Lecture Series
Jeff Corwin
The Emmy-winning Animal Planet host, author and biologist speaks eloquently and entertainingly on the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems across the globe.
Reserved Tickets: $30-$65. Student Discount – $10 off (any level) with ID.
Tuesday, May 3, 8am-1pm
Thompson Policy Institute Presents
DisAbility Summit
Chapman’s Thompson Policy Institute on Disability and Autism offers the results of its first year of research in clear, unbiased findings. Free and open to the public.
All conference attendees must RSVP at
www.chapmantpi.org
Tuesday, May 3, 7:30pm
Musco Center and CoPA Music Present
Jumpin’ with Stan Kenton
The Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra
– Mike Vax, director
Chapman University Big Band & Jazz Combo – Albert Alva, director
Made up of stellar musicians who played with late jazz legend Kenton, this swingin’ ensemble joins the Chapman Big Band & Jazz Combo for an evening for an evening of music that’s anything but square!
Reserved Tickets: $20-$45. Student Discount – $10 off (any level) with ID.
Saturday, May 7, 7:30pm
Musco Center Presents
Great Voices Concert
Rod Gilfry, Baritone
Two-time Grammy nominee Rod Gilfry, one of the true “heartthrobs” of the opera stage, performs a recital ranging from operatic arias to the best of the musical-theatre songbook.
Reserved Tickets: $20-$45. Student Discount – $10 off (any level) with ID.
Wednesday, May 11, 7:30 pm
CoPA Entertainment Technology and Department of Dance present
Technology for Live Performance
Experience an evening of original work created by select dance majors and technologists. This first-of-its-kind collaboration course, co-taught by Professors Don and Alicia Guy, will include a post-show talk-back with the student creators and special guests from Cirque du Soleil, discussing the collaborative process and providing a behind-the-scenes look. Admission is free and open to the public; no reservations required.
Saturday, May 14, 4 pm
COPA Music Presents
Sholund Scholarship Concert
The Chapman Orchestra
Daniel Alfred Wachs, music director and conductor
Chapman University Choirs
Steven Coker, music director
With nearly 100 top student performers on stage, the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music pulls out all the stops for this annual concert spotlighting the combined forces of The Chapman Orchestra and Chapman Choirs.
General Admission: $20. Non-Chapman students: $15. Chapman students/faculty/staff with ID: $10.
Sunday, May 15, 4pm
OCYSO Presents
Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Alfred Wachs, music director and conductor
Maestro Wachs conducts Orange County’s official youth symphony in a concert featuring the repertoire from their upcoming concert tour of Spain: Bernstein’s Overture to
Candide
, Ibeniz’s
Suite Iberia
and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
General Admission: $10. $5 students and seniors.
Friday, May 20, 4 pm
Chapman University’s Baccalaureate Interfaith Service
With Special Guests David Archuleta and Valarie Kaur
A new kind of baccalaureate service, featuring one of
American Idol’s
most beloved stars, David Archuleta, plus superstar interfaith speaker Valarie Kaur. Featuring inspirational messages of faith for all graduates, whether secular, spiritual or religious. Open to all: graduates, their families and the public. Free admission.
SUNDAY, MAY 29
Events in Aitken Plaza, 1-5 pm
Concert inside Musco Center, 6 pm
Chapman World CAFÉ Presents
Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano
Mariachi Reyna de los Angeles
El Latido del Corazon Mexicano (Heartbeat of Mexico)
It’s fiesta time in the Aitken Arts Plaza! Enjoy free activities and performances saluting the glorious music and culture of Mexico on the Plaza all afternoon, followed by an evening concert featuring two of Southern California’s most acclaimed mariachis. Presented in association with the Chapman University Latino Staff & Faculty Forum. Reserved tickets for 6 p.m. concert: $20-$35. Student discount: $10 off (any level) with ID.
###
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mary Platt, APR
Director of Communications and Media Relations
Chapman University
One University Drive, Orange CA 92866
714-628-7271 @maryaplatt
platt@chapman.edu
