Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University Announces 24 Added Performances The Center’s Inaugural Season – September 2016 Through April 2017 – Has Added Shows by Chapman’s College of Performing Arts, Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony, Sikhlens, Musco Center World CAFE and Others.

Tickets On Sale Now at Box Office and www.muscocenter.org

MEDIA CONTACT:  Mary Platt, APR

Director of Communications and Media Relations

Chapman University

714-628-7271    platt@chapman.edu

 

ORANGE, Calif., September 15, 2016 – Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University has added 24 new performances to its first full season of visiting performers and ensembles, Richard T. Bryant, the Center’s executive director, announced today.

Musco Center’s  Inaugural Season, from September 2016 through April 2017, will feature a wide and varied range of performers, from some of today’s most acclaimed classical music soloists and ensembles to the greats of jazz, Broadway, dance, magic and more.

“The added shows reflect Musco Center’s entanglement with the Chapman campus and the Orange County

community,” Bryant said, and include performances by the student ensembles of Chapman’s College of Performing Arts (CoPA), and performances by or presented by Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony, Sikhlens, Musco Center World CAFE, the Vietnamese American Society for Creative Arts and Music, Chapman academic and student organizations and others.

Highlights of the added shows include the Chapman Department of Theatre’s production of The Who’s Tommy, the opening night and black-tie gala performances of Chapman Celebrates (formerly called American Celebration),  the 53^rd Annual Chapman University Wassail holiday concert, a morning of Italian folk and classical music, a Vietnamese musical play, a return of the Musco World CAFE’s salute to the music and culture of Mexico, a concert by Pacific Chorale with Pacific Symphony, a tribute to the late dancer-singer-actor Gene Kelly by his widow Patricia, and much more.

Tickets for all performances are on sale now at the Musco Center box office and at www.muscocenter.org

MUSCO CENTER FOR THE ARTS 2016-2017 INAUGURAL SEASON

NEWLY ADDED SHOWS ARE STARRED (*)

Tickets for all performances are on sale now at the Musco Center box office and at www.muscocenter.org.

Tuesday, October 4    7:30pm

Musco Center presents

The Time Jumpers

featuring Vince Gill, Kenny Sears and “Ranger Doug” Green

Country legend Vince Gill and his superstar instrumentalist pals are Western swing artists of the highest order. What started out as a jam band of top session and sidemen has become “a Nashville institution,” says The New York Times, playing Americana roots music that’s real, true and from the depths of their souls.

Tickets $30-$75

Thursday, October 6   7 p.m.

Kapppa Kappa Gamma and IATG present

Fleurish with Alexis Jones *

Chapman sister organizations Kappa Kappa Gamma and I Am That Girl (IATG) host a keynote speaker event featuring Alexis Jones, activist and founder of IATG.  She’ll speak on the importance of self-love, empowerment and respecting others.

Tickets: $10 (free to Chapman students with I.D.)

Saturday, October 8   7:30pm

Musco Center presents

Ahn Trio

These three sisters — born in Korea, Juilliard-educated — are now one of classical music’s hottest ensembles. Named to People’s Most Beautiful list, they are far more than just their appearances, balancing unanimity and individuality in a spirit that is at the heart of chamber music. “Exacting and exciting musicians,” says the Los Angeles Times.

Tickets $30-$40

Friday, October 14   7:30pm

CoPA Music presents

The Chapman Orchestra and Chapman University Wind Symphony *

Program includes orchestral masterpieces by Gustav Mahler, Malcolm Arnold, Brett William Dietz, Chang Su Koh and Darius Milhaud.

Tickets $10-$15

Saturday, October 15   7:30pm

Musco Center presents

BODYTRAFFIC 

Praised for its “confident, hard-hitting” (LA Weekly) execution in a wide range of styles, BODYTRAFFIC has been named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch. Showcasing technical brilliance and boundless energy, blended with quirky humor, this young company has surged to the forefront of the concert dance world.

Tickets $20-$65

October 21-22 at 7:30pm and October 23 at 3pm

CoPA Music presents

Opera Chapman: Kurt Weill After Dark – A Cabaret-Style Revue *

Limited onstage audience seating ensures a thrilling experience at Opera Chapman’s performance of selections from The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny) and Street Scene.

Tickets $10-$15

Friday, October 28  7:30pm

Musco Center presents

L.A. Opera Off Grand

Nosferatu

L.A. Opera Orchestra accompanies the 1922 classic horror film

New score composed, curated and conducted by Matthew Aucoin

One of the greatest horror films ever made – F.W. Murnau’s supremely creepy vampire thriller Nosferatu – is accompanied live by the L.A. Opera Orchestra performing a new score. Drenched in the silvery shadows of German Expressionism, this 1922 silent masterpiece stars Max Schreck as the pallid and deadly Count Orlok.

Tickets $25-$60

Friday, November 4 at 8pm – Opening Night (Public)

Saturday, November 5 at 7pm –Gala Night (Black-Tie Benefit Performance and Dinner)

Chapman University presents

Chapman Celebrates *

For the first time — with a new name! – Chapman’s signature stage show (formerly called American Celebration) and annual fund-raising event will be performed at Musco Center. A spectacular ensemble of more than 100 students from the College of Performing Arts zing through favorite Broadway hits and American standards, with full orchestra and all the razzle-dazzle you’ve come to love. Proceeds benefit the vital Chapman Scholarship Fund.

Friday tickets: $50-$75

Gala (Saturday) tickets: Call 714-744-7031 or visit

www.chapman.edu/chapman-celebrates

Friday, November 11    7:30pm

CoPA Music presents

The Chapman Orchestra and Chapman University Wind Symphony *

Program includes works by Claude Debussy, Leonard Bernstein, Hector Berlioz, John Estacio, Osvaldo Golijov and Justin Freer.

Tickets $10-$15

Wednesday, November 16   7:30pm

Musco Center Arts and Lecture Series Presents

An Evening with Scott Kelly, NASA Astronaut

Scott Kelly made history in 2016 by completing the longest-duration American space flight ever, a record-breaking 340 days aboard the International Space Station.  He’ll speak about his experience, share his beautiful photos of our blue planet, and discuss how the human body reacts to long-term space flight — and the implications of this for travel to Mars and beyond.

Tickets $30-$65

Including VIP Dinner with Scott Kelly: $250

Thursday, November 17   7:30pm 

Musco Center presents

Masters of Illusion

You’ll believe the impossible as the stars of the hit television series Masters of Illusion materialize on the Musco Center stage in the largest touring magic show ever produced. And – even better than TV – it’s all LIVE and happening right in front of your eyes. You’ll see grand illusions, levitation, appearances and vanishings, escapes, comedy magic, sleight-of-hand and beautiful dancers; everything you could possibly imagine — and some things that you never even dreamed of!

Tickets: $30-$75

Friday, November 18    7:30pm

Philharmonic Society of Orange County Presents

Ray Chen and Members of the Berlin Philharmonic

Enjoy an evening of light French and French-influenced fare, including new arrangements of orchestral favorites, as internationally acclaimed violinist Ray Chen joins the Berlin Philharmonic’s top string players at Musco Center. Widely regarded as one of the greatest orchestras in the world, the Berlin Philharmonic is making its first West Coast appearance in 15 years, presented at Segerstrom Concert Hall by the Philharmonic Society. Here’s your chance to hear a small ensemble of these sublime musicians in an intimate setting.

Tickets $20-$55

 

Saturday, November 19   7:30pm

Sikhlens: Sikh Art & Film Festival

In association with Musco World CAFE presents

Sikhlens Concert *

From the world’s premier Sikh film festival comes the Sikhlens Concert, featuring a variety of Sikh performers from Australia, Britain, Canada, India and the U.S. The performers range from talented unknowns to world-renowned headliners, all united by the universal expression of the arts through visuals, spoken words and music.

Tickets $30

Friday, December 2 at 7:30pm

Saturday, December 3 at 2pm and 7:30pm

CoPA Dance presents

Fall Dance Concert *

Chapman’s faculty choreographers bring a wealth of experience to their inventive works, and explore many moods, themes and musical styles. Get ready for an evening of challenging, imaginative and beautiful dance.

Tickets $10-$20

Saturday, December 10  

6pm Banquet – Fish Interfaith Center

8pm Concert – Musco Center

CoPA Music presents

53^rd Annual Holiday Wassail Banquet and Concert *

One of Orange County’s oldest and most beloved holiday traditions, Chapman’s Wassail is the merriest of holiday parties. It starts with a festive winter banquet, followed by a magnificent concert of holiday-season music, held this year for the first time in Musco Center. Performers include The Chapman Orchestra, Chapman University Singers, University Choir and Women’s Choir.

Banquet + Concert: $85     Concert Only: $10-$25

 

Sunday, December 11  7:30pm

Musco Center presents

Aaron Neville Holiday Concert

With an utterly inimitable vocal style – smooth and elastic, lyrical and with a remarkable range from bass to falsetto — Aaron Neville can do it all.  One of the greatest jazz singers of all time brings you one of the most memorable Christmas concerts you’ll ever hope to hear, with favorite songs of the season New Orleans-style, all done up in the ribbons and bows of his astonishing vocal art.

Tickets $30-$75

Saturday, December 17   7:30pm

Cathedral Productions presents

Christmas at Musco Center, featuring Handel’s Messiah *

Bring the entire family to celebrate at this holiday spectacular, featuring the Cathedral Productions Orchestra accompanying the Southern California Children’s Chorus and adult choir. There’ll be audience sing-along carols, a cameo performance of “O Holy Night” – then, Handel’s immortal Messiah. The last three years have sold out, so purchase your tickets soon.

Tickets $20-$50

 

Saturday, January 21   7:30pm

Philharmonic Society of Orange County Presents

Kronos Quartet 

Part of the Eclectic Orange series sponsored by Judith and Howard Jelinek

The boundary-busting Kronos Quartet has revolutionized the string quartet world over the past 40-plus years, performing every style from classical and jazz to tango, rock and experimental. The Grammy-winning ensemble has premiered more than 800 new works and has sold more than 2.5 million recordings. Its adventurous, eclectic approach to programming and cross-cultural collaboration has garnered fans throughout the world. For its Musco Center debut, the Kronos performs a program of works by composers from its Fifty for the Future project.

Tickets $20-$55

Saturday, January 28    7pm

Musco Center, in association with Women of Chapman, presents

Arts and Lecture Series

Gene Kelly: The Legacy *

An Evening with Patricia Ward Kelly

Biographer and film historian Patricia Ward Kelly takes audiences behind the scenes and shares fascinating, very personal stories of her late husband Gene Kelly – the man who created some of the most memorable scenes in movie history!  This unique LIVE performance – praised as “a real treat” by Variety – combines rare and familiar film clips, never-released audio recordings and mesmerizing insights culled from hours of interviews.

Tickets $20-$50

Friday, February 3   7:30pm

CoPA Music Presents
University Singers Post-Tour Concert *

Come hear Chapman’s talented University Singers perform the exciting program from their January road tour. Program TBA.

Tickets $10-$15

Sunday, February 5    7:30pm

Distinguished Piano Series Concert featuring

Louis Schwizgebel

Born in Geneva in 1987, Swiss-Chinese pianist Louis Schwizgebel has been described as “a pianist with a profound gift” performing with “poise and power” (The Guardian). His Musco Center program will include Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas No. 13 and 14, Chopin’s Ballades No. 2 and 3, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.  (Piano donated as part of the Dale E. and Sarah Fowler Steinway Grand Piano Collection.)

Tickets $25-$35

Saturday, February 11    10am

Chapman University Italian Studies Program presents

Music and Culture: An Italian Perspective *

The many pathways of Italy’s music, art and culture come together in a single event. Appreciate the harmony that inspired Dante’s masterpieces, and explore the diverse voices of Italian music, from the Renaissance to the age-old melodies of folk songs. Featuring an array of Italian experts and performers, including acclaimed Sicilian-American folk singer Michela Musolino.

Tickets $8 (free for Chapman students with I.D.)

Thursday-Saturday, February 23-25 at 7:30pm

Sunday, February 26 at 2pm

CoPA Theatre presents

The Who’s Tommy *

Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who’s Tommy – winner of five Tony Awards — is an exhilarating story of hope, healing and the human spirit. The story of the pinball-playing blind, deaf and mute boy who triumphs over his adversaries has inspired, amazed and puzzled audiences for more than 40 years.  This production by Chapman’s Department of Theatre promises to be a one-of-a-kind musical-theatre event!  (Rock musical; adult language and content.)

Tickets $10-$25

Friday, March 3    7:30pm

CoPA Music presents

The Chapman Orchestra *

The Chapman Orchestra, under the baton of Daniel Alfred Wachs, is highly regarded among West Coast university orchestras.  Program TBA.

Tickets $10-$15

Sunday, March 5    8pm

Colburn School presents

Colburn Orchestra *

James Conlon, celebrated music director of the L.A. Opera, leads the Colburn Orchestra in a performance featuring works by Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Respighi. Pianist Jongyun Kim solos on the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2.

Thursday, March 9    7:30pm

Musco Center presents

Great Voices Concert

Milena Kitic, Mezzo-Soprano *

A renowned operatic star who has appeared in her signature role as Carmen and as other great heroines at opera houses across the globe, Milena Kitic is also an artist-in-residence at Chapman University.  Her program includes favorite arias by Rossini, de Falla, Obradors, Montsalvage, Massenet, Bizet and Rachmaninov.

Tickets $30-$50

Thursday, March 11   7:30pm

Musco Center Arts and Lecture Series presents

Rita Moreno

Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner Rita Moreno is a force of nature, a pioneering quadruple-threat performer who first won acclaim for her role as Anita in West Side Story and went on to become a bona fide national treasure. She’ll reminisce about her remarkable life on stage and screen and speak about her active career today in acclaimed television roles.

Tickets $25-$65

 

Thursday, March 16   7:30pm

Musco Center presents

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn

Husband-and-wife banjo virtuosi Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn have mastered the deceptively intricate art of the duet. Their performances embrace a diversity almost unbelievable coming from just two banjos and one voice. Washburn’s beguiling playing

and singing blend with 15-time Grammy winner Fleck’s riveting, boundary-breaking musicianship to create an explosion of driving, melodic white heat.

Tickets $30-$65

Friday, March 17    7:30pm

Musco Center presents

Dianne Reeves

“The most admired jazz diva since the heyday of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday” (New York Times), Dianne Reeves sings it and swings it as no one else can. Fearless, flawless, supremely confident in styles ranging from operatic jazz to gospel, Latin and reggae, Reeve’s purity of tone and phrase linger in the ear. “One of the most creative and technically accomplished female vocalists working today…the essence of jazz,” hailed the Chicago Tribune.

Tickets $30-$80

Saturday, March 18    7:30pm

Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony

Mozart Requiem *

Pacific Chorale and conductor John Alexander make their debut appearance in Musco Center, along with Pacific Symphony, performing works by Schubert and Poulenc and Mozart’s final masterpiece, the magnificent Requiem.

Tickets $20-$45

Sunday, March 26    4pm

Vietnamese American Society for Creative Arts and Music presents

On Life *

On Life depicts elements that most of us have experienced – sadness, happiness, reminiscence, loneliness and celebration. It could be more so for Vietnamese Americans, who face challenges of multiculturalism and dualism and are torn by traditions and times. On Life is accompanied by and interwoven with the contemporary musical language of top Vietnamese composers.

Tickets $30-$75

Thursday, April 6    7:30pm

CoPA Music presents

Chapman University Wind Symphony *

Christopher J. Nicholas leads this elite concert ensemble of brass, woodwind and percussion musicians through a program of standard classical and popular symphonic works by some of the world’s greatest composers.

Tickets $10-$15

Saturday, April 8

Outdoor events on Aitken Arts Plaza: 1-5pm

Evening concert in Musco Center: 6pm

Musco Center World CAFE presents

Island Soul: A Celebration of Hawai’ian Music and Culture

Featuring Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu and the Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar

Enjoy a day-long festival of Hawai’ian culture and music, with free outdoor performances and events all afternoon featuring acclaimed local Hawai’ian musicians and dancers, craft booths, food and fun for all ages. In the evening, the Masters of Slack Key Guitar join the thrilling dancers of Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu for a dazzling theatrical experience that blends traditional and contemporary Hawai’ian music and dance.

Daytime events: FREE!

Evening Performance Tickets $25-$65

Friday-Saturday, April 21-22 at 7:30pm

Sunday, April 23 at 3pm

CoPA Music presents

Opera Chapman *

Join us for Opera Chapman’s thrilling full-scale production of a popular opera. This is your chance to hear the opera stars of tomorrow in one of the West Coast’s newest opera houses! Program TBA.

Tickets $10-$25

Friday, May 5  7:30pm

Saturday, May 6:  2pm and 7:30pm

CoPA Dance presents

Spring Dance Concert *

You won’t want to miss this evening of exciting new dance works in varied styles and themes by Chapman student choreographers.

Tickets $10-$20

Thursday, May 11    7:30pm

CoPA Dance and Entertainment Technology present

Technology for Live Performance *

Experience an evening of original work created by dance and entertainment technology majors from a collaboration course taught by Professors Don and Alicia Guy – including a post-show talk-back with special guests from Cirque du Soleil.

Admission: Free. No reservations needed.

Saturday, May 13    4pm

CoPA Music presents

43^rd Annual Sholund Scholarship Concert *

Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music pulls out all the stops for this major concert featuring the combined forces of The Chapman Orchestra, Chapman Choirs and the winners of the annual Chapman Instrumental and Vocal Competition. Program TBA.

Tickets $10-$20

Sunday, May 28   

Outdoor events on Aitken Arts Plaza: 1-5pm

Evening concert in Musco Center: 6pm

Musco Center World CAFE presents

The Heartbeat of Mexico *

It’s fiesta time once again on the Aitken Arts Plaza!  Following the success of last year’s Musco World CAFE Heartbeat of Mexico festival and concert, we present the new 2017 edition by popular demand! Enjoy an afternoon of FREE performances by many of Southern California’s top Mexican and Mexican American performing groups, plus culture and arts booths, delicious food on sale and much more. In the evening, there will be a concert inside Musco Center by an acclaimed Mexican ensemble or artist.

Tickets on sale soon.

Artists, dates and programs are subject to change.

ABOUT MUSCO CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Since its Grand Opening in March 2016, the 1,044-seat Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University has taken 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 Chapman campus audience and surrounding community 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.

ABOUT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

Consistently ranked among the top universities in the West, Chapman University provides a uniquely personalized and interdisciplinary educational experience to highly qualified students. Our programs encourage innovation, creativity and collaboration, and focus on developing global citizen-leaders who are distinctively prepared to improve their community and their world. Visit www.chapman.edu.

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