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Red Priest to Open
UW-Eau Claire's Artists Series 

MAILED: Aug. 8, 2002

         EAU CLAIRE — Red Priest, a British early-music ensemble that has redefined the art of period performance, will open the Artists Series season at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a performance Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Gantner Concert Hall of Haas Fine Arts Center.
         Named after the infamous flame-haired priest, Vivaldi, the four-player super-group Red Priest will perform "The Four Seasons" as it has never been heard before. The ensemble's new arrangement of the baroque masterpiece employs a dazzling array of effects to depict the sounds and scenes of a year in the Italian countryside.
         Combining the fruits of extensive research with swashbuckling virtuosity and compelling stagecraft, Red Priest is known for its carnival spirit and daring performance style. Gramophone Magazine described the group as "the U.K.'s most dynamic, theatrical and outrageously different baroque ensemble," while the Washington Post wrote that, "for people who 'appreciate' classical music but have a little secret - it bores them - the answer is Red Priest."
         The concert is the first of nine Artists Series presentations this season. Details about other events on the series follow:

• James Sewell Ballet; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, Gantner Concert Hall. Minnesota's James Sewell Ballet has earned international acclaim for innovation, musicality, technical expertise and engaging presentation. The company was founded in 1990 by James Sewell, artistic director and choreographer, who began his career as principal dancer with Feld Ballet/NY for six years. James Sewell Ballet combines the classical virtues of ballet, the freedom of modern dance and the spirit of vaudeville to create an exceptional dance experience. JSB's eight dancers will perform "Made in America," a suite that celebrates jazz, swing, country, bluegrass, blues, pops and classics of 20th-century music. The presentation is a Heartland Arts Fund Program supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
• Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats; 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, Zorn Arena. A sign reading "don't try this at home" should be displayed at every performance by this 18-member ensemble from the People's Republic of China. Under the direction of acrobatic legend Ken Hai, the troupe flawlessly interprets an art form honed by years of training and discipline. The show features acrobatic displays, feats of daring and balance, kung fu and brilliant costumes. With a colorful style documented in a number of PBS specials, the company has received a Campus Entertainment Award from the National Association for Campus Activities.
• Brazilian Guitar Quartet; 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, Schofield Auditorium. The Brazilian Guitar Quartet has quickly become one of the world's most sought-after guitar ensembles, with nearly sold-out North American tours and a featured performance scheduled at the inaugural World Guitar Congress in 2004. Four of Brazil's most brilliant guitarists - Grammy nominee Paul Galbraith, brothers Edelton and Everton Gloeden, and Tadeu do Amaral - came together to explore the new possibilities offered by combining traditional six-string instruments with Galbraith's innovative eight-string guitar. The quartet's first two CDs were chosen for Audiophile Audition's "Best Recordings" lists. Their third, "Encantamento" (2001), features world-premiere arrangements of works by the most important Brazilian composers of the last 150 years.
• Chance; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, Schofield Auditorium. Ed Willett and Cheryl Leah are Chance, one of the only voice and cello duos in the world. In this concert they will be joined by percussion and wind players to create a unique quartet sound called "chamber fusion," a hybrid musical form that springs from classical chamber music, folk, jazz and an emerging genre known as world chamber music. First heard nationally on the popular TV show "Northern Exposure," they have intrigued widely diverse audiences in over 30 countries and over the airwaves. Chance has a sound that the Los Angeles Times described as "art rock," and has been praised for its harmony, quirkiness and comic touch.
• John O'Neal, "Don't Start Me To Talking or I'll Tell Everything I Know"; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, Schofield Auditorium. Actor and playwright John O'Neal has spent his professional life collecting and telling stories, bringing the language, ideas, and philosophy of specific communities to others. In this collection of tales and anecdotes, the folkloric character Junebug Jabbo Jones tells of his experiences growing up in Pike County, Miss., and about what happened when he left home to make his way in the big world. He recounts how his grandfather got even with a no-good politician, tells a humorous and touching story about coming of age in the 1950s, and talks about an old disc jockey displaced by "progress." The New Yorker magazine wrote that "the subtlety and strength of Mr. O'Neal's performance are something to behold; he is a very funny man and he is a great actor."
• National Theatre of the Deaf, "Oh, Figaro!"; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, Zorn Arena. This Tony Award-winning ensemble will present a newly commissioned romantic comedy, based on the classic French farces "The Barber of Seville" and "The Marriage of Figaro." The NTD's Figaro, a playful jack-of-all-trades from Spanish Harlem, translates this timeless battle of the sexes into the world of 21st-century New York. Throughout its 35-year history, the National Theatre of the Deaf has produced theatrically challenging work at a world-class level, drawing from a range of the world's literature. Through the ensemble's signature style of visual language, American Sign Language linked with the spoken word, the audience enjoys an experience that no other theater company can approach.
• Amadeus Trio; 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, Gantner Concert Hall. Hailed as one of the foremost piano trios in the world, the Amadeus Trio is known for its audience-friendly performances, brilliant virtuosity and superb musicianship. The trio has appeared to critical acclaim at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center and has been heard in numerous broadcasts of National Public Radio's "Performance Today." Pianist Marian Hahn, violinist Timothy Baker and cellist Jeffrey Solow released their debut CD of works by Dvorak and Smetana in early 2001.
• Calle Sur and Orquesta Alto Maiz; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1, Council Fire Room of Davies Center. An evening of food, music and dance will close the Artists Series season. The double-feature event will begin with a concert by Calle Sur - a duo comprised of Panamanian drummer-guitarist Edgar East and Colombian singer-flutist Karin Stein. After an intermission to clear the dance floor, the Afro-Cuban salsa band Orquesta Alto Maiz will take the stage. The variety of musical styles, use of the Spanish language, and foods of Latin and South America and the Caribbean will blend to create a celebration that culturally transcends the ordinary Cinco de Mayo event. The program is cosponsored by the University Activities Commission of the UW-Eau Claire Student Senate.

         Season subscription information is available at the University Service Center, (715) 836-3727. A range of subscription packages is available, offering discounts of 10 to 20 percent. Tickets for individual Artists Series events are $15 for the public, $13 for those 62 and older and UW System or Chippewa Valley Technical College faculty and staff, and $5 for those 17 and younger and UW System or CVTC students. Window sales begin Monday, Aug. 12.
         Patrons may also charge their tickets to MasterCard or Visa when they order by phone. Call (715) 836-3727 - or, outside the immediate Eau Claire area, call toll-free (800) 949-UWEC. A $3 handling fee will be added to all telephone charge orders.
         Funded by the students of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the Artists Series is supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. The program is administered by the Activities and Programs office.
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JS/NW

  News Bureau
Judy Berthiaume
UW-Eau Claire News Bureau
Schofield 201
(715) 836-4741
newsbur@uwec.edu

Updated: Aug. 8, 2002