OSU Allied Arts announces new season

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

 

OSU Allied Arts announces 2012-13 season

Oklahoma State University Allied Arts is excited to announce its 2012-2013 season, which will start with jazz and end with bluegrass, while featuring comedy, modern dance, a string quartet and Shakespeare in between.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will kick off the season on Tuesday, Sept. 18, with music that embodies a joyful, timeless spirit. The band got its name from Preservation Hall, the venerable music venue located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, founded in 1961 by Allan and Sandra Jaffe. It has performed at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, for British Royalty and even the King of Thailand.

Next on the calendar, a timely performance by The Capitol Steps will offer their special brand of satirical humor on Tuesday, Oct. 16. The Capitol Steps began as a group of U.S. Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. The group digs into the headlines of the day, and creates song parodies and skits that have made them a regular on National Public Radio.

The award-winning string quintet Sybarite 5 string quartet will offer something special on Monday, Nov. 5. As one reviewer writes, “Their rock star status in the classical crossover world is well deserved. Their classically-honed technique mixed with grit and all out passionate attack transfixes the audience...”  Sybarite 5 is the first string quintet ever selected as winners of Concert Artists Guild International Competition in its 60 year history.

Modern dance takes center stage on Tuesday, Jan. 15, with a performance by River North Dance Chicago. Highly skilled and emotive dancers, stimulating music, and bold, commanding choreography are the hallmarks of this jazz-based contemporary company.  River North Dance Chicago has established itself as one of Chicago’s leading dance companies, and one of the most popular national repertory companies, receiving critical acclaim in the U.S. and internationally.

The American Shakespeare Center’s production of “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” set for Friday, Feb. 15, is designed to recreate the theatre-going experience of Shakespeare’s own day.  “Love's Labour's Lost” is one of William Shakespeare’s early comedies and an appropriate theme for this time of year.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage will offer the final performance of the season on Saturday, April 6, which promises to be a bluegrass concert to remember. Vincent, an award-winning American bluegrass singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has been dubbed “the new Queen of Bluegrass” by the Wall Street Journal. She has appeared on recordings by Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Tanya Tucker, Joe Diffie and others.

All OSU Allied Arts performances will start at 8 p.m. in the Seretean Center Concert Hall.  A free lecture, called “The Inside Story,” is offered before each performance, in room 123 of the Seretean. For more information about the season tickets, go to alliedarts.okstate.edu. OSU Allied Arts season tickets are available for $70 by calling (405) 744-7509. Individual show tickets are available two weeks before the performance.