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Learn a bit about the geological and cultural history of the area while taking in the spectacular views at Sycamore’s newest preserve.
Presented by Bloomington High School South (Theatre South) and University Players
http://www.musicalartstix.com/
With guest poets: Nancy Chen Long and Nathan Schmidt
Followed by an Open Mic
Free and open to the public
Free parking in the back
Calling by Abby Ladin
Music by Eric Schedler & Claudio Buchwald
$5 per person & $15 per family, $4 for BOTMDG members
FREE for Harmony families
The Buskirk-Chumley Theater (BCT) is pleased to announce its fourth annual celebration of film on Sunday, February 26th. A Red Carpet Affair includes a regional short film competition, the official red carpet coverage, and the Academy Awards ceremony on the big screen.
Tickets are $20 ($25 on the day of the event) and can be purchased at buskirkchumley.org, 114 E Kirkwood Ave. or 812-323-3020.
Ticket purchases support film programming at the BCT and include a buffet of savory and sweet items and a complimentary beer or wine. Attendees also have the opportunity to wear their best red carpet attire, enjoy commentary by emcee Annie Corrigan, and visit the lobby photo booth.
This annual event celebrates the Buskirk-Chumley Theater’s inception as a silent movie house, its long life as a home for “talkies,” and our current classic film programming. Many BCT patrons share their memories of films at the Indiana Theatre (the BCT’s earlier incarnation) with us and we’re pleased to continue making memories for the community that include local films as well as Hollywood blockbusters.
Funds raised by this event support film programming at the BCT, including the Movie Partner Program, which allows local promoters, of all experience levels, to offer film programming on Sundays without paying the usual rental fee. Although some small fees still apply, we honor our legacy as a movie theater by ensuring that the process of presenting this type of program is as accessible as possible.
A Red Carpet Affair Timeline
6pm: regional short film competition
7pm: red carpet coverage begins
8:30pm: Academy Awards ceremony begins
Short Film Competition
The audience will have a chance to vote for their favorite short film in this regional competition. Films are no longer than five minutes and feature the culture, landscape, or lifestyle of the Midwest. Films are curated by a panel of local judges, including Danielle McClelland, executive director of the BCT, and John Vickers, director of the Indiana University Cinema.
Filmmakers, professional and amateur, can submit films through February 5th. The winning film, as determined by the judges, will receive a rent-free use of the theater for a film-based event. Submission should be made at: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/RedCarpetShortFilmCompetition
Academy Awards
The awards ceremony begins at 8:30 (with the red carpet coverage beginning at 7pm) and will end when the last statuette is awarded.
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For low- and middle-income taxpayers, with special attention to those age 60 and older.
Team Trivia with prizes, if your team can beat mine.
Juannita’s is proud to bring authentic Mexican food to Bloomington. At the heart of our business is our family. Abuela Juannita, our namesake, has lovingly shared her recipes and we’re entirely family owned and operated. Try the mole poblano, molote, banana leaf tamales, or melt-in-your-mouth chile rellenos. Enjoy natural hand-squeezed lime margaritas and pina coladas, $ 3.00 off on Tuesdays! So, make plans with family and friends to sample the cuisine and ensure a donation to Friends of the Library at the same time! Pick up a flyer at the Monroe County Library in Bloomington or Ellettsville or download a copy from http://www.mcpl.info/friends and present it when you pay your bill. Juannita’s will donate 20% of your total check to Friends of the Library. All proceeds go to fund the numerous and much used programs offered at your library! The offer is valid for lunch and dinner!
For low- and middle-income taxpayers, with special attention to those age 60 and older.
Beginning in 2012 and continuing each year thereafter, Miah Mickelson, then Assistant Director of the Arts for the City of Bloomington, delivered an address at The Venue, bringing us up to date as to events and accomplishment in the Arts from the previous year, and projecting into the future. As you may be aware, Miah has moved up to a State level position and has been succeeded by Sean Starowitz as Assistant Director of the Arts for the City of Bloomington (A/K/A The Art Czar.) Continuing a valued Venue tradition, Sean has agreed to deliver this years report on February 28th, beginning at 5:30 pm.
Sean is a 2010 graduate of the Interdisciplinary Arts program at the Kansas City Art Institute and a 2012 Rocket Grant recipient with support from the Charlotte St. Foundation, Spencer Museum of Art and the Andy Warhol Foundation. In 2014, he was named Charlotte St. Foundation Visual Art Award Fellow. Notable projects include Lots of Love, BREAD! KC and Byproduct: The Laundromat.
If you haven’t already, this will be a great opportunity for you to met Sean, and get a valuable update on all thing Art in Bloomington.
Join us.
Team Trivia with prizes, if your team can beat mine.
Oil frontiers are the social spaces associated with the exploration and development of one of the most global and strategically important resource sectors of contemporary capitalism: oil and gas fields. Through an examination of two oil frontiers – one in the Global South (Nigeria) and the other in the Global North (the Gulf of Mexico and the US outer continental shelf) – this lecture explores the particular qualities of frontiers in general, and why oil frontiers arise in conditions in which questions of authority, the rule of law and governance conspire to produce what I call the accumulation of insecurity. These oil frontiers were both marked by risks and forms of precariousness which culminated in profound crises: in one case, an environmental disaster (the blowout and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon in 2010), and in the other, the rise of an insurgency (in the Niger delta in 2005). Through a comparative examination of the dynamics of these two resource frontiers, I demonstrate how a geographical perspective can shed light on the shifting landscape of risk and precarity within neoliberal capitalism.
Class of 1963 Professor of Geography and Development Studies, University of California, Berkeley
Michael Watts’s foundational research on political ecology, vulnerability and resilience, agrarian political economy, the social production of famine, oil and development, and environmental justice continues to shape scholarly debates and research programs across the environmental social sciences, area studies, and humanities. Professor Watts is the Class of 1963 Professor of Geography and Development Studies at UC-Berkeley and the Centennial Professor of International Development at the London School of Economics.
Bloomington Songwriter Showcase presents songs by Grace Minnick, Rick LeDune and Bill Price. Open Guest Chair evening too!- Bears Place 1316 E. 3rd St. – Back Room – FREE – Must be 21+ to enter / 8-10pm
With a career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and conductor, Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated violinists of his era.
It is said that young children experience the world and express themselves in a “hundred languages.” Discovery Time utilizes a broad array of these learning languages – including music, art, stories, and creative movement – to connect children to science. Children ages 3 to 6 are developing increasingly complex theories about the world, rapidly gaining language, and learning to work with others. Discovery Time activities are designed by early childhood specialists specifically to nurture and challenge the rapid development of preschool-aged children in a fun and safe learning environment.
Age Group: Recommended for children ages 3 to 6. Siblings welcome.
Location: Lab A or WonderGarden, weather permitting
Cost: Ticketed, but FREE with museum admission
Science Sprouts is a new weekly science enrichment program designed especially for toddlers and their families. Toddlers are natural scientists, and Science Sprouts is a time for them to explore, experiment, and build skills ranging from physical development to social emotional development. Science Sprouts activities are designed and facilitated by early childhood specialists and involve hands-on exploration, live music, body movement, and a commitment to accurate science!
Age Group: Recommended for children under 3. Pre-walkers welcome. Siblings welcome.
Location: Lab A or WonderGarden, weather permitting
Cost: Ticketed, but FREE with museum admission
Learn how to make your voice heard. Representative Matt Pierce will give a presentation on how to effectively work with your legislators in a way that is useful and productive. There will be time for questions and answers after the presentation.
Sponsored by UU Just Peace Task Force
Join fellow Hoosiers to support Exodus Refugee Immigration, an Indiana non-profit that helps refugees find housing, education, employment, and more.
Meet at Upland’s event room for beer and company while enjoying a special guest appearance from The Nile Project, a 17-piece musical collective that brings together artists from the eleven Nile countries to make music that combines the regions diverse instruments, languages and traditions. Some of the artists are refugees themselves.
Bloomington PR firm rock paper scissors will have world music CDs for sale.
100% of ticket, beer, and CD sales will go to Exodus Refugee Immigration. Feel free to bring your checkbook to make a larger donation.
This is a family friendly event.
With generous support from Upland Brewery, Bloomington pr firm rock paper scissors will host a meet-and-greet session with the musicians of The Nile Project (nileproject.org). Called “a committed, euphoric international coalition” (New York Times), the group unites musicians from countries and communities up and down the Nile, including Sudan. They will perform a mini-set and hold an informal chat session. Indy’s globetrotting DJ Kyle Long will spin. Exodus director Cole Varga will also speak.
The BCT is proud to welcome Lee Fields and The Expressions to the stage in the Spring. Sometimes nicknamed “Little JB” for his physical and vocal resemblance to James Brown, Fields has toured the world with musical legends including Kool and the Gang, Sammy Gordon and the Hip-Huggers, O.V. Wright, Darrell Banks, and Little Royal. And after 47 years on stage, he’s managed to somehow find a newer, younger audience and become even more prolific as the years transpire.
On Friday, March 3rd, beginning at 5:00p.m. for Gallery walk and as our feature show for March,The Venue will host a show of oil paintings by Butedma Gonso, covering a wide range of subject matter, from traditional Mongolian motifs to Owen County Farmscapes. What they have in common, besides the Artist, is the display of abundant technical skills and a vivid and dynamic color palate. Butedma met her American husband in Mongolia, and they have lived for the last 10 years in a pristine rural setting in Owen County. “I am enthralled with movement, story telling, and capturing mood. My work reflects my life, whether that is my dreams, my past, present, or future”.
As is our custom for gallery walk The Venue will serve gourmet soup. For this special opening, we will have live Mongolian music performers and dance, and perhaps some Mongolian food. Our complete array of other gifts and art will also be on display for purchase.
Join us.
Science Sprouts is a new weekly science enrichment program designed especially for toddlers and their families. Toddlers are natural scientists, and Science Sprouts is a time for them to explore, experiment, and build skills ranging from physical development to social emotional development. Science Sprouts activities are designed and facilitated by early childhood specialists and involve hands-on exploration, live music, body movement, and a commitment to accurate science!
Age Group: Recommended for children under 3. Pre-walkers welcome. Siblings welcome.
Location: Lab A or WonderGarden, weather permitting
Cost: Ticketed, but FREE with museum admission
Primary prevention strategies are those designed to get in front of social problems by promoting safe and equitable community conditions to ensure that all community members have the opportunity to live at their full potential. Primary prevention strategies have been used to address social problems including child maltreatment, sexual violence, youth violence and intimate partner violence.
This 2-hour training will provide an overview of the “what” and “how” of primary prevention and will provide examples of how agencies across Indiana are using these strategies to modify risk and protective factors related to social problems in their communities.
This is a free training; space is limited so please RSVP to be guaranteed a spot!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/primary-prevention-101-tickets-30818489933
First Thursdays is a monthly series featuring extended evening hours on the first Thursday of every month, with activities for everyone. Our May First Thursday will be the last major event at the art museum before it closes for renovations.
Join Quarryland and local celebrities and supporters of the chorus as we wine, dine, and entertain you.
Performances will happen in the “cave” of Oliver Winery. Amazing appetizers will be provided again by Board + Blade Catering, a free wine-tasting from Oliver Winery and glass of wine is free as well as delectable desserts.
Plan your bidding tactics in advance because there will be amazing items up for auction – all to help raise money for QMC programs. Wine may also be purchased by the glass, bottle, or case at 20% as a thank you for attending the event.
Quarryland Men’s Chorus is also accepting donations. As an active participant in the region’s arts community, the Chorus relies on the generous financial support of businesses and individuals to make its concerts and other performances possible. Your contribution will allow the Chorus to not only advance its mission, but also strengthen and grow in exciting new ways.
The African American Dance Company and LGBTQ+ Culture Center present: Vogue-Underground To Viral
Explore vogue dance history, culture, significance, and movement with renowned vogue artist Cesar Valentino.
Cesar Valentino began vogue dancing in 1983 and quickly became a fixture in the underground ballroom and club scene. He appeared in Diane Martel’s House of Tres documentary, Voguing, The Message, and Vogue Classique. He performed in the “Deep In Vogue” tour throughout Europe in 1989, appeared in music videos with artists such as Toni Braxton, Carmen Electra, and K7s in “Hi De Ho” to name a few. Cesar currently teaches vogue at Alvin Ailey Extension in New York City.
This event is offered as part of the African American Dance Company 19th Annual Dance Workshop.
See the full schedule of events at go.iu.edu/aadcworkshop.
Almost a half century ago, the West African Sahel – stretching from Senegal in the west to the Horn of Africa in the east – experienced a raft of massive food crises in which millions of people died from hunger and disease. Situated on this larger canvas, during the mid-1970s, I tried to understand the relations between drought-prone regions and the onset and dynamics of famine through an historical and local village study in northern Nigeria. The book which emerged from that research – Silent Violence – was published in 1983 but was reprinted in 2014 against the backdrop of recurrent and widespread hunger and food insecurity in the region. In 2016, some 4 million people were again confronting famine-like conditions in the northeast of Nigeria alone. In this lecture, I revisit Silent Violence as a way of exploring why hunger and famine have proved so durable and resistant in semi-arid West Africa. Currently, the region is caught between the challenges of global climate change and new threats associated with terrorism, illicit economies, and so-called “fragile and conflicted states.” Most striking of all is the rise of a new and widely influential development discourse and form of analysis – resilience theory – which purports to offer new insight on vulnerability and food insecurity, and offers sets of practices to build resilient communities, households, and individuals: to make farmers and pastoralist drought- and famine-proof. By revisiting the critical analyses of famine that emerged in the 1980s, I offer an assessment of these contemporary approaches to food security in the Sahel and consider whether they are capable of resolving the serial food crises and the recurrent famine-proneness of the region.
Class of 1963 Professor of Geography and Development Studies, University of California, Berkeley
Michael Watts’s foundational research on political ecology, vulnerability and resilience, agrarian political economy, the social production of famine, oil and development, and environmental justice continues to shape scholarly debates and research programs across the environmental social sciences, area studies, and humanities. Professor Watts is the Class of 1963 Professor of Geography and Development Studies at UC-Berkeley and the Centennial Professor of International Development at the London School of Economics.
AT THE HEART OF A HUCKLEBERRY FUNK SHOW, THE AUDIENCE CAN EXPECT SILKY SMOOTH, POWERHOUSE VOCALS, FACE-MELTING GUITAR SOLOS, A CRISP, EAST COAST-STYLE HORN SECTION, AND ROCK-SOLID GROOVES. DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM ARTISTS LIKE SNARKY PUPPY, LETTUCE, TOWER OF POWER, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS, KENDRICK LAMAR, STEVIE WONDER AND MICHAEL JACKSON, THEIR UNIQUE FEEL-GOOD SOUND IS EQUALLY FUNKY, SOULFUL, AND HARD-HITTING.
Hi Gallery Walkers! March is here and it’s warmer than ever. What a good time to ask, what’s going on for First Friday? Here’s the scoop. Remember that we have a new gallery! Soma Coffee House on Kirkwood has added a gallery to their space. Come downtown to the Bloomington Entertainment & Arts District for a look at what is new and different in our community. Artwork, refreshments and live music will be available for your viewing pleasure.
Come to these locations and experience something new:
-Blueline Gallery
-By Hand Gallery
-gallery 406
-Gallery Group
-Gather: handmade Shoppe & Co.
-Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center
-Monroe Convention Center Art Gallery
-Pictura Gallery
-Royale Hair Parlor Gallery
-Soma Coffee House on Kirkwood
-The Venue Fine Art & Gifts
Visit gallerywalkbloomington.com for show details, a map, and suggestions for parking downtown, and don’t forget to support local art.
Brick Gallery, presenting “Italy: A Retrospective” by Trudy Kaufman. Photographs featuring her many years of
travel in Italy, highlighting not only the depth of her experiences there, but also her growth as a photographer
including both film images and more recent digital work.
On view in the Brick Gallery, March 3rd – April 29th
Join WonderLab and RINGS Circus Education for a fantastical exploration of the science behind circus arts! RINGS will present three workshops focusing on plate spinning, diabolo and devilsticks at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00. Museum admission in half price and these workshops are free with your admission!
Additional activities include: sequined sewing, circus collages, knot tying, and more!
It is the mission of RINGS Circus Education to promote traditional circus arts and culture through integrative education, outreach, and performance. These programs are designed to encourage active participation in the arts through the interactive creation and production of circus themed performance, and study projects in fine art and academic subjects.
First Fridays Science of Art is supported, in part, by F. Rudolf Turner; The Sanders Family, the Indiana Arts Commission, Brown County Community Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal Program.
Visit the I Fell Gallery to celebrate the opening of “Spiral.” Artists Amy Burrell and J Jones have transformed the gallery into an immersive and interactive art experience. The show’s imagery was originally created during travels to ancient sites in Ireland in 2014. Burrell and Jones have reinterpreted that journey using photos, video, projections and textiles. The show features guest artist Valeria Castro. The show on Friday March 3rd will be the first in a series of three shows during 2017. Visitors are invited to interact with the installations and projections. More information about the show is available on the I Fell Gallery’s Facebook page at IFELLBLOOMINGTON.
| Visit the I Fell Gallery to celebrate the opening of “Spiral.” Artists Amy Burrell and J Jones have transformed the gallery into an immersive, interactive art experience. The show’s imagery was originally created during travels to ancient sites in Ireland in 2014. Burrell and Jones have reinterpreted that journey using photos, video, projections and textiles. The show features guest artist Valeria Castro. The show on Friday March 3rd will be the first in a series of three shows during 2017. Visitors are invited to interact with the installations and projections. More information about the show is available on the I Fell Gallery’s Facebook page at IFELLBLOOMINGTON.
Exhibit hangs March 3rd – 31st Gallery hours: Wed: 2-7pm ,Fri: 2-7pm, and Sat: 12-2pm |
This is a festive show of colorful, abstract interpretations depicting people and places from Lynne’s life and travels to her favorite parts of the world.
Lynne is a native of Bloomington, Indiana and has been an artist for most of her life. She works mainly in chalk pastels on sanded paper.
Her work depicts mostly people and places, largely those experienced in her extensive travels to Switzerland, the British Virgin Islands, Mexico and Southwest United States.
Lynne’s paintings reflect sounds blowing over sand, dunes, lakes or oceans. They might be interpretations of light hitting adobe or church walls or shadows making light and dark patterns. Smell, sights and sounds all play a part in her paintings. As memories of these experiences seep into her memory, she later lets them out in her work.
Presented by Bloomington High School South (Theatre South) and University Players
http://www.musicalartstix.com/
Peter Grimes—the abused and abusive fisherman, a tortured soul living in a tightknit coastal community where he’ll always be an outsider, and where contentment is always out of reach. Did he murder his two young apprentices who helped him in his dangerous work? The truth is irrelevant because the village gossips will have their way, insidiously driving him to a dark place of madness that offers only one way out. Electrifying drama blends seamlessly with the endlessly evocative score—one that vibrates with the tensions of a claustrophobic society and captures the essence of the sea in all its magnificence and fearsome power. With its massive choral forces, Peter Grimes is an overwhelming emotional experience for audiences and one of the great music dramas of all time.
Subscriptions available now! Visit the Musical Arts Center box office,
Monday-Friday, 11:30 am-5:30 pm, or call (812) 855-7433.
Opera Insights one hour before each performance.
| Conductor | Arthur Fagen |
| Stage Director | Chris Alexander |
| Set and Costume Designer | Robert O’Hearn |
It’s a Trio of Trios at the Players Pub.
Joe Donnelly plays sweet saxophone, Martinie’s Boogie Three will be a boogie woogie hula hoop party, and the Mike Lee Three is all the best of Mr. Mike Lee.
Want to keep getting your favorite market goods all winter? The Bloomington Winter Farmers’ Market has over 30 vendors with a diversity of produce, meats, eggs, dairy, soaps, flowers, plants, mushrooms, honey, syrup, prepared foods, and holiday items. Come for breakfast, live music, and a great variety of local vendors. For more info, check out the website (bloomingtonwinterfarmersmarket.com), like us on Facebook, or email mailto:[email protected].
The public is invited to a League of Women Voters Legislative Update on Saturday, February 4, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., in the Bloomington City Council Chambers. State legislators representing Monroe County will discuss developments in the Indiana General Assembly and will respond to audience questions and concerns.
This is the second of five planned Legislative Updates sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County. All updates will be held in the Bloomington City Council Chambers, Showers Building, 401 N. Morton St. and are free and open to the public. They will be taped by Cable Access Television Services through the Monroe County Public Library and will be replayed by CATS throughout the current legislative session.
Subsequent Legislative Updates are scheduled for March 4, April 8, and May 13.
All Party offices, including Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer will be filled by Democratic precinct chairs and vice chairs at a caucus March 4 at 10 a.m. at the Nat U. Hill room in the County Courthouse. If you have any questions or are interested in running for any of these positions, please send an e-mail to [email protected].
Learn all about making maple syrup from Native American and pioneer methods, and how to make it at home for very little money.
Bloomington’s international restaurants, including Falafels, Sofra, Pourhouse, Anatolia, and Little Tibet, will offer a taste of the world. Local world music darlings Salaam will perform original and tradition-inspired music from across the Middle East.
More information at https://www.facebook.com/events/658697211004279/.
“Exodus and Catholic Charities provide refugees who have already made their home in Indy with vital services,” notes Marine Brichard, IU student and member of No Lost Generation. “Families receive case management, employment, education, and mental wellness support. Exodus and Catholic Charities promised to welcome and support them in rebuilding their lives in Indianapolis. No Lost Generation wants to help them keep that promise.”
“We at rock paper scissors are a small Hoosier business, but we work internationally,” explains Tristra Newyear Yeager of rock paper scissors. “That not only makes great economic sense, but it enriches our professional and personal lives as well. We want to share that wealth with our newest neighbors, to welcome them, and bring together the community in support of a more internationally aware, globally informed way of being a Hoosier. I can’t think of anything more American than that.”
Pies and Cakes and Cookies and Breads and more. Proceeds go towards the Wendy Bradley Christmas Gift bags for the Monroe County Jail.
Victoria Banks will be performing live at the Mitchell Opera House on March 4, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Victoria’s list of accolades as an artist is long. Her self-produced, self-penned records When You Can Fly and Never Be the Same made her 2009’s most nominated female artist in Canadian Country Music, earned her the 2010 CCMA Female Artist of the Year award, and sent her out on tour with superstars Reba McEntire, Wynonna Judd, Lonestar, Randy Travis and Johnny Reid.
Three of the best traditional bluegrass bands in the region will perform live in the County that was home to the granddaddy of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe:-
Blue Mafia loves putting their own twist on standard bluegrass tunes and creating new music. Their third album Hanging Tree was released in December, and the single Like A Mining Man should be hitting the airwaves soon! They are just the right combination of traditional and progressive bluegrass featuring Tony Wray, Dara Wray , Michael Gregory with Calib Smith on banjo and Kent Todd on fiddle.
Blue Collar Bluegrass band members say they are “…working hard in sharing bluegrass music.” The band consists of friends that have been picking together for years, and each member shares the same passion for traditional bluegrass as well as “new grass” music. The band name represents the down to earth, hardworking attitudes that each member shares for life, work and music. Band members are Mike Grimmitt, Mark Roembke, Carl Strohm, Jason Strohm, Dean Metcalf and Bill Haggard.
Hamilton Creek is a Brown County-based band of bluegrass musicians steeped in tradition with a sound as old as the hills but still fresh as the morning dew. They are a band founded on a love of the music and a great friendship, driving their sound. All are veteran bluegrass musicians striving to carry on the great traditions of those who went before. Band members are Neil Smith, Frank Hilligoss, Kevin Cox with Daniel Harden on banjo and vocals.
Peter Grimes—the abused and abusive fisherman, a tortured soul living in a tightknit coastal community where he’ll always be an outsider, and where contentment is always out of reach. Did he murder his two young apprentices who helped him in his dangerous work? The truth is irrelevant because the village gossips will have their way, insidiously driving him to a dark place of madness that offers only one way out. Electrifying drama blends seamlessly with the endlessly evocative score—one that vibrates with the tensions of a claustrophobic society and captures the essence of the sea in all its magnificence and fearsome power. With its massive choral forces, Peter Grimes is an overwhelming emotional experience for audiences and one of the great music dramas of all time.
Subscriptions available now! Visit the Musical Arts Center box office,
Monday-Friday, 11:30 am-5:30 pm, or call (812) 855-7433.
Opera Insights one hour before each performance.
| Conductor | Arthur Fagen |
| Stage Director | Chris Alexander |
| Set and Costume Designer | Robert O’Hearn |
LEAVE YOUR SOMBRERO AT HOME
Defying Stereotypes in Latin American Music
“They’re great, but mariachis and salsa are only a tiny part of what Latin American music is all about.”
Alejandro Gómez Guillén, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, wants the world to know that there’s more to Latin American music than just mariachis and salsa.
On Saturday, March 4 th , the BSO is partnering with IU’s Latin American Music Center to perform music by composers from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. And here’s the catch – absolutely nothing on the program is what you’d think of as “typical” Latin American music.
This is particularly important to Alejandro, who grew up in Bogota, Colombia, surrounded by song.
“My grandfather put together a family choir – Coro de Cámara Guillén Becerra – and conducted it. I grew up listening to them rehearse. Even after being sent to bed, I’d sneak back to the door and listen to the beautiful songs coming from our living room.”
Last November, Alejandro attended a performance by IU’s Latin American Music Center. Chilean composer Juan Orrego-Salas was also in the audience, and Alejandro called his mother to tell her.
“One of our favorite pieces, Romance Segundo, was written by Juan Orrego-Salas. You have no idea how much his music means to my family, and how it shaped my own life and career. And here I was, in the same room as this great man and brilliant composer, so of course I told my mother, and she just started crying on the phone.”
Two of the pieces on the March 4 th program – Introduccion y Allegro and Ash Wednesday – were composed by Orrego-Salas. Ash Wednesday, inspired by a T.S. Eliot poem and dedicated to the composer’s son, is of special interest, as this will be that piece’s world premiere.
And really, how often do you get to conduct the world premiere of a piece written by your hero, who also happens to be one of the greatest living composers? Maybe once in a lifetime, if you’re lucky.