The Center kicked off its new free school matinee series Oct. 17 at the Palladium, drawing more than 700 students from local public, private and home-based schools for a lively morning of music and humor with New York-based classical/jazz ensemble the Queen’s Cartoonists.
Another such opportunity comes Nov. 15 with a free matinee presentation of Secrets of the Whales by National Geographic photographer and ocean explorer Brian Skerry. It’s the first of three National Geographic Live presentations this season featuring experts from the esteemed magazine discussing their work in programs designed for grades 5-12. (There are evening presentations for grownups, too.)
The school matinee series also includes a U.S. naturalization ceremony on March 29, giving students a chance to learn about citizenship and how greatly it is valued by our foreign-born neighbors.
And here’s a cool thing: If transportation costs are a hurdle for any school groups that might consider attending, they can apply for reimbursement from the Center’s new Transportation Fund, explained here.
Around the world in music
LuAnne Harley and Brian Kruschwitz are two creative, resourceful folks who love exploring the world’s cultures and spent over a decade living with their two kids in a yurt (ask Wikipedia). Therefore, Yurtfolk is a logical name for their work as a performance duo, sharing their cultural learnings through music, stories and dance with audiences of all ages.
Young listeners can enjoy a musical trip around the world on Saturday, Nov. 12, when Yurtfolk appears in our Faegre Drinker Peanut Butter & Jam series. Learn more and get tickets here.
Get a classical education – at no charge
With another great performance coming up in our Printing Partners Classical Series – an evening of Franz Schubert trios with pianist Wu Han, cellist David Finckel and violinist Benjamin Beilman on Nov. 13 – this is a good time to refresh everyone’s memory about the Classics in Context program.
Prior to every Center Presents classical performance, concertgoers are invited to show up a little early for an expert presentation on the selections to be performed that evening. Our presenter is Dr. Heather Platt, Sursa Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts and Professor of Music at Ball State University. This bonus content is complimentary for ticket holders! On Nov. 13, just show up by 6:15 p.m. and head to the Palladium’s Robert Adam Room.
Luminaries: A Coincidental Life in Music
Singer-songwriter Frank Dean is a longtime pillar of Indiana’s folk-country-Americana music scene, performing solo or with such bands as Blue DeVille, Hillbilly Central, Sindacato, the Snakehandlers and his current group, Rural Soul. Over the years, he has crossed paths with folks like George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard and Marty Stuart, and boy, does he have some stories to tell.
Dean will tell some of those stories and also sing a few songs at the next installment of the Luminaries weekday speaker series, 2 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Palladium’s Shiel Sexton Songbook Lounge. Click here to grab your tickets now for Frank Dean: A Coincidental Life in Music.
Bookies reading list unveiled
The Palladium Bookies is a fun and casual reading club that meets every other month to discuss books with themes related to the performing arts. Traditionally, each gathering has included an announcement of the next book on the schedule.
This season, however, the group is throwing caution to the wind and announcing the next several books in advance. This bold new era begins Dec. 12 with a tome titled Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins. Pick up a copy and join us! You can see the rest of the featured books here.
Chillin’ with the masters
It’s pretty neat to see local music students having a casual conversation about life and career with world-famous performing artists, and that’s what happens in the Center’s FrontRow program. One recent example came in late September, when violin virtuoso Joshua Bell and accompanist Peter Dugan (host of NPR’s From the Top) – clad in T-shirts and jeans – opened their preconcert rehearsal to students from Lawrence North High School, Indiana University, the University of Indianapolis and the ISO’s Metropolitan Youth Orchestra.
Available at select performances, the FrontRow experience also includes dinner and complimentary tickets to the show. Educators and students interested in participating can email Outreach@TheCenterPresents.org for more information.