Local figures from the fields of music, dance, magic, and more will share their art and their wisdom in the 2023-2024 season of Luminaries, the weekday speaker series presented by the Center for the Performing Arts.
Luminaries presentations take place at 2 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every other month at the Palladium, 1 Carter Green, Carmel. The cost is only $10, which includes light refreshments. Tickets and more information are available at (317) 843-3800 or TheCenterPresents.org/Luminaries.
The 2023-24 schedule features:
Mónica M. Muñoz is a professional dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director, and you can hear her story on Sept. 26 at the Center for the Performing Arts. (Photo provided)
Sept. 26 – dancer and director Mónica M. Muñoz
Puerto Rican professional dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director Mónica M. Muñoz will share the story of how heritage, culture, tradition, lived experiences and external factors work to shape and define identity. She will share photographs, videos and stories depicting her Cuban mother’s and Ecuadorian father’s journey to Puerto Rico and how she eventually made her way to Indianapolis, all driven by her passion and love for dance.
Nov. 28 – musicians Lara Lynn and the Kid
Popular Radio Hits from the ’20s through the ’50s
Early radio was an exciting time for Americans listening from their homes, as they were exposed to so many different styles and genres of music, often on the same station, within the same hour. Join Lara Lynn Weaver and Kevin “Kid Kazooey” MacDowell to celebrate this diversity of popular music through the decades.
Jan. 23 – magician Jeff Loeser
Deliberate Deceptions: Magic and Wonder
Magic is experiencing a renaissance with popular TV series, viral internet clips and live touring shows. Magic can transport audiences to another place where anything is possible. Magician Jeff Loeser will share an insightful look into the world of magic, its history, some of his favorite magic tricks and the stories behind them. We’ll hear about how his interest in magic started and how this spark turned into a lifelong passion.
March 26 – life coach and singer-songwriter Brandon Wilson
Making it Up: A Life in Creativity
For Brandon Wilson, making things up is a way of life. It’s how he helps clients create the life of their dreams. It’s how he turns thoughts and feelings into song. It’s what led him to his own fulfilling life here in Carmel. But navigating his relationship with creativity has been quite a journey, one that kept him in trouble for most of his younger years, took him to Nashville to make a go of a career in music, landed him on a crash course with a mountain lion in Montana, and so much more. This is a journey of harnessing creativity as a positive force and turning it into a way of life.
May 28 – opera singer and visual artist Lyndsay Moy
The Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts
The term Gesamtkunstwerk, popularized by German opera composer Richard Wagner, translates to “total work of art” and refers to the thrilling synergy created by the coming together of design, performance and a live audience. Opera as an art form exemplifies this idea, merging the worlds of music and art into a feast for the senses. Join professional opera singer and visual artist Lyndsay Moy as she speaks about her work as a painter and performer, sharing stories and lessons from her experience at the intersection of visual and performing arts.
About the Center for the Performing Arts
The mission of the nonprofit Center for the Performing Arts is to engage and inspire the Indiana community through enriching arts experiences. Its campus in Carmel includes the 1,500-seat Palladium concert hall, the 500-seat Tarkington proscenium theater and the black-box Studio Theater. The Center presents and hosts hundreds of events each year, including the Center Presents performance series, featuring the best in classical, jazz, pop, rock, country, comedy, and other genres. Educational and experiential programming for all ages includes children’s concerts and camps, book clubs, lectures, and classes in music and dance. The Center is home to the affiliated Great American Songbook Foundation and provides space and support services for six resident arts companies. More information is available at TheCenterPresents.org.