The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel offers the following opportunities for educational experiences.
From Africa to Ireland with PB&J
Families joined in a celebration of West African culture Saturday at the Studio Theater (above) when Indianapolis-based Epiphany Dance Collective performed for the monthly Peanut Butter & Jam series.
The next PB&J on March 8 offers an early taste of St. Patrick’s Day with singer-songwriter Katherine Nagy & Friends performing Irish folk tunes and original songs inspired by Nagy’s childhood in Ireland. Joining her will be Bethany Robinson (bass, vocals), Tim Wright (banjo, pedal steel) and Dmitri Alano (Irish flute, bagpipes). Tickets are only $10 per child, with two free adult admissions included per order.
Luminaries to learn about black composers
The next installment of the Luminaries speaker series – taking place Tuesday, Jan. 28 – features local musicians Trevor Conerly (saxophone) and Andrew Brown (piano) performing and discussing the works of black composers. Tickets are just $10 for the 2 p.m. presentation, “The Music and Lives of African American Classical Composers.”
Your turn in the spotlight
Allied Solutions Center isn’t just a wonderful place to watch the world’s greatest performers – it’s also the perfect place to begin your own journey to the stage under the guidance of local arts professionals.
Last Friday, graduates of our five-week Songwriting: Melody & Lyrics course performed their new creations in a final “Songwriters in the Round” concert at the Studio Theater. Tomorrow night in that same space, the equally courageous grads of our four-week Intro to Stand-Up Comedy course will deliver their “tight five” comic routines before a live audience. Tickets are just $10 to watch your friends and neighbors try to be funny.
On April 10, our annual World Voice Day celebration invites anyone and everyone (the first 30 to sign up, at least) to sing a song of their choice on the Palladium stage. No previous experience is required, but here’s a pro tip: Many of the performers will be veterans of our four-week Group Vocal Coaching course, which begins a new section March 12 for teens and adults who want to be better singers.
Luminaries: Telling stories through dance
Iris Rosa Santiago is a native of Puerto Rico and Professor Emerita of Indiana University, with over four decades of international research and teaching on dance technique, history and choreography of the African American and African Diaspora. She is the Artistic Director of Seda Negra/Black Silk Dance Company and owner of Iris Rosa Dance Studio in Indianapolis. She also was a 2024 winner of Allied Solutions Center’s New Works arts commission program.
In other words, Professor Rosa knows a thing or two about dance, and she’ll be sharing that expertise at the March 25 session of Luminaries, our weekday speaker series. Her presentation, Choreographing Dance Narratives: What Inspires My Creativity, will focus on the ideas, feelings and lived experiences that fuel her storytelling in the dance discipline. She’ll also screen some videos of her work.
Don’t miss the free classical music talks
Lang Lang, one of the world’s great pianists, will return to the Palladium on March 28 with a program of Fauré, Schumann, and Chopin. For non-experts attending the show, wouldn’t it be great to get a little preconcert primer, some expert insights on the selections to be performed?
Fortunately, this happens before every classical concert at Allied Solutions Center. Complimentary for ticket holders, music professor Dr. Heather Platt of Ball State University leads a Classics in Context discussion from 7:15 to 7:45 p.m. in the Palladium’s Robert Adam Room. To get the most out of the performance, just show up a little early.
Bookies to meet in April
The Palladium Bookies reading club will meet next on April 14 to discuss The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, a mystery novel centered on a theater and market that provide a community hub for Black residents and performers in 1920s Pennsylvania.
The Bookies meet every other month to discuss books about the performing arts. It’s casual, fun and free. Just grab a book and RSVP to Outreach@TheCenterPresents.org.