by Mark G. Auerbach
Adam Schoenberg. Photo by Elisa Ferrari
The Springfield Symphony Opens its 75th Season
A 75th anniversary is a milestone for any American symphony orchestra, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra launches its celebratory season on September 22, at Springfield Symphony Hall. Maestro Kevin Rhodes conducts, and pianist Norman Krieger is the guest soloist for an all-American program, which includes Leonard Bernstein’s rousing overture to Candide; George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F Major, and Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3. All three composers are as well known for their classical compositions as well as their contributions to Broadway and Hollywood.
The evening opens with Adam Schoenberg’s Go! Schoenberg, who grew up in Western Massachusetts, and graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon, is one of America’s most performed living composers. His works are performed by symphony orchestras coast-to-coast. He is frequently composing for film, and he scored the Tribeca Film Festival award-winning Graceland with his father, Longmeadow native Steven Schoenberg, pianist and composer. Schoenberg received two 2018 Grammy® Award-nominations, including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Picture Studies.
Incidentally, Adam Schoenberg, Maestro Kevin Rhodes, and Springfield Symphony Orchestra Tuba player Steve Perry will be featured on an hour-long special ArtsBeat Radio on 89.5fm/WSKB on Friday, September 14 at 8AM. The program can be streamed at www.wskb.org.
For concert details: 413-733-2291 or www.springfieldsymphony.org.
Taylor Mac
HIR Breaks Boundaries at Shakespeare and Company
In recent years, Shakespeare and Company has balanced its productions by the Bard of Stratford on Avon with more contemporary plays, and the upcoming production of Taylor Mac’s HIR, which plays September 13 through October 7, pushes the envelope even further.
Taylor Mac (who uses “judy,” lowercase sic, not as a name but as a gender pronoun) is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director and producer. Since at least 2012, Mac and musical director/arranger Matt Ray have been developing A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, a performance that covers music popular in the United States from 1776 to the 2016, with one hour dedicated to each decade with a corresponding costume designed by long-time collaborator Machine Dazzle. the performance was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Elizabeth Aspenlieder
In HIR, a dark comedy, a young man returns home from the military to find his family completely turned upside down. Social expectations are confronted head on in this wildly refreshing tale of progressive responsibility. When it comes to family sometimes you just have to figure it out. Elizabeth Aspenlieder and John Hadden cp-star, and Alice Reagan directs.
For details: 413-637-3353 or www.shakespeare.org.
Of Note
1Berkshire Trendsetter Finalists include: Berkshire Theatre Group’s 90th Anniversary Celebration and Community Access to the Arts for “Outtanding Comprehensive Marketing Campaign”, and WAM Theatre for “Creative Economy Standout”. Allyn Burrows and Adam Davis of Shakespeare & Company are up for “Newcomer of The Year” Winners will be announced September 13.
Hartford Stage will hold auditions for children of all ethnic backgrounds, for the theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas. Children interested in auditioning must be non-union between the ages of 5-13 and may not turn 14 years of age until after December 31, 2018. Auditions will be held on September 25-26, by appointment only. For details: email [email protected].
Keep in Mind
ArtsBeat Radio airs every Friday at 8AM, on 89.5fm/WSKB. On September 14, we celebrate the Springfield Symphony Orchestra’s 75th season with composer Adam Schoenberg, Maestro Kevin Rhodes, and SSO Principal tuba Steve Perry. Start your weekend with ArtsBeat Radio. Tune in live on the airwaves, on Comcast ch. 15, or www.wskb.org
Escaped Alone, Caryl Churchill’s recent play about three older women contemplating their future, wraps up WAM Theatre’s Fresh Take Play Reading Series, September 16, at the Old Town Hall in West Stockbridge, MA, a new venue for WAM. Kristen van Ginhoven directs. The cast includes: Joan Coombs, Nancy Rothman, Eileen Schuyler, and Denise Walker. A talk back follows the performance at the West Stockbridge Historical Society. For details: http://www.wamtheatre.com/escaped-alone/
Peter and the Starcatcher, the award-winning prequel to Peter Pan, opens the tenth season of West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park, with performances September 12 through October 14. Rick Elice wrote the book, and Wayne Barker supplies the music. A cast of twelve, directed by Sean Harris, play over a hundred characters. Peter and The Starcatcher is family friendly. For details: 860-523-5900 x10 or www.playhouseonpark.org
Lewis Black
Lewis Black, the Grammy Award-winning stand-up comedian, performs his new The Joke’s On US Tour, at Great Barrington’s Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on September 23. Known as the “king of the rant,” Black uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and animated finger-pointing to skewer anything and anyone that gets under his skin. For details: 413-528-0100 or www.mahaiwe.org
Old Country Road Band
The Old Country Road Band headlines the North Hall Arts Festival season finale in Huntington, MA on September 16. The band performs vintage country music and bluegrass from the 1950s and 1960s. For details: 413 667-5543 or www.northhallhuntington.org
Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience, brings the music of the Fab Four to the colonial Theatre on September 19, under the auspices of the Berkshire Theatre Group. For details: 413-997-4444 or www.berkshiretheatregroup.org. .
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Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio. Mark produces and hosts ArtsBeat Radio for 89.5fm/WSKB.
