Sauk Valley Community Concert Association
2010-11 Season
Rhythm & Passion
September 26, 2010–3pm
Historic Dixon Theatre
RHYTHM & PASSION was founded by internationally acclaimed dancers, Gloria and Claudio Otero from Argentina. The company’s 10 vibrant performers uniquely combine tango, salsa and gauchos in one show.
The show, performed in 2 acts, lures us back in time to the origins of tango in the seedy bars of 1920’s Buenos Aires and then whisks us to the streets and nightclubs of the 1950’s Caribbean to experience the vibrant celebration of love and life that is salsa. The mood then changes, taking us to the Argentine countryside of the late 1800’s where the gauchos sing and dance amidst danger and conflict.
The second act conveys modern excitement for the contemporary interpretations of the dances. We feel the pulsing rhythms of the salsa and tango, each dance telling a story of love or heartbreak. We revel in the energy of the gauchos, as the explosive rhythms of the drums, the swirling ponchos of the dancers, and the speed and intensity of the boleadoras proclaim the pride and determination of a rural culture.
The performers appear before a backdrop of exquisite period scenery, recreating the settings where these passionate and sensual dances were born. Audiences experience a timeless world of music, songs, color, rhythm and passion.
Artist’s Web Site
Link to Musical Prevue
Intersection
Sunday November 21, 2010–7pm
Sterling High School Centennial Auditorium
INTERSECTION is an outstanding New York trio consisting of violinist Laura Frautschi, cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper, and pianist John Novacek.
An essential component of their concert activity has been their guest appearances, often televised, with major orchestras such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, the Osaka Symphony, the Yomiuri Orchestra and the Tokyo Philharmonic. A quintessential Intersection event is a trio concert with a varied program of repertoire from all parts of the music world. A typical evening may center on a Ravel, Dvorak or Brahms trio, but will veer into excerpts of American film music, popular theater, and song. Solos and duos add to the variety of each performance.
Kristina, Laura and John have individually achieved enviable success as soloists and chamber musicians in the world of classical music, but each have effectively ventured beyond circumscribed artistic borders, exploring new music, world music, jazz and pop. The uniqueness of the group is in tapping into these highly varied backgrounds in shows that fuse the traditional and the surprising, the premeditated and the improvisatory, and of course, their easy verbal interplay with each other and the audience. An evening with Intersection is a virtual collaboration between artists and audience.
Artist’s Web Site
Link to Musical Prevue
The Four Freshmen
Thursday February 17, 2011–7pm
Dixon High School Auditorium
THE FOUR FRESHMEN perform with the same unmistakable sound of the original group – a vocal harmony like no other! Four part harmony, a twist of elegance, a splash of swing, and a whole lot of fun!
The Four Freshmen have strongly influenced many groups over the 61 years of their existence, including Take Six, ABBA, The Swingle Singers, Manhattan Transfer and the Beach Boys. They were originally modeled after big band vocal groups like the Modernaires (Glenn Miller) and The Pied Pipers (Tommy Dorsey). Founded in 1948 at Butler University in Indianapolis as Hal’s Harmonizers, a barbershop quartet, they soon adopted a more jazz-oriented repertoire and renamed themselves the Toppers and developed their own style of improvised vocal harmony. In September of 1948, the quartet went on the road as The Four Freshmen and soon drew the admiration of jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman who helped them connect with Capitol Records.
Over the years since its inception, 24 musicians have been part of the group including the current members, Brian Eichenberger, Curtis Calderon, Vince Johnson and Bob Ferreira who are some of the best jazz talents in the business. This group not only preserves the Freshmen sound, they enhance it with their youth, vitality and talent, giving a new treatment to the Great American Songbook.
Artist’s Web Site
Link to Musical Prevue
Five By Design presents Club Swing
Monday April 4, 2011–7pm
Sterling High School Centennial Auditorium
Where the music’s hot the drinks are cool and the legend lives forever!
A long forgotten neon sign flares to life illuminating palm trees and the art deco bar, magically restoring Club Swing to her former splendor....This is the scene as Five By Design brings the CLUB SWING show to the Sauk Valley.
From the frenetic-paced opening of Benny Goodman’s “Bugle Call Rag” to the show’s blockbuster finale of Louis Prima’s “Sing, Sing, Sing,” CLUB SWING celebrates the songs, events and personalities that defined American popular culture during the swing era.
Whether performing their seductive arrangement of Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine,” the madcap parody of Spike Jones’ “Cocktails for Two,” or the lush romance of Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa,” Five By Design enchants the audience by deftly blending music and theatrics effortlessly.
Five By Design evolved from the vocal group Hot Jazz, formed on the campus of the U of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 1982. This developed into the musical theatre vehicle “Radio Days” in 1988...which gave the fivesome a chance to sing the music they loved best. In 1999, the Baltimore Symphony commissioned the group to create a new show that would become “CLUB SWING,” which has since been performed with more than 100 of the leading symphony orchestras and at performing arts venues throughout the US and Canada. The setting is the fictional Club Swing where the talented, dressed-to-the-nines quintet recreates 20 of America’s best loved songs.
So check your coat and grab a seat for a night of unparalleled delight at the fabulous CLUB SWING!
Artist’s Web Site
Link to Musical Prevue