2015-2016 Season Program - Society for the Performing Arts

Fall 2015
Inside This Issue:
The Rat Pack is Back!
Maya Beiser
Compañia Flamenca
José Porcel
Voca People
Bollywood Masala Orchestra
and Dancers of India
Ballet Hispanico
2015 - 2016
Season Sponsor
EDUCATION
Society for the Performing Arts is proud
to introduce the C.A.S.T. Program, which
redistributes donated tickets to deserving
organizations and inviduals.
If you cannot attend a performance, simply
call the SPA Box Office at 713.632.8114 or
visit spahouston.org/CAST to donate your
tickets to the program. All donations must
be received at least 24 hours prior to a performance.
This season, the C.A.S.T. program will benefit the following organizations:
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Houston
• Covenant House Texas
• SPA Teacher Club
Visit spahouston.org/CAST for more information
Teachers Club
In addition to our student and educator programs, SPA believes that attending live, main
stage performances is essential for teachers.
It is an opportunity to develop knowledge of
repertoire and transfer that experience into
the classroom.
Through the SPA Teacher Club, full-time
K-12 teachers, principals and schools staff
can obtain special discounts of up to 50%
to select evening performances with a valid
school ID. Some restrictions apply. To join,
visit spahouston.org/teacherclub.
For more information on
these programs and other
Education & Community Engagement
initiatives, visit
spahouston.org/education.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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11
14
16
18
19
Fall 2015
1Education
3Staff
4 Patron Information
5Welcome
Official Program Magazine of the Society for the Performing Arts
6 2014-2015 SPA Board of Directors
Chief Executive Officer, June Christensen
Editors: Samantha Reichstein and Karen Watassek
7 Beyond the Spotlight
615 Louisiana St. #100, Houston, TX 77002-2796
713-227-4772 | spahouston.org
8 The Rat Pack is Back!
Contents copyright © 2015 by Society for the Performing Arts
11 Maya Beiser
14 Compañia Flamenca – José Porcel
16 Voca People
18 Bollywood Masala Orchestra and Dancers of India
19 Ballet Hispanico
23 SPA Corporate and Foundation Support
23 Individual Donors
On the cover: Maya Beiser
This magazine is produced for Society for the Performing Arts by New Leaf Publishing
2006 Huldy, Houston, TX 77019 | 713.523.5323 | [email protected] | www.newleafinc.com
2
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
STAFF
713-632-8100
www.spahouston.org
JUNE CHRISTENSEN
Chief Executive Officer/President
LENA ASINOVSKY
Group Sales Associate
ANGELA BUFKIN
Executive Assistant/Board Liaison
JESSICA DORNAN-YOUNG
Development Associate
JORDAN DRUM
Director of Education &
Community Engagement
ROBERT EUBANKS
Director of Production
SAMANTHA GONZALEZ
Individual Giving and Special Events Manager
STEPHANIE GUMPF
Education Coordinator
FREDDIE PIEGSA
Marketing and Sales Associate
MARCUS POWERS
Public Relations Manager
LEE STRICKLAND
Director of Sales and Operations
MARK TRUETT
Director of Marketing
JUDY WATERS
Director of Development
KAREN WHITLOCK
Director of Finance and Administration
TERRY W. ZENO
Accounting Assistant
www.newleafinc.com
713.523.5323
JANET MEYER Publisher
KEITH GUMNEY Art Director
JENNIFER GREENBERG Associate Publisher
ADVERTISING 713-523-5323
[email protected]
CAREY CLARK Account Executive
JANE KREMER Account Executive
FRANCES POWELL Account Executive
TRICIA PUCCIARELLO Account Executive
MARLENE WALKER Walker Media
FALL 2015 3
PATRON INFORMATION
For Tickets to Individual Performances: Call Society for the
Performing Arts’ box office at 713-227-4772 or visit spahouston.org.
Groups: To book a group of 15 or more, call 713-632-8113.
Lost Tickets: Replacements for lost tickets can be arranged by calling
713-227-4772.
Entry to Jones Hall and Wortham Theater Center: Doors open
90 minutes prior to SPA performances.
Emergencies: In case of extreme emergencies, doctors and audience
members can be reached by phone at the backstage security
offices located at Jones Hall 713-236-5712, Wortham Theater Center
713-250-3657. In order for security to locate you, the caller needs to
identify you and your seat location (door, row and seat number).
Personnel for medical emergencies are provided for all performances.
Late Arrivals: We thank our patrons for cooperating with our policy
of no late seating once a performance has begun. Late seating takes
place during designated intervals as determined by the guest artist.
If you arrive a few minutes late, please check with an usher who will
advise you when the next seating break will take place.
Performance Hall Policies: A city ordinance forbids smoking in
public buildings or 25 feet from public entrances including Jones
Hall and Wortham Theater Center.
4
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Food and beverages are permitted in lobby areas only.
Use of cameras, cellular phones, recording, and paging devices are
prohibited in the hall. Watch alarms should be turned off.
Lost and Found: If you lose something at Jones Hall,
call 713-227-3974, or at Wortham Theater Center, call 713-237-1439.
Society for the Performing Arts is a Member of:
International Society for the Performing Arts
The Association of Performing Arts Presenters
Western Arts Alliance
Mid-America Arts Alliance
Mid-West Arts Presenters
INTIX, The International Ticketing Association
SWPAP, Southwest Performing Arts Presenters
GHATA, Greater Houston Area Ticketing Association
Dance/USA
IPAY, International Performing Arts for Youth
Please Note All programs, prices, performances, and artists are
subject to change. Any changes from the printed
program will be announced from the stage at the
beginning of the performance.
WELCOME...
Katya Horner
JUNE CHRISTENSEN
Chief Executive Officer/President
We are so thrilled and grateful to celebrate the arts with
you as we move into the 2015-16 season! SPA is dedicated
to bringing the joy and wonder of artistic experiences to
the various communities of Houston. We continue that
tradition this year with 14 Houston debuts and 24 artists
representing 11 countries in a range of performances including celebrity chef
Ina Garten; the debut of American Ballet Theatre’s Daniil Simkin and his new
project, INTENSIO, a much-anticipated dance and multimedia performance to
live piano accompaniment; Israeli choreography from contemporary dance
company BODYTRAFFIC; and the BalletBoyz of England, whose evocative and
original performances fuse modern dance with stunning music and film. As
you might have noticed in the past, we do program a few additional surprises
each season…so stay tuned!
In addition to the spectacle and wonder of our performances, SPA engages its audiences directly through quality programs designed by staff and
facilitated by world-class artists, to connect people with the performing arts
in a meaningful way. Adults and children are invited to learn more about various cultures and specific artists through teacher workshops, programs and
discounts for students and educators, Art Talks, and music and dance master
classes that offer participants incredible opportunities to learn from the best.
MELANIE GRAY
Board Chair
Society for the Performing Arts strives to bring diverse
programming and the world’s best artists to Houston. Additionally, taking these visiting artists into the
community is central to our mission. Through cultural
partnerships with a variety of community centers and
schools throughout Houston, SPA offers diverse education and outreach
programs for students, teachers and the general public. As our new season
gets underway, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the partnerships that make these programs possible.
For their return to Houston in October, Ballet Hispanico will participate in several days of outreach activities, including master classes and
workshops at a variety of locations. And this summer, SPA is proud to
announce that members of the company will return for a week-long residency, giving students a chance to learn from some of the best performers
in the world.
We’re also proud to announce a collaboration with Houston’s newest
destination for performing and visual arts, the MATCH, or the Midtown Arts
& Theater Center of Houston. We look forward to presenting matinee performances and educational programming in their theaters and studios. We
hope that the MATCH’s central location will make our outreach programs
even more accessible to new audiences.
This is just a small sample of the work we’re doing in Houston. For
more information, or to get involved, visit spahouston.org/education.
Through partnerships like these, and with your help, we can bring even
more wonderful, diverse learning opportunities to Houston.
FALL 2015 5
2015-2016 SPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
John T. Jones, Jr., (1917-1994)
Melanie Gray
James J. Postl* Ian H. Fay
Jonathan C. Homeyer
Theresa Mallett
Ginni Mithoff*
Stephen D. Newton
William Swanstrom
EXECUTIVE MEMBERS AT LARGE
Norah G. Adams
Victor Bhatt
Chree Boydstun
Willie C.W. Chiang
Charles D. Davidson*
Theresa A. Einhorn
Miguel Espinosa*
Marc Folladori
Curtis Karges
Samir Khushalani
Stephen A. Lasher*
Eileen Lawal
Ann V. Rogers
Melanie B. Rother
H. Michael Sultanik
Patricia D. Tilton
Stephen M. Trauber*
Robert B. Tudor III*
Marcus A. Watts*
DIRECTORS
Stephen Baird
Sherrie Barnes
Linda Bertman
Mrs. Fred C. (Pat) Burns
Dona S. Chambers
Richard E. Chandler, Jr.
Robert K. Devlin
Kari Gonzales
Gigi Huang
Shawn K. Jackson
Mark Jodon
Karl L. Kilian
Emily T. Kuo
Jack Lapin
Mimi Lloyd
Soraya McClelland
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SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Founder
Board Chair
Past Chair; Vice President
Co-Vice President, Strategic Planning
Vice President, Audit & Finance;Treasurer
Vice President, Community Relations
Vice President, Special Projects
Co-Vice President, Strategic Planning
Vice President, Development
Katherine E. Murphy
Michaelene Lusk Norton
Christopher O’Hara
Nichole Pruitt
Nicholas Rasmussen
Leslie Elkins Sasser
Wayne Stinnett, Jr.
Timothy G. Taylor
Tymothi O. Tombar
Margaret Alkek Williams
IN MEMORIAM
Ann Sakowitz* *** ****
Joseph H. Peck, Jr. * *** ****
Society for the Performing Arts
Foundation Trustees
Jesse H. Jones II, President
Robert B. Tudor III, Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer
Charles D. Davidson
Miguel Espinosa
Stephen A. Lasher
James J. Postl
Stephen M. Trauber
Marcus A. Watts
* Past Chairman
** Served for 30 years
***Served for 40 years
**** Honorary Lifetime Director
Proud sponsor of this feature and publisher of Society for the Performing Arts Magazine
www.newleafinc.com
FALL 2015 7
JUST FOR FUN!
FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 18 | 7:30 PM | JONES HALL
Starring
David DeCosta
Joe Scalissi
Kenny Jones
Tom Wallek
Executive Producer
Arthur Petrie
Produced & Directed by
Dick Feeney
Musical Director
Lon Bronson
Technical Director: Randy Chastain
Tour Booking, Engagement Management and Marketing
BROADWAY BOOKING OFFICE NYC
CAST
In order of appearance
FRANK SINATRA
DEAN MARTIN
SAMMY DAVIS, JR
JOEY BISHOP
David DeCosta
Joe Scalissi
Kenny Jones
Tom Wallek
The Rat Pack is Back! is performed in two acts with a 15 minute intermission
The Rat Pack is Back! ORCHESTRA
The Rat Pack is Back! is performed in Houston with the Richard Brown Orchestra
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SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
BIOGRAPHIES
TOM WALLEK (Appearing as Joey Bishop)
is a Brooklyn born comedian, actor and impressionist currently appearing in the long
running Viva Las Vegas show at the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas. Tom moved to
the Detroit area when he was young and
graduated from Farmington High School.
Voted the funniest in his class, he learned
early on that making people laugh was a lot
of fun. After a four year hitch in the U.S. Navy
which took Tom to San Diego, the comedy
bug hit hard. Tom started performing every
Sunday at the world famous Comedy Store,
trying to build an act of jokes mixed with impressions. In 1984, Tom moved to Las Vegas.
Small clubs and venues followed. Shortly after, Tom landed a part in Comedy Cabaret at
the Maxim, and later that year he starred in
Tropical Heat, a show at the Rio opposite the
late Dana Plato. While there he met Dick Feeney, the producer of Viva Las Vegas. Mr. Feeney cast Tom in his new show, Forbidden Vegas playing at night at the Plaza Hotel. After
the Plaza run, Mr. Feeney from time to time
would use Tom in his daytime show Viva Las
Vegas. When Dick’s opening act retired late
last year, the job was offered to Tom, who
has held it full-time since. In May 2005 with
the success of the show and the addition of
touring productions, Feeney asked Tom if
he would be interested in the part of Joey
Bishop in The Rat Pack is Back! Tom—being
an impressionist—jumped into the role and
has been performing it ever since.
JOE SCALISSI (Appearing as Dean Martin)
is an internationally recognized entertainer,
best known for his tribute to Dean Martin.
Mr. Scalissi has garnered praise from countless audiences, talent scouts and agents
across the country with one of the most authentic and accurate portrayals of Dean Martin known today. After taking top prize at a
Wisconsin impersonator contest in 1996, Mr.
Scalissi continued to perform at local venues
until capturing the attention of Neil Daniels,
current president of the Dean Martin Fan
Center. He was asked to perform at the annual Dean Martin celebration in Steubenville,
Ohio in 1998 and then asked to headline the
festival for several years. His reputation for
stellar performances grew steadily, culminating in his current in-demand status as a
consummate professional. Since 1998, Mr.
Scalissi has entertained audiences as Dean
Martin in countless performances throughout the United States and Canada. His voice
(as Dean Martin) was featured in a 2012 McDonald’s TV commercial airing in Europe. As
ALSO PLAYING IN The Riviera Hotel & Casino. For ticket information call the box office at 1-800-634-3420
www.RatPackIsBack.com
The Rat Pack is Back! is available for corporate events and private engagements.
Call 702-733-1697 or email [email protected].
The taking of flash photographs and the use of recording devices is prohibited.
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers.
Part of the
Performance Prelude Series
a featured member of The Rat Pack is Back!, Joe’s outstanding performances truly bring back
the charm and talent of Dean Martin for every member of the audience.
KENNY JONES (Appearing as Sammy Davis, Jr.) Born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, Kenny’s love
of music began with his first stage appearance at the age of 12 with a local group called Jive Five.
He later learned how to play the piano, bass guitar and drums , becoming a member of of The
Jesus Children and then the Genetta Bradley Singers. In Denver, Colo., he continued his gospel
career at The House of Joy where he cut his first gospel album and released his first single called
“Peanut Butter and Jelly.” In 1989 and 1990, Kenny was voted The Best Male Vocalist of the Year by
the Gospel Music Workshop of Denver. Kenny served as the front man for the bands Soul Review
and Groove City, as well as Denver’s hottest R&B band, 1UP, which had the honor of performing at
the opening of The Hard Rock Café in Shanghai, China. Since 2004, Kenny has made appearances
at showrooms, theaters and corporate and private engagements paying tribute to the ultimate
entertainer—“Mr. Showmanship”—Sammy Davis, Jr. in The Rat Pack is Back!
DAVID DECOSTA (Appearing as Frank Sinatra) David is an outstanding entertainer with an in-
credible singing voice. His repertoire includes
jazz, blues, R&B, show tunes, Latin and Brazilian music. David comes from a musical family
(his father sings and plays guitar, brother Darren plays guitar and sings, and oldest brother
Kevin plays piano, bass and sings), and began
his own performing career in 1998. Since that
time his career has taken him to gigs in Paris,
Australia, Brazil, New York, Chicago, Florida and
Las Vegas. David is delighted to join the cast of
The Rat Pack is Back!
LON BRONSON (Musical Director) Throughout his career, Lon has been one of the most
highly sought-after musicians in the country,
functioning as musical director, conductor, arranger, orchestrator and composer for national
TV, headline performers, production shows and
large scale corporate events. In 2006, he was
nominated for an Emmy® for Musical Direction.
His television musical direction credits include:
“Last Comic Standing,” “Steve Schirripa Show,”
“Earth To America” (Emmy® nomination), “The
Ron White Show,” “Viva Variety, ” “Friar’s Club
Roast of Drew Carey,” and “HBO’s Mr. Vegas All
Night Party Starring Drew Carey.” He has performed with Sheena Easton, The Temptations,
Little Anthony & The Imperials, Celine Dion,
Jerry Lewis, The Four Tops, Gloria Estefan, David
FALL 2015 9
THE RAT PACK IS BACK CONTINUED
Foster, Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, Frankie Valli, Bobby
Vinton, Luther Vandross, Don Henley, Wayne Newton, Michael Amante
and Diana Ross. He has guest conducted with the Royal Philharmonic
Concert Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony Concert Orchestra. Currently, Lon is the musical director and band leader for the Vegas production of
The Rat Pack is Back!, having also worked with the companies in San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit and Atlantic City. The Lon Bronson All-Star Band
currently holds the record for the longest running band in Las Vegas history. For more information, please visit www.lonbronson.com.
DICK FEENEY (Producer/Director) Mr. Feeney’s first critically acclaimed
show was Lullaby of Swing in 1981 in Honolulu, Hawaii, which played successful runs in Atlantic City at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino and Boston
at the Bradford Theatre. As the Associate Producer of An Evening at La Cage
at the Riviera Hotel and Casino and Producer of Crazy Girls, Mr. Feeney is no
stranger to Vegas. After 20 years, both shows continue to play to enthusiastic audiences. In 1991, Mr. Feeney opened Viva Las Vegas, one of the longest running and most successful afternoon shows in Las Vegas history. Mr.
Feeney has gone on to produce numerous other shows worldwide from
Japan to Monte Carlo, including Showgirls, The Great Gleason, Bottoms Up,
Forbidden Vegas, Playboy Girls Hit Parade and the family-friendly Vegas act,
The World’s Greatest Magic Show. His television productions include “The
Entertainment Page,” “Las Vegas Tonite” and “Karaoke Krazy.” Mr. Feeney
has even taken his productions to the sky as owner of the Elvis Presley skydiving team, The Flying Elvi, who were featured in the movie Honeymoon
in Vegas. In October of 2008, Mr. Feeney was awarded a star on the prestigious “Las Vegas Walk of Stars” for his outstanding contributions to the
Las Vegas entertainment community.The star is permanently on display in
the sidewalk in front of the New York, New York Hotel and Casino.
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SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
ARTHUR J. PETRIE (Executive Producer/TRP Entertainment) has
been in the real estate development and investment business for
the past 45 years. He is chairman of the board of Petrie Development
Corporation formed in 1976, and general manager of Asset Development Services, LLC, a real estate investment company located in Las
Vegas, Nevada. Mr. Petrie’s experience in commercial real estate includes development for Walmart, Sam’s Club, K-Mart and other retail
users, development of apartment complexes and redevelopment of
a university campus to offices and housing. Petrie Development was
the leader in the United States in the development and construction
of barrier-free housing for the handicapped under a HUD housing
program. He has been active in the development, ownership and
management of Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns, Holiday Inns, Radissons and Hyatt Regency Hotels. Current projects include ownership
and renovation of the Federal Reserve Bank building in Minneapolis,
Minn. He has participated in the acquisition, refinancing and sale of
two casino-related properties in Las Vegas, and is a founder of Retired.com, Signal Sites, Inc., and Longevity Nutraceutical Labs LLC.
BROADWAY BOOKING OFFICE NYC (Tour Booking, Engagement
Management, Press and Marketing) is a leading theatrical tour booking, marketing and press company representing musicals, plays and
theatrical productions. Currently: Jersey Boys; Cameron Mackintosh’s
spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom
of the Opera; Les Misérables; Matilda The Musical; Beautiful – The Carole
King Musical; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder; The Sound of
Music; NETworks presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast; Love Letters
starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal; The Rat Pack is Back!; Lazytown
Live!; and Chuggington. www.bbonyc.com
OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM MUSIC SERIES
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 2 | 8 PM | CULLEN THEATER, WORTHAM CENTER
MAYA BEISER
ALL VOWS
A hint of raindrop in the tear duct fertile fourth
string…
An instrument tuned at perfect pitch to the
human range of emotion
MAYA BEISER, Cello, Electronics, Vocals
MATT KILMER, Drums
JHEREK BISCHOFF, Electric Bass
DAVE COOK, Sound Design
AARON COPP, Lighting Director
THE PROGRAM
Black Dog
Summertime
Moanin’ at Midnight
Three Parts Wisdom
Wish You Were Here
Lithium
Back In Black
Led Zeppelin/Evan Ziporyn
Janis Joplin/Evan Ziporyn
Howlin’ Wolf/Evan Ziporyn
Glenn Kotche
Pink Floyd/Evan Ziporyn
Kurt Cobain/Evan Ziporyn
AC/DC/ Evan Ziporyn
INTERMISSION
Kol Nidrei
All Vows
Just Ancient Loops
ABOUT MAYA BEISER, ALL VOWS
The anger of the bow against the softening
wood beneath…
Mohammed Fairouz
Michael Gordon
Michael Harrison film by Bill Morrison
The taking of flash photographs and the use of recording devices is prohibited.
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers.
Part of the
Performance Prelude Series
Riding the lightning…creasing the sky at
oddly bent angles…positioned like a Sanskrit
symbol around the curved flesh of her sound,
the cellist snake strikes the quiet…vows it into
submission…
Like Adam under the hand of Yahweh,
the cellist’s sound has little choice in its shape.
It is willed so according to the precise intention of its maker. Not the note itself, but its
emotional bend, the lived dream of a timbre
first seen behind the closed eyes of the musician. See her, reaching into the history of
prescribed notes to coerce an itinerant present into its sonic destiny. There is a flush of the
ecstatic in this task, a glory and a falling, the
cellist does apostle work here, uses the force
of wind to erode the stone heart, to re-sculpt
it in the image of her magic.
Honestly though, the spells and such at
a Maya Beiser concert are cast well before the
bow is raised. At YBCA, the artist premieres a
program that freely pulls apart a consistent historical narrative, surrendering to the joy of pure
sound above the safe haven of expected recitation. Hers is a rock legend prayer, a grungelaced painkiller, race music running up toward
freedom, a time-warping. The core of All Vows
is its synthesis of inter-cultural inspirations toward the aim of both cognitive dissonance and
listening bliss.The program itself takes its name
from the words spoken in Aramaic to initiate
Yom Kippur, kol nidrei, or as the entire opening
passage might be translated:
All [personal] vows we are likely to make,
all [personal] oaths and pledges we are likely to
take between this Yom Kippur and the next Yom
Kippur, we publicly renounce. Let them all be relinquished and abandoned, null and void, neither
firm nor established.
Let our [personal] vows, pledges and
oaths be considered neither vows nor pledges
nor oaths.
And so it is that Beiser’s music is ardently,
irrevocably, inconsolably present, and also in a
posture of surrender to its own ephemerality.
The music promises everything and absolves
itself of the permanence of its utterance, a
melancholy duality that echoes the romance
of the seeker’s life. Echoing the seeking of the
cellist’s firm hand against the flesh of a promising sound…
FALL 2015 11
MAYA BEISER CONTINUED
NOTE FROM THE ARTIST
In All Vows, I explore the dichotomy and multifaceted interaction between the physical, external world we inhabit and the landscape of our
mysterious inner selves. The first half goes deep inside the music of Led
Zeppelin, Nirvana, Janis Joplin, and Howlin Wolf to “uncover” and reveal
the core of each song as a musical masterpiece—a totem of our collective consciousness forged by our shared, popular culture. Deconstructing the Rock idiom, the cello takes on the part of both the lead singer
and lead guitar, with many other layers created by my cello in the studio
and regenerated live with electronic processing.These “uncovers” are the
result of my collaboration with composer Evan Ziporyn, who created all
the arrangements for me. Evan’s unique, complex, and masterful musical
language as well as the many sounds that we have created with this versatile instrument of mine, is the lens through which this music unveils.
Alongside these Rock and Blues masters, I wanted to present original music by one of my collaborators on tonight’s program —Glenn
Kotche—a composer who is deeply influenced by this vernacular.
Glenn writes:
“My own musical life is a constant shift between my hermetic experiences as a composer and solo performer and the polar opposite of that experience as the drummer in a six-piece rock band that tours extensively.
I love Maya’s approach to solo performance, using multi-tracked cellos,
which enables her to shift between those two experiences. In playing
with various ideas of how to approach my piece for her, I found myself
gravitating towards a more layered and rhythmically complex sound. (I’ll
always be a rhythmically obsessed drummer at my core!) I like to begin
writing a piece on the drum kit when I can, so I began investigating possibilities for Three Part Wisdom, by taking some solo drum kit ideas that
I was working on for myself and experimented with adding pitches to
the rhythms. I then layered and collaged these elements into something
that rhythmically resonates with me and that will ideally fill a void in
Maya’s repertoire.”
In the second half of All Vows, I delve into our inherent desire for ritual
and meaning, creating the concert experience as a spiritual journey. I begin with Arab-American composer Mohammed Fairouz’s interpretation
of the Kol Nidrei—the ancient Jewish Yom Kippur prayer—in which the
full text is sung in Aramaic and engages echoes of ancient Cantorial styles.
Mohammed, a Muslim Arab-American and I, a Jewish Israeli-American,
share a vision: We believe in the power of music to heal and unite. We
believe that what connects us as humans is far greater than what tears us
apart. My extensive collaboration with film artist Bill Morrison is reflected
the final large-scale work on the program. Morrison uses archival footage, chemical process and animation to create a stunning visual tapestry
that illustrates, in his words, “the implication of an unknowable future as
reflected through a dissolving historical document.”
Michael Gordon’s All Vows (the literal translation of the Aramaic
words), takes the Kol Nidrei prayer as its starting point, and re-imagines
it entirely. Gordon’s piece is a quiet meditation, a heartbreaking lament
exhibiting his masterful ability to create full-blown expressivity with
minimal and subtle means.
Michael Harrison’s Just Ancient Loops, is a 25 minutes epic piece that
unveils every aspect of the cello – from its most glorious and mysterious harmonics to earthy, rhythmic pizzicatos – all utilizing “just intonation,” an ancient tuning system in which the distances between notes
are based upon whole number ratios. Morrison’s film explores the many
spiritual beliefs and view of the heavens, and ancient philosophical concept of the “Music of the Spheres”, that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies as a form of music.
~ Maya Beiser, New York City
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SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
BIOGRAPHIES
MAYA BEISER
Renowned cellist Maya Beiser “has etched a bold career path that marries classical to rock, starched collars to casual dress, and tradition to
unorthodoxy,” reports AllMusic.com. Throughout her adventurous and
versatile career she has reimagined the concert experience, commissioning and performing hundreds of new works written for her by
today’s leading composers. The Boston Globe declares, “with virtuoso
chops, rock-star charisma, and an appetite for pushing her instrument
to the edge of avant-garde adventurousness, Maya Beiser is the postmodern diva of the cello.”
Raised in the Galilee Mountains in Israel, surrounded by the music
and rituals of Jews, Muslims, and Christians, while studying classical cello
repertoire, Maya has dedicated her work to reinventing solo cello performance in the mainstream classical arena. A featured performer on the
world’s most prestigious stages including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall,
BAM, London’s South Bank Centre, Sydney Opera House, The Kennedy
Center, LA’s Royce Hall, and the Beijing Festival, she has collaborated
with artists across many disciplines and wide range of musical styles,
including Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Shirin Neshat, Steve Reich, David Lang,
Tan Dun, Robert Woodruff and Bill Morrison, among many others. Maya’s
2011 TEDtalk has been watched by close to one million people and
translated to 32 languages. Her critically acclaimed multimedia productions, including World To Come, Almost Human, Provenance, Elsewhere: A
CelloOpera, and All Vows, have consistently been chosen for top critics’
“Best Of The Year” lists.
Maya’s latest production, All Vows, explores the dichotomy between the physical, external world we inhabit and the inner landscape
of our secret selves – the border between the sacred and the profane. It
premiered at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in 2014 and has since
been performed in Dallas and Chicago; this season it will be presented by BAM and SPA Houston. All Vows features the music from Maya’s
newest album Uncovered plus works by Michael Gordon and Michael
Harrison, both with original film by Bill Morrison, as well as music by
Glenn Kotche, David T. Little, and Mohammed Fairouz. Other highlights
of the current season include a solo appearance as part of the Barbican’s
Sound Unbound festival in London, and in January 2016, the premiere of
Fairouz’s new cello concerto with the Detroit Symphony.
Highlights of Maya’s recent US tours include performances at the
Ravinia Festival in Chicago, Celebrity Series in Boston, Ojai Music Festival,
International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, and major venues
and festivals in Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Torino, Tokyo, Taipei, Athens,
Mexico City and Bogota. She has appeared with many of the world’s top
orchestras performing new works for the cello including the St. Paul
Chamber Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, BBC Concert Orchestra, Boston
Pops, Sydney Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Nashville Symphony, China
Philharmonic, and Shanghai Philharmonic.
Maya’s vast discography includes nine solo albums. Her latest bestselling album, Uncovered – a collection of re-imagined and re-contextualized classic rock, in stunning performances by Maya and new arrangements by Evan Ziporyn – topped the classical music charts making the
number one spot on both Amazon and iTunes. These “uncovers” evoke
the unprecedented power of the music of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix,
Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Janis Joplin, Howlin’ Wolf, King Crimson, Muddy
Waters, and AC/DC as musical masterpieces. The San Francisco Chronicle
raved, “With this electrifying disc, the avant-garde cello virtuoso Maya
Beiser transformer herself into something of a rock ‘n’ roll diva.”
A frequent collaborator with film composers, Maya Beiser is the
featured soloist on James Newton Howard’s soundtracks for films by
M. Night Shyamalan (The Happening, After Earth), Denzel Washington
(The Great Debaters), Edward Zwick (Blood
Diamond), and Rupert Sanders (Snow White
and the Huntsman).
Maya was a founding member of the
Bang on a Can All-Stars and is a graduate
of Yale University. She makes her home in
New York.
For more information, visit www.mayabeiser.com
BILL MORRISON
Acclaimed as “one of the most adventurous
American filmmakers” by Variety, Bill Morrison‘s
films often combine archival film material set to
contemporary music. He has collaborated with
some of the most influential composers of our
time, including John Adams, Laurie Anderson,
Gavin Bryars, Dave Douglas, Richard Einhorn,
Philip Glass, Michael Gordon, Henryk Gørecki,
Bill Frisell, Vijay Iyer, Jóhann Jóhannsson, David
Lang, Julia Wolfe and Steve Reich.
Decasia (67 min, 2002), a collaboration
with the composer Michael Gordon, was selected to the U.S. Library of Congress’ 2013
National Film Registry, becoming the most
modern film named to the list that preserves
works of “great cultural, historic or aesthetic
significance to the nation’s cinematic heritage.”
Morrison’s films are also in the collection of the
Museum of Modern Art, Walker Art Center and
the EYE Film Institute. He is a Guggenheim fellow and has received the Alpert Award for the
Arts, an NEA Creativity Grant, Creative Capital
and a fellowship from the Foundation for
Contemporary Arts. His theatrical projection
design has been recognized with two Bessie
awards and an Obie Award.
In 2013, Morrison was honored with retrospective programs in four different countries:
the Walker Art Museum, Minneapolis; the Vila
Do Conde Short Film Festival, Portugal; the
Adelaide Film Festival, Australia; and the Aarhus
Film Festival, Denmark. In 2014, The Great Flood
opened theatrically, and The Miners Hymns
toured with live musical performances in the
United States and UK. Morrison had a mid-career retrospective at the Museum of Modern
Art, NY in October – November 2014.
MATT KILMER
Matt Kilmer has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including being named
a Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute fellow. He
has produced albums for many contemporary
artists, is an in-demand session drummer and
percussionist who has performed with Grammy award winning artist Lauryn Hill and master
Arabic oudist and violinist Simon Shaheen. He
has produced and collaborated with artists as
CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
FALL 2015 13
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
SATURDAY | OCTOBER 10 | 8 PM | JONES HALL
COMPAÑIA FLAMECA JOSÉ PORCEL
Featuring Full Company of Dancers
and Live Orchestra
Presents
Flamenco Fire
A Performance of Classic and Traditional
Flamenco Dance and Music
THE PROGRAM
Part I
SEGUIRIYA In this colorful dance, the dance company seduces us with its joyful choreography
without ever losing the classic grace of the gypsies.
ALEGRIAS 14
A colorful and lively reminder of the classic days of flamenco.
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
ABOUT FLAMENCO FIRE
José Porcel and his company of dancers
and live orchestra present a spectacle of
classic flamenco as it was danced and performed by the great masters, including
Antonio Gades, José Greco and The Great
Antonio.
José Porcel and the Company perform a traditional program of the art of
Flamenco. This breathtaking extravaganza
represents the purity and authenticity of
the golden age of Flamenco. The choreography, costumes and music have been
faithfully reproduced to ensure a wonderful program of the great moments of the
art of Flamenco.
ABOUT JOSE PORCEL
JOSÉ PORCEL, Artistic Director
José Porcel was born in Sevilla, and at the
age of thirteen began dancing Andalucian
folkloric dances and flamenco in cultural
centers in Valencia. He began his dance
studies at 16 with the master Martín Vargas. He moved to Madrid and continued
his studies with Paco Romero, Isabel Quintero, Cristóbal Reyes, Pedro Azorín and José
Granero.
In 1989, he made his professional debut with the Ballet de Valencia, directed by
Martín Vargas, and was promoted to soloist
in the company the following year. In 1991,
Mr. Porcel choreographed his first flamenco work, Te traigo al sur, Miguel, under the
direction of the flamencologist Federico
Torres, in the Teatro Principal in Alicante. In
1992, he directed and performed in his first
flamenco company, in the Expo de Sevilla.
In 1993, José Porcel took part in a tour
of America with Clara Romana’s company,
in the work Carmina Burrana. In 1994, he
was invited to join the Ballet Nacional de
España, where he interpreted works including Medea, Ritmos, Bolero de Ravel, El
Sombrero de tres picos, Danza y tronio, Los
Tarantos, Fantasia Galaica, Grito, Poeta and
many flamenco ballets.
In 1997, he brought his performance
entitled Entrañas flamencas to the flamenco festival of the Palacio de la Música
in Valencia.
Within the Ballet Nacional, he worked
with masters including José Granero,
Victoria Eugenia, Juanjo Linares, Currillo,
Manolo Marín, Javier de la Torre, Antonio
Canales and Pedro Azorín. As a soloist with the company, he danced in Los
Tarantos as Picaos, Medea as the man of
Medea and Grito as Soleá (flamenco). As
premier dancer in the Ballet Nacional de
GUAJIRA A seductive number in which men and women dance to songs originating from the
cultural exchange of flamenco in Latin America.
SOLO MUSICAL Revives classic but overlooked flamenco melodies.
TANGOS A colorful dance full of rich choreography and movement.
INTERMISSION
Part II
FARRUCAA masculine dance in which male dancers perform in the pure style of masters such
as José Greco.
RONDEÑA The female dancers display their long-train dresses, offering an Andalusian dance
with castanets and harmonious movements.
TIENTOS José Porcel brings us on an emotional journey into the world of the workers of the
forge, expressed with flamenco dance and seguiriyas, accompanied by the quejío of
the singers.
BULERÍAS Homage to a classic form of “taunting” flamenco.
The taking of flash photographs and the use of recording devices is prohibited.
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers.
Part of the
España, he interpreted Farruca (flamenco)
and Danza y tronío. In December 1999, Mr.
Porcel danced as a soloist in the company
of Rafael Aguilar, interpreting the Torero in
Carmen during a major tour of Germany
and Switzerland.
In 2000, he danced as a soloist with
the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the
Hollywood Bowl, under the direction of
maestro Héctor Zaraspe. In this same year
he was contracted as the first dancer in the
Compañía Española de Antonio Márquez,
performing on tour around the world and
at the Ópera de París for more than 20 soldout performances, followed by a critically
acclaimed tour of the United States during the 2001-2002 season. The Company
scored a sensational success with its coastto-coast tour of North America during the
2008-2009 season, returned to the United
States and Canada during the 2011-2012
season with a thrilling new program Gypsy
Fire, and will tour North America during
the 2015-2016 season with another new
program Flamenco Fire.
Performance Prelude Series
FALL 2015 15
FAMILY SERIES
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 16 | 7:30 PM | CULLEN THEATER, WORTHAM CENTER
CREDITS
Creator and Director
Composer, Arranger and Music Director
Producers
Lior Kalfo
Shai Fishman
Revital & Lior Kalfo, Leeonra Solomons, Doron Lida
US Producer
International Management
Worldwide Touring
Company Manager
Artistic Director
Marcom Manager
USA Marketing Manager
Lighting Designer
Choreography Costumes
Cindy Sibilsky
LIDOR ENTERTAINMENT
Doron Lida, Leeorna Solomons
Ronen Sharon
Gadi Bachar
Ornit Egosi
Cindy Sibilsky
Roy Milo
Lior Kalfo
Hannah Yefet
Artistic Advisor
Sound Operator
Light Operator
Tour Manager
David Ottone, Gilad Kimchi
Kimberly Carbone
Ryne Easen
Niv Kaikov
The taking of flash photographs and the use of recording devices is prohibited.
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers.
Part of the
Performance Prelude Series
16
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
ABOUT VOCA PEOPLE
The Voca People have taken the earth by
surprise – and delight – with a completely
original, thrilling musical adventure unlike
anything you’ve experienced before!
Full of energy and bursting with comedy and fun, this international hit features
more than 80 all-time favorite hits including
Madonna, Michael Jackson and even Mozart!
No instruments, no sound effects - just eight
incredible, talented singer-comedians. Voca
People has been seen by over 1 million viewers worldwide, with over 50 million YouTube
hits. ‘Great. A knockout’ (New York Times), ‘The
coolest show ever!’ (Jimmy Fallon), ‘The harmonies are otherworldly!’ (Time Out, New
York). Voca People is the winner of New York
City Lucille Lortel Award for Best Theatrical
Experience, 2012.
CREATOR BIOGRAPHIES
LIOR KALFO (Creator, Writer and Director)
Lior is an award-winning actor and creator.
In 1995, Lior co-wrote and starred in one of
Israel’s most popular TV comedy series, “The
Comedy Store,” which ran for 102 episodes.
The show won numerous awards worldwide
including The Golden Album and The European Golden Antenna for best comedy series. Lior also stars in “Ramzor,” a series that
recently won the prestigious Emmy Award
for Best Comedy Series.
In 1999, Lior co-wrote and played the
lead role in Aladdin during the successful
Israeli run. Wow, the 3D Black Light Theater,
marked Lior’s international stage directing
debut at the age of 28, in the Czech Republic’s
capital city of Prague.
In 2003, he established the Israeli Black
Light Theater Fun-Tazi with three shows: FunTazi, Fun-Tazi Kids and an original version of
Oscar Wilde’s classic tale The Selfish Giant.
Along with his TV work, he invested three
years of development and received more
than one million dollars in investments made
by Broadway and European top producers
for his comical theater spectacle– the Matrix
show Glow! The show was launched in a world
première in Belgium in August 2008.
Voca People was yet another zany idea
and a very different project that Lior carried
in his mind for almost four years until the first
rehearsals in February 2009 took place. Lior
has created a unique show which combines
theater, comedy, and extreme vocal talents
into one musical theater experience.The first
video clip of Voca People was launched in
April 2009 on YouTube and had more than
6,000,000 viewers worldwide after only four
months, creating a great buzz and interest in
the show.
Lior currently lives in Binyamina, Israel,
with his wife and four little kids, and is constantly pursuing his acting-creating career.
SHAI FISHMAN (Composer, Arranger and
Music Director)
At 36 years old, Shai has been writing and
creating music since the age of eight. Shai
plays seven musical instruments: piano,
drums, bass guitar, recorder, French horn,
trumpet and saxophone. He specializes in
MIDI & computer music programming.
Shai’s credits as a composer include the
I-Max film Future Moon, Dinosaur’s Prophecy,
2012: Secrets of the Mayans and Night of the
Titanic. His original musical theater productions include: Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk
Circle, Rachav’s Cabaret, The Dream: A Band,
Return to Sender, Samson & Delilah and Towards
the Horizon. Shai was recently honored for
his musical direction and arrangements on
T-Mobile’s “Welcome Back” campaign and received the BTAA’s 2011 Best Commercial of
the Year. Shai currently splits his time between
New York City and Los Angeles, where he operates and runs Fish-i Studios - a production
house and music label, in which he composes
music for motion pictures, television, commercials and theater.
Shai Fishman serves as head composer for NASA, Houston Museum of Natural
Science, Avela Communications, Carnegie
Museum of Natural History, E-planetarium and
RICE University, and also as Project Manager
at Amoeba Music in Hollywood and is the LP
Restoration and Digitization Project leader for
Amoeba.com
FALL 2015 17
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
THURSDAY | OCTOBER 22 | 8 PM | CULLEN THEATER, WORTHAM CENTER
Direct from India,
THE BOLLYWOOD MASALA
ORCHESTRA AND DANCERS OF INDIA
The Spirit of India
Starring
Rahis Bharti, Artistic Director
THE PROGRAM
Tabla Solo – Amrat Hussain
Ensemble of Khartal, Tabla, and Dholak
Dhoom Taana – Full orchestra and four female dancers, song from the [2007] film
Om Shanti Om
Nimbooda, Traditional Rajasthani song
Royal Rajasthani Ghoomar – Four female dancers, Courtly spinning dance of the Maharaja
INTERMISSION
Dil Na Diya, Song from the [2006] film Krrish
Bhavai Dance – Acrobat and Fakir, Traditional Rajasthani display of dance and daredevilry
including standing on swords, balancing pots and fire-breathing
Khwaja Mere Khwaja, Song celebrating the deeds of the Sufi Saint Moinuddin Chishti
from the 2008 film Jodhaa Akbar
Chari Dance, Traditional Rajasthani dance performed while balancing brass pots on heads
Begha Ghara Ayo Sajan, Traditional creation song from the Dhoad clan of Rajasthan
Kalbeliya Dance – Four female dancers, Snake Charming Dance
The taking of flash photographs and the use of recording devices is prohibited.
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers.
Part of the
Performance Prelude Series
18
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
ABOUT THE COMPANY
The Bollywood Masala Orchestra and Dancers of India present The Spirit of India, a new
step toward a bold vision in Indian live music and dance being presented to the world
for the first time. Rahis Bharti, one of India’s
greatest musical figures, and the Bollywood
Masala Orchestra and Dancers of India invite
you on a lively musical journey from Rajasthan to Mumbai.
The Bollywood Masala Orchestra and
Dancers of India is a vision of Rahis Bharti,
who invites you into the world of music,
dance, dynamic rhythm and spirituality that
characterizes the incredible India we know
today. From an early age, he was captivated
by both the rich traditions and modern interpretations of his country’s signature sound
and vision. Throughout his career, Bharti
has traveled the world performing and has
made each prestigious festival, concert hall
or theater into a lavish and courtly stage of
his own imagining. With 17 professional artists onstage, you will experience the soul of a
veritable feast of Indian sounds, featuring a
mix of Indian and Western instruments such
as bass drums, side drums, trombone, tabla,
dholak, harmonium and clarinet, among
others. Your feet will soon be tapping along
without you even realizing it.
The Bollywood Masala Orchestra and
Dancers of India give an authentic taste of the
richness and excitement of Indian music to
audiences around the world.
COMING SOON!
INA GARTEN
The Barefoot Contessa
Wednesday | Novemebr 4 | 7:30pm
Jones Hall
Danill Simkin’s INTENSIO
Friday | November 6 | 8pm
Jones Hall
DAVID SEDARIS
Satruday | November 7 | 7pm
Jones Hall
TUDOR FAMILY DANCE SERIES
SATURDAY | OCTOBER 24 | 8 PM | JONES HALL
Artistic Director
Eduardo Vilaro
The Company
Christopher Bloom
Kassandra Cruz
Mark Gieringer
Eila Valls
Joshua Winzeler
Lauren Alzamora
Shelby Colona
Melissa Fernandez
Johan Rivera Mendez
Lyvan Verdecia
Martina Calcagno
Mario Ismael Espinoza
Christopher Hernandez
Kimberly Van Woesik
Director of Production & Performance
Joshua Preston
Artistic Associate/Rehearsal Director
Michelle Manzanales
Wardrobe Supervisor
Diana Ruettiger
Stage Manager
Nathan K. Claus
Founder
Tina Ramírez
Ballet Hispanico salutes Jody and John Arnhold for their visionary leadership and support.
Through the generosity of the Arnhold family, Ballet Hispanico will continue to inspire communities
around the world for the next 45 years and beyond.
MetLife Foundation is the Official Tour Sponsor of Ballet Hispanico’s 45th Anniversary Season.
American Airlines is the Official Airline of Ballet Hispanico.
BalletHispanico.org
Production Copyright 2015, Ballet Hispanico of New York, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Program is subject to change. The taking of video, audio and photographs is strictly prohibited.
CARMEN.maquia
(2012)
Choreography by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano
Music from various works by Georges Bizet, performed by the Slovak Philharmonic, Praha Philharmonic,
New Zealand Symphony, and National Symphony Orchestras, and by the Arte Ensemble. Carmen Fantasy,
by Pablo de Sarasate, performed by the Apollo Symphony Orchestra
Set Design and Construction by Luis Crespo
SYNOPSIS
ACT I
As the curtain opens we are introduced to
a solitary figure. His movement transmits a
feeling of inner struggle. He is Don José, an
army corporal.
After the changing of the guard, the
gypsy Carmen spies Don José during a break
at the cigarette factory where she works with
the other factory girls. She launches into an
impromptu dance for the young men in the
crowd that expresses her philosophy on life:
love is free and cannot be tamed. We meet
Micaela, Don José’s girlfriend, who enters carrying a letter from his mother. The letter requests that he return home to take Micaela as
his wife.
In a gathered group of factory workers,
a violent conflict takes place and the blame
is quickly and flippantly placed on Carmen.
Don José is designated to lead her to prison.
Carmen seduces Don José on their way to jail.
Unable to fight his emotion for her, he allows
her to escape and takes her place in prison as
punishment for his irresponsibility. Alone and
imprisoned physically and spiritually with the
tremendous madness of love, Don José sees
visions of Carmen everywhere he looks.
On the day of Don José’s release, the
famous bullfighter Escamillo arrives on the
scene and flirts with Carmen. Three friends
also try to solicit her, but she is in love with
Don José and rejects them all while she waits
for his return. He does return, and for a fleeting moment they are reunited in love and
happiness. Once again, however, they are
disturbed by the presence of soldiers and are
forced into separation.
ACT II
Carmen runs home to the gypsies in the
mountains to read her future in the tarot cards.
Every card she lifts indicates her own death.
Meanwhile, Micaela returns to Don José,
whose love is clouded by his jealousy over the
bullfighter Escamillo. She tries to convince him
to follow her and finally reveals to him that his
mother is ill. Don José decides to leave to be
with his mother.
Don José returns from visiting his mother
to discover that Carmen has given her hand to
Escamillo. She tells Don José that she no longer loves him and that the only way he’ll have
her is to end her life. Don José’s aggression
closes the story in tragedy.
ABOUT BALLET HISPANICO
Celebrating 45 years of repertory that reflects
the ever-changing diversity of Latino cultures,
Ballet Hispanico is the new expression of
FALL 2015 19
BALLET HISPANICO CONTINUED
Costume Design by David Delfin
Costume Construction by Travis Halsey, Diana Ruettiger
Lighting Design by Joshua Preston
Don José – Christopher Bloom
Carmen – Kimberly Van Woesik
Micaela – Melissa Fernandez
Escamillo – Mario Ismael Espinoza
Cigar Factory Girls, Soldiers, Townsfolk and Gypsies
Lauren Alzamora, Martina Calcagno, Shelby Colona, Kassandra Cruz, Mark Gieringer, Christopher Hernandez,
Johan Rivera Mendez, Eila Valls, Lyvan Verdecia, Joshua Winzeler
There will be one intermission.
The taking of flash photographs and the use of recording devices is prohibited.
Please turn off all cell phones and pagers.
Part of the
Performance Prelude Series
American contemporary dance. Led by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro, the Company’s multifaceted performances have featured renowned works by artists such as Nacho Duato, cutting-edge
premieres by Cayetano Soto and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and live music accompaniment by Latin
legends such as Paquito D’Rivera. The Company has performed for an audience of nearly 3 million, throughout 11 countries, on 3 continents.
WHO’S WHO IN THE COMPANY
EDUARDO VILARO, a first generation Cuban-American, began as artistic director of Ballet Hispanico in August of 2009, becoming only the second person to head the company since it was founded
in 1970. Mr.Vilaro has been part of the Ballet Hispanico family since 1985. As a dancer with the Ballet
Hispanico Company, he performed throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe and
assisted founder Tina Ramirez with the development of dance education residencies.
Mr. Vilaro’s passion for dance and Latino cultures began in the Southwest Bronx, where a
role in a school musical ignited his journey. After training throughout New York City in dance institutions such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and the Martha Graham School, Mr. Vilaro
received a B.F.A. in dance at Adelphi University under the direction of Norman Walker. In 1999,
he received an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College Chicago and was a recipient of their Albert P. Weissman Award. Upon his graduation from Columbia College, Mr. Vilaro
founded Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago, a company which served as a springboard for
Latino dance throughout the Midwest. Under his 10-year artistic direction, Luna Negra amassed
a distinguished repertory of works by Latino choreographers including Ron De Jesús, Vicente
Nebrada and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano.
Mr. Vilaro’s own choreography is devoted to capturing the spiritual, sensual and historical essence of the Latino cultures. He created more than 20 ballets for Luna Negra and has received commissions from the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Grant Park Festival,
the Lexington Ballet and the Chicago Symphony. He has collaborated with major dance and
design artists as well as musicians such as Paquito D’Rivera, Susana Baca, Luciana Souza and
Tiempo Libre. In 2001 he was a recipient of a Ruth Page Award for choreography, and in 2003
he was honored for his choreographic work at Panama’s International Festival of Ballet. In 2011,
Mr. Vilaro premiered Asuka, his first work for Ballet Hispanico, “an unexpected interpretation of
[Celia] Cruz’s music…high-energy and colorful” (Chicago Dance Digest).
Mr. Vilaro was an associate professor at the Dance Center of Columbia College and has
served on the board of directors of Dance/USA. He has also served on panels for the National
Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, was a guest speaker at
the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Leaders and the National Association for Latino
Arts and Culture, and continues to speak to the growing need for cultural diversity and dance
education.
TINA RAMIREZ (Founder) founded Ballet Hispanico in 1970 and served as artistic director
until 2009. Under her direction, more than 45 choreographers created works for the Company,
many of international stature and others in the early stages of their career.
20
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Ms. Ramirez was born in Venezuela, the
daughter of a Mexican bullfighter and grandniece to a Puerto Rican educator. Her performing career included international touring with the Federico Rey Dance Company;
the inaugural Festival of Two Worlds in Italy
with John Butler; the Broadway productions
of Kismet and Lute Song; and the television
adaptation of Man of La Mancha.
In addition to the National Medal of
Arts, Ms. Ramirez has received countless
awards and honors in recognition of her
work, including the Dance Magazine Award,
the Hispanic Heritage Award for Education,
Capezio Dance Award, NYS Governor’s Arts
Award and the NYC Mayor’s Award of Honor
for Arts & Culture.
LAUREN ALZAMORA graduated from UNC
School of the Arts in 2001. She has danced for
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Eliot Feld’s Ballet Tech
and Battery Dance Company in New York. Lauren has also collaborated with New York-based
dance photographer Howard Schatz on several
projects, including underwater dance photography. She is a fully certified Pilates instructor
and enjoys teaching private clients, as well as
her fellow company members.
CHRISTOPHER BLOOM is from Middletown,
Va., where he started training at the Vostrikov
Academy of Ballet at the age of 15. Christopher trained as a scholarship student at the
Ballet and Contemporary Dance Programs in
the School at Jacob’s Pillow under Anna-Marie
Holmes and Milton Myers. Since graduating
from the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Dance program
in 2012, he has performed and toured with
the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company
and Parsons Dance, performing masterworks
by David Parsons, Igal Perry and Ohad Naharin
across several continents. Christopher joined
Ballet Hispanico in 2013 and has since originated roles in works by Edgar Zendejas, Annabelle
Lopez Ochoa, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano and
Eduardo Vilaro.
MARTINA CALCAGNO began dancing in her
native Italy, where she studied ballet in Sicily
and Rome. She moved to London to train at
the Elmhurst School for Dance. In London, she
performed with the Birmingham Royal Ballet
and toured throughout the United Kingdom
and China. Martina has danced around the
world, performing with Compagnia DanzItalia,
Narciso Dance Company and BHdos.
SHELBY COLONA is a 2013 graduate of The
Ailey School’s Certificate Program. In 2011, she
graduated from The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Houston.
Shelby has had further training with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, PerryMansfield and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She has performed
works by Robert Battle, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Peter Chu, Nicholas Villeneuve, Billy Bell, Loni Landon and has performed with companies such
as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lunge Dance Collective and BHdos before joining Ballet Hispanico.
KASSANDRA CRUZ is a Venezuela native and a recent graduate of the
Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. program. She has received training from The Ailey
School, LINES Ballet, Professional Performing Arts High School and Ballet
Hispanico. Her performance experience includes dancing with The Mestizo Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and at various
schools and venues with BHdos.
MARIO ISMAEL ESPINOZA was born in Tijuana, Mexico. He graduated
from the University of California in Irvine, where he performed with
Donald McKayle’s étude Ensemble. Since then, Mario has performed
with Odyssey Dance Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah; Company C Contemporary Ballet; Man Dance San Francisco; Peninsula Ballet; Liss Fain
Dance; and ODC Dance in San Francisco.
MELISSA FERNANDEZ is from Miami,
Fla. and graduated from The Julliard
School in 2012. Melissa has attended
programs at American Ballet Theatre,
Miami City Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Netherlands
Dans Theater 2011, among others. In
2008, Melissa was selected as a modern dance Finalist in the National
Foundation for Advancement in the
Arts (NFAA) YoungARTS competition.
She was also featured in the HBO series “Master Class.”
MARK GIERINGER began dancing when he was 16 in Bellevue, Neb.
He graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Kansas City
with a dual-emphasis B.F.A. in ballet and modern. He attended Joffrey,
New York and Kansas City Ballet’s Summer Intensives on full scholarship. Mark has performed works by K.T Nelson, Josh Beamish, Bernard
Gaddis, Gary Abbott and Ray Mercer. He performed principal roles in
Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies and Continuo. Other roles include: Elegy
Man in George Balanchine’s Serenade, and Puck in Benjamin Britten’s
operatic setting of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mark
has performed professionally with Seamless Dance Theater and
Owen/Cox Dance Group in Kansas City.
CHRISTOPHER HERNANDEZ is a recent graduate of The Conservatory
of Dance at SUNY Purchase, where he performed works by Kyle Abraham, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp and Ori Flomin. Following graduation, he
was cast in the off-Broadway production of Sleep No More. Christopher
has also been seen on the Latin People’s Choice Awards dancing for Olga
Tanon and Wisin y Yandel. Christopher most recently danced with BHdos
before joining the main company.
JOHAN RIVERA MENDEZ was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He began
his dance training at School for the Performing Arts, PR under the direction of Waldo Gonzalez. Johan graduated, earning his B.F.A. from New
World School of the Arts in 2013. While there, he had the opportunity
to perform works of Robert Battle, Darshan Singh Bhuller, Peter London,
Merce Cunningham, Michael Uthoff and Kyle Abraham, as well as simultaneously working with local dance companies in Miami, Fla.
EILA VALLS is originally from Spain and graduated from RCPD Mariemma (Madrid) in 2010. She is the winner of the “Virginia Valero” extraordinary award in Madrid and the first place winner of the international
competition “Certamen de Danza Ciutat de Barcelona,” through which
she was awarded with a full scholarship to the Peridance Certificate
Program (NYC) and Joffrey Ballet (Chicago). Since moving to New York
in 2011, she’s had the privilege to work with Peridance Contemporary
Dance Company, where she has performed repertory from choreographers such as Igal Perry, Dwight Rhoden, Ohad Naharin and Sidra Bell,
among others. She has also danced under the direction of Manuel Vignoulle, Brice Mousset and Yesid Lopez and has worked as a dancer/model for Adidas, Nike and Under Armour.
KIMBERLY VAN WOESIK graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2011. She has trained at Chamberlain School of Performing Arts,
American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, the Martha Graham School of
Contemporary Dance and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She has
performed works by Ben Stevenson, Twyla Tharp, Arthur Mitchell, Alvin
Ailey, Martha Graham, Alison Chase, Jessica Lang, Adam Hougland, Gerald Arpino and George Balanchine.
LYVAN VERDECIA was born in Havana, Cuba. He graduated from the
National Ballet School of Cuba in 2013
and joined the ranks of the National
Ballet of Cuba through December
2014, where he developed as a dancer and choreographer. He has had the
opportunity to participate in festivals
and has won gold and bronze medals
at international competitions. He has
shared the stage with Carlos Acosta in
his Tocororo and with Viengsay Valdes
in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Celeste.
JOSHUA WINZELER was born in Miami, Fla. He began his ballet training with The Thomas Armour Youth Ballet and the Miami Conservatory.
He furthered his training with the School of American Ballet, Miami City
Ballet and Joffrey Ballet. Joshua graduated from New World School of
the Arts, receiving his B.F.A. in 2011. Joshua has performed works from
Martha Graham, Darshan Bhuller, Robert Battle and Michael Uthoff.
GUSTAVO RAMIREZ SANSANO (Choreographer) was artistic director
of Luna Negra Dance Theater from 2009-2013, after directing proyectoTITOYAYA in Valencia, Spain, for four years. Sansano has been the recipient of numerous awards for his choreography, including first prizes
at the Ricard Moragas competition in Barcelona, the Dom Perignon
choreographic competition in Hamburg and at Las Artes Escénicas de
la Comunidad Valenciana. He has been commissioned to create works
for Compania Nacional de Danza, the Hamburg Ballet, TanzTheaterMünchen, Budapest Dance Theater, National Dance Company Wales,
Norrdans, Gyori Ballet, Balletto dell’Esperia, BalletMet, IT dansa, Ballet
Junior de Genève and Nederlands Dans Theater, among others. As a
dancer, Sansano performed works by Jacopo Godani, Hans Van Manen,
Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Johan Inger, Paul Lightfoot, Victor Ullate and
many more, working for the Ballet Joven de Alicante, Ballet Contemporaneo de Barcelona, Ballet de la Comunidad de Madrid, Nederlands Dans
Theater II and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Gustavo was chosen by
the magazine POR LA DANZA for its 15th anniversary as one of the “Fifteen Choreographers to Watch.” Dance Magazine featured Luna Negra’s
Artistic Director, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, in its annual “25 to Watch” list
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BALLET HISPANICO CONTINUED
2012, and was named “Chicagoan of the Year” in Arts & Entertainment by
the Chicago Tribune. His work, El Beso, is dedicated to his first two choreographers; Joseta Garcia and Gustavo’s mom.
MICHELLE MANZANALES (Artistic Associate/ Rehearsal Director) is a
choreographer and dance educator originally from Houston. She began working with Eduardo Vilaro in 2003 as a dancer for his company
Luna Negra Dance Theater of Chicago, where she later became rehearsal
director in 2006 and served as interim artistic director from 2009-2010.
In 2007, Manzanales created Sugar in the Raw (Azucar Cruda) for LNDT
which was applauded by the Chicago Sun-Times as “a staggering, beautiful, accomplished new work.” In 2010, her homage to Frida Kahlo, Paloma Querida, was hailed as a “visual masterpiece” by Lucia Mauro of the
Chicago Tribune and was described by the Sun-Times as a “gorgeously
designed, richly hallucinatory, multi-faceted vision of the artist.” Her choreography has also been presented by Texas Contemporary Weekend,
Spring to Dance (St. Louis, MO), Fort Worth Dance Festival and Festival de
Danza Córdoba (Veracruz, Mexico), and honored by the American College Dance Festival on four separate occasions.
DIANA RUETTIGER (Costume Design) has served as wardrobe supervisor for Luna Negra Dance Theater and costume designer for Dance for
Life Chicago, Columbia College and The Chicago Academy for the Arts.
She has worked as stitcher and crew for the Joffrey Ballet and numerous
Broadway touring shows. Ms. Ruettiger owned and operated a costume
shop for 25 years before moving to New York to begin her tenure as
wardrobe supervisor with Ballet Hispanico.
JOSHUA PRESTON (Director of Production & Performance, Lighting
Design) hails from the verdant hills of central Kentucky. As a designer,
he has lit all kinds of plays, operas, buildings, trees, humans and dancing
humans most of all. There are few things that bring Mr. Preston more
joy than lighting stuff and things. Josh went to school in sunny Chicago
where he met the intrepid Mr. Eduardo Vilaro and the journey has not
stopped since. Josh is eternally grateful to have worked as technical director for Luna Negra Dance Theater and equally appreciative to serve as
the director of production and performance with Ballet Hispanico.
NATHAN K. CLAUS (Stage Manager) has served as stage manager for
Jennifer Muller’s The Works domestically and internationally. He has
worked on Broadway with the productions of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, God of Carnage, The Norman Conquests and November. Hailing from
Fargo, N. Da., Nathan began studying ballet at Dancenter North in Libertyville, Ill. before obtaining a B.A. in Theatre from Millikin University in
Decatur, Ill., where he also studied dance, music and education.
MAYA BEISER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
diverse as Louis CK, Reggie Watts, Jon Brion and Krishna Das.
As Music Coordinator and Composer for the critically acclaimed TV
show“Louie,”Kilmer has helped to shape the sonic landscape of contemporary television. Deviating from the standard fare of stock-soundtrack
and flavor-of-the-month song licensing, the music of “Louie” features real
musicians, providing an emotionally-charged score that complements
the show’s unique blend of everyday ordeals and observational humor,
as seen through the eyes of Emmy Award-winning comedian Louis C.K.
His band, The Mast, recently released its second full length album
Pleasure Island to critical acclaim. Pleasure Island follows The Mast’s debut
album Wild Poppies, released in summer of 2011. He also composed and
produced music for the feature films Backwards, Dog Sweat, My Tehran
For Sale and Maria the Korean Bride, and has had music featured on the
NBC TV series “Life” and the CWTV network series’“The Originals.”
JHEREK BISCHOFF
Jherek Bischoff has been called a “pop polymath” (The New York Times),
a “Seattle phenom” (The New Yorker) and “the missing link between the
sombre undertones of Ennio Morricone and the unpredictability of
John Cale” (NME).
Bischoff has served as an arranger, producer and muse to a who’s
who of “in the know” creators including internet phenomenon Amanda
Palmer, legendary New York musician David Byrne, Australian pop star
Missy Higgins and novelist Neil Gaiman. This collaborative tendency
found its climax in his 2012 album Composed, which included cameos by
Byrne, Caetano Veloso, Nels Cline (Wilco) and Greg Saunier (Deerhoof)
among others. Critically acclaimed, The Guardian’s 4-star review called it
“romantic, playful and faintly sinister…its ambition and singularity are
intoxicating,” while NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross devoted a half-hour
interview to discussing the album and his creative life.
Increasingly, Bischoff’s focus has moved from collaborations to his
own work as a composer and performer. The last few years have seen
commissions from Lincoln Center, Kronos Quartet, yMusic and Austria’s
Schauspielhaus with live appearances at Carnegie Hall, Adelaide Festival,
Tasmania’s MONA FOMA, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Minneapolis’s Walker Art
22
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Center/Liquid Music, and Seattle’s Moore Theater, in addition to a 25date Australian tour opening for Missy Higgins. Recently relocating to
Los Angeles, the momentum continues with Bischoff’s future release
Cistern, an ambient orchestral album which was recorded with a live orchestra in a church in Hudson, New York.
DAVE COOK
Dave Cook was the Chief Engineer at Dreamland Studios, a place built in
a 110-year-old church. During his 10 years at Dreamland, he was instrumental in making it a world class recording facility, engineering records
for such artists as the B-52’s, 10,000 Maniacs, Graham Parker, The Mighty
Mighty Bosstones, Suzanne Vega, Joe Henry and many others.
He has collaborated with artists such as Juliana Hatfield, Willie Nelson,
Morphine and Buckwheat Zydeco, Laurie Anderson, Anoushka and Ravi
Shankar, and many more. He was the chief broadcast engineer for a series of small live radio concerts for Boston stations WFNX and WBCN. The
shows included Lenny Kravitz, David Bowie, Alanis Morissette, Radiohead, Bare Naked Ladies, and many others.
Cook has been working with Maya Beiser as sound designer and
engineer on all her major touring projects over the last decade.
AARON COPP
Aaron Copp’s most recent projects include designs for Natalie Merchant’s
2014 U.S. tour; Sinead O’Connor’s Gospel Sessions at Lincoln Center; Mike
Birbiglia’s My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend (Off-Broadway, tour and DVD release);
a new concert DVD by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at Tanglewood; Where We Live by SO Percussion at BAM; and The Goat Rodeo Sessions U.S. tour with Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Thile. Aaron has designed for The
Old Globe, The Kennedy Center, Dallas Theater Center and other major
theaters around the country. He has worked extensively in the dance
world, and in 2008 received his second Bessie Award for Jonah Bokaer’s
The Invention Of Minus One. He had a long association with Merce Cunningham, designing such pieces as Ground Level Overlay, Windows and
Biped, for which he also won a Bessie. Aaron received an M.F.A. from the
Yale School of Drama and a B.A. from SUNY-Binghamton.
DONORS AND SPONSORS
Society for the Performing Arts is proud to recognize our corporate, foundation and government partners for their exemplary leadership
and financial support. To learn more about our sponsor opportunities and benefits, please contact Judy Waters at (713) 632-8104 or
[email protected].
CORPORATE SPONSORS
$50,000 and above
H-E-B
Occidental Petroleum Corporation
Reliant, an NRG Company
Evercore
The Friedkin Group
GE Oil & Gas
Goldman Sachs
J.P.Morgan
Korn Ferry
KPMG
Locke Lord LLP
Phillips 66
Plains All American Pipeline
QMax
Fayez Sarofim & Co.
Vinson & Elkins LLP
$20,000 and above
CB&I
ConocoPhillips
United Airlines
Wells Fargo
$10,000 and above
Aramco
CB&I
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
$5,000 and above
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Bank of Texas
CAMAC International Corp.
Chevron
Continuum Energy
GableGotwals
Gulfstar Group
Jefferies
Neiman Marcus
Norton Rose Fulbright
Scotiabank
Southern Chemical Corporation
Wood Mackenzie
$1,000 and above
Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center
Legacy Community Health
CORPORATE MATCHING GIFTS
Apache Corporation
Coca-Cola
ConocoPhillips
EOG Resources
ExxonMobil
IN KIND DONORS
Cartier
Cognetic Networks, Inc.
Lance Deutsch - Deutsch & Deutsch
Fine Jewelry and Watches
DLS Event Services
Dripping Springs Vodka
Houston First Corporation
Houstonian Lite Health Club
IKEA Houston
JW Marriott Houston Downtown
Neiman Marcus
PaperCity
Phoenicia Specialty Foods
The Wave
FOUNDATIONS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
$25,000 and above
The Alkek and Williams Foundation
The Brown Foundation, Inc.
The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts
Mattox New Works Commission
M.D. Anderson Foundation
Tudor Family Foundation
Texas Commission on the Arts
The Vaughn Foundation
$100,000 and above
City of Houston and
Theater District Improvement, Inc.
Houston Endowment
Society for the Performing Arts Foundation
The Wortham Foundation, Inc.
$50,000 and above
The Humphreys Foundation
$10,000 and above
City of Houston through the
Miller Theatre Advisory Board
The Mithoff Family Foundation
Leslie and Shannon Sasser Family Fund
$5,000 and above
The Greentree Fund
George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation
The Harris Foundation
Kayser Foundation
Jack Lapin Foundation
Kinder Morgan Foundation
New England Foundation for the Arts
ANNUAL SUPPORT
Society for the Performing Arts would like to thank Donors and Visionaries who support our productions and education and community
engagement programs through their generosity to the Annual Fund and our Special Events. For more information on the Annual Fund or to
attend our events, please contact Samantha Gonzalez at (713) 632-8103 or [email protected].
$20,000 and above
Eric Anderson
Nancy and Chuck Davidson
Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro
$10,000 - $19,999
Linda and Willie Chiang
C.C. and Duke Ensell
Liz and Tom Glanville
Beverly and Jim Postl
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen M. Trauber
Phoebe and Bobby Tudor
$5,000 - $9,999
Norah G. Adams
Ralph and Shirley Alexander
Stephen Baird
Victor Bhatt
Janet and John Carrig
Marc Folladori
Liz and Tom Glanville
Kristyn and Mark Jodon
Curt Karges
Karl L. Kilian
Emily T. Kuo
Jack Lapin
Steve Lasher
Marian “Mimi” Lloyd
Theresa and Edward Mallett
Reid Morrison
Katherine and Paul Murphy
Steven D. Newton
Miki Lusk Norton
Nicholas Rasmussen
Lisanne Rogers
Patricia and Michael Tilton
Wayne D. Stinnett
G2X Energy/ Elizabeth and Tim Vail
Monica and Larry Ziemba
$1,000 - $4,999
Lilia Khakimova and Bob Bunch
Cheryl and Sam Byington
Sandy and Thomas Cattarin
Dona Chambers
Susan Denson
Theresa A. Einhorn
Carolyn Grant Fay
Angie and Danny Hollaway
David Jackson
Yvonne and Mark Jacobs
Janet Johnson
Laura Jones
Michael Klaveness
Ed and Stephanie Larsen
Family Fund
Mark Lashier
Lisa Parris
PCS Professional Consulting
Services/Doug Coberley
Troy Porter
Nichole Pruitt
Jay Ring
Ann V. Rogers
Karen Turner-Smith and Robert Smith
Bill Swanstrom
Stephanie and Trey Weiss
Jennifer Garrett and Brian Williams
Joseph & Gina Wyszynski Family Fund
Toby Yu
FALL 2015 23
DONORS AND SPONSORS CONTINUED
$500 - $999
Kristen and David Buck
Tracy and Ken Janda
Marianne Kah
Barbara Kaufman
Kathryn O’Brien
Gary Rodriguez
Syma and Walt Zerkow
Donations up to $500
Stanley Almoney
Paige Arenschield
Gilbert Arispe
David Askanase
Dan Bagley
Jerry Bell, Jr.
Philip Bentlif
Gus Blackshear
Denis Blake
Gail Blossom
Michael Bowery
Geraldine Briceno
Ai-Ping Cai
Kerr Callin
Richard Carter
William Cauldill
Kathryn Cervenka
Arthur Champine
Kenneth Cherette
Michael Chilen
Mary Chu
Chad Corkram
Alice Conlon
Chris T. Corcoran
Jill Cude
Jane Dabney
Ann Dagostino
Guy Dayvault
Bob Debes
Robert Elliott
John Eymann
Patricia Fadely
Donaleah Fields
Charaine Ferguson
Helen Flores
Holly Frantz
Seth Gammon
Robert Garcia
Gary Gardner
Karen Gardner
Leslie Gassner
Lori Glickman
Iracema Gomez Romero
Jeff Gonzales
Kari Gonzales
Helene Gould
Mary Beth Gracy
Dan Graur
Stratton Grayson
Margaret Green
Nguyen Griggs
Rebecca Hackler
Sandra Haddock
Katherine Hale
Elizabeth Hall
Jeffrey Hall
Suzanne Hall
Charity Hawkley
Page Houser
Duncan Houser
Geoffrey Ibbott
Diane Ibbott
Carol Jamison
William Joachim
James Johnston
Debbie and Frank Jones
Daniel Kaufman
Hamid Keeorsafm
Thomas Kingsley
Jennifer Kirik
Stephanie and Ed Larsen
Nancy and Andrew Lattu
Charlene Le
Charles Lewis
Lisa Liddell
Nichole Lievsay
Vinh Luong
William Malone
McClure Charitable Foundation
John McMahon
Rosalinda C. Mendez
Deborah Meyers
Jimmy Miller
Diedre Morgan
Emma Morris
Juleanna Munro
Roger Neal
Tracey O’Keefe
Susan Snider Osterberg
Sue Page
Jerry Petrizzo
Sheryl Pickering
Deborah Pierce
Edith Pross
Anna Ramshaw
Arthur Rogers
Cheryl and Miguel Ruiz
Don Sanders
Alina and William Schrom
Irving Schweppe, Jr.
David Searls
Charles Seay
Victoria Sharp
Nancy Sherwood
Maxine Silberstein
Christy Smith
Douglas Smith
Randal Smith
Marshall Smith
William Murdaugh and Gary Smith
Kelley Spencer
Cynthia and Ray Starks
Mary Stephens
Ralph Tamper
Kris and Timothy Thomas
Judy Thompson
Hywel Upshall
Mary F. Vandenbrook
Jane Vaselenak
Cory Walker
Thomas Waterhouse
Joyce Wellman
Herbert Whalley
John White
Nicolas White
Michael Williams
Michael Wilson
Barbara A. Woolhandler
Libbyette Write
Phyllis Zendejas
As of August 31, 2015
COMING SOON!
Accordion Virtuosi of Russia
Saturday | November 14 | 8pm
Cullen Theater, Wortham Center
The Hot Sardines
Thursday | December 10 | 8pm
Jones Hall
Blue Man Group
January 15 - 17
Jones Hall
24
SOCIETY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Society for the Performing Arts is proud that CB&I has again chosen to sponsor
an SPA program this season! CB&I will sponsor The New Now Series, which will
bring new and experimental works to Houston, including BalletBoyz, Cameron
Carpenter, and LA COMPAGNIE Hervé Koubi. This critical partnership will aid in
the presentation of important new works and artists.
CB&I has a strong civic responsibility where employees live and work,
through their community involvement. CB&I demonstrates, through their
support of SPA, the importance of presenting world class performances which
enhance the lives of Houstonians through unique programming and meaningful community outreach activities.
CB&I further supports SPA’s mission through the board service of CB&I’s
Executive Vice President, Richard Chandler. SPA thanks CB&I and sincerely appreciates their support!