by Madison Fisler Lewis
Aug. 29, 2014. Appalachian State University is back in session, and with the influx of students comes a deluge of quality performance events brought to you courtesy of the ASU Performing Arts Series. This year, the series will bring more music, more dancing, more theater and more excitement to the campus for the university body and the community to enjoy.
This year’s lineup is stellar, and new events are still being added.
Some may notice that there are fewer events planned this year than there were in previous years.
“Each year is different depending on the number of shows,” said Megan Stage, Marketing and Public Relations Manager for the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts.
“If you look back at our recent history, the series spans anywhere from five shows to nine shows depending on the year. We really try to focus on creating a well-rounded series that includes performances by a wide breadth of artistic talent. We are going to continue on with the booking process this year, which is something we haven’t done before. We are keeping the lines of communication open with the agents and if there is an artist that we feel is a great fit for the series and our community, then we will add it on. It is a new and exciting take on our usual booking process.”
But the smaller quantity of events thus far does nothing to diminish the quality.
“We work really hard to make sure that the performances that we book are of the highest quality and that the audience members who invest in our shows trust that we will showcase a diverse, challenging and high-quality series… and I believe we have done that with this season. I love that one day you can come and see the symphony perform and then a few weeks later you can see a popular Tex-mex band. The diversity of the series really opens up the opportunities for people to expand their horizons and challenge their artistic tastes.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m., The North Carolina Symphony with the Appalachian Orchestra will have a performance in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. The night’s program will include works by Mozart, Glinka, Delibes, Brahms and Wagner, and will feature associate conductor David Glover. The sponsor for this event if the Office of Cultural Programs at ASU. Tickets for the show are $20 for adults, $18.40 with the Pick 5 discount and $10 for students.
On Thursday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m., legendary quintet Los Lobos will play a one-night-only show at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. The band was made famous in 1987, and is celebrating 40 years of success with their Tex-Mex, folk, country, R&B and classic rock grooves. The group is comprised of Louie Perez (drums, guitar, percussion, vocals), Steve Berlin (saxophone, percussion, flute, midsax, harmonica), Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Conrad Lozano (bass, guitarron, vocals), David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, accordion, percussion, bass, keyboards, melodica, drums, violin, banjo) and Enrique “Bugs” Gonzalez (drums, percussion). Tickets for the show are $20 for adults, $18.40 with the Pick 5 discount and $10 for students.
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, LA Theatre Works presents: John Ball’s In the Heat of the Night. The show will take place at 8 p.m. in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets for the show are $20 for adults, $18.40 with the Pick 5 discount and $10 for students.
From the playbill:
While John Ball’s 1965 novel, In the Heat of the Night, takes place in Alabama, the above signs were still seen throughout much of America during the 1960s as the country grappled with integration and an evolving acceptance of the Civil Rights Movement. This was the era of sit-ins and tear gas, of marches and assassinations. This was the era of Martin Luther King Jr., the Kennedys, and LBJ and an America finally, deliberately, moving towards a future of equality regardless of skin color.
RAIN: A Tribute to The Beatles will take the stage at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, March 4, at 8 p.m. The live tribute band takes fans on a musical journey through the adventures of the Beatles. This expanded show adds more hits and fan favorites to the repertoire, with songs like “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Hard Day’s Night” and many more. This Broadway hit is taking the world by storm. Tickets for this event are $30 for adults, $27.60 with a Pick 5 Discount and $25 for students.
Rounding out the series, Koresh Dance Company will take the stage of the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, April 17. Koresh Dance Company utilizes high-speed attack and gestural diversity drawn from “Graham technique, Luigi jazz, classical ballet, hip-hop and Israeli folk dance.” Tickets for the show are $20 for adults, $18.40 with the Pick 5 discount and $10 for students.
Along with the performances, many acts will take part in activities that will engage the university and the community.
“It is our goal to have some sort of curricular outreach with every artist that joins us,” Stage said. “Those get worked out with the specific artists, classes and groups when it gets a little closer to the date of the show. If there are any public events, they will be added to the event pages on our website.”
For more information about these events, or to purchase tickets, click here.
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