Paul Taylor at the MAC

Last night I had the great fortune to be in the audience at Ravinia for the premiere of Fondly Do We Hope... Fervently Do We Pray by renowned choreographer Bill T. Jones. The work, commissioned by Ravinia for the bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln, was stirringly choreographed and staged by Bill T Jones. A script of traditional and spiritual songs, poems, speeches, and reflections on what Lincoln's life means to people today was penned by Jones with Janet Wong. The evenings event with dance, spoken and sung word, live music, and projected images was beautiful and thought provoking.

The MAC will host another icon of the dance world, dancemaker Paul Taylor's company will perform at the MAC on Thursday, Oct 1. We have recently worked through the programming with the company and are thrilled to be able to present three works, Changes, Beloved Renegade, and Brandenburgs.

Changes was commissioned by the San Francisco Ballet in 2008 and this performance will mark the first Chicagoland presentation of the work danced to music by the Mamas and the Papas. Beloved Renegage, like Bill T Jones's Fondly..., uses the words of Walt Whitman with the music of Francis Polenac's Gloria. The Work that also premiered in 2008 was met with rave reviews, Village Voice, "luminous" and "The beloved renegade could be Taylor himself—with his eccentricities, his dark humors, his wicked wit, and the beauty he finds in innocence", The New York Times, "deeply affecting... feat of poetically virtuoso layering". I cannot wait for this one. The final offering will be a classic from the Taylor's repertoire from 1988 Brandenburgs, danced to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.

We are thrilled to have the Paul Taylor Dance Company back on our stage. The last time they were with us was for our 20th anniversary party in the Spring of 2007. It is sure to be an amazing night for dance enthusiasts and new comers to dance.

be well
Stephen

Jazz @ Sunset

Although it feels like summer in Seattle some 400 people came out to Jazz @ Sunset on Saturday night and they got a real treat. Intrepid Bobby Lewis played a closing set with temps in the low sixties and he and Alejo Poveda lit a fire under everyone. Sabertooth was sharp with their Hammond B3 infused funky sax sound. The crowd loved Goran Ivanovic and Andreas Kapsalis. These guys walked in two minutes before their set, plugged in their guitars, no introduction, and blew away the audience. They sold every CD they brought. We promised a sunset and provided a chilly one. Beautiful night - beautiful music.

Illinois Arts Council Funding

The McAninch Arts Center has received valued support in past years from the Illinois Arts Council as a Partner in Excellence. Annually State Rep Sandra Pihos has proudly presented us with a check from the IAC to support the arts programming we bring to our community. In the last two years under the Blagojevich administration we have lost approximately 30% of our funding and now with the recent state budget crisis we look to lose an additional 50% of state grant money. In good times monies we received made up 2.5% of our operation, but in addition to the finances the grant was a validation of our commitment to the arts in our community. Our annual grant application is peer reviewed by artists, curators and arts administrators from across the state and the stamp of approval we receive along with the funds helps us meet our mission.

My real concern is for small arts groups. At the MAC we will tighten our belts, perhaps alter programming, scale back a community outreach program, but we will still be here. The MAC has the broad trunk of the College to support us during this storm. However, it is those small groups without deep root systems that are two bad months away from folding. Terry Scrogum, Executive Director of the Illinois Arts Council sagely likened the situation to turning off a spigot. Without water often things wither and sometimes die. Later it is hard to get the spigot turned on again and it might be to late for some organizations. Let your voice be heard contact your state representative and get in touch with the Arts Alliance Illinois http://www.artsalliance.org/ , the statewide arts advocacy organization. Donate to arts groups when you can, demand arts education in your schools, and let artists know that you believe they are a vital part of your community. Keep the spigots flowing.

be well
Stephen

Tickets on Sale!!

It is always an exciting time when single tickets go on sale. For better than a month now subscription ticket sales have been steady (subscribers are those folks who buy three or more events each year). Tomorrow, August 18, we open the doors to those art lovers who want to see fewer than three events at the MAC. Those Peterik, Brickman or Hornsby fans who have been patiently waiting for single ticket day - their wait will end at 10:00 AM Tuesday morning. A little inside information: the best sellers to date are The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Paula Poundstone, Bruce Hornsby, and Great Big Sea, but there are still plenty of tickets left for all of the 48 MAC Artist events next year. There is no waiting online or you can call in and receive the personal touch and talk to our friendly staff. I'll be answering phones too so maybe we'll chat.

be well
Stephen

Merce Cunningham 1919-2009

It has been a summer of passing icons and now the dance world says farewell to beautiful Merce Cunningham. About three months ago someone said to me, "it must be wonderful to be you and meet so many artists, who was the most exciting person you've ever met?" A moment passed while I studied the table and measured whether I should tell them about about actor x they knew from television or singer y that I was sure they had programmed into their i-pod, then I told them about having dinner with Merce Cunningham. How being in the presence of a soft-spoken gentleman who preferred talking about birds and butterflies was for me one of the most sublime experiences in my twenty years in the arts. To be in the presence of beauty, to watch his eighty-three year old hands dance as he talked about a thrush or a finch, to see an artist's imagination at work... profound. My condolences to those who knew him intimately.

Visit the Merce Cunningham Dance Company web-site to learn about the Cunningham Dance Foundation's Legacy Plan http://www.merce.org/. You can see the company this Fall at Krannert Center and at Dance Center of Columbia College.

be well
Stephen

L'Elisir d'Amore - Sneak Peak

Elixir of Love is a favorite of mine ever since I worked on a production of it during my grad work at U of I. It is the perfect summer opera and Michael LaTour and Kirk Muspratt really put on a good show. Here is a sneak peak of the DuPage Opera Theatre production that opens July 18 (Elixir - YouTube) and features MAC favorites Michelle Areyzaga (Adina) and John Sumners (Nemorino) along with a chorus of dozens.

be well
Stephen

Jazz Fest Glen Ellyn - Cool Night

Just coming down from the 3rd annual Jazz Fest Glen Ellyn and it is a long way to fall. It was an amazing day and night. In a few days photos from the event will be up on the website http://www.jazzfestglenellyn.org/ so you can see how Hursthouse turned the street into a lush jazz garden. The only problem with the photos is that they can't sing like Tammy McCann or blow sax like Mark Colby. I have to agree with the Trib's Howard Reich when he heaped praise on Tammy - she had the audience standing for more and she blew them away! http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-0713-suburbia-ovnjul13,0,1067277.story I am a sucker for a Hammond B3 (one of my proudest moments was bringing Joey DeFrancesco to the MAC) and Chris Foreman and the Deep Blue Organ Trio did not disappoint. If you could not get out to the most swinging event in the West Burbs last Saturday put Tammy and Deep Blue in your queue and see them both next chance you get.

be well

Stephen