Bluegrass Music with a Terrific Twist

Members of Red Chamber, Mei Han (zheng-zither), Guilian Liu (pipa-lute), Zhimin Yu (ruan-lute) and Geling Jiang (sanxian-three string fretless lute).

Nothing drives tension away and gets me smiling like some good old fashioned Bluegrass, honest and true American art. So when I heard about the Jaybirds teaming up with Red Chamber, a Chinese quartet using instruments from the far east, my curiosity was aroused. You can hear the unusual and thrilling results on the YouTube video below.


The Chinese lluqin, pipa, sanxian and ruan join the Jaybird's mandolin, bass, guitar and banjo to wonderful effect. The players seem to be having a good time too. The octet plays a wonderful version of Katy Hill and it is shows us how two very different worlds can share things - like music - in common. My thanks to the Berkshire's own Nancy Jane Fitzpatrick for tipping me off to this!

John Reischman and the Jaybirds have a a great website and lots of music to sample.

In my visits to China, I became familiar with the traditional plucked instrument repertoire, often performed in old theatres that were more like refrigerators than concert halls. I could only gaze in amazement at how the instrumentalists worked through such conditions, and managed to keep their strings in tune.

Red Chamber has their own glorious website with lots of sampling opportunities, and a CD if you are so inclined to expand your collection of interesting music. As to the YouTube video above, think about this: in China they will never get to hear or see it. YouTube is so open and free, they don't dare allow its content to be accessed in that nation of 1.3 billion people. Imagine, the skittish leadership of China demanded the opening of the historic Forbidden City where the Emperor used to live, but became a Forbidden Nation as far as speech and culture are concerned.

Upcoming Red Chamber tour dates:

April 29, 2009 - 8pm, Library and Archives Canada - Auditorium, Ottawa, presented by National Arts Centre "BC SCENE"

May 1, 2009 - Open Ears Festival, Kitchener, Ontario

May 3, 2009 - 8 pm, Kalamazoo College, Michigan

July, 2009 - Tour to Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and India

Upcoming Jaybirds dates:

Thursday, April 16th
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford Community Cultural Center
www.ehccc.com

Friday, April 17th
Mamaroneck, NY
The Emelin Theatre
http://www.emelin.org/

Saturday, May 2nd
Ottawa, Ontario
BC Scene
Library and Archives Canada – Auditorium
http://bcscene.ca/en/

Sunday, May 3rd,
Montreal, Quebec
Petit Campus (57 Prince-Arthur East)
http://www.hellodarlinproductions.com/upcoming_concerts.htm

Thursday, May 7th, Friday, May 8th
Parkfield, CA
Parkfield Bluegrass Festival
www.parkfieldbluegrass.com

New Talent, New Plays: The Guthrie Class of 2009

Two Plays, Two Showcases Not to be Missed
Class photo by George Byron Griffiths

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) A new generation of American actors and playwrights combine their talents, as the Guthrie showcases the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program Class of 2009 in the Dowling Studio, April 17 – 26. General admission tickets, $10 for adults and $7 for students/seniors, are on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

In Peter Gil-Sheridan’s What May Fall, a man’s fatal fall at the IDS Tower forces nine Minnesotans to face the whimsy and terror of living in a world made of ice. Directed by Sarah Cameron Sunde, this Guthrie commission and world premiere production will feature Ali Dachis, Stuart Gates, Joanna Harmon, Michael Mercier, Iman Milner, Skyler Nowinski, Max Polski, Alli Schaffer and Emily Shain.

Vincent Delaney’s Writer 1272, a darkly comic play about college application essays and the prospective students who try to live up to the personas that they create for themselves, will be directed by Benjamin McGovern and feature Allyson Carey, Zach Fineblum, Elizabeth Griffith, Elizabeth Grullon, Joanna Hubbard, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Michael Roush and Cody Sorensen.

In addition to What May Fall and Writer 1272, the Class of 2009 will present two evenings of Snapshots, a series of monologues and short scenes from classic and contemporary literature.

The artistic staff for New Talent, New Plays: The Class of 2009 includes Jeffery Murphey (Set Designer), Cana Potter (Costume Designer), Karin Olson (Lighting Designer), Montana Johnson (Sound Designer), Carla Megan Sandoval (Property Master), Carla Steen and Lauren Ignaut (Dramaturgs, What May Fall), Max Mondi (Dramaturg, Writer 1272), Jenny Moeller (Stage Manager, What May Fall), Caitlin Sheaffer (Stage Manager, Writer 1272) and Adam Ehret (Assistant Stage Manager).

Steppenwolf's Tempest a Creative Triumph

Steppenwolf's Tempest is a feast for all the senses. Photos: Michael Brosilow

Chicago's Steppenwolf and England's Shakespeare, who would have thought it was going to be such a perfect pairing? Never before had the company undertaken the Bard's work, but now they have taken Shakespeare's enchanted masterpiece about the magic of forgiveness and the result is magical. For this effort, Steppenwolf ensemble member Tina Landau re-imagined this classic tale of art, freedom and the transformative power of forgiveness.

Ensemble member Frank Galati returns to the stage as Prospero, his first performance at Steppenwolf since The Drawer Boy with John Mahoney in 2001. Tina Landau has been an ensemble member since 1997 and has staged such inspiring Steppenwolf productions as The Time of Your Life, Cherry Orchard and The Diary of Anne Frank.
The Director and the Cast on the first day of rehearsals.

The Tempest was Shakespeare’s final work. The story is about Prospero who is exiled to an enchanted island where he harnesses the powers of magic and masters the spirits that dwell there. His desire for revenge drives him to conjure a mighty storm trapping his enemies on the island. The production features ensemble members Alana Arenas, K. Todd Freeman, Frank Galati, Jon Michael Hill, Tim Hopper, James Vincent Meredith, Yasen Peyankov, Lois Smith and Alan Wilder with Eric James Casady, Miles Fletcher, Stephen Louis Grush, Emma Rosenthal and Craig Spidle.

In previews since late March, it officially opened this week for a lengthy run through May 31st. Specific performance and ticket information can be found on the Steppenwolf website.
Frank Galati and Jon Michael Hill. Photo Michael Brosilow.

In the photos shown here, it is clear that the set itself is part of the ensemble. In her directives to the scenic designer, Takeshi Kata, Landau set out some guidelines. “The design cannot be too square, too solid, too geometric for this play about sea change, rupture and transformation. The alignment of the space should not be clean. Work against straight lines." The set, she explains, needs to be "immersive," creating an "explosive and disorienting experience." There is no question that she succeeded.

The North Korean Challenge: Missile Crisis, Rivalry against the Sino-Russian Axis, and the Successor

The Iraq Gap has not resolved in the North Korean Crisis. China and Russia are reluctant to impose a binding declaration against this rogue regime. During the Iraq War, the global media bitterly criticized the Bush administration’s unilateralism to advocate UN led peace enforcement. The Obama administration has shown conciliatory attitudes to challengers to the West. Prior to G20 Summit in London, President Barack Obama talked with President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia on nuclear disarmament, and both presidents agreed that there was no Cold War rivalry again between the United States and Russia.

Unlike Iraq, the United States needs Chinese and Russian involvement in North Korea. Any bilateral talk with Pyongyang will be interpreted that the United States recognizes North Korea as an emerging nuclear power. In addition, China and Russia have strong leverages on North Korea since the beginning of the Cold War. In an interview with FOX News, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense K.T. McFarland, who was also a national security staff to Henry Kissinger, says that China is the only power to persuade North Korea because it supplies food and energy to Pyongyang. Quite importantly, she is extremely concerned with nuclear proliferation to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt, because of arms race in the Middle East. McFarland does not worry so much about North Korean attack to Alaska（”China Key to North Korean Missile Test?”; FOX News; April 3, 2009).

The anti-North Korea alliance consisted of the United States, Japan, and South Korea　faces a critical dilemma. While Chinese and Russian involvement is necessary to prevent the Pyongyang autocrat from committing dangerous adventurism, their interference is a hurdle to impose effective pressures on North Korea. As far as the North Korean crisis is concerned, President Obama is tested in the following issues: non-proliferation, global and geopolitical rivalry with illiberal powers of China and Russia, and impacts on the War on Terror.

Although stakeholder governments want to avoid escalation of this crisis, 57% of American voters prefer a military action to destroy missile launching facilities in North Korea (“57% Want Military Response to North Korea Missile Launch”; Rasmussen Report; April 5, 2009). Actually, Israel bombed a French-built nuclear power plant in Iraq during the Iran Iraq War to stop Saddam Hussein’s dangerous ambition. Facing a crisis, American voters favor approaches by George W. Bush 1st term and John McCain over those by Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter. Of course, I believe it preferable to avoid an escalation of crisis. However, the United Nations has not overcome the Iraq Gap. Also, China failed in controlling the rogue dictator in Pyongyang. Therefore, the result of this poll is understandable.

Finally, I would like to mention an article by Nicholas Eberstadt, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He points out that the real problem behind this missile test is the timing when the totalitarian regime is becoming fragile. The rocket was launched just before the annual Supreme People’s Assembly to decide the successor of ailing Kim Jong Il. In conclusion, Eberstadt says “A monolithic regime with a dying monarch is now suddenly exposing unfamiliar cracks to the outside world. This development may prove even more consequential for North Korea's future than Sunday's missile launch.” (“Kim's Crumbling Dynasty”; Wall Street Journal; April 6, 2009)

This crisis is beyond non-proliferation. The tripartite alliance of the United States, Japan, and South Korea, must be well prepared for geopolitical rivalry in the Korean Peninsula, against China and Russia. This is a long lasting test for President Obama.

Tough Financial Questions for America's Symphony Orchestras

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Almost every one of America's 1200 orchestras has seen the economic collapse of their endowment. Long range planning that took place a decade or two ago was based on the assumption that the stock market and other investment vehicles would continue to grow and throw off healthy dividends. That assumption proved correct for many years, but now lies in a deflated heap of devalued paper.

At the same time competition for the top name conductors, soloists, players and even administrators heated up, fed by the artist management companies, fickle public taste and opportunistic head hunters. Salaries escalated to meet the ability of large endowments to cover the shortfall between ticket sales, contributions and higher expenses. Here's an excerpt from a brilliant column you must read in the Philadelphia Inquirer written by their music critic, Peter Dobrin.
Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, left, poses with Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, center, and Board of Director President Deborah Borda as they announced Salonen's 2009 departure and Dudamel's appointment.

"Is it really a good thing that Deborah Borda, president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, made well over $1 million for the year that ended in September 2007? Or that a hornist in the New York Philharmonic made $300,000, an oboe player in the Philadelphia Orchestra $249,000?

How about a stagehand at Carnegie Hall who makes $425,911 - plus $107,041 in contributions to benefits plans and deferred compensation?

These are the kind of salaries you'd expect in a sector with more money than it knows what to do with, not one fretting about the future.

One of the most startling costs of running an orchestra is the guest roster, with pianists, violinists, cellists, and others making $30,000 to $70,000 for a single performance. Are they worth it?" - Peter Dobrin

We thank the always helpful Arts Journal for pointing us towards this timely story, filled with the kind of details that make for good reading. So does Peter Dobrin's blog.

We have already begun to see the top salaries for corporation executives, athletes, pop stars, and yes, nonprofit arts organizations begin to crumble. Just how far they will tumble remains to be seen, and we can't help thinking that the arts will take the severest beating.
Empty stages in our future?
The New York City Opera is desperately trying to shape a budget to support another season. They have approached their unions for concessions so that the company may begin performing again, and the unions have rebuffed the overture, saying the management is responsible for the problems and they won't give an inch. With this sort of myopic attitude there may well be no work at all for them. And that would be a tragedy.

A TONY KUSHNER CELEBRATION AT THE GUTHRIE

AN UNPRECEDENTED THEATRICAL EVENT
April 18 - June 28, 2009
TONY KUSHNER
Theatre fans - gay and straight - are taking vacations, checking Priceline and friends for lodging, and otherwise bending their schedules to take in the most exciting theatre event of 2009.

That's because this spring the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis will present a landmark theater-wide celebration honoring the work of playwright Tony Kushner. Best known for his two-part epic Angels in America, Kushner is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, an Emmy Award, two Tony Awards and an Oscar nomination.


The celebration will feature three productions on three unique stages, including the Tony-nominated musical Caroline, or Change, the world premiere of The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures (commissioned by the Guthrie), and an extraordinary line up of five rarely seen works in tiny Kushner: An Evening of Short Plays. In addition, the Theater will offer a series of speakers, scholars and special events designed to fully examine and celebrate Kushner's body of work.

KICK-OFF TO KUSHNER
Saturday, April 18 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Don't miss it! Cheap tickets, prizes, free movie and more! Click here for details.


EXTREME KUSHNER WEEKENDS

The opportunity to fully immerse yourself in all the Kushner Celebration has to offer comes on Extreme Kushner Weekends – Friday, May 22 through Sunday, May 24; and Friday, June 5 through Monday, June 8. In addition to seeing all three productions on these weekends, a theatergoer can participate in exciting programming before and after each show to deepen their experience, including Saturday Seminars and speaking engagements by Kevin M. Cathcart and Tony Kushner.

Extreme Kushner Weekends will also include free discussions in the Guthrie’s lobbies, which are open to the public. Talk Abouts are scheduled before and after the productions Friday through Sunday and are led by Guthrie staff, artists and special guests.

For more information on this and all the Guthrie offerings and events, check their website.

The Kushner ConciergeSpecial services are available to out of town visitors to help arrange everything. Here's how. E-mail KushnerInfo@guthrietheater.org or call 1.877.GU3.TKTS to speak to Bob Neumeier, the Kushner Concierge about tickets, arranging a hotel stay, dining reservations, and more. If calling after regular business hours (Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm CDT), please leave a message and we'll call you back. Or, for tickets call the Guthrie Box Office at 1.877.44.STAGE.

Main Squeeze Accordian Orchestra: Girls Gone Weill

Accordians are wonderful musical instruments. Forget Lawrence Welk. Think of a woman holding one close to her bosom, practically embracing it, and it not only breathes, it makes glorious music that can make people laugh or cry. And it's not easy to play. Remember when you first tried patting your head and rubbing your chest at the same time? Well, try that at 400 notes a minute.
Photo by Ian Meyer
The Main Squeeze Orchestra presents their annual Kurt Weill memorial show Girls Gone Weill at the HighLine Ballroom in New York CIty. The all-female eighteen-piece accordion ensemble has gained a cult following; they'll tackle the works of the great German songwriter. The show is Sunday, April 5 at 7 pm and tickets are $12 in advance, $14 on the day of the show. Tickets are available on their site for this gig, and many others over the coming months, in New York and beyond.

However, if you go to Goldstar Events and sign up, you can get freebies, comps. There is still a $10 minimum per person for drinks.
Photo by Hai Zhang

"The Main Squeeze Orchestra …overflows the scales of feminine virtue in the name of song. More sugar cube than vegan icing, they do cabaret and camp... while dressed, coiffed, and rehearsed like some Central European Berry Gordy fantasy." --The Village Voice