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Big band revue to open WCU series
If you’re “in the mood” for the Big Band sounds from the 1940s, Western Carolina University has just the ticket, as the music of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, the Andrews Sisters and others comes to the stage of the Fine and Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Oct. 23.
The musical review is titled, appropriately enough, “In the Mood” and is the debut show in the 2005-06 Subscription Series at Western’s new Fine and Performing Arts Center. The matinee performance begins at 3 p.m.
“In the Mood,” a musical revue featuring Big Band sounds from the 1940s, will hit the stage at Western Carolina University’s new Fine and Performing Arts Center for a 3 p.m. matinee performance on Sunday, Oct. 23. For ticket information, call 227-2479.
“It’s more than just a concert. ‘In the Mood’ is an up-tempo rhythm, jazz, and swing musical revue that celebrates the music of the ’40s,” said Paul Lormand, director of the center’s performance facilities. “The authentic music and arrangement will take you on a sentimental and nostalgic journey to a time when the music moved the nation’s spirits.”
Recommended for ages 6 and up, the show features the In the Mood Singers and Dancers, and the String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra with authentic arrangements, costumes and choreography, Lormand said.
The show has toured for more than 11 years since its debut at the National Archives in 1994, re-creating a unique period in American music.
“With the nation going to war, music lovers were listening to the radio, going to theaters and ballrooms to hear and dance to the powerful Big Band music,” Lormand said. “It was a rare time when the entire country shared a common popular music. This body of great songs and music inspired and sustained the nation’s morale during World War II.”
Series subscriptions for all eight shows that are part of the inaugural season are available. Patrons may subscribe to the entire eight-show series for $100. The Subscription Series includes:
Friday, Nov. 11 – “The Nutcracker” and other works, performed by the Atlanta Ballet, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 1 – “Riders in the Sky: A Holiday Spectacular,” Grammy Award-winning music of the American West, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 2 – “An Evening with Groucho,” with Frank Ferrante as Groucho Marx, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 12 – The Von Trapp Children, featuring descendants of the famous singing family from “The Sound of Music,” 3 p.m.
Thursday, March 2 – Illusionist/Extraordinist Craig Karges, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 31 – “The Piano Men,” the music of Billy Joel and Elton John, by Jim Witter, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 30 – Luma, a techno-circus of light, sound and movement, 3 p.m.
Individual show tickets also are available. Ticket prices are $20 for adults; $17 for senior citizens; $15 for Western faculty or staff; $9 for children age 3 to 17; $7 for non-WCU college students; and $5 for Western students. Group rates also are available.
The opening year of the center includes a separate “preview series” consisting of a sold-out gala opening featuring Jay Leno on Saturday Oct. 22; a multi-media performance featuring film clips from director Alfred Hitchcock set to the music of composer Bernard Herrmann as performed live by the Asheville Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27; and a free concert by the President’s Own United States Marine Band, America’s oldest professional music organization, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18.
In conjunction with the opening performance of “In the Mood,” the facility’s Fine Art Museum will unveil its inaugural exhibitions beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23. The exhibit premier and artist’s reception, open to the public free of charge, will feature more than 75 new acquisitions and recent major gifts to Western’s growing university art collection, plus exhibits continuing through Dec. 16 of a variety of regional, national and international art.
For more information about performances, call the box office at 227-2479. For more information about exhibits, call the gallery office at 227-3591. For more information about the Fine and Performing Arts Center, visit the Web site at fapac.wcu.edu/.
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