Hope College has announced its 2018-19 Great Performance Series lineup. The cultural arts series has brought internationally renowned artists in music, dance and theatre to the Holland community for more than 47 years.
The series will open on Friday, Sept. 21, with Bryn Cohn + Artists at the Knickerbocker Theatre. The New York-based contemporary dance company consists of unique collaborative artists from diverse backgrounds, and has been met with critical acclaim among artists, critics and audiences throughout the United States. The company explores the physical and imaginative boundaries of dance, making dance more accessible to the public. “Dynamic… stunning moments of visual clarity... Bryn Cohn has a brilliant mind,” said a reviewer from The Dance Enthusiast.
Get your royal fix on Thursday, Oct. 18, when the Queen’s Six appear in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. Fresh from the royal wedding, the Queen’s Six offer a repertoire that extends beyond the reach of the choir stalls: from austere early chant, florid Renaissance polyphony, madrigals and haunting folk songs, to upbeat jazz and pop arrangements. The group comes from the Chapel Choir that performs some eight services a week, often before the royal family. The Guardian (United Kingdom) has said, “They bring seamless blend and balance to music from the reign of Elizabeth I, from whom they take their name.”
Winner of two Grammy Awards, the Turtle Island Quartet returns to Hope College with acclaimed jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut on Friday, Nov. 9, in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. The collaboration is infused with the global reach of gospel and sacred music ranging from the Appalachian Mountains to the spiritually defined musical landscape of J.S. Bach. Dipping into the rhythms of world cultures, these five multi-stylistic musicians come together to present a moving night of works Duke Ellington, Bill Monroe, Bill Withers, John Coltrane and more.
On Friday, Jan. 18, five grand pianos will fill the stage in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts as the 5 Browns bring their unique performance to Hope College. Dubbed “The Fab Five” by People Magazine, The 5 Browns are delivering on their dream to wake up classical music. But they are not a gimmick, as all five attended New York’s Juilliard School (simultaneously). The quintet has been featured on “Oprah,” “The Tonight Show,” “Good Morning America” and “60 Minutes,” and released three CDs that each went to number one on Billboard Magazine’s Classical Album Chart. “One family, five pianos and 50 fingers add up to the biggest classical music sensation in years… When these kids do Rachmaninoff, they’ll make you forget about Marshall amps,” said The New York Post.
On Friday, Feb. 15, acclaimed actress Minitia Gandhi will bring her self-penned one-woman show, Muthaland, to the Knickerbocker Theatre. Gandhi herself is the main character in her performance of her struggle to find identity as a woman born in India and raised in the United States. It is a discovery filled with laughter and tears as the road to self-identity takes many turns. Gandhi can be seen in the recurring role of Dr. Prospere on NBC's “Chicago Fire,” as Musarrat in the web series “Brown Girls” and as The Onion News Network’s anchor, Nina Shankar, and has appeared in many television shows and films. She is a Master Instructor for Pinnacle Performance Company, where she developed a Women’s Leadership Program, and the co-creator of the Women and Femme in the Arts Mentorship Program. The play contains subject matter not appropriate for children.
The season will end with a Saturday, March 30, performance by Russian Renaissance in the Concert Hall of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts. After emerging with the $100,000 Grand Prize at the 2017 M-Prize Competition, Russian Renaissance has firmly established itself as one of the most electrifying and exhilarating ensembles of today. Through performances of everything from tango to folk to jazz, the musicians of Russian Renaissance are redefining the possibilities of their traditional Russian folk instruments and capturing the attention of audiences worldwide. In addition to its success at the M-Prize Competition, the group also received first prize at the 69th Coupe Mondiale in Russia in 2016 and was named Musical America’s New Artist of the Month in March of 2018. “One of the finest displays of musicianship in the world,” said the jurors at the Arts at Michigan competition.
All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
Season tickets are now available, and cost $90 for regular admission, $70 for senior citizens and $200 for a family (no matter how many children). Individual tickets go on sale on Monday, Aug. 20, and cost $23 for regular admission, $17 for senior citizens and $6 for children 18 and under.
Tickets are available at the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The office is open for ticket sales weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at 616-395-7890.
More information about the season may be obtained online.