2012 Fall Events Brochure

THE RICHARD B. FISHER CENTER

FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

AT BARD COLLEGE

Fall Events 2012

Live Arts Bard: Theatre Is Evil and False Peach

Carolina Chocolate Drops

Bard Student Dance Concerts andTheater & Performance Projects

American Ballet Theatre

American Symphony Orchestra

Conservatory Sundays

Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble: The Soul’s Messenger

John Cage: On & Off the Air!

visit us at fishercenter.bard.edu

fishercenter.bard.edu 3Amanda Palmer. Photo by Andrius Lipsys

Introducing Live Arts Bard

Bard College’s new residency and commissioning program for the performing arts

Live Arts Bard (LAB) is a laboratory where professional artists in theater, dance, and performance testideas and develop new projects, many of which will be premiered at The Richard B. Fisher Center for thePerforming Arts at Bard College. Each year, LAB will invite a number of leading artists and companiesfrom the United States and abroad to Bard’s campus. As our audience, you will have special access tosneak previews, artist talks, and work-in-progress showings.

This fall’s resident artists include:Songwriter and musician Amanda PalmerTheater director Annie Dorsen and Wooster Group performer Scott Shepherd

Theatre Is EvilAmanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra Singer/songwriter Amanda Palmer will be in residence at Bard for three weeks in late August and earlySeptember. During that time she will shoot a music video and launch the tour of her first new studioalbum in four years, with two public concerts in conjunction with her new band, The Grand TheftOrchestra, featuring Michael McQuilken, Chad Raines, and Jherek Bischoff.

The album, Theatre Is Evil, showcases Amanda’s powerful vocals and talented songwriting in ways thatmay surprise even her most ardent fans. From tauntingly playful tunes to ballads that tug at theheartstrings, the album offers a collection of sounds and rhythms heavily influenced by the musicPalmer grew up listening to—most notably ’80s synth rock and Brit Pop.

theater two

Wednesday, September 5 at 7:30 pmThursday, September 6 at 7:30 pmTickets: $35 general admission; $20 Bard students, faculty, and staff.

False PeachWork-in-progress presentationAcclaimed director Annie Dorsen (Passing Strange on Broadway) and performer Scott Shepherd (of the Wooster Group) are collaborating with a group of French computer scientists to create False Peach,an increasingly elaborate dialogue between man and computer based on Hamlet. Annie, Scott, andtheir collaborators will be in residence at LAB for three weeks in September. Join them for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of this intriguing project as they develop it.

theater two

Thursday, September 13 at 7:30 pmTickets: Free and open to the public

4 Fisher Center Fall Events 2012

IN CONCERT

Carolina Chocolate Drops

Carolina Chocolate Drops—whose 2010 Nonesuch debut Genuine Negro Jig won a Best Traditional FolkAlbum Grammy—prove that old-time string music from the Piedmont region of the Carolinas is anever-evolving sound. Not content to merely imitate or re-create this traditional music, they seek tofreshly interpret it, with an emphasis on the central role that African Americans played in shaping thiscountry’s popular music from its first stirrings more than a hundred years ago. In concert, the threemusicians comprising the Chocolate Drops—singers and multi-instrumentalists Dom Flemons andRhiannon Giddens, and guitarist and banjoist Hubby Jenkins—are “an end-to-end display ofexcellence,” according to the New York Times, encompassing string band, jug band, and fife-and-drumband music, as well as early jazz, blues, and other popular styles.

On their latest release, Leaving Eden, the Carolina Chocolate Drops have expanded to a five-piece band,with beat-boxer Adam Matta and New Orleans cellist Leyla McCalla. This June, the band wasnominated for a Duo/Group of the Year award from the Americana Music Association, and was alsofeatured in the latest episode of PBS’s Sound Tracks: Quick Hits.

sosnoff theater

Saturday, September 15 at 8 pmTickets: $15, 20, 30, 40; $10 students

Carolina Chocolate Drops. Photo by Crackerfarm

fishercenter.bard.edu 5

Bard Student Performances

The Fisher Center is proud to host events inBard’s Dance and Theater & PerformancePrograms. Please join us at the following publicevents and experience the imagination andcreativity of a new generation of artists.

Dance

Moderation Dance Concerttheater two

October 26 and 27 at 7:30 pmFree admission—reservations via the Box Office

Senior Dance Concerttheater two

December 14 and 15 at 7:30 pmDecember 16 at 2 and 7:30 pmFree admission—reservations via the Box Office

Theater & Performance

KassandraA new twist on the well-known story of theTrojan War as told by the seer Kassandra.Adapted from the novel by Christa Wolf anddirected by Jean Wagner, artist in residence.

theater two

October 11, 12, and 13 at 7 pmOctober 14 at 2 and 7 pmTickets: $15; $5, alumni/ae and senior citizens

Theater Festival: Five Senior Projects in Directingresnick theater studio

November 13, 14, and 15 at 7 and 9 pmNovember 16, 17, and 18 at 5, 7, and 9 pmFree admission—reservations via the Box Office

La Ronde. Photo by Kye Erlich

“One of the most beautiful sights in dance is American Ballet Theatre in full flight. ” —clive barnes, new york post

fishercenter.bard.edu 7Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes in The Leaves Are Fading. ©Lois Greenfield. Cover: Kristi Boone in In the Upper Room. ©Rosalie O’Connor

American Ballet Theatre

The Leaves Are Fading by Antony Tudor

The Moor’s Pavane by José Limón

In the Upper Room by Twyla Tharp

Recognized as one of the premier dance companies in the world, American Ballet Theatre (ABT) bringsthe highest quality dance and dancers to audiences across the globe. Celebrating its role as America’sNational Ballet Company®, ABT tours nationally and internationally, performing for more than 400,000

people annually.

Since its founding in 1940, ABT developed a repertoire under the direction of Lucia Chase and OliverSmith that honored the past while encouraging the development of the art form through the creationof new works. Classics from the 19th century such as Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Sleeping Beauty live sideby side with seminal works of the early 20th century such as Apollo, Les Sylphides, Jardin aux Lilas, andRodeo, as well as such contemporary masterpieces as Push Comes to Shove and Airs. ABT hascommissioned works by the great choreographic geniuses of the 20th century: George Balanchine,Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, and Twyla Tharp, among others.

Under the artistic direction of former ABT Principal Dancer Kevin McKenzie, the Company remainssteadfast in its vision as “American” and continues to bring the art of dance theater to the great stages of the world.

sosnoff theater

Friday, October 5 at 8 pmSaturday, October 6 at 2 and 8 pmSunday, October 7 at 2 pmTickets: $20, 30, 40, 50

The ABT Orchestra performs The Leaves Are Fading and The Moor’s Pavane (strings only).

These performances have been underwritten by the Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation.

“Mr. Botstein drew playing of alluringeffervescence from the orchestra.” —new york times


American Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Leon Botstein, Music Director

Founded in 1962 by legendary conductor Leopold Stokowski, the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO)continues its mission to demystify orchestral music, and make it accessible and affordable to everyone.Under music director Leon Botstein, the ASO has pioneered what the Wall Street Journal called “a newconcept in orchestras,” presenting concerts in the Vanguard Series at Carnegie Hall curated aroundvarious themes from the visual arts, literature, politics, and history, and unearthing rarely performedmasterworks for well-deserved revival. The ASO appears in residence at The Richard B. Fisher Center forthe Performing Arts at Bard College, as well as Bard’s annual SummerScape and Bard Music Festival.

In addition to many albums released on the Telarc, New World, Bridge, Koch, and Vanguard labels, live performances by the American Symphony are now available for digital download. In many cases,these are the only existing recordings of some of the rare works that have been rediscovered in ASO performances.

Featured soloists include Peter Blaga, tuba; David Nagy, bassoon; and Renata Rakova, clarinet—winnersof the 2011 Bard College Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition.

concert one

Carl Maria von WeberBassoon Concerto in F, Op. 75

Andante and Rondo Ungarese, J.158, Op.35

David Nagy, bassoon

Menachem ZurTuba ConcertoPeter Blaga, tuba

Richard StraussEine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64

Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13, 2012

concert two

Harold FarbermanClarinet ConcertoRenata Rakova, clarinet

Anton BrucknerSymphony No. 8

Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23, 2013

concert three

Richard WagnerLohengrin: Preludes to Acts I and IIITristan und Isolde: Prelude and LiebestodDie Walküre: Act I

Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20, 2013

sosnoff theater

Preconcert talk at 7 pm | Performance at 8 pm | Tickets: $25, 30, 35, 40

Leon Botstein conducting American Symphony Orchestra. ©Cory Weaver


Conservatory SundaysJoin us on Sunday afternoons for a series of concerts performed by students of The Bard CollegeConservatory of Music, with faculty and special guests. All ticket sales benefit the Conservatory’sScholarship Fund.

Faculty/Student Chamber MusicProgram includes Beethoven, Septet in E-flat Major,Op. 20, and Harrison, Suite for Percussion. October 14

Conservatory Orchestra conducted by Leon BotsteinWith music director Leon Botstein and Blair McMillen,piano. Works include Beethoven, Grosse Fuge, Op. 133

(arranged for string orchestra); Stravinsky, Concertofor Piano and Wind Instruments; Strauss, DerRosenkavalier Suite; Brahms, Symphony No. 4.October 21

Music Alive!Artistic directors Joan Tower and Blair McMillenpresent electrifying new music, including works by Bard music faculty and students. October 28

Conservatory Orchestra with guest conductor Marcelo Lehninger (MFA ’07)Program includes Haydn, Symphony No. 88; Dvorák, Symphony No. 8; and the world premiere of Christopher Swist’s Abaprima.December 9

sosnoff theater

Performance at 3 pm. Suggested donation $20 (orchestra seating) $15 (parterre / first balcony)Free to the Bard community with ID.

Bard Conservatory students. Photo by Karl Rabe


NEW ALBION RECORDS

Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble

The Soul’s Messenger

Composer/performer Meredith Monk has been deemed “a magician of the voice,” amazing audiencesacross the globe for more than 45 years with her genre-spanning compositions. Her groundbreakingexploration of the voice as an instrument creates landscapes of sound that unearth feelings, energies, andmemories for which we have no words. Monk and her acclaimed Vocal Ensemble will showcase her range asa composer and her engagement with performance as a vehicle for spiritual transformation.

Repertoire includes Music for Unaccompanied Voice, Music for Voice and Piano (including Gotham Lullaby),and selections from The Games (1984), mercy (2001), impermanence (2004), and Songs of Ascension (2008),among others. The majority of these selections can be heard on the ECM New Series label.

New Albion Records was founded in San Francisco in 1984 to explore the world of art music. Its currentcatalogue includes 138 releases. In recent years its focus has moved from recording projects to concertevents. This is New Albion’s fifth such event with the Fisher Center.

sosnoff theater

Friday, November 9 at 8 pmSaturday, November 10 at 8 pmTickets: $15, 25, 35, 45

Bohdan Hilash, Meredith Monk, Allison Sniffin, Katie Geissinger. ©2012 Musée du Louvre / Olivier Ouadah

“I can't understand why people are frightened ofnew ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones.” —john cage


JOHN CAGE TRUST

John Cage: On & Off the Air!

Radio Music (1956)

One to eight performers, each at one radio

27’10.554” for a Percussionist (1956)

Solo percussionist utilizing metal, wood, skin, and electronic instruments (radios)

Water Walk (1959)

Solo performer making use of 34 specified properties (including piano, five radios, bathtub, toy fish, blender, and rubber duck)

4’33” (1952)

Solo performer, at one radio

Credo in Us (1942)

One pianist, two percussionists, and one performer on radio

The City Wears a Slouch Hat (1959)

Four speakers, four percussionists, Foley sound effects, and film

John Cage’s interest in radio as both a medium of transmission and a musical instrument was lifelong,beginning in childhood with original broadcasts created on behalf of his Boy Scouts of America troopand culminating, the year before his death, with his Europera 5 (1991), one of three mixed-media workscreated for the operatic stage. John Cage: On & Off the Air! celebrates this engagement with an ever-changing program of works wrapped around a newly staged revival of Cage’s peripatetic The CityWears a Slouch Hat (CBS Radio, 1942). Based on a play by Kenneth Patchen, it features a newlycommissioned film of light and shadows by the New York composer Mikel Rouse and performed by thecelebrated Canadian-based percussion ensemble NEXUS. The film for The City Wears a Slouch Hat willincorporate the use of shadows to simulate characters of a live performance. In this way, the “shadowfilm” will mirror the live action appearing on stage, as well as becoming a “portable set.”

John Cage: On & Off the Air! celebrates Cage’s centennial year under the auspices of the John CageTrust. Its theme spotlights Cage’s ever-prescient work with technology; its design extends Cage’sdevotion to multiplicity, creativity, and responsive living.

sosnoff theater

Saturday, November 17 at 8 pmTickets: $15, 25, 35, 45

John Cage. Photo by Ben Guthrie


Ticket Information

Ordering Tickets by Telephone Call the Box Office from 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, at 845-758-7900 to speak witha ticket services representative. All orders received at least 14 days prior to the date of your first event will be mailed; all otherswill be held at the Box Office.

Buying Tickets in Person The main Box Office, located in the lobby of the Sosnoff Theater in the Fisher Center, is open Mondaythrough Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and one hour prior to Sosnoff Theater performances.

Online Visit our website at fishercenter.bard.edu to order online and select your own seats.

Subscribe and Save 25% Order tickets to two or more events in this brochure and save 25% off the full price. Visit our websiteto learn more about our subscription program.

Other Discounts Only one discount is applicable per order. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for special discounts. Call the BoxOffice for more information. Patrons aged 62 and over are eligible for a discount of 20% off single tickets (discount cannot beused in conjunction with any other offer).

Student Discounts Students with a valid full-time student ID, or under the age of 25, may purchase up to two $5 rush ticketsstarting one hour before the performance, subject to availability. Seat locations will be assigned by the Box Office. Studentswith a valid ID, or under the age of 25, may purchase up to two advance sale tickets at a 20% discount.

Access and Facilities for the Disabled Seating in the Sosnoff Theater is available in all price categories for patrons inwheelchairs and their companions. For patrons with special requirements not covered here, please call 845-758-7948

for assistance.

Tickets are nonrefundable. Late seating is not guaranteed. Please allow sufficient time for travel and parking.

For seating charts, house policies, directions to Bard, maps of the campus and the area, and other information, visitfishercenter.bard.edu.

To Order Tickets Box Office 845-758-7900 | Fax 845-758-7910 | fishercenter.bard.edu

Major support for the Center’s programs has been provided by the Board of The Richard B. Fisher Center for the PerformingArts at Bard College and the Friends of the Fisher Center, as well as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and theNew York State Council on the Arts.

Above and back cover: The Richard B. Fisher Center. ©Peter Aaron ’68/Esto

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Price Level 1Price Level 2Price Level 3Price Level 4Wheelchair-accessible seatingSeats not available for all performances

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Documents

2012 Fall Events Brochure