 | The Lux Boreal dance troupe from Tijuana will present "Flower of 7 Leaves," about drug trafficking in Mexico, on June 13 and 14 at the New Theater, 1156 Chapel St. |
The Elm City will reverberate with the cadences of the Big Easy and points beyond June 10-24 during Arts & Ideas New Haven.
The theme of New Orleans and Mardi Gras will run throughout the 11th annual International Festival of Arts & Ideas -- from its opening weekend featuring the Marsalis Family (a.k.a. "The First Family of Jazz"), New Orleans' own Rebirth Brass Band and the Preservation Jazz Band; to the final weekend featuring three famed trumpeters from the Big Easy: Kermit Ruffins, Marlon Jordan, Christian Scott and James Andrews. In addition, a number of Gulf Coast artists who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina will be featured at the festival.
Although these artists lost their homes and performance venues to the hurricane, says Mary Lou Aleskie, executive director of Arts & Ideas New Haven, "their dedication to music, dance, theater and poetry has sustained them and helped others heal.
"Artists are often first to cross borders, bringing relief and creating meaning out of chaos," adds Aleskie. "With Katrina's devastation as a point of departure, our events invite reflection on the meaning of home and the transcending of borders -- on the map and in the mind."
Among the highlights of this year's festival will be performances at the Shubert Theater by the gospel group Sweet Honey in the Rock and flamenco artist Carlota Santana, a tribute to 1920s black entertainer Josephine Baker, lunchtime and evening concerts on the New Haven Green, restaurant tours, and an urban hip-hop festival.
While many of the events are free, some do require tickets. Ticket buyers receive discount parking vouchers to New Haven parking lots and garages, and there are 10% discounts for seniors and students, and 50% discounts for children age 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the Shubert Theater box office, 247 College St.; by calling (203) 562-5666 or (888) 736-2663; or online at www.artidea.org.
Yale is both a venue for and a sponsor of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. The following is a brief look at the events taking place on campus and the Yale affiliates who will be taking part in the celebration.
"Work." A collaborative performance art piece, "Work" will feature the chamber ensemble Real Quiet playing live music created by composer David Lang (founder of Bang on a Can) against the backdrop of a video by visual artist Suzanne Bocanegra that shows the constant motion of hands at work. Sunday, June 11, 3 & 7 p.m. New Theater, 1156 Chapel St. Tickets: $25.
Also: Lang and Bocanegra will discuss their collaboration as part of the "Artistic Voices" series. Sunday, June 11, 5:30 p.m. Admission: Free to performance ticket holders.
"Wild Blue Yonder." The dancers in the Streb troupe, founded by Elizabeth Streb, will use their speed, strength and agility to present a combination of theatrical and athletic choreography that aims to take dance into the "wild blue yonder." Saturday, June 10, 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 11, 1 & 5 p.m. University Theater, 222 York St. Tickets: $20-$30.
Courtyard concerts. Three nights of very different musical offerings will be featured in the "Courtyard Concert" series at Branford College, 74 High St. (rain location: Woolsey Hall, corner of College & Grove sts.) All concerts begin at 8 p.m. Tickets: $35. The performers will be: Tuesday, June 13 -- Assurd, a female vocal ensemble that will perform a program of Mediterranean folk songs. Wednesday, June 14 --David Krakauer, an internationally acclaimed clarinetist who will appear with his "Klezmer Madness!" ensemble. Thursday, June 15 -- Terence Blanchard, a Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer who will perform new and old jazz works with his sextet.
"Flower of 7 Leaves." The award-winning contemporary Tijuana dance troupe Lux Boreal will explore the theme of drug trafficking in Mexico in "Flower of 7 Leaves." (Contains adult themes; not suitable for children under age 13.) Tuesday & Wednesday, June 13 & 14, 8 p.m. New Theater, 1156 Chapel St. Tickets: $25.
Also: There will be a backstage tour of the production on Tuesday, June 13, 2 p.m. Admission: Free to performance ticket holders.
"Migrations." The theme of crossing boundaries is explored in "Migrations," which features four works by choreographer Allyson Green that combine dance and interactive technology, Friday & Saturday, June 16 & 17, 8 p.m. New Theater, 1156 Chapel St. Tickets: $25.
"The Tempest." Live and virtual actors perform Shakespeare in French with English subtitles in an adaptation of "The Tempest" by the Canadian team known as 4D art. Friday & Saturday, June 16 & 17, 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 18,
Also: The creative minds behind the production will discuss the challenges of marrying cutting-edge technology and live performances on Sunday, June 18, 3 p.m. Admission: Free to performance ticket holders.
Cello competition. Sprague Memorial Hall, 470 College St., will be the site of the Hugo Kauder Competition at Yale. Young musicians will perform the music of composer Hugo Kauder before a distinguished jury on Friday, June 16, 9 a.m.-noon & 2-5:30 p.m. Admission: Free. The winners will then present a concert on Saturday,
Yale Opera on the Green. School of Music students from Yale Opera (artistic director: Doris Yarick-Cross) will present Puccini's comic work "Gianni Schicchi," about a will, greedy relatives and a scheming scoundrel. Gerald Steichen will conduct. Concert-goers are invited to bring their favorite dishes for an "Al Fresco Dining Contest" prior to the performance. Sunday, June 18, 8 p.m. New Haven Green. Admission: Free.
"St. Petersburg Legacy." The legacy of the great Russian poets of the 20th century will be traced in "St. Petersburg Legacy," an evening of chamber music, songs, poetry and readings, conceived and directed by Sara Rothenberg. Peformers will include Rothenberg on piano; Katherine Ciesinski, mezzo-soprano; Eric Byers, cello; and Tony Torn, actor. Thursday, June 22, 8 p.m. Tickets: $35.
Also: There will be a backstage tour of the show on Saturday, June 17, 2 p.m. Admission: Free to performance ticket holders.
"Voices from the Stray Dog Café." The influential cadre of artists from Russia's Silver Age who gathered at the Stray Dog Café will be discussed by noted poet, author and literary critic Rose Styron; Professor Jonathan Aaron of Emerson University; and authors Francine du Plessix Gray and Elaine Feinstein. Wednesday, June 21, 5:30 p.m. Admission: Free.
Calder Quartet. The Calder Quartet will combine the traditional and the avant-garde in a program of chamber music that includes a Shostakovich-inspired work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Christopher Rouse. Wednesday, June 21, 8 p.m. Sprague Memorial Hall, 470 College St. Tickets: $35.
Shostakovich and Bach. Pianist Sarah Rothenberg and harpsichordist John Gibbons will present works by two revolutionary composers who lived two centuries apart in "Shostakovich & Bach: Preludes & Fugues." Friday, June 23, 8 p.m. Sprague Memorial Hall, 470 College St. Tickets: $35.
Katrina violinist. New Orleans violinist Samuel Thompson will share his music with New Haven audiences -- just as he did in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when he played for the thousands of his fellow survivors who were stranded in the Superdome. Tuesday & Wednesday, June 20 & 21, 8 p.m. New Theater, 1156 Chapel St. Tickets: $25.
"Poems on the Road to Justice." The country's top slam poets will gather to celebrate the release of "Poems on the Road to Justice," a DVD commemorating 10 years of the Social and Environmental Justice Poetry Slam held at Yale's Peabody Museum. Wednesday, June 21, 8 p.m. Peabody Museum, 170 Whitney Ave. Tickets: $10.
"Crossing Borders." The transcendence of boundaries, both real and imagined, will be explored in a series of panels, many of which will be held on campus. Admission to all is free. These include: "The Artistic Home," looking at the significance of place to artists whose work is deeply rooted in their geographic and cultural surroundings. Sunday, June 11, 11 a.m. Law School auditorium, 127 Wall St. "Bound by Motion: Varieties of Human Migration," exploring the reasons that compel people to leave their homes, the cultural richness they bring to new neighborhoods, and experiences that are common to both immigrants and the displaced. Tuesday, June 13, 5:30 p.m. University Theater, 222 York St. "Who Is Left Behind? Education and the Achievement Gap," examining whether a city can reinvent its school system to resolve the academic achievement problem sthat plague urban schools around the country. Saturday, June 17, 11 a.m. New Theater, 1156 Chapel St. "Survival: Healthcare and Social Justice," considering systemic problems of inequitable healthcare and social justice and the country, and possible solutions for communities. Tuesday, June 20, 5:30 p.m. Law School auditorium, 127 Wall St. "Crossing Borders: Keynote," offering a look at the challenges of providing healthcare in the poorer regions of the world by Dr. Paul Farmer, founding director of Partners in Health, an international organization devoted to bringing high-quality medical care to all. Friday, June 16, 5:30 p.m. Woolsey Hall, corner of Grove and College sts. $5 suggested donation. "The World Around Us: Environmental Justice," considering the concept of environmental justice as a framework for understanding the impact of Hurricane Katrina and the challenges facing cities and shorelines around the country. Thursday, June 22, 5:30 p.m.
Walking tours. Among the free tours being offered during the festival are several that will begin at Yale's Meade Visitor Center, 149 Elm St. These include: Saturday,
Also: there will be a tour of Yale's Sustainable Food Project Garden on Sunday, June 18, 4 p.m. Meet at the garden, located on Edwards Street between St. Ronan and Prospect streets.
T H I S
Arts & Ideas festival adds
a dash of New Orleans spice
5 p.m. University Theater, 222 York St. Tickets: $35-$45.
June 17, 2-5:30 p.m. Tickets: $10.
The festival will open on Saturday, June 10, with performances on the New Haven Green. Among the featured groups will be the Ellis Marsalis Quartet with son Jason on drums, and the Delfeayo Marsalis Quintet. They will perform at 8 p.m.
Junebug Theater. The New Orleans-based Junebug Theater will explore the culture of the Black Belt South in two productions centered around the folk character Junebug Jabbo Jones, who hails from a long line of African storytellers. Both will be staged in the University Theater, 222 York St. Tickets for both are $20. The plays are: "Don't Start Me to Talking or I'll Tell You Everything I Know," starring John O'Neal as Junebug Jones, who relates tales about his boyhood in Pike County, Mississippi. Wednesday & Friday, June 21 & 23, 8 p.m. "Trying to Find My Way Back Home," starring William O'Neal (John O'Neal's son) as a modern-day rap star who sets off on a quest to find his family after meeting Junebug Jones. Thursday, June 22, 8 p.m. & Saturday, June 24, 3 p.m.
June 10, 11 a.m. -- Mory's, a look inside the renowned Yale club; Monday, June 12, 1 p.m. -- Shubert Theater, a backstage tour of the historic theater; Friday, June 16,
1 p.m. -- Yale campus; Saturday, June 17, 1 p.m. -- "Kids' Architectural Treasure Hunt," challenging youngsters ages 7-12 to find clues in Yale's architecture; Monday, June 19, noon -- "Percent for Art: Public Art in New Haven," featuring Erika van Natta, coordinator of New Haven's Percent for Art Program, and Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, a Yale professor who has created many works of public art; Tuesday, June 20, noon -- Center Church and Crypt, a national landmark and site of the city's first burial ground; Tuesday, June 20, noon -- The Grove Street Cemetery, another of the National Historic Landmarks in the city; Wednesday, June 21, 11 a.m. -- Slide show and tour of the Anne Morrow Lindbergh exhibit at the Sterling Memorial Library (see related story); Thursday, June 22, 1 p.m. Meet at the visitor center at 12:45 p.m.-- "African-American History," a look at some of the highlights of African-American history in downtown New Haven. Friday, June 23, 1 p.m.
A complete schedule of all events being held throughout the city during Arts & Ideas is available online at www.artidea.org.
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
PBS news anchor elected as trustee
Ceremony formally marks Rose Center opening
New Peabody hall offering high-tech lessons about Earth and space
Scientists believe that green tea may be key to 'Asian paradox'
COMMENCEMENT 2006
University celebrates its 305th graduation
Baccalaureate Address
Honorary Degrees
Other student awards
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS
James Gustave Speth named Sara Shallenberger Brown Professor
James Baron comes to SOM as the William S. Beinecke Professor
New exhibit asks: What did Shakespeare really look like?
Samples from ocean floor at the North Pole yield clues . . .
MEDICAL SCHOOL NEWS
Nation's first manual for treating radiation victims developed
Animals may provide warning of bioterrorist attack, say researchers
Researchers uncovering clues to drug resistance in ovarian cancer
Scientists find way to use intestinal cells to stop . . .
Study: Less-invasive surgery equally effective for infants . . .Scientists unlocking key to molecular basis of debilitating pain . . .
Arts & Ideas festival adds a dash of New Orleans spice
Art & Architecture Library taking up temporary residence on Crown Street
Forum explores governmental budgetary processes in China
Library events celebrate aviator and author Anne Morrow Lindberg
Making the Grade
Uncovering Ingrained Attitudes About Obesity
Nursing School research shows ideas about ideal weight . . .
Rudd Center survey reveals that many people would give up . . .
Artist's exhibit at Slifka Center will examine complexity of faith
Jaroslav Pelikan, renowned scholar of church history
Event will bring bellringers from near and far to the Yale campus
Gigantic balloon creatures to invade Hall of Dinosaurs
Celebrated performer to teach summer flute institute
Drama production will highlight work by New Haven students
Reading aloud
Campus Notes
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