BYU-Idaho announces winter entertainment series

Published at 4:25 pm, December 28, 2018 | Updated at 4:31 pm, December 28, 2018

EastIdahoNews.com staff

The following is a news release from Brigham Young University-Idaho.

REXBURG — The Center Stage Performing Arts Series at Brigham Young University-Idaho has announced its Winter Semester lineup that ranges from the a cappella group Vocal Point to thrilling Chinese acrobats.

The Ballroom Dance Company from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, will open the season with two shows on Jan. 18 in the Kirkham Auditorium. Its new show titled, “Come Alive” will be performed at 6 and 8:30 p.m.

The popular male a cappella group Vocal Point from BYU will return for a show in the Hart Auditorium Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.

The 5 Browns will be featured in the Hart Auditorium Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The five siblings will perform a variety of classical and popular music on five grand pianos.

The British octet VOCES8 will perform Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Barrus Concert Hall. Formed by Westminster Abbey choristers, the eight singers from England perform works ranging from Renaissance music to pop arrangements.

The Golden Dragon Acrobats will return Feb. 15 for a performance in the Hart Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

The 2018 world-champion barbershop quartet After Hours will headline the annual Barbershop Music Festival Feb. 23 with shows at 6 and 8:30 p.m. in the Barrus Concert Hall. BYU-Idaho choirs and quartets also will be featured on the program.

The traditional Irish band Goitse will perform March 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium. Goitse has become a leader of the new generation of traditional Irish bands.

The annual Winter Jazz Festival will be headlined by the Miami Saxophone Quartet March 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium. The show will also feature the BYU-Idaho Sound Alliance jazz band.

Detailed information can be found on the Center Stage website at byui.edu/centerstage. Community season tickets featuring a 25 percent discount are also available.

Here is more detailed information about each event:

BYU Ballroom Dance Company
Friday, January 18
6 and 8:30 p.m., Kirkham Auditorium

The BYU Ballroom Dance Company is one of the most distinctive university dance companies in the world. Based in Provo, Utah, the company consists of 32 dancers, all of whom are full-time students at BYU. Their new show, Come Alive, presents ballroom dance in a theatrical environment with a contemporary point of view. Its innovative choreography is compelling, engaging and just plain fun! Audiences will be fascinated as couples dance a romantic waltz and will feel the energy as the company moves to the infectious rhythms of Latin America. The BYU company is the current United States Ballroom Dance Formation Champion and is a frequent winner of the British Formation Championships.

Tickets go on sale January 2. Cost is $6 for BYU-Idaho students, $12 for general public. No children under four. Classroom dress.

BYU Vocal Point
Friday, January 25
7:30 p.m., Hart Auditorium

Vocal Point, a popular male a cappella group from BYU, entertains audiences throughout the world with their stunning, high-energy performances and elaborate, cinematographic music videos. With a wide range of vocal possibilities, these crowd-pleasers have it all — rock, pop, country, jazz, and R&B, making their concerts a showstopper. The nine-man group takes the songs you are familiar with, retools them and delivers a new rendition, complete with all the complex instrumentation done entirely with their mouths.

Tickets go on sale January 7. Floor and Red Seats: $6 for BYU-Idaho students, $12 for general public. Bleachers: $5 for BYU-Idaho students, $10 for general public. No children under four. Classroom dress.

The 5 Browns
Friday, February 1
7:30 p.m., Hart Auditorium

The 5 Browns are veterans in bringing classical music to a newer, younger audience. Upon their signing with Sony, they have shown the world that ensemble piano can actually be a well-melded symphony of pianos. The 5 Browns – Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra and Desirae – all attended New York’s Juilliard School. In fact, they became the first family of five siblings ever accepted simultaneously. They have released three albums that each went to No. 1 on Billboard Magazine’s Classical Album Chart. The New York Post has proclaimed, “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.”

Tickets go on sale January 7. Floor and Red Seats: $8 for BYU-Idaho students, $16 for general public. Bleachers: $6 for BYU-Idaho students, $12 for general public. No children under four. Classroom dress.

VOCES8
Tuesday, February 12
7:30 p.m., Barrus Concert Hall

Formed by former Westminster Abbey choristers, the British octet VOCES8 performs works ranging from Renaissance polyphony to modern jazz and pop arrangements. “The singing of VOCES8 is impeccable in its quality of tone and balance,” writes a Gramophone reviewer. “They bring a new dimension to the word ‘ensemble’ with meticulous timing and tuning.” In 2013, VOCES8 was nominated for seven Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, winning for best classical album and best classical song.

Tickets go on sale January 14. $6 for BYU-Idaho students, $12 for general public. Event dress.

Golden Dragon Acrobats
Friday, February 15
7:30 p.m., Hart Auditorium

The Golden Dragon Acrobats represent the best of a time-honored tradition that began more than 25 centuries ago. The performers are recognized as one of the premiere Chinese acrobatic touring companies of today. World renowned impresario Danny Chang and choreographer Angela Chang combine award-winning acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques to present a show of breathtaking skill and spellbinding beauty.

Tickets go on sale January 14. Floor and Red Seats: $6 for BYU-Idaho students, $12 for general public. Bleachers: $5 for BYU-Idaho students, $10 for general public. No children under four. Classroom dress.

Barbershop Music Festival
featuring After Hours
Saturday, February 23
6 & 8:30 p.m., Barrus Concert Hall

The 2018 world-champion barbershop quartet After Hours will headline this year’s Barbershop Music Festival at BYU-Idaho. After Hours began at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, in 2007. The group placed in the top 10 in the International Quartet Contest multiple times, finally winning the gold medal and the BHS International Quartet Championship in 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Also performing on the show will be the BYU-Idaho Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir, student quartets and the Carousel Chorus.

Tickets go on sale January 14. $6 for BYU-Idaho students, $12 for general public. No children under four. Classroom dress.

Goitse
Friday, March 1
7:30 p.m., Hart Auditorium

Named Live Ireland’s “Traditional Group of the Year,” Goitse has become a leader of the new generation of traditional Irish bands. Laying the foundations for the music are all-Ireland Bodhrán champion Colm Phelan and Conal O’Kane, who is fast making a name for himself as one of the finest guitarists of his generation. The rhythm section sets a powerful drive for the music, while the sweet, charismatic voice of Áine McGeeney draws audiences into a song the way few performers can.

Winter Jazz Fest
featuring Miami Saxophone Quartet
Saturday, March 9
7 p.m. preshow by winning bands
7:30 p.m., Hart Auditorium

The Miami Saxophone Quartet will headline this year’s Winter Jazz Fest. South Florida saxophonists Gary Keller, Gary Lindsay, Ed Calle, and Mike Brignola have created a contemporary sound unique among saxophone quartets. The quartet explores the realms of jazz, pop, Latin, R&B and chamber music, performing both originals and their own arrangements of songs from a diverse array of musical legends. Backing up the saxophone quartet will be the BYU-Idaho Sound Alliance jazz ensemble under the direction of Mark Watkins. More information about the Winter Jazz Fest, clinics, workshops and performances will be made available as the event draws near.

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