Upcoming local performances
May 9, 2024 | By Waterbury RoundaboutYouth dancers hit Spruce Peak for annual recital
GMPA dancers perform at Spruce Peak in 2022. File photo by Gordon Miller
The annual Green Mountain Performing Arts spring recital for the third year will pack Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center on Friday-Saturday, May 17-18.
Local dancers from ages 3 through high school have been working since last fall and will present their end-of-the-year pieces in the performance titled “In Our Dance Era.”
The program will include a variety of Hip Hop, Modern, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Highland, and Irish dances. There will be two opportunities to see the show: Friday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 18, at 1 p.m. Tickets ($15-$25) are low for both performances, so purchasing online in advance is highly recommended.
Dancers can continue dancing over the summer at camps and classes. File photo by Gordon Miller
There will also be a livestream option for both shows ($25). In-person and livestream tickets can be purchased directly on Spruce Peak’s website.
The annual recital performances cap off the school year dance classes and lessons. Green Mountain Performing Arts through the summer weeks runs a variety of programs for young dancers ages 5 and up.
Families with a dancer interested in continuing dance over the summer or looking to try something new can sign up for a one-week camp or weekly classes for ages 8 and up. Some summer camp themes include “Under the Sea,” “Trolls Band Together,” “Kidz Bop,” “Jojo Siwa,” “Wonka the Musical,” and more. Summer classes are offered in a variety of dance genres.
More information and registration is online at greenmountainperformingarts.org. Enrollment for the summer session ends on June 12.
TURNmusic hosts back-to-back Waterbury shows
Jessica Pavone String Ensemble. Courtesy photo
May 17: Jessica Pavone String Ensemble and Liew Niyomkarn
Phoenix Music Gallery and Music Hall opens its doors for two TURNmusic performances on Friday-Saturday, May 17-18.
On Friday, May 17, TURNmusic’s ongoing series Outer Sounds presents Jessica Pavone String Ensemble and Liew Niyomkarn.
Outer Sounds is curated by Greg Davis, an internationally recognized electronic musician from Burlington and owner of Autumn Records in Winooski. He presents cutting-edge musicians to explore the worlds and intersections of electronic, experimental, avant-garde, improvised, ambient, drone, minimalist, free jazz, modern composition, psychedelic music and more.
Since 2017, the Jessica Pavone String Ensemble has consisted of Aimee Niemann on violin, Abby Swidler on violin and viola, and Jessica Pavone on viola performing original compositions that expand on themes of Pavone’s extensive solo work for viola. The trio experiments with techniques such as alternating between metered and time-based scores, and improvisational and notated instructions. In each performance, the musicians re-create the works together.
The ensemble approach focuses on collective improvisation. Pavone as a composer works with melody and harmony and also chooses sounds to provoke physical and cognitive effects on the audience. As a result, both players and listeners play a role in the work’s development.
The group has four studio albums and a long list of festival performance credits. More online at jessicapavone.com.
A sound artist and musician with a background in experimental sound practice and performance, Liew Niyomkarn explores echoes and sustained sounds achieved through acoustic instruments and Supercollider, a coding language employed to craft various tuning systems. She integrates field recordings to capture time and everyday routines, immersing herself in wilderness sounds, archival recordings, and the ambient music culture. She presents her work through live performances and sound installations.
Doors open at 7 p.m.; music at 7:30 p.m. All ages welcome. 18 and under are free. BYOB. Find more information and purchase tickets ($15-30) online at thephoenixvt.com and at sevendaystickets.com
No Strings Marionettes Company. Photo by Everett Meissner Photography
May 18: Quill and Foyle's Hasty Composure
This world premiere of an original all-ages show is sponsored in part by a creation grant from the Vermont Arts Council. It pairs No Strings Marionette Company for the story with composer and conductor Paul Perley who created the music.
The marionettes, scenery, and musical compositions were specially created to tell the tale of twins Quill and Foyle as they set out to find their life's purpose. Along the way, their motives blur as they question what it means to give other beings and ecosystems rights that humans claim.
Musicians include cello (Melissa Perley), piano (Michiko Oishi), bass (Eben Bodach-Turner), and percussion by cajon, brushed cymbals (Keith Gibson).
No Strings Marionette Company is puppeteers Dan Baginski and Barbara Paulson, who for 27 years have hand crafted their marionettes, props and scenery. With their traveling stage, they transform any space into an intimate theater, their seamless blend of movement, music and masterful manipulation captivating young and old alike. Their trademark style is to perform with puppeteers in full view allowing the audience to see how the puppets are brought to life.
Playing music since age 8, Paul Perley began with piano, followed by classical guitar and cello. A founding member of the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra, for the past 20 years he has been co-director of the Repertory Orchestra of the Green Mountain Youth Symphony with his wife Melissa Perley. His compositions have been performed by youth orchestras, the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra, the Five Corners String Quintet, and the string orchestra Eleva. For this show he has created the score behind the marionettes.
Run time is 45 min. followed by a demonstration, and Q&A with the composer, puppeteers, musicians and puppets. Two performances: 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. with doors open 30 min. beforehand. All ages. Find more information and purchase tickets online at thephoenixvt.com and at sevendaystix.com. A limited number of free student tickets are available.
May 19: Grange Hall hosts KeruBo-Ogoti Webster for Kenyan culture, music, storytelling
Afro Jazz artist and storyteller KeruBo-Ogoti Webster returns to Waterbury on Sunday, May 19, to share her culture through music and storytelling on Sunday, May 19, at the Grange Hall Cultural Center.
KeruBo-Ogoti Webster performs in song and storytelling at the Grange Hall Cultural Center, Sunday, May 19. Courtesy photo
KeruBo invites the audience to bring their energy and percussion instruments to create unforgettable rhythms and discover the beauty of Gusii tradition through songwriting.
Originally from Kenya and now based in the Burlington area, KeruBo is a seasoned Afro-Jazz artist with over two decades of global stage experience. Previous performances in Waterbury include visits to Waterbury Rotary’s summer Concerts in the Park series and Music in the Alley.
KeruBo’s music blends African traditional music with Brazilian Samba/Bossa nova, Jazz, and blues. Inspired by luminaries like Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone, she boldly champions social justice causes through her compositions, resonating with themes of healing and African heritage preservation.
KeruBo's captivating storytelling techniques unite audiences in celebrating African history and culture, weaving together song, dance, and oral tradition.
Beyond her music, she serves new Americans in social work and educates K-12 students about social justice issues through the Windows to A Multicultural World Teaching Artist Team. Through formal classrooms and remote platforms, KeruBo imparts her heritage, folk music and storytelling.
Sunday’s performance will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available in advance online at sevendaystickets.com. It’s sponsored by Revitalizing Waterbury and Across Roads Center for the Arts.
The Grange Hall is located at 317 Howard Avenue in Waterbury Center. More information: email info.acrossroads@gmail.com. More on KeruBo at Kerubomusic.com.