Q&A with Jeannette Sorrell, Conductor of Apollo's Fire

Jeanette Sorrell

Jeannette Sorrell, conductor and harpsichordist for Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra, is recognized internationally as one of today’s most compelling interpreters of Baroque music. She is the founder and artistic director of Apollo’s Fire. Before the Baroque orchestra performs a new take on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Walton Arts Center as part of the 10x10 Arts Series, we took the chance to learn more from Sorrell about why she specializes in early music, what audiences can expect from Apollo’s Fire and more.

Q&A with Jeannette Sorrell

Describe what performing this music means to you.

I love bringing the Four Seasons to audiences because we have them discover what the music means. It’s actually a story told through music.

What inspired you to “rediscover” Vivaldi’s Four Seasons?

I realized that many people think they know this music – they can hum a couple of the tunes – but they were actually missing out on what it’s all about.

What can audiences expect from this rediscovered performance?

Lots of energy, some laughs, some unexpected moments... and a new understanding of this famous music.

What drew you to specialize in early music?

I grew up playing lots of Bach and Mozart on the piano. In high school, I started hearing recordings on period instruments and I fell in love with the sounds of these instruments and the kilt and buoyancy that they bring to the music.

What are some unique or memorable experiences you’ve had while traveling around the world to share your music?

Playing at Carnegie Hall and the BBC Proms (London) were certainly memorable. At Carnegie Hall, the audience interrupted our performance to applaud at the end of the harpsichord solo, while the orchestra was still playing. This almost never happens at classical concerts, and it made it feel like a jazz concert.

What message do you hope to send the world via your performance?

The Four Seasons celebrates the joyous relationship that people had with nature back in the 18th century. Today, we are in great danger of losing that due to massive logging, mining, fracking, pollution of rivers and streams, and over-use of plastic – none of which is necessary. I have lived in Europe and seen how there is much more protection for the environment there. In the U.S., our countryside and natural areas are being rapidly destroyed. I hope this concert will remind us all of the precious beauties of nature, which our children deserve to inherit – and inspire us to make that our priority before it’s too late.

Whom do you define as visionary; and why?

Martin Luther King, Jr.; Greta Thunberg and Bernie Sanders – because of their courage to speak the truth and lead us all to a more just society.

What songs, artists or genres of music are you currently listening to?

Monteverdi Vespers of 1610

Bach St Matthew Passion

Joan Baez

Jeanette Sorrell conducts Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: Rediscovered on Saturday, February 29, at Walton Arts Center. Visit www.waltonartscenter.org for $10 tickets!

Jeanette Sorrell conducts Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra

Celebrate Arkansas Interview with Once on This Island's Jahmaul Bakare

“Celebrate Arkansas” recently chatted with Once on This Island’s Jahmaul Bakare for their January issue. In this article, Jahmaul shares more about the plot of the show, the meaning of its message and how the elements impact both the story and the audience. Once on This Island plays Walton Arts Center February 11-16. Tickets can be purchased here.

By the time Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day roll around, most of us in Arkansas will be tired of winter’s cold and frost, but Walton Arts Center has just the remedy. Nationally touring Broadway musical Once On This Island will bring the heat and spice of Caribbean colors, rhythms, and dance to the Northwest Arkansas stage mid-February, and you won’t want to miss it.

Jahmaul Bakare as Agwe

“Audiences are in for a treat,” says Jahmaul Bakare, who plays island water god Agwe in the show. “There’s amazing dancing, great singing, consummate acting. One moment, you’ll be laughing and smiling and having a good time, and the next you’ll be thinking about something thought-provoking, and then you’ll probably be crying. You’ll be engaged and captivated from the beginning. That’s how the show is. Once it starts, there’s not a dull moment.”

Winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Once On This Island is the sweeping, universal tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world, and ready to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods, Ti Moune sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart.

Bakare’s character, Agwe, is god of the water and is, in fact, the one who starts the chain of events that leads Ti Moune to meet her beloved Daniel Beauxhomme. In his song “Rain,” Agwe arranges for a storm Agwe arranges for a story to cause Daniel’s car to crash so that Ti Moune may find him and restore him to health. She tells him, “The gods have sent me to make you well,” and because of her faith, Daniel is healed.

Much of the tension in the story comes from the fact that Ti Moune and Daniel come from two different classes of society. Daniel descends from black Haitians who mixed with French colonists and, thus, is lighter skinned and a member of the wealthier, upper class. Ti Moune, meanwhile, has darker skin and is a poor peasant. Most characters in the play see their relationship as doomed from the start. “The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes” tells the history of race relations on the island and is one of Bakare’s favorite songs in the show, he says, because its content forms the root of all story’s drama.

The Company of Once on This Island

A core player throughout Once On This Island is mother nature herself. The four island gods represent water, earth, love, and death. They all use forces of nature to manifest their will on the island, and the elements are real — real water rains down on the stage. Sand and fire are present, too. Bakare himself spends most of the 90-minute performance (no intermission) within an actual pool filled with water. Additionally, throughout the show, cast members create a magical, authentic island experience by making background sounds of birds, frogs, mosquitoes, drums, tom toms, djembes, rain, breezes, and more.

The cast invites audience members to take in these natural elements on a very spiritual level. “We don’t always pay attention to the things all around us that make life easier for us,” Bakare explains. “Since being a part of Once On This Island, I’ve tried to pay attention to all the things around me from a spiritual standpoint so that things will be a bit easier, so that I can go on stage and make a great experience for the audience every night.”

The overall message of Once On This Island is to “love in spite of,” Bakare says. At the end, Ti Moune makes a difficult choice between self-preservation and self-sacrifice. It is in choosing the latter that she proves loving someone in spite of their wrongdoing is a way to clear the air and bring life that overcomes death.

Meet Jahmaul Bakare

Roots: Born in Chicago, Illinois, to Nigerian and American parents

Performance Bacgkround: Began singing and acting at age 9; performed with Congo Theater Company

Education: Bachelor of Arts from Morehouse College and Master of Fine Arts and Music from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas

Career Genres: classical theater, film and TV, musical theater, opera

Favorite credits: Flick in the LA premiere of Violet; Scar in The Lion King in Hong Kong

Dream Roles: A part in Hamilton; Coalhouse in Ragtime

Goals for the Future: To be in another Stephen Flaherty musical and to remain in entertainment for the rest of his life

Come for the Divinity from the Discarded Fashion Exhibition, Stay for the Show!

Once on This Island arrives in a few short days, but we’ve kicked off celebrating this show with the Divinity from the Discarded fashion exhibition, on display now in Walker Atrium at Walton Arts Center! The exhibition was curated exclusively for WAC by Christopher Vergara, assistant costume designer for Once on This Island.

The exhibition is free and open during normal lobby hours: 10 am until 2 pm Monday through Friday, 10 am until 4 pm on Saturday and 90 minutes prior to show times.

Featuring the work of six Northwest Arkansas designers, the exhibition celebrates sustainable fashion and the unique costumes of the gods in Once on This Island. Designed by Clint Ramos and assisted by associate costume designer Christopher Vergara, the gods’ costumes incorporate found or upcycled objects to create a gradual evolution of the characters from hurricane-ravaged islanders into the gods in the unfolding tale.

Each piece in the exhibition is made from found or upcycled materials. Vergara curated the exhibition from submissions that came in via a state-wide call. The Divinity from the Discarded Fashion Exhibition includes works by Brandy Lee, Trisha Guting, Sarah White, Rosie Rose, Alyssa Bird and Elizabeth Koemer.

Brandy Lee

Trash Diamond Dream

Materials: Salvaged laminate padding

Curator’s Notes: This dress exemplifies one of the tenets of upcycling, which is to make use of the natural qualities of the found material. Here the designer takes advantage of the material’s sturdiness to not only create a diamond cut-out pattern but also to draft a flattering dress shape.

Trisha Guting

Sagut ni Silaw (Bringing Light)

Materials: Double hammered bottle caps, aluminum pull tabs from cans, CDs, plastic bags, packing foam and Mylar balloons

Curator’s Notes: Being able to bring to mind another time or place with discarded items of the here and now is part of the fun of upcycling. While ingeniously using many modern materials, this piece evokes an ancient indigenous divinity.

Sarah White

Summer Dress

Materials: Plastic bags

Curator’s Notes: At its core, upcycling is about contrasts as we make useful that which has been considered useless. This summer dress is a beautiful example of celebrating the contrast. Here a light knit-like summer look is in contrast to the plastic bags from which it was made.

Rosie Rose

Swan Dress

Materials: Fabric scraps from linen clothing production and plastic soda pop rings

Curator’s Notes: Upcycling can be truly transformative practice. In this piece the materials have been transformed into an ombré tutu dress that has a sense of motion not found in but created by the discarded materials.

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Alyssa Bird

The SPACE to Transform

Materials: Test print and misprinted t-shirts from a local screen printing company

Curator’s Notes: One of the tangential benefits of upcycling is the opportunity to highlight local stories. This piece is not only inventive fashion but great storytelling.

Elizabeth Koerner

Waste Not, Want Not.

Materials: Packing fabric, ribbon and trim

Curator’s Notes: We talk about going from day to evening but here we have gone from discarded to high fashion. This piece of wearable arts shows how upcycling can be a legitimate technique in fashion design and creation.  

You still have a chance to see these beautiful creations and a showing of Once on This Island. Theater seating for the show starts at $40 plus applicable fees and can be purchased in-person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office, by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting waltonartscenter.org. Patrons also can get reserved parking for $7 when they purchase show tickets.

Show Times:  

Tuesday, Feb. 11 and Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7 pm

Thursday, Feb. 13 at 1:30 and 7 pm

Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 pm

Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 and 8 pm

Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2 pm

10x10 Questionnaire with Artists from Ballet Memphis

Last night, Ballet Memphis took the state in Baum Walker Hall to present three contemporary ballet pieces as part of Walton Arts Center’s 10x10 Arts Series. Today on the blog we have insights on the artists’ performances, backgrounds in dance, musical taste in more! Check out our 10x10 Questionnaire with the artists of Ballet Memphis.

Describe what Ballet Memphis means to you.

Brandon Ramey: Ballet Memphis is home. I didn’t know when I signed my first contract in 2009 that I would meet my wife in the company, teach in the school, start a family, spend the next 10 years of my life in our great city or plan on spending the next 10 years here as well.

Virginia Pilgrim Ramey: Ballet Memphis is like a second home to me. Being from Memphis originally, I started dancing in the school when I was just five years old and then joined the professional company when I was 17. That being said, Ballet Memphis has had a very strong influence over the person and dancer I have become. I am so grateful to the dancers, staff, choreographers and students I have met through this company along the way. It has been an incredible journey.

Pablo Sanchez: To me, Ballet Memphis means a world of art and creativity that brings diverse members of the wider Memphis community together to experience our company’s artistic expression through dance.  It means I get to belong with a troupe of dedicated dancers who hone their craft every day in order to engage with the public as we share our gifts.

Ballet Memphis was created to be a ballet company reflective of the community and nation – how is this mission brought to life on and off stage?

Brandon Ramey: Ballet Memphis has considered the demographics of our city and country and is intentionally hiring dancers that are a full reflection of all the people we want to reach. This not only creates diversity on the stage, but has fostered diversity among our viewing audience. Telling everyone’s stories gives everyone license to call us “their” ballet company.

Virginia Pilgrim Ramey: Memphis is a very unique and diverse city and it has always been important to Ballet Memphis that our professional company represents the people of the community. You see that reflected in the diversity of the dancers and within each piece we perform on stage. We strive to bring in diverse choreographers for each show so that the work we are presenting is as unique as we are.

Pablo Sanchez: Ballet Memphis brings to life its mission of reflecting the community and the nation by seeking dancers and choreographers from around the globe and creating works born of the shared human experience.  We present our works at home in Memphis and reach a broader audience as we embark on national tours.

Dominiq Luckie: I think it’s brought to life by showing how diverse we are as a company. I think that’s reflecting our mission and how well we work together through our differences.

 This performance includes three movements – Sa Voix, Flyway and Water of the Flowery Mill – why were these works selected for our audiences at Walton Arts Center?

Brandon Ramey: These pieces represent a wide range of the movement and narrative styles that Ballet Memphis brings to the stage. Sa Voix uses the language of classicism to address and confront the patriarchal nature of classical ballet; Flyway uses a more contemporary and theatrical vocabulary to connect the audience with the wonder of birds and the natural spaces that we share with them;  Water of the Flowery Mill, inspired by Arshile Gorky’s painting of the same name, bounces between hyper-technical and modern ideas bringing to movement the surrealistic-inspired biomorphic abstraction of its progenitor. Together these works complement each other while keeping the evening lively and engaging.

Virginia Pilgrim Ramey: Our work at Ballet Memphis almost always has a story to tell. Rarely do we perform dance just for the sake of dance because we are truly striving to transform lives through our art form. That sounds like quite a task for a group of ballet dancers to take on, but under the direction of Dorothy Gunther Pugh for many years and now her kindred spirit, Steven McMahon, we have each learned that we have much we can say through dance. Sa Voix (translated “Her Voice”) is a lovely work about the strength and beauty of women and the powerful voices we have even when it seems that those voices may be overshadowed by our male counterparts. While female ballet dancers may sometimes come across as fragile and delicate, this piece shows how we can be mighty and gentle, elegant while also supporting our partners.  Flyway, specifically about the Mississippi River Flyway, speaks to the geography that has a strong influence over the travel patterns of birds.  As history has shown, the river has also had a great influence over the migration patterns of people as well. I feel like while the audience watches a lighthearted piece about birds, they will automatically draw so many parallels to the human condition. Water of the Flowery Mill is a personal favorite of mine, and it is an example of how a choreographer can fit dance steps to the music so perfectly that you actually see the sounds you are hearing. The music truly comes to life, and in this case, the painting by the same name comes to life also. This is a piece that leaves room for the audience’s imagination to write their own narrative. No two people will walk away with the same exact storyline, which I find fascinating

Pablo Sanchez: Three of Ballet Memphis’s signature choreographers bring the flavor of Memphis culture to the Walton Arts Center. Sa Voix by Julie Niekrasz, Flyway by Steven McMahon and Water of the Flowery Mill by Matthew Neenan are bound to delight our audiences here in Fayetteville.

Pick 5 words that best describe your work.

Brandon Ramey: Thoughtful, Challenging, Inspirational, Aspirational, Fun

Pablo Sanchez: Versatile, agile, technical, thoughtful, transcendent

What drew you to the field of dance? And what continues to fuel you in this art form?

Brandon Ramey: I’ve wanted to dance professionally since I was 12. I never felt more alive than when I was jumping, turning or performing; I wanted to be the next Baryshnikov. I haven’t stopped trying.

Virginia Pilgrim Ramey: Music is such a huge part of what drew me to dance. My parents were both musicians and true music lovers, so we had music in the house pretty much all the time. I danced before I even knew how to dance and thankfully my mother had the foresight to put me in ballet classes. Even now, my favorite pieces we perform are the ones where the choreographers have been inspired by the music first and then have created steps that fit so perfectly with what you hear. Music and movement work together to evoke feelings and conjure memories better than any other method of storytelling.

Pablo Sanchez: My initial exposure to the art of dance was through my older sister.  As I watched her Ballet Folklorico group perform, I yearned to express myself through dance and began taking lessons at age ten.  Since then, my desire to grow professionally and work hard with other talented artists has fueled my drive to pursue this art form.

Felecia Baker: My mom has taken ballet classes her whole life. Though she was never interested in dancing professionally, she introduced me to the art form and made sure I got the best training. What continues to fuel me is how there’s always room for improvement.

Dominiq Luckie: Football was a starter for me getting into dance. What continues to fuel me is that your growth in this field seems endless. It feels like you develop and gain knowledge in dance, the world and yourself as an artist.

What are some unique or memorable experiences you’ve had while traveling around the world to share the art of dance?

Brandon Ramey: On tour last year, a woman came up to me after the show and told me her maiden name was Ramey. She told me that the Ramey brothers came from Strasbourg in the late 19th century to escape the turmoil of the Franco-Prussian War and settled in Kentucky (where my father is from). We figured out that she was a far distant cousin of mine and we were each able to fill some holes in our respective family trees that we thought had been lost to time

Pablo Sanchez: My experience in dance has led me to collaborate with Native American artists from Montana, deaf and blind dancers in China and dancers from virtually every corner of the globe.  As a cultural ambassador, I have the privilege of sharing our art form with others, while always being on the receiving end of much greater cultural gifts.

What message do you hope to send the world via your performance?

Brandon Ramey: A good life is more than a good paycheck; diversity makes a richer tapestry; ballet is still relevant and becoming more relevant.

Virginia Pilgrim Ramey: One thing my mother has said to me through the years is that at each performance someone may be seeing dance for the first time and someone may be seeing dance for the last time. In either case and for the people who will be back again and again, I strive to be an uplifting source of light in what can sometimes be a dark and heavy world.

Pablo Sanchez: We transmit a message of love and hope to those who engage with our work.  They see the resilience, strength, and beauty of the human body as it speaks the language of the human soul.  Our goal is to inspire others to persevere and rise above.

Felecia Baker: When I’m performing on stage, I feel so much joy and excitement. I hope to share those same emotions with the audience.

What is the best advice that you have been given? 

Brandon Ramey: Open an I.R.A.

Pablo Sanchez: Do what you love and love what you do—always. (From my mother!)

Dominiq Luckie: Everyone’s path and how to get there...is different.

Whom do you define as visionary; and why?

Brandon Ramey: You are and so am I. Anyone who can see something that doesn’t yet exist, and then create it, is a visionary. The ability to imagine is what makes the human species unique. I hope that through the arts we are able to inspire others to be visionaries in their own lives.

Pablo Sanchez: A visionary is a person who is able to see beneath the surface and through the current chaos to the beauty and potential that lies beyond.  Our Founding Artistic Director and CEO, Dorothy Gunther Pugh, is that person.  Dorothy´s vision, value system, and collaborative spirit enables us as dancers to shape the future from our platform on stage.

What songs, artists or genres of music are you currently listening to?

Brandon Ramey: I’m listening to the soundtrack to La La Land. My favorites are “Another Day of Sun,” “City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream).”

Virginia Pilgrim Ramey: We listen to a lot of classical music and oldies at home—Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, The Platters and The Drifters just to name a few.

Pablo Sanchez:  Solange, Roy Orbison, Lizzo

Felecia Baker: Anything Beyonce! She has great party music!

Dominiq Luckie: Drake, Smino, Mac Miller; Hip Hop/R&B/Pop  

Once on This Island - From Moving Book to Stunning Musical

Welcoming you in like an island breeze, the Tony award-winning musical Once on This Island will delight audiences in February.

Although the show may not have name recognition that sparks interest, when one dives a bit deeper the tale will sweep you away in familiarity and heart!

Based on a book with ties to Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid, Once on This Island is an immersive experience using real fire, water, sand and soul.

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Based on the book by Rosa Guy

Once on This Island is based on the 1985 book My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, which is set in the Caribbean and is the retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. Both are stories of a young girl who falls in love with a boy outside of her station in life. In My Love, My Love the boundary is socio-economical and in The Little Mermaid the boundary is land and sea. There have been connections made to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as well, which again tells the story of a young couple whose families oppose their love and try to keep them apart.

The Musical

The first Broadway revival of Once on This Island, produced by Ken Davenport, directed by Michael Arden and choreographed by Camille A. Brown, began previews on November 9, 2017 and officially opened on December 3 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. This production featured a stage covered in sand, with live animals onstage, and set and costume design intended to suggest a wrecked beach community recovering from a hurricane. The revival closed on January 6, 2019, after 458 regular performances.

The musical is touring North America and opened on October 15, 2019, at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, Tennessee. The tour is directed by Michael Arden with choreography by Camille A. Brown. The tour will feature onstage seating, "creating a unique experience within the footprint of every theater we play... Audiences will be invited to put their feet in the sand and surround our company, becoming part of the show."

Characters

• Ti Moune - A peasant girl.

• Little Ti Moune - Ti Moune as a child.

• Daniel Beauxhomme - A grand homme (French for "upper class"); Ti Moune's love interest; Beauxhomme is French for "beautiful man"

• Papa Ge - The sly Demon of Death who is the main antagonist of the show. He tricks the main character into giving her life for another. He is seen as a skeleton and is very sneaky. The people on the island fear him because of what he represents: the unknown that is death.

• Erzulie - Beautiful Goddess of Love; the foil to Papa Ge

• Agwe - God of Water

• Asaka - Mother of the Earth

• Mama Euralie - Ti Moune's adoptive mother

• Tonton Julian - Ti Moune's adoptive father

• Andrea Deveraux - Daniel's promised wife; also "Madame Armand"

• Armand Beauxhomme - Daniel's stern father.

• "Armand" - The ancestor of Armand Beauxhomme.

• Gatekeeper - The Hotel Beauxhomme's fierce guard

• The Little Girl - A young girl who is told the story of Ti Moune.

• Daniel's Son - Daniel's young son

• Storytellers/Gossips - Various Grands Hommes and peasants

Once on this Island

DATES: Feb. 11-16

Winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Once on This Island is the sweeping, universal tale of Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl in search of her place in the world, and ready to risk it all for love.

Keeper of the Keys - Who will win Piano Battle at Walton Arts Center?

BLACK AND WHITE ARE READY TO FIGHT

Whether or not they are friends in real life, mercy is the last thing on their mind when fighting on stage. Winning the audience‘s heart is the only thing that counts!

“The comedy-classical combat show of the affable German pair Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis returns after a successful debut. It’s serious Classical music in a whole new context – and you decide the winner!” (Time Out)

10x10 Q&A with Paul Cibis and Andreas Kern

Piano Battle is very different from a traditional piano performance - what inspired you to switch things up?

PAUL: Piano Battle started more or less by accident. We were both were in contact with the Hong Kong City Festival and there was only one concert slot left. The festival suggested that we share...

ANDREAS: And it did not take us long to discover that we definitely did not want to perform together! The fight was on and we decided to battle it out right on stage.

PAUL: To our surprise, the show was so successful that we were invited back and since then have been performing Piano Battle shows across the world.

In an energetic fight for acclaim, are there certain personas, techniques or creative flairs that each of you add to the show?

ANDREAS: I don't need anyone or anything else to win!

PAUL: Joking aside, we are no actors. On stage we behave according to our natural temperament. But it is a competition after all, and we have to give our very best at each  moment of the show, not only in performing but also in connecting with the audience. And for that you sometimes might end up emphazising a side side of your character to offer something really diffrent from each other. “Trust Your Ears” is all I need to say. If you do that, the right one will win.

ANDREAS: The difficulty of convincing every member of the audience and being flexible and creative in my responses to Paul is actually my favourite part. If the audience pays close attention, they will notice that the more emotional and exciting pieces are played by “Andreas”, and the winner will be obvious. “Stay curious”!

How does the audience affect each performance?

ANDREAS: Indeed, six rounds, no rules - and the audience decides who wins. In each round we play one piece of a similar musical style, trying to outperform each other. So everyone in the hall listen very intensely because they are absolutely in charge of the outcome.

PAUL: There is a master plan and depending on who wins a certain round, we will continue one way or another. But there is still a lot of flexibility, which makes it a lot of fun for us as well.

ANDREAS: We also have a proper improvisation round in which we spontaneously play with suggestions called up to us by the audience. And I always like to throw a surprise or two at Paul - just to keep him on his toes!

Pick 5 words that best describe your work.

PAUL: Let me tell you about Andreas: “Energetic”, “funny”, “creative”, but “flashy” and “loud”.

ANDREAS: My characteristics for Paul: “Traditional”, “calm”, “safe”, and “maybe charming”.

What is the most rewarding thing about being a part of this production?

ANDREAS: To meet so many nice and interesting people all over the world.

PAUL: To challenge myself almost every week.

What are some unique or memorable experiences you’ve had while traveling around the world to share Piano Battle?

PAUL: During our first tour in Australia in August last year, I wanted to jump under the piano as I often do during one of our encores, but I had forgotten that my piano was built with casters with iron bars between the piano legs. I was screaming in pain and laughing at the same time!

ANDREAS: Because of some corruption issues between the police and a theater in China we once had to escape from the police. Blues Brothers Style.

What message do you hope to send the world via your performance?

ANDREAS: Our competition is serious in the sense that we always go out on stage to win. But of course, music was not written for competitions and our battle is to be taken with a twinkle in the eye. We want to let the people know that a classical concert does not have to be boring.

PAUL: The audience has to listen very intensely because they have to make a decision and we hope that this close attention will also increase their enjoyment of the music. Our somewhat different and lighthearted format wants to brings classical music into the 21st century and hopefully creates interest among new audiences in classical music. That would be the best outcome.

What is the best advice that you have been given?

PAUL: Stop trying to think feelings.

ANDREAS: Being late for appointments is impolite. 

Whom do you define as visionary; and why?

ANDREAS: Beethoven - just listen to his last string quartets and you hear why.

PAUL: Stephen Hawking - he always had the future in his thoughts.

What songs, artists or genres of music are you currently listening to?

PAUL: Lot's of Billy Joel (The Stranger) and Sting (Ten Summoner's Tales), right now. I am also re-discovering more and more of Bred Mehldau's solo albums, he is such a classy pianist.

ANDREAS: Ariana Grande, Keith Jarrett Trio, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Bublé.

Piano Battle

DATE: Thursday, Jan. 30, 7pm

TICKETS: $10

The brainchild of internationally accomplished pianists Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis, Piano Battle places the two musicians head-to-head on stage, charming and enchanting the audience with a variety of classical pieces by composers such as Chopin, Liszt and Debussy – and improvising tunes based on recommendations from the audience.

WAC Gives Back

Tis’ the season for doing good by supporting organizations that serve our community.

In December, the staff at Walton Arts Center partnered with five local organizations to help give back during the holidays - The Walmart Museum, Toys for Tots, NWA Children’s Shelter, NWA Books for Kids and NWA Food Bank.

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Toys on display in our Holiday window were donated to Toys for Tots.

Walton Arts Center’s holiday display in the lobby was filled with vintage toys, frost-covered trees and everything needed for a winter wonderland. All of the toys and were donated by The Walmart Museum of Bentonville, including a wooden sled, board games, pedal cars and a Radio Flyer Wagon. The display was up in the Walker Atrium from Nov. 22 to Dec. 23. After the last performance on the year WAC staff and volunteers from the current Leadership Fayetteville class gathered the display items and delivered them to NWA Toys for Tots, right in time for Santa to load them in his sleigh.

An annual tradition for Walton Arts Center and Walmart AMP staff is to collect donations for Northwest Arkansas area non-profits as part of the holiday party held in December. This year, the NWA Children’s Shelter was the chosen recipient. Employees could either donate money or items that were requested by the shelter. Several employees were able to play Santa and use the monetary donations to purchase more of the requested items for the shelter including toys, snacks, paper products and winter coats.

In conjunction with two family-friendly holiday traditions, The Snowman Concert with WAC & SoNA and the annual screening of The Polar Express, Walton Arts Center partnered with NWA Books for Kids and hosted a holiday book drive. NWA Books for Kids seeks to build reading skills and a love of books among children at an early age by placing books in their homes and encouraging their parents to read together. Books collected during the drive will be given to nonprofits in our area that serve children and their families.

With a spirit of giving, the Walton Arts Center Communication team decided to forgo in their yearly “secret Santa” exchange and instead donate to the NWA Food Bank. The team donated enough money to provide 1,100 meals for NWA residents in need through the local nonprofit.

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The staff at Walton Arts Center have a mindset focused on giving back to our community. We are grateful for all of the support that we receive throughout the year, and are more than happy to help other organizations that serve our community.

History and Legacy on Display - Memories Worth Sharing Returns to Joy Pratt Markham Gallery

Walton Arts Center’s History Boxes by local artist Kathy Thompson have returned to the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery in an exhibition titled Memories Worth Sharing.

Originally commissioned for the nonprofit organization’s 20th anniversary in 2012, the exhibition consists of 20 mixed-media assemblages that commemorate Walton Arts Center’s impact since it opened. Each box uses the power of found objects to convey a sense of time, place, self and community, all focused around the mission and history of Walton Arts Center.

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Memories are worth sharing, and patrons can add theirs to the collection. From now until December 1, patrons can donate a small object that symbolizes the impact that a performing arts or visual arts experience at Walton Arts Center has had on their life. Objects should be placed in the receptacle in the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery or left with the box office if the gallery is closed.

Thompson will create the newest box from a selection of the donated materials. This newest History Box celebrating collaboration and community memories will be on display December 10-31.

Walton Arts Center was created when the community of Northwest Arkansas rallied around a vision and worked collaboratively for the good of the region. Since its opening in 1992, each person who has walked through the doors has added their experience, laughter, energy and memories to the collective space of Walton Arts Center. The Memories Worth Sharing exhibition explores Walton Arts Center memories through the lens of foundations, programming, giving back, experience and art forms.

Memories Worth Sharing

Joy Pratt Markham Gallery at Walton Arts Center

Joy Pratt Markham Gallery is open Monday through Friday from noon until 2 pm and one hour prior to most performances. Tours may be scheduled by calling 479.571.2766.

Jesse Cook Takes Nuevo Flamenco Beyond Borders

Widely considered one of the most influential figures in "nuevo flamenco" music today, Jesse Cook incorporates elements of flamenco, rumba, jazz and many forms of world music into his work.

Jesse Cook is a Juno Award winner, Acoustic Guitar Player's Choice Award silver winner in the Flamenco Category and a three-time winner of the Canadian Smooth Jazz award for Guitarist of the Year.

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Born to photographer and filmmaker John Cook and television director and producer Heather Cook and nephew to artist Arnaud Maggs, Jesse Cook spent the first few years of his life moving between Paris, Southern France and Barcelona.

After his parents separated, Cook and his sister accompanied his mother to her birth country, Canada, where he took lessons at Toronto's Eli Kassner Guitar Academy and eventually studied under Kassner. While Cook was still a teenager, his father retired to the French city of Arles in the Camargue where his neighbor was Nicolas Reyes, lead singer of the flamenco group the Gipsy Kings. During frequent visits to Arles, Jesse Cook became increasingly fascinated by the "Camargue sound,” the rhythmic, flamenco-rumba approach that could be heard on many corners and cafés.

Back at home, he continued his studies in classical and jazz guitar at Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music, York University and Berklee College of Music in the United States. He has often quipped that he later attempted to unlearn it all while immersing himself in the oral traditions of Romani music.

After the independent 1995 release in Canada of his debut albu, Tempest, he played at the 1995 Catalina Jazz Festival; shortly afterwards, Tempest entered the American Billboard charts at No. 14.

Cook has recorded ten studio albums, five live DVDs and has traveled the world exploring musical traditions that he has blended into his style of rumba flamenco.

In 1998, Cook was nominated for a Juno Award as Instrumental Artist of the Year. In 2001, he received a Juno Nomination for Best Male Artist. In 2001, Cook won a Juno Award in the Best Instrumental Album category for Free Fall. In 2009, he was Acoustic Guitar's Player's Choice Award silver winner in the Flamenco category (gold went to Paco de Lucia). He is a three-time winner of the Canadian Smooth Jazz award for Guitarist of the Year and numerous other awards.

In 2011, Cook began filming, directing and editing his own music videos with the release of Virtue. He has since directed, filmed and edited eight music videos, 16 episodes of Friday Night Music and produced, edited and mixed the PBS Concert Special Jesse Cook, Beyond Borders.

Cook has said of his music: "If you go to Spain and you play [my] music, they’ll say, what is this? They don’t recognize it as Flamenco because it’s not, it’s a hybrid. I love Flamenco, but I also love world music, jazz, pop, Brazilian Samba and Persian music."

Jesse Cook

DATE: Friday, Jan. 10, 8 pm

Cook has traveled the globe looking for sounds that resonate with him. Known for his intoxicating fusion of world music, the Juno Award winner’s songs transport you – to Cairo, Brazil, Spain and beyond.

It's Piff-Tacular! Piff the Magic Dragon At Walton Arts Center

With over 100 million online views, sold out shows across the U.S. and Canada and a residency at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas, Piff the Magic Dragon has proved he’s here to stay.

Joined by Mr Piffles, The World’s Only Magic Performing Chihuahua™, the dynamic duo have performed all over the world in iconic venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Shakespeare’s Globe, the O2, London and Sydney Opera house. He was the opening act for Mumford & Sons on their 17-date U.K. tour and graces the cover of their Grammy award winning album Babel.

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Magician and comedian from the United Kingdom, Piff the Magic Dragon is the winner of multiple awards from British magic societies and appeared on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” and “America's Got Talent.” In 2019, Piff the Magic Dragon was named one of Variety's 10 Comics to Watch for 2019.

Regarding his comedic influences, Piff the Magic Dragon said "It was the people who are a little more irreverent. It was people like The Amazing Johnathan, Penn and Teller, Harry Anderson … and also if you look at some of the Copperfield stuff, like with the singing tie, he’s got amazingly funny routines as well. But obviously, the other stuff that Copperfield does is very straight and serious. And that was what I was reacting against."

And when asked which is harder, doing the magic or getting the comedy right, Piff said: "It is, without question, getting the magic tricks to work. That is the hardest bit. Because for the comedy, you can rewrite a joke pretty quickly, but to make a magic trick work it’s usually at least a month or two in R&D prototyping. And if it doesn’t work, then you have to really go back to the drawing board. Because now you spent all this time on something that nobody even cares about. So, you have to start again."

In 2008, John van der Put created his stage persona of Piff the Magic Dragon, dressing in a green, red and yellow dragon costume, with self-deprecating humor and deadpan delivery. He is assisted by "Mr. Piffles," a chihuahua in a dragon costume. The Magic Dragon persona was created by happenstance, when he went to a costume party in a dragon outfit, and nobody else turned up in costume. "It was just me. And one of my friends who knew that I was a magician said to me, 'You should do this in your act. You could be Puff the Magic Dragon.' And I said, 'Wait, I could be Piff the Magic Dragon. You might have heard of my older brother, Steve.' And that's where that came from."

When asked in an interview why he is a dragon, and not some other mythological being, Piff the Magic Dragon responded:

The first question is, “Am I even a dragon?” Because, well I don’t have wings … I can’t even fly. So, I don’t know. What happened was: I was a regular human magician for many years. And it never really worked out for me … I had a sort of very grumpy face, and I was getting fired everywhere. And then I had to go to a costume party, and I didn’t have a costume to wear and I said to my sister, ‘Do you have anything to wear?’ And she said, ‘Yes, I have a dragon outfit under my bed.’

So, the fact that it’s even a dragon outfit is solely down to my sister and her interpretation of the facts. And, I did ask her recently, ten years later, ‘Was it definitely a dragon outfit?,’ and she could not authenticate that. So, it was definitely some sort of lizardy, reptile-ish creature that I prefer to look at as a dragon.”

Piff the Magic Dragon has appeared regularly in shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, debuting at the 2009 Free Fringe Festival with a solo show that broke the record for highest takings in one night and being nominated for the inaugural 2012 Time Out and Soho Theatre Cabaret Award. His show at the 2009 Buxton Fringe won the award for Best Comedy Show the same year that Love and Other Magic Tricks won. He has had national tours of the UK and Australia and now Piff is on tour across the U.S. and headed to the Walton Arts Center for The Fun Size Tour.

Piff the Magic Dragon

The Fun Size Tour
featuring Mr Piffles, The World’s Only Magic Performing Chihuahua™

DATE: Sunday, Jan. 12, 7pm

“Piff is the best! A true original!” -David Copperfield

“A stunningly good magician!” -Penn & Teller

Old Fashioned Fun, On-Stage in A Christmas Story, The Musical

A Christmas Story: The Musical is the stage version of the 1983 American classic film, A Christmas Story. The musical has music and lyrics written by the award-winning duo, Pasek & Paul, and book by Joseph Robinette.

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The film was released on November 18, 1983 and in 2012, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The story came to life on Broadway in the winter of 2012, stealing the hearts of a new generation of audiences. Get your pink bunny suit ready - A Christmas Story: The Musical is about to take the Walton Arts Center stage!

Characters

• Ralphie Parker: A little boy who wants a Red Ryder Carbine Action Range Model Air Rifle with a compass in the stock and a thing that tells time.

• Jean Shepherd: Old Ralphie, who narrates the story.

• The Old Man: The gruff father of Ralphie and Randy.

• Mother: The glue who holds the Parker family together.

• Randy Parker: Ralphie's kid brother.

• Miss Shields: Ralphie's teacher.

• Schwartz: Ralphie's foul-mouthed friend

• Flick: Ralphie's dim friend who gets his tongue stuck to a flag pole.

• Scut Farkus: The class bully who gets beaten up by Ralphie.

• Grover Dill: Scut's right-hand man.

• Esther Jane: Ralphie's love interest.

• Mary Beth: Esther Jane's best friend.

• Santa: A mean old mall Santa.

Musical numbers

Act 1

• "Overture" - Orchestra

• "It All Comes Down to Christmas" - Ralphie, the Parkers and Ensemble

• "Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun" - Ralphie and Jean

• "It All Comes Down to Christmas (Reprise)" - Ralphie and Company

• "The Genius on Cleveland Street" - The Old Man and Mother

• "When You're a Wimp" - Kids

• "Ralphie to the Rescue!" - Ralphie, Miss Shields, the Old Man, Mother, Randy and Ensemble

• "What a Mother Does" - Mother

• "A Major Award" - The Old Man, Mother and Neighbors

• "Parker Family Singalong" - The Parkers

• "Act One Finale" - Ralphie and Ensemble

Act 2

• "Entr'acte" - Orchestra

• "Sticky Situation" - Ralphie, Flick, Schwartz, Kids, Miss Shields, Nurse, Flick's Mom, Fireman, Policeman and Doctor

• "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" - Miss Shields and Kids

• "Just Like That" - Mother

• "At Higbee's" - Elves

• "Up on Santa's Lap" - Santa, Elves, Ralphie, Randy and Kids

• "Before the Old Man Comes Home" - The Parkers

• "Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana" - Ralphie, Randy and Kids

• "Ralphie to the Rescue! (Reprise)" - Ralphie and Ensemble

• "A Christmas Story" - The Parkers and Full Company

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A Christmas Story: The Musical

DATES: Dec. 10-15

The Associated Press calls A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL “a joyous Christmas miracle,” while The New York Times writes “I was dazzled. You’d have to have a Grinch-sized heart not to feel a smile spreading across your face.”

Great for all ages!

Celebrate Lights of the Ozarks at Walton Arts Center

The lights are going up and the most magical season is here. Celebrate the Lights of the Ozarks parade at Walton Arts Center on Friday, Nov. 22 from 5-8 pm.

Warm up with hot cocoa and snap photos in the decorated lobby to kick off the holiday season.

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Each year Fayetteville Parks and Recreation workers spend over 3,300 hours decorating the Downtown Square with over 400,000 lights. The amazing winter wonderland of lights on the Downtown Square begin Friday, November 22, at 6 p.m. with the lighting night parade. And this year, the parade route is extending with a pass by the Fayetteville Public Library, Historic Downtown Square and down Dickson Street, with a final turn by Walton Arts Center.

During the parade, Walton Arts Center’s team will have a hot chocolate stand on the Tyson Plaza and A Christmas Story themed gift tags and coloring sheets. Bring your family to sit out on the steps for the best view up Dickson Street, take some family photos in the lobby with all of the holiday decor and if someone needs to hit the restroom, Walton Arts Center will be open to the public.

Delight in this holiday tradition at the corner of Dickson and West with all of the amenities to make it a fun holiday night out.

Lights of the Ozarks Parade

The Lights of the Ozarks parade will weave through downtown Fayetteville at 6 p.m. on the evening of Friday, November 22nd, with a final pass in front of Walton Arts Center’s Tyson Plaza.  

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is Grounded in Mister Rogers’ Landmark Social-Emotional Curriculum

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is coming to Walton Arts Center in February.

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood was created by the Fred Rogers Company in 2012 as a spin off of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Just like Mister Rogers, it's aimed at preschool children and centers around a young tiger, the son of Daniel Striped Tiger, and his friend in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

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This series, for a new generation of children, tells its engaging stories about the life of a preschooler using musical strategies grounded in Fred Rogers’ landmark social-emotional curriculum. Through imagination, creativity and music, Daniel and his friends learn the key social skills necessary for school and for life.

The star of the series is 4-year-old Daniel Tiger, son of the original program’s beloved puppet Daniel Striped Tiger, who invites young viewers into his world, giving them a kid’s eye view of his life. Daniel talks directly to viewers, warmly drawing them in and making them feel like one of his neighbors. As they closely follow and share Daniel’s everyday adventures, preschoolers and their families learn fun and practical strategies and skills necessary for growing and learning.

Each episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood consists of two engaging stories that center on a common early learning theme such as dealing with disappointment. One of the key ingredients that sets the new series apart is its groundbreaking use of catchy, musical strategies that reinforce each theme and that preschoolers and parents will both sing — and use — together in their daily lives.

The series’ stories were written based on extensive input from a wide range of early learning specialists, formative research with children and the benefit of more than 40 years of the work of Fred Rogers. It all adds up to a powerful tool for parents: an entertaining and thoughtful guide for today’s families that integrates music, interactivity and a research-based curriculum.

PBS airs episodes of each show that explores similar themes:

• Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood “Daniel’s Fish Dies/Daniel’s Strawberry Seeds” (NEW) and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood “Death of a Goldfish”

• Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood “The Tiger Family Grows/Daniel Learns About Being a Big Brother” and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood “Families”

• Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood “Visiting Grandpere/The Tiger Family Goes Home” and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood “Grandparents”

• Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood “Friends Help Each Other/Daniel Helps O Tell a Story” and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood “Friends”

• Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood “Daniel Gets Mad/Katerina Gets Mad” and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood “Mad Feelings”

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood LIVE!

DATE: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2:30 & 5:30 pm

Along with “O” the Owl, Katerina Kittycat, Prince Wednesday, Mom and Dad Tiger and many more, Daniel Tiger will take your family on an interactive musical adventure to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, sharing stories of friendship, helping others and celebrating new experiences.

Best for ages 3+

Talkin' Jazz With Art Blakey's Centennial Celebration

The Art Blakey Centennial Celebration with Bobby Watson (Alto Saxophone), David Schnitter (Tenor Saxophone), Donald Brown (Piano), Essiet Okon Essiet (Bass), Carl Allen (Drums) …and introducing Givton Gelin (Trumpet).

Preserving, protecting and honoring the legacy of Art Blakey, The Art Blakey Centennial Celebration Band is an elite line-up of alumni members of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

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Art Blakey was born 100 years ago, on Oct. 11, 1919, and America's homegrown music — jazz — might not sound quite like it does today if it weren't for the influence of the late drummer.

"I would call Art Blakey's music the spine of the jazz tradition post-World War II," Giovanni Russonello, a music critic for The New York Times, says. According to Russonello, Blakey's rhythmic groove set the pace for jazz in the second half of the 20th century. "He was playing music that was meant to pull people together, and that was why I think he became such a great mentor, such a great carrier of the tradition and passing on of the tradition. That beat was magnetic. That beat was a rallying cry [and] it was also a gathering place."

Blakey himself learned from his elders. He grew up in Pittsburgh and was playing in jazz clubs as a teenager while working in steel mills during the day. In his 20s, the drummer made a name for himself with some of the biggest big bands and the early beboppers before passing on his knowledge to the next generation.

Art Blakey’s band, The Jazz Messengers, was considered the quintessential forum for musicians who wished to hone their talent and leave their own mark on the jazz scene. Preserving, the legacy of Art Blakey, The Art Blakey Centennial Celebration Band is an elite line-up of alumni members, each now a longtime leader on his own and considered among jazz’s most accomplished players – including Bobby Watson (alto sax), Essiet Essiet (bass), Donald Brown (piano), David Schnitter (tenor sax), Carl Allen (drums) and introducing Giveton Gelin (trumpet).

The Art Blakey Centennial Celebration

DATE: Friday, March 20, 7:30 pm

Art Blakey was often called the father of hard bop. He was responsible for producing and developing more jazz talent than any other band leader during his more than six-decade career.

Christmas Bells are Swingin' with Boston Brass

Boston Brass has set out to establish a one-of-a-kind musical experience. From exciting classical arrangements, to burning jazz standards and the best of the original brass quintet repertoire, Boston Brass treats audiences to a unique brand of entertainment, which captivates all ages.

The ensemble’s lively repartee, touched with humor and personality, helps bridge the ocean of classical formality to put audiences at ease for an evening of great music and boisterous fun.

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For 31 years, Boston Brass has worked to create one-of-a-kind musical experience, treating audiences to a unique brand of entertainment and captivating all ages. The philosophy of Boston Brass is to provide audiences with a wide selection of musical styles in unique arrangements in a friendly and fun atmosphere.

Through over 100 performances each year, the members of Boston Brass play to audiences at concerts, educational venues and jazz festivals. In addition to solo performances, Boston Brass regularly performs with orchestras, wind ensemble, brass bands, marching bands and a variety of other ensembles. They have performed in 49 states and 30 countries and have conducted master classes around the world including sessions and residencies at the Eastman School of Music, The Julliard School, Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Peabody Conservatory of Music, University of North Texas, Royal Academy of Music in London, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at the National University of Singapore, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and Mahidol University in Bangkok. 

Boston Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group and has been featured educators and performers at the Mid West Band and Orchestra Clinic, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Japan Band Clinic, Music Educators National Conferences, American Bandmaster Association Conference, The American Band College, Western International Band Clinic and Texas Bandmasters Association Convention.

Boston Brass has been featured on “The CBS Early Show,” National Public Radio’s Performance Today, The Great American Brass Band Festival and has recorded many diverse albums. Their latest recording “Concerto Grosso” is a collaboration with Eric Rombach-Kendall and University of New Mexico Wind Ensemble, “Reminiscing” is a tribute to Rolf Smedvig of the Empire Brass, “Rewired” features new arrangements by the members of Boston Brass, Latin Nights, features a collection of some of the greatest classical and jazz works by Latin composers and performers and features the legendary drummer Steve Gadd, the beautiful voice of Talita Real, percussion and guitar. Other albums include Ya Gotta Try, featuring music from Horace Silver, Chick Corea and Dizzy Gillespie, produced by legendary jazz recording genius Rudy van Gelder andWithin Earshot, featuring classical works by Shostakovich, Ginastera, Dvorak, Liszt and others. 

Boston Brass has two holiday recordings, Christmas Bells are Swingin’, and The Stan Kenton Christmas Carols, featuring the Boston Brass All-Stars Big Band playing the truly phenomenal charts made popular by the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Boston Brass tours a vibrant holiday show each year featuring many of the charts from these two albums, combined with a variety of solo and combo selections and some fun surprises, which has quickly established the show as a perennial audience favorite. 

Boston Brass

Christmas Bells are Swingin’

DATE: Sunday, Dec. 8, 2pm

This all-brass ensemble – made up of trumpets, French horns, trombones and tubas, with a jazz rhythm section – is well-known for their great music and boisterous fun.

A Vital Voice of American Roots Music - Martha Redbone

Martha Redbone is A multi-award-winning musician. the charismatic songstress is celebrated for her tasty gumbo of roots music that embodies Folk and mountain blues sounds of her childhood in the Appalachian hills of Kentucky mixed with the eclectic grit of her teenage years in pre-gentrified Brooklyn.

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Redbone and her long-term collaborator, pianist/composer Aaron Whitby are called “the little engine that could” by their “band of NYC’s finest blues and jazz musicians” (Larry Blumenthal, Wall Street Journal). From grassroots beginnings with residencies at the original Living Room NYC, then Joe’s Pub and nationally at powwows across Indian Country in support of her debut album, Home of the Brave (“Stunning album, the kind of woman who sets trends,” according to Billboard). Redbone has built a passionate fan base with her mesmerizing presence and explosive live shows. Her album Skintalk is described as the soulful sound of “Earth, Wind and Fire on the Rez” (Native Peoples Magazine) and is recognized as an example of Contemporary Native American music in the Library Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

The Redbone/Whitby team’s newest work is Bone Hill - The Concert, a devised, interdisciplinary musical theater work that brings to light an important piece of American history that has never been told. Inspired by the lives of Redbone’s family in the hills of coal mining Appalachia, Bone Hill - The Concert is the journey of a woman, Red, returning to her homeland in Black Mountain and the coalmines of Kentucky where her family has dwelled for centuries. As a contemporary multi-racial Cherokee/Shawnee and African American family, they are permanently bonded to their culture, identity and the mountain despite its violent past and the ever changing laws of the land that attempt to extinguish them.

The piece was commissioned by Joe’s Pub and the Public Theater NY Voices. Redbone received the NEFA National Theater Project Creation and Touring Grant, and the National Performance Network Creation Fund from Lincoln Center.

In addition to Bone Hill, the Redbone/Whitby team have completed commissions for Plurality of Privacy project for the New York Theater Workshop, and are contributing composers for Primer for a Failed Superpower directed by Rachel Chavkin. In 2018, the team composed music for Other Side of the Mountain/Flood in the Valley, an East-meets-West play for the Liangshan Theater Project in Sichuan, China – collaborating with the Yi minority – a mountain people, making connections between the Nuosu and Indigenous/African American mountain cultures.

Alongside her career as a recording artist and songwriter Martha Redbone has maintained a steady involvement with causes she believes in. Redbone is contracted by The Department of Indian Education - Louisiana, LaFourche Parish and teaches Southeastern Traditional Singing Workshop for the United Houma Nation’s Bayou Healers Cultural Enrichment Camp program.

Redbone was a 2015-16 Fellow of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. She guest lectures on subjects ranging from Indigenous rights to the role of the arts in politics and Native American identity at many institutions including New York University, the University of Michigan and University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Redbone includes workshops and motivational talks with grade school children as part of her touring schedule on numerous reservations including Red Lake, Min., Cherokee, NC; Yuma, Ariz. and Menominee, Wis., among others.

An exemplary ambassador for both Native and African-American Youth for the National HIV/Aids Partnership, she was awarded the Red Ribbon Award for Outstanding Leadership presented on World AIDS Day at the United Nations in 2005. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the communities of the United Houma Nation on the Gulf Coast, Martha single-handedly helped generate publicity that raised more than $30,000.

Redbone also performed with Bonnie Raitt and the late Floyd Red Crow Westerman and helped raise over $130,000 in scholarships for the Heart of the Earth Foundation where 12 outstanding Native American students who have overcome adversity receive full tuition to study in higher education. Currently, Martha advocates for Why Hunger’s Artists Against Hunger and Poverty program which raises awareness of poverty and hunger in the United States, with particular attention to Appalachia in Martha’s instance. Redbone supports the Man Up Campaign, the global youth movement to eradicate violence against women and girls for which she served as the indigenous affairs consultant and creative adviser. She is particularly proud of her accomplishment in having the Campaign’s Board of Directors include an Indigenous North American contingent (independent of the U.S.) to the roll call of 50 countries taking part in their Youth Leadership Summit held at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Redbone is currently an Advisory Board member of The Carlisle Indian School Project.

Martha Redbone: Native Roots, Rhythm and Blues

DATE: Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30 pm

Martha Redbone is one of today’s most vital voices in American Roots music. A multi award-winning musician, the charismatic songstress is celebrated for her tasty gumbo of folk and mountain blues.

Print-At-Home and Walton Arts Center App Place Theater At Your Fingertips

Purchase tickets on-the-go — without worrying about making it to will call or losing tickets — with print-at-home tickets and the Walton Arts Center Ticket App.

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Patrons can now get their tickets emailed to them. The default delivery method for Walton Arts Center tickets purchased after November 1 will be email.

That means after placing a ticket order, you will receive two emails. One will be an order confirmation. The other is a PDF event ticket sent from info@waltonartscenter.org. The ticket can be printed at home or saved on a cell phone and simply scanned at the door.

However, patrons can still choose to have tickets held at will call at no additional charge or have tickets mailed for a $3 processing fee. Orders with 10 or more tickets, season subscriptions or group tickets, will still be mailed or held for pick up at will call for no additional charge

Use our mobile app to purchase tickets and receive day-of-show notifications. Walton Arts Center Tickets App is now available from Google Play™ or the Apple® App Store. The app allows patrons to purchase tickets at either Walton Arts Center or the Walmart AMP one week after a show goes on sale to the public. Patrons can also view information about shows at both venues, and by turning on push-notifications they will be able to stay updated on the latest weather alerts, show information and special offers. Search “Walton Arts Center Tickets” to download on the App Store and Google Play. For any questions on ticket delivery options, please call our box office at 479.443.5600.

Walton Arts Center
Box Office Info

Monday-Friday / 10am-6pm (lobby hours 10am-2pm)
Saturday / noon-4pm
Box Office #: 479.443.5600

Give The Gift of Live Performance This Season

Save the hassle of going store to store and impulse buying your way through Your holiday list. Make one stop at Walton Arts Center and give everyone what they want this season. And the best part, the more you buy the more you save!

Take a look at some upcoming shows that are a great start to your holiday shopping cart. From family-fun performances, date nights or even shows for the littlest patrons, give the gift of excellent experiences instead of things and get a great deal with a Create Your Own Subscription.

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A Christmas Story: The Musical

Dec. 10-15, 2019 | 8 shows!

Nominated for three 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical, the Associated Press calls A Christmas Story: The Musical “a joyous Christmas miracle,” while The New York Times writes “I was dazzled. You’d have to have a Grinch-sized heart not to feel a smile spreading across your face.”

Great for all ages!

Piano Battle

Jan. 30, 2020

The brainchild of internationally acclaimed pianists Andreas Kern and Paul Cibis, Piano Battle sees the duo go head-to-head on stage, charming and enchanting the audience with a variety of classical pieces. The show is divided into several rounds, each featuring a certain musical style.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Feb. 27, 2020

Founded in 1974 by a group of ballet enthusiasts, The Trocks, as the dancers are affectionately known, are a company of critically acclaimed professional male dancers performing the full range of ballet and modern dance repertoire, but incorporating and exaggerating the foibles, accidents and underlying incongruities of serious dance.

Jesse Cook

Jan. 10, 2020

After 16 years of musical training, Jesse Cook’s ability as a performer came to widespread public attention when a cable television company played his recordings as piped in background music for the channel guide.

Delivering notes like no other musician in this field, the twists and turns of genres and mood swings articulate a wide range of emotions that make Jesse Cook’s performances an especially moving musical experience.

The Peking Acrobats

Feb. 25, 2020

The newest generation of Peking Acrobats mixes high-tech special effects and awe-inspiring acrobatic feats with traditional Chinese music and instruments, creating an exuberant show with the festive pageantry of a Chinese Carnival.

They perform daring maneuvers and display their technical prowess with such arts as trick-cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting and gymnastics, pushing the limits of human ability, and defying gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility and control.

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood LIVE!

Feb. 8, 2020

“Won’t you be my neighbor?” Daniel Tiger and all of his friends from the beloved PBS KIDS television series and Fred Rogers Productions are hopping aboard Trolley and heading to Fayetteville!

This live theatrical production is filled with music, dancing, laughter and “grr-ific” surprises that will warm the hearts of multiple generations.

Best for ages 3+

VoiceJam Competition

April 4, 2020

Come cheer on these harmonizing, beat-boxing, mind-blowing groups and cast your vote for aca-fan favorite!

Bollywood Boulevard

April 23, 2020

The vibrancy, emotion and heart-pounding beat of Hindi cinema comes to life on stage with Bollywood Boulevard! Dance, live music, storytelling and stunning visuals combine to create a non-stop journey through more than 100 years of Bollywood movies.

Windmill Theatre Company’s Beep

May 1-2, 2020

What is this annoying interruption to Mort’s breakfast molly melon? Who is this noisy robot girl, and how will she find her home? With Windmill’s trademark design, gentle storytelling, music and puppetry, Beep is a slightly sideways tale about unexpected friendship, finding where you fit and learning to mix it up a little.

Best for ages 2+

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Buy Now and Save $ on each ticket!

With so many great options, it’s hard to choose just one show! With the Create Your Own subscription package, when you buy more, you save more. It’s that simple!

3 show Package - $2 off each

5 show package - $3 off each

7 Show package - $5 off each

Celebrate Arkansas Shares the Story Behind the Farce That You Don't Want to Miss

Rags-To-Riches Comedy from Across the Pond Makes Its Way To Northwest Arkansas Audiences. The Play That Goes Wrong will have you in stitches in your seat at Walton Arts Center.

Celebrate Arkansas Goes BEHIND-THE-CURTAIN of THE NATIONAL TOUR IN October’s ARTICLE. Learn More About the Mystery…

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If ever there were truth in advertising, it’s the hit British comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, says producer Kevin McCollum. “I’ve got to tell you, it’s been a pleasure having a show that I can market, and it is exactly what it says it is!” McCollum (Rent, Avenue Q) has teamed up with famed writer/producer J.J. Abrams (Star Wars, Star Trek, Lost) to present this international sensation about a hilariously disastrous production of a murder mystery here in the United States. Abrams saw the show in London, when he took a Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “I was amazed by the whole construction of it,” he says. “The way it was put together. The rhythm of it. The cleverness. The brilliance of the performers.”

The show is the brainchild of three graduates of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art — Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields and Henry Lewis. Sayer says the three men, who performed improv comedy, “were all living together in West London in a little flat in Gunnersbury. “We were working different day jobs,” Sayer says. “I was working at a telephone call center, Henry was working at a burger joint, the other Henry was working in a pub. And we would come home in the evenings, and we’d start writing together.”

Fans of British comedy, from silent film to Mr. Bean, Fawlty Towers and Monty Python, they drew upon their own theater disaster stories to craft a script filled with outrageous slapstick calamities, Sayer says. “There’s always a little bit of some kind of experience we’ve had, that informs some of the moments,” he explains. “But, obviously we take it to a much, much more excruciating place.”

An hour-long version of The Play That Goes Wrong opened in 2012 at the Old Red Lion Pub in North London, with sets, costumes and props the company members (Mischief Theatre) designed themselves. “When we started, there was an audience of about four people,” Shields says. But word of mouth helped grow the audiences and propel the show to the Trafalgar Studios in the West End, where the show acquired producers to take it on tour in the U.K. The producers said, “Well look, you’ve got half of the show,” Sayer remembers. “Now you need to have a second act.”

So, as the three writer/actors worked on a second act, they teamed up with set designer Nigel Hook to come up with more catastrophic theatrical misfortunes. “We wrote down a list of big visual effects that we’d love to have,” Sayer says. And, Shields adds, “We got pretty much everything that we asked for.” Hook’s two-level set, which won a 2017 Tony Award for scenic design, provides a cascading series of malfunctions, beginning with simple effects like doors sticking and pictures falling off the wall, to some truly spectacular and sidesplitting disasters. U.S. producer Kevin McCollum calls it a “set with personality,” which is “the antagonist” to the 10 actors in the show. “It’s man against the elements,” he says, “and it’s very, very powerful stuff.”

Shields says another key to the expansion of the show was to discover how they could “find one joke and then find 10 other jokes that come out of it.” He points to the large grandfather clock on the set, “Just that one prop is used over and over again. The hands come off the clock face; people walk into it; people get stuck inside it; we play a scene to the clock.” The results are “that I think there are more than a thousand jokes in the show, if you include every little laugh,” he says. “Because we get a laugh at least every six or seven seconds, I believe.”

After the U.K. tour, the new and improved play returned to London to the Duchess Theatre on the West End in 2014, where it captured the Olivier award for Best New Comedy. It’s still running. The Play That Goes Wrong is now the longest-running play on Broadway and has been produced in cities across the globe. “One of the most amazing things about having the show running all over the world is to be able to go and see different people in completely different cultures in completely different countries really laughing and enjoying the show,” Lewis says. “To see people in Norway laughing the same way that they’re laughing in Mexico or in Moscow, or all these different places, is really, really great.”

“It’s too easy to find reasons to be depressed and terrified and unsure and disheartened in this moment.” Abrams adds. “And finding something that is pure, unadulterated, hysterically funny, and bighearted piece of entertainment is no small thing. I think one of the reasons that people are laughing as hard as they are at this show is not just that it is so funny, but also that people are so desperate to have a good time. It’s not just about being distracted by the world; it’s about remembering that one of the great reasons we are alive is to come together and to laugh. And The Play That Goes Wrong does that.”

The Play That Goes Wrong

DATES: Nov. 12-17

Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous.

“Non-Stop Laughs” Take the Stage in The Play That Goes Wrong

The Play That Goes Wrong shows that there’s no denying the hilarity of a troupe that unfailingly turns can-do into can-don’t.

It’s a stage manager’s worst nightmare — and an audience’s cue for side splitting laughter. Corpses refuse to lie still. Mispronunciations run rife. Acting styles, if you can dignify these bungling hams with that term, clash.

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Absolutely everything is right about the transfer of Mischief Theatre’s award-winning Broadway production of The Play That Goes Wrong. While “non-stop laughs” has become something of a hackneyed soundbite, here it’s a 100% accurate appraisal of this hysterically funny British farce of the highest order; literally not a minute goes by in which the audience isn’t howling, from before the show officially begins until the final bows. So be sure to be in your seat early, and don’t forget to read the program, so you won’t miss the clever pre-show set-up of what’s to come.

Written by the uproarious Mischief team of Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer, and directed with full-out zaniness by Matt DiCarlo (following the original Broadway direction by Mark Bell), the self-referencing theatrical spoof (which, for its world premiere in London, won the prestigious Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2015) is in the format of a play-within-a-play, in which a university drama society presents a fictitious 1920s mystery called The Murder at Haversham Manor. When an unending series of “minor mishaps” wreaks havoc on opening night, the amateur cast and production team take the old maxim “the show must go on” to the extreme and continue their disastrous performance with die hard commitment till the sidesplitting end.

The show’s laugh-out-loud lunacy encompasses everything from mispronunciations, misplaced props, and mismatched action and dialogue, to missed cues, misaligned spotlights, and a malfunctioning set, along with an array of witty wordplay, sight gags, spit takes, slapstick and pratfalls. For all of the faux calamities to be believable, the timing must be impeccable, and it is, as executed with aplomb by a game ensemble that never misses a beat in the increasingly rapid-fire misfires, and never fails to trigger guffaws from the audience with the laughably convincing ‘bad performances’ of the nonprofessional characters (which is perhaps the most difficult challenge for the terrifically talented actors).

The Play that Goes Wrong

DATES: Nov. 12-17

If you love to laugh, then The Play That Goes Wrong is the right choice for you. It is escapist comedy at its most outrageous, so plan your escape now to Walton Arts Center to enjoy the engagement of this irrepressible hit.