Sneak Peek Brochure 10 - 11

We bring the world to Portsmou th! The Music Hall Presents 2010-2011

SEASON BROCHURE DRAFT MUSIC HALL CONFIDENTIAL

Tickets for the 2010-2011 season on sale to members Sat., June 5 at noon! On sale to the public Saturday, July 10.

Dear Members,

Welcome to The Music Hall in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire! You may have heard that our seaport city was recently named a “Distinctive Destination” for 2008 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. National Geographic Traveler referred to Portsmouth as “one of the boutique cities of America, and it’s blossoming right now.” So, now more than ever, attending Music Hall shows in Portsmouth allows you to stay close to home, reduce your carbon footprint and have a great experience!

As Josephine Lamprey, one of our board members, says, “The Music Hall and Portsmouth have it all. One no longer has to plan a trip to Boston or New York to get the best in theater. The Music Hall has something for everyone. The restaurants are superb, within walking distance to the theater, and parking is reasonably priced. You always see someone you know from the surrounding communities. It is a great place to meet and have a glass of wine and catch up with old friends.”

So let’s take a quick peek at next season – it all starts with our Tenth Telluride by the Sea and the unveiling of our brand new lobby. Since you’ve come to expect the best of the best, you’ll love that our roster boasts three Tony Award-winning plays, Grammy Award winners and nominees in concert, Parents Gold Choice Award winners, Portsmouth premieres and the return of Music Hall favorites. What’s on my must-see list? Yard Dogs Road Show, Sleeping Beauty Wakes and Tomás Kubínek!

Off stage, Education @ The Music Hall continues with the 14th Annual School Days Series, offering affordable high caliber matinees to 80 Seacoast schools, homeschoolers and families, while our Masters in Learning program offers master classes and “Meet the Master” opportunities. Our Community Partners program welcomes area nonprofits which use The Music Hall to stage their critical fundraisers.

Thank you to you, our members, who make all this wonderful programming – on stage and off – possible. We need you more than ever as we bring The Music Hall into the 21st century while maintaining and improving this treasured theater for generations to come. Members are the key to everything we do, and I’m so proud to be part of an arts institution that makes such a beautiful difference in the lives of so many. Thank you.

Best wishes,

Patricia Lynch Executive Director

The Music Hall

7/11 Intimately Yours: Joan Armatrading

8/12 Intimately Yours: Jonny Lang

9/21 Writers on a New England Stage: Margaret Atwood

9/23 Intimately Yours: Chris Botti 9/24-26 Telluride by the Sea

10/2 Circo Comedia

10/9 Met@The Music Hall: Das Rheingold

10/18 Writers on a New England Stage: Joyce Carol Oates

10/22 Mama’s Night Out

10/23 Met@The Music Hall: Boris Godunov

10/24 Buika

11/5 The Event

11/13 Met@The Music Hall: Don Pasquale

11/20 KidsRULE!: Dan Zanes

11/30 Writers on a New England Stage: Joe Ellis

12/4 All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914

12/11 A Christmas Celtic Sojourn

12/12 Met@The Music Hall: Don Carlo (rebroadcast) 12/19 A Merry Funny New England Christmas Juston McKinney & Friends with the Gaudy Baubles

12/21 Messiah Sing

1/8 Met@The Music Hall: La Fanciulla

2/11 Valentines Day with Jane Monheit 2/26 Met@The Music Hall: Iphigenie en Tauride

3/4 Ladysmith Black Mambazo

3/19 Met@The Music Hall: Lucia Di Lammermoor 3/27 Gaelic Storm

4/3 Swan Lake: Russian National Ballet

4/8 Rebirth Brass Band

4/9 Met@The Music Hall: Le Comte Ory

4/10 Popovich Comedy Pet Theater

4/15 The Second City

4/23 Met@The Music Hall: Capriccio

4/30 Met@The Music Hall: Il Trovatore

5/7 20th Annual Kitchen Tour

5/14-15 Momix

5/21 Met@The Music Hall: Die Walkure (re-broadcast) TBD Lemony Snicket’s The Composer is Dead

Intimately Yours: Joan Armatrading

Sunday, July 11, 2010 • 7:30pm • Tickets: TBD

Soul/sophisticated pop diva on the 12 string guitar, Joan Armatrading brings her West Indies/ Brit sensibility, distinctive vocals and consummate musicianship to her critically acclaimed career. With multiple Grammy nominations, she’s touring behind her 20th album, This Charming Life

“distinctive vocalist and lyricist…her synthesis of folk, reggae, soul, and rock has made her a critical and cult favorite in America” - r o LL i NG S To NE

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Intimately Yours: Jonny Lang

Thursday, August 12, 2010 • 7:30pm • Tickets: TBD

Grammy Award winning blues guitarist/singer from Fargo, North Dakota, Jonny Lang makes his Music Hall debut touring behind his latest CD, Live at the r yman, an electrifying live performance taped at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee (former home of the Grand Ole Opry). With the voice of an ancient bluesman, and extraordinary guitar playing, this 29-year old is a once-in-a-generation blues talent.

“Jonny Lang has the power to move the music into the next millennium by reaching the ears of a new generation.” - Lu THER A LLISON

Intimately Yours: Chris Botti

Thursday, September 23, 2010 • 7:30pm • Tickets: TBD

The acclaimed Grammy Award winning trumpeter with the golden sound makes a triumphant return to our stage after his sold out show two years ago. A veteran of both the contemporary jazz world and the mainstream pop studio scene, Botti is ranked as one of the world’s top selling instrumentalists with ten solo albums and has earned both critical acclaim and mainstream appreciation for his singular combination of lush atmospheres and thoughtful improvisations.

“Magnetically handsome trumpeter who plays with a smoothly sublime allure” - Bi LLB oar D

SPONSORS:

The best concert experience in New England!

Domed ceiling + wooden floors = superior acoustics. The 900-seat theater is an intimate setting for acts from Crosby & Nash to Bright Eyes, from Lyle Lovett to Madeleine Peyroux. Relax and sip signature cocktails in the dazzling new lobby before or after concerts.

SERIES SPONSOR:

Margaret Atwood

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

7:30pm

Tickets: TBD

The iconic Canadian author again showcases her extraordinary storytelling talents with her long awaited new novel, The Year of the Flood, a dystopic masterpiece and a testament to her visionary power. By turns dark, tender, violent, thoughtful, and uneasily hilarious, The Year of the Flood is Atwood at her most brilliant and inventive.

“Canada’s greatest living novelis” - Wa SH i NGTo N P o ST

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Joyce Carol Oates

Monday, October 18, 2010 • 7:30pm

Tickets: TBD

One of the leading American novelists since the 1960s, Joyce Carol Oates has published over 50 novels as well as short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. A recipient of the National Book Award, she has been nominated several times for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest new collection of short stories, Sourland, a gripping and moving re-imagination of the meaning of loss, features the author’s trademark fascination for the unpredictable in the midst of the ordinary.

“Prolific, sharp, utterly American” – WASHINGTON POST

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Joseph Ellis

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 • 7:30pm • Tickets: TBD

This Pulitzer Prize-winning author has written influential and award winning histories on the founding generation of American presidents. His book, Founding Brothers: The revolutionary Generation, received the Pulitzer Prize for History, his book American Sphinx, his portrait of Thomas Jefferson, received the National Book Award. His most recent book, First Family, brings America’s pre-eminent first couple - Abigail and John Adams – to life in a moving and illuminative narrative that is both intimate and panoramic.

“humane, learned, radiant with a calm intelligence and wit” – N EW York Ti MES Book rE vi EW

Join us for the celebrated writers series that’s made front-page headlines with today’s bestselling authors. Each literary evening features an author presentation and an onstage interview with Laura Knoy, NPR veteran newscaster and host of New Hampshire Public Radio’s “The Exchange.” The house band Dreadnaught provides live music, and the entire show is later broadcast on NH Public Radio.

SERIES PARTNERS:

Circo Comedia

Saturday, October 2, 2010 • 4pm

Tickets: TBD

Telluride by the Sea

September 24 - 26, 2010

Tickets: TBD

Six Films. Three Days. One Weekend Celebration of New Cinema. The latest international cinema fresh from their Colorado debuts at the Telluride Film Festival.

“It’s not often that we Northern New Englanders can beat our brethren in bigger metropolises to the cinematic punch!” – Por T Ci TY Li FE MaG azi NE

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unpredictable thrills, side-splitting comedy and daredevil stunts – Quebec Circus superstars Jean Saucier & Patrick Cote perform with distinctive humor, magic and eccentricity. Jean, master equilibrist, juggler, trick cyclist, acrobat and magician performs feats from dizzying heights while Patrick, burlesque clown, expert roller skater and drummer, innocently tries his best to be the (imperfect) assistant. A one-hour one-ring circus in the tradition of Cirque du Soleil. Deliriously funny - filled with unforgettable moments - family entertainment at its finest!

“superstar talent…dazzling, exciting, profoundly engaging for every member of the audience.”

- OTTAWA C HILDREN’S F ESTI vAL

SPONSORS:

Yourhere!logo

Members get the best seats - join or renew today!

niGht out! MaMa’s

Mama’s Night Out!

Friday, October 22, 2010 8pm

Tickets: TBD

An electric night of stand up comedy and audience participation! After smashing 2008/09 box office records across the country the Mama’s are back! Featuring a Southern Belle, Sassy Brit and Brassy New Yorker, each a Star from Nick at Nite’s Search for the Funniest Mom in America, this trio - Karen Morgan, Nancy Witter & Sherry Davey - deliver rollicking sketches “by mothers for everyone.” Each Mama takes the stage to perform her own family oriented, clean, stand-up routine. For the grand finale the three comediennes come together for an old-fashioned joke-off complete with snare drum and rim shots that will have you convinced that Mamas know best! Join Mama’s Night Out for your night out!

“We laughed so hard we got an instant face lift” - Lancaster Performing Arts Center, Lancaster, CA

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Buika

Sunday, October 24, 2010 • 7pm

Tickets: TBD

Tina Turner mixed with Sarah vaughan: it’s Late Night Listening at its best! This smoky voiced daughter of political refugees from Africa Equatorial Guinea came of age in a gypsy community on the Spanish island of Palma De Mallorca. Discovered by film maker Pedro Almodovar, Buika’s unique fusion of soul, blues, jazz, and flamenco has brought her stardom, critical acclaim and cult status worldwide as an Afro-Flamenco Soul Queen. Accompanied by her amazing sidemen, her concert at The Music Hall will serve a “potentially addictive musical cocktail!”

“luminous...magnificent...superb!”

- NEW York T i MES

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Focus here on how we curate our shows...

THE EVENT

Friday, November 5, 2010 • 8pm

Tickets: TBD

It’s another hip downtown dance party to benefit The Music Hall! The Event experience includes cocktails in the new Founders Lobby, a feast of gourmet hors d’oeuvres provided by top Portsmouth restaurants, a silent auction filled with exciting vacation trips and sports tickets, and dancing on stage in the landmark victorian theater.

“Experience vibrant energy, movement, outrageous clothing and urban infusion –The Event is quite possibly the only party of the whole year that is able to do that!” - Jen Shulman

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Kids RULE!

Saturday, November 20 11:30am & 3:30pm

Tickets: TBD

With a new album (76 Trombones!), Dan Zanes dives into a vital part of America’s musical heritage introducing a new generation to classic Broadway everyone knows and loves. These and other American traditional songs form the foundation of the exuberant all ages dance party concerts – “Woodstock for Kids” – that Zanes has become known for.

“the best thing to happen to family music since Woody Guthrie.” - HouSTo N C H ro N i CLE

SPONSORS:

Members get the best seats - join or renew today!

Experience the magic...

The Music Hall and Strawbery Banke Museum present Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth.Celebrate the season with Shows, Strolls & Stayovers!

All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914

Saturday, December 4, 2010 • 4pm and 8pm

Tickets: TBD

Imagine putting down your rifle and climbing over trenches to deliver the gift of song – to your enemy. All Is Calm recalls the remarkable World War I truce between Allied Forces and German soldiers in No Man’s Land on Christmas, 1914.When we premiered this acclaimed production two years ago, the message of peace resonated with a town known for its singular role in the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the Russo-Japanese War. On a stark set, the men’s a capella group Cantus and Theater Latté Da sing European carols and war-songs – a testament to the power of music to make peace even in wartime. Written by Peter Rothstein, musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach.

“This show was so beautiful. There was this feeling of peace in the theater when the show ended. When we got up from our seats we saw a lot of people hugging each other - we realized we had just experienced something very special.” – Music Hall patron

SPONSORS:

A Christmas Celtic Sojourn

Saturday, December 11 • 2 & 7pm

Tickets: TBD

A New England holiday favorite – and now on stage at The Music Hall! Throughout the year, Brian O’Donovan, host of the wildly popular weekly National Public Radio program, Celtic Sojourn, explores traditional and contemporary music from the Celtic countries and England. Then, just for the holidays, Brian brings center stage dynamic musical and dance performances from Ireland - for a truly unique experience that embodies the warmth of the holiday spirit, and reflects the easy, relaxed and diverse offerings of the popular radio show. It’s an old-fashioned kitchen party - don’t miss this great way to celebrate the holidays with your family!

“like relaxing around a big living room while extended family members sing and dance”

– Wor CESTE r Gaz ETTE

SPONSORS:

Vintage Christmas:

One of the “Top 10 Things Not To Miss in December in New England” – BOSTON GLOBE

A Merry Funny New England Christmas

Juston McKinney & Friends with the Gaudy Baubles

Sunday, Dec 19, 2010 • 7pm • Tickets: TBD

Long suffering comic Juston McKinney is back in New England and does he have the show for you featuring top young comics from both coasts and the effervescent Gaudy Baubles, the band on the lam from Las vegas to Portsmouth. This hilarious holiday extravaganza is sure to put the funky fun back into the season with a Yankee sensibility colliding head on with showbiz Xmas! What would St. Nick do—but saddle up the reindeer and head to The Music Hall. Juston McKinny is a frequent guest on Comedy Central, and appeared with Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien on the Tonight Show and his new one hour Comedy Special “A Middleclass Hole” comes out this fall and with Warner Brothers on DvD/CD. Ages 14+.

“The memories – this was the Christmas season, the one where you pee’d your pants laughing with Justin McKinney & the Gaudy Baubles.” – uN i TED N EW S E rvi CES

Messiah Sing!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010 • 7:30pm Tickets: TBD

Bring your own score and ring in the holidays with friends and family at the Seacoast’s largest Messiah Sing, pulling together best-loved area choruses and conductors. Guest soloist and string accompaniment further enhance this Music Hall tradition! A beloved part of the holiday musical scene.

“The audience members were the stars.” – Por TSM ou TH H E ra LD

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Valentine’s Day

with Jane Monheit

Friday, February 11, 2011 • 8pm • Tickets: TBD

Start your valentines Day weekend with this double Grammy nominee chanteuse with the honey voice and the Great American Songbook. She has it all – “an extraordinarily warm and supple voice, perfect pitch, inventive musicality and an insightful approach to storytelling” (Los Angeles Times) – an elegant retro jazz vocalist.

“sultry torch singer” - N EW York Ti MES

SPONSORS:

Ladysmith Black Mombazo

Friday, March 4, 2011 • 8pm

Tickets: TBD

For more than 40 years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of its native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result? A musical and spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape. Their musical efforts have garnered praise and accolades within the recording industry, but also solidified their identity as a cultural force to be reckoned with.

“It isn’t merely the grace and power of their dancing or the beauty of their singing that rivets the attention, but the sheer joy and love that emanates from their being”

- PAu L SIMON

SPONSORS:

Focus on “Our Box Office Makes it Easy”

Gaelic Storm

Sunday, March 27, 2011 • 7pm

Tickets: TBD

Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Month at The Music Hall. Featured in the blockbuster hit Titanic, Gaelic Storm’s dynamic stage show features rousing, upbeat vocals, wild energetic dance tunes, haunting Celtic ballads and infectious madcap humor. Their compelling originals and fresh arrangements steeped in Celtic traditional melody combined with their unique blend of world rhythms set the standard for the Celtic music genre.

“A family-friendly party band…knows how to show audiences a good time.”

– T HE Wa SH i NGTo N Po ST

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“a cut above many of its rivals.” – T HE Wa SH i NGTo N Po ST

Russian National Ballet: Swan Lake

Sunday, April 3, 2011 • 4pm • Tickets: TBD

The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in Moscow during the transitional period of Perestroika in the late 1980s, when many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet union’s ballet institutions were exercising their new-found creative freedom by starting new, vibrant companies dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet but to invigorate this tradition. Composed by Tchaikovsky and premiered in 1877, this popular ballet is the story of a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer’s curse.

SPONSORS:

Members get the best seats - join or renew today!

Rebirth Brass Band

Friday April 8, 2011 • 8pm • Tickets: TBD

It’s a New Orleans funk brass band party at The Music Hall! The nine-piece band features trumpets, trombones and saxophone backed by bass and snare drums. Best known for combining traditional New Orleans brass band music with funk, soul and hiphop, the band was discovered at the 1982 New Orleans Jazz + Heritage Festival. When they appeared on our stage in a Celebrate New Orleans performance, they nearly stole the show! Don’t miss this!

“Rebirth can be precise whenever it wants to, but it’s more like a party than a machine.” - N EW York Ti MES

SPONSORS:

Popovich Comedy Pet Theater

Sunday, April 10

2pm & 7pm

Tickets: TBD

It’s the world famous pet circus on stage at The Music Hall! Former Moscow Circus star Greg Popovich and his entourage of furry fourlegged performers bring their family-oriented blend of unique physical comedy, juggling, balancing skills and the extraordinary talents of the 26 performing pets – 16 cats and 10 dogs – all which have been rescued from animal shelters. Watch for special guest performers – ferrets, white rats, and trained doves. Bring the family!

“Funniest circus act I’ve ever seen” – JAY LENO, “THE TONIGHT SHOW”

SPONSORS: Add some Music Hall stats (# of members, etc)

The Second City

Friday Apr 15, 2011 8pm • Tickets: TBD

50 years of funny: sketch comedy and improvisation delighting audiences for half a century. Taking its name from A.J. Liebling’s tongue in cheek reference to Chicago, The Second City has grown to be the most famous brand in live comedy with a to-die-for roster of alumni from Tina Fey to Alan Arkin. Hilarious, spontaneous, topical and insightful - don’t miss this return engagement!

“A comedy empire” – N EW York Ti MES

SPONSORS:

20th Annual Kitchen Tour

Saturday May 7, 2011 10am – 3pm

Tickets: TBD

It’s the 20th anniversary of this annual spring benefit for The Music Hall – and this year, we return home – to Portsmouth! Watch as kitchens we all dream of - sleek and contemporary, cozy and traditional, packed with innovation and imagination –become a reality for one day as we present our popular Kitchen Tour.

“The Music Hall’s Kitchen Tour is all about fantastic kitchens” – NH Ho ME MaG azi NE

SPONSORS:

“Why We Give” article by Patricia

Members get the best seats - join or renew today!

Lemony Snicket’s

The Composer is Dead

Date: TBD

Tickets: TBD

Clue meets classical music and life size marionettes in this breathtaking theatrical adaptation of The New York Times best-selling picture book The Composer is Dead, by renowned children’s author Lemony Snicket, whose 13 books in A Series of unfortunate Events, sold more than 60 million copies worldwide, and was the subject of the film of the same name, starring Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep. What a sensational way to introduce your children and/or grandchildren to the delights of the theater!

“There is a mystery to solve at Symphony Hall, and the suspects are all lurking somewhere onstage!”

– B RAD S IMON O RGANIZATION

Momix: Botanica

Saturday, May 14 • 8pm & Sunday, May 15 • 2pm

Tickets: TBD

Music Hall favorite Momix returns - this time with the visually thrilling dance performance, Botanica, an ‘herbal remedy … for our current universal blues’ according to founder Moses Pendleton. As with each Momix show, the troupe transports audiences to a fantasy world through its trademark use of riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props, athletic dance, magical lighting and imagery – creating an entertaining multimedia experience.

“Botanica – fabulously alive”

- NEW York T i MES

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Focus on School Days Series here

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2010-2011 Season

Tickets: TBD

October 9, 2010: DAS RHEINGOLD (Wagner)

October 23: BORIS GODUNOV (Mussorgsky)

November 13: DON PASQUALE (Donizetti)

December 12 (delayed): DON CARLO (Verdi)

January 8: LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST (Puccini)

the met @ the music hall

During the 2010-2011 season, 11 matinee performances of the Metropolitan Opera will be broadcast from Lincoln Center and shown on The Music Hall screen in High Definition. The program is enhanced with live backstage interviews and behind-thescenes action. “Opera box-lunches” are available in the lobby and pre-opera talks begin an hour before each show.

“The best of big city life.” – Wa LL S T r EET Jour N aL

February 26: IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE (Gluck)

March 19: LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (Donizetti)

April 9: LE COMTE ORY (Rossini)

April 23: CAPRICCIO (R. Strauss)

April 30: IL TROVATORE (Verdi)

May 21 (delayed): DIE WALKÜRE (Wagner)

Operacoming!descriptions

Watch for our new season to be announced!

One of the world’s leading theater producers of Shakespeare, international classic drama and contemporary playwrights, the National Theatre of London is offering an exciting new initiative – broadcasting performances of plays in high definition onto cinema screens worldwide.

SPONSOR:

Members get the best seats - join or renew today!

extraordinary cinema

Great films. Enormous screen. unrivaled ambiance. Our film curator Bill Pence brings you an experience unlike anything else on the Seacoast. Featuring a new title every week between September and May. Presented in The Music Hall’s restored historic auditorium on our enormous screen in glorious Dolby Digital Surround Sound.

Memorial Day Through Labor Day!

Individual Tickets: TBD

Dozens of cool films in the hot summer months. The very best from independent and foreign cinema to the latest from Hollywood, with a unique Wednesday genre series running right down the middle – this year, films that are “Best Seen on the Big Screen.” Air conditioned auditorium. Enormous screen. Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Great popcorn.

SPONSORS:

Wildcard Movies. Once each month. Rare, random, relevant.

Expect surprises. “Films with a flair” – a happening before or after that engages audiences, inspires dialogue, and informs our Seacoast community.

SPONSORS:

New this year: Sponsor the entire film series!

Screen Classics. Our new monthly film series features classics from any and all eras, from golden oldies to more recent insta-classics and including some cult films and kid’s movies as well – but with one thing in common: they must be seen on the big screen. It all adds up to more chances to get out of the house and see films that need to be seen again and again- not to mention films that are on people’s life-lists of movies not yet seen- on the BIG screen, with the added enhancement of seeing them in a theater with the appropriate classic ambiance.

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Scene @ Five

The recipe for The Music Hall’s latest signature series is deliciously simple: take one part social mixer and combine with an equal part art happening, pour into the Founders Lobby and let the fun begin! It’s your chance to get up-close-and-personal with art and art-makers, bringing them down from the stage or the big screen and into the intimacy of a cocktail lounge. Once each month, from 5 till 7pm; $2 cover charge, free to Music Hall members.

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