Improv artists Paul Green, Ryan Quenneville and Mandy Nielsen can finish each others’ sentences just as easily as they can slip into an imp rov riff at the drop of a hat.
They are so comfortable with each other that they created “Tonight at the Pad Starring Paul Green,” a talk show taped in front of a studio audience in Mesa and aired online.
Getting together was probably fate.
“I went to my family doctor for a checkup and behind the counter stood one Mandy Nielsen,” says Green, a resident of Chandler.
He was a performer and instructor at Jester’Z Improv Comedy and, as he tends to do even in formal situations, he entertained the gals behind the front desk. Nielsen and Green hit it off immediately when they discovered they both performed improv.
“I then took classes at Jester’Z and auditioned for them and began to work with Paul and we did many, many shows together,” Nielsen remarks.
Quenneville then joined Jester’Z and Green was his teacher in the understudy program.
“Paul was my mentor and then I got in with the main stage performers at Jester’Z and connected with Mandy,” Quenneville says. “We all just had this vibe together.”
Green left Jester’Z to do stand-up
comedy but the trio reunited when entertainers and producers Jason and Jeff Linford decided to put together “Tonight at the Pad,” which tapes in a building owned by the Linfords.
“We had no idea what the show was going to be,” Green says. “I called Ryan and asked him to co-host. I called Mandy and asked her to be a writer and featured actress. We already had the chemistry.”
They called on industry friends to assist with production and a late-night talk show was born.
The show made a name for itself in October when it challenged
Conan O’Brien to become the world’s shortest late night talk show. The trio taped a special show and bested O’Brien’s record by a minute, clocking in at 1:50.12. The RecordSetter.com website declared the victory.
The 30-minute show tapes monthly and includes a live band, opening monologue, improv sketches and interviews. Green is the host, Quenneville is co-host and Nielsen pops up in sketches throughout the show.
“We’ll keep having live shows, but we want to reach the online audience further because that’s where everything is going now,” Quenneville explained.
The fourth episode of “Tonight at
the Pad Starring Paul Green” tapes at The Practice Pad, 711 E. Main St., Mesa, at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30. For tickets,
email tonightatthepad@gmail.com. Visit www.tonightatthepad.com for additional information.
SETTING THE STAGE: Paul Green, Ryan Quenneville and Mandy Nielsen bring their special brand of improv to the show “Tonight at the Pad Starring Paul Green” which tapes monthly at The Practice Pad in Mesa. STSN photo by Lynette Carrington
Valley Youth Theatre adds five board members
Valley Youth Theatre (VYT) has welcomed five new members to its board of directors in the last quarter of 2014. The new additions, prominent members of the local community and supporters of the performing arts, will be voting members of VYT’s ruling board.
“It’s wonderful to have board members who ‘get’ what we do,” says Producing Artistic Director Bobb Cooper. “Lisa Khan, Sara Dial, Daniel DenBoer, David Carruth and Zsolt Milutinovics are as diverse as any group of young people we’ve had audition for one of our shows.”
“I have always been interested in and supportive of the performing arts,” says Carruth, a Phoenix resident and financial adviser at Edward Jones, who makes it a point to attend theater—even when traveling to New York City and London. DenBoer from Scottsdale—principal at the Phoenix office of the audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG LLP and partner in a strategic services practice—looks forward
Desert Stages presents
‘Harvey’
to using his expertise to help support young people and the performing arts.
“With 20 years of business consulting experience, I want to give something back to the youth and community,” says DenBoer, who has run three small businesses in Arizona and is an expert in strategy, operations and overall corporate performance improvement.
“VYT is ready to go to the next level and I would like to help take it there,” says Dial from Scottsdale, CEO at the economic development consulting firm Sara Dial & Associates. She serves on several boards, including Arizona School for the Arts, BBVA Compass Bank and Grand Canyon University.
Khan, an attorney from Phoenix who founded Kid Power USA to teach young people how to give back to their communities, has been a patron and cast parent of the theater company for more than 10 years. “VYT is invaluable for the young people because it gives them the
“Harvey,” a dramatic comedy that opened 70 years ago on Broadway, will be at the Actor’s Café stage at Desert Stages Theatre, 4720 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, through Sunday, Jan. 11.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play introduces audiences to the carefree, kind, innocent Elwood P. Dowd and his best friend, the titular Harvey. Elwood takes his pal everywhere, buys him
ability to be articulate and self-confident, which carries through to their school and in life,” says Khan.
“I enjoy the art of acting, and have been looking for a way to be part of an organization that positively influences young people in the community,” says Milutinovics of Tempe, vice president and branch manager for Meridian Bank, N.A. in Scottsdale.
VYT’s board is chaired by Frank McCune (APS) and vice chaired by Jim Rough (Navigant Consulting). Colleen Gautam (Snell & Wilmer LLP) is secretary and Dustin Marshall (Community Medical Clinic) serves as treasurer. Bobb Cooper represents the theater as its producing artistic director.
Other board members include Michele Bax (Ballard Spahr LLP), Dr. Martin Blume (Blume Skin Centre), Joe Chandler (Fennemore Craig, P.C.), Greg Gnepper (Gammage & Burnham P.L.C.), Beverly Huff (Western Refining),
drinks and introduces him to family and friends. The friendship has one significant difference, however: Harvey is an imaginary six-foot-three-and-a-halfinch rabbit. The Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays during the show’s run.
Virginia Olivieri is directing the DST production of “Harvey,” which was
Rebekah Mendez (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona), Jennifer Pescatore (Bank of Arizona), Laura Stover (Nearhood Law Offices, PLC) and Howard Weiss (Nussbaum Gillis & Dinner, P.C.). Hope Ozer (Phoenix Manhattan Group, LLC) serves as chair emeritus. To learn more about Valley Youth Theatre, visit www.vyt.com.
written by Mary Chase in 1944 and was adapted into a movie in 1950 starring James Stewart as Dowd. Tickets are available at www. DesertStages.org or by phone at (480) 483-1664, and also at the theater box office, 4720 N. Scottsdale Rd., on the north side of Scottsdale Fashion Square. Tickets are $25 for adults and $22 for seniors and students.
COMMUNITY LEADERS HELP LEAD VYT: Zsolt Milutinovics and Daniel DenBoer have joined Valley Youth Theatre’s board of directors. Submitted photo
Guitarist-singer pleased to be returning to MIM
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
For musician Damon Johnson, playing the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix was so gratifying that he needed to return.
A member of the Thin Lizzy spinoff group Black Star Riders, Johnson will make an encore solo acoustic performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10.
“I played there one year ago,” says Johnson, the former frontman of Brother Cane. “It was hands down the best solo acoustic performance of my life. The fact that it was a full house obviously made it very exciting for me.
“The sound was incredible. The people were incredible. I have some lifelong friends there in Phoenix as well. It turns into a big weekend for me. There are all kinds of other stuff I’m able to do around it in the Phoenix area.”
The best man at his wedding lives in Phoenix, as does a singer for whom he played guitar—Alice Cooper.
“Alice and his family live out there,” Johnson says. “I don’t know if they’re going to be back in town out there. That’s one of the challenges of having a show on Jan. 10. Rock stars like Alice are still out of town doing their New Year’s trip. I know they always go to Hawaii every year. I hope I get to see them.”
At his MIM show, Johnson will perform a retrospective of songs from his career, as well as new material and/ or songs he’s done with Black Star Riders. He’s excited about furthering the
career of Black Star Riders.
“I joined Thin Lizzy in 2011 and the band wanted very much to record new music,” says Johnson, a rabid sports fan who met his wife at a Detroit Red Wings game at its home arena, Joe Louis Arena. “But the original lead singer and frontman of the band was the iconic Phil Lynott and Phil died in 1986. He wrote most of those songs.
“He was more than just a songwriter, but a poet and very, very special. We could certainly write songs that would sound like Thin Lizzy and celebrate the style and sound. But we didn’t feel like it would be right to call it Thin Lizzy.”
Thus Black Star Riders was formed and it released its debut album in 2013.
“Over the last two years, we’ve toured easily 100 shows mostly in Europe and some North American dates,” says Johnson, 50.
The new album is set for release at the end of February and Black Star Riders will immediately embark on a European tour.
This year also calls for Johnson’s first electric solo album.
“I’m so happy being in Black Star Riders,” he says. “It’s helped me rediscover my love of the electric guitar, playing solos and writing. I’m trying to write memorable parts and guitar parts that you can sign almost.”
A longtime Birmingham, Alabama, resident, Johnson moved with his family to Nashville, which has been inspiring.
COMING TO TOWN: Former Brother Cane frontman Damon Johnson will play a career retrospective set at the Musical Instrument Museum on Saturday, Jan. 10. Submitted photo
“It’s been a lot of fun to have them involved in that creative outlet,” he says about the “incredible players” in Nashville.
“I’d love to take an electric band on the road and I’m absolutely love to bring that to Phoenix at some point.”
Damon Johnson performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Musical
Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix. Tickets are $32.50 to $37.50. For more information, call (480) 478-6000 or visit www.themim.org.
Christina Fuoco-Karasinski is the executive editor of the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at christina@ santansun.com.
Art Intersection hosts two exhibitions
Two unique photography exhibitions—a showcase and a debut solo exhibition—are on display through Saturday, Jan. 10, at Art Intersection, located at 207 N. Gilbert Rd., Suite 201, Gilbert.
The North Gallery is hosting “Mimesis,” the first exhibition of Art Intersection’s artist-in-residence, Claire A. Warden. Warden creates large-scale constructed, abstract photographs with both organic and inorganic elements.
Warden uses the subjects she captures as representations for the forces of biology and society on creating identity. Both truths about the nature of identity and the difficulty of capturing a sense of self in language alone are evoked in her works. The images, resembling natural science captures on scales ranging from the microscopic to the celestial, serve as a representation of the complexity of systems that make up an individual, as well as our selfperception.
The South Gallery is exhibiting “Best of Light Sensitive 2014.” Art Intersection staff selected three artists from 89 in the Light Sensitive exhibition, the gallery’s signature traditional photography exhibition, to showcase. The unique, mood-evoking imagery of Douglas Collins, Mary Donato and Erin Malone was chosen for the exhibition. Tom Persinger, writer and founder of photography
community f295, juried “Light Sensitive” and selected work for the exhibition in March and April 2014. Art Intersection is located in Downtown Gilbert, at the corner of Gilbert and Elliot roads, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information call (480) 361-1118 or visit www. artintersection.com.
MIMESIS: Artist-in-residence Claire A. Warden constructs photographic works from a series of images to illustrate how complex systems and elements come together to form a sense of self. Submitted photo
BEST OF LIGHT SENSITIVE: Photographer and writer Tom Persinger selected works from Art Intersection’s signature “Light Sensitive” exhibition to showcase in a “best of” display. Submitted photo
Actors Theatre to close, liquidate assets
Actors Theatre, which has produced compelling, thought-provoking and often edgy plays for nearly 30 years, is closing its doors.
The board of directors has unanimously voted to cease operations and liquidate the professional theater company during the next 30 to 60 days.
“The simple truth is we’re out of money,” says Actors Theatre Board President Renee Gerstman. “This was not the result of a single event, but a combination of factors, primarily based on the fact that revenues— both earned and contributed—did not meet expectations and we found ourselves in a cash-flow crisis.”
Producing Artistic Director Matthew Wiener says that artists and staff involved in the scheduled productions of “Annapurna,” “Stage Kiss” and “The Year of Magical Thinking” started receiving notification of the shut down soon after it was announced in December.
“As we were preparing to produce ‘Annapurna,’ we looked at the situation to determine how best to move forward,” he says. “We recognized that what Actors Theatre does and, most importantly, the way we do it is not sustainable in our community at this time. Among our strongest guiding principles is to pay everyone—and that includes artists and arts workers—a living wage. The economic dignity of all of our artists and arts workers is one of our highest values, but our donor base and individual and season ticket sales were not substantial enough to provide
the financial resources to support the cost structure of professional artists to the degree it needed to be.”
Gerstman says the company will “work through outstanding obligations to the best of our ability during the next 30 to 60 days. We also know we will receive questions about tickets that have been purchased. Though we would like to say we will refund those tickets, we simply can’t. We’re hoping that our patrons and supporters will consider taking the expense
they did not translate into the revenue necessary to sustain the organization and we were unable to significantly improve our financial position.”
In a joint statement, officials expressed their “deep and abiding gratitude for the support of our loyal patrons and those individuals, organizations and businesses that stood behind us. We are also incredibly humbled to have been able to work alongside a remarkably talented
or similar productions and the high professional quality of what went on both on and behind the stage. In the meantime, and in spite our deep, deep sadness at this time, we do know that there are many great arts and cultural opportunities in the Valley. Perhaps we will be part of them again sometime in the future.”
Although the theater can’t refund tickets, five Valley venues have stepped in to help. They will exchange tickets purchased for Actors Theatre productions. Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Broadway Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Stray Cat Theatre and Theatre Works have agreed to let Actors Theatre patrons swap tickets.
To exchange tickets, Actors Theatre patrons should contact the respective theater company box offices:
• Arizona Theatre Company (www. arizonatheatre.org), 222 E. Monroe, Phoenix; (602) 256-6995
as a tax deduction after consultation with their accountants or CPAs.”
Wiener, who has been artistic director for 19 years, says, “The company made great strides and many changes over the past two years and we heard from a broad base of individuals that Actors Theatre is important. Unfortunately, while we agreed with those opinions,
WHAT’S IT WORTH?
Welcome to the 2014 Holiday Season!
Another Black Friday is fast approaching and many of us are wondering where can we come up with that little bit of extra cash to make this season of joy and giving one to be remembered. One way is to use the services of experts in the fields of Jewelry, Art, Collectables and other assets to see WHAT’S IT WORTH? The expertise provided by these professional appraisers to evaluate these types of assets can then offer you an option to sell these valuables at a fair price to provide additional funds to purchase the gifts and items to make the Holiday Season a special one.
The jewelry, art, collectables in the safe deposit box or hidden in the drawer of a cabinet that has been sitting there for years can be evaluated and then sold. Resulting in cash to spend immediately. Really no better way to raise money, it offers an alternative to using credit cards that will cause aggravation in January when the bills come.
Remember that there are experts who have years of experience researching assets and buying these unusual valuables. The process of evaluation and buying will create the extra cash for the Holiday Season. Please keep in mind that there is an option to convert your “stuff” to cash. May this Holiday Season be one with much Health and Joy.
— David Goldstein Owner, Biltmore Loan and Jewelry
group of artists and staff to bring to the stage the type of productions that matter.”
“We are incredibly proud of Actors Theatre’s legacy over nearly 30 years.” Wiener adds. “We know that many patrons left most of our productions affected by and talking about what they saw on stage.
• Theatre Works (www.theatreworks. org), 8355 W. Peoria Ave., Peoria; (623) 815-7930.
Young Performers Concert Series, Sunday, Jan. 11, MIM. Arizona Musicfest partners with the Musical Instrument Museum to showcase talented young musicians.
“Unexpected Affinities,” Sunday, Jan. 11, MN. Local chamber group Paradise Winds joins the MusicaNova Orchestra for the world premiere of Graham Cohen’s “Unexpected Affinities,” a concerto grosso commissioned by the Selznick Tikkun Olam Foundation in honor of Holocaust survivors Max and Nina Gurin.
Fab Four, Friday, Jan. 16, MAC. The ultimate tribute band pays homage to The Beatles with classic favorites like “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Yesterday,” “A Day In The Life,” “Twist And Shout,” “Here Comes The Sun” and “Hey Jude.”
Carpe Diem String Quartet, Friday, Jan. 16, GCC. This unique string quartet blends a traditional string repertoire with a passion for tango-, folk-, pop-, rock-, jazz-inspired music and more. Part of the Canyon Sounds Artist Series presented by the Gold Canyon Arts Council.
Alpin Hong, Friday, Jan. 16, CCA. Alpin Hong, called “a pianistic firebrand” by the New York Times and a fierce supporter of musical education,
performs in his inspirational and energetic style.
African Children’s Choir, Sunday, Jan. 18, CCA. African children, 7 to 10 years old—many of whom have lost parents through war, famine and disease— take the stage to sing African tunes including well-loved children’s songs, hand clapping, traditional spirituals and contemporary music. The choir helps raise awareness for children’s needs in Africa and supports the program, which provides unique opportunities for the children involved.
Travis Tritt, Sunday, Jan. 25, CCA. Enjoy an up close and personal evening of music with two-time Grammy winning and three-time CMA winning country artist Travis Tritt.
“Camelot,” Friday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 25, MAC. The legendary tale of King Arthur and his knights of the round table told through Lerner and Loewe’s enchanting melodies and a classic stage performance.
Celebrating the Year of the Sheep, Friday, Jan. 30, CCA. The Chandler Symphony Orchestra’s professionally trained musicians present a free classical concert.
“The Midtown Men,” Saturday, Feb. 7, CCA. Watch four stars from the original cast of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” reunite as they establish themselves as rock
stars in their own right, bringing to life their favorite tunes from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Motown, The Four Seasons and more.
“Hardcore Legend: An Evening with Mick Foley,” Sunday, Feb. 8, SUL. The WWE champion, speaker, author and stand-up artist gives a performance that is by turns uproariously funny, simply surreal and surprisingly sensitive.
“Of Legends and Lovers: Doc and Kate,” Sunday, Feb. 8, CCA. A performance of the story of the West’s most famous dentist, a man who went, as he likes to put it, “from the one who heals to the one who keels” (kills) and his life with Mary Katherine Haroney Cummings.
“Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana: The Soul of Flamenco,” Saturday, Feb. 14, CCA. One of the nation’s premier flamenco and Spanish dance companies celebrates its 30th anniversary season with innovative music, exotic movement, passionate dancing and more.
2015 Chinese New Year Show, Sunday, Feb. 15, CCA. The Eastern Art Academy hosts the 2015 Chinese New Year Show in a lively and unique show that the entire family will enjoy. The year of the ram is welcomed with song, dance, instrument and martial arts performances and more.
ON STAGE VENUE INDEX
CCA—Chandler Center for the Arts
250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler Tickets: (480) 782-2680, www. chandlercenter.org
GCC—Gold Canyon United Methodist Church
6640 S. Kings Ranch Rd., Gold Canyon Tickets: www.gcac1.com/cynsnds.html
MAC—Mesa Arts Center
One E. Main St., Mesa Tickets: (480) 644-6500, www. mesaartscenter.com
MIM—Musical Instrument Museum
4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix Tickets: www.mimmusictheater.themim. org
MN—MusicaNova
Central United Methodist Church, 1875 N. Central Ave., Phoenix Tickets: (480) 585-4485, www. musicanovaaz.com
SUL—Stand Up Live
50 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix Tickets: (480) 719-6100, www. standuplive.com
Fats Waller tunes at ACJS party
The music of American jazz pianist, singer and organist Fats Waller comes to life Sunday, Jan. 18, as the Sun City Stomperz perform at the Arizona Classic Jazz Society’s Jazz Party, upstairs in the Palomino Room and La Terraza at the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort, 1 San Marcos Pl., Chandler. Access the party and performance through the
elevator, located behind the registration desk in the lobby of the hotel. Cost to attend the party is $10 ACJS for members, $15 for nonmembers and free for students with ID. Attendees who become members on Jan. 18—$35 for couple or $25 for single yearly membership—get in free that day. For more information, call (480) 620-3941 or visit www.azclassicjazz. org
TRAVIS TRITT: Catch him play Sunday, Jan. 25 at CCA. Submitted photo
Arizona Musicfest kicks off Jan. 29 throughout the Valley
Arizona’s premier winter music festival, Musicfest, begins Thursday, Jan. 29 and will run through Thursday, March 5, featuring headliners such as Rosanne Cash, Steep Canyon Rangers and New York Polyphony
The performers include several Grammy-nominated artists. Cash is up for Best Americana Album for “The River and The Thread,” as well as Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance for “A Feather’s Not a Bird.” Steep Canyon Rangers are nominated for Best American Roots Song and New York Polyphony have been nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.
musicians in genres including classical, chamber, jazz, rock and roll, country, bluegrass and pop. The festival will offer 14 concerts, beginning with “Hotel California—A Salute to the Eagles”
Thursday, Jan. 29, at Highlands Church, 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Scottsdale.
Single tickets and bundles for Arizona Musicfest concerts are on sale at www. azmusicfest.org; visit the website or call (480) 840-0457 for more information. The rest of the schedule follows.
Scheherazade and Mozart: Arizona Musicfest Orchestra conducted by Robert Moody featuring Ricardo Morales
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24. Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, 25150 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale. $49-$65; $10 with college ID.
Beethoven, Bach and the Blue Danube: Arizona Musicfest Orchestra conducted by Robert Moody featuring Orion Weiss
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26. Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, 25150 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale. $49-$65; $10 with college ID.
The Crazy Arc of Love: Arizona Musicfest Orchestra featuring Storm Large, lead singer of Pink Martini 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. Highlands Church, 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Scottsdale. $23-$65.
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 and JanáÐek Glagolitic Mass, Arizona Musicfest Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists conducted by Robert Moody 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1. Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, 25150 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale. $49-$65; $10 with college ID.
The Bronx Wanderers
7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5. Highlands Church, 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Scottsdale. $23-$65.
Juried show, entertainment at free festival
The council will also host the 15th annual Gold Canyon Arts Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Gold Canyon United Methodist Church. Admission and parking is free at the event, which will showcase the work of artists from around the state.
The festival will feature a juried art show with the work of more than 85 diverse artists, representing many genres and styles. The event is among the most popular one-day shows in the state, and last year drew almost 6,000 attendees. Programs will be available describing the artists, their styles and an entertainment schedule.
Musicians and dancers will perform throughout the day; this year’s performers are the Lamplighters Barbershop Quartet, the Jacome Flamenco Dancers, the Diamondback Brothers and other Native American and Southwestern groups. A variety of foods and beverages will be available for purchase, and the Gold Canyon Food Bank will have a table present for anyone who wishes to donate.
Each year, organizers choose a regional artist to design a commemorative festival poster. This year’s poster, by artist Lois Mahoney, will be for sale in limited numbers at the council’s tent.
The Gold Canyon Arts Council, a nonprofit organization, works to bring affordable arts to the East Valley through its Canyon Sounds Performing Artist Series. All proceeds from memberships, grants and five annual performances are returned to school music programs through artist residencies.
Learn more about the festival at www. gcartsfest.com and the Arts Council at www.gcac1.com.
HarpFusion fuses musical styles
The Gold Canyon Arts Council will also host the largest harp ensemble in the world, HarpFusion, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, at GCUMC.
The group, based at the University of Arizona, has been praised for its unique fusion of different musical styles and cultures. The ensemble’s performances include classical, jazz, new age and folk music.
The pieces are arranged by group members, who study under Carrol McLaughlin, Distinguished Professor of Harp at the University of Arizona. HarpFusion has produced many CDs and DVDs and has been featured in Russia, Korea, Japan, Brazil and Europe and at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Acclaimed quartet performs
A quartet playing a wide-ranging variety of music and bringing together the sounds of vocals, horns, accordion and strings will perform at GCUMC at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27.
The group, Quartetto Gelato, plays pieces ranging from romantic tenor arias and classical music to tangos and is known for its stage presence and easygoing humor.
Quartetto Gelato won NPR’s “Performance Today’s” Debut Artist of the Year award earlier in its career.
The group has also won Best Classical Ensemble at the Canadian Independent
Music Awards, and their first DVD, “Quartetto Gelato in Wine Country!” was selected by PBS for broadcast.
Advance tickets for the performances by Carpe Diem, HarpFusion and Quartetto Gelato are $25 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets are available at Canyon Rose Storage, 6405 S. Kings Ranch Rd., Gold Canyon, and at the Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce, 567 W. Apache Trail, Apache Junction. Tickets are also available via PayPal at www.gcac1.com/cynsnds.html. Adult tickets at the door are $30.
The Gold Canyon Arts Council promotes the performing and visual arts through its Canyon Sounds Artist Series. The council is supported in part by grants from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Western States Arts Federation and the National Endowment for the Arts and local businesses.
For more information visit www. gcac1.com.
ECLECTIC QUARTET: Award-winning musical group Quartetto Gelato is set to perform in Gold Canyon Feb. 27. Submitted photo
WINNING ARTIST: Lois Mahoney, winning artist of this year’s festival poster, poses with her poster and Gold Canyon Arts Council President Carole Lindemann. Submitted photo
SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY: Renowned string ensemble Carpe Diem will perform Jan. 16 at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church. Submitted photo
PULLING AT THE HARP STRINGS: HarpFusion, the world’s largest harp ensemble, blends musical styles and cultures for a unique performance. Submitted photo
