NYC REVIEW: Adoration, Myths, and Reality (PROTOTYPE FESTIVAL) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - January 13, 2024January 14, 2024 Tenor Omar Najmi stars in the opera Adoration at the PROTOTYPE Festival in New York City. Photo by Maria Baranova. Prejudice, love, collective judgment, and the uncertainty of truth. These are some of the major threads woven into Adoration, a new opera by Mary Kouyoumdjian and Royce Vavrek that premiered at
THE CURMUDGEON: Vol. 6 – For Musicians (and Other Artists) Trying to Get Covered in the Press Arts Music The Curmudgeon by Basil Considine - January 9, 2024 A close-up of Albrecht Dürer's Melancolia (1514). Perhaps you know me as a composer and opera director; in this case, I am writing because I'm also a classical music critic. Are you an early-career artist trying to get me (or someone like me) to see your recital? My first recommendation is
PREVIEW: Stages of Equity 2024 Festival (Jan-April 2024) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - December 23, 2023December 24, 2023 North Hennepin Community College will host the Stages of Equity 2024 festival from January-April 2024. This visual & performing arts festival is marketed as raising up the powerful work of BIPOC visual and performing artists. All festival activities, including exhibits, live performances – notably including the acclaimed ensemble Ten Thousand
PREVIEW: JazzMN Orchestra Swings in the Season (Chanhassen Dinner Theatres) Arts Music by Brian Bix - November 20, 2023 The JazzMN Orchestra in concert. The JazzMN Orchestra is a 17-piece jazz ensemble that performs regularly at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Back in early October, it gave a fabulous show at the Chanhassen, featuring superstar trumpeter, Randy Brecker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj09mvRn2KM The Orchestra’s next performance at the Chanhassen is a holiday event on Monday, December
REVIEW: Company: A Refreshing Twist on a 70s Hit (Orpheum/HTT) Arts Music Theatre by Boo Segersin - November 16, 2023November 17, 2023 The ensemble of Company gathers around Bobbie (Rosalie Craig, center). This new twist on the classic Sondheim musical plays at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis through November 19. Photo by Brinkhoff Mogenburg. Stephen Sondheim may be best known for some of his show stopping musicals such as Into the Woods and
PREVIEW: “A Long, Long Time Ago” – Don McLean at The Dakota Arts Music by Brian Bix - November 14, 2023November 15, 2023 American singer-songwriter and guitarist Don McLean. Everyone of a certain age (and quite a few younger than that) knows Don McLean’s song, “American Pie”, and can sing a surprising portion of its verses – even if they disagree about what it means. “American Pie” was selected 5th the songs of the 20th
PHOTOS: Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical (Children’s Theatre Company) Arts Music Theatre by Amy Donahue - November 10, 2023 The cast of the Children's Theatre Company's 2023 production of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, which opens Saturday, November 11, 2023 at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, MN. Photo by Glenn Stubbe Photography. Scroll through the virtual box office for the Children's Theatre Company production of Dr.
NEWS: Nominees Announced for 2024 Grammy Awards Arts Music by John Anderson - November 10, 2023November 10, 2023 The nominations for the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards have been announced. These awards, selected by the Recording Academy's membership body of music makers, span a wide variety of genres. Voting for the GRAMMY Awards is performed by a diverse mix of industry participants including recording artists, songwriters, composers, producers, mixers,
REVIEW: John Oates at The Dakota Arts Music by Brian Bix - November 7, 2023November 10, 2023 Multi-genre musician John Oates, who played at The Dakota in Minneapolis, MN on November 6. Photo by David McLister. Hall and Oates are, as the publicity states, “The most successful duo in rock history...ten #1 records...over twenty Top 40 hits”. They are enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The
VIDEO: Psychedelics With You, by Leslie Vincent Arts Music by Amy Donahue - October 18, 2023October 18, 2023 If you're indifferent about jazz in a post-Louie Armstrong world, Leslie Vincent's new music video for "Psychedelics with You" might make a convert out of you. The music video for song off her album About Last Night (2023) dropped yesterday, teasing listeners into a world of jazz club vibes, sexy