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Post-performance Talk-Back with Kyle Abraham and moderator Five College Dance Professor Jodi Falk immediately following the concert. 

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October 17, Fine Arts Center Lobby (One ticket price for both events)
$10; Five College/GCC/STCC: $5

Mary Lou and Robert Heiss are adventurous tea trekkers; tea educators; and co-owners of Tea Trekker and http://www.teatrekker.com/, a nationally recognized resource for premium hand-crafted tea and unique tea wares located in Northampton, MA.

Matcha: Japan’s Elite Green Tea -Talk with Slide show 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Matcha, the powdered green tea is a focal point in the Japanese tea ceremony Chanoyu, a uniquely Japanese tea practice since the 15th and 16th centuries. The serving of “Matcha” during this formal ceremony gave the tea prestige and carved a national identity for it. Despite its long history and importance, the understanding of real Matcha is being diluted today according to Tea masters.

Enjoy a Cup of Matcha 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Sample a taste of authentic stone-ground Matcha that has been created by a Matcha specialist in Kyoto, Japan, exclusively for sale at “Tea Trekker” in Northampton.

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Kitanodai Gagaku Ensemble

Wednesday, October 16 7:30p.m., Bowker Auditorium
$20, $15; Five College/GCC/STCC Students and Youth 17 & under: $10

The ancient and imperial court music of the gagaku orchestra and dances is the oldest orchestral tradition in the world – a style of music that has remained pure and unchanged over the centuries. Elegant and ethereal the music of gagaku is nearly always experienced in an almost otherworldly way with a unique and poetic sound that washes over you as it reflects the music of the cosmos.

For ticket holders a pre-performance talk will be presented at 6:45p.m.by Anne Prescott, Director, Five College Center for East Asian Studies; Koto player and teacher.

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Thursday, October 10, 7:30 p.m., Bowker Auditorium
$25, $15; Five College/GCC/STCC Students and Youth 17 & under: $10

A series of performed letters to an unborn son, Word Becomes Flesh (WBF) uses spoken word, dance and live music to document nine months of pregnancy from a young single father’s perspective.

Performed by an exceptionally talented cast of emerging poet-performers, WBF fuses tender stories, playful wit?and at times, purposeful rage?to give voice to complexities and contradictions surrounding race and gender in America.

With deep honesty and raw physicality, the play integrates hip-hop theatre and contemporary dance performance to deconstruct black male identity in the 21st century. WBF critically, lyrically and choreographically shares one man’s experience of fatherhood-and in doing so examines the legacy of patriarchy and male privilege, the continuum between fathers and sons, and the relationships of women and men. Together these narratives confront the intersection between the reality and the mythology of the black male body-from the cotton field to the athletic field and all spaces in between.

Written and Directed by Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Written and Performed by Dahlak Brathwaite, Daveed Diggs, Dion Decibels, Kahlil Anthony, Michael Turner and B.Yung.

Run time: 60 minutes

Funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

Post- show discussion/reception with the artists in the Campus Center Reading Room immediately following the performance.

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcbamuthijoseph
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Sunday, October 6, 7:30 p.m., Fine Arts Center Concert Hall

Herbie Hancock – piano/keys
James Genus – bass
Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
Lionel Loueke – guitar

Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music. Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice. In addition to being recognized as a legendary pianist and composer, Herbie Hancock has been an integral part of every jazz movement since the 1960s. As a member of the Miles Davis Quintet, he became one of the pioneers of the avant garde sound. His recordings during the ’70s combined electric jazz with funk and rock sounds in an innovative style that continues to influence contemporary music. “Rockit” and “Future Shock” marked Hancock’s foray into electronic dance music and included several chart-topping hits; during the same period he continued to work in an acoustic setting with V.S.O.P., which included ex-Miles Davis band mates Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. For his Amherst appearance he’ll perform with a quartet, musicians to be announced.

Hancock has received an Academy Award for his Round Midnight film score and 14 Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year for “River: The Joni Letters” and two 2011 Grammy Awards for his recently released globally collaborative CD, “The Imagine Project.” Many of his compositions, including “Cantaloupe Island,” “Maiden Voyage,” “Watermelon Man,” and “Chameleon,” are modern standards that have had a profound effect on all styles of modern music.

LET US CELEBRATE YOU! Join us for a free pre-show party on the plaza with appetizers, live entertainment and cash bar. Tent opens at 6 p.m.

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Thursday, October 3, 7:30p.m., Fine Arts Center Concert Hall
$35, $30 and $15; Five College/GCC/STCC Students and Youth 17 & under: $10
On-site preconcert talk at 6:45 p.m.

Visual delight and kinetic spectacle are key elements of the Time Lapse Dance aesthetic. The company’s work features contemporary interpretations of modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller with hypnotic fabric-and-light displays combined with circus arts making for a breathtaking and sensuous experience for the audience.

For ticket holders a pre-performance talk will be presented at 6:45p.m.by Billbob Brown, professor of Dance at the University of  Massachusetts.

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RAW MATERIALS

Thursday, September 26, 8 p.m., Bezanson Recital Hall

$10, Five College/GCC/STCC Students and Youth 17 & under: $5

Raw Materials: Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa, two of the most celebrated artists of our time, have performed as a duo almost since their first meeting. “By now, there can be no doubt that pianist-composer Iyer stands among the most daringly original jazz artists of [his] generation,” wrote Howard Reich in the Chicago Tribune. In an unprecedented series of wins, Iyer received top honors in five categories of the 2012 Down Beat International Critics Poll, including Jazz Artist of the Year, Jazz Album of the Year (for Accelerando), Jazz Group of the Year (for the Vijay Iyer Trio), Pianist of the Year and Rising Star Composer. Guggenheim fellow and 2012 Downbeat International Critics Poll Alto Saxophonist of the Year, Rudresh Mahanthappa is one of the most innovative composers and performers in jazz today, fusing the musical culture of his Indian ancestry and jazz with myriad other influences to create a groundbreaking artistic vision. The New York Times has hailed his “roving intellect and bladelike articulation.”

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Vijay Iyer’s website

Rudresh Mahanthappa’s website

Album website

Mystical Arts of Tibet

Wed-Fri, September 25-27, 1 p.m. – 6p.m., Fine Arts Center Concert Hall and Lobby
Admission: $5 per day; Five College/GCC/STCC Students and Seniors: $2
(Daily multiple entries with a ticket)

All across the world, the creation and beauty of a Tibetan Sand Mandala painting remains a constant phenomenon of art and construction, emanating spiritual and healing power for any who experience it.

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HAIR

Saturday, April 27, 8PM, Concert Hall
Winner! Best Musical Revival 2009 Tony Award!

This exuberant musical about a group of young Americans searching for peace and love in a turbulent time has struck a resonant chord with audiences young and old. Hair features an extraordinary cast and unforgettable songs, including “Aquarius,” “Let the Sun Shine In,” “Good Morning, Starshine” and “Easy To Be Hard.” Its relevance is undeniable. Its energy is unbridled. Its truth is unwavering. It’s Hair, and it’s time. “Irresistible. The best version yet!” – Peter Marks, The Washington Post. “If this explosive production doesn’t stir something in you, it may be time to check your pulse.” – Variety
(Advisory: contains brief nudity and mature subject matter.) 

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$60, $50, $25; FC, GCC, STCC and 17 & under $20

DENMAN MARONEY QUINTET Ned Rothenberg, Dave Ballou, Reuben Radding, Michael Sarin Thursday, April 25, 8PM, Bezanson Recital Hall “There are few minds as agile and inquiring as that of pianist, composer and educator Denman Maroney,” writes Mark Medwin. “Over nearly 40 years, he has managed to rethink the piano’s vocabulary, creating a readily identifiable language on the instrument. He calls his contribution “hyperpiano,” a method of playing inside the piano that is characterized by a dizzying and diverse pallet of sonorities that make the instrument into an orchestra. He has also developed an equally unique compositional language. Yet, there is a directness, at times almost a simplicity, in his music.”

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General Admission: $12; $7 students