CSB SJU Join Arts Programs

ST. JOSEPH, Minn.- The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University invite central Minnesota audiences to experience the arts on two campuses with extraordinary facilities for the performing and visual arts. Under the direction of Anna M. Thompson, the new CSB/SJU director of fine arts programming, CSB's Lively Arts Series and SJU's Saint John's Presents have been brought together under one banner with exciting results.

"There's something for everyone," says Thompson, "we have programs for young and mature audiences, as well as families. We offer something in every arts discipline: music, theater, dance, as well as the visual arts. You'll find everything from blues to brass music; cowboys to classical artists; Irish to Modern dance; mountain stories to mouth music; and neon to multi-media visual art. I hope our audiences enjoy the variety of events and venues offered in our first season as Partners in the Arts."

Events in the performing arts will take place at the Benedicta Arts Center at the College of Saint Benedict and the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater at Saint John's University. The 1998-99 CSB/SJU Fine Arts Series include:

RANDY SABIEN & THE FIDDLEHEAD BLUES BAND

SJU Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1998, 8 p.m. Randy Sabien and his Fiddlehead Blues Band play an eclectic mix of original charts, jazz, blues and pop music, all rendered in his inimitable bluesy style that stomps and swings. Sabien has appeared with such noted artists as Stephane Grappelli and David Grisman, in addition to frequent appearances on A Prairie Home Companion.

STEVE TURRE, JAZZ SEXTET with STRINGS

CSB Benedicta Arts Center Auditorium, Monday, Oct. 5, 1998, 7:30 p.m. Most people know him as the "Saturday Night Live" trombone player with the Fu Manchu mustache, but Steve Turre is first and foremost a jazz player with an ever-expanding range of expression. Turre plays

a mean jazz trombone, but also blows up a storm on the seashell. The Jazz Sextet with Strings

features Turre's arrangements for a unique instrumentation in a traditional, straight-ahead jazz vein.

RIDERS IN THE SKY

CSB Benedicta Arts Center Auditorium, Saturday, Oct. 24, 1998, 7:30 p.m. In more than two decades as Riders in the Sky, these three have done more than 3,500 shows, 180 national television appearances, 200 public radio shows, and 21 albums. Over the years nothing has changed in the basic recipe of this Grand Ole Opry trio. It's still Woody Paul's dazzling fiddle, Too Slim's madcap sense of humor, and Ranger Doug's golden-throat yodels.

ONDEKOZA: DEMON DRUMMERS OF JAPAN

SJU Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Monday, Oct. 26, 1998, 8 p.m. During its 28-year history, Ondekoza has performed for spellbound audiences all over the world. Ondekoza's performances include a range of instruments from bamboo flute to 700-pound drums.

DAVID HOLT, MOSTLY GHOSTLY STORIES

SJU Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saturday, Oct. 31, 1998, 8 p.m. Grammy-award winning storyteller David Holt, doesn't just tell stories, he inhabits them. He brings each character to life and punctuates the action with uncanny sound effects. Time stands still and Goosebumps rise.

GOLUB, KAPLAN, CARR TRIO

SJU Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Thursday, Nov. 12, 1998, 8 p.m. Since their world-premiere in 1982 at the Vancouver Symphony's Beethoven Festival, the GOLUB-KAPLAN-CARR Trio has been acclaimed as one of the finest piano trios before the public today. Co-sponsored by the Chamber Music Society of St. Cloud.

THE DALLAS BRASS

CSB Benedicta Arts Center Auditorium, Sunday, Dec. 13, 1998, 2 p.m. With trombones, trumpets, tuba and percussion the Dallas Brass will "swing" audiences into the holidays with their upbeat arrangements of popular holiday favorites and traditional carols.

LAURA INGALLS WILDER: GROWING UP ON THE PRAIRIE

SJU Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Thursday, Feb. 11, 1999, 8 p.m. ArtsPower's one-act musical chronicles the life and times of Laura and the Ingalls family. In the true pioneering spirit, we learn how famous author began writing about her adventures traveling across America.

THE TRINITY IRISH DANCE COMPANY

CSB Benedicta Arts Center Auditorium, Saturday, Feb. 27, 1999, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 28, 1999, 2 p.m. As the varsity performing troupe of the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, the World Champion Trinity Irish Dancers have performed throughout the United States and abroad since their first trip to the World Competitions in Galway, Ireland, in 1985. Holding an unprecedented 12 World Champion titles in team dancing, the Trinity Irish Dancers continue to thrill audiences with flawless performances of traditional Irish dances.

THE PARSONS DANCE COMPANY

CSB Benedicta Arts Center Auditorium, Saturday, March 13, 1999, 7:30 p.m. Comprised of nine dancers this exhilarating company brings modern dance to the widest possible audience. Engaging, exciting, witty and funny, choreographer David Parsons looks at life through the dancer's lens and gives it a twist. Come ready for an evening of extraordinary dance and fun!

Todd Jefferson Moore's IN THE HEART OF THE WOOD

SJU Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Monday, April 12, 1999, 8 p.m. Suppose you rejected all the media hype about the fight over "old growth" forests, and you headed to the woods to find out what was really happening. Todd Jefferson Moore has done just that in this fluid, dynamic performance. Moore has produced a tightly paced montage of 18-portraits, depicting the personalities he carefully chose from interviews conducted with protesters, mill owners, loggers and scientists among others. Moore brings to life the actual words of these folks as he cuts through the rhetoric and regulation and delves into the hearts of real people embroiled in the debate.

PLYMOUTH MUSIC ENSEMBLE, Philip Brunelle, Music Director SJU Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Monday, April 19, 1999, 8 p.m. The Plymouth Music Series ensemble singers under the artistic direction of Philip Brunelle, have performed across the nation and in Europe. Founded by Brunelle in 1969, the ensemble has a significant history of performances, recordings and commissions. Supported in part by the Colman Barry Legacy Fund.

ZAP MAMA

CSB Benedicta Arts Center Auditorium, Monday, May 3, 1999, 7:30 p.m. In Jazz, the Blues and R&B the greatest singers are the ones who can bring it back home. Zap Mama's Marie Daulne is one of those, a living conduit between Africa and the rest of the world. Zap Mama has evolved from its original incarnation and has moved from straight a cappella to a mix of mouth music, traditional, indigenous and inventive instrumentation.

CSB/SJU Theater Department will also be presented as a part of the season. Theater department productions are: Chekov's The Seagull, Nov. 12 -15, and 18 -21,1998, and a production to be announced will play April 22 -25, and April 28 -May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the CSB Forum Theater at the Benedicta Arts Center.

The CSB/SJU faculty ensemble Pastiche will also perform as part of the series on

Oct. 23, 1998, 8 p.m. in the SJU Stephen B. Humphrey Theater and March 19, 1999, at the CSB Benedicta Arts Center Auditorium.

Ticketing Information: Subscriptions for the 1998-99 season may now be purchased. Special

discounts for subscribers include: 25 percent off single ticket prices for patrons purchasing the Grand Series (all 14 events); and 10 percent off single ticket prices for the purchase of a Potpourri Series (seven events). Single ticket prices range from $3-20 and may be purchased after Sept. 1. For ticketing, event and subscription information contact the College of Saint Benedict Information Office at (320) 363-5777 (TTD/TTY same number).

The CSB/SJU 1998-99 Fine Arts Series is made possible in part through funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the National Endowment for the Arts.