Star City Blog / Music

Nebraska Metropolitan Opera Auditions Committee Announces 2010 Winners

The finalists chosen to continue to The Upper Midwest Regional in St. Paul, Minnesota on February 6th were the following:

Alyssa Nance, Soprano, Kansas City Missouri. Graduate student at the Conservatory of Music, University of Missouri, Kansas City.

 

Thomas Gunther, Cincinnati, Ohio.  Baritone, Graduate of the UNL Opera program, currently student at Cincinnati Conservatory.

Patrick O’Halloran, Tenor, Student in UNL Opera Program.

Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra Features Music About 'Night'

Tenor Kevin Hanrahan and Gregory Helseth, LSO principal horn, understand the commitment that is involved in putting together an expressive piece like Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.

 

“The piece is deeply emotional, and I find that I cannot play it without a true investment of myself,” Helseth said.

 

Helseth and Hanrahan will perform the Britten work, a staple of tenor and horn repertoire, with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra. LSO presents “A Little Night Music” on Saturday, February 6, at 7:30 p.m., at Kimball Recital Hall. The concert begins with the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by J.S. Bach and the Britten Serenade, and finishes with Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Richard Strauss’s Suite for 13 Winds.

Nebraska Jazz Orchestra Announces “Sax & The City” Concert

Join the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra as they present the third concert of the 2009-2010 season, “Sax & the City,” featuring UNL Director of Jazz Studies, Paul Haar on saxophone. This performance will also feature the 2010 Young Lions All-Star Band.

“Sax & the City” will be held Friday, February 5, 2010, at the Cornhusker Marriott, 333 South 13th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska at 7:30 p.m. Priority seating for season ticket holders and Jazz Club members is at 7:00 p.m., with general admission seating beginning at 7:15 p.m. Single admission tickets are $20 for Adults and $10 for Students and may be purchased by contacting the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra business office at (402) 477-8446 or njo@artsincorporated.org.

List of Poster Locations in Lincoln (updated Jan 31. 2010)

By Dennis Kornbluh

Hanging posters is an essential but time-consuming part of promoting events.  The job would be a lot easier with a list of locations and addresses, not to mention a few handy notes.  For example, some locations will only accept posters of a certain type, such as local events, non-profit events and so on.  Some will let you hang the poster, while others insist on hanging them for you (or not, if they deem the poster to be unacceptable for one reason or another). 

You're in luck, because I've created just such a list.  The table below shows poster locations around Lincoln, but mostly in the downtown area to start.  It's sorted by street name and then by street number, which makes it easier to visit a series of locations on the same street without zig-zagging.  The list is most likely grossly incomplete to start.  My hope is that readers will lend a hand by suggesting new locations.  Ultimately, this may become a useful resource for the music community and other event promoters.

The table below is provided for legibility, but I left out the notes for lack of space.  The complete document (last updated 1/31/2010) is provided in the form of an Excel spreadsheet, which you may download here.

If you make any useful updates, please email the latest and greatest version to posterplaces@starcityblog.com, and I'll do my best to keep this resource up to date. Thank you!

'Harold Arlen: A Celebration of American Song' at Kimball Hall January 25th

The UNL School of Music is proud to present the sixth annual CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN SONG.

This year's celebration honors composer HAROLD ARLEN. Named by legendary performers Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand as one of their favorite composers, Harold Arlen's music is far more well known than his name. UNL's voice faculty, alumni, and students will present live performances of Harold Arlen's songs, ranging from the powerfully poignant "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather" to the spirited celebrations of "Get Happy" and "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive."

Capital Jazz Society Announces 2010 Winter/Spring Lineup

Kick off the new year right! The Capital Jazz Society announces its ongoing series of events for winter and spring of 2010. The Monday Night Big Band performances feature a 17-piece big band and the Wednesday Night Jazz Series features an array of local and regional jazz artists including Capital City Dixieland Preservation Society Jazz Band, Bryan McCune, Steve Helfand, Jazzocracy, Kerry Strayer, Group Sax, and Son del Llano.

All events are held at Brewsky’s Jazz Underground, 201 North 8th Street, Lincoln, NE, from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults and $5 for students with valid ID, or $3 if you bring an instrument and sit in with the band (Mondays only).

Third Chair Chamber Players to Perform 'The Enchanted Harp'

January 22 and January 24 the Third Chair Chamber Players present a variety of chamber works for harp from around the globe. Harpist Katie Wychulis introduces us to the music of Australian composer Dulcie Holland, Frenchman Jacques Bondon, Netherlands-born Henri Zagwijn, and Englishman (with strong Irish influence) Arnold Bax. Performing with Katie are Becky Van de Bogart, flute; Ed Love, clarinet; Clark Potter, viola; and Sheri Ericksen, piano.

Dates: January 22 at 8:00 p.m.

January 24 at 3:00 p.m.

Doors open 30 minutes before each performance for refreshments

Location: NET Studio One, 1800 N. 33^rd Street Lincoln, Nebraska
Ticket Price: $22 Adult $5 Student

Contact: 402.429.8227 or www.tccp.us for reservations and ticket information

Nebraska Metropolitan Opera Auditions to be Held January 23rd

The Opera Stars of tomorrow will compete Saturday, January 23 at 10:00 A.M. in O’Donnell Auditorium on the campus of Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Hundreds of aspiring young singers enter these auditions each year with the goal of operatic stardom. Winners in Lincoln go on to the regional competition in Minneapolis and possibly on to the final rounds in New York City.

Big operatic names such as Renee Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Samuel Ramey and Deborah Voigt are products of this competition.

Twenty Local Bands to Play “Under the Covers” Music Event

Lincoln is a Music City, a new organization that was created to support musicians and the local music scene, is putting on a novel event as its first fundraiser at Duffy’s Tavern on 1412 O St. at 8 p.m. this Sunday, January 17th. No less than 20 local bands and solo artists will perform two songs each, one of their own and one cover song by another local act. Dubbed “Under the Covers,” the event brings together a wide range of musical styles in a showcase of the talent Lincoln’s local music scene has to offer.

So who’s playing? Rob Hawkins (The Golden Age), Manny Coon, Ember Schrag, Cory Kibler, Son of 76, Das Hoboerotica, Pastel Pistol, Dirty Talker, Nick Semrad (Little Black Stereo), Nick Westra (Crush the Clown), Lori Allison, Professor Plum, Panda Face, No One Conquered, Wyoming, Patrick Bradley, Hana Kornbluh, the Awkwords and Ashley Buck. The Darren Keen Band will finish off the night with a few extra local covers.

Letter to the City Council RE: Public Dances

The city of Lincoln has allegedly warned the Bourbon Theatre that they risk being ticketed for not following the public dance laws. Jeremy Buckley, who books acts for the venue, wrote a letter to the city council to argue the case for changing the law.  The letter, which is shown below in its entirety, was posted on Facebook this afternoon.

Dear Councilman Emery,

Jeremy Buckley here from the Bourbon Theatre. Thanks for your time on the phone Tuesday, and directions on how to get in touch with you regarding a concern I had in regards to a law in Lincoln. You asked that I spell out the situation so you could discuss it with the city attorney. Please feel free to call (XXX-XXX-XXXX) or email me if you have any questions regarding the contents of this email and I thank you for your time. I’ll try to keep it short, but I want to make sure to give you as much information to work with so you understand the situation as thoroughly as possible.