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  • British Invasion Part 1: Beginnings and Influences

    Class Schedule: Tuesdays – September 19 & 26 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

    Before the Beatles kicked off the British Invasion of the US, a musical revolution was underway in the UK. Teens reveled in listening to a specific type of American music: rock and roll from Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Little Richard, and more. Early Motown reached the Merseyside, along with records by little-known (in America) R&B artists. At the same time, James Brown and Ray Charles scored hits both in the US and the UK. However, folk also attracted teens’ attention through a genre called skiffle, a style that would greatly influence budding musicians such as John Lennon and Jimmy Page.

    This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole examines the influences of these genres on what would become the British Invasion, which would ultimately transform music worldwide. The class will survey the artists that would predate the Beatles: Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, the Shadows, Tommy Steele, The Vipers Skiffle Group, and much more. It will reveal just how different the UK and US charts looked prior to the British Invasion, and how these artists and numerous genres contributed to the transformation from 1950s to 1960s sounds.

    Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

  • Ballet Hispánico

    Ballet Hispánico is the nation’s renowned Latino dance organization and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. For 50 years Ballet Hispánico has been bringing communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance performances, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences. The organization’s founder, National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez, sought to give voice to the Hispanic experience and break through stereotypes. Today, Ballet Hispánico is led by Eduardo Vilaro, an acclaimed choreographer and former member of the Company, whose vision of social equity, cultural identity, and quality arts education for all drives its programs.

    The evening’s program will include:

    Club Havana
    Choreographer Pedro Ruiz, a native of Cuba, brings the intoxicating rhythms of conga, rumba, mambo, and cha cha to life in “Club Havana.” Set to a fusion of Cuban, jazz, and big-band swing music, this performance promises to be a silky, sexy joy.

    New Sleep (Duet)
    Choreographed by William Forsythe, “New Sleep (Duet)” offers a unique and inventive dance movement based on balletic axioms. Forsythe’s work reorients ballet as a dynamic 21st-century art form, pushing the boundaries of dance.

    Línea Recta
    From choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa comes “Línea Recta,” a powerful and resonant work that explores the absence of physical partnering in flamenco dance. While maintaining the genre’s hallmark passion, Lopez Ochoa’s piece offers an original and explosive movement language performed to flamenco guitar by Eric Vaarzon Morel.

  • Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea

     

    Join us for a magical evening of music and celebration at the 31st Annual Holiday Concert with Father Alphonse Stevenson and the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea! Experience the joy and spirit of the holiday season as Father Alphonse Stevenson and his 42-piece Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea and talented soloists fill the theater carols and seasonal favorites. This longstanding tradition has delighted audiences for over three decades, and we can’t wait to make this year’s concert even more memorable.

     

  • Willie Nile

    Join us for our Performing Arts season-opening concert with Willie Nile and opening act James Maddock.

    The New York Times called Buffalo, NY born Willie Nile “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.” Uncut Magazine called him “A one-man Clash.” His album Streets Of New York was hailed as “a platter for the ages” by Uncut. Rolling Stone listed The Innocent Ones as one of the “Top Ten Best Under-The-Radar Albums of 2011” and BBC Radio called it “THE rock ‘n’ roll album of the year.” His single from that album, “One Guitar,” was the “Top Pick of the Week” in USA Today.

    Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Jim Jarmusch, and Little Steven are among those who have sung his praises. His album, American Ride, won “Best Rock Album of the Year” at the Independent Music Awards. It appeared on dozens of year-end Top Ten lists for 2013 and was voted “Album Of The Year” by Twangville Magazine. Bono called it, “One of the great guides to unraveling the mystery that is the troubled beauty of America.”

    Willie has toured across the U.S. with The Who and has sung with Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr. As the induction program from the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame says: “His live performances are legendary.” His 2020 album New York At Night got rave reviews, with The Associated Press calling it: “As sharp and guitar-driven as ever…the fire within Nile, once a peer of The Replacements and The Clash, continues to light a similar torch…anthemic…custom made for these times..” Downbeat Magazine calling it a “sonic love letter to Gotham.” His new studio album The Day The Earth Stood Still features a duet with Steve Earle on the song “Blood On Your Hands.”  The London Times called him “A man who embodies the true spirit of rock n’ roll.” The New Yorker wrote that Willie Nile is “One of the most brilliant singer-songwriters of the past 30 years.”

  • Youth Unstoppable

    Directed by Slater Jewell-Kemker
    Canada, 2018

    Youth Unstoppable: My Decade in the Youth Climate Movement (formerly An Inconvenient Youth) captures the vibrant untold story of the global youth climate movement. Decisions made today are shaping the world they will live in, and they are no longer willing to sit idly as the planet is degraded for the short term gain of the older generations. Director Slater Jewell-Kemker has been interviewing celebrities and politicians about the environment since the age of ten, now she is telling the stories of these remarkable young people on the front lines of climate change. The feature documentary also gives life to a thriving online community, already forming, that will continue as a youth focused environmental social network. This is the story of the youth of today fighting for their planet, their future.

    There will be a post screening Q&A hosted by Professor Marina  Vujnovic  with special guest speaker Prof. Catherine Duckett.

    For more information on climate change see: Climate Crisis Teach-In 2024 | School of Science | Monmouth University: https://www.monmouth.edu/school-of-science/climate-crisis-teach-in-2024/

     

  • Last Train Home

    Directed by Lixin Fan
    Canada, China, 2009

    A family embarks on an annual tormenting journey along with 200 other million peasant workers to reunite with their distant family, and to revive their love and dignity as China soars as the world’s next super power.

    There will be a post screening Q&A hosted by Professor Chris DeRosa with special guest speaker Prof. Mel Brzycki.

  • Wadjda

    Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour
    Saudi Arabia, Germany, 2012

    Young Wadjda dreams of owning a green bicycle. She wants to race a boy from the neighborhood, but the law prohibits girls from riding bikes. Just as she is losing hope, she hears about a cash prize for a Koran recitation competition at her school. Wadjda decides to earn the cash to fulfil her dream.

    There will be a post screening Q&A hosted by Professor Claude Taylor with special guest speaker Prof. Saliba Sarsar.

  • We are the Best

    Directed by Lukas Moodysson
    Sweden, 2014

    We Are the Best! is a story of three young misfit girls growing up in the early ‘80s Stockholm. Pixieish, mohawk-sporting Klara and her best friend Bobo are 13-year-old rebels looking for a cause. Despite having no instruments—or discernible musical talent—the two put all their energy into forming an all-girl punk band, recruiting their shy, classical guitar-playing schoolmate Hedwig as a third wheel. With tender affection for its young characters, We Are the Best! paints a joyous and sharply observant portrait of the rebellious spirit of youth and growing up different.

    There will be a post screening Q&A hosted by Professor Mihaela Moscaliuc with special guest speaker Prof. Joe Rapolla.

  • Spider Thieves

    Directed by Guillermo Helo
    Chile, 2017

    Inspired by actual events, this teenage thriller is a unique social commentary on dreams, class, and unfulfilled expectations in contemporary Chile.

    Three teenage girls from a Santiago shanty town set in motion a plan to climb buildings and plunder expensive apartments. All they want is to have all the cool and trendy stuff they see advertised in TV commercials and department stores. Word spreads and soon enough they became the notorious “spider thieves.”

    There will be a post screening Q&A hosted by Professor Manuel Chavez  with special guest speakers Prof. Priscilla & Gustavo Gac-Artigas

     

  • Puccini’s Madama Butterfly

    In her Met debut, Asmik Grigorian tackles the demanding role of Cio-Cio-San, the trusting geisha at the heart of Puccini’s tragedy. Tenor Jonathan Tetelman is the callous American naval officer Pinkerton whose betrayal destroys her. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong is the steadfast maid Suzuki, and baritone Lucas Meachem is the American consul Sharpless. Acclaimed maestro Xian Zhang makes her Met debut conducting Anthony Minghella’s vivid production.