John Adams News

In February 2012 The New York Philharmonic This Week - the weekly radio series of concerts by the New York Philharmonic, hosted by Alec Baldwin - begins with an encore performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah from November 2010 led by Music Director Alan Gilbert, The Yoko Nagae Ceschina Chair, with soprano Carolyn Sampson, mezzo-soprano Alice Coote, tenor Allan Clayton, bass-baritone Gerald Finley, and the New York Choral Artists, Joseph Flummerfelt, director. The second program - from the Orchestra's EUROPE / WINTER 2010 tour - is also led by Mr. Gilbert and includes EXPO by The Marie-Josee Kravis Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindberg; Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2, with Yefim Bronfman as soloist; and Sibelius's Symphony No. 2 and Valse triste as performed in Cologne, Germany.

Cornish College of the Arts has announced its spring 2012 events calendar. The spring schedule of events features a diverse schedule of exhibitions, music, theater and dance performances.

Comprised of a team of dancers, gymnasts, rock climbers, athletes, and actors, Diavolo and its large-scale interdisciplinary performances examine the funny and sometimes frightening ways individuals interact with their environment. In doing so, it has redefined dance, theatre, and thrills-taking movement, athleticism and risk to the extreme.

Sunday, January 29 at 2:00pm at the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Philharmonic will present violinist Deborah Buck-concertmaster of the Brooklyn Phil since 2007-in recital with pianist Molly Morkoski.

In collaboration with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Harris Theater will present the nation's premier ensemble for chamber music in its first-ever Chicago-based performance series.

Lincoln Center will celebrate the 25th birthday of New York's tirelessly inventive new music institution Bang on a Can with musical fireworks in an extraordinary three-part program that will include a U.S. and a New York premiere on Saturday, April 28, at 7 PM in Alice Tully Hall.

Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, sung in English, will return to the Met December 16 as the company's annual holiday presentation. Performances of the opera this season will include weekday matinees and special ticket prices designed to appeal to families with children. The fairy tale adaptation, which will be seen in Richard Jones's fanciful production, will star Aleksandra Kurzak in her Met role debut as Gretel, opposite Alice Coote and Kate Lindsey (also making her Met role debut), who alternate in the role of Hansel. Michaela Martens and Dwayne Croft will sing the roles of the adventurous children's parents, Gertrude and Peter, while Robert Brubaker will sing the Witch who wants to turn them into gingerbread cookies. Jennifer Johnson Cano will sing the Sandman, who coaxes the children to sleep, and Lindemann Young Artist Development Program member Lei Xu the Dew Fairy, who awakens them. The rising British conductor Robin Ticciati, currently music director of the Glyndebourne Festival, will make his Met debut.

Tickets are now on sale for Kelrik Production's Pinkalicious, the Musical, playing January 21 - February 5 at Unity (1490 Southwood Drive in San Luis Obispo).

Internationally acclaimed cellist Ralph Kirshbaum joins the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), conducted by Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, for Tchaikovsky's elegant Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 33, on Saturday, December 10, 2011, 8 pm.

Music for the American Wing- a weekend of events- marks the completed renovation of the New American Wing Galleries for Paintings, Sculpture.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School Of The Arts continues the 12th season of its renowned Composer Portraits with John Zorn.

Andreas Mitisek, Artistic and General Director of Long Beach Opera (LBO), will become the General Director of Chicago Opera Theater (COT) on September 1, 2012.

22Q Entertainment LLC (producer of the The Spoon River Project at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn), GO AlleyCat Productions in association with Joe Coots will present the world premiere of It Is Done written by internationally-produced and award-winning playwright Alex Goldberg and directed by Tom Wojtunik.

Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, sung in English, will return to the Met December 16 as the company's annual holiday presentation. Performances of the opera this season will include weekday matinees and special ticket prices designed to appeal to families with children. The fairy tale adaptation, which will be seen in Richard Jones's fanciful production, will star Aleksandra Kurzak in her Met role debut as Gretel, opposite Alice Coote and Kate Lindsey (also making her Met role debut), who alternate in the role of Hansel. Michaela Martens and Dwayne Croft will sing the roles of the adventurous children's parents, Gertrude and Peter, while Robert Brubaker will sing the Witch who wants to turn them into gingerbread cookies. Jennifer Johnson Cano will sing the Sandman, who coaxes the children to sleep, and Lindemann Young Artist Development Program member Lei Xu the Dew Fairy, who awakens them. The rising British conductor Robin Ticciati, currently music director of the Glyndebourne Festival, will make his Met debut.

Handel and Haydn Society Presents 158th Annual Handel Messiah, conducted by Artistic Director Harry Christophers.

Internationally acclaimed cellist Ralph Kirshbaum joins the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), conducted by Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, for Tchaikovsky's elegant Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 33, on Saturday, December 10, 2011, 8 pm.

MCC Theater has announced the complete cast for the newly reworked and fully re-imagined production of Carrie, the musical. Carrie features music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford (Academy Award winning composer and lyricist for the original film Fame) and a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (who also adapted the 1974 novel by Stephen King for the 1976 Brian DePalma film). Directed by Stafford Arima, performances for Carrie begin January 31, 2012, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). The official opening night is set for March 1, 2012.

As we come to the middle of November, I hope you are planning on attending at least one of the several live performance and theatre productions that are presently running (or soon will be) at any one of the numerous live entertainment establishments here on the beautiful Central Coast of California!