JCCC Carlsen Center Presents Series Announces 2018-19 Season

Emily Behrmann, General Manager for the Carlsen Center Presents Series, today announced the 2018-2019 season which features iconic women artists including Emmylou Harris, Chita Rivera, Aida Cuevas, Lisa Loeb and Marilyn Maye, scheduled to appear throughout the season. High res photos with IDs can be found here.

Behrmann said, "I wanted to create a season of performances that trumpeted the power and tenacity of women. Strong women aren't new in the entertainment industry. The ones who survive are there because they're determined and won't back down in the face of adversity - whether that's discrimination, harassment or other unfair treatment." She continued, "The Carlsen Center consistently presents the most talented performers from around the world, women and men. This focus on female entertainers is one more way we can emphasize the variety and diverse program for which we're known."

Grammy winners

On Oct. 26, Aida Cuevas takes the stage. The Queen of Ranchera Music (a type of Mexican folk/country that leans heavily on guitars and horns) won a 2018 GRAMMY Award for Best Regional Mexican Music Album. She made history as the only woman to ever win a GRAMMY in the category. She brings with her a portfolio of 39 albums and a tour schedule that's taken her around the world. This show will be a tribute to her mentor, Mexican superstar, Juan Gabriel.

On Nov. 11, Johnson County Community College proudly presents the iconic cabaret singer Marilyn Maye celebrating "90 At Last" featuring the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. Maye appeared on "The Tonight Show" 76 times (a record for a singer) and is a series favorite who ignites a crowd. She celebrates her 90th birthday in 2018.

Coming off her 2018 GRAMMY win for Best Children's Album for Feel What U Feel, Lisa Loeb will share children's songs with a daytime concert for kids and their parents. She'll come back to the stage in the evening for a concert highlighting her hits from the 1990s, including the platinum-selling Number 1 hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film Reality Bites and more. Loeb has established herself as an entrepreneur (designing Lisa Loeb Eyewear) and author, in addition to her music career. Both concerts will be held Feb. 2, 2019.

Broadway meets Disney

On January 18, 2019. "Broadway Princess Party," opens with actress Laura Osnes who starred on Broadway in the title role of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella." She joins two of her fellow princesses to perform songs from "Snow White," "Pocahontas," "Frozen" and many more.

Strong women also populate the cast of "Steel Magnolias," presented by LA Theatre Works for shows Feb. 16 and 17. The group's unique style of "audio theatre" eschews traditional staging in favor of radio-style live performances and brings full focus to the play and its gutsy, glorious characters.

On March 8, Niyaz's The Fourth Light Project will pay tribute to Eighth Century Sufi mystic Rabi'a al-Basri, known as the Mother of Sufism. Featuring artists and musicians from a diversity of locales such as Iran, Turkey, India and Canada, NIYAZ transcends both genre and borders.

Reliving Broadway's best

On April 6, 2019, "Chita and Friends," opens with a night of bright nostalgia from Chita Rivera and special Broadway guests, to be announced soon. Rivera is the winner of two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, a Kennedy Center Honors recognition and the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

2018-2019 Sponsors

New Dance Partners sponsored in part by George H. Langworthy, Sr. and Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission. 10 Hairy Legs sponsored in part by G. Mark Sappington and David McGee. The Priests are a co-presentation with the Irish Center of Kansas City. Four events are sponsored in part by Mark S. and Nancy Gilman: Bel Canto Trio, Seraphic Fire with the American Brass Quintet, Sir James Galway and Dalí Quartet with Olga Kern, piano. Marilyn Maye and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra sponsored in part by Harvey S. Bodker.

For more information about the Carlsen Center Presents at Johnson County Community College, and a full list of performers, visit www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter.

Carlsen Center Presents 2018-2019 Season

Sept. 21-22 New Dance Partners

Sept. 29 MOMIX Opus Cactus (Dance)

Oct. 13 Emmylou Harris

Oct. 14 Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

Oct. 14 10 Hairy Legs (Dance) *

Oct. 20 OK Go - The Live Video Tour

Oct. 26 Aida Cuevas, "Totalmente Juan Gabriel"

Nov. 4 The Fab Four - The Ultimate Tribute

Nov. 9 Soweto Gospel Choir: Celebration of Nelson Mandela

Nov. 10 Don Felder (formerly of The Eagles)

Nov. 11 Marilyn Maye "90 At Last" featuring The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra

Nov. 17 Stray Cat Lee Rocker

Nov. 18 The Priests, presented with the Irish Center of Kansas City

Dec. 1 Bel Canto Trio (Classical) *

Dec. 2 Winterlude: Angela Hagenbach Quintet *

Dec. 7 Bach Aria Soloists/Heart Of America Shakespeare Festival *

Dec. 8 Under the Streetlamp, "Hip to the Holidays!"

Jan. 18, 2019 Broadway Princess Party featuring Laura Osnes of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

Jan. 20 Winterlude: Eddie Moore and Pamela Baskin-Watson *

Feb. 2 Lisa Loeb

Feb. 10 "We Shall Overcome," a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. feat. Damien Sneed and the Kansas City Boys and Girls Choirs

Feb. 16-17 Steel Magnolias presented by LA Theatre Works *

Feb. 22 American Brass with Seraphic Fire: A Spanish Pilgrimage (Classical)

Feb. 24 Winterlude: Hot Club KC *

Feb. 28 Peg + Cat - LIVE!

March 2 KC Youth Symphony 60th Anniversary Gala

March 8 Niyaz, The Fourth Light Project *

March 10 Sir James Galway, flute (Classical)

March 17 Winterlude: Cubanisms *

March 22 Asere! A Fiesta Cubana with The Havana Cuba All-Stars

March 23 Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

April 6 Chita and Friends

April 12 Dali Quartet with Olga Kern, pianist (Classical)

May 18 Neil Berg's 101 Years of Broadway

* Events held in Polsky Theatre, JCCC

Ticket Information

Season tickets go on sale 10 a.m., Monday, May 7 to the general public, with individual events on sale 10 a.m., Monday, June 4. Tickets may be purchased online www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter or by phone (913) 469-4445. Season ticket packages which include a purchase of five events (or more) are available for a 10% discount. Donors to the Friends of the Carlsen Center (starting at $50) receive a 15% discount off season ticket packages.

About Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College

The Carlsen Center is Johnson County's performing arts center. Early on, the founders of Johnson County Community College (JCCC) dreamed of building a world-class performing arts venue in Johnson County, Kansas. In 1990, that dream was realized and the center soon became a cultural hub for the rapidly growing county. The Carlsen Center's growth parallels that of Johnson County, expanding from 50 events the first season to around 150 annually today. Events include Carlsen Center Presents (CCP), the annual series of around 25 events presented by JCCC that feature professional, internationally-known artists in a wide variety of genres; academic branches of JCCC; and community groups who rent the space.

Since 2000, with the development of the Carlsen Center Arts Education program, the Carlsen Center also addresses cultural and art-related program needs in K-12 education. The CC Arts Education programs include school performances at the Carlsen Center, and engagement activities with artists performing in schools. Master classes, lecture/demonstrations, workshops and other opportunities for interaction with students happen throughout the year. CC Arts Education also offers support materials for programs, study guides, concert previews, plus professional development - creative skills workshops and curriculum-building seminars for teachers in arts integration.

The CC Arts Education had a leadership role in the re-establishment of the Kansas Alliance for Arts Education, and in 2014 was named a Kennedy Center Partners in Education site, teamed with the Shawnee Mission School District. An expansion of the Kennedy Center Partnership occurred in 2018 with the addition of the Liberty Schools, making it one of two cross-state Kennedy Center Partnerships in the US. CC Arts Ed is the only Kennedy Center Partner in the state of Kansas.

For more information, please visit www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter.