Two Performances Added To Kauffman Center Presents Fall 2021 Calendar

This October on Muriel Kauffman Theatre stage, audiences can revel in two exciting Kauffman Center Presents performances: Pink Martini featuring China Forbes on Oct. 26 and Asleep at the Wheel on Oct. 30. Kauffman Center Presents is made possible by the John N. and Marilyn P. McConnell Foundation.

Tickets for Pink Martini featuring China Forbes range from $39 to $79 plus applicable fees. Tickets for Asleep at the Wheel range from $39 to $59 plus applicable fees. Both shows go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, July 16. Tickets will be available through the Kauffman Center Box Office at (816) 994-7222 or online at kauffmancenter.org.

"Pink Martini is a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure... if the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we'd be that band." - Thomas Lauderdale, bandleader/pianist.

Featuring a dozen musicians, with songs in 25 languages, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages on six continents. After making its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998, the band has gone on to play with more than 50 orchestras around the world.

Pink Martini has released 11 studio albums on its own independent label Heinz Records (named after Lauderdale's dog), selling over 3 million albums worldwide. In 2019, the band released two EPs featuring the vocals of Pink Martini's newest members Jimmie Herrod and Edna Vazquez. Both vocalists have toured with the band for the past year and are officially part of the group with the release of Herrod's EP Tomorrow and Vaquez's Besame Mucho, both of which were co-produced by Thomas Lauderdale and China Forbes.

With Pink Martini, China has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Later with Jools Holland. She has performed songs in over 20 languages and has sung duets with Rufus Wainwright, Michael Feinstein, Carol Channing and many other wonderful artists. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall to Red Rocks, the Hollywood Bowl to Paris's l'Olympia and Sydney Opera House. China also performs opera recitals annually with members of the Oregon Symphony in its free community outreach program "Classical Up Close." Her second solo album 78, a collection of autobiographical folk-rock songs, came out on Heinz Records in 2008. China is currently at work on another solo album of original material, as well as preparing her first solo concert with symphony orchestra.

Founded in 1970 by Ray Benson, Asleep at the Wheel has been part of the American roots music landscape for more than 50 years. Although the band got its start on a farm in Paw Paw, West Virginia, Asleep at the Wheel became a cornerstone of the Austin, Texas, scene upon its arrival in 1973. Inspired by Western swing and honky-tonk country, the band has accrued 10 Grammy Awards. In the fall, a career retrospective recorded with the current lineup, and a few special guests, will carry the band back onto the road, where they've remained a staple for five decades.

Fifty years in, Asleep at the Wheel represent an important aspect of American roots music, even though some of its members and audiences represent a new generation. That far-reaching appeal remains a testament to Benson's initial vision.

"How do you keep this music going?" Benson asks. "Well, you've got to have some young people. If young people aren't doing this, then we're just a museum - and I don't want to be a museum."

The Kauffman Center Presents series features extraordinary and diverse artists from a variety of musical genres and performance styles.

2021-2022 Kauffman Center Presents events:

• Sunday, August 29, 2021 - Martina McBride - 7 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre
• Tuesday, October 26, 2021 - Pink Martini featuring China Forbes - 7:30 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre
• Wednesday, October 27, 2021 - Black Violin: Impossible Tour - 7:30 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre
• Saturday, October 30, 2021 - Asleep at the Wheel - 7:30 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre
• Sunday, October 31, 2021 - Champions of Magic - 4 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre
• Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022 - The Beach Boys - 7:30 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre
• Sunday, April 10, 2022 - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - 8 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre

Look for more Kauffman Center Presents announcements coming soon.

*Additional performances will be announced throughout the 2021-2022 season. Updates are available at www.kauffmancenter.org/kauffman-center-presents/.

To post a comment, you must register and login.