Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation, PO Box 661178, Arcadia, CA 91066 626.821.1781
September 11, 2015
ARCADIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER ANNOUNCES 2015-‐2016 SEASON
Herb Alpert & Lani Hall -‐ Come Fly With Us Tour ABBAMANIA & Night Fever
An Evening with Hiroshima
Daniel Ho with Warmest Aloha Nutcracker Ballet
Supernatural – Magic & Illusions
Arcadia High School Student Performances: “The Secret in the Wings” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”
Series and single tickets on sale beginning September 17, 2015
Link to Season Program
Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation presents its third season at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center. Featured this season are Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, Hiroshima, ABBA/Night Fever, and Daniel Ho; with guest performances featuring the magic of Gary Peterson, as well as a time-‐ honored favorite, The Nutcracker. And, of course, superior performances by Arcadia High School’s award-‐winning performing arts students. This season, presented by the Arcadia
Performing Arts Foundation, is a means of raising funds to support arts in the schools and maintain this new, state-‐of-‐the-‐art facility.
Tickets are available online by visiting www.arcadiapaf.org or through the box office. The theatre is located at 188 Campus Drive at North Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia, CA 91007. For information please call 626-‐821-‐1781. Series and single tickets go on sale September 17, 2015.
The Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation’s mission is to raise funds to support arts in the schools while maintaining this beautiful facility. A wide range of expenses, including maintenance, sound and lighting upgrades, and other related expenses are a constant. Funds raised will enrich the arts in education and ensure that this beautiful performing arts center will be enjoyed for many years to come, providing quality entertainment to guests young and old.
Jim Romo, Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation Chairman, said, “It has now been three years since we opened this state-‐of-‐the-‐art venue for the performing arts. We have enjoyed bringing quality entertainment to the community and are pleased to continue doing so this season with an array of performances.”
The 2015 – 2016 Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation season sponsors are Alan and Sandy Whitman, with additional sponsorship provided by Methodist Hospital, Santa Anita Park, Singpoli, Westfield, AALRR and others.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS FOR THE 2015 -‐ 2016 SEASON
Gary Peterson’s ”Supernatural” Magic & Illusion Saturday, October 3, 2015 at 7:30pm
Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 2:00pm Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 7:30pm Sunday, October 11, 2015 at 2:00pm Saturday, October 17, 2015 at 7:30pm Sunday, October 18, 2015 at 2:00pm Sunday, October 25, 2015 at 2:00pm
Illusionist Gary Peterson brings his audience along on an exciting magical journey in his “Supernatural” show. He tells the tale of a century long battle with a jealous Vampire over the love of his life. The Broadway-‐style show features over 25 Vegas sized illusions and unprecedented visual effects, guaranteed to astound and amaze the entire family.
Gary began his magic career at a young age, joining the Long Beach Mystics Magic club at the age of 15. At 19, he started the West Coast Magic Manufacturers, a magic company that manufactured magic, illusions, and special effects. He has worked on several TV specials for David Copperfield.
The Nutcracker presented by Inland Pacific Ballet Saturday, November 28, 2015 at 7:30pm Sunday, November 29, 2015 at 2pm
Experience southern California’s most spectacular holiday production of The Nutcracker with family and friends as critically acclaimed Inland Pacific Ballet brings The Nutcracker to life at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center on November 28 and 29, 2015. The annual holiday favorite features dazzling sets, beautiful costumes, and more than 80 dancers on stage. Adults and children will enjoy the story of a young girl named Clara who receives a magical nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve, and sets out on a wondrous journey to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets in a fantastic dream with battling mice, dancing snowflakes, waltzing flowers, and the delightful Sugar Plum Fairy. Meet the cast after the performance for photos and autographs. This is family entertainment at its best!
Founded in 1994 by Southern California natives Victoria Koenig and Kevin Myers, the Inland Pacific Ballet quickly become one of Southern California’s cultural jewels. Its mission is to build and sustain a professional ballet company of national stature in the Inland Empire of Southern California, committed to producing exquisitely staged productions of full-‐length classic story ballets as well as presenting the best in contemporary choreography.
In just 20 years Koenig and Myers have built Inland Pacific Ballet into the premier ballet company in the region, enjoying critical acclaim while performing the largest and most varied repertoire in the area. The Company’s repertoire includes such classics as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Les Sylphides, Graduation Ball and Swan Lake Act II. Full length classical masterpieces include Giselle, Coppélia and a lavish production of The Nutcracker. Contemporary classics include masterpieces by the legendary George Balanchine including Serenade, Concerto Barocco and Who Cares? and a growing body of original work which includes creative adaptations of much loved stories such as The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Dracula and Beauty and the Beast.
Based in the Inland Empire, the Company performs its home season from October to May as Company in Residence at the historic Bridges Auditorium in Claremont. In 2010 the Company began adding other southern California venues to its regular season including the Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga (2010), the Arcadia Performing Arts Center in Arcadia (2013), and the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside (2014). Festival programs such as the Redlands
Bowl Music Festival, Balletfest and Dance Kaleidoscope have also allowed the Company to reach an ever-‐expanding audience.
Regional touring has also included the Luckman Fine Arts Complex in Los Angeles, the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks, the Annenberg Theater in Palm Desert, the Haugh Performing Arts Center in Glendora, the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro. In 2009 the Company embarked on its first national tour, performing at the Globe-‐News Center for the Performing Arts in Amarillo, Texas.
Through creative marketing resulting in attendance now averaging 15-‐20,000 patrons annually, an extensive Educational Outreach Program that has reached more than 128,000 children, and an impressive artistic profile, Inland Pacific Ballet has become a cultural staple in the Inland Empire. Inland Pacific Ballet’s performances are an introduction to the arts and live theater for many members of the community.
ABBAMANIA & Night Fever January 9, 2016 at 8pm
ABBAMANIA is the world’s number one production of Abba. The show consists of studio musicians that recreate Abba live in concert. They are the only Abba production to perform twice for the cast of Mama Mia. Hear the hits from “Waterloo”, “S.O.S” to “Dancing Queen”. Also on the same show is “Night Fever” as the Bee Gees. With all the high harmonies and stage presence of the Bee Gees, they will be performing songs from “Jive Talking, “To Love Somebody”, “Stayin’ Alive” to “You Should Be Dancing” plus many more. ABBAMANIA and Night Fever perform over 200 concerts year and they will take you back to a time when Abba and The Bee Gees ruled the pop music world. Two great shows on one stage.
All four ABBAMANIA performers in the production have performed for Mamma Mia in Toronto, Canada. Monica Tietz plays the part of Anni-‐Frid, Ewan Fernie plays Benny, Kristal Jackson has the lead role as Agnetha, and Nick Pattison plays the part of Bjorn.
The Canadian production of NIGHT FEVER is the number one production of the Bee Gees in the world. Go back in time and hear the music and vocals of a show that no one will ever see again. For over 50 years, more than any other group in pop history, “The Bee Gees” have been outwitting the international music scene with their incredible tenacity to remain current through all time spans of contemporary music. The close high harmonies of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb have made the Bee Gees one of the most impossible attractions in music to launch a salute to …until “Night Fever.”
The vocal match of Matthew Whale as Maurice, Joe Varga as Robin and John Ralphs as Barry, create an eerie sense of seeing the brothers Gibb alive in concert, an event impossible to see today.
Capturing a full history of the Bee Gees, “Night Fever” includes material from the 1967 breakout album, “Bee Gees First,” including “To Love Somebody,” “Holiday,” “Massachusetts,” and continuing with the earlier album, “Words,” “I Got To Get A Message to You,” and “I Started A Joke.” They move on to selections from the later era’s with songs like “Nights On Broadway,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever,” “How Deep Is Your Love” and include era #3 from their platinum album, “Spirits Having Flown,” with “Tragedy,” “Love You Inside Out,” and “Too Much Heaven.”
By 1979, The Bee Gees had made five platinum albums including 35 hit singles, nine of them reaching #1 on the billboard charts. The album “Saturday Night Fever” alone sold over 30 million copies and the hits kept coming.
The Canadian Production “Night Fever” is a unique re-‐creation of one of the most beloved acts in music history.
Herb Alpert & Lani Hall
February 20, 2016 at 8pm
The Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation is pleased to present as the cornerstone of our season – Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, kicking off their Come Fly With Us tour. With eleven GRAMMY® Awards between them, trumpeter Herb Alpert and vocalist Lani Hall infuse an eclectic mix of jazz, world, and American pop standards with their uniquely effervescent and joyful sound in their Come Fly With Us Tour.
Herb Alpert’s legendary career includes five decades of unprecedented breakthroughs as an artist, record executive, and philanthropist. In the past two years alone, he won his ninth GRAMMY for 2013’s Steppin’ Out and received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama. As impressive as those accolades are, they may soon be overshadowed. Come Fly With Me, Alpert’s latest studio album is some of the best work of his career, rivaling his classic Tijuana Brass output. His stirring new material is wonderfully complemented by fresh interpretations of some of the most indelible melodies of the 20th century.
Known for the group Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Alpert is also a recording industry executive, the “A” of A&M Records, a recording label he and business partner Jerry Moss founded. Alpert is the only recording artist to hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop chart both as a vocalist (“This Guy’s in Love with You”, 1968), and an instrumentalist (“Rise”, 1979).
A 2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Alpert’s albums have sold over 72 million copies, and 29 of his records have reached the Billboard 200. Herb has also dedicated his life to philanthropy, funding music education programs across the country. Through his personal foundation, Alpert has helped establish music programs at UCLA and the California Institute of Arts. Both schools have named their programs the Herb Alpert School of Music in his honor. Alpert has also established the Herb Alpert Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists, which help provide tuition to twenty young musicians each year.
Hiroshima
May 14, 2016 at 8pm
Vibrant, eclectic & truly original, the multi GRAMMY-‐nominated Hiroshima creates a musical world all its own. The intoxicating mix of traditional Japanese folk music & instruments interwoven with Jazz, R&B, Salsa & more has been a pioneering voice in contemporary music since the 1970’s.
Named to the 2014 Top 20 CD charts by Smooth Jazz.com Hiroshima continues to be a force in the industry and continues to top the charts. With a musical career spanning 3 decades, gold records and 4 million in sales worldwide, Hiroshima continues to make their unique mix of East meets West -‐ their signature sound.
Hiroshima is currently working on a new project, “Songs With Words” featuring two amazing guest artists Terry Steele and Yvette Nii, the vocalists who performed on the 2010 GRAMMY-‐ nominated “Legacy.” Hiroshima does a live recording of their vocal hits through the years including “Roomful of Mirrors” “Never, Ever,” “Dada,” and more for the exciting first and probably only all vocal CD.
Hiroshima’s latest CD J-‐Town Beat (#19) – which is a new direction for the band. It’s about the effort to retain culture in America, exploring their roots in the groove, have some fun and try to save J-‐Towns. They are very excited about this record, including new tracks “Meiji Mambo” “State of Mind”, “Red Buddha” and “Lady of Mystery.”
In 1971, Duke Ellington recorded an album entitled The Afro-‐Eurasian Eclipse. As part of that work, Ellington proclaimed “that whole world was going [Asian],” and that no one would know “who was in the shadow of whom.”
The celebrated ensemble known as Hiroshima is the fulfillment of Ellington’s prophecy. In the more than three decades since they first convened, the Los Angeles-‐based ensemble of Dan Kuramoto (keyboards/ woodwinds/ composer/ producer), virtuoso June Kuramoto (koto/ composer), Kimo Cornwell (piano/ keyboards/ composer), Danny Yamamoto
(drums/percussion), Dean Cortez (bass) have blended jazz, pop, and rock with traditional Japanese folk music and instruments. The resulting sound was a pioneering voice in the contemporary world music movement of the late 20th century.
Ever evolving, the 2010 GRAMMY-‐nominated group, highlighted by the sound of June Kuramoto’s shimmering koto, (noted by Stanley Clarke to be the world’s best), creates music and sounds totally unique-‐-‐with depth, heart and soul.
After more than 30 years in the recording industry -‐-‐ and almost 4 million records sold – Hiroshima decided to leave record companies behind and venture on our own given the changes in the music industry and what it’s now going to take to survive.
For Hiroshima – which takes its name from the Japanese city that sustained a nuclear blast during World War II, yet rose phoenix-‐like from its own ashes – the “ride” began in the polyglot metropolis of Los Angeles. Of all of the members, only June Kuramoto was born in Japan. She arrived in Los Angeles when she was six and lived in an African-‐American neighborhood.
ABOUT THE BAND
JUNE KURAMOTO, koto Born in Saitama-‐ken, Japan and raised in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, June epitomizes America’s evolving art and music culture. Almost by destiny renowned koto master Madame Kazue Kudo, protégé of Japan’s most famous kotoist and composer Michio Miyagi, immigrated to the United States and began teaching koto in June’s family home. Using her grandmother’s koto, June, only six years old, found a ‘connection’ for her life in the instrument and Japanese music.
Subsequently June received classical degrees in koto from the Miyagi School of Koto in Japan through Kudo Sensei (teacher). Along the way she has performed with some of the greatest musicians in the classical world from Japanese masters to Ravi Shankar. But being an American artist she wanted somehow to integrate this music that is her life with the American culture and music that she loves.
June met an eccentric artist-‐musician named Dan, and they began merging her koto music with the diverse musical environment of Los Angeles. This was the beginning of Hiroshima. June has since been the driving artistic force of Hiroshima creating a multi-‐cultural musical statement.
Her many recording credits include George Duke, Manhattan Transfer, Taste of Honey, Teddy Pendergrass, Stanley Clarke, Keiko Matsui, Angela Bofill, David Benoit, and Ozomatli. She can also be heard on television and movie scores including “Heroes (NBC),” “East Meets West (Food Channel),” “Simply Ming (PBS),” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “The Last Samurai,” and “Black Rain.” Commercials include Suntory Light (Japan) and Hawaiian Electric Company (Hawaii).
DAN KURAMOTO, woodwinds. keyboards, shakuhachi A college art student from East Los Angeles, supporting himself by working as a sports specialist for L.A. County parks and recreation, Dan picked up the flute as a kind of diversion to his post-‐hippy lifestyle. With the evolution of ethnic studies on the college campus, and armed with a bachelor’s in fine arts (painting and drawing), he found himself as the first department chairman of Asian-‐American studies at Cal State University at Long Beach. Searching for a ‘voice,’ as an Asian-‐American and an artist, he continued to teach for three years, but decided that university life was not immediate enough for him. He also found that playing music for various community fund-‐ raisers provided a kind of expression that became a passion.
Fueled by the work of the jazz artists he loved, and the incredible creative energy of contemporaries like Earth, Wind and Fire, Santana, and Jimi Hendrix, Dan saw music as the vehicle to give voice to his Japanese-‐American heritage, and to claim what he feels is America’s greatest resource -‐-‐ its diversity. He then met June and her virtuosity as a classical Japanese musician, and her desire to create a ‘new music’ inspired their collaboration that became the birth of Hiroshima. Principal composer, producer and leader of the band, his voluminous credits include musical arranger for the Los Angeles and New York productions of “Zoot Suit,” Emmy winning composer for “Bean Sprouts,” composer, Showtime min-‐series, “Home Fires,” and over 30 plays and movies. His shakuhachi credits include, “Black Rain,” “Pearl Harbor,” “The Thin Red Line,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
KIMO CORNWELL, piano, keyboardKimo (Hawaiian for James), was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. This amiable keyboard genius of Hawaiian, Chinese and English ancestry grew up in Kalihi and graduated from Farrington High School. Blessed with the love of music and a palate for ‘plate lunch,’ Kimo soon became renown as one of the best keyboard players from the islands.
After playing and recording with most of the top groups in Hawaii, Kimo moved to Los Angeles to try his hand in the ‘mainland’ music scene. Immediately discovered by touring groups, Kimo hit the road first with Cheryl Lynn (“To Be Real”), and then with a succession of artists including Ronnie Laws, John Klemmer, Al Jarreau, Frankie Beverly and Maze – and Hiroshima. During the mid-‐eighties, sought after by Hiroshima, Jarreau, and Maze, he chose to become a fulltime mainstay with the band. Working in the capacity of keyboardist, composer, arranger and producer he has become part of the heart and soul of the band and its music.
He continues to work with other artists, writing and producing, and has workedon several record film and television projects with Dan as co-‐composer and arranger.
DANNY YAMAMOTO, drums, percussion, taiko A graduate of Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, Danny has had a lifelong love affair with music. Beginning with the accordion, reflective of his eclectic tastes in art and music, he has played virtually all the instruments in a band, but as a tool for self-‐expression, the drums became his voice. At Dorsey, he found himself in a jazz trio along with bassist (now musician-‐producer) Larry Klein and pianist (now Downbeat award-‐ winning jazz keyboardist) Billy Childs.
After such a luminous start, he settled in as a music major at UCLA, expanding into ethnomusicology. Playing and recording with a variety of groups, he also became involved with Hiroshima, ultimately becoming a principal member. He has continued to both study and perform in a myriad of musical settings, from TV and film sessions to taiko gigs. After a significant tenure studying drumming techniques with the renowned Freddy Gruber, he has himself become a teacher.
DEAN CORTEZ, bass Originally from Miami Beach, Florida, Dean comes from a musical family (his dad was a touring percussionist), and started out playing string bass in youth symphonies. His family moved to Southern California, where he added the electric bass. By the time he graduated high school, Dean was the regular bassist with the famed Latin percussionist/ singer Wille Bobo. A founding member of the seminal Latin-‐fusion band ‘Caldera,’ Dean recorded two albums with them before becoming the bassist on the Boz Skaggs World Tour.
He has since played on over 300 recording sessions, ranging from film, television, and records— including Hiroshima’s first release in 1979. Having played on virtually every Hiroshima album as a session bassist, Dean became a regular in the band during the “East (1988)” tour.
Daniel Ho
June 4, 2016 at 8pm
Join us for a feel-‐good island evening featuring a collaboration of music and dance by multi-‐ GRAMMY award winner Daniel Ho and world-‐renowned kumu hula, Keali’i Ceballos. This program of all-‐original Hawaiian and English language songs will bring together Daniel’s thoughtful musicality, and beautiful vocals and hula by Keali’i O Nalani. Daniel, Keali’i, and friends will make you feel at home with their Hawaiian style hospitality and warmest aloha.
From his simple beginnings in Honolulu to his life amid the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, Daniel Ho has worked over the years as a musician, producer, singer/songwriter, arranger, composer, engineer, and record company owner. The most compelling of these roles has been as a six-‐time GRAMMY Award winning producer, featured slack key guitarist, and artist in the “Best Hawaiian Music Album.” He also received GRAMMY nominations as an artist in the “Best Pop Instrumental Album,” and “Best World Music Album” categories.
Daniel’s musical inclinations were apparent at an early age. His first instruments were organ and ‘ukulele, from which he graduated to classical guitar, piano, electric guitar, bass, drums, and eventually, voice. His passion for music led him to study composing, arranging and film
scoring at the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. He began his professional career as the leader, keyboardist, composer, and producer for Kilauea, a contemporary jazz group he formed in 1990. By 1997, Kilauea had released six chart-‐topping albums, two of which hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s jazz charts.
In 1998, Daniel set his sights on starting an independent record label and launched Daniel Ho Creations. His interests in photography and graphic design complimented the requisite responsibilities of marketing and production. Slowly, the releases grew into collaborative projects that featured himeni (Hawaiian hymnody), hula, ‘ukulele, and slack key guitar. To date, Daniel Ho Creations has released over one hundreed acoustic and Hawaiian-‐themed CDs by many of Hawai’i’s most respected artists, who are first and foremost friends. Daniel has received numerous Hawaiian music industry accolades including three Na Hoku Hanohano awards and fifteen Hawai’i Music Awards.
Daniel is an accomplished singer-‐songwriter and has shared his music as a soloist throughout the U.S, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Europe, and Australia. He has served as a cultural ambassador for U.S. Embassies; been featured with the Honolulu Symphony; performed as a keyboardist and guitarist for GRAMMY Award-‐winning vocalist, Peabo Bryson; guest-‐lectured at Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA) and Todai University (Tokyo, Japan); authored a dozen music books; and toured as a clinician for YAMAHA Guitars. On a behind-‐the-‐silver-‐screen note, he sang the Hawaiian-‐language cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” which can be heard during the end credits of the 2008 feature film, Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
With the continued popularity of the ‘ukulele, Daniel’s original song, “Pineapple Mango (The Breakfast Song),” has risen to fame as an instrumental anthem plentifully covered by ‘ukulele enthusiasts around the world on YouTube. Currently, Daniel’s custom KoAloha D-‐VI tenor ‘ukulele is on display at the GRAMMY Museum.
Most recently, Daniel’s album Our World In Song—An Odyssey of Musical Treasures, a collaboration with percussionist Luis Conté and acclaimed pipa artist Wu Man, was nominated for a 57th GRAMMY Award in the World Music category. It won a Taiwanese Golden Melody Award in June 2015 for Best Instrumental Album Producer.
Daniel’s original music was recently featured on the season finale of Hawaii Five-‐0 and will also be heard on the upcoming season premiere.
Daniel tours internationally, and has been active in the genres of Hawaiian, World, Folk, Contemporary Jazz/Pop Instrumental, and Classical music. Just in the last half year, he’s performed in Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, Europe, and China.
HALAU KEALI’I O NALANI HULA DANCERS
Under the direction of Kumu Hula Keili’i Ceballos, the Halau Keali’i O Nalani Hula Dancers was founded in 1991. Keili’i learned his love for hula from his mother Cissylani Ceballos, a hula performer and instructor. “Aunty Cissy” introduced hula to her son. Keali’i has studied with renowned kuma hula Robert Cazimero, O’Brien Eselu, Leina’ala Kalama, George Naope, and Kawaikapuokalani Hewitt. Keili’i strives to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture’s art, identity, language, and sense of ‘ohana.
Arcadia High School Performing Arts -‐ Drama Arcadia Stage presents:
“The Secret in the Wings”
November 19 – 21, 2015 at 7pm
“Thoroughly Modern Millie” March 17 – 19, 2016 at 7pm
The award-‐winning Arcadia High School Drama Dept., Arcadia Stage, offers productions that are not only highly entertaining, they provide educational value for the theater students and are emotionally engaging for audience members. Tickets for each production can be purchased online at www.arcadiastage.com.
The Fall Play “The Secret in the Wings,” directed by Whitney LeBarge, will be held in the Arcadia Performing Arts Center, (APAC), November 19 – 21, 2015. Audiences can expect fantastic music and spectacular sets in a show that adapts a handful of lesser-‐known fairy tales and highlights their aspects of mystery, taking on a darker perspective while still keeping the aura of a fairy tale!
The Spring Musical, ”Thoroughly Modern Millie,” directed by Steven Volpe and held in the APAC March 17 – 19, 2016, is a comic musical set in the 1920 flapper era. The show will feature sensational singing, spiffy costumes, and snazzy tap-‐dancing!
###
