Michael C. Rockefeller Arts CenterMix & Match Events Guide

2015-16 Lake Shore Savings Season

Benefits of your Mix & Match Season TicketsConvenience: Order your tickets all at once for the season and save repeated calls or trips to the ticket office.

Generous exchange privileges: If your plans change, you can exchange any Mix & Match tickets you purchase for any other event on the master Mix & Match event list. And as a subscriber, there is no fee for doing so. See the back of the enclosed order form for complete details.

Location, Location, Location: If you order tickets to any of our reserved seating events (Mainstage, Kaleidoscope or Pops), you will have first choice of seats before they go on sale to the general public. Please order by the renewal deadline.

Savings: Choose the “3 and Up” plan and save an average of 15% off the regular ticket price. Choose the “6 and Up” plan and save up to 25%! By ordering all your tickets at once, you also save on multiple order processing fees that will apply if you order on a show-by-show basis during the year.

“Making a date with yourself”: As a season ticket holder, you “make a date with yourself” to see shows you might otherwise just miss. The Mix & Match program makes it easy for you to plan in advance and enjoy some of the best arts and entertainment our region has to offer.

DFT Communications Pops Series

The Music Man in ConcertCommencement Eve PopsFri., May 13 at 7:30 p.m.King Concert Hall

Imagine the smooth soul of Stevie Wonder, the percussive power of Stomp, the funk and drive of Earth, Wind, & Fire, the hip licks of Take 6 and the brass bite of the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band – all created by the human voice alone. That’s what you get with M-Pact, a group hailed as “one of the best pop-jazz vocal groups in the world” by the San Francisco Chronicle. This holiday showcase will feature favorites like “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “Away in a Manger” and many more.

White Christmas with M-PactSat., Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m., King Concert Hall

The music of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington comes alive in a concert featuring Fredonia student Nia Drummond, one of the stars of the 2012 “Big Band Christmas Spectacular,” and The Fredonia Voices, a mixed octet of current and former Fredonia students. Led by Paul Ferguson, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra has been Northeast Ohio’s premier jazz voice for more than 30 years.

An Evening of Ella and Ellington with The Cleveland Jazz OrchestraSat., Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m., King Concert Hall

There’s trouble in River City when a fast-talking salesman gets his heart stolen by the town librarian. By turns wicked, funny, warm, romantic and touching, Meredith Willson’s six-time, Tony Award winning musical comedy has been entertaining audiences since 1957. Glen Cortese leads the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, performing on stage with some of Fredonia’s most talented students in this concert production staged by Tom Loughlin.

CabaretOct. 14, 15, 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m.Oct. 17 and 18 at 2 p.m.Marvel TheatreAspiring writer Clifford Bradshaw meets aspiring cabaret performer Sally Bowles during the waning years of Berlin’s notorious cabaret scene when the Nazi Party was rising to power. The story is centered around the nightlife at the Kit Kat Klub. With music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and book by John Masteroff, “Cabaret” was a Broadway hit in 1966. It won eight Tony Awards, including best musical, best original score and best choreography. The most recent revival was staged in 2014.

Six Characters in Search of an AuthorNov. 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.Bartlett TheatreAn acting company in rehearsal is interrupted by the arrival of six strange people – who turn out to be unfinished characters in search of an author to finish their story. This classic absurdist drama was written by Italian dramatist Luigi Pirandello in 1921. The work made its way to the United States with both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions – the most successful of which came in 1963, running for 529 performances and earning an Outer Critics Circle Award and three Obie Awards.

For Mainstage Series shows, ticket holders may exchange from one night to another of a given production on a space-available basis. For subscribers, this service is provided free of charge once per production. Exchanges must be made in person at the Campus Ticket Office at least 24 hours before the performance for which the original ticket is held.

Walter Gloor Mainstage Series

The Laramie ProjectFeb. 25 and March 3 at 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 27 and March 5 at 2 p.m.The Laramie Project 10 Years LaterFeb. 26 and 27 and March 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m.Bartlett Theatre

This is a special event intertwining two staged documentaries about the killing of Matthew Shepard. Shepard was murdered in 1998 because of his sexual orientation in a case that drew national attention. Written by Moises Kaufman for the Teutonic Theatre, “The Laramie Project” tells of the murder and events leading up to it. “The Laramie Project 10 Years Later” picks the story up a decade after the murder.

James and the Giant PeachApril 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. April 24 at 2 p.m.Bartlett TheatreYoung James Henry Trotter escapes life with his cruel aunts when a magic potion turns a peach tree into a portal to a world of adventure. Six magically altered garden bugs serve as guides for James’ surreal travels in this new found realm. This classic children’s tale, written by Roald Dahl in 1961, was adapted for the stage by David Wood.

An engaging variety of dance styles will be featured in this annual concert. Fredonia’s talented dance students will perform works choreographed by both faculty and guest artists.

Walter Gloor Mainstage Series

Fredonia Dance EnsembleApril 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m.April 3 at 2 p.m.New Dance Studio

Cuba’s Secret Side with Karin MullerSat., Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m., King Concert Hall

The Promised Land: Adventures in the Middle East with Rick RaySat., April 9 at 7:30 p.m., King Concert Hall

The Great Rocky Mountain RV Adventure, Part Two with John HolodSat., Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., King Concert Hall

The Middle East is a region of paradoxes. It is a land where people go out of their way to make a stranger feel at home. At the same time, it is a land where unspeakable acts of brutality are carried out between enemy tribes and clans. Take a personal journey through Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey with veteran filmmaker Rick Ray. See wonders such as Petra, Jerusalem, the Cedars of Lebanon and Cappadocia. At the same time, experience the hospitality of a dynamic people and the breathtaking scenery of a beautiful land.

Karin Muller spent three months undercover in Cuba, living with fishermen, farmers, a Santeria priestess and country doctors. Despite being arrested more than a dozen times, she managed to capture a side of Cuba that few foreigners ever get to see. Hitchhiking protocol, rock concerts and life in the slums are among subjects she explored. Take a realistic look at a vibrant and often misunderstood country.

The Rocky Mountains are the backbone of North America and include some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Take the back roads and follow the Rockies from Glacier Park, Mont., to Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Shot in high-definition, wide-screen format, the film includes stops at Glacier National Park, Red Rock Canyon, Radium Hot Springs, Spiral Tunnels, Emerald Lake and many more well known sites. Along the way, there are helicopter and boat tours and all kinds of wildlife encounters.

World Travel Series

Snow White with the DuffleBag TheatreFri., Nov. 20 at 7 p.m., Marvel Theatre

Trout Fishing in AmericaFri., March 11, 7 p.m. Rosch Recital Hall, Mason HallSpecial location due to Rockefeller renovation

Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho! It’s into laughter you’ll go when the “Nearly World Famous” DuffleBag Theatre returns with its take on “Snow White.” This company has made a name for itself around the world with interactive productions in which random audience members are brought on stage to play roles in humorous takes on classic tales.

Trout Fishing in America is an eclectic folk/rock band best known for family music and kids’ songs. Songs like “My Hair Had a Party Last Night,” “18 Wheels on a Big Rig” and “When I Was a Dinosaur” have earned them a place in the hearts of kids and parents everywhere. Their music has won multiple Parents’ Choice and Indie awards and earned four Grammy nominations. Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet, the musicians of Trout Fishing in America, met 30-plus years ago and have been playing together ever since.

The Merry WidowFri., Nov. 13 and Sat., 14 at 7:30 p.m.Sun., Nov. 15 at 2 p.m., Marvel TheatreThis vivacious operetta – which tells of the search for the right husband for a rich widow – features some of the most famous music in all of opera. This work overflows with joy as it praises true love with a “fin du siècle” Parisian tone. The composer was Franz Lehar and Viktor Leon and Leo Stein were the librettists.

Kaleidoscope Family Series

The Hillman Opera

Mozart the Hero, Mozart the Legend Sun., Sept. 20 at 4 p.m., King Concert Hall

“Bastienello” and “Savitri”Sun., Feb. 28 at 4 p.m., King Concert Hall

Chords and CordsSun., April 3 at 4 p.m., King Concert Hall

The music and the story of one of the world’s greatest composers will be featured in this concert. Clips from the 1984 Forman and Shaffer film “Amadeus” will be included with narrative in the overarching presentation of Mozart’s brilliant life.

The world premiere of acclaimed American composer John Musto’s comic opera “Bastienello” is paired with Gustav Holst’s evocative chamber opera “Savitri.” Musto is regarded as one of the most versatile musicians before the public today. His works embrace the many strains of contemporary American concert music, enriched by sophisticated inspirations from ragtime and the blues. He earned degrees in piano performance at the Manhattan School of Music.

World-renowned violin soloist and former Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Concertmaster Michael Ludwig joins violinist Rachael Mathey for Bach’s famous “double” concerto for violins. The Fredonia Women’s Choir is featured in Michael Haydn’s “Missa Sancti Aloysii” and Glen Cortese’s “Concerto for String Quartet and String Orchestra.” Ludwig enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, recording artist, and chamber musician. His discography includes recordings of the Beethoven Violin Concerto, Bruch “Scottish Fantasy” and “Dvorak Romance” with the Virginia Symphony.

WNYCO Classics Series