(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Grammy Award-winning country music star Wynonna Judd and Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Wynton Marsalis will undoubtedly draw crowds to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center when they perform next year, along with a variety of other acts drawn from roots music, bluegrass, and Chinese acrobatics.
In addition, the Mahaiwe will continue to broadcast HD productions by the Met Opera, Bolshoi Ballet, and London’s National Theatre, and play host to programs presented by outside organizations, including the Close Encounters With Music chamber series.
Steep Canyon Rangers, with special guest Noam Pikelny, will perform on Sunday, March 26, 2017, at 7pm. A bluegrass band at their core, the Steep Canyon Rangers effortlessly walk the line between festival favorite and sophisticated string orchestra. They’re as danceable as the most progressive, party-oriented string band, and equally comfortable translating their songs for accompaniment by a full symphony. It’s that mix of serious chops and good-natured fun that earned the band the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2013, and that drew celebrated comedian/banjoist Steve Martin to them when he needed a backing band. Virtuoso banjo player Noam Pikelny is a founding member of Punch Brothers and a three-time Grammy nominee. Tickets are $25 to $60.
The Golden Dragon Acrobats will give a family-friendly performance on Sunday, April 9, at 3pm. The Golden Dragon Acrobats represent the best of a time-honored tradition that began more than twenty-five centuries ago. They are recognized throughout the United States and abroad as the premiere Chinese acrobatic touring company of today. Impresario Danny Chang and choreographer Angela Chang combine award-winning acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary music, and theatrical techniques to present a show of breathtaking skill and spellbinding beauty. Tickets are $26 to $48.
Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will headline the 2017 Mahaiwe Gala on Sunday, July 30, at 7pm. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by Wynton Marsalis, is made up of 15 of the finest soloists, ensemble players, and arrangers in jazz music today, including longtime members including Ryan Kisor, Victor Goines, Ted Nash, and Marcus Printup. Performance-only tickets are $80 to $150. Gala ticket packages, include orchestra seating and a pre-show dinner, will be available later this spring.
Five-time Grammy Award-winner and New York Times best-selling author Wynonna Judd will perform with her band, The Big Noise led by her husband/drummer/producer Cactus Moser, on Sunday, October 1, at 7pm. Wynonna has always revolved her career around telling stories. Whether performing alongside her mother as one half of the legendary duo The Judds, or pushing the boundaries on her own mega-successful solo path, Wynonna’s ability to reach the heart of the human spirit through her bold and unflinching honesty, is the entertainer’s true gift. Respected by the millions of fans who are drawn to her music and her undeniable talent, Wynonna’s rich and commanding voice has sold over 30 million albums worldwide spanning. Charting countless singles, including 20 #1 hits and over 60 industry awards, the iconic performer was once dubbed by Rolling Stone as “the greatest female country singer since Patsy Cline.” Tickets are $46 to $91.
Bolshoi Ballet in HD
Sunday, January 22 at 1:00pm, the Bolshoi Ballet will broadcast The Sleeping Beauty, with choreography by Yuri Grigorovich and music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In this resplendent and magical production, the Bolshoi dancers take the audience on a dreamlike journey through the classic fairytale.
Sunday, February 5 at 1:00pm, the Bolshoi Ballet will broadcast Swan Lake, with choreography by Yuri Grigorovich and music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. This beautiful ballet was born at the Bolshoi in 1877. In the dual role of white swan Odette and her rival black swan Odile, prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova exudes both vulnerability and cunning through superb technical mastery, alongside the powerful and emotional Siegfried, Denis Rodkin.
Sunday, March 19 at 1:00pm, the Bolshoi Ballet will broadcast Contemporary Evening, an audacious program of new works choreographed by Hans Van Manen, Sol León, Paul Lightfoot, and Alexei Ratmansky to music by Benjamin Britten, Max Richter, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Leonid Desyatnikov.
Sunday, April 23 at 1:00pm, the Bolshoi Ballet will broadcast A Hero of Our Time, with choreography by Yuri Possokhov and music by Ilya Demutsky. Adapted from Mikhail Lermontov’s 1840 literary masterpiece, the story of this brand new dance follows the larger-thanlife hero Pechorin on his tragic, poetic journey. This is an encore broadcast; the production will be captured live on April 9, 2017.
The Mahaiwe is partnering with Jacob’s Pillow to present a series of informational talks 20 minutes prior to each Bolshoi Ballet broadcast. These enriching talks by Jacob’s Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Brian Schaefer are included in the ticket price of $17 per broadcast.
London’s National Theatre in HD
On Saturday, January 28 at 7pm, London’s National Theatre will present an encore broadcast of Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land.” Following their hit run on Broadway, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart return to the West End stage in Harold Pinter’s play, broadcast live to cinemas from Wyndham’s Theatre. One summer’s evening, two aging writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet in a Hampstead pub and continue their drinking into the night. Recommended for audience members ages 17+ due to explicit language and adult content.
Saturday, February 4 at 7pm, London’s National Theatre will present “Amadeus.” Music. Power. Jealousy. Lucian Msamati plays Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s iconic play, broadcast live from the National Theatre, and with live orchestral accompaniment by Southbank Sinfonia. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, arrives in Vienna, the music capital of the world—and he’s determined to make a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Antonio Salieri has the power to promote his talent or destroy his name. Recommended for audience members 12 years+.
Sunday, February 19 at 3pm, London’s National Theatre will broadcast “Saint Joan” live from the Donmar Warehouse. Gemma Arterton plays Joan of Arc in Bernard Shaw’s classic play that follows the life and trial of a young country girl who declares a bloody mission to drive the English from France. As one of the first Protestants and nationalists, she threatens the very fabric of the feudal society and the Catholic Church across Europe.
Sunday, March 12 at 3pm, London’s National Theatre will broadcast “Hedda Gabler.” Hedda and Tesman have just returned from their honeymoon and the relationship is already in trouble. Trapped but determined, Hedda tries to control those around her, only to see her own world unravel. Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove returns to National Theatre Live screens with a modern production of Ibsen’s masterpiece.
Tickets are $17 per London’s National Theatre in HD broadcast.
Met Opera Live in HD
Met Opera Live in HD will broadcast Verdi’s Nabucco on Saturday, January 7 at 1:00pm (with an encore presentation on Sunday, January 15 at 1:00pm). The legendary Plácido Domingo brings another new baritone role to the Met under the baton of his longtime collaborator James Levine. Liudmyla Monastyrska is Abigaille, the warrior woman determined to rule empires, and Jamie Barton is the heroic Fenena. Dmitri Belosselskiy is the stentorian voice of the oppressed Hebrew people.
Met Opera Live in HD will broadcast Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette on Saturday, January 21 at 1:00 (with an encore presentation on Sunday, January 29 at 1:00pm). Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo star as opera’s classic lovers in Gounod’s lush Shakespeare adaptation. The production, by director Bartlett Sher, has already won acclaim for its vivid 18th-century milieu and stunning costumes during runs at Salzburg and La Scala. Gianandrea Noseda conducts the sumptuous score.
Met Opera Live in HD will broadcast Dvo?ák’s Rusalka on Saturday, February 25 at 1:00pm (with an encore presentation on Wednesday, March 1 at 1:00pm). Kristine Opolais stars in the role that helped launch her international career, the mythical Rusalka, who sings the haunting “Song to the Moon.” Mary Zimmerman brings her wondrous theatrical imagination to Dvo?ák’s fairytale of love and longing, rejection and redemption. Brandon Jovanovich, Jamie Barton, Katarina Dalayman, and Eric Owens complete the all-star cast, and Mark Elder conducts.
Met Opera Live in HD will broadcast Verdi’s La Traviata on Saturday, March 11 at 1:00pm (with an encore presentation on Wednesday, March 15 at 1:00pm). Sonya Yoncheva sings one of opera’s most beloved heroines, the tragic courtesan Violetta, a role in which she triumphed on the Met stage in 2015, opposite Michael Fabiano as her lover, Alfredo, and Thomas Hampson as his father, Germont. Carmen Giannattasio sings later performances of the title role opposite Atalla Ayan, with the great Plácido Domingo as Germont. Nicola Luisotti conducts.
Met Opera Live in HD will broadcast Mozart’s Idomeneo on Saturday, March 25 at 1:00pm (with an encore presentation on Wednesday, March 29 at 1:00pm. Mozart’s first operatic masterpiece returns to the Met in the classic Jean-Pierre Ponnelle production, conducted by Music Director James Levine. The superb ensemble includes Matthew Polenzani as the king torn by a rash vow; mezzo-soprano Alice Coote in the trouser role of his noble son Idamante; soprano Nadine Sierra as Ilia; and soprano Elza van den Heever as the volatile Elettra, who loves Idamante to the bounds of madness.
Met Opera Live in HD will broadcast Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin on Saturday, April 22 at 1:00pm (with an encore presentation on Wednesday, April 26 at 1:00pm). Tchaikovsky’s setting of Pushkin’s timeless verse novel is presented on the Met stage in Deborah Warner’s moving production, starring Anna Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Tatiana and Onegin. Alexey Dolgov sings the role of Lenski, and Robin Ticciati conducts.
Met Opera Live in HD will broadcast Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier on Saturday, May 13 at 12:30pm (with an encore presentation on Wednesday, May 17 at 12:30pm). The dream cast of Renée Fleming as the Marschallin and El?na Garan?a as Octavian star in Strauss’s grandest opera. In his new production, director Robert Carsen places the action at the end of the Habsburg Empire, underscoring the opera’s subtext of class and conflict against a rich backdrop of gilt and red damask, in a staging that also stars Günther Groissböck as Baron Ochs. Music Director James Levine conducts the sparklingly perfect score.
Scholar Scott Eyerly will give a lively talk about each opera 75 minutes before the first screening of each production. Tickets are $18 to $25 per Met Opera broadcast and $10 for each pre-screening lecture.
Guest Presentations
The Mahaiwe will host classical music concerts produced by Close Encounters With Music on March 18, April 15, May 6, and June 10 and by Boston Early Music Festival on June 24 and 25.
Tickets to the newly announced shows will go on sale to Mahaiwe members on Wednesday, December 14 and to the general public on Saturday, December 17. A limited number of $15 tickets are available for audience members ages 30 and younger to the Mahaiwe’s live performances through the Mahaiwe ArtSmart Tix program. The Mahaiwe is located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Box office hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6:00pm and three hours before show times. For tickets and information, see www.mahaiwe.org or call 413.528.0100.
About the Mahaiwe
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905. Since 2005, the performing arts center has hosted over 1,000 events and welcomed almost half a million people through its doors. The Mahaiwe has now welcomed over 15,000 students from 55 different schools for its school-time performances and residencies.