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State of the Arts
July 20, 2006
Lara Vaienti
 A winter of the performing arts in Montana
The scenario is an ad broadcast by a local radio station, and suddenly after that ad, the terror of what Montana would be without the arts comes alarmingly to mind. That ad makes us more aware that there is, thank God, art to stimulate the eyes and the minds of those who, in addition to loving the outdoors, enjoy spending their evenings in the concert hall or in the art gallery.
The arts in Montana enrich community vitality. Organizations like the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, the Glacier Orchestra and Chorale, the Missoula Symphony, the Intermountain Opera Company, the Hatch Film Festival and the Museum of the Rockies are among Montana's cultural crown jewels. In addition to these, several towns in Montana host gallery-art walks, colorful festivals, year-round theater performances and concerts. Any season of the year in Montana, cultural opportunities are a pleasant possibility.
Here are some of the performing arts activities to enjoy this winter:
Intermountain Opera Association, Bozeman
The Intermountain Opera Association has produced operas every spring since 1979. The association continues to grow and attract opera goers, not only in Bozeman, but in other parts of Montana and in neighboring states as well. Premiering May 10 of 2006, IOA offers Puccini's masterpiece, Manon Lescaut, at the Willson Auditorium in Bozeman. A lyric drama in four acts, "Manon Lescaut" will be a lavish spectacle with outstanding music.
For information, call: 406-587-2889
On the Web at www.operabozeman.org
The Helena Symphony
The Helena Symphony was formed to provide high-caliber performances of classical music to entertain, educate and expand the cultural lives of Montanans.
On the 10th anniversary of the Symphony in 1965, the sixth music director T. Lawrence Madden formed the Helena Symphony Chorale as a 100-voice symphonic chorus to perform with the Helena Symphony Orchestra. Over the past 49 years, the Helena Symphony has performed over 1,000 works by more than 300 composers. Renowned guest artists and ensembles from throughout the community, region, country, and world have performed with the symphony. The Helena Symphony is now a cultural institution and artistic leader in the Helena region. The orchestra gets its winter season under way on Jan. 28 at the Helena Civic Center with Mozart! Hailed as a "heroic virtuoso" and his performances as "powerful, astonishing, exacting, and evocative," pianist Mark Salman makes his debut with the Helena Symphony celebrating Mozart's 250th birthday.
Shakespeare in LOVE follows on Feb. 25. Celebrate the imagination, romance, comedy, and drama of love through Shakespeare's world as the Helena Symphony recounts the poetry of Shakespeare in music. Noted Shakespearean actor James Heaton narrates several roles at once to bring the comedy of A Midsummer Night's Dream to life with Mendelssohn's music. The Annual Mahler Celebration returns March 25 with Mahler's colossal Fifth Symphony. Violinist Jennifer Frautschi makes her Helena Symphony debut with the most exciting concertos of our time-Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto. On April 22, the Helena Symphony's third annual "Evening at the Opera" presents Puccini's most loved opera and story of all time, La Boheme.
The Helena Symphony concert season culminates May 20 with a tidal wave of sound, poetry, and drama with English great Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony. Set to the poetry of Walt Whitman, "A Sea Symphony" explores our love for nature, its power, and the search for eternal beauty.
For more information, call 406-442-1860
On the Web at www.helenasymphony.org
Missoula Symphony Orchestra
Missoula is another fortunate place to have a vibrant music scene. The Missoula Symphony Association was organized in 1954 and comprises local musicians, University of Montana music faculty and students. Beginning Feb. 18 at the University Theater is Felix Mendelssohn's Fingal's Cave Overture.
The Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Chorale with soloists and the Missoula Children's Choir present selections from Beethoven's Fidelio, Bizet's Carmen, Puccini's Madame Butterfly and Verdi's Aida among others on March 11 and 12 at the University Theater. For more information, call 406-721-3194
On the Web at www.missoulasymphony.org
Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale
The Billings Symphony Society serves eastern Montana and northern Wyoming. Its mission is to provide quality symphonic music and educate area residents about symphonic music and the importance of the arts. The Billings Symphony was established in 1950, with its Chorale founded in 1955.
The symphony annually performs concerts and educational services throughout the region, including six season concerts and two free full orchestra concerts. Music Director Anne Harrington, over the past 20 years, has earned a reputation throughout the country. A free children's concert featuring The William Tell Overture, The Barber of Seville Overture, and Music from The Lion King will be performed on Jan. 28 at the Alberta Bair Theater. An evening of Symphonic Classics with Edward Cumming and John Dutton commences on Feb. 25 with Barber's Adagio for Strings, Strauss' Horn Concerto No. 1, and Dvorak's Symphony No. 8. On March 18, the Billings Symphony Chorale performs Haydn's The Creation.
For more information, call 406-252-3610
On the Web at www.billingssymphony.org
Rimrock Opera, Billings
Since its inception in 1997, Rimrock Opera has offered exceptional operatic productions to Billings and its surrounding area.
With free education and outreach activities each year as well as formal performances, Rimrock Opera utilizes local and regional talent to promote and support arts professionals. Coming to the Rimrock Operahouse on March 24 is Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus, a masterpiece of comic irony.
For more information, call 406-671-2214 On the Web at www.rimrockopera.org
The Glacier Symphony and Chorale, Kalispell
The Glacier Symphony and Chorale is poised for another great concert season. Evolved from a small group of musicians who played together at a wedding in 1981, it's now a group of more than 280 volunteer and professional musicians who perform over 25 concerts annually in the Flathead Valley and Northwest Montana. "As a music director, I'm proud to be involved in bringing fine symphonic music to the people of Montana, and I highly value my experience with the musicians here. Their artistry, dedication and commitment, is beyond compare," says Music Director John Zoltek. The Glacier Symphony and Chorale has performed several world premieres and commissioned four chorale pieces with lyrics written by the Glacier Children's Choir.
All concerts are held at the Flathead High School auditorium. Beginning Feb. 11, is Pines of Rome and the Magical Piper, featuring Mexico's recorder virtuoso, Horacio Franco. Franco will be the soloist in two of Vivaldi's concerti, "La Primavera" from The Four Seasons, and "Concerto in D" from Il Gardellino.
For more information, call 406-257-3241
On the Web at www.glaciersymphonychorale.org
The Great Falls Symphony
The Great Falls Symphony consists of a full-sized orchestra, symphonic choir and regional youth orchestra, as well as two professional resident ensembles, the Cascade String Quartet and the Chinook Winds Trio. The Great Falls Symphony, in its 47th year, produces musical programs of the highest quality and strives to be a resource for creative expression and artistic development in Montana. The concert season starts on October and ends in May, with performances at the Great Falls Civic Center.
With Thad Suits on cello, a concert titled Exotic Portraits will be performed on Jan. 21. On Jan. 29 and 31, Chinook Winds Trio will be playing Harpsichord Harmonies with Cindy Addison on harpsichord. On Feb. 14, the Cascade Quartet will perform Earth Cry with Michael Marsolek on didgeridoo. For more information, call 406-453-4102 On the Web at www.gfsymphony.org
The Montana Mandolin Society, Bozeman
Montana also boasts a rich musical legacy revolving around the mandolin.
Around the turn of the 20th century, local Gallatin Valley musicians formed the Bozeman Mandolin and Guitar Club. About 100 years later, a new generation of local musicians formed the Montana Mandolin Society. Their goal is to preserve and promote America's mandolin orchestra heritage. The band members, ranging in age from 16 to their late 50s, play locally and around the nation, and routinely travel an average of 200 miles for each performance. "We've created what a lot of people are starting to call the Montana sound," explains Dennis White, the Mandolin Society's band director. "To me, that's exciting because we are not doing it exactly the way other orchestras have done it, but our own way, using not only old tunes, but original tunes."
The Montana Mandolin Society will be performing in Bozeman on Feb. 12.
On the Web at www.montanamando.com
The Montana Ballet Company, Bozeman
For 20 years the Montana Ballet Company in Bozeman has presented the finest in dance, from Balanchine to "Ballet with the Beatles" to the Saint Petersburg Ballet of Russia and the Nutcracker. They have produced and presented high-quality dance performances from a variety of cultural and ethnic tradition. Whenever possible, Montana Ballet performs live orchestral or ensemble music and premiers new choreographic work each season.
The Montana Ballet Company will perform Coppelia, a comedy about a man who falls for an enamel doll, at the Willson Auditorium in Bozeman on April 15. For more information, call 406-582-8702
On the Web at www.montanaballet.com
The Alberta Bair Theater, Billings: The Fox Theater (today Alberta Bair) opened its doors on Nov. 13, 1931. This elegant theater with its chandeliers, art-deco design, dressing rooms and stage, had the distinction of being the last art-deco style theater in the United States built by the 20th Century Fox Corporation. Later purchased by Charles Bair, the Fox Theater served as a home for the Billings Community Concerts Organization and the Billings Symphony and Chorale for several years.
Today as yesterday, the Alberta Bair Theater offers live plays and musicals as well as ballets and concerts. An intense new season awaits you with lots of exciting events. John Gorka and Susan Werner will perform on Feb. 11, and Tap Dogs will perform on Feb. 17 and 18.
For more information, call 406-256-6052
On the Web at www.albertabairtheater.org
Whitefish Theatre Company, Whitefish
Great plays for people of every age are performed at the O'Shaughnessy Center, the premier arts center in the Flathead Valley.
Each year the Whitefish Theatre Company offers an eclectic blend of delightful comedy, ever-popular musicals, classic theater, films and children's plays. On Jan. 20, there will be a performance by Rumba Calzada, considered one of the top Latin jazz salsa bands on the West Coast. Death Defying Acts, an Off- Broadway comedy features the work of David Mamet, Elaine May and Woody Allen, will begin playing at the O'Shaughnessy Center on Feb. 10. The Tony Award- honored acting company will present Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers on Monday, March 6.
For more information, call 406-862-5371
On the Web at www.whitefishtheatreco.org |
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