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 Purchase, NY - From Great Britain to the great classics, The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College is the venue for a broad variety of world-class film, music, dance and theatrical events during the month of November.
First on the roster is The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble, tuning up in The Recital Hall on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. The program includes Sextet in B-flat Major, op. 18 (Brahms); Prelude and Scherzo for String Octet, op. 11 (Shostakovich); and Octet for Strings in E-flat Major, op. 20 (Mendelssohn). The ensemble’s concerts have been called “nothing short of stunning” (Gramophone) and “just about beyond criticism” (The Times of London). Tickets are $52.50 and $42.50.
Direct from Tel Aviv, the Inbal Pinto Dance Company steps up to The PepsiCo Theatre stage at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8 with Shaker, a dance-theater piece rich with poetic imagination in a magical, enchanted world. Music is by Chopin, Gavin Bryars and Arvo Pärt, along with 1950s Swedish folk songs performed by Japanese pop artists. The company of dancers/actors combines a witty blend of modern, ballet, mime and acrobatic movement – creating unique, highly accessible and entertaining dance theatre works. The Jerusalem Post called the piece “so beautiful that it hurts." Tickets to the performance are $47.50 and $37.50. A question-and-answer session with the company will follow each performance.
Another acclaimed Israeli artist, cello virtuoso Maya Beiser, performs her new stirring work Provenance, in The Recital Hall at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8. Inspired by the Golden Age in medieval Spain when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived harmoniously, Beiser commissioned young composers from Israel, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco, Iran and the United States to write a work to evoke the spirit of multicultural hope and unity. Joining Beiser on stage for this special event are the Lebanese-American master oud player Bassam Saba and virtuoso hand drummer Jamey Haddad.
Described by the The New Yorker as a “cello goddess” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “the queen of post-minimalist cello,” Beiser was the founding cellist of the legendary new music ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars. Tickets for Provenance are $47.50 and $37.50.
Back by popular demand, Tango Fire – the sizzling show from Argentina’s famed Estampas Porteñas company – returns to The Concert Hall on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. Tango Fire traces the history of tango from its origins in the red light district of Buenos Aires to the glamour of the Roaring Twenties; and its evolution to the world of contemporary ballroom. The show is accompanied by the music of Astor Piazzolla and other legendary tango musicians. Tickets are $62.50, $52.50 and $42.50.
The Phantom Tollbooth is “an inventive fantasy” (The Washington Times) for children 9+ and their families — at The PepsiCo Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. Adapted from Norton Juster's classic children's book with lyrics by multiple Tony® Award winner Sheldon Harnick, the musical tells the story of Milo, who comes to realize that life is more exciting than his wildest dreams. Tickets are $24.50 and $17.50.
Poland’s leading musical institution, the Warsaw Philharmonic, also performs at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16, in The Center’s Concert Hall. The orchestra, conducted by Antoni Wit and featuring pianist Valentina Lisitsa, performs a repertoire featuring: Serenade, op. 2 (Karlowicz); Piano Concerto no. 1, E-flat Major (Liszt); and Symphony no. 2, op. 73 in D Major (Brahms). Since its founding in 1901, the orchestra has attracted outstanding soloists and conductors from all over the world. They have included Edward Grieg, Arthur Honegger, Otto Klemperer, Sergey Prokofiev, Sergey Rakhmaninov, Maurice Ravel, Artur Rodzinski, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Claudio Arrau, Vladimir Horowitz, Wilhelm Kempff, Arthur Rubinstein, Bronisław Huberman and Pablo Sarasate. Tickets to the concert are $72.50, $62.50, $52.50 and $42.50.
On Monday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., the new “Conversations on Creativity, Craft and Career” Series features a lively discussion with renowned dancer/choreographer Carmen de Lavallade. Isaiah Sheffer, host of the popular WNYC New York radio program Selected Shorts, will talk to Ms. de Lavallade about her prolific career, which included work with Lester Horton, Alvin Ailey, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and other top artists. Her star turn as prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera performances of Samson and Delilah and Aida won her acclaim from critics and audiences. Praising her dance artistry, Duke Ellington called her “one of the most ravishing in the world.” Tickets to her talk are $42.50 and $32.50.
Harlan Jacobson’s Talk Cinema presents a notable new film on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. The series shows the latest foreign and independent films from world film festivals prior to their release in theaters. Screenings are followed by discussions led by distinguished critics, filmmakers and other industry experts. Tickets for the screening and discussion are $22.50.
The Iliad, Homer’s epic story of Achilles and the Trojan War, comes to The PepsiCo Theatre on Friday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. The Aquila Theatre Company’s innovative production tells the main parts of the story in an action-packed 90-minute evening using Stanley Lombardo’s excellent translation and combining ritualistic movement, original music and a “performance of staggering power” (The New York Times). Backstage raved, “If you see only one piece of theatre this year – see Aquila’s Iliad.” The Iliad: Book One was first performed by the Aquila Theatre Company at Lincoln Center and the entire Iliad was performed as a fully staged reading at Classic Stage Company in New York. Tickets are $47.50 and $37.50. A question-and-answer session with the company will follow the performance.
For more information, and to buy tickets, contact The Performing Arts Center ticket office (914-251-6200) or log onto The Center’s website at http://www.artscenter.org. All ticket prices include parking.
The Center's 31st season is made possible, in part, by the Basic Program Support Grant of the Westchester Arts Council with funds from Westchester County Government.
Purchase College is located in Westchester County, minutes from the Connecticut border. The college, part of the State University of New York system, is a major institution of public higher education encompassing the liberal arts and sciences, professional training in the performing and visual arts, and continuing education. The college campus is home to The Performing Arts Center and The Neuberger Museum of Art, which strive to present models of excellence for both the college and its surrounding community.
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