The 2010-2011 Brigham Young University arts calendar features plays, recitals, operas and concerts featuring talented guests and BYU faculty and student artists. Different season ticket options are available and can be viewed at byuarts.com. A calendar of events is also available at http://arts-sandbox.byu.edu/events/month/. Individual event tickets can be purchased at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-4322 or online at byuarts.com. September 2010 3 — Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will perform in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $13 to $40 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, which can be reached at (801) 422-4322. Mitchell has appeared in numerous Broadway shows including 'Man of La Mancha,' 'Kiss Me, Kate,' and 'Ragtime.' He has been dubbed 'the last leading man' by The New York Times. 8-18 — Mitch Albom's 'Tuesdays with Morrie' will be performed in the Pardoe Theatre. This play, based on the New York Times best-seller, tells the story of Mitch, a former student of Morrie, a dying sociology professor. They decide to write a final thesis covering everything including family, love, money, the world and death. In the process, Mitch and Morrie discover that 'when you learn how to die, you learn how to live.' This show is part of the BYU Theatre and artsPASS season ticket packages. 8-18 — Shakespeare's famous 'The Taming of the Shrew' will be performed in the Nelke Theatre. This production is for young audiences and lasts about one hour. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children ages 2-11. The story depicts Petruchio trying to win the heart of Kate in a very unconventional way. 15-18 — The annual 'World of Dance' will be presented in the de Jong Concert Hall. This popular showcase features BYU's Ballroom Dance Company, International Folk Dance Ensemble, Contemporary Dance Theatre and BYU Theatre Ballet. Tickets go on sale Aug. 16. 17 — Sept. 16 will mark the 200th anniversary of the declaration of Mexican independence. To honor the event in Mexican history, several BYU faculty and students will present a celebration of Mexican music Sept. 17 in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. 20 — As part of the 40th Annual Classical Greek Theatre Festival of Utah, 'Alkestis' will be shown at 5 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The story depicts Alkestis, who willingly gives up her life so that her husband may live. There will be a pre-performance lecture at 4 p.m. Tickets go on sale Aug. 23. 21 — Nishat Khan is recognized as the foremost virtuoso of the sitar and the current torchbearer of seven generations of India's most renowned musical family. He will be performing in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through the Fine Arts Ticket Office starting Aug. 23. 23-25 — Joseph Cashore will present his collection of marionette masterworks in the Pardoe Theatre. His puppets have been hailed 'breathtaking magic' by the Center for Puppetry Arts. This one-of-a-kind performance has been presented across the world. Tickets go on sale Aug. 23. 23-24 — The Choir Showcase will feature the BYU Singers, Concert Choir, Men's Chorus and Women's Chorus in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Aug. 23. 28 — The American Piano Quartet, comprised of faculty members Jeffrey Shumway, Robin Hancock and Scott Holden and guest artist Paul Pollei, will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Aug. 23. 29 — The Jazz Showcase will feature BYU's Synthesis, Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Legacy Dixieland Band in a joint concert at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Aug. 23. 30 — BYU's Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band and Percussion Ensemble will join in an annual Instrumental Showcase at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Aug. 23. October 2010 16-23 — Mozart's 1791 opera 'The Magic Flute' will be performed in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 13 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. The opera portrays a prince and his feathery friend as they set out on an adventure to find their true loves. 19 — Group for New Music, BYU's contemporary music showcase, will be featured in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 22-23 — BYU's Dance Department will present a 'Faculty Works Concert' in the Richards Building Dance Studio Theatre at 7:30 p.m. 26 — The cadence of drums and Chinese spirit will be in the de Jong Concert Hall when 'Jigu! Thunder Drums of China' performs at 7:30 p.m. The group members, from the Shanxi Province, range in age from 16 to 30. The group was founded in 1988 and has performed in countries around the world. 26 — Orpheus Winds, a BYU faculty wind quintet, will perform in the Madsen Recital Hall. The group consists of April Clayton, flute; Geralyn Giovannetti, oboe; Jaren Hinckley, clarinet; Christian Smith, bassoon; and Lawrence Lowe, French horn. The event is free. 27 — BYU's Symphonic Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Conducted by Kirt Saville, the group uses a full concert band of 85 musicians. The group performs significant literature from a variety of musical periods and has premiered various new works for the wind band. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. Oct. 27- Nov. 13 — The Margetts Theatre will be presenting 'Stage Door,' the story of a New York theatrical boardinghouse where 16 aspiring actresses struggle against discouragement, ardent suitors and the lure of Hollywood. Tickets are $10-$14 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. Tickets go on sale Sept. 27. 28-29 — The Avalon String Quartet has been described by The Chicago Tribune as 'an ensemble that invites you — ears, mind and spirit — into music.' They will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall. Tickets are $6-$12 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office starting Sept. 27. 29 — The BYU Wind Symphony, conducted by Donald Peterson, will perform in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Sept. 27. November 2010 3 — The Jazz Combo Night will be in the Madsen Recital Hall Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 4 — BYU's Jazz Legacy Dixieland Band will perform in the Madsen Recital Hall. The band is conducted by Steve Call, and the performance is free. 5-6 — BYU's Men's Chorus and Women's Chorus will perform in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Oct. 4 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 5-6 — The Ballet Showcase will take place in the Richards Building Dance Studio Theatre. The showcase will be a collection of choreography ranging from the classical to contemporary. Tickets go on sale Oct. 4. 9 — The 'Power of the Wasatch' — the Cougar Marching Band — will be performing in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Nov. 11 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 10 — The Group for New Music will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. Nov. 10- Dec. 4 — William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' will be performed in the Pardoe Theatre. This classic love story examines the destructive effects of anger and revenge across the generations. Tickets go on sale Oct. 11 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 11 — BYU's Folk Music Ensemble will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Tickets go on sale Oct. 11. 11 — BYU's Jazz Ensemble will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Oct. 11. The ensemble is under the direction of Mark Ammons. 12 — Hong-Mei Xiao, viola, will be the guest artist at the Primrose Memorial Concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. Hong-Mei is a first-prize winner of the Geneva International Music Competition. 12-13 — The BYU Singers and Concert Choir will be performing in the de Jong Concert Hall. The groups are under the direction of Ronald Staheli and Rosalind Hall, respectively. Tickets for the event go on sale Oct. 11. 12-13 — dancEnsemble will feature contemporary dance works by students in the BYU Dance Department in the Richards Building Dance Studio Theatre. Tickets go on sale Oct. 11. 12-13 — The Department of Dance will be holding the BYU DanceSport Championships in the Wilkinson Student Center Ballroom. The annual competition showcases some of the best ballroom dancers at BYU and in the community. 13 — A free trombone choir performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. 16 — Synthesis, BYU's premier jazz big band will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Synthesis has been internationally recognized for its great jazz music. It is directed by Ray Smith. 17 — BYU's Philharmonic Orchestra will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. It is conducted by Kory Katseanes. Tickets go on sale Oct. 18. 18 — The Utah Symphony will be performing Bach's Motet No. 3 and Bruckner's Symphony No. 9. The performance will be in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Oct. 18 and range from $10-17. 18 — A saxophone chamber night will be featured at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 19 — BYU's percussion groups — Panoramic Steel, Percussion Ensemble and Gamelan Bintang Wahyu — will be performing at an 'Evening of Percussion' at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets for the event go on sale Oct. 18. 19-20 — A senior dance showcase will feature students from BYU's Department of Dance in their final projects. Tickets for the event will go on sale Oct. 18. 20 — The Group for Experimental Music will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall. The performance is free. 30 — University Orchestra and University Strings will perform in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Nov. 1 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 30 — Come to a free concert at the University Parkway Center at 7:30 p.m. A woodwind chamber night will take place on the northeast corner of University Parkway and University Avenue. December 2010 1 — BYU's Symphony Orchestra will be playing in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 1 — Jazz Voices will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Jazz Voices is a 14-member group known for its tight harmonies, rhythmic accuracy, improvisation and scatting abilities. Tickets go on sale Nov. 12. 2 — The Jazz Lab Band will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 3 — The annual 'Celebration of Christmas' will take place in the de Jong Concert Hall. BYU's combined choirs and Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a variety of songs for the holiday season. 3-4 — Welcome in the wonder of the holiday season with the annual 'Christmas Around the World' in the Marriott Center. A cast of more than 200 dancers, singers and musicians will celebrate different cultures, creating a message of peace on earth. Tickets are available through the Marriott Center Ticket Office, (801) 422-BYU1, 1-800-322-BYU1 or at byutickets.com. 3 — The 'Songwriter Showcase' will feature new student music in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 4 — A 'Tuba Christmas' will take place in the Madsen Recital Hall at noon. The event is free. 4 — The BYU Harp Ensemble, directed by Anamae Anderson, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 7 — Two of BYU's prominent ensembles join forces for an exciting evening of classics. The Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band will perform at the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Nov. 8. 7 — A string chamber night will begin at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and will take place at the University Parkway Center on the northeast corner of University Parkway and University Avenue. 8 — The BYU Chamber Orchestra will perform in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Nov. 8. The group is conducted by Kory Katseanes. 8 — A flute choir will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 9 — The University Chorale will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The group is conducted by Paul Broomhead. Tickets for the event go on sale Nov. 9 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 9 — A brass chamber night will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. January 2011 11-15 — BYU's School of Music will be holding its annual vocal performance competition, 'Young Artists of Voice,' Jan. 11, 13 and 15 in the Madsen Recital Hall. The free event will showcase many of BYU's brightest young singers. 19-29 — 'Peter Pan' will be presented in the de Jong Concert Hall. The fantastical adventure of the mischievous Peter Pan in Neverland will be a great treat for the whole family. Tickets go on sale Dec. 6 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. Tickets are also a part of the BYU Theatre and artsPASS season ticket packages. 19 — Q'd Up, the BYU School of Music faculty jazz quintet, will be playing at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and will feature Ray Smith on reeds, Steve Lindeman on keyboard, Matt Larsen on bass and Ron Brough and Jay Lawrence on percussion. 21 — The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will be guests at BYU, performing in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. The New York City-based group has received international acclaim as the world's most exciting new venue for chamber music. During their performance, they will be playing Beethoven's String Trio in D major, Brahms' Piano Quartet in G minor and Jalbert's Piano Trio. Tickets go on sale Dec. 6 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 27-29 — Contemporary Dance Theatre, formerly the Dancers' Company, will be featured in the Pardoe Theatre. From mini trampolines and mattresses to graceful partnering, this is an evening of dance by members of BYU's top modern dance ensemble that is sure to uplift, inspire and even bring a laugh or two. Tickets go on sale Dec. 6. 28-29 — The annual 'Winter Choirfest' will showcase the BYU Singers, Concert Choir, Men's Chorus and Women's Chorus. The concert will take place in the historic Provo Tabernacle, 100 S. University Ave., at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Dec. 6. February 2011 2-12 — 'Babe, the Sheep Pig' will be stepping onto the BYU Nelke Theatre stage. Babe, the gentle pig, has dreams of herding sheep and won't let anything get in his way. Tickets for the event go on sale Dec. 6 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 3 — Orpheus Winds, a quintet of BYU School of Music faculty, will be playing at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free and will feature April Clayton, flute; Geralyn Giovannetti, oboe; Jaren Hinckley, clarinet; Christian Smith, bassoon; and Lawrence Lowe, French horn. 9 — The Deseret Piano Trio, comprised of BYU faculty members, will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 10-12 — BYU's Theatre Ballet will present 'Cinderella' in the de Jong Concert Hall. The ballet will be accompanied by the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets go on sale Dec. 6. Children ages 2 and older are permitted to attend. 10 — A trumpet chamber night will be presented in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 11 — The 'Invitational Songwriter Showcase' will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The popular event is modeled after similar showcases in Nashville and Los Angeles. 12 — Guest artist William Mathis will be performing on the trombone in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 15 — Circo Aereo, recognized as the pioneers of New Circus, will be performing at BYU in the de Jong Concert Hall. They will be performing 'Espresso,' a high-speed ride through the history of circus. Tickets for the event range from $11 to$28 and go on sale Dec. 6. 17-19 — The BYU Cougarettes will be in concert at the Covey Center for the Arts. The national champion dance team will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are available through the Covey Center box office or by calling (801) 852-7007. 18-19 — Living Legends will be at the de Jong Concert Hall. The program includes dances from North America, Fiji, Samoa, Hawaii, New Zealand, Tonga, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala and Bolivia. Living Legends members are of Native American, Latin American or Polynesian heritage. Tickets go on sale Jan. 18. 18-26 — 'Opera Scenes' will be featured in the Madsen Recital Hall. The performances will portray scenes from operas with subtitles. 18-19 — The annual MDT Showcase features students from the musichttp://dance.byu.edu/theatre program at BYU performing songs and dances from classic and contemporary Broadway musicals. All proceeds from this event support the musichttp://dance.byu.edu/theatre scholarship program. Tickets go on sale Jan. 18. 22 — The BYU Symphonic Band will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The group, conducted by Kirt Saville, performs music from a variety of musical periods and has 85 student musicians. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office Jan. 20. 23 — The BYU Symphony Orchestra will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets for the performance go on sale Jan. 24. 24 — The BYU Singers, Concert Choir, Men's Chorus and Women's Chorus will be performing in a combined concert at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be in the de Jong Concert Hall. 24 — Guest artists, the New York Piano Trio, will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 25 — The BYU Wind Symphony, conducted by Donald Peterson, will be performing Feb. 25 in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Jan. 24 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. March 2011 1 — Chanticleer, described as 'an orchestra of voices,' will be performing at BYU in the de Jong Concert Hall. The San Francisco-based group is named for the 'clear-singing' rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales.' The group was founded in 1978 and has performed across the world. Tickets go on sale Jan. 31. 1 — Opening BYU Jazz Week, the BYU Jazz Legacy Dixieland Band will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall. They will play works by Sidney Bechet, Lu Watters, Joe King Oliver, Hoagy Carmichael and many others. Tickets are available Jan. 31. 2 — Student soloists from the BYU School of Music will be performing in the 'Evening of Concertos' at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The concert will be conducted by Kory Katseanes, and tickets go on sale Jan. 31. 2 — To continue the celebration of Jazz Week at BYU, Jazz Voices will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall. Jazz Voices is a student ensemble that features some of the brightest jazz singers at BYU. Tickets go on sale Jan. 31. 3 — The Utah Symphony will be returning to BYU at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall performing works by Olga Neuwirth, Clara Wieck Shumann and Robert Schumann. Tickets go on sale Jan. 31 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 4 — BYU's Jazz Ensemble will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Under the direction of Mark Ammons, this group trains up-and-coming jazz artists. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 5 — Synthesis, BYU's premier jazz group, will finish up Jazz Week at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Synthesis tours internationally and performs in international jazz festivals across the globe. They have also performed at the International Association of Jazz Educators Annual Conference. Tickets go on sale Jan 31. 8 — BYU's Group for New Music will be performing in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 9 — The BYU Folk Music Ensemble will be playing at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The group plays traditional American Cajun, bluegrass and country western music. Tickets go on sale Feb. 7. 10-12 — BYU will host the 2011 United States National Amateur DanceSport Championships. The event is one of the largest amateur ballroom dance competitions and features different age groups and dance styles. Tickets are available through the Marriott Center Ticket Office, (801) 422-BYU1, 1-800-322-BYU1 or at byutickets.com. March 16-April 1 — Jane Austen's 'Persuasion' has been adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright and BYU alumna Melissa Leilani Larson and will be performed in the Pardoe Theatre. 'Persuasion' is the story of Anne Elliot who is seeking the love of Captain Wentworth, a wealthy and eligible bachelor whom she was persuaded to reject eight years earlier. Wentworth must now resist falling in love again with the woman who broke his heart or choose to forgive her. Tickets for this play appropriately go on sale Valentine's Day, Feb. 14. 17-19 — BYU's Young Ambassadors will be performing in the de Jong Concert Hall. They will be performing 'Harmony: The Music of Life,' an all-new show for 2011. The Young Ambassadors combine contemporary music and dance for a fast-paced experience that has been performed in front of kings, queens, prime ministers and audiences in various countries. Tickets go on sale Feb. 14. 18-19 — BYU's Women's Chorus will be performing in the Provo Tabernacle, 100 South University Ave., at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 18-19 — dancEnsemble will be performing in the Richards Building Dance Studio Theatre. The performance will feature contemporary dance showcases by students from the BYU Department of Dance. Tickets go on sale Feb. 14. 22 — Touted as 'one of the greatest companies in the world' by The New York Times, the Martha Graham Dance Company has traveled all across the world. Now they are coming to BYU to perform at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. They will be performing pieces originally choreographed by Martha Graham. Tickets go on sale Feb. 22. 23 — A flute choir will be performing March 23 in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 24 — Living Legends will be returning to BYU at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. They will be performing Polynesian, Latin American and Native American music and dance. Having performed across the globe at festivals and the World's Fair for more than 35 years, they are one of the best dance groups of their kind. Tickets go on sale Feb. 22 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 24 — There will be a saxophone chamber night at the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. 25-26 — BYU's Men's Chorus will be performing in the de Jong Concert Hall. The group is conducted by Rosalind Hall. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 25 — A woodwind chamber night will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the University Parkway Center located on the northeast corner of University Avenue and University Parkway. The event is free. 25 — Students from the BYU Dance Department will present their final projects at 7:30 p.m. in the Richards Building Dance Studio Theatre. Tickets will go on sale Feb. 22. 26 — A harp ensemble directed by Anamae Anderson will be performing at 3 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 29 — The University Orchestra and University Strings will be performing in a joint concert at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Feb. 28. 29 — A trombone choir will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 30 — BYU's Symphony Orchestra will be performing in the de Jong Concert Hall, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Feb. 28. 30 — The free Songwriter Showcase will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The concert will feature up-and-coming artists from BYU. 31 — The BYU Chamber Orchestra will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The student ensemble is conducted by Kory Katseanes. Tickets go on sale Feb. 28. March 31-April 1 — A contemporary dance showcase will feature students from the BYU Department of Dance in the Richards Building Dance Studio Theatre. Tickets go on sale Feb. 28. 31 — The Department of Dance will present its International Folk Dance Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. in the Covey Center for the Arts. Tickets are available through the Covey Center box office or by calling (801) 852-7007. April 2011 5-6 — Graduating seniors from the BFA acting and musichttp://dance.byu.edu/theatre programs will go to New York and Los Angeles this spring to present a showcase of songs, scenes and dances as an audition for industry professionals. In order to raise money for the trip, students will perform in the Nelke Theatre. All proceeds will go to their travel and performance expenses. Tickets go on sale March 7. 5 — The Group for New Music will be performing at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 5 — Two of BYU's prominent ensembles will join forces on stage. The BYU Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 6 — Synthesis, BYU's premier jazz group, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. The student ensemble tours internationally and has been recognized for its awesome jazz music. Tickets are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 6 — A string chamber night will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the University Parkway Center. The center is located on the northeast corner of University Parkway and University Avenue. The event is free. 7 — Jazz Voices, a group of approximately 14 jazz singers from BYU, will perform in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale March 7. 7 — A free recital by the Department of Dance will feature students in a world dance showcase. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Richards Building Dance Studio Theatre and is free. 7-8 — The BYU Singers and Concert Choir will combine for an evening of great music in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 8 — Two of BYU's percussion groups, Panoramic Steel and the Percussion Ensemble, will play together in the Madsen Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale March 7 at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 8-9 — BYU's internationally acclaimed Ballroom Dance Company will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Marriott Center. Tickets are available through the Marriott Center Ticket Office, (801) 422-BYU1, 1-800-322-BYU1 or at byutickets.com. 9 — BYU's Philharmonic Orchestra will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets are available March 7. 9 — BYU's Jazz Lab Band will be performing a free concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. 12 — The University Bands will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale March 14. 12 — A brass chamber night will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free. 13 — Gamelan Bintang Wahyu, BYU's Indonesian percussion ensemble, will be performing in the Pardoe Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. 13 — A concert by the University Chorale will take place April 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Provo Tabernacle. Tickets go on sale March 14. 30 — Guest artist Del Parkinson will join with faculty artist Jeffrey Shumway in an American Piano Duo performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The event is free to the public. May 2011 6-7 — The 'Evening of Dance' with the Young DanceMakers will feature a performance by more than 120 children, ages 6-18, who have created and choreographed their own dances. The event will take place in the de Jong Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the event go on sale April 4. 13-14 — Theatreworks USA's production of 'Seussical' will be presented in the de Jong Concert Hall. In this production, characters like the Cat in the Hat, Horton, JoJo, and the Whos come to life. Tickets for children are $6, and tickets for adults cost $8. Evening and matinee showings are available. May 25-June 11 — The BYU theatre season will conclude with'The Diary of Anne Frank,' based on the book 'Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.' The play will run in the Pardoe Theatre. The play is an award-winning dramatization of the journals of young Anne Frank, a Jewish girl hiding from the Nazi regime during WWII. Her true story is one of dreams, fears, hunger, anger and ultimately the nobility of the human spirit. Tickets go on sale April 25. June 2011 8-11 — The annual BYU spring opera will take place in the de Jong Concert Hall. Students will present opera scenes that educate and enrich the audience. Tickets will be available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office. Source: BYU News

Guest artists Janice Vincent, violin, and Robert Nakea, piano, will be playing in the Madsen Recital Hall at Brigham Young University Saturday, Aug. 14, at 7:30 p.m. This event is free. They will begin the concert by performing the Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 8 for violin and piano by Edvard Hagerup Grieg. They will then perform Grieg's Sonata No. 2 in G major, Op. 13 for violin and piano. After an intermission, they will finish with Grieg's Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45 for violin and piano. Vincent is a graduate of BYU in violin performance and has taught at numerous schools for over 30 years. She has also served as the chair of the American String Teacher Association. Nakea started playing the piano at 6 and by 15 was performing as a soloist in the Honolulu Symphony. Since then, he has been recognized as a two-time laureate in the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. He also placed first in the Joseph Fisch International Piano Competition and third in the National Beethoven Sonata Competition. For more information, contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348. Source: BYU News

The Brigham Young University School of Music will present two comic one-act operas Wednesday through Saturday, June 9-12, in the Madsen Recital Hall. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Inspector 42 wins top drama, top director awards BYU’s Theatre and Media Arts Department won two “student Emmys” over the weekend, both for the same short film.The BYU student film Inspector 42, a live-action film about killer shirts, took home the awards for best drama and best director Saturday from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation.The “Directing Award” is one of the most prestigious honors handed out at the College Television Awards ceremony.“We believed in the project so much,” said Inspector 42 student producer Lyvia Martinez, a senior from Arecibo, Puerto Rico. “But it was great to hear that after all of our expectations and all of the hard work we put into the film, someone else found the value in our work and in the art that we’d created.”Recent grad Nathan D. Lee won the Directing Award, which was the top student Emmy for directing in all categories.“I tend to keep things pretty calm and reserved a lot of the time, but when I heard the news I was ecstatic,” Lee said. “It’s exciting but there’s also a measure of responsibility that I feel comes with it. It’s an honor and a privilege and a gift to have been awarded something like this.”Saturday was a big day for other BYU student film projects as well. BYU’s Center for Animation brought home its 10th student Emmy in seven years for its film X-ing (Read more here.) and BYU music student Richard Williams landed the best music composition award to bring BYU’s 2010 haul to four. (Read about Williams here.)Lee says Inspector 42, a movie about killer shirts set in the 1950s, was inspired in part by a little tag he found one day in the pocket of a new shirt. The tag said, “Inspected by 42.”“I remember standing there thinking, ‘Somewhere in the world, this is someone’s job,’” Lee said. “This guy exists somewhere. There is an Inspector 42. What on earth does a shirt inspector do? What is the life of a shirt inspector?”In Lee’s vision, Inspector 42 works at a shirt factory where the motto is “Think Shirt Safety.” While on the job, the inspector lets a couple of shirts pass inspection that really shouldn’t because he’s trying to meet a quota. Those shirts end up terrorizing the people who wear them and causing a few fatal accidents.The 20-page script was shot in Salt Lake City in just under two weeks and includes the work of about 50 students on set, crew and cast combined. The movie was shot on 35 millimeter film and runs about 30 minutes in length.“The quality of mentoring students by TMA film faculty and the commitment and determination on the part of the students to create works of excellence are bearing fruit in the national film conversation,” said Rodger Sorensen, chair of the TMA Department.Both Lee and Martinez said the film would have been impossible to make without the generous help of faculty and resources from BYU’s TMA department, including the help of faculty mentor Jeff Parkin.“We could not have made this film if we were not at BYU,” Lee said. “It just couldn’t have happened.”Paris Barclay, a well-known TV director and producer (NYPD Blue, ER, Cold Case, NCIS) had this to say about Inspector 42 at the awards ceremony:'About compelling, emotional and insightful programming: I honestly believe this film is about as good as it gets. It can go toe-to-toe with any episode I’ve done, certainly, and most of what you see on your television screen. It presents a moral conundrum for the hero and, I’m quoting again from the Academy, ‘in a compelling, emotional and insightful way.’“And not only does it do that, but I have to say that I watch a lot of films by a lot of young filmmakers, but this, the casting, the performances, the shot selection, the look, the pace the feel, the period, art direction, the production design and most importantly the emotional payoff of this film showed a talent to be reckoned with.'So, this award honors outstanding achievement in directing for comedy, documentary, drama or narrative series. So this goes across the board. This is basically our best director award. I want you to take another look at this most impressive film.“This entire film plays like jaw-droppingly awesome episode of The Twilight Zone. It is really great. It talks about honesty in our lives and in our society. It’s brilliantly written by the director and his writer-producer partner, Lyvia MartÁnez. Ladies and gentlemen, the directing trophy and $1,000 cash award goes to Nathan Lee of Brigham Young University.'Source: BYU News

Over the weekend the BYU Center for Animation picked up its tenth “student Emmy” in the past seven years, this time for the farce X-ing, about an ill-fated pair of lovesick armadillos at a truck stop.(The BYU student film Inspector 42 also won a first place award in its category and the prestigious “Best Directing” honor. Also, a BYU music student won for music composition.)The film represents a reversal from the program’s most recent Emmy-winner. While Kites was a poignant tale of a grandson’s love, X-ing (pronounced “crossing”) identifies itself clearly as slapstick comedy with a major shock in the opening scene.Simply finishing the film was a major achievement, BYU animators say, let alone winning the third-place College Television Award in the animation category, bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. That’s because the BYU program has become a victim of its own success.After each successive student Emmy and student Academy award, more representatives from top studios such as Pixar and DreamWorks flocked to campus, eventually plucking students for internships and later full-time jobs. Many seniors with key responsibilities on X-ing graduated and were hired away before it was completed.“That’s a very good thing — that’s why we’re here, to prepare the students for jobs, not to win awards. But it’s becoming more and more disruptive to the films,” said Center for Animation Director R. Brent Adams. “I’m very proud of the juniors who slugged this film through to finish it.”One of those juniors was Stacey Bethers of Salt Lake City, who took over responsibility for lighting in X-ing after her predecessor was hired by Digital Domain to work on the remake of Tron.“The light lead’s job is to direct the viewer’s eye and enhance the emotion of the film,” Stacey said, giggling a bit while watching a scene she lit that’s designed to surprise viewers. “When you start on one of these projects, you can’t really see the end from the beginning, but then you get there, and it’s such a blessing.”Stacey went on to an internship at Pixar, where she learned more about lighting from work that had been done on Up. Then she got to work on commercials for Toy Story 3. Graduating in a few weeks, she has interviews with three top studios.“This is such an amazing animation program, with professors who have actually been in the industry and can show us how to get to that level,” Stacey said. “Hopefully I can get there, too.”Moy Parra, a junior from Mexico City, was the film’s animation lead and joined his peers in countless hours of painstaking work over about 12 months.“I can’t believe it’s really done,” he said while re-watching his characters in the program’s million-dollar virtual reality theater. To Parra and his peers, the student Emmy is great, but “seeing it on the screen is the payoff, and seeing the audience reaction, seeing that they laugh when you hoped they would laugh.”James Jackson and Jenny Harris Johnson were co-producers of X-ing and joined Adams at the awards gala Saturday in Los Angeles to pick up the award. It’s Jackson’s second student Emmy — he also co-produced Kites. He now works for Pixar. Carson McKay, the director of X-ing, is now at DreamWorks.“This success continues to open doors and allows us to place more students of value out into industry,” said Kelly Loosli, associate professor of theatre and media arts. “In return, more and more studios are sending out their best to our campus,” noting that the Center hosted Steve Hickner, director of DreamWorks’ Prince of Egypt, earlier this month.Ed Catmull, president of Pixar, declared BYU students 'the best in the industry' at a press conference on campus in 2008.'Over the years, Pixar has worked with a lot of different universities around the country and hired people,' Catmull said. 'One of the interesting things is, all of a sudden, in the last few years, we found that BYU has risen to the top. BYU has an extraordinary program here.'Another new development represents the BYU Center’s multidisciplinary focus. Later this month the BYU computer science department will graduate its first crop of students with an emphasis in animation. One of them will be Christopher Long, of Provo, who was a go-to guy for technical issues on X-ing. He put his computer science major to work by writing new code when the students’ software didn’t make the film look how they wanted it to. He also is in final interviews at a major studio.Noting other campus departments that contribute to the animation program, Loosli said, “All of Visual Arts, Theatre and Media Arts, Industrial Design and the School of Technology, and Computer Science should be commended.”Ryan Woodward, Cynthia Hogan and Seth Holladay were also faculty mentors on X-ing.Note: Because X-ing and other BYU animated films may still be entered in film festivals, they are not available for viewing online in their entirety. The Center for Animation hopes to release them sometime in the future.Source: BYU News

BYU music student Richard Williams has won the 'student Emmy' for music composition for his ragtag piano and Dixieland jazz score on the BYU Center for Animation film, Mashed.

Brigham Young University will once again host the 2010 U.S. National Amateur Dancesport Championships, one of the nation's largest amateur ballroom dance competitions, Thursday through Saturday, March 11-13, in the Marriott Center.

By Hilarie Ashton

By Katie Roundy

The Brigham Young University Museum of Art needs volunteers to help with a special exhibition, 'Carl Heinrich Bloch: The Master's Hand,' which will be on view at the museum from Nov. 12, 2010 through May 7, 2011.

Q'd Up, the Brigham Young University School of Music's faculty jazz quintet, will celebrate its recently released fourth CD, 'Quintessence,' during a special concert Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall.

'Tartuffe,' the classic comedy by one of the greatest comedic playwrights of all time, Jean Baptiste Molière, will open the winter semester theater calendar at Brigham Young University Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center. It will run through Saturday, Feb. 6, except Sundays and Mondays, with a matinee performance Saturday Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, $13, $11 or $8 with a BYU or student ID and can be purchased online at byuarts.com, by phone at (801) 422-4322 or in person at the Harris Fine Arts Center Ticket Office. As the play opens, Orgon, who is in the twilight of his life, has decided to give all his worldly possessions to a pious holy man named Tartuffe. However, this holy man is not all that he seems to be, and Orgon's frantic family and friends are not fooled by Tartuffe's behavior. They try to convince Orgon to abandon his folly. Otherwise, they will lose all to Tartuffe. ''Tartuffe' is a very funny play, but there are strong and urgent consequences resulting from the characters' actions, consequences that sometimes have dire effects,' said director Stephanie Breinholt. 'I want the audience to feel that edge, not just revel in the humor.' In a unique twist, the story's design and acting styles span a period beginning in the 1600s and ending today. 'The play is a farce, but it has dark and lasting implications,' said Breinholt. 'I've found similar qualities in the work of Tim Burton.' 'I was also inspired by Cirque du Soleil. I recently saw their production 'O' again, and I immediately thought of Tartuffe and the line in the script referring to Orgon's household: 'It's like a madhouse with the keeper gone,'' she said. 'We made the servants of the house into 'Cirque' clowns who see everything and often understand what other characters production don't.' The cast includes Dallin Allred as Orgon and Andrew Veenstra as Tartuffe, as well as Anne Fleming, Alexis Wardle, Christie Clark, Rafe GÁ¡ndola and Tanner Garrett. Production staff members are original music composer David Jon Banks, dramaturg Wade Hollingshaus, stage manager Camee Faulk, scenic designer Eric Fielding, lighting designer Amber Coyne, costume designer Haleh Risdana, sound designer Kt Harrel and makeup and hair designer Jaynanne Meads. The production is sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Media Arts. For more information, contact Stephanie Breinholt at (801) 422-4631 or at stephaniebreinholt@hotmail.com. Source: BYU News