BRAVO! PROFESSIONAL PERFORMING ARTS AT BYU PRESENTS: JOHN LITHGOW in STORIES BY HEART Following his triumphant appearances at New York’s Lincoln Center and London’s National Theatre, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor, John Lithgow, offers a touching and humorous reflection on storytelling as the tie that binds humanity. Invoking memories of his grandmother and father before him, Mr. Lithgow traces his roots as an actor and storyteller, interspersing his own story with two tales that were read aloud to him and his siblings when they were children. These are “Uncle Fred Flits By” by P.G. Wodehouse and “Haircut” by Ring Lardner. In the first, a fretful young Englishman is taken on a wild afternoon’s escapade in suburban London by his irrepressible uncle. In a hilarious tour de force, Lithgow performs with zany abandon, portraying ten distinct, outrageous characters (including a parrot). By contrast, “Haircut” is a darkly comic look at Midwestern American implacability. It is a captivating yarn told by a gossipy barber in small-town Michigan as he gives a shave and a haircut to a stranger in town. Stories by Heart provides ample evidence of the power of storytelling, the magic of theatre, and the talents of one of our greatest actors.

Featuring freshman and sophomore level music students, selected through the Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

A Taste for SuitesLocation: de Jong Concert Hall — Harris Fine Arts CenterTime: 7:30 PMKirt Saville, conductorFeaturing selections from musical suites byGustav HolstWilliam Grant StillErnest TomlinsonDimitri ShostakovichDarius MilhaudPhilip Sparke

The Diavolo Dance Theatre, internationally renowned for the unique way in which it reinvents dance, reimagines theatre and redefines thrills, visits Brigham Young University with “Transit Space” and “Trajectoire,” Wednesday, March 19, in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets start at $20 ($10 off with BYU or student ID and $3 off for senior citizens or BYU alumni) and can be purchased at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-2981, or at byuarts.com/tickets. The Diavolo Dance Theatre is part of BYU’s BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series, and takes movement, athletics and daring to the extreme, creating abstract narratives about the human experience through surreal tableaux. The company has an extensive performance history in its home city of Los Angeles, as well as throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America. In more than 14 seasons of touring, Diavolo has performed for hundreds of thousands of concertgoers worldwide, as well as millions more on television. “Architecture in motion—a unique and fascinating approach to making dance—is the perfect way to describe this unique and fascinating dance company,” said BYU professor Jeffrey Martin, presenter of The Diavolo Dance Theatre. “However, even calling Diavolo a dance company imposes unwanted limits and restrictions upon its work; as you will soon experience, it seems to reach beyond that somehow.” The cast crew consists of Jacques Heim as artistic director, Jennifer Cheng as executive director and Dusty Alvarado, Ana Brotons, Leandro Damasco Jr., Alicia Garrity, Brandon Grimm, Shauna Martinez, Ezra Masse-Mahar, Chelsea Pierce, Rick Santizo, Amy Tuley and Garrett Wolf as performers. Founded in 1992 by Jacques Heim, choreographer of Cirque du Soleil’s KA, Diavolo has developed a reputation for stunning, innovative movement on oversized surrealistic sets and everyday structures. Diavolo performs a distinct style of Architecture in Motion that uses abstract and recognized structures to explore the relationship between the danger of our environment and the fragility of the human body. The dance theatre is a fusion of many different movement vocabularies such as everyday movement, ballet, contemporary, acrobatics, gymnastics, martial arts and hip-hop. For more information contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348 or ken_crossley@byu.edu. Source: BYU News

Brigham Young University’s Living Legends will perform a celebration of Latin American, Native American and Polynesian song and dance in a concert at the de Jong Concert Hall Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, at 7:30 p.m.

Janielle Christensen, artistic director In a performance of extravagant dancing, culturally-inspired music and intricate costumes, Brigham Young University’s Living Legends celebrates the Latin American, Native American, and Polynesian cultures in Seasons. Each year, hundreds of BYU students audition for the opportunity to pay tribute to their ancestors through music and dancing. The audition process is competitive–accepting only the best singers and dancers–but all Living Legends members are of Native American, Latin American, or Polynesian heritage. Spectacular choreography, colorful costumes, and heart-pounding music bring to life the skill, beauty and authenticity of these traditional cultures. From the graceful Hawaiian hula and Mexican fiesta dances to the excitement and beauty of a Native American pow wow, this year’s Living Legends performance reflects the cycle of civilizations through the portrayal of changing seasons and weaves together legends of the past with the reality of today. Performance Information Feb. 21-22, 7:30 pm Age 2+ admitted to this performance with a ticket.

This past weekend marked the local American Advertising Awards Gala, formerly known as the Addys. BYU advertising students brought home a total of ten awards from the event.

Brigham Young University’s School of Music will present its Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Christian Smith, in concert Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall. Tickets are $6 and are available through the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-4322, or online at byuarts.com/tickets. The Symphony Orchestra will present a concerto concert featuring seven winners of the BYU Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. The concert will include soloists Logan Anderson on trumpet, Hillary Dalton on violin, Trevor Giles on alto saxophone, Hannah Cope on harp, Alissa Freeman on piano and Katherine Armantrout as soprano. The Symphony Orchestra is a preparatory orchestra in the School of Music. The symphony shares the responsibilities of collaborating with the ensemble concerts presented in the school, as well as performing regularly with musical theatre productions. For more information about the performance, contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348. Source: BYU News

The Brigham Young University School of Music will present alumnus Jack Wood in “A Salute to Frank Sinatra,” featuring the BYU Synthesis Band and the Philharmonic Orchestra, guest directed by Vincent Falcone, the former music director for Frank Sinatra, Saturday, Mar. 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.

Students, faculty and the local community are invited to attend free lectures this week about a famous 1940’s musical composition and its accompanying choreography.

(Pictured Above: Marc-André Hamelin)BYU is now home to an incredible and rare musical instrument–a Fazioli grand piano.Scott Holden, department chair of keyboard performance, fell in love with the Fazioli piano when he first played it. He knew instantly that he had found the perfect partner for the School of Music.

David Ladd won Golden Globe for his performance as Alan Ladd's son