2012-2013 Brooks Center season takes audiences far and wide

Published: August 20, 2012

CLEMSON — The Brooks Center for the Performing Arts at Clemson University plans a 2012-13 season of performances that will take audiences on journeys to different countries, different cities or just different states of mind.

The Boni Belle Brooks season starts off with Tony Award-winner Barbara Cook (Sept. 6) presenting her cabaret offerings of Broadway and jazz tunes. The Broadway theme continues as television icon Cindy Williams stars in the latest installment of Dan Goggin’s “Nunsense” franchise in “Nunset Boulevard” (Nov. 26). 

The Birdland Big Band, directed by Tommy Igoe, presents “Live at Birdland” (Feb. 12) hailing straight from the Birdland Jazz Club in the heart of New York’s jazz mecca. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (Oct. 8) comes via the Lillian and Robert Utsey Chamber Music Series, and The Flying Karamazov Brothers (Nov. 5) soar in straight from the city armed with comedy, music and acrobatics as part of the Family Series.

Several groups will bring the flavors of their home countries to Clemson. The Royal Drummers & Dancers of Burundi (Sept. 20) share the important role of drums in their tiny country in Central Africa as part of the Family Series and the Creole Choir of Cuba (March 7) is another Boni Belle Brooks offering by one of the foremost groups of contemporary Haiti.

Danú (March 14), one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles, will get the audience in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit. Brazilian-born brothers Sérgio and Odair Assad (Nov. 12) share their guitar innovation and expressions, which earned them a Latin Grammy, as part of the Utsey Chamber Series.

The visual presentation and electronic music of Amon Tobin (Sept. 19) expands creative horizons, and young bassist/vocalist/composer Esperanza Spalding (Oct. 17) performs from her release “Radio Music Society. ” MOMIX’s (Jan. 31) production of Botanica reveals the animated world of nature and the unique qualities of earth, light, darkness and airy space through dance.

The remainder of the Utsey Chamber Music Series presents award-winning Violinist Elena Urioste (Sept. 27) with accompanist Michael Brown; and Denyce Graves (Feb. 8), who continues to gather critical acclaim as one of the world’s most-exciting vocalists. The Pacifica Quartet (Jan. 29) won a Grammy for “Best Chamber Music Performance” in 2009, while The Tempest Trio (April 4) combines technical mastery and expressive depth to its performance. Imani Winds (March 11) returns to the Brooks Center as North America’s premier wind quintet and one of the most-successful chamber music ensembles in the United States.

ArcAttack (Feb. 7) uses technical wizardry to present an “electrifying” performance as part of the Family Series. Dailey and Vincent (Oct. 1) present the harmony of their vocal trios and quartets as the 2008 “Bluegrass Music Entertainers of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year.” The Aquila Theatre Company presents the funny and poignant of Cyrano de Bergerac (Feb. 5).

The 2012-2013 season is full of opportunities to enjoy performances from student instrumental groups, choral ensembles and the orchestra, all under the direction of Clemson University music faculty. Varying styles of music such as jazz, sacred, classical, popular, marching band and more will be presented from September through April.

 The Clemson Players, the university’s premier theater group, presents a season full of unique performances. The array of smaller stage productions starts off with a lengthy run of the fun-filled musical “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Oct. 1-5, 7, 8-10), followed by an original and emotional play, “Ensemble” (Nov. 12-16, 18). It concludes with a One-Act Play Festival (April 16-21) by the most-advanced theater majors.

Audiences also can take in the timeless Greek classic “Medea” (Feb. 28-March 3) as a larger production in the Brooks Theater.

Show information and tickets are available online at www.clemson.edu/Brooks or by calling the box office at 864-656-7787 from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

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