UCLA Live is proud to announce its upcoming events for March – June 2008. As a producer and presenter, UCLA Live is internationally acclaimed for the quality of dance, music, theatre, spoken works and artists that it presents to Los Angeles every year.
UCLA Live at Royce Hall is located at 340 Royce Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90095
Wednesday, March 5, 8 p.m.
Keith Jarrett, piano; Gary Peacock, bass; and Jack DeJohnette, drums—25th Anniversary
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $88, $76, $58, $40; $20 UCLA Students
“The greatest piano trio in contemporary jazz” according to BBC Music Magazine, master pianist Keith Jarrett, along with Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette return to Royce Hall to celebrate celebrate 25 years of transcendent music making. Jarrett has proven – in a career exceeding 35 years – to be an unsurpassed improviser, an award-winning classical musician and a gifted composer who has redefined contemporary piano music.
Sunday, March 9, 2 p.m.
Organ & Film—“Safety Last” (1923) starring Harold Lloyd
with live accompaniment by Christoph Bull, organist
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $25 (general admission); $15 kids 12 and under and UCLA Students
Christoph Bull, an award-winning organist, performs a live score on the historic Royce Hall organ to the silent-era movie classic, “Safety Last,” starring screen legend Harold Lloyd and directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor. “Safety Last” is filled with visual gags and white knuckle stunts, even featuring Lloyd’s famous clock sequence.
Wednesday, March 12, 8 p.m.
Angélique Kidjo
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $46, $34, $22; $15 UCLA Students
Angélique Kidjo, a 2008 Grammy Award winner for “Djin Djin,” performs songs from her star-studded recording. The New York Times has hailed this Benin-born, Brooklyn-based singer for her “growls and swoops that link African tradition to American soul music.” Garage band Dengue Fever opens as a special guest, setting the tone with their unique blend of ‘60s Cambodian pop, American surf and psychedelic rock, featuring music from “Venus on Earth,” their latest CD.
Thursday, March 13, 8 p.m.
Stephen Sondheim with host Frank Rich—“A Little Night Conversation”
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets—limited availability: $74, $58, $38, $25 UCLA Students
Steven Sondheim makes a rare appearance with New York Times’ columnist and former chief theatre critic, Frank Rich. The two – who became friends when Rich interviewed Sondheim for a New York Times Magazine cover in 2005 – discuss the storied career of the legendary American lyricist and composer, exploring both professional and personal subjects in this rare conversation. Sondheim, known for a variety of shows including “Follies,” “Into the Woods,” and “Sunday in the Park with George” among many others, is of a select group to have won a Tony, an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, a Grammy and a Pulitzer.
Saturday, March 15, 8 p.m.
Perú Negro
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $48, $36, $24; $17 UCLA Students
The Grammy-nominated 20-piece song and dance ensemble, Perú Negro, perform a carnival of Afro-Latin sounds and rhythms featuring songs from their CD, “Zamba Malató.”
Thursday, March 20, 8 p.m.
An Evening with Garrison Keillor
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $78, $56, $38; $20 UCLA Students
A beloved chronicler of Lake Wobegen – “the little town that time forgot and decades cannot improve” – Garrison Keillor shares folksy humor and sharp insights in an intimate evening of stories and wisdom from the world according to Garrison. On July 6, 1974, Keillor hosted the first broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion” in St. Paul, Minnesota, launching one of the most astonishing success stories in the annals of American radio—today with over three million listeners on more than 450 public radio stations.
Friday, March 21, 8 p.m.
SFJAZZ Collective—Original Compositions and Works by Wayne Shorter
Featuring Joe Lovano, tenor saxophone; Dave Douglas, trumpet; Stefon Harris, vibes, marimba; Miguel Zenón, alto saxophone; Robin Eubanks, trombone; Renee Rosnes, piano; Matt Penman, bass; and Eric Harland, drums
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $48, $36, $26; $15 UCLA Students
SFJAZZ Collective was launched in 2004 and has quickly become one of the most exciting forces on the U.S., as well as the international, music scene. “Rising Star Jazz Band of the Year” according to Downbeat Magazine, “this all-star ensemble comprises today’s finest jazz musicians—including Downbeat “Artist of the Year” honorees, Grammy-nominated trumpeter Dave Douglas (2006) and saxophone giant Joe Lovano (2001). Respecting the past, while looking to the future, the Collective honors saxophone legend Wayne Shorter in a program of his works as well as band member originals.
Saturday, March 22, 8 p.m.
Leila Haddad and The Gypsy Musicians of Upper Egypt—
“Gypsy Dances from Rajasthan to the Nile”
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $42, $30, $22; $15 UCLA Students
One of the world’s premier Oriental dancers, Leila Haddad is known for performing raqs Sharqi, commonly referred to as belly dance, and has fought to restore status to this noble art form. Haddad – Tunisian-born – has revived the dignity of the traditional dance for this U.S Premiere, using handmade costumes, sophisticated technical direction and nuanced lighting. A seven-member ensemble will join Haddad on stage, the musicians being from Upper Egypt and playing a variety of traditional instruments including the rababa (two-string spike fiddle), suffara (open-ended reed flute) and tabl baladi (large double-sided drum).
Friday, March 28, 8 p.m.
An Evening with Anne Lamott and Elizabeth Gilbert
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $48, $36, $24; $15 UCLA Students
UCLA LIVE EXCLUSIVE: Two best-selling writers, Anne Lamott and Elizabeth Gilbert, come together for an intimate evening of readings and commentary. The writers are known for their unconventional spiritual explorations. Lamott, having penned “Plan B,” “Traveling Mercies” and “Operating Instructions,” shares her stories of detours and roadblocks in her walk of faith, as she has recounted in her essay collection, “Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith,” which is set to be released in March 2008. Gilbert is perhaps best known for her most recent memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love” which uses and humor and charm to chronicle a year spent traveling around the world as she searched for personal restoration after going through a difficult divorce.
Saturday, March 29, 8 p.m.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Murray Perahia, conductor and pianist
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $100, $78, $56, $44; $25 UCLA Students
Murray Perhaia leads The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields – one of Britain’s most esteemed chamber ensembles – in this program, which features two of Mendelssohn’s most beloved works. This chamber ensemble is renowned for its brilliant recordings, especially those with Sir Neville Marriner including the award-winning soundtrack for “Amadeus,” as well as the Bach Keyboard Concerti with Perahia.
Mendelssohn–Overture to Hebrides, Op. 26 (“Fingal’s Cave”)
Mozart–Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K.491
Britten–Prelude and Fugues
Mendelssohn–Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 (“Italian”)
Friday–Saturday, April 4–5, 8 p.m.
La La La Human Steps—“Amjad”
Artistic director and choreographer Édouard Lock
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $48, $36, $24; $15 UCLA Students
Montreal’s most daring dance company, La La La Human Steps, returns to Royce Hall for the U.S. Premiere of “Amjad.” Using their high-energy punkish cool, demanding technique and breakneck speed, these dancers deconstruct romantic ballets while probing the schism between classical dance and modern dance. Choreographed by Édouard Lock, they audaciously reinvent classical sources with fresh energy and rawness in a display that features nine dancers, film and original live music composed by Bang on a Can’s David Lang.
Wednesday–Saturday, April 9–12
“Aurélia’s Oratorio”
Wednesday–Friday, April 9–11, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 12, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
UCLA Live at Freud Playhouse
Tickets: $42, $28 for adults, $34, $22 for kids 12 and under; $15 UCLA Students
The nouveau cirque-inspired “Aurélia’s Oratorio, makes its West Coast Premiere. Dreams come alive and miracles unfold before your eyes in this ravishing world of adventure starring Aurélia Thiérrée, in displays of dance, acrobatics, puppetry and stage invention. With Aurélia’s mother, Victoria Thiérrée directing and designing this piece, their family tradition is carried on, as Thiérrée is the sister of James Thiérrée, a visionary performer-director. James’ “The Junebug Symphony” played two years in a row to sold out audiences at UCLA Live. Best for children 9 – adult.
Thursday, April 10, 8 p.m.
Laurie Anderson—“Homeland”
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $54, $42, $30; $20 UCLA Students
Laurie Anderson, a top performance artist, is joined by a trio of musicians in the West Coast premiere of “Homeland.” Technology and sensuous language of poetry and songwriting are used in this combination of poem, play and concert where the relationship of fear and freedom are examined, and the increasing acceptance of violence.
Friday, April 11, 8 p.m.
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $46, $34, $26; $15 UCLA Students
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin is a Grammy-nominated artist, even recognized as one of Europe’s, if not the world’s, greatest musical success stories. Beginning as a courageous display of musical sovereignty against the East German socialist regime, they are now, 20 years later, recognized and celebrated worldwide. Their inspiring program features works by Vivaldi, Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, Johann Gottlieb Graun, Benedetto Marcello and J.S. Bach.
Saturday, April 12, 8 p.m.
Seattle Symphony with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violinist
Gerard Schwarz, conductor
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $85, $65, $48, $36; $20 UCLA Students
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, a celebrated violinist, joins one of the country’s most daring and sought-after orchestras in its fantastic Royce Hall debut. Their program includes excerpts from Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg”; Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26; and Strauss’ “Don Juan” and Suite from “Der Rosenkavalier.”
Wednesday, April 16, 8 p.m.
Azar Nafisi and Marjane Satrapi in Conversation
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $38, $28, $20; $15 UCLA Students
UCLA LIVE EXCLUSIVE: Azar Nafisi and Marjane Satrapi are two of Iran’s leading feminist voices and will be joined in a stimulating discussion, which will be moderated by award-winning arts and culture journalist Alicia Anstead. Sony Classics recently released Satrapi’s novel, the Academy Award nominated, “Persepolis,” as an animated feature. Nafisi is the author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran” and gender reform advocate. Thursday, April 17, 8 p.m.
Arlo Guthrie: Solo Reunion Tour—“Together at Last”
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $54, $42, $32; $20 UCLA Students
Arlo Guthrie, the famed folk singer and musical storyteller, returns to his roots, performing as a one-man band with only a couple of guitars and a harmonica. Known for his commitment to social activism as well as his distinctive style, Guthrie performed music that was shaping the country in the ‘60s, while his career soared with the anti-establishment anthem “Alice’s Restaurant,” made into the now classic 1969 film starring Guthrie.
Friday–Saturday, April 18–19, 8 p.m.
The Ash Grove 50th Anniversary—“Legend and Legacy”
With Taj Mahal, Dwight Trible, Michelle Shocked, Dave Alvin, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Dr. Demento (aka Barry Hansen), Holly Near, Bernice Reagon, Culture Clash, Mike Seeger, Roland White, Ry Cooder and more
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $56, $42, $28; $15 UCLA Students
UCLA LIVE EXCLUSIVE: The Hollywood club, The Ash Grove, is honored in two star-studded reunion concerts. Founded by Ed Pearl, before burning to the ground in 1973, the club hosted hundreds of legendary artists, including Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, the Byrds and the Chambers Brothers.
April 18 lineup: Dave Alvin; Ramblin’ Jack Elliott; Laura Love; a tribute to Old Time Music with Mike Seeger, Roland White and Ry Cooder; Culture Clash; Holly Near; Ashley Maher, and an Ellis Island Band tribute to Mike Janusz with John Bilezikjian, Michael Alpert and others.
April 19 lineup: Taj Mahal, The Bernie Pearl Blues Band and Barbara Dane, Dwight Trible, Michelle Shocked, The Watts Prophets, and a Tribute To George Smith with James Harman, Johnny Dyer and others. Visit www.ashgrovemusic.com for updates and a full schedule of weekend events including free workshops.
Thursday, April 24, 8 p.m.
Qawwali Music of Pakistan featuring Mehr and Sher Ali
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $46, $34, $22; $15 UCLA Students
Brothers Mehr and Sher Ali, revered as two of the finest Qawwali musicians, aim to create a direct channel to divine union through the purity of their singing and the warm resonance of the tabla. The ecstatic devotional music of the Sufis, Qawwali uses hand-clapping rhythms, poetic texts and rapturous voices to express the elation of divine love. Additional Qawwali musicians will join them in this joyous celebration of the spirit.
Friday–Saturday, May 2–3, 8 p.m.
Ultima Vez—“Spiegel” (Mirror)
Wim Vandekeybus, choreographer
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $42, $30, $22; $15 UCLA Students
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE: , Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus and his company Ultima Vez have created confrontational and physical mixed-media works for 20 years. Newcomers are joined by nine veteran dancers in their latest creation, “Spiegel,” which is a multifaceted retrospective work exploring emotions of scenes mined from Vandekeybus’ renowned body of work.
Thursday, May 8, 8 p.m.
Jessye Norman: The American Song and the French Melody
Mark Markham, pianist
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $125, $100, $85, $55; $25 UCLA Students
UCLA LIVE EXCLUSIVE: Jessye Norman, a 2006 recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award returns to Royce Hall with pianist Mark Markham. The one-of-a-kind soprano explores the French and American songbooks, including works by Poulenc and Ravel.
Thursday, May 22, 8 p.m.
Dianne Reeves—with Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo, guitars
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $58, $42, $28; $15 UCLA Students
Dianne Reeves uses her influences of Afro-Caribbean music, gospel and R&B to classic to and contemporary pop and jazz in her return to Royce Hall, where she performs music from her anticipated new album of original compositions.
New date: Friday, May 30, 8 p.m.
An Evening with Michael Brook and Djivan Gasparyan
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $48, $36, $24; $15 UCLA Students
UCLA LIVE EXCLUSIVE: Michael Brook, Canadian guitarist-composer, and Djivan Gasparyan, legendary Armenian musician, reunite in the world premiere of music from their new collaborative CD. Grammy-nominated Gasparyan, winner of four world-wide Gold Medal UNESCO competitions and a World Music Expo lifetime achievement award, is a master of the ancient duduk (an oboe-like instrument). Brook, known for his film scores – including his score on “Into the Wild” – is considered as one of the most inventive and multifaceted forces in music. Brook has also worked with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his Grammy-nominated album “Night Song.
Sunday, June 8, 7 p.m.
“Organica”—with Christoph Bull, organist
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets: $30, $24, $18; $15 UCLA Students
“Organica” – not your father’s organ music – shows plenty of versatility and creative expanse of Royce Hall’s venerable pipe organ, bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary popular music. Christopher Bull, the award-winning German organist, has navigated this innovative concert series since 1999, using fresh and exciting new terrain, performing versatile programs ranging from traditional to trance, Bach to the Beatles. He is accompanied by improvisatory and multimedia elements and the program will feature Chelses Chen and Maxine Thevenot, two up-and-coming female organists. This year’s program focuses on French organ repertoire and new original music, including Maurice Duruflé’s “Prelude and Fugue on the name ALAIN” and Messiaen’s “Serene Alleluias.”
Saturday, June 28, 8 p.m.
David Sedaris
UCLA Live at Royce Hall
Tickets—limited availability: $50, $40, $28; $17 UCLA Students
David Sedaris, a preeminent humorist as well as a literary returns to UCLA Live— by popular demand, as always – for a one-night only reading featuring material from his new book, “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” (June 2008) and unpublished works. A book signing will follow the event.
