| Designed
by the architectural firm I.M. Pei and Partners and built in 1969, the Michael
C. Rockefeller Arts Center is a major cultural center for western New York and
northwestern Pennsylvania. Housing
a 1,200-seat concert hall, two theatres and two art galleries, Rockefeller Arts
Center serves as a showcase for the talented students and faculty in SUNY Fredonia's
strong arts programs and as a venue for national and international touring artists.
More than 170 events are presented each year by the center with clients including
academic departments, student organizations and community groups. Annual attendance
exceeds 50,000 people. The
120,000 square foot facility houses faculty offices for the Department of Visual
Arts and New Media and the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as classrooms,
rehearsal halls and spacious, well-equipped art studios, dressing rooms, scenery
and costume shops. 2006-2007
Season Western
New York Chamber Orchestra Classics Series: Classics
1: Water Music
Sunday, Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. Britten:
Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Debussy: La cathedral engloute
(orchestrated by Glen Cortese)
Handel: Water Music Suite No. 2
Schumann:
Symphony No. 3 in Eb Major, Op.97 "Rhenish"
Classics
2: Moonlight Serenade
Sunday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m.
With Cornelius Dufallo,
violin Mozart:
Serenade No. 6, K. 239 (Serenata notturna)
Dvorak: Serenade in D minor,
op. 44
Bernstein: Serenade
Classics
3: Heroes and Legends!
Sunday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.
With Lauren Flanigan,
soprano Ravel:
Scheherazade
Copland: A Lincoln Portrait
Beethoven: Leonore Overture
No. 3
Classics
4: Masterworks Concert
Sunday, April 29 at 4 p.m.
With Fredonia Masterworks
Chorus and vocal soloists Bach:
Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Someplace
Special Pops Series: Boston
Brass
Friday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. Friendly,
funny and genuinely excited about the music they perform, this five-man dynamo
has appeared on such popular programs as the CBS Morning Show and National Public
Radio's Performance Today. Boston Brass
combines precision and accessibility with a sincere love of all things brass.
A typical performance - can there be such a thing with these gentlemen? - includes
some of the most interesting arrangements of jazz, bebop and classical music an
audience can ever expect to hear. Christmas
with Roger Williams
Friday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. Christmas
2006 will be a holiday to remember when Roger
Williams, the first pianist ever to be included in the Hollywood Walk of Fame,
comes to SUNY Fredonia. Hailed as "one of the most popular pianists of the
postwar era" by the influential All Music Guide, Mr. Williams is one of pop
music's best-known instrumentalists. He recently celebrated his 80th birthday
by playing for an amazing 13.5 hours at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.
Commencement
Eve Pops Concert 2007
Friday, May 11 at 8 p.m. Since
1992, the Commencement Eve Pops Concert at Rockefeller Arts Center has been one
of the most highly anticipated events on the area's entertainment calendar. Next
May, the Western New York Chamber Orchestra
will join top vocalists from the SUNY Fredonia School
of Music to pay tribute to the Class of 2007. With
some of the most memorable tunes from Broadway's greatest songbooks, the Commencement
Eve Concert will again be the show of the season in Chautauqua County.
Kaleidoscope
Family Series: Lawrence
Smythe: The Caretaker
Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.
Marvel Theatre
Combining his skills of illusion, mask, puppetry, voice, music, mime, clown
and improvisation (along with a healthy dose of audience participation), Lawrence
Smythe has created The Caretaker, his new one-man show for children. Although
Mr. Smythe's character is less caretaker than disaster-maker, this lovable janitor
shows how much fun we can have when we put our imaginations to work. A self-described
"cross between a poet and an orangutan," Mr. Smythe is a 28-year comic
veteran, a world traveler and the president, secretary, prop man, set designer,
artistic director, actor, writer, producer and tea boy for his own company, Smileco.
Tom
Chapin & Friends
With the Chautauqua
Children's Chorale
Friday,
Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
King Concert Hall Deemed
"one of the great personalities in contemporary folk music" by The New
York Times, Tom Chapin is loved
by audiences for his songwriting, musicianship and warmth. His music for children
has earned him a bevy of awards, including honors from the American Library Association,
Parents' Choice Magazine and the National Association of Parenting Publications,
among others. Mr. Chapin will be joined onstage by the Chautauqua Children's Chorale,
an ensemble featuring some of the finest young voices in the region. Seussical
Theatreworks/USA
Friday, March 16 at 7 p.m.
King Concert Hall The
biggest show ever staged by Theatreworks/USA!
Adapted for young audiences from the Broadway hit, Seussical is creative, comic
fun. Thirteen actors take some of Theodore (Dr.
Seuss) Geisel's most memorable stories and mixes colorful costumes, infectious
music and enthusiastic performances into a fantastic theatrical experience for
the young and young at heart. Seussical is a magical show that will have your
entire family singing, dancing, drawing and reading all weekend - and maybe longer!
Walter
Gloor Mainstage Series: The
Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)
By The Reduced Shakespeare Company
Fri., Oct. 13 - Sat., Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. Sun., Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. Thurs., Oct.
19 - Sat., Oct. 21 at 8 p.m.
Bartlett Theatre A
wild ride at Rockefeller Arts Center! References to hip-hop, football, TV cooking
shows and Freudian psychology blend into a hilarious play that will have audiences
rolling. Witty, unpretentious fun. A
Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Thurs., Nov. 30 - Sat., Dec. 2
at 8 p.m. Sun., Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 7 - Sat., Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. Sun.,
Dec. 10 at 2 p.m.
Marvel Theatre The
SUNY Fredonia Department of Theatre and Dance will bring Charles Dickens' holiday
classic back to the Rockefeller Arts Center stage. The entire family will enjoy
the tale of miserly businessman Ebenezer Scrooge and his redemption after a tumultuous
Christmas Eve. Get reacquainted with Bob Cratchitt, Tiny Tim, the Ghosts of Christmas
Past, Present and Future and have a Merry Christmas! Proof
By David Auburn
Fri., Feb. 23 - Sat., Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. Sun., Feb.
25 at 2 p.m. Thurs., March 1 - Sat., March 3 at 8 p.m.
Bartlett Theatre When
a brilliant mathematician dies, his daughter is left to find a new direction -
but can she beat her own sense of anger and loss? Find out at Rockefeller Arts
Center! A 2001 Tony Award winner, Proof is an edgy, intelligent work by acclaimed
writer David Auburn. Fredonia
Dance Ensemble Major Concert
Thurs., March 8 - Sat., March 10 at 8 p.m.
Sun., March 11 at 2 p.m.
The 1891 Fredonia Opera House
Be part of SUNY Fredonia history when the Fredonia Dance Ensemble makes its first
public performance! Under the guidance of Assistant Professor Helen Myers, our
student dancers will offer innovative, original works that capture the beauty
of the body in motion. Pippin
Book by Roger O. Hirson
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Fri.,
April 20 - Sat., April 21 at 8 p.m. Sun., April 22 at 2 p.m. Thurs., April 26
- Sat., April 28 at 8 p.m.
The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Pippin
longs to discover the secret of true happiness - he just has no idea where to
find it. Torn by his unquenchable desire to live an extraordinary life, Pippin
looks for satisfaction in the glories of the battlefield and the intrigues of
political power. In the end, however, Pippin discovers that true happiness in
the one place he never thought to look. This hip, tongue-in-cheek fairy tale has
captivated audiences since 1972, and the energetic score by Stephen Schwartz offers
one show-stopping number after another. A surefire hit!
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