Fowler Center Series announces its 2010-11 season, beginning Oct. 14

September 7, 2010 -- Arkansas State University’s Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro, announces its 2010-11 season of eight remarkable performances. All seating is reserved, and tickets may be purchased at the ASU Central Box Office in the Convocation Center, 217 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro, or by calling (870) 972-ASU1 or by calling toll-free at (888) ASU-FANS. Tickets are also available online from the ASU Central Box Office(http://www2.astate.edu/tickets/) and from Fowler Center (www.yourfowlercenter.com).

The Fowler Center Series begins its 2010-11 season of eight performances on  Thursday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m. with Barrage, a high-octane fiddle-fest that features an international, multitalented cast performing an eclectic mix of music, song, and dance. Barrage performances offer up a diverse fusion of cultures, musical styles, and incredible performance vitality. The music of Barrage continues to evolve - combining contemporary world music influences, layered vocal arrangements, and pulsating modern beats and rhythms. Since its creation in Calgary, Canada, in 1996, Barrage has entertained millions of people around the globe. Fans in Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, and North America have enjoyed Barrage at international festivals, in concert performances, special events, and television appearances. This hip young cast of talented musicians will deliver their new show, “Animado,” with amazing energy, vitality, and musical virtuosity. For details, visit Barrage online at http://www.barrage.org/. Barrage’s appearance is part of the Riceland Distinguished Performance Series.

On Sunday, November 14, at 2 p.m., the Fowler Center Series will feature “Forever Plaid,” the deliciously goofy and charming story of a classic 1950s all-male singing group who return from the dead for a final stab at musical glory. After a fatal collision with a bus full of Catholic teens en route to see the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan show, the Plaids are miraculously revived to perform the concert that never was in this hilariously nostalgic musical. They perform precision harmonies and execute delightfully outlandish choreography. The Plaids perform some of the greatest hits of the 1950s:  “Catch a Falling Star,” “Three Coins in the Fountain,” and “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.”  For details, visit www.gurtmanandmurtha.com online.

On Monday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m., the Hot Club of San Francisco presents “Cool Yule,” gypsy jazz in a swinging gypsy wagon trip to the North Pole. The Hot Club of San Francisco takes their name and inspiration from the jazz manouche of Django Reinhardt and his quintet in 1920s Paris. The Hot Club will perform selections from their Christmas album “Cool Yule,” with its dazzling derangements of “Djingle Bells” and “Don Rudolfo” encouraging this year’s Santa to ditch his sleigh in favor of a gypsy caravan. Visit the Hot Club’s website, http://www.hcsf.com/.

On Tuesday, January 18, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., the Alison Brown Quartet performs with special guest Joe Craven. This concert is part of Fowler Center’s Riceland Distinguished Performance Series. Grammy winner Alison Brown takes the banjo and guitar far beyond their Appalachian roots, offering up an astonishingly original instrumental sound with a dynamic blend of bluegrass, jazz, Celtic, and Latin influences. An internationally recognized musician and the International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the year in 1991, Brown first came to national prominence when she was asked by Alison Krauss to join the band Union Station in 1989. Brown is a Harvard graduate who also holds an MBA from UCLA, and she, with her husband Garry West, is the founder of Compass Records. Brown tours internationally with the Alison Brown Quartet, was personally requested to play at the 2007 inauguration of Harvard’ first female president, Drew Faust, and was the 2007 recipient of Irish America Magazine’s “Stars of the South Award” for Compass Records’ efforts towards the “cultivation and preservation of Irish music.” For details, visit www.compassrecords.com/alison-brown. This concert is part of the Riceland Distinguished Performance Series.

On Sunday, February 20, at 2 p.m., Fowler Center Series presents Chamber Orchestra Kremlin. Composed of some of Russia's finest young string players, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin has earned national and international recognition as one of Russia's leading ensembles and has carved a niche for itself under the creative baton of its founder and music director Misha Rachlevsky. Whether it is their highly acclaimed cds or their mesmerizing concerts, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin's warmth and high energy create addictive performances that stay with listeners long after the last note has been played. For more on Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, visit them online at http://chamberorchestrakremlin.ru/indexorch.htm.

On Thursday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m., Craicmore takes the stage at Riceland Hall for a timeless St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Formed in 1992, Craicmore claims influences as diverse as the world supergroup Afro Celt Sound System, the Chieftains, the Pogues, rock, and Australian indigenous music. Craicmore’s music is deeply rooted in the music of Scotland and Ireland. Driving rhythmic guitar, bass, and bodhran combine with high-spirited flutes, whistles, and bagpipes to render jigs and reels with power and passion. Four-part harmony, hardshoe dancing, and world instruments, including the didgeridoo and the shruti box, add color and warmth to Craicmore's performances. To listen to Craicmore, visit them online at http://www.craicmore.com/.

On Monday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m., the Fowler Center Series presents Neil Berg’s 101 Years of Broadway. Following the fantastic audience response to its predecessor, Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway, creator Neil Berg returns to the Fowler Center with an all-new show. This highly anticipated return engagement features a dazzling cast of five Broadway stars accompanied by an all-star New York band. Relive the most memorable musical moments in the history of musical theater with selections from “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables,” “Cats,” the rock musical “Aïda,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Little Shop of Horrors,” brought to life by some of the very performers who once lit up the stage in the original productions. Neil Berg’s “101 Years of Broadway” is an unforgettable evening of music. Visit www.neilberg.com online for additional information. This concert is part of the Riceland Distinguished Performance Series.

On Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 2 p.m., the Fowler Center Series closes out its season with the Golden Dragon Acrobats, from Hebei, China, in a special Mother’s Day matinee performance. Representing the best of a time-honored tradition that began more than twenty-seven centuries ago, the Golden Dragon acrobats are recognized throughout the United States and abroad as the premiere Chinese acrobatic touring company of today. The reputation of the company is solidly rooted in a commitment to the highest of production values and an attention to artistic details unparalleled in the art form of acrobatics. World-renowned impresario Danny Chang and choreographer Angela Chang combine award-winning acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary music, and theatrical techniques to present a show of breathtaking skill and spellbinding beauty. Visit the troupe online at http://www.goldendragonacrobats.com/.

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