February 28, 2005
INFORMATION: John McElwain or John Green, (661) 362-3494 or 3684
Mystery, Music, Motivation at Performing Arts Center in March
SANTA CLARITA Mystery and murder, music and motivation what more could you ask for in the month of March? And it’s all coming to the Vital Express Center for the Performing Arts at College of the Canyons, including a new way to purchase tickets for certain events: RUSH Ticket sales.
The month kicks off in fine style March 2 at 7:30 p.m. when longtime NFL personality Mike Ditka comes calling. Ditka who in his first year in the NFL caught 56 passes for the Chicago Bears and earned Rookie of the Year honors, and eventually became one of only two athletes to ever win Super Bowls as a player, assistant coach and head coach now shares his drive and team-building skills with audiences across the country. In his presentation ACE Attitude, Character and Enthusiasm, he shares the lessons learned in a life of commitment and attention to the fundamentals and resulting victories.
The following evening, Thursday, March 3, features The Vienna Choir Boys at 7:30 p.m. The Austrian singing group was founded by royal decree on July 7, 1498. Emperor Maximilian I of the Habsburg Dynasty started the group because he wanted special choristers in the Imperial Chapel. From its inception, this organization has attracted the finest singers and composers in the West, including Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Christoph Willibald Gluck.
Not to be outdone, the College of the Canyons Music Department will host a pair of top-flight performances on consecutive nights the following weekend. The Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble one of COC’s hottest groups kicks off its spring season with “Swing into Spring!” on Friday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. This event also marks a new director for the jazz band COC Music department chair K.C. Manji following the retirement of longtime band-leader Dirk Fisher. “Swing into Spring!” features an exciting program mixed with major symphonic literature such as Aaron Copland’s “Outdoor Adventure,” and Sammy Nestico’s symphonic rendition of “Persuasions,” which also features solo guest artist and COC faculty member Les Benedict. The fan-favorite Santa Clarita Valley Youth Philharmonic hosts its spring concert on Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. If you’ve never seen the Youth Orchestra, this concert is not to be missed as the group continues to surprise audiences with its maturity and skill in mastering some of the most complicated pieces in modern music, including scheduled recitals of Anton Weber’s “Symphony, Op 10,” one of the most important works in music history; Franz Jospeh Haden’s “Symphony 100,” The Military Symphony; and Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart’s “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, K. 488 in A Major.” The soloist for Mozart’s piece is Hiromi Maruyama, who is finishing the master of the fine arts program in classical and contemporary music at California Institute of the Arts. Maruyama, who completed all coursework in the Suzuki method of piano study by the age of 13, is performing in and around Southern California and teaches private lessons as a certified Suzuki instructor.
The College of the Canyons Theatre Department will stage Neil Simon’s comedic whodunit “Rumors” from March 18-20, directed by John DeMita. DeMita, who stars as a reoccurring character in NBC’s hit television show JAG, is looking forward to the challenge of staging the Vital Express Center’s first non-musical play.
“We’ve got a great mix of experienced and student actors, and we’ve received tremendous support from the technical staff at the college,” says DeMita. “Everyone is very excited.”
Rumors, which DeMita describes as a “very physical, comedic farce, watching well-educated, well-to-do adults acting like children,” will run at 7:30 p.m. on March 18-19, and 2 and 7 p.m. on March 20.
Last, but not least, Cleveland Theater Signstage puts on Robin Hood on March 21 and 22. Signstage is a professional company that performs using a combination of the special beauty of American Sign Language and spoken English simultaneously. The program is specially geared for children ages 6-12, and the 9 and 11 a.m. showings are perfect for groups, school field trips or just a wonderful spring break activity
Visit www.VitalExpressCenter.com for the whole performance calendar.
SIDEBAR:
College of the Canyons presents a new way to purchase tickets for seniors, children under 12 and faculty and staff of accredited local schools: the RUSH TICKET PROGRAM. RUSH tickets will be offered two hours prior to curtain on certain events and are priced at less than the lowest regular ticket price for that performance. Not all performances will have RUSH tickets, and notice of availability will be posted on the web site and on the Box Office phone line by 10 a.m. on the day of that event. Purchases of RUSH tickets are available only at the Vital Express Center Box Office, and must be cash purchases no checks or credit cards. RUSH tickets are subject to availability. For all the details, visit www.VitalExpressCenter.com and click on “Tickets.”
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