UA Celebrity Series Commemorates 20th Anniversary

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s Celebrity Series, which brings internationally recognized artists to Alabama, proudly celebrates its 20th year on campus with classical piano, opera, tango and the return of world-famous violinist, Itzhak Perlman, for the 2007-2008 season.

Attracting audiences from across Alabama and surrounding border states, the Celebrity Series provides the opportunity for musical arts enthusiasts to enjoy the sounds of performers from around the world.

“We have some exciting options this year,” said Skip Snead, director of the UA Music School. “The chamber ensemble QuinTango, with its haunting melodies and dramatic rhythms, will be coming to UA in September. On the other end of the spectrum, Indra Thomas, a highly sought-after soprano, and Drew Mays, winner of this year’s international Van Cliburn Amateur Competition, will also perform. Then, in April we have someone coming whom many agree is the best violinist in the world, Itzhak Perlman. His performance is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

All four performances are sponsored by the Gloria Narramore Moody Foundation, which has brought world-renowned artists to Tuscaloosa since 1988. The Moody Foundation was founded in 1990 by Gloria Moody and her husband, the late Tuscaloosa businessman Frank McCorkle Moody, to support the arts and music. The Moody Foundation has also endowed scholarships at UA and has supported arts organizations elsewhere in the United States.

“The Celebrity Series has become one of the premiere recital series in the United States,” Snead said. “When you factor in the tremendous acoustics of the Moody Music Concert Hall, you get the sort of series normally found only in a major metropolitan center. The series is one of those things that makes Tuscaloosa a special place.”

The Celebrity Series is held in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the UA campus at 7:30 p.m. Season subscriptions are $72 and $55, single ticket prices are $22, $15 for the general public and $7 for students.

For ticket information, call the School of Music box office at 205/348-7111. Additional details about each performing group or musical artist will be released in advance of their scheduled performance date.

QuinTango—Friday, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m.

The “crowd pleasing” ensemble QuinTango is a quintet of two violins, cello, bass and piano dedicated to the musical performance of tango. The group brings its own interpretations to this evocative music, universally synonymous with the eternal dance of man and woman. The magic of QuinTango’s anecdote-laced performances has turned music lovers into tango lovers, and tango lovers into QuinTango lovers.

Drew Mays—Saturday, Jan. 12, 7:30 p.m.

Pianist Drew Mays, a Birmingham ophthalmologist by day, is the most recent winner of the Van Cliburn Foundation’s Fifth International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs. Mays won the competition over 75 other pianists from all over the world and also took the Audience Award and Best Performance of a Romantic work Award. Mays is now in high demand for performances across the country. Mays received both Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in music from The University of Alabama. He studied further at the Conservatory of Music in Hanover, Germany and at the Manhattan School of Music with Nina Svetlanova before entering medicine. After 15 years away from the instrument, Mays’ passion for music led him back to playing the piano again in 2002. Soon after, he won second prize in the 2006 Amateur Pianists International competition. Mays studies piano under the tutelage of Amanda Penick, professor of music in the College of Arts and Sciences’ School of Music.

Indra Thomas—Friday, Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m.

Soprano Indra Thomas has performed in many of the world’s major international opera houses. Of her performance as Imogene in Bellini’s “Il Pirata” at the Caramoor Festival, The New York Times wrote, “The mad scene was a triumph…the audience awarded her a tremendous ovation.” But Thomas’ rave reviews began long before, as a teen, when she sang “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” during the funeral scene of the critically acclaimed film, “Driving Miss Daisy.”

Her forthcoming performances include debuts at the Hamburgische Staatsoper and the New National Theatre in Tokyo in “Un Ballo in Maschera;” at the Gewandhaus Orchestra in the “Porgy and Bess Suite;” and at the Théâtre de Champs Élysées in “Poeme de l’amour et de la mer.” Among Thomas’ career highlights are Aida in “Aida” at the Chorégies and Liu in “Turandot” at the Metropolitan Opera. Tippett’s “A Child of Our Time” served as her first appearance with the Boston Symphony and she also debuted with the New York Philharmonic in the “Porgy and Bess Suite.”

Frank Moody Memorial Concert with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, featuring violinist Itzhak Perlman —Saturday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.

The Frank Moody Memorial Concert features the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman, in concert with The Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, Perlman has come to be recognized by audiences all over the world who respond not only to his flawless technique, but to his irrepressible joy of making music. Born in Israel in 1945, Perlman completed his initial training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv. He came to New York and soon was propelled into the international arena with an appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1958. Following his studies at the Juilliard School, Perlman won the prestigious Leventritt Competition in 1964, which led to a burgeoning worldwide career.

Perlman has been honored with four Emmy Awards, 15 Grammy Awards and his recordings regularly appear on the best-seller charts. Harvard, Yale, Brandeis, Roosevelt, Yeshiva and Hebrew universities are among the institutions that have awarded him honorary degrees. President Reagan honored Perlman with a Medal of Liberty in 1986. In 2000, President Clinton awarded Perlman the National Medal of Arts.

On television, Perlman has entertained and enlightened millions of viewers of all ages on shows as diverse as “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Sesame Street,” and the “Tonight Show.” One of his proudest achievements was his collaboration with film score composer John Williams in Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award winning film “Schindler’s List” in which he performed the violin solos. His stage presence speaks eloquently on behalf of the disabled and his devotion to their cause is an integral part of his life.

UA’s School of Music is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the “USA Today” Academic All American Teams.