Big weekend features Ben Vereen, Rachel Barton Pine
Ben Vereen and Rachel Barton Pine–two of the biggest names on North Central College’s Fine & Performing Arts calendar this season–perform this weekend.
Song and dance man Vereen will pay tribute to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. when he performs Saturday, March 28 in Pfeiffer Hall. Barton Pine will perform Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” with accompaniment by period orchestra Ars Antigua, in Wentz Concert Hall on Sunday, March 29.
Vereen is a Broadway legend who has electrified audiences through his countless performances on stage and in feature film and television appearances. Vereen has starred in the Broadway productions “Wicked,” “Hair,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Pippin” and impressed audiences in films alongside performers like Faye Dunaway, Vanessa Williams and Patti Labelle.
He’s known to many for his memorable roles as Chicken George in “Roots” and as Louis Armstrong in “Louis Armstrong-Chicago Style,” and as host of his own show “Ben Vereen: His Roots.” He’s appeared in television movies, including “An Accidental Friendship,” which garnered him a nomination for the NAACP Image Award; and in numerous television series, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” and “The View.”
“An Evening with Ben Vereen” will begin at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, in North Central’s Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave. Tickets are $60/person; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW or visit http://finearts.northcentralcollege.edu/x45218.xml.
Barton Pine has received worldwide acclaim for her virtuosic technical mastery, beautiful tone and perceptive performances. She has worked with many famous conductors, appearing as a soloist with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, and has been featured at festivals and on many television programs. Her passion for research influences her performances, bringing emotionally charged, historically informed interpretations to her diverse repertoire.
A Chicago native, she began violin studies at age three and made her professional debut at age seven with the Chicago String Ensemble. Her earliest appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, at ages 10 and 15, were broadcast on television. Her latest CD, “Beethoven and Clement Violin Concertos,” has been well received by classical music lovers and was recently ranked No. 5 on the Billboard Classical charts.
Her Sunday, March 29, concert will feature her artistry with accompaniment by Ars Antiqua, a period orchestra that plays the Baroque instruments originally used to play Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” Barton Pine will comment throughout the concert on each concerto in the piece.
The concert begins at 2 p.m. in Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $45/person; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW or visit http://finearts.northcentralcollege.edu/x45150.xml.
