Fine & Performing Arts

There’s great fun for the whole family this weekend when Theatreworks presents “Seussical” at North Central College.

Characters like Horton the Elephant, the one-feathered bird Gertrude McFuzz and the Cat in the Hat come to life in this production of the musical by Broadway veterans Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.

Two performances of “Seussical” will be presented at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 in Pfeiffer Hall. Tickets are just $10/adults, $5/children 12 years and younger.

Also this week, North Central College’s Jazz Studies Program will present its annual fall “Great Evening of Jazz” with performances by all its student jazz ensembles on at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Wentz Concert Hall.

Directed by the College’s jazz faculty, the featured ensembles will be the Jazz Combos led by guitarist John McLean, saxophonist Mitch Paliga and drummer Jack Mouse; the Vocal Jazz Ensemble directed by vocalist Janice Borla; the NCC Big Band under the direction of trombonist T.S. Galloway; the NCC Jazz Guitar Ensemble led by McLean; a Chamber Jazz Group directed by trumpeter Doug Scharf; and the Jazz Saxophone Quartet under the direction of Paliga.

Repertoire will include compositions and arrangements by such jazz luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, Don Grolnick, Bobby Troup, Janice Borla and others.
Tickets for “a Great Evening of Jazz” are just $5/adults, $3/students and seniors.

Call 630-637-SHOW (7439) to reserve tickets.

The first week of October features a full schedule of cultural, fine & performing arts events at North Central College.

John McLean

Wednesday, Oct. 7, kicks off the North Central College jazz faculty concert series with a performance by guitarist John McLean at 7:30 p.m. in the Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center. The series is a great opportunity to hear great jazz in an amazing venue at affordable prices.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, the College and Anderson’s Bookshops welcome former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who will talk about and sign copies of her book, “Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box,” at 7 p.m. in Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center.

Friday, Oct. 9, presents three opportunities for great performances! Chicago a cappella gives classical music lovers and Beatles fans a chance to find common ground when it presents “Baroque and Beatles” at 8 p.m. in Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center.

Also on Friday, The Union, in partnership with The Hope Tour, presents a triple bill of alternative rock artists Fireflight, Remedy Drive and Abandon beginning at 7 p.m. at 129 W. Benton Ave. in downtown Naperville. (Note the venue change.)

Plus, North Central College’s dance series gets underway on Friday with a performance by Chicago Tap Theatre at 8 p.m. in Pfeiffer Hall. Be sure to arrive on time to catch opening performances by members of Naperville’s own School of the Performing Arts Dance Ensemble, and bring your tap shoes!

We’re not done yet. On Saturday, Oct. 10, author Sarah Vowell will talk about and sign copies of her book, “The Wordy Shipmates,” at 2 p.m. in Pfeiffer Hall.

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

Then, be sure to enjoy the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. on Saturday in the acoustically perfect Wentz Concert Hall. The performance by Wisconsin’s largest cultural arts institution is made possible in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council and Arts Midwest.

Finally, an exhibit by Native American artist Ramson Lomatewama opens on Sunday, Oct. 11, in the Gallery at Oesterle Library. A reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

North Central College kicks off its 2009-2010 Fine & Performing Arts Season with a performance by legendary trumpet player Herb Alpert and his wife, internationally renowned singer Lani Hall, at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, in the acoustically perfect Wentz Concert Hall.

Alpert’s trumpet playing has earned him five No. 1 hits, eight Grammy Awards, 15 gold albums, 14 platinum albums and a staggering 72 million albums sold worldwide. Alpert and The Tijuana Brass propelled Latino music into the pop music limelight in the 1960s, at one point outselling The Beatles two to one. His popular tunes “The Lonely Bull,” “A Taste of Honey,” “This Guy’s in Love with You” and “Rise” were recorded either as leader of the Tijuana Brass or as a solo artist. Alpert was the “A” in A&M Records, an independent, visionary record label of the last half century yielding successful acts like the Carpenters, Carole King, Billy Preston, Peter Frampton, Cheech and Chong, and many more.

Hall first rose to international fame as lead singer for Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 whose hit songs included “The Look of Love,” “The Fool on the Hill,” “Scarborough Faire” and many more. She is celebrated worldwide for her fluency in singing with equal finesse in English, Portuguese and Spanish. All of Hall’s musical endeavors have highlighted her expertise as a powerful jazz/pop song stylist and a masterful interpreter.

For their Naperville concert, Alpert and Hall have crafted an evening of music from a wide treasury of jazz, both American and Brazilian, as well as American popular standards. Tickets for their Sept. 27 show are $60 and $45; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit http://finearts.northcentralcollege.edu/x48285.xml.

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall