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Opera Memphis losing its director
Michael Ching, general and artistic director of Opera Memphis, is stepping down after 18 years.
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Michael Ching stepping down from Opera Memphis
Michael Ching, general and artistic director of Opera Memphis, is stepping down after 18 years. His wife, University of Memphis professor Barbara Ching, recently became chair of the 60-person English department at Iowa State University in Ames, a prestigious position that Ching says will allow him to focus on composing. Ching, 51, will finish out the season with the company, conducting “Madame Butterfly” on April 17 and 20.
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Memphis Symphony 'discovers' commissioned work for upcoming season
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is calling 2010-2011 a "Season of Discovery" with concerts devoted to various countries and cultures. The season's classical travelog is also festooned with crowd pleasers, including an appearance by in-demand violinist Joshua Bell and performances of popular works including Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Copland's Suite from "Appalachian Spring" and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade."
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On Stage: Theater and dance
"Buffalo Gal": A.R. Gurney's contemporary comedy. Shows are 8 tonight and Saturday; final show 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $23, $15 for students with valid ID. Theatre Memphis (Next Stage), 630 Perkins Ext. Call 682-8323. theatrememphis.org.
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Pianist Emile Pandolfi good for a laugh
With his classical technique and a flair for arranging Broadway tunes, Emile Pandolfi promises to delight you with his precise and popular piano playing when he comes to the Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center on Saturday night.
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Liza, Shrek, the return of 'Wicked' are part of Orpheum's new season
Liza Minnelli, “Young Frankenstein,” “Shrek: The Musical,” “9 to 5: The Musical” and the return of "Wicked" and "The Color Purple" are all part of the Orpheum's 2010-2011 season, Orpheum president Pat Halloran announced Wednesday. Last year, “Wicked’ sold out so quickly we were able to save money on marketing,” Halloran said. “In every city that it’s played in, it’s done just as well the second time. And ’The Color Purple’ sold out faster here than in any other city...
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Stage Review: Wallace keeps dreams alive in stirring one-man show
"I'm verbal," says Phil Darius Wallace, and there is no better description of the Memphis actor whose abilities — his elegant baritone, commanding delivery and knack for robust oratory — have helped bring history to life on local stages. Wallace's autobiographical solo show, "Hold Fast," is playing through Sunday at TheatreWorks.
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Stage Review: 'Over the Tavern' is comic relief from the 1950s
Tom Dudzik’s “Over the Tavern” at the Germantown Community Theatre has some good natured fun with the image of the American family in the 1950s. For the Polish-American Pazinski household in Buffalo, the culture of “Father Knows Best,” Ed Sullivan and beehive hairdos runs athwart of Catholic school, teen angst and family tensions. It’s given a comedic treatment, but not without bringing in the touchy topics of abusive parenting and misdirected intentions.
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Concert Review: MSO's Opus One offers opulent evening of casual fun
The premiere performance of Opus One was all about firsts. Thursday night offered the first public presentation of the new conductorless series by Memphis Symphony Orchestra musicians. It showcased Beethoven’s First Symphony and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. And it was the first time I heard Ryan Fleur, the MSO’s president and CEO, say with a bit of wonder, “I don’t have to do anything tonight!"
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On Stage: Theater and dance
"Buffalo Gal": A.R. Gurney's contemporary comedy. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through March 14. Tickets $23, $15 for students with valid ID. Theatre Memphis (Next Stage), 630 Perkins Ext. Call 682-8323. theatrememphis.org.
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Stage Review: Better staging might do wonders with 'Miracle Worker'
Space is vital in William Gibson's action-packed drama about the turning point in the life of Helen Keller. So is atmosphere. And in directing this production like the straightforward period piece staged every summer down at Keller's home in Alabama, Heather Wilson misses the opportunity to establish Circuit Playhouse as a venue of unique perspectives.
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Art Review: Reality rendered in vibrant colors
While abstract art in its character would not seem to be about "Real Things in the World" -- the title of Joe Fyfe's exhibition at David Lusk Gallery -- the artist reminds us that color and pattern and relationship are as real as oranges and mountains and that there are many ways of imitating nature and the works of human hands. "Real Things in the World" is a small but impeccable exhibition that beautifully balances exuberant color with formal restraint.
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Stage Review: Ballet Memphis' "AbunDANCE" bursts with expression
One thing’s certain about Ballet Memphis taking up residence in Playhouse on the Square’s new theater: never before has the dance company come into such detailed view. If watching dance at the Orpheum is like seeing the heavens through a backyard telescope, at Playhouse you’re gazing through the Hubble.
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Stage Review: 'Buffalo Gal' needs a 'good shaking'
"Buffalo Gal," by the prolific A.R. Gurney (“Love Letters,” “Sylvia”) is playing on the Theatre Memphis Next Stage. Christina Wellford Scott, an old hand at playing divas such as Maria Callas in “Master Class” and Madame DuBois in “Streetcar,” offers more of the same as Amanda, an unhappy, aging Hollywood actress who returns to her hometown regional theater in Buffalo to star in a new production of “The Cherry Orchard.”
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'Alchemy' art exhibit explores the hidden qualities of metal
Artist Stoughton Outlan became fascinated with dilapidated structures. “Architecture that was falling into ruin. Old barns. You know the drill. Everybody loves them. I always loved the textures of those things and the colors.” That gave him the idea for his body of artwork that plays natural oxides off of each other on metal canvases to create abstract minimalist wall sculptures. Fourteen of his pieces are included in his show, “Alchemy” at On the Street Gallery at 338 South Main.
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Metal or fabric, it's all texture for blacksmith Mary Catherine Floyd
Mary Catherine Floyd parlayed her interest in sewing and costume design into a new career as a blacksmith apprentice at the National Ornamental Metal Museum. For her artist residency project, she stitched metal like fabric, breaking a few drill bits along the way. Along with other artists, Floyd's work is on display at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens with the "Metal in Memphis" exhibit.
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Music Review: IRIS sparkles in program of upsized string quartets
The IRIS Orchestra routinely has a guest artist to show off, but Saturday night's performance departed from that formula. It featured, rather, a superlative string ensemble of the IRIS musicians performing pieces that all had origins as string quartets but were later upgraded to symphonic size. Leading off the program was Verdi's String Quartet in E minor, scored for orchestra by Arturo Toscanini, a lush and handsome piece that embodied the essence of poetry.
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IRIS guest list includes superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma
The upcoming season for the IRIS Orchestra brings back several popular guest artists, notably superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who will perform at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in October. "IRIS has collaborated with a stellar group of guest artists, and Yo-Yo certainly tops that list," says Michael Stern, artistic director and conductor. Ma was the first guest artist in the orchestra's debut concert in September 2000 and also performed the following year.
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Go Out! Fun events this week
The contemporary comedy "Buffalo Gal," by A.R. Gurney, centers on a glamorous film and TV star who is starting to lose roles to younger women. Looking to reinvigorate her career, she returns to her hometown, Buffalo, N.Y., to star in a regional theater production. Directed by Jerry Chipman on the Theatre Memphis Next stage, the show stars Christina Wellford Scott.
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Art Review: MCA exhibition 'Local Flavors' all about the South, sort of
Is there a Southern vernacular in visual arts? Are regional artists connected by threads of geography, taste, style, concern or the schools they attended or where they teach? On the testimony of "Local Flavors," a group exhibition displayed through April 10 at Memphis College of Art, the answers to those questions are Yes, No and Maybe.
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Memphis News & Events 
