Welcome to the 32nd Season of the Edgar H. Smith Fine Arts Series
The Edgar H. Smith Fine Arts Series provides quality performing arts presentations for the mid-Willamette Valley community and supports the community service and educational missions of Western Oregon University. Further, the Series provides master classes and workshops for University students; performances and discussion for our elementary and secondary schools; and informal lectures and demonstrations for the public, preceding performances.
We hope that you will join us for one or more of our upcoming events.
Capitol Steps
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
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The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom (“Don’t quit your day job!”), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience.
Capitol Steps home page
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Brazil Brazil Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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Internationally renowned Brazilian-born singers Ana Gazzola and Sonia Santos lead this exuberant group, which delivers the fervor, enthusiasm and excitement of popular Brazilian music. While performing the most well-known Brazilian standards, their contemporary arrangements present all the rhythms and faces of this colorful and tropical culture.
The group specializes in Musica Popular Brasileira, a mix of classic and contemporary Brazilian music, spiced with authentic percussion instruments, African drumming, funk and sophisticated jazz harmonies. Combining phenomenal energy and technique with a deep and abiding respect for tradition, each show is an emotional, dynamic musical experience.
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The Impressions Sunday, February 8, 2009
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Every now and then, a group of talented singers get together and create something truly magical – music that can speak to your soul. It reaches and touches your emotions in a very real way. In the 1960s, under the leadership of legendary soul singer Curtis Mayfield, The Impressions fielded a string of hit songs including Gypsy Woman, It’s Alright, Amen (used in the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field) and People Get Ready. The group’s members include Fred Cash, Sr., lead background singer; song writer Sam Gooden, lead and background singer; and Reginald E. Torian, Sr., lead singer and song writer. The Impressions were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. In September 2000, They also received the Prestigious Pioneer Award, the highest honor from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. The Impressions were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004 and into The History Makers in July 2005.
The Impressions
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Portland Baroque Orchestra Tuesday, March 31, 2009
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The Portland Baroque Orchestra present Monica Huggett (violinist - who also doubles as the Portland Baroque Orchestra Music director) and Bruce Dickey (cornetto). The music for the evening will be the “The Magical Music of Venice.” The improvisation and wit of historically informed performance practices add freshness, clarity, and vitality to the music of Buxtehude, Corelli, Purcell, Scarlatti, Bach, Telemann, Couperin, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven and many others, linking us directly to a rich and vital past. PBO’s artistic excellence places it squarely within the ranks of the best baroque orchestras in North America and Europe.
Portland Baroque Orchestra |
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All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in Rice Auditorium on the campus of Western Oregon University.
To purchase tickets for the events, please click here.
Catered dinners are served at 5:30 at Gentle House before each performance.
Tickets are $15 and may be reserved by calling 503-838-8147.
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