The 2009–10 season of Syracuse University’s Pulse Performing Arts Series features a selection of free events in addition to ticketed concerts. Season highlights include the Feel the Pulse of Syracuse downtown event with stand-up comedians Mike Birbiglia and John Mulaney, an SU Family Weekend concert by jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and a Women’s History Month performance by the internationally acclaimed contemporary dance ensemble Martha Graham Dance Company.
Pulse, presented by SU’s Division of Student Affairs, provides SU undergraduates and, in turn, the Central New York community with out-of-classroom opportunities to attend and participate in programs, performances, exhibitions and events in the performing and visual arts.
“Syracuse is rich and vibrant in arts and culture, and the Pulse Performing Arts Series is extremely excited to be including the local community in our new season offerings,” says Jennifer Bevilacqua Kirkegaard, associate director of the Office of Student Activities. “This season, Pulse is introducing new season passes, new partnerships with local agencies and sharing the 2009–10 season with a broader audience.”
Mike Birbiglia with opening act John Mulaney
Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Feel the Pulse of Syracuse event for first-year SU students
Landmark Theatre, 362 S. Salina St., Syracuse
Tickets required
Limited $10 tickets for general public available in person at Landmark Box Office
The conclusion to the award-winning first-year experience Syracuse Welcome, Pulse’s downtown orientation event Feel the Pulse of Syracuse introduces first-year students to Syracuse and CNY while exciting, informing and engaging them in SU’s vision of Scholarship in Action through exploration of stops along the Connective Corridor. The event brings some 4,000 students from the University to the cultural, commercial and social center of the city, connecting them to some of the many artistic, culinary and philanthropic assets that the local community has to offer. This year’s event will conclude with a performance by stand-up comedian Birbiglia with opening act Mulaney.
New York-based Birbiglia has had three “Comedy Central Presents” specials and has appeared on the late night talk shows of Conan O’Brien, David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon. He wrote and performed in the off-Broadway play “Sleepwalk with Me,” presented by Nathan Lane, which closed in June. He has also performed at the Just for Laughs Festival, the Kilkenny Arts Festival and three times at Bonnaroo. He is a regular contributor to “This American Life”and “The Bob & Tom Show,” and is writing a book and a movie. He appears every week on VH1’s “Best Week Ever.”
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Hege, conductor
Monday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m.
Rose and Jules R. Setnor Auditorium, Crouse College
Free admission; no tickets required
Free parking available in Irving Garage
The SSO, under the direction of music director Hege and featuring pianist Tanya Bannister, will perform a program that includes Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5” and Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5.” The SSO, Central and Northern New York’s fully professional resident orchestra, performs 200 full-orchestra and chamber ensemble concerts throughout the region during its 39-week season.
Chris Botti SU Family Weekend Concert
Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m.
Goldstein Auditorium, Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center
Tickets required
Free parking available in any SU lot
American jazz trumpeter Botti is a gifted instrumentalist, talented composer and charismatic performer who has sold nearly three million albums worldwide. Since the release of his first solo album in 1995, Botti has created a series of recordings that have made him one of the world’s top-selling instrumental artists. Drawing from pop, jazz, classical and other genres, his signature sound transforms contemporary jazz while simultaneously finding success in the pop music sphere. He has earned critical acclaim and mainstream appreciation for his music. His association with the artist Sting, who has appeared on two of Botti’s albums, dates back to 1999 when Botti joined the music legend’s band as a featured soloist on the “Brand New Day” tour. Botti’s “What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?” (with vocals by Sting) earned a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals in 2005.
Black Violin
Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010, at 8 p.m.
Schine Underground, Schine Student Center
Tickets required
Free parking available in the Lehman, Harrison, Marion and Waverly lots
Black Violin is a hip hop duo of classically trained musicians Kev Marcus on violin and Wil B. on viola. Together with their DJ, the pair is attempting to let hip hop and classical music enthusiasts appreciate each other’s music by bridging the gap between the genres. Combining a daunting array of musical styles and influences to produce a signature sound that is not quite maestro, not quite emcee, the duo is redefining the music world one string at a time. With influences ranging from Shostakovich and Bach to Nas and Jay-Z, Black Violin is creating a sound that no one has ever heard, but that everyone wants to feel.
Martha Graham Dance Company
Tuesday, March 9, 2010, at 8 p.m.
Goldstein Auditorium, Schine Student Center
Tickets required
Free parking available in the Lehman and Harrison lots
(If no basketball game, parking also available in the Marion and Waverly lots)
Founded in 1926 by dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, the Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance ensemble in the nation. Since its inception, the company has received international acclaim and has performed in some of the nation’s most auspicious performing arts venues, in addition to at the Great Pyramids of Egypt and in the ancient Herod Atticus Theatre on the Acropolis in Athens. The company has also produced several award-winning films broadcast on PBS. Though Graham herself is the best-known alumna, the company has provided a training ground for some of modern dance’s most illustrious performers and choreographers. On March 10, artistic director Janet Eilber will be the keynote speaker for SU’s annual Women of Distinction Awards.
Amarcord
Tuesday, March 23, 2010, at 8 p.m.
Hendricks Chapel
Free admission; no tickets required
Free parking available in the Irving Garage
The concert is a co-sponsorship between the Malmgren Concert Series and Pulse. Amarcord is one of the leading international all-male vocal ensembles performing today. Born of the celebrated tradition of the St. Thomas Boys Choir, the five-man group has musicianship and ensemble technique that create engaging performances that have entertained audiences around the globe. The ensemble performs selections from all periods of Western music, spanning the Middle Ages to modern compositions in styles including plain-chant, madrigals, romantic works and a cappella arrangements of well-known songs.
“The Pulse Performing Arts Series is not only an opportunity to see exceptional artistic talent, it’s a powerful illustration of the many rich cultural and arts resources we have here in Syracuse,” says Thomas V. Wolfe, SU senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “For those students joining us for the first time, I hope Feel the Pulse is the first of many unforgettable experiences they have in our community. For our returning students, and faculty, staff and community members, I hope they are once again captivated and inspired by this season’s offerings.”
Tickets and discount passes
Individual tickets for Pulse events (with the exception of those noted as free) are $5 for students with an SU I.D. (limit 1 for the Botti performance); $16 for SU faculty, staff, alumni, Pulse Partners and SU Family Weekend registrants for the Botti performance; and $20 for the general public. New Pulse discount passes will be also available to subscribers this season. There are three pass levels: season, faculty/staff and student. Tickets and passes can be purchased at the Schine Student Center Box Office. For more information, call (315) 443-4517. To subscribe for a pass, enroll online at http://pulse.syr.edu. Following enrollment, passes can be purchased and picked up at the Schine Box Office. Subscription deadline for passes is Oct. 1.
Season Pass (general public): $60
SU Faculty/Staff Pass: $45
SU Student Pass: $15
Pulse is a model program, recognized for quality, diversity, innovation and collaboration, while it celebrates and expands the cultural climate of Syracuse University. The series seeks to raise the caliber of cultural programming while increasing the number of participating students. Pulse programs the best offerings of local arts organizations with performances of internationally renowned visiting artists.
For more information on Pulse, visit http://pulse.syr.edu, e-mail pulse@syr.edu or call 443-2718.
