October 25, 2017
Arts Roundup: Littlefield Halloween organ concert; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Habib Koité and more
This week in the arts, hear the harrowing sounds of the Littlefield Organ Series’ Halloween show; see the first performance of the School of Drama’s 2017-18 season; enjoy a guest recital from a “leading champion of contemporary American piano music”; experience a special collaboration between the UW Symphony and Seattle Symphony Orchestra; and catch performer that Rolling Stone calls the “biggest pop star in Mali” at Meany Hall.
LITTLEFIELD ORGAN SERIES: HALLOWEEN ORGAN CONCERT
October 27 | Kane Hall, Walker-Ames Room
BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK
Through November 5 | Meany Studio Theater
It’s The Golden Age of Hollywood, and the streets of Los Angeles teem with aspiring starlets. When Vera Stark—maid to “America’s Sweetie Pie,” Gloria Mitchell—lands a groundbreaking role in an antebellum epic, she turns Hollywood on its head and paves the way for future generations of black actresses. Seventy years later, film buffs still wrestle with the life and legacy of this controversial star, for whom fame and fortune could only be achieved by joining the apparatus of a deeply racist industry. Hilarious and incisive, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage’s screwball comedy is sly satire at its most urgent and satisfying. More info.
GUEST ARTIST RECITAL: URSULA OPPENS, PIANO
November 2 | Brechemin Auditorium
Long recognized as the leading champion of contemporary American piano music, Ursula Oppens’ original and perceptive readings of other music, old and new, have earned her a place among the elect of today’s performing musicians, a status evident in her Nov. 2 recital of music by Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Carter, Corigliano, and Nancarrow. She also leads a master class with UW piano students on Nov. 1. More info.
UW SYMPHONY WITH SEATTLE SYMPHONY HORNS
November 3 | Meany Theater
David Alexander Rahbee conducts the University Symphony and horn players from the Seattle Symphony Orchestra (including principal horn and School of Music faculty artist Jeffrey Fair) in a program of music featuring Beethoven, Schumann, and Dvorak. More info.
FALL OPEN HOUSE AT THE HENRY ART GALLERY
November 3 | Henry Art Gallery
Join the Henry Art Gallery for their Fall Open House to celebrate the opening of our museum-wide exhibition The Time. The Place. Contemporary Art from the Collection. There will be art, drinks, and music by KEXP DJ Larry Rose! Cheese Wizards will be onsite and will offer many styles of grilled cheese sandwiches for purchase. More info.
HABIB KOITÉ AND BAMADA
November 4 | Meany Theater
Hailing from the West African nation of Mali, guitarist and composer Habib Koité has been named the biggest pop star of the region by Rolling Stone. His artistry and magnetic personality have made him an international star, placing him firmly among the leading figures in contemporary world music. Koité‘s most recent release, Soô (which translates to “home”), looks squarely at his native land, a country torn apart by violence, at a time when a real feeling of home couldn’t be more vital. More info.
