2014-2015 McCain Conversations

Don Quixote and the Classical Pas de Deux

3 p.m. Sunday, April 26, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

David Ollington, Instructor of School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Kansas State University

Don Quixote is a timeless, classic ballet with a long history. The seventeenth century novel by Cervantes served as inspiration for several manifestations before the Russian ballet master Alexander Gorsky created what is now the standard version. We’ll discuss the rich history of this ballet, particularly the importance of its pas de deux, a challenging and acclaimed piece of choreography danced by a leading man and leading woman, made stunningly famous by Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 1977 film The Turning Point.

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of Don Quixote — Russian National Ballet Theatre.

Million dollar…don’t you mean BILLION dollar!!

6:30 p.m., Monday, April 13, Beach Museum of Art

Dr. Steven Maxwell, Associate Professor, School of Music, Theater, and Dance, Kansas State University

Dr. Steven Maxwell, professor of music and the instructor of the popular class, “The History of Rock and Roll” will be talking to us about the Million Dollar Quartet. He will describe what this crossroads meeting of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Louis meant to the music industry and why it helped to create what is now a multibillion-dollar music industry. Get the behind the scenes info that will make you laugh, reflect, and of course, tap your foot!

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of Million Dollar Quartet.

The Imaginative Use of Recycled/Reclaimed Materials in Peter and the Starcatcher

6:30 p.m. Monday, April 6, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

Jennifer Vellenga, Program Director, Theatre, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, a grownup's prequel to Peter Pan, is the innovative and imaginative musical play based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Among the five Tony Awards the production received in 2012, set designer Donyale Werle was among the honorees for her sustainable set design and construction. The design team attempted to use reclaimed and recycled materials as much as possible and from interesting sources. They also bought new from ethical sources. The play had a sold-out off-Broadway run in 2011 at the New York Theatre Workshop and it was transferred to the Brooks Atkinson Theater on Broadway in Spring 2012. PETER AND THE STARCATHCER is a member of the Broadway Green Alliance, founded in 2008 in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council. BGA is an industrywide initiative that educates, motivates and inspires the entire theatre community and its patrons to adopt more environmentally friendly practices.

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of Peter and the Starcatcher.

Transitions, Trajectories and the Spaces In Between

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, Beach Museum of Art

Laura Donnelly, Assistant Professor, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

We are all traveling somewhere and in transition from what we were to what we will become. The dancers in Diavolo: Architecture in Motion use movement and moving sets to show us that: "Everything you need is inside you. You are your own map. Your body is your map."

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of The Diavolo.

Water from the Well

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

Dr. Alfred Cochran, Professor, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Kansas State University

This conversation will be a look into the heart and soul of traditional Irish music as well as its influence on early American music and current American performers.

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of The Chieftains.

KODO The Heartbeat of Mankind

6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

Dr. Kurt Gartner, Professor, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Kansas State University

At the core of nearly every culture is a drum. In this McCain Conversation, Kurt Gartner will discuss the group KODO, a prominent exponent of Japan’s ancient taiko drumming tradition. While recognizing this tradition, the group also studies and incorporates musical influences of other cultures, bringing a most eclectic artistic fusion to the McCain stage.

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of The KODO.

McCain Student Showcase Preview

3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

Gary Mortenson, Director, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Kansas State University

Gary Mortenson will lead a discussion, to include other faculty members, on what the audience will experience in this year’s Student Showcase. Attendees also will get updates on recent developments in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, including the creation of the new Purple Masque Theatre in West Stadium and the completion of the All-Steinway initiative made possible by the giving legacy of Mark A. Chapman. Come and see what an exciting time it is to be a part of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at K-State!

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of The McCain Student Showcase.

Music of the kings (and queens): how choral music was shaped by the duty to the court

6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

Dr. Julie Yu, Co-Director of Choral Studies, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Kansas State University

The vast majority of Western choral music written prior to 1850 was music written for the church or courts. Members of the King’s Singers, which was named for King’s College where the group’s founding members attended, have done their fair share of performing music once written for great kings and queens.

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of The Christmas with the King's Singers.

Yo-Yo Ma: A Broad Perspective on Music

6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

Dr. David Littrell, Distinguished Professor, Orchestra, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Kansas State University

David Littrell will first present Yo-Yo Ma’s biography and then discuss how Ma has expanded his musical interests from classical repertoire to many other styles evident in his concert and recording repertoire. He also will discuss the repertoire presented in Ma's McCain recital.

Coffee and light desserts provided. Free to all ticket holders of The Yo-Yo Ma.

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg

7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, Beach Museum of Art

Dr. Cora Cooper, Professor of Violin, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Kansas State University

Featured soloist with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, violinist Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg is known for her fiery playing and provocative stage presence. No stranger to controversy, her career has been marked by extreme highs and lows. Learn more about this exceptional artist before her performance of the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, one of the most popular violin concertos in the repertory.

Meanwhile, Back at the Chatterbox Cafe

6:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 27, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

Jim Reed, Retired Minister

Jim Reed has been listening to "A Prairie Home Companion" since 1982 and has had an affinity for Garrison Keillor's storytelling since that time. Some people even say he looks like a shorter and rounder Keillor! As a retired minister, Reed believes that Keillor really gets small-town America right with his "News from Lake Wobegon," especially as he has introduced us to Pastor Inqvist of the L.W. Lutheran Church and Paster Emil of Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility. Learn more about this gifted writer and storyteller at this McCain Conversation. Powdermilk Biscuits just might be available!

Coffee and light desserts provided.
Free to all ticket holders of An Evening with Garrison Keillor.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis:
A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN

6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 25, Kirmser Hall, McCain Auditorium

Dr. Gary Mortenson, Director, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

Dr. Wayne Goins, Director of Jazz Studies, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

Considered one of the finest jazz groups on the planet today and led by a truly innovative jazz icon of our time, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis is a group for the ages. Come hear School of Music, Theatre, and Dance faculty Wayne Goins and Gary Mortenson talk about what makes this jazz orchestra so special and what sort of background and abilities thrust Wynton Marsalis into such a prominent position on today’s international music scene. This is designed as the perfect primer to help you get the most out of the evening’s performance!

Coffee and light desserts provided.
Free to all ticket holders of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.