Friday, Dec. 5, 2003 | 9:36 a.m.
Performing-arts programs will fill the halls with sights and sounds of the holidays. Whether it's music, theater or dance, productions large and small add to the festive entertainment for all ages.
The Boys Choir of Harlem kicks off the celebration when it makes its debut in Las Vegas tonight at 8 at Artemus Ham Hall at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Drawing its singers from the inner city, the choir not only gives its members a chance to develop their singing talents but also to grow outside their environment.
Choristers travel worldwide, and their schedule encompasses several U.S. tours a year. European tours have included performances at London's Cathedral of St. Paul and Royal Albert Hall, St. Germain-des-Pres in Paris and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw.
They have made four tours to Asia, with concerts in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, including a 10-day residency in 2001 in Matsumotto-shi at the Saito Kinen Festival, of which Seiji Ozawa is founder and music director.
The choir has also sung at celebrations of historic milestones, among them the United Nations' 50th Anniversary Concert at Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic, with Kurt Masur conducting, the Centennial of the Statue of Liberty, Nelson Mandela's first visit to the United States, Pope John Paul II's Mass in Central Park and the 1993 Presidential Inaugural.
Although many boys choirs view a changing voice as the end of a youth's choir career, the Boys Choir of Harlem includes tenor and bass voices, allowing its singers to continue through secondary school. This broadens the group's repertoire and also strengthens the depth and power of their sound.
In Las Vegas their program focuses on Christmas from the "Gloria" by Francis Poulenc and two of his motets through Christmas spirituals to popular holiday tunes to gospel. In a change of pace following intermission, however, they'll do a jazz and Broadway set of music by the great Scott Joplin, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin.
Another debut and signature seasonal treat for Las Vegas is the Starbright Theatre Company's "Scrooge" at the Starbright Theatre at the Pinnacles in Summerlin. The show runs from Tuesday to Dec. 28, dark on Mondays and Christmas Day. Both evening performances and matinees are scheduled.
"Scrooge" will be played by Davis Gaines, known for his portrayal of "The Phantom of the Opera" in more than 2,000 performances during its run on Broadway and in Los Angeles and San Francisco. "Phantom" creator Andrew Lloyd Webber also chose him to play the lead in the world premiere of "Whistle Down the Wind" in Washington, D.C.
Gaines has a long string of successes to his credit. He's performed with Carol Channing, Richard Burton, Alexis Smith, Lainie Kazan and Tony Randall. Beyond that, his resume reads like a who's who of hit shows: "Hello, Dolly!," "Camelot," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," "The New Moon," "Sitting Pretty," "The Cat and the Fiddle," "Damn Yankees."
He's also appeared in three PBS Great Performances broadcasts, the 1994 televised Kennedy Center Honors, and the opening ceremony of the 1998 Goodwill Games. He's sung with major symphony orchestras including the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Pops and New York Pops and entertained five U.S. presidents.
"Scrooge" will be directed by Ari Levin, founder and president of Jolon Productions. He's well known in Hollywood circles and, locally, produces the Clint Holmes Show at Harrah's and was the master mind and production force behind "Star Trek: The Experience" at the Las Vegas Hilton.
He produces the Nevada Ballet Theatre's annual "Woman of the Year" show, which, in 2004, will be held at Caesars Palace on Jan. 24 and honor Celine Dion.
Pat Caddick is musical director for "Scrooge."
Of all the holiday traditions in Las Vegas, two stand out as being synonymous with the season: the Las Vegas Philharmonic's effervescent Holiday Celebration concert series, now in its fifth year, and the long-established Nevada Ballet Theatre production of "The Nutcracker," with its enchanting fantasy, glorious costumes and sets and Tchaikovsky's music.
Return of Phil
The Philharmonic also sets the celebratory mood visually, transforming the Ham Hall stage into a red-and-green world. Music director Harold Weller will share the podium with Associate Conductor Richard McGee for the two Holiday Celebration concerts, at 8 p.m. Dec. 13 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 14. The Las Vegas Master Singers, directed by Dr. Jocelyn K. Jensen, will join the orchestra in John Rutter's soaring "Magnificat."
The work is based on a passage from St. Luke, 1:46-55, commonly known as the Magnificat. The verses express Mary's joy at being chosen to bear the Son of God: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior ... generations will call me blessed ..."
Born in 1945, Rutter has built an international reputation on choral works and is particularly known for his stunning arrangements of traditional Christmas carols and hymns. He directs his own professional choir, the Cambridge Singers, and owns a record company, Collegium. In addition to "The Magnificat," Rutter is acclaimed for his "Requiem" and "Gloria."
A firm believer in showcasing local talent, Weller has divided "The Magnificat's" three soprano solo parts among members of the Master Singers -- Sarah M. Vidal, Anita Meyer and Alicia J. Teeter.
Vidal holds a bachelor of arts degree in music education from UNLV. She was a featured soloist for the Bach Christmas Oratorio with the UNLV Symphony Orchestra and been a soloist with the UNLV Concert Singers and Chamber Chorale. She has been a student conductor for the Concert Singers and the Chamber Chorale. Vidal teaches Elementary Music in the Clark County School District and was awarded the "Distinguished Teaching" award from the Southwest Region. She also teaches private voice lessons.
Meyer, who is the administrative manager of the Philharmonic, has an extensive background in music. She received a bachelor of arts degree in music education from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, and a master's in voice from SMU, Dallas, Texas.
She was a soloist on tour in Europe with the Luther Choir and a Messiah soloist for three years for Luther's annual production of the Messiah. She taught public school vocal music in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Australia & England.
She has been a music festival director, a private voice teacher, a music librarian at Tanglewood for the Berkshire Music Center, orchestra manager with the National Training Orchestra in Sydney, Australia, and also a music director for an opera in Australia.
While living in Boston, she sang with the Tanglewood Chorus under Leonard Bernstein, Sir Colin Davis, Michael Tilson-Thomas and Seiji Ozawa. She sang with the New York Choral Society and conducted an Oratorio Society in New Jersey. She has been a soloist with the Dallas Symphony, the Handel & Haydn Society in Boston, the Salem (Mass.) Philharmonic, and premiered "Gift of the Magi," an opera by Don Gilles, on NBC Radio. She has also been a soloist with various church choirs and has sung with the Musical Arts Society in Las Vegas and was a soloist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic for a July 4th concert.
A recent graduate of the University of California, Davis, Teeter has performed with the Las Vegas Master Singers for two years. She has performed as a soprano soloist in Handel's Saint Cecila's Day with the UC Davis Chamber Choir and in the Faure Requiem with the Las Vegas Master Singers. She has also appeared in stage productions of "The Sound of Music" (Maria), "Little Women" (Jo) and in UNLV's production of "Annie Get Your Gun" (Winnie Tate).
The second half of the Philharmonic's program highlights many holiday hits as well as the "Festive Sounds of Hanukkah," arranged by Bill Holcombe. The concert concludes with "Let There Be Peace on Earth."
'Nutcracker' has bite
The deliciously charming "Nutcracker" ballet will be danced with elegance and style by the Nevada Ballet Theatre from Dec. 19 to Dec. 23, with evening and matinee shows. The spacious Samba Theater at The Rio once again plays host to Clara, her Nutcracker Prince, the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy.
Yoo Mi Lee, Natalia Chapourskaya, Tess Hooley and Elena Shokhina will alternate the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Sharing the role of the Prince will be Kyu Dong Kwak, Baris Erhan, Zeb Nole and Dereck Townsend.
Nole, a former soloist with the company, was promoted to principal this season, his second with NBT. He previously danced with Ballet West in Utah. His early years of training were with NBT, where his first major role was as Fritz, Clara's mischievous brother, in "Nutcracker."
Lee was also promoted from soloist to principal this year. She has danced with NBT for three years and came to the company from Korea's Universal Ballet, where she was a soloist. She is the wife of NBT principal Kyu Dong Kwak.
"Nutcracker" is not only a multigenerational favorite from the audience's point of view but from the performance perspective as well. More than 100 children from The Academy of NBT auditioned and were cast in this year's production.
Vote McGovern
Rounding out the holiday extravaganzas is chanteuse Maureen McGovern at 8 p.m. at Ham Hall on Dec. 20. Known for her "Stradivarius Voice," she has had a truly all-encompassing career in theater, films, concerts, recordings, television and radio. To say she is versatile is an understatement.
Her performance credits are extraordinary: Eleanor of Acquitaine in "The Lion in Winter," Mrs. Anna in "The King and I," Polly in "The Three Penny Opera" and Luisa in "Nine" with Raul Julia. Her films include "Airplane" and "The Towering Inferno." She was also the voice of Rachel in DreamWorks' animated video "Joseph: King of Dreams."
She has starred in "daytime dramas," cut more than 25 records, received Grammy nominations and topped the charts with two Oscar-winning songs, "The Morning After" from "The Poseidon Adventure" and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from "The Towering Inferno."
She will devote the first half of her performance at UNLV to the music of Richard Rodgers and conclude with special holiday favorites.
The sounds of the season are not limited to the large entertainment halls, however. The city of Las Vegas is sponsoring a variety of performances.
Life in the city
The Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse downtown will host a program of arias, carols and holiday tunes from noon to 1 p.m. Dec. 19. Bundle up, brave the cold and bring a bag lunch. Singers include The Tenors 3 (Mark Thomsen, Alfonse Anderson and Marco Varela) and the Divine Divas (Patricia Welch, Deborah Muhlenbruck-Fleischer and Juline Barol-Gilmore), accompanied by Graef "Bud" Crystal.
The Las Vegas Wind Quintet takes to the stage of the Reed Whipple Cultural Center Studio Theatre on at 3 p.m. Dec. 21 in a program of international favorites drawn from many cultures and traditions.
At 3 p.m. Dec. 27 at the West Las Vegas Library Theatre, "Something Down on the Inside" explores the traditions of Kwanzaa through performance and music.
Finally, the "Shoes for Children" holiday events at the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center on Dec. 10, and at the West Las Vegas Library Theatre on Dec. 12, embody the true spirit of the season. Hosted by "Sweet Lou Collins," the concerts will include performances by Dance Fusion, the West Las Vegas Arts Center Performance Dance Theatre Ensemble and choirs from the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy and Kermit R. Booker Sr. Elementary School.
Admission to the afternoon lecture/demonstrations (1:30 p.m.) and two evening (6 p.m.) concerts is one new pair of children's athletic shoes.
archive
