Edmond's Armstrong Auditorium announces 2020-2021 Performing Arts Series lineup
by Brandy McDonnell
EDMOND – The Armstrong International Cultural Foundation has announced the lineup for its 2020-2021 Performing Arts Series.
“We’re excited to cater to so many different tastes and styles this season,” said Ryan Malone, concert manager for Armstrong Auditorium, in a statement.
“We are thrilled to offer such an internationally diverse lineup, from Cambridge to the Czech Republic, and from Moscow to the Middle East.”
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Armstrong Auditorium will follow the state’s health guidelines. Tickets will be fully honored if any of the shows are postponed, according to a news release.
Armstrong’s 22nd performing arts season is scheduled to launch Sept. 10 with a returning favorite, National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and saxophonist Branford Marsalis. The Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee has led the Branford Marsalis Quartet for more than three decades with a consistent lineup of talented performers. The quartet will take audiences through "The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul"—its most emotionally wide-ranging and melody-driven collection to date—during "An Evening with Branford Marsalis."
Scheduled to perform Oct. 29 is Shesh Besh, an Arab-Jewish ensemble comprised of three members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra alongside four of the finest musicians from Israel’s Arab community. The Middle Eastern group embodies two cultures living together in harmony. Their onstage presence and their music reflect their belief that the language of music may bind hearts and build bridges, according to a news release.
The series continues on Nov. 12 with the Grammy Award-winning guitar quartet Los Romeros, known to millions as “The Royal Family of the Guitar.” Joining the Romeros in celebrating their 60th anniversary is the multiple Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano, Isabel Leonard. Together, they explore Spanish works by Fredrico Garcia Lorca, Lorenzo Palomo, and Manuel de Falla, and will also be premiering “La Cita” by Douglas Cuomo.
Called the “Yo-Yo Ma of the harp,” Bridget Kibbey was named “Best in Studio 2018” by WQXR for her performance of her own adaptation of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue, live on air. The Avery Fisher Career Grant winner will appear on Dec. 3 in an all-Bach program of her adaptations of J.S. Bach’s keyboard concertos alongside the Dover Quartet, fellow winners of the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant and recently named the first quartet-in-residence for the Kennedy Center.
The Russian National Ballet will return to the Armstrong stage to perform Tchaikovsky’s popular ballet "The Sleeping Beauty." The Jan. 18, 2021, performance features some of Marius Petipa’s most captivating choreography set to Tchaikovsky’s soaring score.
Another fan favorite, Oklahoma-based pianist, singer, composer and arranger Mark Jenkins—who has performed alongside such greats as Branford Marsalis and Brian Stokes Mitchell—will be joined Feb. 2 by a group of Oklahoma musicians for his third appearance on the Armstrong series. Their program will feature jazz favorites and serve as a tribute to the late Ellis Marsalis.
Returning to the Armstrong series for their fourth appearance, The King’s Singers take the stage Feb. 16. Their program "Finding Harmony" is a deeply moving collection of the countless moments in history when songs have united nations, cultures and causes. The program is a unique collection of a cappella vocal pieces that span the globe and music history—from the Reformation age to South African freedom songs, from the Scottish Highlands to the American civil rights movement.
The renowned Prague Symphony Orchestra will perform March 3 under the baton of its conductor, Tomás Brauner. The acclaimed orchestra will come with a program that highlights masterpieces from homegrown Czech composer, Antonin Dvorak, including the beloved "Carnival Overture" and the well-known "Cello Concerto in B minor."
Grammy Award-winning cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio returns to the Armstrong stage for her sixth appearance on Apr. 8, in a new solo program titled "Journey Through North and South America," featuring “Porgy and Bess Fantasy” by George Gershwin, “Oblivion” and “Libertango,” by Astor Piazzolla, Samuel Barber’s sonata and more.
Ending the series on Apr. 29 is the acclaimed Zukerman Trio, composed of world-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman, his wife, cellist Amanda Forsyth, and pianist Angela Cheng. They will present two piano trios by Schubert and Beethoven, and the stunning “La muse et le poète” by Saint-Saëns.
Ticket packages for Armstrong Auditorium’s 2020-21 season are now on sale, and individual event tickets go on sale Monday.
Three- and five-performance FlexPass packages allow patrons to create their own personalized subscriptions while saving 10 percent and 15 percent off of regular ticket prices, respectively.
To subscribe to the Armstrong Auditorium 2020-21 Performing Arts Series, call 405-285-1010 or visit ArmstrongAuditorium.org.
2020-2021 Performing Arts Series
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020 - 7:30 p.m.
"An Evening with Branford Marsalis"
"The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul"
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020 - 7:30 p.m.
Shesh Besh
"Building Bridges"
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020 - 7:30 p.m.
Los Romeros with Mezzo-Soprano Isabel Leonard
60th Anniversary Tour
Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020 - 7:30 p.m.
Harpist Bridget Kibbey with Dover String Quartet
"Celebrating Bach"
Monday, Jan. 18, 2021 - 7:30 p.m.
Russian National Ballet
"The Sleeping Beauty"
Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021 - 7:30 p.m.
Mark Jenkins and Friends
"Oklahoma Jazz"
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021 - 7:30 p.m.
The King’s Singers
"Finding Harmony"
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 - 7:30 p.m.
Prague Symphony Orchestra, conductor Tomás Brauner
"All-Dvorak Program"
Thursday, April 8, 2021 - 7:30 p.m.
Cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio
"Journey Through North and South America"
Thursday, April 29, 2021 - 7:30 p.m.
Zukerman Trio
Featuring Pinchas Zukerman
-BAM
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