The Performing Arts and Concert Series will bring performances for every taste — hosting Broadway veterans, musicians from across the globe, classical artists and more — throughout the upcoming school year.
The season’s eight main series events will bring a varied package, which is typical for the series, Andrew Holzaepfel, the senior associate director for student activities in the Campus Involvement Center, said.
“Typical in that it’s not typical,” Holzaepfel continued. “We really just try to make it diverse and eclectic — basically like our community in Athens here.”
Bringing Broadway shows to Athens has become a tradition due to surveys, which found the shows were a popular choice among community members, Holzaepfel said. Two single-night Broadway tours will be included in the series.
The first of the two Broadway shows will be Once, a “show that works really well on a college campus,” Holzaepfel said. The Tony Award winner follows an Irish musician as he falls in love and finds his inspiration once again. The show boasts a cast of musicians that act with guitars, violins and cellos in hand.
Broadway classic and Tony Award-winning Rent will return to Athens for its anniversary revival. According to Holzaepfel, the show is a community favorite.
“(Rent) hasn’t been touring for years, so the fact that they are taking it back out for the anniversary tour, having had it here a few times in the past and knowing how much our students and community love the show, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to bring back the anniversary show,” Holzaepfel said.
The series will again collaborate with the School of Music to highlight an important milestone in the school’s history. For its 100th anniversary, the School of Music will kick off its celebration with a Spring Semester performance featuring Canadian Brass, a brass quintet known around the world, Christopher Hayes, the director of the School of Music, said.
Three ensembles will join Canadian Brass in the performance, giving students and faculty an opportunity to connect with and learn from the music group, Holzaepfel said.
“The students will be by working with them one-on-one,” Hayes said. “(The collaboration will) be an amazing opportunity to work with world class musicians, and obviously … getting to hear world class musicians perform on campus will also be an amazing opportunity for (students).”
Hayes said as professional musicians, the quintet could also inform students about what it is like to pursue a career in performing music.
“All of this information … would transcend what their instrument is,” Hayes said.
Students can also look forward to a number of other viewing opportunities outside of the Performing Arts Series. In all, the university has about 35 shows planned for the Main Series, Concert Series and add ons, Holzaepfel said.
The Concerts Series will see guests throughout the year. First up will be Scotty McCreery and Jana Kramer, followed by pop artist Daya with special guest Public.
Second City comedians will return once again for Parents Weekend, but this year an additional performance has been added to the weekend’s activities. Illusionist Adam Trent will perform the night before as a part of the Concert Series. Trent’s performance will include magic, music and comedy.
In honor of the upcoming presidential election, Holzaepfel said Dads Weekend will again feature comedians from The Daily Show, and Moms Weekend will see the return of Broadway’s Next Hit Musical.
Along with excitement for Rent’s return and a performance by Mavis Staples, Holzaepfel said he is most looking forward to Black Violin. After seeing Black Violin in Dayton, he worked to get the act on OU’s campus.
“It’s just a completely different take on classical music,” he said. “I think it’s gonna be a lot of fun for our audience.”
The main series subscription drive opens Aug.1, and single tickets will go on sale Aug. 24. Each performance offers student tickets, senior tickets and general admission tickets.
“I love (the main) series because the audience is always pretty well split between students and non-students and community members,” Holzaepfel said. “For me, that’s a lot of fun.”
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