Not only is Gabriela Montero one of the most talented young pianists we’ve seen, she’s also known for her amazing improvisational skills. We just received her program for the upcoming October 10 performance and were delighted to see that the entire second half of the program is dedicated to audience suggestions! Fun, huh?

We hope you will come out to support this exciting artist!

G A B R I E L A M O N T E R O, piano

Saturday, October 10 Performance Program

Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118 JOHANNES BRAHMS
Intermezzo in A minor: Allegro non assai, ma molto appassionato (1833 – 1897)
Intermezzo in A Major: Andante teneramente
Ballade in G minor: Allegro energico
Intermezzo in F minor: Allegretto un poco agitato
Romanze in F Major: Andante
Intermezzo in E fl at Major: Andante – Largo e mesto
Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 ALBERTO GINASTERA
Allegro marcato (1916—1983)
Presto misterioso
Adagio molto appassionato
Ruvido ed ostinato

I N T E R M I S S I O N

Improvisations on themes or pieces suggested by audience members

Were you here for Buddy Guy’s performance on Saturday? What a show! Let us know what you thought.

And, check out the review in today’s Bham News:

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has received a gift of $5 million from Jane Stephens Comer, to be used in partnership with the Alys Stephens Center, for a cultural arts education program for Birmingham-area children in pre-school through high school.

The announcement was made Thursday, Sept. 24 by UAB President Carol Z. Garrison at the joint University Day luncheon of the UAB National Alumni Society and the UAB Leadership Cabinet at The Club atop Red Mountain.

“A few years ago Jane shared with us her life dream to create a place that would give children the opportunity to encounter all genres of visual and performing arts in an innovative environment; a unique center for the arts where children and young people would have the opportunity to create performances, attend programs by world-class performing artists and forge collaborative relationships with UAB, the Alys Stephens Center, and other organizations in the community in all arts genres,” Garrison said.

“After much research and planning, we are delighted to announce that Jane’s passion for the arts, and her understanding of the profound impact the arts have on children, are coming together to create exactly what she dreamed of—a cultural arts education center for children—with this extraordinarily generous gift, for which we are so grateful.”

Some program events are slated to occur next summer, and the full program will launch in September 2010.

Comer was instrumental in founding the ASC Kids’ Club Series, an annual series designed to entertain, educate and inspire children through the performing arts. Additionally, she has been a supporter of the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Alabama Ballet, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham.

“The Alys Stephens Center has been one of the highlights of my life, and the joy that the Kids’ Club Series has given to me led us to this endeavor,” Comer said. “It’s very exciting, and it promises to be very original.”

At today’s luncheon, Comer received the Honorary Life Member Award from the UAB National Alumni Society, bestowed upon those individuals whose contributions to UAB have benefitted the entire University community. She dedicated it to the memory of her mother, the late Alys Robinson Stephens, for whom the Alys Stephens Center is named.

Here’s our favorite video of the week:

There are still great seats remaining for this Saturday night’s performance by Buddy Guy.  Call (205) 975-ARTS or visit www.AlysStephens.org to reserve your seats!

We launched our brand new GET SMART, SUPPORT THE ARTS campaign yesterday and the smart car is now making it’s way through Birmingham.

Join us today at the RBC Bank branch located at 2000 Meadow Brook Lake Dr.  You can see the smart car and register for your chance to win.  Plus we’ll be giving away great prizes including 2 pairs of tickets to see blues legend Buddy Guy next Saturday night, 5 Jim N’ Nicks gift certificates, and an ASC-JP Membership.

 We’ll be at RBC until 4 p.m. today.  Come join us!

To find out where the smart car is headed each week, visit www.wheresmysmartcar.com.

We’ve been talking about interARTive all summer long and it’s finally here this Thursday night!  One of our favorite bands, Act of Congress, is headlining this FREE band party so I thought it’d be a good idea to find out how they have spent the summer.

Jessica:  Hey Chris, we’re all really looking forward to your performance on Thursday.  What has Act of Congress been working on this summer?

Chris: It’s been a fun summer!  We wrote a theme song for the television show Documentary “Arrested Development”…We’ve been working with Disney on an event at Epcot Center coming up on Oct.3…We’re in the final stages of ironing out a collaboration with the 65 piece Huntsville Youth Symphony, arranged by Grammy Nominee Don Hart, and led by conductor Joe Lee. We have a 3 song Cover E.P. that is coming out in the next month. We did some studio work on the band “Maylene and the Sons of Disaster’s”  latest album…We also performed with the Arova Contemporary Ballet on a collaboration of 4 of the bands songs…We’re currently beginning pre-production on our next album.

Jessica: I know some gigs are more memorable than others.  Any recent shows that stand out?

Chris:  A few weeks ago we played at the first ever International Newgrass Festival in Oakland Kentucky. Pioneer Sam Bush organized the event, and we we’re honored to be a part. We also were a headliner at the Chattanooga Nightfall concert series. It was also fun to participate in the last City Stages. (although I don’t think that check is ever going to clear)

Jessica: What bands have you seen this summer that got you excited?

Chris: I’m the odd ball rocker in the group. I like this European metal band called Nightwish. Everybody else makes fun of me though….We’re local, so we like to support local music…. The band just played a community event with Taylor Shaw’s (formerly of Wild Sweet Orange) band The Great Book of John, and solo artist Jon Black. They are two of our favorites.  We also like the Newgrass band “Cadillac Sky” from Texas…

Jessica: So the theme for interARTive next Thursday is “When Art Becomes Interactive”.  How do you work to make your shows interactive with the audience?

Chris: We try to be as accessible as possible, before and after shows…Adam is our band extrovert. He is always cutting up with the audience. We love people, so I think it’s natural for us to be interactive with them.

interARTive is a free event hosted by the Alys Stephens Center Junior Patrons.  Come out this Thursday night and bring all your friends!  It’s from 6-9 and features live performances by Act of Congress and local blues singer/songwriter Kendra Sutton, plus craft brew tastings from Free the Hops and Birmingham Budweiser, the unveiling of our new smart car giveaway, ticket drawings, & more!

BRUCE HORNSBY & THE NOISEMAKERS WITH SPECIAL GUEST ERIC CLAPTON TO PERFORM ON NBC PRIMETIME’S “THE JAY LENO SHOW” SEPTEMBER 17

FOLLOWS THE SEPTEMBER 15 VERVE RELEASE OF

BRUCE HORNSBY & THE NOISEMAKERS’

NEW ALBUM LEVITATE

“Levitate is a staggeringly great collection of songs by one of our most gifted songwriters and instrumentalists playing at the top of his game…it just doesn’t get much better.”

—American Songwriter

“Mr. Hornsby is a remarkable pianist…The America in his music is one of countless connections and intersections…that’s still wide open and welcoming.”—The New York Times

Adding yet another milestone to his accomplished career, Bruce Hornsby will perform during the inaugural week of NBC Primetime’s “The Jay Leno Show” on September 17 with his longstanding touring band The Noisemakers. Special guest Eric Clapton will join Hornsby to perform “Space is the Place,” from Hornsby’s much-anticipated new album, Levitate, set for release September 15 on Verve. The album version of the song features a guitar solo by Clapton. Levitate is Hornsby’s first studio album co-credited to The Noisemakers. Hornsby will embark on a tour in support of the album beginning September 12 in Hampton, VA. Please see below for details.

A 13-time Grammy nominee and three-time Grammy winner, Hornsby has solidified his status as a highly sought after collaborator. His own 10 albums have sold over 11 million copies worldwide and he has appeared on over 100 records including releases by Bob Dylan, Don Henley, the Grateful Dead, Bob Seger, Chaka Khan, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson and more.

While Levitate evokes Hornsby’s distinctive musical approach, the album marks a creative departure for the artist. For the first time, Hornsby opted to record an album with no piano solos, choosing instead to emphasize the songwriting behind each track. “I’ve always been about finding a place to express my interest in playing the piano within the pop song context,” Hornsby says. “But with this record, I felt like I’d done that enough, so this time I really wanted the focus to be on the songs.”

Levitate contains 13 new songs, including “Cyclone,” with lyrics from Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter.  The title cut, “Levitate”, is an alternate version of a song from the recent Spike Lee film Kobe Doin’ Work (for which Hornsby also provided the original score), and “Space is the Place” features an Eric Clapton guitar solo.  Produced by Tony Berg and Bruce Hornsby, Levitate features Hornsby on piano, dulcimer, keyboard and vocals; JV Collier on bass; Sonny Emory on drums; John “J.T.” Thomas on organs and keyboards; Bobby Read on reeds; and Doug Derryberry on guitars.

Bruce Hornsby first rose to national prominence with The Way It Is, his 1986 Grammy-winning debut album with The Range. The title track became the most-played song on American radio in 1987, winning ASCAP’s Song of the Year award. Hornsby also won Grammys in 1989 for “Best Bluegrass Recording” for his version of “The Valley Road,” which appeared on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume II and in 1993 for “Best Pop Instrumental Performance,” for his song with Branford Marsalis for the Barcelona Olympics, “Barcelona Mona.” Additionally, Hornsby was a part-time member of the Grateful Dead from September 1990 to March 1992, performing over 100 concerts in America and Europe. He and has performed the National Anthem for many major events including the NBA All-Star game, four NBA finals, and the World Series. Currently, Hornsby is working with director Kathleen Marshall on a prospective Broadway musical titled SCKBSTD, which incorporates several songs from Levitate. He also appears on screen in the new Robin Williams/Bobcat Goldthwait film World’s Greatest Dad. The film includes several Hornsby songs, including the Levitate track, “Invisible.”

BRUCE HORNSBY & THE NOISEMAKERS TOUR DATES

*Denotes solo piano performance

†featuring Ricky Skaggs with Kentucky Thunder

September 12                            Hampton Bay Days†                            Hampton, VA

September 26                                    Town Hall                                  New York, NY

September 27                    Berklee Performing Arts Center                      Boston, MA

September 29                                 The Music Hall                             Portsmouth, NH

October 1                                            The Egg                                         Albany, NY

October 2                                           The Klein                                   Bridgeport, CT

October 3                                         The National                                Richmond, VA

October 5                                 Strand Capitol Theater                                  York, PA

October 6                                     Mahaiwe Theater                   Great Barrington, MA

October 7                                        Flynn Theater                                Burlington, VT

October 9                                       Warner Theater                            Washington, DC

October 10                                   Trump Taj Mahal                          Atlantic City, NJ

October 11                     Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead                Pittsburgh, PA

October 30                              Motor City Casino Hotel                              Detroit, MI

November 13                           Jemison Concert Hall*                      Birmingham, AL

November 14                            Centre East Theatre*                                  Skokie, IL

November 15          McAninch Arts Center (College of DuPage)*         Glen Ellyn, IL

Every incoming 2009-10 freshman receives a card redeemable for two complimentary tickets to the Alys Stephens Center’s presented season. The student must bring the card to the Alys Stephens Center Box Office to redeem it.  Encourage a freshman to redeem their card today!

It’s Spike Lee’s new basketball documentary, “Kobe Doin’ Work”, for which Bruce Hornsby supplied music.

More: Spike Lee documents Kobe Bryant and ’strange’ behavior