Tickets for the Kent Arts Commission’s 2015-2016 Spotlight Series are on sale with nine performances, beginning Oct. 2 and running through April 1.
Tickets may be purchased at kentarts.com, by calling 253-856-5051 or at the Kent Commons, 525 Fourth Ave. N. Hours for phone and in-person sales are Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The box office is closed on Sunday.
Here’s the lineup:
• The Kingston Trio
Friday, Oct. 2
Kentwood PAC, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $30 general, $28 senior, $15 youth
Sponsored by Pete and Pat Curran through the Kent Parks Foundation
Formed in 1957, The Kingston Trio revolutionized popular music, reawakening America to its own rich folk music heritage. They were the number one vocal group in the world, a musical and cultural phenomenon whose record sales and concert draws were matched only by the Beatles. The Kingston Trio now consists of George Grove, Bill Zorn, and Rick Dougherty. With trademark three-part harmony, and a clean, crisp sound, the group is the most vocally complete since the original days.
• Kenny Endo Contemporary Ensemble
Friday, Oct. 16
Kent-Meridian PAC, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $27 general, $25 senior, $15 youth
Kenny Endo blends Taiko with rhythms influenced by his jazz background and by collaborations with musicians from around the world. With roots firmly grounded in Japanese tradition, he stretches the genre by incorporating funk, jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Hawaiian elements. For his 40th anniversary, Kenny will embark on a nationwide tour with his Kenny Endo Contemporary Ensemble.
• The Second City “Holidazed and Confused”
Thursday, Dec. 3
Kent-Meridian PAC, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $30 general, $28 senior, $15 youth
For over 50 years, The Second City has performed social and political satire in the form of scripted sketches, music, and improvisation. Their alumni are a veritable “Who’s Who” of comedy including Bill Murray, John and Jim Belushi, Mike Myers, Steve Carell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, John Candy, Stephen Colbert, and so many more. This boisterous holiday revue features original songs, brand new sketches, and some classic favorites.
• Magical Strings 29th Annual Celtic Yuletide Concert
Sunday, Dec. 6
Kent-Meridian PAC, 3 p.m.
Tickets: $25 general, $22 senior, $15 youth
The Boulding Family’s musical celebration of the holiday season is a treasured tradition in Kent. Pam and Philip Boulding are joined by their children, grandchildren, and guests for an afternoon of enchanting Yuletide music. The Bouldings perform on Celtic harps, hammered dulcimers, whistles, strings, percussion, and harp-like instruments from around the world. Guests add Irish step dancing, drumming, and storytelling.
• International Guitar Night
Friday, Jan. 29
Kent-Meridian PAC, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $28 general, $25 senior, $15 youth
Each tour, International Guitar Night founder Brian Gore invites a new cast of guitar luminaries to join him for an evening of solos, duets, and quartets that highlight the virtuosity and diversity within the world of acoustic guitar. On this tour, Gore will be joined by three of Europe’s leading acoustic guitarists: Gypsy Jazz legend Lulo Reinhardt, contemporary fingerstyle innovator Mike Dawes, and multi-genre showman Andre Krengel.
• Antics “Sneaker Suites”
Friday, Feb. 5
Kent-Meridian PAC, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20 general, $18 senior, $15 youth
Los Angeles-based hip-hop dance theater company, Antics creates multimedia urban dance performances that incorporate spoken word, theater, and film. “Sneaker Suites” utilizes the expressiveness and virtuosity of street dance, as well as provocative poetry to tell the stories of sneakers: of those who make them, those who wear them, and those who dance in them.
• “A Fiddler’s Feast” featuring Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Jay Ungar & Molly Mason
Friday, Feb. 26
Kent-Meridian PAC, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $28 general, $25 senior and $15 youth
“A Fiddler’s Feast” brings two acclaimed duos together to share the stage. Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas, along with Jay Ungar and Molly Mason deliver everything from Scottish dance music to a wide range of American roots genres, and tunes ranging from poignant to sizzling.
• Al Stewart
Friday, March 18
Kentwood PAC, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $28 general, $25 senior, $15 youth
By the time he was 22, Al Stewart had met the Beatles and played John Lennon’s guitar, opened for The Rolling Stones, shared an apartment with Simon & Garfunkel, recorded for Jimmy Page, and spent a year playing guitar for Yoko Ono. Stewart came to stardom as part of the folk revival of the late ‘60s and ‘70s. He is best known for his #1 hit “Year of the Cat” from the platinum album of the same name, and his follow up album “Time Passages,” which also went platinum.
• Sister’s Easter Catechism
Friday, April 1
Kentwood PAC, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25 general, $22 senior, $15 youth
This installment of the Late Nite Catechism series unearths the origins of Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, Easter baskets, Easter bonnets, and, of course, those yummy Easter Peeps. As part of this seasonal treat, Sister runs her own version of the Easter Egg Hunt, with special rewards, and candy giveaways.
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