TeenTix Blog

Brooklyn Boy @ Taproot Theatre

Review of Sinaisky Conducts Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé at Seattle Symphony by Anna B.I have to say, the Brahms double concerto is MAGNIFICENT. Absolutely unbelievably mind-blowing. This particular double is a violin and cello, and Brahms plays with the contrasting instruments—plus full orchestra—in an intricate and ever-surprising manner, flipping the usual concerto order on its head (the violin and cello each start with a cadenza {technically difficult solo passage}, which should come at the end of the concerto). And the Seattle Symphony in all its glory is a wonder to behold—although there were only six basses for the Brahms, and I was slightly disappointed. Nonetheless, finally seeing the entire orchestra on stage (rather rare for a concerto, but it’s BRAHMS and crazy) definitely was a highlight.

Daniel Müller-Schott rocks the dramatic hair-in-eyes lookHowever, one lowlight—the violin soloist. I myself am a violinist, and so maybe I’m too harsh on him, but goodness! The cellist outplayed him times a million! Don’t get me wrong, Henning Kraggerud is a nearly flawless technical player, and I never felt like screaming at his intonation or shifting or anything, but Daniel Müller-Schott played with passion and fire and zeal (proper Brahms!) and Henning looked rather boring onstage. You know something’s wrong when you’re watching the cellist even when he’s playing backup for the violin soloist.Henning, dear, follow this advice and no one will be able to complain: First, cut your hair. It looked like it was weighing your head down, attaching it inescapably to the chinrest of your violin, pinning you in the exact same spot and forcing you to play like a robot. Take a lesson from the cellist sitting next to you—dramatic hair in your eyes is good. Hair that long is not good.

Anna's advice for Kraggerud: more passion, less hairSecond, feel the Brahms. It is BRAHMS. Passion and power and fire and beauty. Understand this, and I will have no complaints.There are two pieces in this concert; the entire second half is a Ravel ballet-without-the-ballet, Daphnis et Chloé. It’s a wonderful piece, with links to a lot of modern music, and not only did it have an enormous chorale, they also finally pulled out all the stops—there were eight basses! (the full contingent). The guest conductor, Vassily Sinaisky, really brings out the best in the Seattle Symphony, a sound I haven’t heard in a long time. Both the Ravel and the Brahms are worth seeing, but each in their own right—Brahms because it’s magnificent (and Daniel Müller-Schott is AMAZING), and Ravel because it renews faith in the power of the Seattle Symphony to be awesome. I needed that renewal of faith.- Anna B.Thursday, March 18th, 2010Next up at Seattle Symphony: Dausgaard Conducts Rachmaninov & Sibelius, March 25 - 27. More info at seattlesymphony.org

Post #3: Kelly Sullivan is seriously awesome(Wait! What is this? Skip to the end for an explanation.)

I’m not a person to lose my words. I always have something to say—flippant, sarcastic, serious, or profound. I’m not queen of comebacks, but words always find their way to my tongue in time.

But this time, I don’t know what to say. This gift of a Glimmer solo from Kelly Sullivan was intense—like someone had taken the lid off my brain and was peering inside. If I step back from the whole thing and just think about it for a bit, I have to admit it’s not a normal thing—having your own dancer choreograph a solo just for you about you, like a viewport into your being from someone else’s eyes. My parents totally didn’t understand the concept, actually, and still don’t. There’s a lot of material here to talk about the relevancy of art, and how Glimmer is bringing art down to an intensely personal level—this one to one solo business.

Anna greets Kelly as she comes out of Lake Washington, post-danceI don’t particularly want to talk about the deeper meaning behind the entire project, though. I wish I could express in plain and simple words the incredible way Kelly understood me through her dance; the moments where I could see myself and the moments I could see her interpretation of me. It was a seamless blending of my answers to the questions (really, very little to go on for an entire dance) and Kelly herself—because she chose the elements of me to emphasize.

...here's a tiny snippet of the magic that you missed. This is dancer Kelly Sullivan performing a solo composed for and about Teen Tix member Anna B. as a part of Lingo Dance's current project, One Performer/One Recipient/Many Locations, which is, in turn, part of a larger project called A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light, which will be performed at ACT Theatre April 22 - May 15.Two Teen Tix members were selected to receive solos from Lingo dancers. The second solo performance, created for Mykaila O. by dancer Bianca Cabrera, will take place this Tuesday, March 23rd at 6:15 PM at the Greenlake skate park.

Greenlake skate park photo by evo.crew on flickr

You can read both Anna and Mykaila's journals of their Glimmer experiences here.

(Tucker asked if, instead of posting his review, we could just put a big star on the blog with "Go See This" on it. We're doing both.) Really, really cool things continue to happen over at PNB. This time it’s 3 by Dove, three ballets (as the name would suggest) by the choreographer Ulysses Dove. Spliced in between is a new work commissioned for the PNB by Victor Quijada, Suspension of Disbelief.

Pacific Northwest Ballet soloist Rachel Foster in Ulysses Dove’s Vespers. Photo © Angela Sterling

Teen Tixers, we need your help!Every day we hear stories from teenagers whose lives have been changed in big and small ways by getting the chance to see art through Teen Tix. Now we need your help to make sure that some other people - some important people - get to hear those stories, too. Can you take five minutes to record a short video explaining why Teen Tix is important to you? We've been making the arts accessible for teenagers for almost 6 years now. Over 13,000 teenagers have used a Teen Tix pass to attend the arts in Seattle since 2004. Your video could be the thing that makes it possible for all of us here at Teen Tix to keep doing what we do for years to come. It doesn't have to be fancy or long, just honest. Testify!Here's one, by Teen Tix member Jacob S., to get you started:Four ways to submit your video:1. Post it to our Youtube page as a video response to Jacob's video2. Email it to [email protected]3. Post it to our facebook fan page4. Post it as a comment to our myspace page.No video camera? No problem! Just send us an email explaining why Teen Tix is important to you. We may even send someone out to record you telling your story!The sooner we get your video, the sooner we can start putting it to good use. So go do one. Right now! It's better than doing homework, right?

Post #2: Questions and Answers(Wait! What is this? Skip to the bottom for an explanation.)Here are some of the questions that dancer Kelly Sullivan asked Anna in order to create her solo dance, and Anna's answers:KELLY. Describe a reoccurring dream or image.ANNA. This is a good question, I just have no idea how to answer. My dreams are all fantasy epics and never repeat themselves, except maybe they do, over and over and over again until I finally remember them when I wake up and write them down for once.KELLY. Pretend you are a magnet. Describe what (or who) you pull toward and what (or who) you push away.ANNA. I attract towards me all the diet coke, sugar, books, and intelligent people in the room, repulse all seafood and arrogantly stupid people. I wish I really was a magnet.A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or LightKELLY. Fast or Slow?ANNA. BOTH. life might be like a rollercoaster, but it’s definitely one that stops and starts, slowing down to sixty beats per minute (like my metronome when I’m bored to tears on bach) or speeding up to 220 beats per minute (like Jascha Heifetz when he’s trying to prove he’s the best ever by simply playing things at inhuman speeds. Which didn’t work, Jascha, you just proved you’re an alien).KELLY. Introverted or Extroverted?ANNA. Extroverted. Life’s not for the faint of heart. Though kind of introverted when you first meet me. Shy around new people? Generally when I let all my quirks show at first meeting people get scared because they think I’m always like this.KELLY. Sweet or Savory?ANNA. Sweet. I definitely wish I could be a pastry chef—I’m always trying to feed people my latest, greatest creation. All of today I was handing out halfandhalf cookies, deliciously orangey cakey cookie dipped in chocolate frosting on one side and vanilla yogurt frosting on the other. I am determined to make everyone around me round as a ball from all the pure butter I feed them.KELLY. Honesty or Artifice?ANNA. Honesty. I have to be forthright and up front about myself or I feel cheap and stupid.KELLY. Left or Right?ANNA. Even though I’m righthanded, I’d chose left, because I’m leftfooted and I part my hair to the left and my violin rests on my left shoulder.KELLY. Driver or Passenger?ANNA. Passenger—I’d rather talk and mess with the music then have to focus on driving. Though I can be a back-seat driver.KELLY. Real or Disguised?ANNA. Real. I kind of already answered that with the honesty/artifice question. Although I do love masquerade balls and dressing up for things.KELLY. What are two colors that go together well?ANNA. Teal and purple. If you have the right shades, they flow beautifully together.

This is Anna. Her dance is happening tomorrow morning, Friday, March 19th at 7:05 AM on the dock behind Spectrum Dance Theater. Directions hereA Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light is an innovative, interactive new work from Seattle Magazine's 2007 Dance Artist of the Year, KT Niehoff and her company, Lingo Dance. 30 people, including two members of the Teen Tix reviewer corps, Anna B and Mykaila O, have been chosen to receive a custom made solo from one of the Glimmer cast. They have all filled out a questionnaire designed to find out who they are: driver or passenger? sweet or savory? what items are currently in your pocket? what is the last thing you lost? what is a Seattle location you love? Glimmer cast members are using the answers to tailor-make a performance for each person to watch. The dances are personal but performed in public locations throughout the city, available for any and all to see. See Anna's performance at 7:05 in the morning TOMORROW Friday March 19th on the dock behind Spectrum Dance Theater. directions here| Read other recipients' journals on the Glimmer Blog.Find out more about Lingo Dance Theater at lingodance.comThe culminating performances of A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light run April 22nd - May 15th at ACT Theatre.

by Tucker C.

Photo by Angela Sterling for Class Act Tutu

Laura Gilbreath, apart from being an amazing and accomplished dancer, is a lot of things. She is an avid country music fan, a savvy traveler through Europe, a Seattle University student, and all in all a very, very cool person. Officially, she’s a member of the corps de ballet at Pacific Northwest Ballet, and is performing in the upcoming 3 by Dove, opening this Thursday, March 18th, at McCaw Hall.

Laura, as the Peacock, watches the performance behind the curtain at a partial dress rehearsal of the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker. Photo by Erika Schultz

New blog feature! On the fifteenth(ish) of every month, we will publish a look ahead at the arts events that we're most psyched about for the upcoming month. Know of something coming up at one of our participating organizations that you think should be in the datebook? Let us know!APRIL, 2010

visual artNick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth @ Seattle Art MuseumFleeting Beauty: Japanese Woodblock Prints @ Seattle Asian Art MuseumIsabelle Pauwels Incredibly, unbelievably/The complete ordered field @ Henry Art GalleryGlenn Miller Orchestra @ Seattle Symphony

To Haiti with Love @ Seattle Art MuseumThere's a teensy little exhibition hiding out on Seattle Art Museum's third floor right now that you should go check out this weekend. It's called To Haiti With Love, and it features a few rarely-seen Haitian paintings from SAM's collection. It's not even listed on SAM's website (so thank you to Jen Graves at Slog for alerting us to it.)While you're there, write a love letter to Haiti. SAM will mail it for you.Here are some photos (presumably taken by Ms. Graves. Thanks again!)S. Bernadel, Serpent Ritual (ca 1950), oil on boardFernand Pierre, Man Chasing Rats in a Cashew Tree (ca 1950), oil on boardHector Hyppolite, Clermelle: Sea God (ca 1945-48), oil on boardSeattle Art MuseumHoursWednesday–Sunday: 10 am–5 pmThursday & Friday: 10 am–9 pmMonday & Tuesday: closed

On August 31, 1970, 35-year-old Leonard Cohen was awakened at 2am and brought onstage to perform at the third annual Isle of Wight Music Festival. An estimated 600,000 people were waiting, energized by a legendary set by Jimi Hendrix. As fellow festival headliners Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Judy Collins and others looked on, the Canadian folksinger-songwriter-poet-novelist quietly tamed the crowd with an equally spellbinding mix of songs and stories. Interwoven with Murray Lerner’s (Festival!From Mao To Mozart, Message To Love) live footage, never before shown, are brand-new interviews with Baez, Collins, Kristofferson and others, fashioning a fascinating and timely portrait of the artist as a young man.

Watch the trailer:Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight, 1970Northwest Film ForumFriday, Mar 12 at 9:00PMSaturday, Mar 13 at 9:00PM

Review of Sunlight at ArtsWest by Renee A.If you are looking for a morally provoking play that will truly cause you to think, then I urge you to go see the Seattle premiere of Sunlight playing March 10th through April 3rd 2010 at ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery.John Ulman, Karen Nelsen, John Wray, and Peggy Gannon in Sunlight at ArtsWest. Photo by Matt Durham.This modernly set play focuses in on four people in the midst of a crisis. Matthew Gibbon (John Wray), a college president whose political antics have him well known all over campus, has recently been caught destructing and debauching the office of the college Dean. As a result, Gibbon’s daughter Charlotte, played by Peggy Gannon, finds herself in a tricky situation as she happens to be married to the Dean (John Ulman) and has been caught in the crossfire. Rounding out the cast, and providing this intense play with some needed comic relief, is Gibbon’s assistant, fondly called "Mimi" and played by Karen Nelsen. As the characters deal with the repercussions of Gibbon’s actions and the conflicts it has caused on campus, the audience is faced with the reality that it is never as simple as categorizing everyone as either good or bad, but that there is a little bit of both in each of us.It was very apparent as I watched this play that each actor had put in a tremendous amount of work into defining and shaping their character. What I loved about this ensemble piece was that nobody stood out individually, that each actor played their part extremely well and at the same time supported the other actors too. Having said that though, I do want to say that if you needed just one reason to go see this play, it would be Karen Nelsen whose performance of her character Mimi was flawless and a delight to watch.All in all, I felt the drive down to ArtsWest was really worth it. The theatre is located in a great area of West Seattle right by Easy Street Records and across the street from Cupcake Royale (yes I did manage to grab a cupcake right before the show). So if you are in the mood for some thought provoking themes and great acting, don’t miss this performance. It’s been pretty gray outside lately, so don’t miss this opportunity to go get some Sunlight, playing now at ArtsWest.- Renee A.March 10th, 2010SunlightArtsWestThrough April 3rd

you write so beautifully, and are so down-to-earth! wow.

wow super amazing. Keep us posted!!!!!!!

Review of Michael Chabon at Seattle Arts & Lectures by Leah S.“Wow,” he greets the audience, to much laughter and a few catcalls. Michael Chabon, Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and other critically acclaimed work, grins, bespectacled and shaggy-haired but comfortable in his charcoal suit, at the hundreds of welcoming readers that fill Benaroya Hall.Michael Chabon by merkley??? on flickrFor the next hour and a half, he captivates the audience with lengthy strings of words, melodically lilting sentences and flowing precision. His intelligence is as obvious as his charisma and humor.Chabon (pronounced SHAY-bon) describes his pre–teenaged self as “bookish, homely, clumsy, bright, friendless, arrogant and self–pitying.” Young Chabon developed an unshakable conviction that he himself was the 20th century reincarnation of Edgar Allen Poe, whom he thought to also contain such qualities. This led to an obsessive worship of Poe and all his written work. He compares his sixth grade bullies to the character of Fortunado from Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. Unable to seek such vengeance as was sought in Amontillado, he retaliates decades later by exposing his grade school bullies. By name.As an adult, he eschews the idea of reincarnation, claiming it “stinks too sweetly of human wishes.” But Chabon is not completely isolated from the human folly of wishful thinking. He and his wife take sole credit for the feat of Barack Obama’s election in 2008, via the “ripple effect.”Chabon’s lecture is surely compelling, especially for fans of the author, but young children will find it difficult to stay awake. His words are projected live in large letters on a screen in the bottom corner of the stage for the hard of hearing and to help the audience follow Chabon’s rapid speech.Question cards are made available to the audience, and a few selected questions are answered by Chabon following the lecture.Chabon is currently working on a novel set in present day California, where he lives with his wife and four children.- Leah S.March 10th, 2010Next up at Seattle Arts and Lectures: Poet Linda Gregg, Thursday, March 25th, 2010. More info at lectures.org

Post # 1: should I be feeling something?

(Wait, what is this? Skip to the bottom for an explanation.)

myspace picccxxs

Post #1: exciting but also terrifying(Wait! What is this? Skip to the bottom for an explanation.)I’m one of those people who really doesn’t see dance outside of PNB and classical ballet and all. It’s not something I’m exposed to at all, which is why I’m so excited about A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light, this dance project I’m now a part of. I’ve been chosen as a 1 to 1 solo recipient—basically, each of the dancers in the project is choreographing and performing a dance based on a normal person’s life. Kelly Sullivan is my dancer, and we’ve been corresponding so that she has a chance to get to know me. I filled out a survey with many quirky questions (and I gave quirky answers. After all, she’s supposed to get to know me…) and then we’ve talked about my favorite books and classical music and time of day and such interesting things as that. My dance will be performed on a dock behind Spectrum Dance Theater at 7:15 AM Friday the 19th. It’s exciting—but also terrifying. Some girl I’ve never met is dancing based on nothing more than random answers to a survey and a few brief emails? I’m letting a stranger interpret me, and I have to watch it. But I’m thrilled to give someone a chance to wreak havoc with their take on me. I’ll post again after the experience is all over.

Anna B, ready for the havoc to wreakA Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light is an innovative, interactive new work from Seattle Magazine's 2007 Dance Artist of the Year, KT Niehoff and her company, Lingo Dance. 30 people, including two members of the Teen Tix reviewer corps, Anna B and Mykaila O, have been chosen to receive a custom made solo from one of the Glimmer cast. They have all filled out a questionnaire designed to find out who they are: driver or passenger? sweet or savory? what items are currently in your pocket? what is the last thing you lost? what is a Seattle location you love? Glimmer cast members are using the answers to tailor-make a performance for each person to watch. The dances are personal but performed in public locations throughout the city, available for any and all to see. See Anna's performance at 7:05 in the morning on Friday March 19th on the dock behind Spectrum Dance Theater. directions hereFind out more about Lingo Dance Theater at lingodance.comThe culminating performances of A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light run April 22nd - May 15th at ACT Theatre.

Review of Jean-Yves Thibaudet plays Ravel and Brahms at Seattle Symphony by Marissa B-TA single shining piano graced the stage at Benaroya Hall. The crowd murmured in anticipation, though a few curmudgeons could be heard complaining about the program, which they had thought would contain works by Liszt. The selection had been altered beforehand. It was, in fact, an afternoon of bliss composed by Ravel and Brahms. As beautiful as their music is, the quality of this recital certainly cannot be decided solely by the chosen pieces, but by who played them.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Photo by Decca Kasskara.

When the lights dimmed and Jean-Yves Thibaudet strode energetically across the stage, the mumbling ceased. This is a pianist with a magnificent stage presence. He sat down at the piano, and remained still for a long moment, his hands poised over the keys; then he began softly with Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899). Monsieur Thibaudet, a Frenchman who began playing the piano at the age of five, has won numerous awards for his astounding artistry. It is easy to see (or rather, hear) why. His Pavane was filled with shifting emotion -- sometimes solemn, sometimes uplifting; he brought a depth to the piece that is not present in the original, rather choppy recording by the composer himself. In yet other interpretations, the tone can be too ponderous; here, however, was a perfect balance.Thibaudet’s interpretation of Miroirs (Mirrors) was my favorite of all that he played. The pianist’s hands danced over the keys with amazing grace and fluidity, lending to the hypnotism of the melodies themselves. It is impossible to describe the array of images called up by these varying “scenes” -- the delicate, excited quivering of Noctuelles “Night moths,” for example, and the brisk sunniness of Alborada del Gracioso “Gracioso’s Aubade.”By the intermission, it is doubtful that anyone was disappointed in the selection, nor in how it was performed. The second half of the performance consisted of Johannes Brahms‘ Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5. The movements ranged from the tumultuous and crescendo-filled (Allegro maestoso) to the calmly reflective. In each, however, the audience was always drawn into an intricate path of notes. There is plenty of suspenseful contrast throughout. I loved the rapid note sequences in the fourth movement (I am not sure of technical terms, but I believe these are called arpeggios.)The entire performance was so stirring and gorgeous; if you have the chance you absolutely must hear Jean-Yves Thibaudet in concert. Consider that this was the first piano recital I have ever attended; and to be honest, I am often bored by piano music. So even if you are not a big fan of classical piano, you may be pleasantly surprised. At the very least check out some of Thibaudet’s recorded music (such as the Gymnopedies composed by Satie or a collection of works by Debussy), which can be found at the Seattle Public Library.- Marissa B-TMarch 7th, 2010The Jean-Yves Thibaudet concert was one night only, but pianist Ingrid Filter will take the stage at Benaroya March 11th & 13th with a concerto by Haydn. More info at seattlesymphony.org.

I like your review. It makes me want to see a well paced production of this musical.