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Performing Arts

DSC_0034  The Women's and Men's choruses of the Telluride Choral Society will be performing an eclectic collection of choral music entitled "A Stream of Consciousness" at Christ Church. The final performance is Sunday afternoon, August 2nd at 3pm.  There will be something for everyone to enjoy in this hour and 15 minute concert, from Prairie Women to Drunken Sailors, from Schubert to Broadway and much more. Dr. David Lingle will be conducting and Bobby Shaffer will accompany on the piano.

Dr. Lingle did not have a particular theme in mind when he set the repertoire for this concert, he simply picked literature he liked.  Those selections in combination with suggestions from several chorus members shaped the literature.  Originally a women's ensemble was planned, but a men's group emerged, and additional songs were added to round out the program.  "Several of the women's pieces that are just plain gorgeous." stated Lingle. "Specifically the Lauridsen setting of the Rilke poem, Dirait-on, the Pablo Caslas, Nigra Sum, and the Erb arrangement of Shenandoah are beautifully constucted with rich Romantic Style period harmonies."  he continued.  Molly Fast will sing all four parts from "The Erlking", Schubert's setting of the epic poem by Goethe, and Sharon Sharp will demonstrate her incredible vocal range when performing the first Coloratura aria from the Pirates of Penzance.

01 August, 2009 /
[click "Play" to hear Susan's conversation with Cole Early]

PapaGrowFunkBWPhoto TCTV and the Telluride Mountain Village Owner's Association present "Papa Grows Funk," a free concert on the Telluride/Mountain Village Sunset Stage, Saturday, August 1, 2009, 6 – 9 p.m. The event is part of "Public Access Television Awareness Month, " recognizing 20+ years of TCTV12's contribution to the community.

Created in 1986, TCTV12's mission was and is to celebrate Telluride's culture by capturing its vitality, connecting citizens to on another, and educating through the medium of television.

29 July, 2009 /
[click "Play" to hear Steve Stagner on Americana Music]

In Telluride, Grammy winner Tim O'Brien is the poster child for a hodgepodge of country, folk, bluegrass, blues, rock, and swing simply described as Americana music. The rootsy genre tends to have a comfortable back porch feel – but with a modern twist. Something like a Pendleton blanket fashioned into a jacket by Ralph Lauren only better.

Portrait_EricBibb
Eric Bibb

At the Sheridan Opera House this weekend, starting July 23, Austin native Steve Stagner adds other names to the list of singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists who take old music and serve it up as something familiar yet fresh, be it a honky tonk shuffle from the 1950s or an original bluegrass-inflected tune. The line-up for the 3rd annual Telluride Americana Music Weekend includes North Carolina native Shannon Whitworth, two of Austin's best songwriters, Kevin Welch and Walt Wilkins, troubadour Slaid Cleaves, Tift Merritt, Nashville writer Irene Kelley and acoustic blues musician Eric Bibb.

Steve Stagner is a part-time Telluride local. In Austin, he and his wife, both music buffs, built a small amphitheater in their backyard (seating for 125 give or take) for house concerts featuring friends who happen to be acoustic musicians. Several years ago, the couple started bringing some of their talented friends to Telluride to play the Sheridan Opera House. Stagner is passionate about Americana music, which he defines as "Story-driven acoustic music." KOTO musical director Suzanne Cheavens sums up in her blog:

22 July, 2009 /

[click "Play" to hear Eileen's conversation with Emma Hill Telluride's Sheridan Opera House will host rising folk star Emma Hill and her Gentleman Callers tonight, Saturday July 18th at at 7pm.  Hill was born in a small Alaskan village with virtually no cultural influences. For...

18 July, 2009 /

Last Saturday, July 11, Kimberly and John Kirkendoll hosted a party to support Sparky Productions' Telluride Playwrights' Festival. Jennie Franks' event is in its third year, and the quality of the theatre is getting better with each year. There is one more evening to...

14 July, 2009 /

Travel writer Maribeth Clemente will be doing an event Tuesday, July 14th, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Between the Covers Bookstore.  July 14th is Bastille Day, the French equivalent of our 4th of July, and Maribeth, our resident French expert, feels it’s a...

13 July, 2009 /

The play's the thing....

IMG_3529 Jennie Franks and Sparky Productions brings the 3rd annual Telluride Playwrights' Festival to town this week. The idea is to get playwrights and actors working together to develop new plays. The general public is encouraged to attend workshops and readings to give the playwrights the feedback they need to refine their scripts.

Last week was the preview. The Telluride Playwrights' Festival opened with a reading at the historic Sheridan Opera House. Written by Jennie Franks, the one-act black comedy, "Dr. Freeman & Hilda,"  is ostensibly about the famous lobotomist Dr. Walter Freeman. Jennie, however, is a keen, sometimes harsh chronicler of society's foibles, and she generally paints with a much broader brush.

11 July, 2009 /