EDMOND—On June 15, the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation announced its new performing arts series for 2021-2022. The foundation’s 23rd season has the theme of “Rediscover Joy” and includes nine performances on the Armstrong Auditorium stage.
Brazilian All Stars (October 27, 2021)
The Rio de Janeiro group present the exciting rhythms and beautiful melodies of Brazil’s most famous songs, sambas, bossa novas, ballads, choro, fado, virtuoso instrumental tracks and more. The unique sound of the music of Brazil is a fusion of styles, from Portuguese and American jazz to Cuban and African rhythms.
Romeros Guitar Quartet (November 11, 2021)
The well-traveled, highly awarded ensemble celebrates its 60th anniversary tour by traveling across North America performing works by Federico Garcia Lorca, Lorenzo Palomo, and Manuel de Falla, and will also be premiering “La Cita” by Douglas Cuomo.
Harpist Bridget Kibbey and the Dover String Quartet (December 2, 2021)
Kibbey, named “Best in Studio 2018” for a live on-air performance on WQXR performs her adaptations of J.S. Bach’s keyboard concerti alongside the Dover Quartet, which, like Kibbey, are recipients of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and was recently named the first quartet-in-residence for the Kennedy Center. The New Yorker called Dover “the young American string quartet of the moment.”
The Sleeping Beauty, Russian National Ballet (January 26, 2022)
The precision and grace of the great Russian ballet tradition comes alive through the score of Tchaikovsky and the choreography of Marius Petipa, performed by dancers executing complex choreography, soaring leaps, high extensions and daring lifts amid exquisite costumes and lavish stage scenery.
An Evening with Branford Marsalis (February 10, 2022)
NEA Jazz Master, Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee saxophonist Branford Marsalis has led his quartet for more than three decades. The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul is the quartet’s most wide-ranging, melody driven album to date, a kaleidoscope of moods and inspiration.
The King’s Singers (February 20, 2022)
The acapella group, formed in 1968, presents a unique collection of pieces spanning the globe and the years, from the Reformation to South African freedom songs, from the Scottish Highlands to the American civil rights movement.
Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic (March 2, 2022)
Founded in 1942 in the throes of World War II, the Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic gave the first symphony concert in postwar Poland and has since become the largest music institution in eastern Poland. For its 2022 North American tour, it is joined by violinist Agata Szymczewska, first prize winner of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, and directed by principal conductor Wojciech Rodek, bringing the audience the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.
Tabea Debus, Recorder and Alon Sariel, lute (March 31, 2022)
Described by the Times as “a charismatic virtuoso,” Tabea Debus is constantly exploring the horizons of music for recorder and has performed widely across Europe, Asia, Colombia and the United States. Her critically acclaimed program, Ohrwurm, compiles catchy tunes from the 17th and 18th centuries, supported by Alon Sariel on lute.
The 12-man acapella group presents a journey around the world featuring sea shanties from either side of the Atlantic and the Portuguese and Spanish colonization in Asia. The program includes folk and contemporary works from China, Japan, Korea and Samoan culture, as well as works by Chen Yi and Grammy-nominated composer Zhou Tian. The voyage closes with a set of beautiful Hawaiian songs evoking the limitless Pacific horizon.
Founded in 1996, the Church’s cultural foundation began promoting human achievement mainly through a performing arts series in 1998. Since 2010, those performances have been hosted on the Armstrong Auditorium stage. To date, the foundation has sponsored 142 performing arts series concerts.