Catamount Arts presents KCP Performing Arts Series

Catamount Arts is pleased to announce the 2018-’19 tenth anniversary KCP Presents Performing Arts Series, KCP Presents’ most ambitious season yet. Featuring fifteen spectacular acts hailing from England, China, Cuba, and all over the U.S. including New York City, Detroit, and right here in Vermont, the season opens Friday, September 21. Season passes and single-show tickets are on sale now.

Two-time Grammy winner Rodney Crowell opens the season Friday, September 21, at Fuller Hall in St. Johnsbury. The prolific elder statesman of traditionalist country music, known for his star-studded collaborations with Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson, Mr. Crowell is characterized by Slate magazine as, “a bounty of weathered emotion and hard-won wisdom.”

Three-time Grammy nominee Neko Case comes home to the Kingdom on Thursday, September 27, where she’ll perform at Fuller Hall with special opening act Thao of the Get Down Stay Down. Her new album “Hell-On” takes her peerless songwriting to what NPR (National Public Radio) calls “strange and alluring places. You feel mystery, hurt, and want in every weary, soaring note.”

Jay Craven’s latest feature Wetware, a near-future film noir based on the Craig Nova novel, will screen at Catamount Arts on Friday, October 5, for two shows and a question and answer reception with special guests. Mr. Craven’s dark thriller follows a genetic programmer in tense pursuit of his fugitive bioengineered prototypes.

Friday, October 26, at St. Johnsbury Academy’s Fuller Hall, soul singer extraordinaire Bettye LaVette will perform a program of Bob Dylan songs with special opening act James “Blood” Umer. Recently declared the Best Soul Blues Female Artist by The Blues Foundation, Ms. LaVette gained new generations of devotees after her Kennedy Center performance of The Who’s “Reign O’er Me” and a show-stopping rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” at Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration.

Thursday, November 15, at Northern Vermont University-Lyndon’s Alumni Gym, The New Chinese Acrobats present the best of China’s ancient folk art updated with modern virtuosity and style. With performers selected from across China for their high-level acrobatic skills and innovative staging, the show includes award-winning acts from prestigious world-class events including Monte Carlo Circus Festival and World Circus Festival of Paris.

At Northern Vermont University-Lyndon’s Alexander Twilight Theater on November 16, catch performance dynamo Sara Juli’s one-woman show “Tense Vagina: An Actual Diagnosis,” a laugh-out-loud romp through some of the lesser celebrated –– but perhaps more hilarious —aspects of motherhood. With brilliant sets, mischievous costume design, and surprisingly poignant movement sequences, Ms. Juli’s critically acclaimed show is unlike anything the public has ever seen and not to be missed.

The Hilltones of St. Johnsbury Academy will open for The Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) on November 30, for an evening of world-class holiday music at United Community Church. Uniting children ages 7 to 18 across differences of race, religion, and economic status, the BCC were featured performers on NPR’s “From the Top,” and winners of the prestigious 2013 National Arts and Humanities Program Award, which they accepted from First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.

The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, a veritable dream team of virtuoso musicians, comes to Fuller Hall on Friday, December 21, with an eclectic holiday program that includes specialized selections from the 11-piece ensemble’s repertory. Opening for Big Brass will be the Northeast Kingdom’s own Newark Balkan Chorus.

The Havana Cuba All-Stars come back to Fuller Hall on Tuesday, January 29, for an encore appearance, this time with dancers. Showcasing Cuba’s thrilling musical culture, the All-Stars perform a high-energy program of salsa, cha-cha, rhumba, and Son Cubano rhythms with three pairs of back-up dancers.

Vermont’s own Rusty Dewees and Patrick Ross will perform a Groundhog Night Special at Fuller Hall on Saturday, February 2, as part of their No Sugar Added tour. The music and comedy duo pairs The Logger and The Fiddler for a night of side-splitting comedy and dazzling string work.

The Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra will perform beloved masterpieces of the world’s greatest composers on Wednesday, February 13, at Lyndon Institute. The Orchestra’s Vermont appearance is part of its very first North American tour and will feature 75 virtuoso musicians.

New York City’s Aquila Theatre returns to St. Johnsbury Academy Wednesday, March 27, with Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus.” Known for bold and thrilling productions characterized by brilliant sets, inspired costume design, and electrifying performances, Aquila is perfectly suited to bring the world’s first science fiction novel to life onstage.

Malian vocal powerhouse Fatoumata Diawara, whose latest release was just designated World Music Album of the Month by the Guardian, will bring her exuberant blend of cool Afro-pop, gritty blues, and throbbing funk to Greensboro’s Highland Center for the Arts for a rare afternoon performance on Sunday, March 31.

On Thursday, April 4, the Choir of Clare College returns from England for a night of chorale music at United Community Church in St. Johnsbury. One of the leading university chorale groups in the world, the Choir of Clare College is a splendid mixed-voice choir directed by internationally acclaimed conductor and composer Graham Ross.

Finally, on Friday, April 26, Ballet Hispanico brings its fresh, delightful take on contemporary dance to Lyndon Institute. The nation’s premier Latino dance organization, Ballet Hispanico explores the diversity of Latino cultures and promotes innovative approaches to cultural dialogue. A special Latin Social Dancing workshop will be open to one and all on Thursday, April 25.

The KCP Presents Series is produced by Catamount Arts working in association with Kingdom County Productions and supported by generous local sponsors with grant funding from The National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Arts Council. For more information or to purchase tickets or season passes, visit www.kcppresents.org or call (802) 748-2600. –– from Catamount Arts.