Mellow Mraz brings tour to Lilac Bowl
Jason Mraz, one of the hottest singer-songwriters in the country, is bringing his “Gratitude Café Tour” to Riverfront Park’s Lilac Bowl on Sept. 25, 7 p.m.
This mellow San Diego artist is known for hits such as “Lucky” and the quadruple-platinum “I’m Yours.”
Opening the show will be G. Love and Special Sauce and Bushwalla.
Tickets are $40 in advance, and here’s the tricky part: They’re available only though Ticketmaster outlets (not the usual TicketsWest outlets).
Get them starting Saturday at 10 a.m. at Fred Meyer outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone, (800) 745-3000.
Brubeck at the Fox
Jazz legend Dave Brubeck, of “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk” fame, has been booked for a Sept. 15 show at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox.
Brubeck will be accompanied by the other members of his quartet, Bob Militello, Michael Moore and Randy Jones.
Tickets are $32 to $62, on sale Monday by calling (509) 624-1200 or through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
New chorale conductor
Julian Gomez Giraldo, the director of orchestras at Eastern Washington University, has been named the new conductor of the Spokane Symphony Chorale.
He replaces Lori Wiest, who retired after 10 years in that post.
Gomez Giraldo has a wealth of experience in choral and orchestral conducting in the U.S. as well as in Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica.
Before coming to EWU, he taught and conducted at the University of Northern Colorado and the National Pedagogic University of Bogota. He also served as the music director of the National Symphony Choir Santa Fe de Bogota.
Symphonic progress
The Spokane Symphony has been awarded $42,000 worth of scholarships to participate in Institutional Vision, a strategic-planning program of the League of American Orchestras.
This means that the symphony’s leaders – executive director Brenda Nienhouse, music director Eckart Preu and board president Ron Stanley – will be able to participate in a series of programs emphasizing long-term institutional growth and success.
This is a nationally competitive program and only six other orchestras were selected.
An English horn
The Spokane Youth Symphony has just acquired a new English horn, and yes, that’s a big deal.
An English horn is a relatively exotic instrument that few young players can afford, yet is essential for a number of well-known symphonic works.
A $5,000 grant from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation made it all possible.
Spokane String Quartet season
The Spokane String Quartet has announced its 2009-10 season, and it features guest appearances from violinist Kelly Farris and pianist Archie Chen.
Here’s the lineup:
• Sept. 13: Guest artist Farris, with works by Mozart, Copland and Dvorak, Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox.
• Oct. 18: Works by Beethoven, Turina and Borodin, Bing Crosby Theater.
• Jan. 31: Works by Haydn, Shostakovich and Schumann, Bing Crosby Theater.
• March 28: All-Beethoven program, The Fox.
• May 9: Guest artist Chen, works by Sarasate and Schumann, The Fox.
Season tickets are on sale through www.spokanestringquartet.org or (509) 998-2261.
A ballet pro
Congratulations to Spokane’s Amanda Cochrane, who is now a professional dancer with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. It takes a lot of talent and lot of dedication to make it that far in the ballet world.
She studied at Sandra Olgard’s Studio of Dance and at Ballet Arts under Dodie Askegard and was in the Theatre Ballet of Spokane.