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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spotlight: String Quartet tackles ‘Black Angels’

The Spokane String Quartet is planning something unusual for today’s concert.

The group will be tackling George Crumb’s avant garde 1971 piece “Black Angels,” which incorporates sounds created by crystal glasses, maracas, gongs, glass rods and thimbles. According to a news release from the quartet, the work also will incorporate amplified string instruments as it depicts vignettes from hell.

The more traditional works on the agenda include Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 13 (“Death and the Maiden”), and Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 7.

The concert will be at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, 1001 W. Sprague Ave., beginning at 3 p.m. today. General admission tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students. They’re available at TicketsWest locations, by phone at (800) 225-SEAT, online at www.spokanestringquartet.org or at the door.

Members of the string quartet are violinists Mateusz Wolski and Amanda Howard-Phillips, violist Jeannette Wee-Yang , and cellist Helen Byrne.

McManus in love with EWU

A production of “McManus in Love” starring Tim Behrens will be staged at 7 p.m. Saturday at Eastern Washington University’s Showalter Auditorium to benefit the EWU scholarship fund.

That, we already know. What we didn’t know is that the man behind the McManus stories, best-selling author and EWU professor emeritus Pat McManus, will be on hand to sign books and DVDs before the show, at intermission and afterward.

Tickets are $20 and are available by calling Jane Noonan at (509) 359-2227 or online at http://alumni.ewu.edu.>

Civic’s new season

Season tickets for Spokane Civic’s Theatre’s 2013-’14 year go on sale March 1, and will offer theatergoers a variety of genres, from new works and classics and swashbucklers to Shakespeare.

The Main Stage season will kick off Sept. 20 with “Les Misérables,” which runs through Oct. 20. It’ll be followed by the holiday musical “The Christmas Schooner” (Nov. 22-Dec. 22). Into 2014, the lineup is as follows: “Crazy for You” (Jan. 17-Feb. 9); “The Mousetrap” (Feb. 28-March 16); “The Three Musketeers” (April 4-19); and “Gypsy” (May 16-June 15).

In the Firth J. Chew Studio Theatre, fans can enjoy the comedy “Second Samuel” (Oct. 25 – Nov. 24); William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” (Jan. 31-Feb. 23, 2014); the 1960s rock musical “Suds” (March 14-April 13, 2014); and the new comedy “Becky’s New Car” (May 2-June 1, 2014).

To order season tickets, call Civic’s box office at (509) 325-2507 or visit www.spokanecivictheatre.com.>

Make ’em laugh

A new comedy series is coming to The Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave.

The Bada Bing! Comedy Series will kick off March 8 with a performance from Kermet Apio and Joe Vespaziani.

Apio, a Honolulu-born Seattle-based comic, was last in Spokane last fall when he opened for Brian Regan. He was the winner of the 2009 Great American Comedy Festival and has performed in 47 states.

Vespaziani is a past winner of the Seattle International Stand-Up Comedy Competition and toured nationally with “Weird Al” Yankovic.

The show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, available through TicketsWest. A second night in the series, with performers to be announced, is planned for May 10.

Steep bluegrass

Fans who caught Steve Martin’s recent gigs at the Fox know the band he records and tours with is a top notch bluegrass combo.

Now we have the chance to see that band, the Steep Canyon Rangers – sans Martin – in the new venue, Chateau Rive at the Flour Mill.

The Rangers, who won a Grammy earlier this month for their most recent album, “Nobody Knows You,” will be in Spokane on April 13. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance, and $30 day of show, available through TicketsWest. Chateau Rive is located in the historic Flour Mill, 621 W. Mallon Ave.

ACM Quest

Northern Quest Resort & Casino has been nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award in the category of Best Venue.

“We’re honored by be recognized by the Academy of Country Music,” said the casino’s general manager Phil Haugen in a news release. “We’re proud of the acts we’ve been able to bring to Spokane so far and we’ll continue doing our best to raise the bar for this year’s 2013 Pepsi Summer Concert lineup.”

In the past two years, Northern Quest has hosted a number of notable country acts, including Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, Sugarland and The Judds.

The other nominees include Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif.; Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa, Okla.; Red Rock Casino & Resort, Las Vegas; and WinStar World Casino, Thackerville, Okla.

The award winners will be announced in the fall.