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

Spotlight: Olmsteds on display at MAC

Saturday was the official opening for “Olmsted Brothers: Designing Spokane Landscapes,” a fine new exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

It combines the museum’s strengths – art and regional history – in one exhibit.

The Olmsted Brothers were the acknowledged geniuses of park design and landscape architecture around the turn of the previous century and were instrumental in shaping the look of the growing cities of Spokane, Seattle and Portland.

I caught a preview showing of the MAC exhibit last week. It includes beautiful Olmsted-drawn designs of Liberty Lake Park, among other Spokane parks. There’s also a great deal of information on the Olmsteds’ influence around the Northwest.

The MAC has a particularly strong spectrum of exhibits right now, with “Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers,” “River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia” and “Eileen Klatt – A Litany of Salmon.”

Check it all out at 2316 W. First Ave.

Get those Fox tickets

A few tickets remain for both the Nov. 17 Frederica von Stade concert and the Nov. 19 Tony Bennett concert, the Fox Theater’s grand opening shows.

However, I can vouch for the fact that the selection is getting slim. On Thursday, I bought tickets to the von Stade opener, but I couldn’t exactly be picky on location. The only tickets remaining were in the $75 midrange sections. Tickets are even tighter for Bennett.

Still, if you act now, you can score. Meanwhile, plenty of tickets remain for the Too Slim and the Taildraggers-Spokane Jazz Orchestra concert at the Fox on Nov. 20 and the Thomas Hampson concert Dec. 29.

Call the symphony box office at (509) 624-1200 or TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).

Donation deadline

One more Fox alert: If you want to have your name listed in the Fox Theater Commemorative Program or on theater seats, you must make your donation by Monday.

Call (509) 624-5992 for information or to donate.

Octogenarian jazz

Here’s a jazz piano trio with a twist: All three pianists are in their 80s.

Pearl Harwood, Ray (Doc) Clemons and Mary Lou Dion will perform today from 3 to 4 p.m. in a free show at the Resort Plaza Shops across from the Coeur d’Alene Resort. They’ll each do a solo set and then they’ll join forces for some three-way improvising.

This is just one of many events in the weeklong Art From the Heart fall arts festival in Coeur d’Alene, which kicked off Friday.

Events continue through Saturday in Coeur d’Alene, with a number of art displays, demonstrations and performances.

A new Bing site

Next Sunday, a major new Bing Crosby Web site launches: www.BingCrosby.com.

This will undoubtedly become one of the more definitive Crosby sites, since it’s a product of Bing Crosby Enterprises, the official family organization and the keeper of the Bing flame since his death 30 years ago.

The Web site will feature a biography, video clips, a Bing “jukebox,” photos, merchandise and news of Crosby and his family.

The launch will coincide with the 30th anniversary of his death, on Oct. 14, 1977.

Taylor Swift connection

When Taylor Swift arrives at the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum on Oct. 23, her opening act will be a Washington State University alumna, Jennifer Lynn.

Lynn released her debut album, “Leavin’,” in 2005 and has since performed with Carrie Underwood and Jo Dee Messina, among many others.

She studied music at WSU and performed with a number of campus groups. This will be her first performance on campus since leaving in 2000.

The Steamroller rolls

The Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, a popular holiday extravaganza, returns to the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m.

The band will be accompanied by a 22-piece orchestra and various costumed characters strolling around a Christmas village.

Sound like your kind of show? Call TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).

Blanchard on the way

Terence Blanchard, a New Orleans music legend and one of the top trumpeters in jazz, is booked into Whitworth College’s Cowles Auditorium on Nov. 10, 8 p.m., with the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble. Tickets are on sale through TicketsWest.

Medieval manuscripts

A collection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, some with illuminated text and others with musical notation, are on display at WSU’s Holland and Terrell Libraries, on the ground floor in the Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections section.

The exhibit, from the private collection of WSU music professor Charles Argersinger, includes 20 parchments along with explanatory notes and translations. One manuscript dates from 1250.

They will be on display through Nov. 7.

Early warning

Here are a couple of upcoming events of note:

The Inland Northwest Dance Association presents BodyVox, Oct. 20, 8 p.m., Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave.: BodyVox is a contemporary dance troupe from Portland. This performance is part of the Inland Northwest Dance Association’s Fall Workshop and Dance Show. Tickets are available through TicketsWest; information on the workshops is available at www.indaspokane.org.

Fall Folk Festival, Nov. 3 and 4, Spokane Community College’s Lair, 1800 N. Greene: The Spokane Folklore Society’s annual gathering, featuring more than 40 performers on multiple stages. Free.