Arts Wrap: Gonzaga’s ‘Season in the Spotlight’ features five guest performances

Between February and May, Gonzaga University’s “Season in the Spotlight” will feature five guest performances: Asian dance, a saxophone quartet, a Latin Grammy nominee, pop-jazz icon Mel Torme’s son and a tour through 50 years of rock and roll. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.

First on the list, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will celebrate Asian heritage and the Year of the Water Tiger through multimedia performance and American dance on Feb. 10, nine days after the Chinese New Year, at the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, 211 E. Desmet Ave. This performance is family-friendly. Tragically, company founder Nai-Ni Chen was found dead after going for a swim in the ocean in New York City on Dec. 12. She was 62.

On Feb. 17, Munich’s Arcis Saxophone Quartet will perform some of the rare chamber music that inspired them to form their quartet while studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.

Next, 2020 Latin Grammy nominee Gina Chavez will give audience members a tour through Latin and American culture on March 4. An American bilingual Latin-folk singer, Chavez began performing in 2004, and, since releasing her first recording in 2007, has gone on to become a 12-time Austin Music Award winner, including 2019 Female Vocalist of the Year and 2015 Austin Musician of the Year. She has been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

On March 25, singer James Torme, son of pop-jazz icon Mel Torme, will treat audiences young and old to an evening of pop and old-school jazz with a new American twist.

And closing out the season May 12, Neil Berg’s “50 Years of Rock & Roll” will take audience members on a journey through “iconic rock history and performance through the decades on Broadway and in popular culture.”

For information on COVID-19 protections and requirements, ticket prices and more, visit the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center ticket website at gonzaga.edu/myrtle-woldson-performing-arts-center.