“Glee” meets the symphony, sculptors hit the street.
by John Cain
Top-level local talent! Smash Broadway hits! Popular contemporary songs! The Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Kirk Muspratt present “South Shore Glee!” on Thursday evening, May 17, 2012, at 7:30 p.m., at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville.
Featuring talent galore from area schools, the concert will include the Choralteens of Merrillville High School, Wolffgang of Hobart High School, Counterpoint of Lake Central High School and the Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy Concert Choir as special guest artists. The Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus will also perform on this final Pops presentation of the 2011-12 concert season.
This unique concert experience combines some of the best local talent with Broadway show tunes and generation-spanning American pop hits for a giddy celebration of pop culture. Inspired by the popular Fox TV show “Glee,” this unique concert will be a fun vocal retrospective spanning the decades from the 1930s through today. Selected music includes pieces from beloved movies and musicals like Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “West Side Story” as well as songs made popular by performers such as Bette Midler, Josh Groban, Queen and more.
“South Shore Glee!” has a little something for everyone and is perfect for the whole family. Adult tickets range from $25 to $65 and student tickets are priced at just $10 each.
In Valparaiso, the next big foray into art will be a public display of large-scale sculptures in an art walk along Cumberland Drive, running between the YMCA and Purdue North Central. The city’s Redevelopment Commission art committee headed by Laura Campbell is planning to bring in up to 10 sculptures from Midwest Sculpture Initiative in Blissfield, Mich., which provides outdoor sculpture exhibitions throughout the Midwest, promoting cooperation among art and civic organizations, advancing the role that the visual arts play in the quality of life and increasing economic development.
The committee is working with sculptor Ken Thompson, who founded the Initiative and who is one of the many artists whose work is represented. Midwest Sculpture Initiative works with a dozen or so communities per year, primarily in Ohio and Michigan, to make art accessible to large audiences. Stu Summers, executive director of the Redevelopment Commission, says the Cumberland Drive route in Valparaiso was chosen because the City has been so successful in its ability to use art to attract visitors downtown and it’s time to branch out.
South Shore Arts wants to remind you to visit the online Regional Art Calendar at www.SouthShoreArtsOnline.org. The Regional Arts Calendar lists all local arts happenings in Northwest Indiana, and is a great place to plan your cultural activities for the week or month ahead. The calendar lists exhibits, concerts, plays, lectures, film series, dance performances and more, all taking place in or near your neighborhood. You can access the calendar by visiting the South Shore Arts home page and then clicking on Regional Art Calendar on the menu on the left side of the page.
For artists, South Shore Arts also has an “Artist Opportunities” page. This section includes calls for entries and submissions, auditions, workshops, and symposia that are listed six months out to assist local artists in their professional development.
Don’t forget the South Shore Arts Facebook page where you can also keep up to date on exhibit schedules and opening receptions, class sign-ups, outreach programs and special events. Local artists also post their events and share local art experiences. The arts truly are alive in the Northwest Indiana!
Find out more about area arts activities and events by watching John Cain on Lakeshore Public Television’s “Eye on the Arts,” every Thursday evening at 9 p.m. on Lakeshore News Tonight.
