April 30, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Ticket packages are on sale now for the Alys Stephens Center’s new 2007-08 season of performances. To purchase season tickets, or for a brochure, call 205-975-2787, toll-free 1-877-278-8457, go to the ASC Box Office at 1200 10th Ave. S., or log on to www.alysstephens.org/
Subscription packages range from $28-$201. Special discounts and offers are available for University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students, faculty and staff and for groups of 10 or more. Gift cards are always available. Single tickets go on sale Monday, August 13.
For the second year, the Alys Stephens Center presents the Theresa H. and James Bruno Magic City Chamber Music Festival August 24-26, co-presented with the Birmingham Chamber Music Society, featuring the incomparable Borealis String Quartet and the Alys Stephens Center Chamber Players. The season officially begins Sept. 21 with the ASC Season Kickoff Party featuring Tiempo Libre. The great performances keep coming with Emmylou Harris, Global Drum Project featuring Mickey Hart, David Sedaris, Edgar Meyer with Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas, Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Lily Tomlin, Ellis Marsalis, Taj Mahal & The Trio, Indigo Girls, Wayne Brady, The Four Tops, Art Garfunkel and more.
UAB, NBC 13 and The Birmingham News sponsor “The Alys Stephens Center Presents,” the theme for the center’s 11th season. For the past decade, the ASC has presented the world’s brightest and most talented artists, bringing world-class performances to Birmingham and providing educational opportunities for young people. The Alys Stephens Center, Birmingham’s own performing arts center on the UAB campus, welcomes more than 250,000 people each year for more than 300 events.
This year, the ASC raises the curtain on incomparable classical, jazz, pop and world music, hilarious comedy and theater, modern and classical dance and family entertainment for kids of all ages. New this season is the Beyond Comedy Series and the Harbert Management Corporation American Voices Series. Returning this season is the Dr. Chandler Smith and Jane Paris-Smith Birmingham Chamber Music Society Series and the ASC Social Club for arts enthusiasts ages 21-40. Join them after work Aug. 16 for an “ASC Social Club Goes Bollywood” party, with bellydancers, music, Bollywood movies, Indian food, cash bar and prizes, in the new Haskell Courtyard.
Don’t miss the center’s established series favorites, designed as the perfect complement to the ASC’s four state-of-the-art venues: the Jemison Concert Hall, the Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall, the Morris K. Sirote Theatre and the Odess Theatre.
Returning this season is the Alys Stephens Center’s wildly popular “It’s Your Choice” subscription package offering the public the opportunity to create a personal mix of shows. Select any five regular performances, add the total ticket cost and then subtract 10 percent for a special package created for each patron’s personal tastes. Ticket packages are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale Monday, August 13. Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets early, as many shows sell out.
The season officially begins Sept. 21 with the ASC Season Kickoff Party featuring Tiempo Libre, an ASC Social Club event. On Sept. 30, Emmylou Harris graces the center’s stage and opens the Protective Life Corp. Eclectic Palate Series. The series includes The Four Tops March 1 and Art Garfunkel April 12.
Next up is ASC Social Club event Global Drum Project, featuring Mickey Hart with Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo, opening the Alabama Power Company Global Rhythm Series on Oct. 6. Ravi and Anoushka Shankar continue the series Oct. 29, with Taj Mahal & The Trio Nov. 11.
Oct. 14, Takács Quartet opens the Dr. Chandler Smith and Jane Paris-Smith Birmingham Chamber Music Society Series, with Imani Winds Jan. 10; Amelia Piano Trio Feb. 17; and Amedeo Modigliani Quartet March 2.
The Original Blues Brothers Band kicks off the Davis Architects Red Hot and Jazz Series Oct. 19. Ellis Marsalis follows Nov. 4. ASC Social Club event The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra featuring Irvin Mayfield tops off the series Jan. 26.
Oct. 21, the Klangverwaltung Munich Bavarian Philharmonic, with Orion Weiss, opens the Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt Rushton Haskell Birmingham Music Club Classically Inclined Series. This magnificent series continues with the Vienna Choir Boys Feb. 3 and Rachel Lee, violin, March 9. Leif Ove Andsnes, piano, completes the series April 20. All shows in this series feature Preludes, enlightening 30-minute discussions of the program in the intimate Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall, one hour prior to show time. A Classical Pass for those 30 years or under, for any show in this series, is $15.
Humorist Davis Sedaris ushers in the Beyond Comedy Series Oct. 21, with Lily Tomlin Nov. 3 and Sister’s Christmas Catechism “The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold” Dec. 14-15. Comic actor Wayne Brady closes the series Feb. 9.
Oct. 27, Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas take to the stage to open the Harbert Management Corporation American Voices Series. Keb’ Mo’ continues the series Nov. 10, with the Indigo Girls topping off the series Jan. 27.
Axis Dance Co., Nov. 17-18, is the first performance in the Jemison Investment Co. Movement and Magic Series, with Bridgman/Packer Dance Jan. 17-19 and Cirque-Work’s Birdhouse Factory< Feb. 22-23, an ASC Social Club event.
The ASC Kids’ Club presents Alabama Blues Project with Debbie Bond and Caroline Shines Sept. 29; Jerry Ryan in “Me & Blue” Oct. 27; “Yuletide in Dogtown,” an ASC original theatrical production, Dec. 15-16; M.A.D. Skillz Dance Co. Feb. 9; and “Down the Yellow Brick Road,” an ASC original theatrical production April 19.
The ASC Special Events keep coming with Patricia Neal in “Words I Live By: A Tribute to Helen Keller”Nov. 11, “Reflect & Rejoice: A Community Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” Jan. 20 and the Alys Stephens Center Viva Health Starlight Gala April 5, with a guest artist to be announced this fall.