By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Jazz notables like Bill Charlop (left) perform with the Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Tour that plays Stephens Auditorium during the 2008-09 Performing Arts Series in Ames. Bluegrass revivalists Ricky Skaggs and The Whites (below) also perform.

Iowa State series features jazz, bluegrass, classical, pop

If you are a fan of jazz, bluegrass, classical and pop music then the lineup for the 2008-09 Performing Arts Series at Stephens Auditorium might be music to your ears. Iowa State Center officials have booked a number of music acts — more so, it seems, than previous years — for their upcoming series that also includes theater and dance.

A number of concerts stand out in the 2008-09 lineup, including a Nov. 2 performance by the big band Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, founded in the 1940s (Nov. 9); Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra (Nov. 23), a popular show with mothers everywhere; A Skaggs Family Christmas (Dec. 18), featuring 12-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Skaggs and fellow bluegrass revivalists The Whites; the Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Tour (March 27), featuring jazz notables Bill Charlop, Ravi Coltrane, Peter Bernstein, Lewis Nash, Nicholas Payton, Peter Washington and Steve Wilson; and the Australian Chamber Orchestra (May 1) with pianist Paul Lewis.

The series includes three special residency programs, too. Young Concert Artist and clarinetist Jose Franch-Ballester will perform Sept. 25 at Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall on the Iowa State University campus. On Oct. 17, Los Utrera, a Mexican music and dance ensemble, will perform. And on April 30, Esta, a multi-ethnic band from Israel will play.

Tickets go on sale to the public on July 21 at the Iowa State Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 243-1888 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Fans who purchase tickets to three or more shows will save 15 percent and receive a host of subscriber benefits including two free tickets to another show. Call (877) 843-2368 or visit http://www.center.iastate.edu.

The 2008-09 lineup includes:

• Sept. 24 — Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd”
• Nov. 2 — Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
• Nov. 6 — “Movin’ Out”
• Nov. 9 — Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra
• Nov. 23 — Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra
• Dec. 3 — “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”
• Dec. 18 — A Skaggs Family Christmas
• Jan. 25 — “Goodnight Moon/The Runaway Bunny”
• Feb. 8 — The Peking Acrobats
• Feb. 13 — “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”
• Feb. 20 — “To Kill A Mockingbird”
• March 27 — “Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Tour”
• April 9 — “The Drowsy Chaperone”
• April 14-15 — “STOMP”
• May 1 — Australian Chamber Orchestra

Scene notes

Iowa State Fair officials announced the lineup for the free stages. Visit www.iowastatefair.org. ... If you like world music tune in to Grand View College’s new low power radio station KGVC 94.1 FM. The radio station will broadcast contemporary foreign language music from a variety of cultures on weekdays from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. and all day on Sundays. On weekdays you can hear “World Music Blocks,” which include a mix of sounds like Latino Pop, European and African. On Sundays, local volunteer DJs host their own world music shows. Station officials say KGVC transmits 100 watts of power from its studios in the Cowles Communication Center on Grand View’s campus and reaches most of the city of Des Moines and some of the surrounding suburbs. The station is also available online during selected hours, usually from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays during the school year and from 7 to 11 a.m. during the summer. Visit www.GVCradio.com. … Cornmeal kicks off the 2008 Nitefall on the River series with a performance on Thursday at 7 p.m. On June 12, Kelley Hunt will perform and the Smokin’ Mojo Kings will open. Acts for June 19 and 26 have yet to be announced. Admission is $8 for adults and children 12 and under will be admitted free with a paid adult. Season passes are $64 through Thursday. Visit iowatix.com or call 237-1386 for tickets and passes. … The Almost, Emery, Envy on the Coast and Army of Me play People’s Court on Thursday at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15. … The Dirty Dozen Brass Band plays the River Music Experience in Davenport on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12. … Hot Tamale & the Red Hots jump start the 7th Annual Blues Before Sunset series on Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with a performance in front of the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust St. Admission is free for the series, which concludes Aug. 1 with a show by Bo Ramsey. Fans can bring their own chairs. … The Jim Widner Big Band will play each night at 8 p.m., Sunday through Wednesday, at the Great Hall on the campus of Simpson College in Indianola. Admission is $5. … The Ames Children’s Choirs hosts a summer music camp Monday through June 14 at the Collegiate United Methodist Church Annex. The fee is $75. Call (515) 290-1422. … Bluegrass Tuesdays, a free concert series held weekly at 6:30 p.m. at the Warren County Courthouse lawn in Indianola, continues on Tuesday with a concert by Maalek’s Fisherman Polka. … The Iowa Arts Council and the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls will host a two-day workshop Sept. 4-5 to help teaching artists and arts educators develop their skills in planning arts integrated residencies for students. The workshop fee is $250 and participation is limited to 15 people. Applications must be received by July 11. Visit www.gbpac.org/outreach/teachartdev.shtml or call 281-5773. … The Salisbury House has released the lineup for its 2008-09 chamber music series. It includes performances by Janice Wenger (Sept. 26), Drake Fine Arts Trio (Nov. 7), Orchestra de Camerata and Mary Foss (Dec. 19), Ames Piano Quartet (Jan. 9), Los Angeles Collaboration (Feb. 27), Belin String Quartet (March 27) and The Salisbury Trio (April 17). Visit www.salisburyhouse.org for details. … Allegations of musicians ripping off one another happen from time to time, though they only make headlines when a big name artist is involved. But rarely does a relatively little known band make such allegations with a sense of humor as has the Los Angeles rock group Lustra. After reviewing emails on their MySpace page from fans comparing their 2004 song “Scotty Doesn’t Know” to the similar sounding 2006 “Rockstar” by teen idol Miley Cyrus, a.k.a. Hannah Montana, the band had this to say: “Although we are very flattered that Ms. Cyrus took this route, we would have preferred some credit. … If Hannah Montana wants us now — who is next? The Jonas Brothers?” CV

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