CES at Frostburg State University Announces 2017-18 Season of International Arts

Aug 20, 2017 10:30 AM

CES at Frostburg State University will present an exciting 2017-18 season of international performing arts events. Artists from Switzerland, Ireland, Russia, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic and the United States will offer performances in various genres, including ballet, classical music, circus arts and surreal theatre.

The season opens Sunday, Sept. 17, with “Mutts Gone Nuts,” featuring nine of the world’s most talented canine entertainers. The hilarious performance includes a delightful cast of rescue dogs that astonish with feats of jumping, flipping, “talking” and tightwire walking. Performances in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center will take place at 2 and 6 p.m. This engagement is sponsored by the Upper Potomac Valley Kennel Club and the Frostburg Dog Park. A dollar from each ticket purchase will benefit the Allegany County Animal Shelter.

The dancers of Tango Buenos Aires will share the seductive moves of the Argentine tango in an alluring performance on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Drama Theatre of FSU’s Pealer Center. Featuring a live orchestra, “The Spirit of Argentina” showcases the unbridled passion and emotion that have made the tango a worldwide cultural sensation. This engagement is sponsored by the Peter and Iris Halmos Family Foundation.

The Russian String Orchestra will offer a classical performance of the music of Tchaikovsky, Rossini and Prokofiev on Saturday, Oct. 7. Under the direction of Misha Rachlevsky, this Moscow-based orchestra is composed of some of Russia’s brightest and youngest musicians. The 7:30 p.m. performance will be held in the Pealer Recital Hall.

New York theatre company ArtsPower will delight family audiences with “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” based on the Newbery Medal-winning classic by E.L. Konigsburg. The enchanting musical follows two children on a secret adventure in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 4:30 p.m. public performance on Wednesday, Nov. 8, will take place in the Pealer Recital Hall.

The Martial Artists and Acrobats of Tianjin will arrive from the People’s Republic of China to present a dazzling performance featuring acrobatic stunts, martial arts and feats of balance, juggling and contortion. The Monday, Nov. 13, event will occur at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall.

Rejoice in the holiday season when CES presents “Christmas With the Annie Moses Band” on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alice R. Manicur Assembly Hall of FSU’s Lane University Center. From the Grand Ole Opry to Carnegie Hall, this Emmy-winning folk band has wowed audiences with its original sound. The spirited performance will include renditions of “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen,” “Deck the Halls” and “O Holy Night” in an evening of music that is invigorating, reverential and transporting. This engagement is sponsored by Weimer Automotive Group.

CES will present a LIVE! at StarScape performance by Joan Soriano, “El Duque de la Bachata” (the Duke of Bachata), on Saturday, Feb. 24. Born in the rural countryside of the Dominican Republic, Soriano infuses steel string bachata with equal parts romance and grit. Bachata music, which is essential to Dominican culture, draws on a variety of influences from Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. The 7:30 p.m. club-style performance will take place in Lane Manicur Hall. This engagement is funded in part by a Southern Exposure grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The traditional Irish ensemble Danú will also present a LIVE! at StarScape performance on Friday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Lane Manicur Hall. For two decades, Danú’s powerhouse musicians have offered high-energy performances of ancient and original music to appreciative audiences around the world. This engagement is sponsored by the Lewis J. Ort Library in observation of Irish-American Heritage Month.

Often referred to as “the musicians of silence,” the visionary theatre artists of Switzerland’s Mummenschanz have enchanted international audiences with their boundless imagination for more than 45 years. With their latest production, “you and me,” the troupe delivers the large-scale masks, mind-bending choreography and illusions that fans have grown to love. The Tuesday, March 13, performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Center’s Drama Theatre. This engagement is sponsored by CBIZ, Inc.

Trinidadian bandleader and jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles effortlessly taps into the Afro-Caribbean background of his homeland in Trinidad and Tobago. Charles plumbs the musical depths of the islands, from calypso to Haitian voodoo music, fusing both with the swagger of the New Orleans trumpet style. His Friday, April 13, LIVE! at StarScape performance of “Creole Soul” will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Lane Manicur Hall. This engagement is made possible through the Jazz Touring Network program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Cuban artist Daymé Arocena will present a LIVE! at StarScape performance on Sunday, April 29, at 2:15 p.m. in the Lyric Theatre at 20 E. Main St. in Frostburg. Crediting Ella Fitzgerald as an influence, Arocena blends classic soul and soul jazz standards with Cuban musical styles for a spellbinding, multilingual homage to her native country. Before the performance, patrons have the option of a noon brunch buffet at The Gin Mill, one of Frostburg’s newest and most exciting restaurants. This engagement is funded in part by a Southern Exposure grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The season draws to a close on Thursday, May 10, with the return of the Moscow Festival Ballet in a production of the timeless fairy tale “Cinderella.” Set to Prokofiev’s exuberant score, the beloved ballet tells the familiar rags-to-riches fairy tale and features some of Russia’s finest ballet artists. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Center’s Drama Theatre. This engagement is sponsored by Dr. Julianne K. Ferris and Daniel F. McMullen Jr.

Tickets, including packages and discounts, are available beginning Friday, Sept. 1. Tickets can be ordered online by visiting the CES web site or by calling 1-866-849-9237 or 301-687-3137. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

CES is supported in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council and by the city of Frostburg and the Allegany Arts Council with funds from MSAC.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit the Frostburg State web site or facebook.com/frostburgstateuniversity. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.