ODDS AND ENDS ORCHESTRA

Students at Webster Magnet and Burroughs Community School are making music with unusual instruments this spring.  Working in residence with composer and teaching artist Philip Blackburn, the classes are exploring the world of group improvisation and composition with their own handmade instruments.  Boasting names like Balloon Bassoons, Stamping Tubes, and Car Tire Taiko, the instruments are crafted out of such items as old car tires, pvc pipe, and household plumbing parts.  The unlikely group of instruments and students will form an ensemble, the Odds and Ends Orchestra, which will perform during the Festival, May 28-May 30th.  Fellow Festival goers during the week and on the weekend will get the chance to try out instruments themselves.

View the Odds and Ends Orchestra blog

SAINT PAUL WINDOWS TO BE FILLED WITH CHILDREN’S ART

Our annual ARTwalk celebrates children’s creative spirit by exhibiting visual art through downtown Saint Paul.  A team of Ordway Center staff and volunteers are currently hanging more than 600 pieces of art in Businesses, retail windows and skyways.  Employees, residents, and downtown guests will see art from across Minnesota displayed all over Saint Paul from May 1 to June 1.

An ARTwalk map will available starting in May at the link below.

Learn more about the ARTwalk

ANNUAL LIAISON EVENT AND EDUCATION AWARDS

More than 120 educators and community partners arrived at Ordway Center for the Annual Liaison Appreciation Event April 11. The event is held once a year to honor the efforts of advisors, school liaisons, field trip coordinators, and community partners for their participation in making Education and Community Engagement programs successful.  The reception portion of the evening included a presentation of the third annual Ordway Center Education Awards and entertainment from selected members from the cast of Blues in the Night.  Education awards were presented to Flint Hills Resources, Wendy Lehr, Dorothea Burns, Madelaine Karwoski, and Verne Melberg.  In addition, the attendees got a sneak peek at the 2008-2009 Performing Arts Classroom Series and then attended a performance of Blues in the Night.  

Do you know who your school liaison is?  Would you like to find out, or be a school liaison?  If so, please contact Erin Gomach, Education Sales Associate, at 651-282-3135.

SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL SAINT PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS HONORS CONCERT

Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS), Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and the Minnesota Museum of American Art (MMAA) gave more than 300 students the chance of a lifetime by showcasing the skills of the best of the best high school vocalists, instrumentalists, and visual artists in the SPPS district.  This is the seventeenth consecutive year of this event at Ordway Center and MMAA.

The Honors Concert includes high school students in band, orchestra, and choir from Saint Paul Public School sites, who have been selected to perform through an adjudication process. They took the stage at Ordway Center under the direction of conductors Claudette Laureano, Matthew Mehaffey, and Dr. Amy Roisum Foley.  A World Party, featuring small instrumental and vocal student ensembles from Saint Paul elementary and junior high schools, took place in Ordway Center's Marzitelli Foyer preceding the performance.  In collaboration with MMAA, a student art exhibit was presented at the museum and will remain on display until May 9.

Learn more

EDUCATION AT ORDWAY CENTER’S SPRING PRE-SALE

THE 2008-2009 PERFORMING ARTS CLASSROOMS!

Get a jump start on planning for next year’s Education at Ordway Center School Performances.  The spring pre-sale will be your first chance to reserve tickets to the 2008-2009 Performing Arts Classroom Season.  Reserve your three-dollar tickets to any of the 2008-2009 Performing Arts Classroom Series performances.  Starting on May 16, 2008, orders will be accepted by phone, fax, or mail only.  Watch your mail for the Spring pre-sale brochure.

Request a brochure

2008-2009 Performing Arts Classrooms at a Glance

Katha Dance Theatre, Sundari Aur Nag
October 6 & 7, 2008
Grades K-6
Celebrate the rich culture and traditions of India with Katha Dance Theatre’s retelling of the Asian-Indian Fairytale Sundari Aur Nag.  In a story reminiscent of the well-known Beauty and the Beast, a young man trapped inside the body of a snake must earn the love of his new wife to break the curse with which he was born.  The performance features dance theater, international musicians, and narration in three languages.

The O’Shaughnessy and Education at Ordway Center Present:
AH NAGASAKI: “ASHES INTO LIGHT” at The O’Shaughnessy
October 13, 2008
Grades 6-12
Experience a world premiere concert featuring the Minnesota Chorale, the Minneapolis Youth Chorus, Taiko drummers from Mu Performing Arts, and the Gaia Philharmonic Choir from Japan.    Ah Nagasaki is a cantata by the American composer Robert Kyr with text sung in both Japanese and English.   The work was commissioned by the Nagasaki Peace Museum to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city. Performances will take place at The O’Shaughnessy. 

Ronald K. Brown: Evidence
October 14, 2008
Grades 6-12
Ronald K. Brown and Evidence delve into the importance of the human experience through spoken word and African, modern, ballet, and hip-hop dance styles.  Evidence uses dance to create a unique sensory experience that connects the history, traditions, struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of African Diaspora and community responsibility.

Ballet Hispanico: Palladium Nights
January 12, 2009
Grades 7-12
Rooted in the heart of New York’s vibrant 1950’s jazz scene, Palladium Nights revisits the culture and popularity of the Mambo, the Cha Cha, and the Merengue in one of New York’s first integrated night clubs.  Ballet Hispanico and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra with Arturo O’Farrill join forces to recreate the magic of the legendary palladium ballroom where the hottest Latin dancers and musicians of the era ruled the dance floor. 

Ballet Hispanico: ¡Viva Las Americas!
January 13, 2009
Grades K-6
Trace the evolution of Latin American culture through dance as Ballet Hispanico presents ¡Viva Las Americas!.  Experience the blend of European, African, and Indigenous cultures that have influenced Latin American and Caribbean dance forms, cultural music, and customs.  The performance showcases folkloric dances from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and more. 

Lula Washington Dance Theatre
February 4 & 5, 2009
Grades 2-8
Award-winning choreographer Lula Washington offers a thought provoking mix of stylish choreography, imaginative costumes, and captivating theatricality.  This dynamic, fresh, LA-based modern dance company combines
high-energy modern dance with jazz, hip-hop, African movement, and the intoxicating rhythm of drums.

VocalEssence WITNESS
February 17 & 18, 2009
Grades 4-12
Whether silently read, spoken or sung, the power of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words creates hope for equality, justice, and peace.  The VocalEssence Chorus honors the 90th anniversary of Dr. King's birthday with music and spoken word performances. Elevating his message through music, this dynamic concert will feature legendary jazz pianist Billy Taylor's Peaceful Warrior for chorus and jazz trio.

Jake Shimabukuro
March 11, 2009
Grades 6-12
Recognized as one of the world’s leading ukulele players, Jake Shimabukuro defies the notion that the ukulele is only capable of traditional Hawaiian music.  Jake crosses musical genres as he amazes audiences with his revolutionary playing techniques and lightning fast fingers through jazz, blues, funk classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and rock. 

The 2009 Flint Hills International Children’s Festival Performances will be announced in August 2008, and tickets will go on sale for Festival performances August 29, 2008 at the On-Sale Day Event.

Request a brochure

FESTIVAL TICKETS $5

The Flint Hills International Children’s Festival family weekend is a great opportunity for families to enjoy performances by international artists from around the globe.  These indoor performances feature a variety of cultural art forms including dance, music, puppetry, and more.  This year, tickets for indoor performances are only $5, thanks to the generosity of Target!  Families are also invited to watch, dance, and sing with local Twin Cities performing artists on Ordway Center’s three outdoor stages.  Families can also participate in more than thirty free art-making activities and purchase kid-friendly international cuisine in Rice Park and Landmark Plaza.

Buy tickets