What:

The Stephanie Patterson String Quartet -- John Harrison and Rob Loren on violin, Nikki Feryok on viola, Susan Mayo on cello, and not a bassoon to be found -- will be accompanying a riveting game of bowling -- belonging to a kind of musical league from the future -- at Blank Page on August 18th with Susan Mayo's Play-Mor for string quartet and bowlers. Competitors Chris Hariege, Andrew Bales, Chloe Mais, Connie Loren, and Nick Coates will be facing off in a presumably scoreless match with authentic balls and pins lent to the group by Peabody Lanes. Hopefully we don't destroy too much of our gallery in the process...

But that's not all! The Stephanie Patterson Quartet will also play Aortic Waters John Harrison, an original composition by Craig Owens, and other arranged jazz tunes. The mayhem starts at 8pm at Blank Page Gallery, 917 W. Douglas. $3 Suggested donation.

When:

Tuesday, August 18th, 8:00 pm

Where:

Blank Page Gallery, 917 W. Douglas

What:

The unveiling of the string quartet at its truest form -- shedding the treble and alto clefs for the bass, tenor, and...treble clef -- occurs this Thursday at Wichita art gallery Blank Page. Four WSO cellists will play arrangements of Mozart and Telemann, as well as music from the American songbook in an hour-long concert of cello quartets. Come, witness the long-heralded eclipse of the violin!

When:

Thursday, July 30th, 8:00

Where:

Blank Page Gallery
917 W. Douglas

What:

Following its full-scale production of the piece, local music theater group, the Wichita Scottish Rite Signature Theatre, will be performing songs from Kurt Weill’s first opera, “The Threepenny Opera”. This will be the first concert in our series to feature vocalists, who will -- lucky for us-- be singing the songs in their translated English form. Known for its satire, irony, and most prominently, its approachability, the piece provides a good entry point into the world of European music -- though due to the variety of influences in the piece, it’ll probably lead elsewhere. Due to size restraints, all songs will be accompanied by piano rather than the original arrangements for pit orchestra.

When:

Thursday, July 16th, 8:00

Where:

Blank Page Gallery, 917 W. Douglas

What:

Blank Page will restart its chamber music series with a performance by another uncommon ensemble, the brass trio. Comprised of three local players – Guy Vollen on horn, Harold Popp on trombone, and David Baxter on trumpet – the Pegasus Brass Trio has been playing together for the last two years with the intention of exploring the body of work for this unique instrumental group. Among there repertoire are two pieces composed by players in the group – “Three For All” by Popp and “Analects” by Vollen – allowing for the unique experience of hearing a composer play their own work.

When:

Thursday, July 9th, 8:00pm

Where:

Blank Page Gallery, 917 W. Douglas

What:

One of Strauss's lesser known late operas, Daphne shows Strauss acknowleding the history of the operatic tradition that had driven his life for the thirty years previous to its debut. The classical myth of Apollo and Daphne, taken most likely from Ovid's Metamorphosis, was the subject of the first opera ever composed -- written in roughly 1600 -- and has been set numerous times throughout the art-form's history. Like many other classical stories, the myth of Daphne pits man against god -- in this case, as many others, showing them to be more alike than different -- explores a love of the purity found in nature, and explores the themes of intellectualism and deciet in love. The orchestral writing finds Strauss clearly entrenched in his neo-classical phase, yet echoes of Wagner occur in the soaring string lines and the heightened emotionalism in the never-ending phrases.

When:

Thursday, July 2nd, 8:00

Where:

Blank Page Gallery, 917 W. Douglas

What:

Britten's first operatic success and his most widely known piece, Peter Grimes may be the most famous of English-language operas. The opera tells the story of temperamental fisherman Peter Grimes and the mystery surrounding the death at sea of his young apprentice; accused of ill-treatment at best, murder at worst, Grimes is made an outcast in his hometown by the sheer force of accusation and rumor. What follows is Grimes's attempt to clear his name -- necessitating the controversial employment of another boy apprentice -- in spite of the forces constantly at work to banish him from his homeland. While there are many characters in the piece, the conflict boils down to Grimes versus the masses, letting the opera display the ugly power of social order and the masses. Yet the morality of Grimes remains an ambiguous subject, and like in most of Britten's operas, final decisions are left up to the audience.

When:

Thursday, June 18th, 8:00

Where:

Blank Page Gallery, 917 W. Douglas

What:

The follow-up piece to Strauss's hugely successful Salome, Elektra cherry-picks all of the expressionistic wrath from Salome's score and creates what may be the angriest music you'll ever hear. The story, taken from ancient Greek myth, centers around a cast-out daughter -- Elektra -- resolved to avenge the murder of her father by her adulterous mother. The music is over-the-top from the very beginning, mirroring the monomaniacal, murderous rage of the increasingly demented main character. Not for the weak of heart, Elektra certainly sits outside the stuffy stereotypes of opera, and at just under two hours, is of reasonable length.

When:

8:00 pm, Thursday, June 11th

Where:

Blank Page Gallery, 917 W. Douglas