Leading interpreter of the Great American Songbook Michael Feinstein, ukulele virtuosi Jake Shimabukuro, Grammy Award winning singer Sheena Easton, and acrobatic troupe Cirque Mechanics, are just a few of the artists set to appear at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University during its 2018–2019 season.
Among the musicians and bands coming to Pepperdine's Malibu campus are legendary Grammy-winning songwriter Jimmy Webb with special guest Ashley Campbell; joyful jazz band Sammy Miller and the Congregation; Americana country group The Lone Bellow; acoustic folk trio I’m With Her; Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee JD Souther; Celtic bluegrass quartet We Banjo 3; acclaimed jazz singer Nicole Henry; the Lovin’ Spoonful founder John Sebastian; dynamic string duo Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas; and a special collaboration between roots and folk groups The Dustbowl Revival and Hot Club of Cowtown as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Band.
This season also features the Parkening International Guitar Competition, the world’s preeminent classical guitar competition, including the Final Round and Awards Ceremony where guitarists compete for a $30,000 cash prize and the Jack Marshall Gold Medal.
This season, the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts will once again present Family Arts Fest, a day of face painting, food trucks, backstage and museum tours, art projects, and two public performances by Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards, a family-friendly New Orleans Jazz band. Other family shows throughout the year include Childsplay's Tomás and the Library Lady, and children’s musicians Dan Zanes and Claudia Eliaza.
The Recital Series, featuring the talents of young classical musicians, includes performances by the pianist Fei-Fei, harpist Cristina Montes Mateo with flutist Susan Greenberg Norman, pianist Kenny Broberg, and violinist YooJin Jang.
The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art will feature an exhibition highlighting the influence of pop art, as well as two separate exhibitions focused on iconic California artists Richard Diebenkorn and Squeak Carnwath. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, and one hour prior to most shows through intermission. There is no admission charge.
The Pepperdine Fine Arts Division presents Johann Strauss II operetta Die Fledermaus; theatre productions of Deanna Jent’s Falling; the Tony-nominated murder mystery musical Curtains; Lisa Kron’s family drama Well; a gender-flipped version of The Taming of the Shrew; and a series of performances by Pepperdine student music ensembles throughout the fall and spring semesters.
Additionally, Pepperdine Student Activities presents its popular Dance in Flight and Songfest.
"It's my pleasure to announce our new season at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts. Each year, we present an innovative, unique, entertaining, and diverse program of exceptional performances and museum exhibitions. The 2018–2019 season will include several returning favorites as well as many new-to-Pepperdine performances,” says Rebecca Carson, Managing Director of the Center for the Arts. “I look forward to connecting these talented artists with our enthusiastic audience!”
Just a few of the shows in the line up for this new coming season:
Childsplay presents
Based on the inspiring true story of Mexican American author and educator Tomás Rivera, this inspirational performance suggests what libraries—and education—can make possible.
Family Art Day
Join us for special art projects and Weisman Museum tours. Family Art Day is free and open to the public.
The Lone Bellow
Americana country trio The Lone Bellow is known for its transcendent harmonies, serious musicianship, and raucous live performances, which display its “open-hearted, vein-bursting conviction” (NPR Music). The group continues its introspective and poignant music with the acoustic tour for its latest release, Walk into a Storm, which features some of the band’s most personal material to date.
Cirque Mechanics: 42FT—A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels
Thrills, laughs, and excitement are on full display as Cirque Mechanics’ 42FT–A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels transports audiences back to the timeless thrills of the big top circus ring. The action in 42FT (a name derived from the traditional diameter of a circus ring), is full of theatricality and a modern sensibility, in what Spectacle Magazinecalls “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil.”