In honor of its 10th anniversary, the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center is offering $5 “rush” tickets to students during its Anniversary Festival Week, which runs from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1.
The first performance of the PAC’s second decade premieres Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. “A Celebration in Movement,” a dance concert choreographed by Lisa Deyo, showcases local groups like The Civic Ballet, The American Dancers, Ballet Theatre of SLO and The GRADs. The finale will feature four versions of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” which was the signature piece performed ten years ago at the PAC’s inaugural concert. Local vocalist Inga Swearingen will take center stage to belt it out for the show’s final segment.
Friday night is retro night when Big Bad Voodoo Daddy takes the stage at 8 p.m. The group’s upbeat arrangements make them one of the most recognizable bands today, and their music has been used in countless commercial spots. Indie-pop rock group Dominic Castillo and the Rock Savants will open for the popular neo-swing band.
“Classical Savion,” Tony winner Savion Glover’s solo jazz and tap evening, begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30. The show is inspired by composers such as Vivaldi, Mendelssohn and Mozart, and will be performed by a ten-piece orchestra of international classical musicians.
Cal Poly music professor William Johnson will conduct “Masterpieces for a Celebration,” which boasts members from both the San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra and the Cal Poly Wind Ensemble. The orchestra is set to perform Paul Dukas’ “Fanfare from La P‚ri,” Gustav Holst’s “A Moorside Suite,” Ottorino Respighi’s “Pines of the Appian Way,” Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and Aaron Copland’s “Quiet City.” The music begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1.
It’s been more than twelve years since construction began on the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center, named in recognition $2.1 million Cohan donated to the project in 1996. It was the largest individual gift ever given to a single CSU campus.