Nazareth College Arts Center kicks off 2016 with back-to-back weekends of live music January 16 and 23

ROCHESTER, NY (12/19/2015)(readMedia)-- Nazareth College Arts Center is pleased to present William Close and the Earth Harp Collective on Saturday, January 16, 2016, at 8 p.m. in the Callahan Theater. Ticket holders may attend a pre-performance lecture with members of the company at 7 p.m. in the Peace Theater (room A14), located in the lower level of the Arts Center.

The following week, Nazareth College Arts Center welcomes Rhythmic Circus: Feet, Don't Fail Me Now! on Saturday, January 23, 2016, at 8 p.m. in the Callahan Theater. Ticket holders may attend a pre-performance lecture with members of the company at 7 p.m. in the Peace Theater (room A14), located in the lower level of the Arts Center. Ticket holders may also enjoy a pre-performance tap dance lesson starting at 6 p.m. (free to ticket-holders, however pre-registration is required through the Arts Center Box Office at 585-389-2170).

Visit http://artscenter.naz.edu/newsroom/media-resources for photos. The artists are available for advance phone interviews.

ABOUT WILLIAM CLOSE AND THE EARTH HARP COLLECTIVE

"From the stage...more than a dozen strings stretch from a wooden wing out across the audience and disappear into the darkness of the upper balconies. It's an instrument unlike anything Bach or Beethoven could have ever imagined. The entire concert hall has been recruited as an echo chamber to create a unique, ethereal sound....The world's largest string instrument is both a powerful sonic experience and an arresting visual image." –New York Times

Inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright quote, "architecture is frozen music," artist and musician William Close creates musical installations that use architecture as part of the instrument. He has built more than 100 one-of-a-kind instruments, including the world's largest string instrument, the Earth Harp-so named because the first time it was installed in 1999 its strings spanned a 1,000-foot valley, turning the landscape into a harp.

The Earth Harp has since been installed at venues and landmarks around the world, including the Seattle Space Needle, the Coliseum in Rome, the Temple of Transition at Burning Man, and-in December-the roofline of the 700-foot City National Bank building in Los Angeles. There is even an Earth Harp installed in Close's Malibu home studio, its strings extending to a nearby mountain. Close tunes his various oversized string instruments to sound similar, but no two sound alike as their vibrations are also influenced by the surrounding environment and architecture.

At the Arts Center, the body of the harp will rest on the stage, while its strings-which Close rubs with rosin-covered gloves to create its cello-like sound-will travel above the audience and attach to the back of the theater, turning the entire space into an instrument. The performance will feature other signature instruments designed by Close, in a musical program likely to include Earth Harp solos as well as covers of rock and pop hits.

In addition to being finalists on America's Got Talent, performing at NFL events, and being part of Cirque du Soleil's Ka show in Las Vegas, Close and the musicians and artists who make up the Earth Harp Collective have thrilled audiences worldwide with their innovative fusion of live music, art, and architecture.

ABOUT RHYTHMIC CIRCUS

"They bring the furious funk...and tap their way into everyone's hearts!" –Star Tribune

"An exuberant, toe-tapping, hand-clapping hour-and-a-half of music and dance!" –Theatermania

"A family-friendly tap extravaganza!" –New York Post

The 11 hoofers and musicians who are Rhythmic Circus have hit the road with a trunk full of tap shoes, funky costumes, a seven-piece brass band, and a human beat box ready to burst onto the stage in Feet, Don't Fail Me Now! The show premiered in 2008 when four Minneapolis-based tap dancers and seven musicians joined forces to create what they describe in their press materials as "a wildly creative view into the indomitable power of the human spirit."

With their joyous parade of genre-hopping original music and hard-hitting percussive tap, it's easy to see why this wildly creative troupe has audiences from the Kennedy Center to the Edinburgh Festival-where they won the Spirit of the Fringe Award-jumping out of their seats at their high-octane performances. Now an international sensation, the company's brilliance is proven by the rave reviews, sold-out engagements, and numerous awards-including two Sage Awards for Outstanding Ensemble and Performance, the aforementioned Spirit of the Fringe Award (the Edinburgh Fringe Festival's top theatrical award), two Upper Midwest Emmys, and more-bestowed on its original production, Feet, Don't Fail Me Now!

According to the Rhythmic Circus website, the company created Feet, Don't Fail Me Now! "to get people back in touch with the spirit of celebration." The title comes from a New Orleans chant dating back to the early 1900s, which Rhythmic Circus has adopted as its rallying cry. And although the show also includes an a cappella and tap duet, a percussive chair routine (think STOMP), and an acoustic number inspired by a Minneapolis front porch jam session, nowhere is that spirit more evident than in its perennial crowd pleaser, "Circus," in which the dancers-decked out in colorful marching band attire-join the musicians in an intense, fast-paced number that features a tuba solo, original vocal lines, and tap breakdowns.

Although the company's official inception was in 2007, the troupe's core members have been collectively choreographing and performing together since 2000. Under the artistic direction of Ricci Milan and executive direction of Nick Bowman, Rhythmic Circus includes dancers Bowman, Galen Higgins, Milan, and Kaleena Miller, as well as guitarist Alex Rossi, beatboxer Aaron Heaton, keys player Cornell Blanchard, drummer Patrick Nelson, bassist Dan Ristrom, saxophonist Peter Vircks, and trumpeter Aaron Wiener.

TICKETS

Single tickets to William Close and the Earth Harp Collective and to Rhythmic Circus: Feet Don't Fail Me Now! are $20-$50. Discounted, subscription series tickets to the Nazareth College Arts Center 2015-2016 Season are still available; subscribers receive a discount off single ticket prices and additional benefits when purchasing tickets to three or more different shows. For single or subscription tickets call – or visit – the Box Office: 585-389-2170 or order online: artscenter.naz.edu.

The Nazareth College Arts Center Box Office is located on campus at 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, New York, 14618. Regular box office hours are Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm and 11am until curtain time on performance days.

SPONSORS

The Arts Center is a non-profit institution. The Nazareth College Arts Center's 2015-2016 subscription series is sponsored by M&T Bank. The Arts Center wishes to thank Drs. Dawn and Jacques Lipson for their ongoing support.

The performance by William Close and the Earth Harp Collective is sponsored Drs. Dawn and Jacques Lipson. Rhythmic Circus: Feet Don't Fail Me Now! is sponsored by Diana and Tom Kelly.

THE NAZARETH COLLEGE ARTS CENTER

Since 1967, the Nazareth College Arts Center has served as a venue and educational resource for students, educators, artists, and audiences of all ages to create, study, and experience the visual and performing arts. The Arts Center's Subscription Series and K-12 School Performance Series provide area residents of all ages with opportunities to experience world-class dance, multi-cultural entertainment, family programming, music, theatre, and special events. The Arts Center's Subscription Series complements the College's highly regarded academic programs in the visual and performing arts. The Departments of Art (naz.edu/dept/art/), Music

(naz.edu/dept/music/), and Theatre and Dance (naz.edu/dept/theatre-dance/), present exceptional productions, recitals, and exhibitions, which are open to the public, while preparing students for successful careers in arts-related fields.

The Nazareth College Arts Center is the performance home of the Rochester City Ballet and world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance; and is home to the Bach Children's Chorus.

For more information, visit artscenter.naz.edu.

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