The New York Philharmonic String Quartet comprises four Principal musicians from the Orchestra: Concertmaster, Frank Huang; Principal Second Violin, Qianqian Li; Principal Viola, Cynthia Phelps; and Principal Cello, Carter Brey. All four members are multiple prize winners, have appeared as concerto soloists with the Philharmonic and orchestras around the world, and have appeared frequently in the Philharmonic’s chamber music series at David Geffen Hall and Merkin Concert Hall.
Step Afrika!
Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional African dances, and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.
Brap Ski 3
Come join local skier Karl Fostvedt aka Crazy Karl and crew as we celebrate the change of seasons and get stoked for the start of winter. Fostvedt’s 3rd installment of the Brap Ski series builds off the success and stoke generated from Brap Ski Volumes 1 & 2. This year’s film features the crew skiing in the backcountry surrounding Sun Valley as well as a highly anticipated Southern Utah desert skiing segment. Advance GA Tickets • $22.00 Day of Show Tickets • $30.00
Gruesome Playground Injuries
Join Sun Valley Playwright’s Residency for a FREE reading of Rajiv Joseph’s play “Gruesome Playground Injuries” on Saturday, October 14 at 7:00 PM at The Argyros in Ketchum. A Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time Obie Award winner, Rajiv Joseph is the 2023-2024 Resident Playwright of Sun Valley Playwright’s Residency. The reading is also directed by Rajiv Joseph, and it features David Janeski and Aly Wepplo. In “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” the lives of Kayleen and Doug intersect at the most bizarre intervals over the course of 30 years, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together. The reading is FREE, and reservations are required. To reserve a seat, visit www.sunvalleyplaywrights.org. SUN VALLEY PLAYWRIGHT’S RESIDENCY is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that fosters new relationships between theatremakers and Idaho’s Wood River Valley community and fuels the American theatre with invigorating new plays, in partnership with The Argyros Performing Arts Center and The Community Library. Now in its third year, Sun Valley Playwright’s Residency pioneers a radically new approach to supporting playwrights and the development of their new work, annually focusing with laser precision on an individual playwright who receives creative support to foster a …
What We’re Made Of: Sun Valley Bronze
When it comes to locally made hardware in the Wood River Valley, Sun Valley Bronze has you covered. This long-standing institution in the valley is an inspiration. Get to know them in this edition of, “What We’re Made Of.” Sun Valley Bronze What has now become a 30-plus-year institution in the Wood River Valley once had very humble beginnings, with founder Bob Commons starting Sun Valley Bronze (SVB) in his garage. Back in 1992, Bob was working in construction, building the high-end homes so ubiquitous in the area, while his wife, Debbie, drafted architectural plans. Frustrated by the lack of luxury hardware available for the jobs he was working on, and with 15 years of thoughts of starting his own business, Bob began experimenting with the casting process using old foundry equipment he purchased from the local high school shop department. Since then, the company has evolved into an internationally sold brand used by some of the top architects and designers in the world. What was once created in a garage is now operated out of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that utilizes robotics, CNC machines for patterning and machining, and 3D printing for prototyping. The luxury architectural hardware created by …
What We’re Made Of: Rocky Mountain Hardware
With a unique origin story and process for creating hardware, Rocky Mountain Hardware is a staple in the Sun Valley business scene. Get to know Rocky Mountain Hardware, from accessories and custom pieces to creating a life in the valley. Rocky Mountain Hardware Back in 1994, there weren’t many options for local hardware in the Wood River Valley. Mark Nickum ran a local door and window company in the Valley at the time and found he kept getting requests from clients looking for hardware for the doors and windows he was selling. Though there were a few options, there weren’t many. Luckily for Rocky Mountain Hardware, Mark decided to capitalize on this gap in the market and began messing around with metals on his own to create hardware for the doors and windows he sold. He landed on bronze as a high-quality metal and started working with a local friend at a foundry to create unique designs. As Mark received more and more requests, he realized he had something good going here and formed, along with his wife Patsy, Rocky Mountain Hardware (RMH). Next year will be RMH’s 30th anniversary, and while their offerings and operations have grown over the …
Frances McCormack: Above and Below
“I am almost never satisfied with a painting until it has surprised me in some way, and probably after working on it for long while, weeks or months sometimes…This happens when the image I am chasing on the canvas suddenly suggests another direction—color, orientation even—and it is so compelling I am willing to undo weeks of work to try to integrate this upstart outlier, this strange event.” – Frances McCormack Frances McCormack is a Professor Emerita of Painting at the San Francisco Art Institute who’s work as an abstract painter draws on the history of gardens and landscape design. Her paintings are invented spaces or interior theaters that are essentially images of the process of growth and transformation within a contained space. She has sought out these spaces or walled gardens in Rome at the Villa d’Este and Villa Lante, at the Alhambra in Spain, the Topkai Palace in Istanbul, in Mexico at the houses of the architect Luis Barragan, or Santa Barbara at Ganna Walska’s LotusLand. These places provide a container where the urgency and noise of everyday obligations fall away and the visitor has access to other dimensions of thought and feeling. Combining architectural elements and loosely interpreted …
Jarabe Mexicano
Jarabe Mexicano captures the nostalgic spirit of their border roots with their brand of “Bordeño-Soul,” which honors the musical tastes and cultural influences of its members. Jarabe, which translates to “concoction,” highlights the eclectic mix of genres they perform ranging from Mexican Folk, Rock & Roll, and Norteño/Tex-Mex to Latin Rock, Trio Romántico, and popular Cumbia. Their traditional Mariachi string instruments and Norteño-inspired drums complement dramatic vocals in English, Spanish, and Spanglish, and shows how this multi-generational ensemble embraces change while still honoring the past. As educators, cultural ambassadors, and advocates for the arts, the Vilar Performing Arts Center raves that Jarabe Mexicano is “thought-provoking, heartfelt, and engaging.”
Turtle Island Quartet
Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and 2008 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album, TIQ fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles, and by devising a performance practice that honors both, the state of the art has inevitably been redefined. Cellist nonpareil Yo-Yo Ma has proclaimed TIQ to be “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground – authentic and passionate – a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.” The Quartet’s birth was the result of violinist David Balakrishnan’s brainstorming explorations and compositional vision while completing his master’s degree program at Antioch University West. The journey has taken Turtle Island through forays into folk, bluegrass, swing, be-bop, funk, R&B, new age, rock, hip-hop, as well as music of Latin America and India…a repertoire consisting of hundreds of ingenious arrangements and originals. As Turtle Island members continue to refine their skills through the development of repertory by some of today’s cutting-edge composers, through performances and recordings with major symphonic ensembles, and through a determined educational commitment, the Turtle Island Quartet stakes …
Dublin Guitar Quartet
Described as a “quartet with a difference” by The Irish Times, Dublin Guitar Quartet is the first classical guitar quartet entirely devoted to new music. Since its formation at the Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama, the DGQ has worked to expand the limited repertoire by commissioning new works and adapting contemporary works from outside of the guitar repertoire. With the help of eight and eleven-string guitars, the quartet has created an original catalogue of arrangements by composers such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Arvo Part, and Gyorgy Ligeti. The DGQ’s work has brought the attention of some of the world’s leading composers.