小黄书

America鈥檚 premier reed quintet kicks off 2019-20 Lyceum Series at 小黄书

America鈥檚 premier reed quintet kicks off 2019-20 Lyceum Series at 小黄书

Akropolis Reed Quintet is performing Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. as part of 小黄书鈥檚 2019-20 Lyceum Series. (Photo submitted/by Gary Norman)

Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擲even-time national prize-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet will kick off the upcoming season of Mississippi State鈥檚 Lyceum Series.

Performing Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in Lee Hall鈥檚 Bettersworth Auditorium, the quintet has been hailed by Fanfare Magazine for its 鈥渋magination, infallible musicality and huge vitality.鈥 Doors open approximately 30 minutes before the curtain rises on all shows scheduled for the 2019-20 Lyceum Series, the university鈥檚 long-running performing arts program.

Founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan, Akropolis has won the 2014 Fischoff Gold Medal and the 2015 Fischoff Educator Award, among other honors.

The quintet is an alumnus of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals鈥 prestigious Young Performer鈥檚 Career Advancement Program and has received grants from such organizations as聽the National Endowment for the Arts, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and Chamber Music America.

Akropolis has recorded 17 original reed quintet works and released three studio albums, including 鈥淭he Space Between Us,鈥澛爓hich was called 鈥減ure gold鈥 by the聽San Francisco Chronicle. For more, .

Lyceum organizers are offering traditional season-ticket packages. A mini-series ticket option also is available and features guaranteed reserved seating at a discounted rate. Mini-series purchases include attendance to three programs.

For ongoing Lyceum patrons, June 3-21 are the season ticket renewal dates, while June 24-July 19 are dates for new purchases of complete season packets. Mini-series tickets will be on sale July 22-Aug. 16; individual tickets, Aug. 19.

General public season tickets are $150 per person; $135 for 小黄书 employees and senior citizens. Mini-series tickets are available to the general public for $75 and $65 for 小黄书 employees and senior citizens.

Individual tickets are available for the general public at $30 for adults; $25 for 小黄书 employees and senior citizens; $10 for children age 3-12 or with school I.D./uniform; and free for 小黄书 students with valid student I.D. Purchases can be made online at . If available, individual tickets may be purchased at the door before each program.

Taking place at 7 p.m. in Lee Hall鈥檚 Bettersworth Auditorium, additional Lyceum events include:

鈥擮ct. 15, 鈥淭he Hot Club of San Francisco鈥 ensemble featuring accomplished and versatile musicians celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli鈥檚 pioneering 鈥淨uintette du Hot Club de France.鈥 The HCSF borrows the instrumentation of violin, bass, and guitars from the original Hot Club while breathing new life into the music with innovative arrangements of classic tunes and original compositions from the group鈥檚 superb lead guitarist, Paul Mehling. Featuring the violin of Grammy聽Award-winning Evan Price, the group also includes the velvet vocals of Isabelle Fontaine and a swinging rhythm section. For more, visit .

鈥擮ct. 27, 鈥淭aj Express: A Bollywood Musical Revue鈥 capturing the expressive spirit of the world of Bollywood movies through a fusion of film, dance and live music. Taking audiences on a live cinematic journey through modern Indian culture and society, the high-energy production celebrates new India鈥檚 pop music, Bollywood culture and deep traditions featuring colorful costumes. Vaibhavi Merchant has been the choreography director for more than 75 Bollywood films and received numerous awards for her work. Shruti Merchant, director and producer, is also among the industry鈥檚 top choreographers and has served as a judge on India鈥檚 leading dance reality show 鈥淒ance India Dance.鈥 For more, visit .

鈥擩an. 23, 鈥淰octave,鈥 an 11-member a cappella group from the Central Florida area. Formed in the winter of 2015, the singers represent diverse backgrounds, from Walt Disney World entertainment, gospel music and musical theater to contemporary Christian, barbershop and pop music. With multiple No. 1 songs and albums on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify, Voctave has ranked in the top 25 on Billboard Magazine鈥檚 charts. Between Facebook and YouTube, the group has received more than 100 million video views and currently has four albums that are digitally available on all platforms. For more, visit .

鈥擣eb. 25, 鈥淎rtrageous!鈥 troupe of artists, musicians, singers and dancers whose performance pays tribute to a variety of art forms, pop icons and music genres and culminates in a gallery of finished paintings. The group of friends began as street theatre performers in Vancouver and started the nonprofit 鈥淎ll and Everything Theater,鈥 focused on children鈥檚 entertainment, street theatre and life-sized Bunraku puppetry. For more, visit .

鈥擬arch 30, Aquila Theatre presents 鈥淭he Odyssey,鈥 an epic tale of one man鈥檚 decade-long struggle to return home. One of the most famous tales in world literature,聽Homer鈥檚 鈥淭he Odyssey鈥 remains an influential portrait of Odysseus鈥 monumental journey fraught with obstacles, dangers and temptations. Originally performed by highly skilled bards across the ancient Mediterranean world, this timeless poem will come to life with Aquila Theatre鈥檚 new dramatic adaptation. For more, visit .

In addition to six primary performances, the Lyceum schedule includes shows presented by 小黄书鈥檚 jazz, symphonic, community, and Maroon and White concert bands, as well as the Wind Ensemble. Details on these performances can be found online at or by phone at 662-325-2713.

For additional 小黄书 Lyceum Series information, contact the Center for Student Activities at 662-325-2930, visit or email lyceum@msstate.edu. Contributions to the Lyceum Series can be made via the 小黄书 Foundation by contacting Lynn Durr at 662-325-8918.

小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .