The 2012-2013 Patten Performance Series continues to bring the world’s most innovative artists to Chattanooga. This season features performances from popular music artists, comedy tropes, and dance companies. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at the UTC Fine Arts Center at the corner of Vine and Palmetto Streets.
“This season’s performers once again showcase the world’s incredible talents. Our musical artists cover the world from Denmark to Canada,” UTC Chancellor Dr. Roger Brown said.
The Secret Sisters will open the season on Tuesday, September 11. It was the sisters’—Laura and Lydia Rogers—vocals and their love and respect for music and harmony that first caught the attention of T Bone Burnett, legendary music producer. As Burnett explains, “I’ve been making music for over forty years and The Secret Sisters are as close to pure as it gets. Listening to them sing, you hear a sound that is timeless and of the moment..”
Join The Second City as they return to Chattanooga just in time to keep us from going crazy with the season’s politics on Tuesday, October 16. Second City for President: a gut-busting comedy revue that doles out laughter at the expense of both sides of the aisle as well as comedy that is decidedly un-political, un-censored and un-abashedly hilarious. Today, The Second City continues to produce the premiere comic talent in the industry. From Mike Myers to Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert to Tina Fey – The Second City imprint is felt across every entertainment medium.
Continuing its rich tradition of bringing talented dance companies to Chattanooga, the Patten Performances present the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company on Tuesday, November 13. This company needs little introduction; an 11-year collaboration between Jones and Zane (1948-1988) redefined the duet form and foreshadowed issues of identity, form and social commentary that would change the face of American dance. The Company has performed in over 200 cities in 30 countries on every major continent.
Bringing work from his latest album, The Rumba Foundation, Jesse Cook heats up the stage at the UTC Fine Arts Center in the middle of winter for an incredible evening of incendiary guitar playing and rhythms from around the world on Tuesday, February 5. Cook has ruled the Billboard jazz and world music charts for years – since his Juno Award-nominated DVD Jesse Cook Live at the Metropolis (filmed at the 2007 Montreal Jazz Festival) with his Top 3 single, Café Mocha, and his #1 album Frontiers.
River North Chicago Dance Company will make its Chattanooga debut on Tuesday, March 5. River North Chicago Dance Company, founded in 1989 by four visionary dancers/choreographers, has established itself as one of Chicago’s leading dance companies, receiving critical acclaim both on a national and international level. Under the direction of Artistic Director Frank Chaves, the jazz-based contemporary company embodies a true flavor of “Americana” in its dynamic repertoire. The Company is recognized for its highly skilled and emotive dancers, stimulating music, and bold and commanding choreography.
Trio con Brio Copenhagen is a unique fusion of family ties, cultural blending, and musical connections that converge to color, shape and energize the concerts they present worldwide. They’ll perform on Tuesday, March 19. Korean sisters Soo-Jin and Soo-Kyung Hong and Danish pianist Jens Elvekjaer created the Trio in Vienna in 1999 with the concept of pairs coming together. The Trio first commanded international attention with a performance that took the highest prize at Germany’s prestigious ARD-Munich Competition in 2002.
To close the season, the Tony-winning New York theatre group The Acting Company will perform an adaptation of Steinbeck’s classic Of Mice and Men on Monday, April 15. Founded in 1972 by legendary producer/director/actor John Houseman and current Producing Director Margot Harley with members of the first graduating class of Juilliard’s Drama Division, The Acting Company has since performed 136 productions for more than 3 million people in 48 states and ten foreign countries. The Company has given a generation of actors the opportunity to master their craft.
The Patten Performances series was inaugurated by the University in 1980 as the Dorothy Patten Fine Arts Series, in honor of one of Chattanooga’s most famous performing artists. Patten appeared in over 30 Broadway plays, countless touring and summer stock productions, television shows and the movie Botony Bay, with Alan Ladd and James Mason.
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