Tim’s Picks: Let the LSO conductor auditions begin
The first of three finalists for Lafayette Symphony Orchestra’s conductor position arrives. It’s among five of the best ideas heading into your Greater Lafayette weekend.
Thanks for sponsorship today from Purdue Convocations. Purdue audiences have been loving Emmet Cohen since his trio backed up jazz vocalist Veronica Swift in 2019. Through continuing connections with his Live from Emmet’s Place Monday night streams and an amazing return to Purdue in 2022, this year’s encore performance comes on the heels of even more accolades, as his piano chops continue to inspire reviews from outlets like The New York Times who have called him “an obvious heir apparent to the neo-traditional jazz mantle.” Special guests include jazz greats Tivon Pennicott (saxophone) and Bruce Harris (trumpet). Catch Emmet Cohen Trio & Friends, Saturday, Nov. 18, at Loeb Playhouse. BUY TICKETS
Thanks, also, for ongoing sponsorship help from the Long Center for the Performing Arts, presenting Kenny G and the Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour 2023, Dec. 12. Get tickets here.
And now, with five of the best ideas heading into your weekend, here’s …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
Spin Class with DJs Kyle Robert Paquin, Elijah Zane and Sebastian Welch, 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, The Spot Tavern, 409 S. Fourth St., Lafayette — Curated by Indianapolis/Lafayette DJ extraordinaire Kyle Robert Paquin, The Spot will piggyback from its successful Friday night DJ patio dance nights over the summer to debut a fall, winter and spring monthly showcase dubbed Spin Class. While bicycle shorts are optional, the goal is to move that bod and sweat it up even when the temperatures drop like it’s not hot (sorry). KRP will start things off before Elijah Zane and Sebastian Welch take over the turntables in the Spot’s music room. $5.
Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette — For the first time in 16 years, the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra will perform without Nick Palmer as its musical leader. The LSO will “audition” three candidates to accept the baton to become only the sixth conductor in the orchestra’s 73-year history. Named “Best Classical Conductor” by the Nashville Scene, Kelly Corcoran is the first candidate. She serves as artistic director and conductor of Intersection, a contemporary music ensemble now in its ninth season in Nashville, Tennessee. Corcoran founded the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted the Nashville Symphony in hundreds of performances for nine seasons as associate conductor and director of the Symphony Chorus. She has guest conducted many major orchestras including The Cleveland Orchestra, the Atlanta, Detroit, Houston and National Symphonies and orchestras in Argentina, England, Germany, Czech Republic, Spain, Mexico and Chile. Corcoran has worked with artists such as Bela Fleck, Leslie Odom Jr. and Amy Grant. For her showcase, Corcoran will lead the LSO through a program of “interpersonal connections” including “Le Tombeau de Couperin” (Maurice Ravel), “Coincident Dances” (Jessie Montgomery), “Seven O’Clock Shout” (Valerie Coleman), and “Enigma Variations” (Edward Elgar). The evening also features Keller Concerto Competition winner Tara Kim, performing Mendelssohn on piano. The other potential LSO conductors, Kellen Gray and Kalena Bovell, will present their talents in April and May, respectively. $8-$39. Tickets.
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Emmet Cohen Trio, 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center, Purdue University — New York jazz piano phenomenon Emmet Cohen returns to Greater Lafayette with his trio, which has had a busy last few years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cohen was one of the thousands of artists that began livestreaming concerts from their homes. Cohen’s caught on quickly by featuring the finest NYC jazz musicians. But Cohen himself is no slouch. Jazz critics have called the young musician “one of the finest piano players to emerge in decades” and “a supremely gifted and impassioned artist of the highest order.” Cohen also works diligently in music education, spreading his talents to schools all over the country with the goal of sharing the joys of jazz with kids. Cohen and his band will be joined by saxophonist Tivon Pennicott and Bruce Harris on trumpet. $24-$32. Tickets.
Nate Venturelli, 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, Neon Cactus, 360 Brown St., West Lafayette — The Neon Cactus returns to its country music roots when it welcomes Northwest Indiana country singer Nate Venturelli, a blue-collar performer who is a welder by trade. His songs “Union Man” and the new “That’s Life” garnered 300,000-plus streams and both speak on the plights of the worker. “Union Man” was inspired by his grandfather’s job as a Union Steel Worker and how that work still resonates in his life and the lives of thousands of other workers in The Region. Over the years, Venturelli has opened for the likes of Travis Tritt, Darius Rucker and Randy Houser around the Midwest. He is a two-time Josie Music Award-winner, a showcase for independent musicianship based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Palace Kat, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, The Arts Federation, 638 North St., Lafayette — Young, local jazz act Palace Kat will celebrate one year of gigging by headlining an all-ages blast off in downtown Lafayette. That’s like four years in Palace Human years. The musicians will be joined by collaborators new and old, and the audience will be treated to the debut of new Palace Kat kompositions and merch. $7.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
Thanks, again, for ongoing sponsorship help from the Long Center for the Performing Arts, presenting Kenny G and the Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour 2023, Dec. 12. Get tickets here.
Thanks, also, to Purdue Convocations, presenting the Emmet Cohen Trio & Friends, Saturday, Nov. 18, at Loeb Playhouse. Get tickets here
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