Tim’s Picks: Quite rightly
Starry Night, LSO's B-sides, jazz pianist Isaiah J. Thompson at Purdue, Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society's new season and more. Five great ideas for your Greater Lafayette week.
Thanks today for ongoing help from Based in Lafayette sponsor Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Lafayette, presenting comedian Luenell Oct. 18. For tickets for the show and details for other events, go to longpac.org.
And now, with five suggestions for your Greater Lafayette week, it’s …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
“They Call Us Mellow Cello,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, Rat Pak Venue, 102 N. Third St., Lafayette — Lafayette Symphony Orchestra cellists Eric Edberg and Sara Wollan will showcase their dual cello prowess through classical and pop selections as part of the LSO B-Side nightclub series. Edberg has become known for his improvisational skills on cello after years on the music faculty at DePauw University. From West Lafayette, Wollan is assistant principal cellist for the LSO and has lent her low-end string skills in various, smaller chamber concerts like a recent Celtic show in Frankfort, and this summer, she teamed with a pianist for a chamber concert in Oswego County, New York. $15. Tickets.
Starry Night, 7 p.m.-midnight Saturday, Oct. 12, Northwestern Avenue, Chauncey Village, West Lafayette — This weekend will make 20 Starry Nights in West Lafayette. The popular (and free) fall festival that blends live music, art, local merchants, interactive creativity, street food and nonprofit organizational support started small 20 years ago but grew quickly. In the last several years, Starry Night routinely draws thousands, and this weekend’s edition should do the same, backed by headlining singer-songwriters Brian Wight, Abby Holliday (both from Nashville, Tennessee), and Tooth & Nail recording artist Tyson Motsenbocker (San Diego). Presented by Purdue Christian Campus House, the 2024 Starry Night will help support Tippecanoe County’s Isaiah 117 House, which provides care for children awaiting foster placement, and Greater Lafayette’s chapter of Safe Families for Children, which seeks to provide support for vulnerable families in crisis.
The Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet, 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center, Purdue University — Young jazz pianist Isaiah J. Thompson has had a busy last couple of years: He won the 2023 American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz of the American Pianists Association, which has opened many doors for the New Jersey/New York City talent, including his office door as a member of the jazz studies faculty at The Juilliard School. He’s shared stages and tickled ivories for the likes of jazz veterans Christian McBride, Steve Turre, Catherine Russell and Buster Williams, and Wynton Marsalis has performed some of Thompson’s music. He even crammed his quartet (drums, upright bass and saxophone) into NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series for a riveting, high energy performance. A Purdue Convos show. $20-$25. Tickets.
Hallowine, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, Wildcat Creek Winery, 3233 E. County Road 200 North, Lafayette — Before the trick-or-treating and before the numerous events that will lead up to Halloween, get some relaxation in courtesy of fine Indiana wine, pizza and live music at Wildcat Creek Winery’s Hallowine series. This weekend, the afternoon of vino, mulled wine and cocktails will be enhanced by Rollin in Dough Pizza food truck and the vintage rock sounds of the Peter Ivanovich Trio, which specializes in tunes from the 1950s-1970s. Hallowine II will run from 1-4 p.m. Oct. 20 with similar spirits but with acoustic tunes from the Molter Brothers and savory sensations from Black Dog Barbecue.
“Ode to Napoleon,” 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, St. John's Episcopal Church, 600 Ferry St., Lafayette — The Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society is back with another loaded season of intimate concerts, starting with a rare performance of Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg’s “Ode to Napoleon.” The music is set to the lyrics of Lord Byron’s poem of the same name. Schoenberg penned the piece during World War II as a protest against tyranny and the horrors of war. TCMS’ presentation will feature a reciter or “sing-spieler,” Oliver Worthington, along with the lineup of top notch local and regional musicians — violinists Melanie Clapies and Colette Abel, violist Amy Brandfonbrener, cellist Sophie Benn and pianist May Phang. Brahms’ popular and romantic “Piano Quinet” will also be performed. $15, $5 for college students. Tickets.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
Thanks, again, to Based in Lafayette sponsor Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Lafayette. For information on upcoming events, go to longpac.org.
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