Celebrating: Michael Feinstein on Judy Garland, and Silkroad on world voices, both at the Ferguson Center
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A number of celebrated musicians will take the stage this week at the Ferguson Center for the Arts at Christopher Newport University.
Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble will perform Tuesday, and five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein will pay tribute to Judy Garland, the legendary singer and star of “The Wizard of Oz,” on Friday.
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Silkroad Ensemble, “Uplifted Voices”
Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma formed Silkroad more than 20 years ago by bringing together some of the world’s most accomplished musicians in a spirit of collaboration. The group gets its name from the ancient Silk Road, various trade routes that extended from China to Europe and connected different countries and cultures.
Silkroad will perform “Uplifted Voices,” highlighting the music of under-recognized artists and art forms with folk music from around the globe, including those of Ireland, Japan and North American Indigenous peoples.
Silkroad is now led by its artistic director, Rhiannon Giddens, who rose to fame as a member of the now-defunct Carolina Chocolate Drops.
The group’s cellist and composer, Karen Ouzounian, recently said in an interview with George Mason University that when musicians of Silkroad collaborate, the “joy of performing together is electrifying.”
Silkroad features Pura Fé, lap-steel slide guitar and vocals; Haruka Fujii, percussion; Maeve Gilchrist, Celtic harp and vocals; Wu Man, pipa; Ouzounian, cello; Mazz Swift, violin and vocals.
If you go
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Ferguson Center for the Arts, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News
Tickets: $20
Details: fergusoncenter.org
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Michael Feinstein celebrates Judy Garland with “Get Happy!”
Michael Feinstein’s “Get Happy!” performance has Judy Garland’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, as the executive producer.
Feinstein, who specializes in the Great American Songbook, will present a journey through Garland’s life by telling stories he’s learned from Minnelli and other close friends of the late icon. The show will feature new arrangements and insights into Garland’s legend as a musical star.
In addition to his recordings, which have brought him five Grammy nominations, he has created an acclaimed NPR series and performed at venues including the White House, Buckingham Palace, Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. His PBS series, ”Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook,” received the ASCAP Deems Taylor Television Broadcast Award in 2010.
If you go
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Ferguson Center for the Arts, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News
Tickets: Tickets start at $38
Details: fergusoncenter.org
Colin Warren-Hicks, 919-818-8138, colin.warrenhicks@virginiamedia.com
