Eugene Opera presents Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West at the Hult Center in Eugene, starring the Metropolitan Opera’s Emily Pulley. The opera is part of a larger citywide celebration of the women of the pioneer American West. Emily Pulley speaks with Eric Alan about her role, the cinematic score, and the universal themes of the Wild West.
Wes Corbett and Jacob Jolliff have been playing together for a decade on banjo and mandolin, respectively, most recently in the Boston string band Joy Kills Sorrow . Jacob Joliff also won the National Mandolin Championship in 2012. Wes Corbett teaches banjo at Berklee College of Music, where Jacob was the first full-scholarship mandolin student. They stopped by the KLCC studios to perform a few songs before presenting a duo show at a house concert in Eugene.
The Sprout Film Festival features short films about people with intellectual disabilities, at the Wildish Theatre in Springfield on Friday, March 14th. Laura Weil-Noppenberger, Community Outreach Coordinator for Full Access, and client Nickolas Kaasa talk with Eric Alan about the festival’s role in breaking down barriers and furthering inclusion.
Guest Speakers: Mark Beudert, General Director, Eugene Opera, and Director of Opera Notre Dame, University of Notre Dame; Emily Pulley, Metropolitan Opera soprano
The book I’m reviewing this month – Carl Hoffman’s “Savage Harvest” – is a bit of a departure for these KLCC reviews. For one thing, this is the first time I’m reviewing an advanced copy – the book won’t be available until later this month. For another, award winning journalist Carl Hoffman, perhaps best known for his book, “The Lunatic Express,” isn’t a Pacific Northwest writer. However, he will be speaking at Eugene Public Library in a free talk on March 27th as part of his book tour. So I thought it well worth bringing this fascinating book to your attention.
The Eugene Public Library is partnering with the Springfield Public Library, Oregon Contemporary Theatre and others for 2014’s Big Read—a month-long series of events around F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby. Historian David Turner talks about how Willamette Valley culture compares to Fitzgerald’s 1920s, while Big Read coordinator Allison Arnold details the month’s events.
Mick Moloney opens the 11th annual Irish Cultural Festival in Eugene on Friday, March 7th. Moloney has recorded over forty albums of traditional Irish music, and was the recipient of the National Heritiage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Mick Moloney speaks with Eric Alan about Irish music and culture, traditional and modern.
Egyptian-American playwright Denmo Ibrahim based her play Ecstasy: a Water Fable on an ancient Sufi tale. At the UO, it’s directed by Michael Najjar , and includes live music from the band Americanistan. Ibrahim and Najjar talk with Eric Alan about how an ancient fable is relevant to modern immigration issues, and to repairing a sense of disconnection shared across cultures and eras.
Singer/Songwriter Martin Sexton first made a name for himself playing on the Boston streets, after moving there from his initial home of Syracuse, New York. More than twenty years and ten albums later, he's built a loyal following for his expressive and inventive vocals and fine guitar playing. He stopped by the KLCC studios to perform a few songs before his show on March 5th t at the WOW Hall in Eugene.
