Flynn Center Blog

by Steve MacQueen, Artistic Director

I arrived in Vermont for the first time on March 13, 2012 to interview for the job of artistic director at the Flynn. The temperature was 60 degrees. My rarely used winter coat spent the day slung over my shoulder. Locals, I noted, were walking around with a slightly dazed look.

I got the job—which was a pretty great day—and when I next arrived in Burlington it was June 1, 2012, the first day of the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. The opening headliner was my friend Marcus Roberts, a fellow Tallahasseean. The festival itself was a glorious way to start the job—the entire community was alive with music and good feeling. Good omens abounded. And they’ve held true.

The trade-offs from Florida to Vermont are pretty obvious—brutal summers/brutal winters, fern-bar/farm-to-table, swamps/mountains, red state/blue state, citrus/maple syrup, etc. I could go on and on. I prefer Vermont’s take on things. A lifelong itinerant, I was raised an Air Force brat and have moved quite a bit as an adult. The best part about Burlington is it feels like home.

As for me, being artistic director at the Flynn—as many informed me when I was in the hunt for it—is a dream job. People seem to like it—when I took over in the Flynn’s 31styear, I became only the 4th artistic director ever. In the performing arts world, the Flynn’s reputation is unimpeachable, known nationwide for presenting the best and supporting the newest. Rather than being sequestered on a college campus, the Flynn is in the heart of downtown, anchoring Church Street and managing the neat trick of both reflecting and defining the community.

I have been repeatedly blown away by the passion and professionalism of every aspect of the Flynn’s staff—the production crew brings the shows to life onstage; marketing gets the word out in creative ways, particularly with social media; development mines the deep support of the community; finance makes sure that the Flynn is healthy now and in the future; and education offers amazing performances, classes, and programs, bringing in an incredible 40,000 students for matinees each year. And that just scrapes the surface.

Kidd Pivot

David Hidalgo and Marc Ribot

In my first year here, I’ve seen a number of remarkable performances programmed by my predecessor, Arnie Malina. These include Craig Taborn’s majestic solo piano performance in FlynnSpace during the jazz festival; Nora Chipaumire’s harrowing dance performance Miriam; Chick Corea and Gary Burton’s sublime interplay and improvisational genius; Brooklyn Rider’s “new” chamber music, effortlessly mixing 19th, 20th, and 21st-century music; Kidd Pivot’s staggeringly inventive The Tempest Replica; Paco Pena’s explosive Flamenco Vivo, which alternated peerless musicianship with impossible footwork; the Bad Plus’ revelatory multimedia take on Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring; and the Joffrey Ballet’s first Flynn performance, presenting new works alongside the rarely seen The Green Table in a thrilling evening.

There were non-performance moments too, like watching the Improvised Shakespeare Company, exhausted after a day of travel and three performances, stick around to discuss improvisation with UVM theater students. Or listening to Wynton Marsalis’ motivational post-show speech to donors, a moving and hilarious talk that featured this brilliant line: “Musicians who just play for applause . . . that’s all they get.” And finally, eating breakfast at Mirabelle’s with guitarist David Hidalgo after his flight was canceled, being regaled with stories about Captain Beefheart and Bob Dylan, occasionally realizing, “Oh yeah, this is a guy whose music I have been listening to and revering for years.”

The 2013 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival (which I put together with new BDJF Managing Director Linda Little) will be my first public piece of extended programming in Burlington. I am particularly excited about a number of FlynnSpace shows, such as the virtuoso jazz harpist (no, really) Edmar Castaneda, who will blow your mind; the 20-piece Saturn People’s Sound Collective, conducted by Vermonter Brian Boyes, reflecting a fascinating Sun Ra-meets-world music esthetic; vocalist Gretchen Parlato, whose concept of the ‘new songbook’ features interesting song choices across the musical spectrum, all beautifully sung. And on the big stage I am thrilled to finally see a performance by Brazilian jazz/bossa goddess Eliane Elias, whom I’ve almost seen many times but never been able to close the deal.

The first year of programming is always challenging for a new artistic director, since it takes a while to really become integrated into a community and an organization, but it’s a process I’m enjoying. I’m already looking forward to the next season and the one after that, working on ways to deepen our audience experience while keeping alive the traditions that have made the Flynn such a strong force for the arts.

Oh, and it’s worth mentioning that when winter finally broke this year and we had our first warm days, my wife and I were among the locals wandering the streets with dazed looks on our faces.

Clark Russell’s Mixed Media opens in the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery on Saturday, May 18. 

Clark Russell in his studio.

Burlington artist Clark Russell has been making art paintings, collage, and wall sculptures since his post-college days, circa 1984. His new exhibition at the Flynn, Mixed Media, includes a collection of his abstract collage paintings and high-relief wall sculptures made from salvaged scrap metals. These three-dimensional wall pieces take center stage and seem to dance and float across the gallery walls.

“These artworks are made up of found pieces of metal that are altered and assembled, then drilled and bolted together,” Russell said. “The resulting wall sculptures do not attempt to describe, represent, suggest, or symbolize. Abstract in composition, they are built of real-life parts . . . Whatever you make of these artworks, they are meant to be experienced rather than solved.”

Born in St. Louis, Russell has been painting and making collage and sculpture since graduating from UVM in 1983. He is a singer/songwriter in the punk band BLOWTORCH and makes sound collage improvisation with fellow artist and musician Tom Lawson in the collaboration known as RECon. Russell has shown work throughout Vermont and the region. Among a long list of exhibitions he has had solo exhibitions at JDK, Firehouse Gallery, Rhombus Gallery, the Robert Hull Fleming Museum and the Living/Learning Gallery at the University of Vermont, and Songbird Gallery in Burlington, Vermont. He has also shown in galleries in New York and Quebec, Canada.

RECon (photo: Burlington Free Press)

In a rare public performance, RECon performs at this year’s Burlington Discover Jazz Festival on Friday, June 7 at 7 pm in the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery. Russell plays found sounds through tape decks, turntables, and mini-discs to the live keyboard improvisations of Lawson; the performance occurs as part of Russell’s artist reception, which starts at 5:30 pm.

The Amy E. Tarrant Gallery—an extension of the Flynn Lobby—is open to the public Saturdays from 11 am to 4 pm, and during First Friday Art Walk. Performance attendees may also view exhibits prior to MainStage shows and during intermission.

by Linda Little, BDJF Managing Director

Tickets for the 2013 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival are now on sale. Check out the line-up, and follow the festival on Twitter for live #BDJF updates.

Sarah Vaughn

It’s hard to believe that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. Three decades ago, the Fabulous Rotesians—a local jazz combo that included Steve Blair, Dave Grippo, and Peter Kriffs—played at the airport as the divine Sarah Vaughan came through the gate. This greeting marked the first-ever jazz festival performance, with Ms. Vaughan as our first headliner.

In the early years there was music at the airport, on the bus, and on every street corner; Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown performed in the Champlain Mill parking lot. Today, the festival has grown into a 10-day celebration hosting hundreds of events at over 25 venues, clubs, and restaurants. Every niche and alley in Burlington resonates with music and brings the city alive. In 1999, I had the pleasure of playing my first jazz festival as a member of the All-State Jazz Band opening for Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. I’m humbled to be able to lead the festival into its 30th anniversary as we entertain, educate, and celebrate jazz.

To help prepare for a landmark 30th festival, here’s some reflections on festivals past from some local jazz heads.

DAVID BECKETT (WWPV DJ)
2005 was a very memorable year for me because of luminous performances by the Bill Charlap Trio, and Kurt Rosenwinkel’s trio in FlynnSpace.

DAVE GRIPPO (Musician)
In 1988, I opened for Dizzy Gillespie at the Flynn with James Harvey and the H Mob. Following the performance, we held a 70th birthday reception for Dizzy at the now-defunct Déjà Vu restaurant. At the end of the night, my wife Kathy and I were honored to join the great Dizzy Gillespie for a casual walk down Church Street.

Dizzy Gillespie

PAUL ASBELL (Musician)
I’m grateful for the opportunity to play with many music icons at the Contois Jazz Jams. James Carter, Joshua Redman, Kermit Ruffins, and the Rebrith Brass band all stopped by over the years. To live in Burlington, yet be able to play with icons of the jazz world, has been a wonderful aspect of BDJF for many of us.

JEFF PHILLIPS (BDJF Advisory Board President)
In 1998, Dianne Reeves was scheduled to perform with her mentor, Clark Terry. Clark’s flight from Chicago was cancelled and Lester Bowie, who was performing that year with his Brass Fantasy band, agreed to sit in for Clark. The change was announced onstage and Lester emerged from the wings in his trademark white doctor’s coat, to my delight. It was a special moment and a great concert. It was the last chance we had to see Lester before he passed away.

MICHAEL ROSENBERG (BDJF Advisory Board)
In 1995, as a last minute addition, we opportunity-booked James Carter at Club Metronome, whose first album as a leader, JC on the Set, had just been released. I’d never heard a tenor player use the percussive breathing techniques Carter subsequently became famous for. He literally blew the crowd away. Carter’s performance was iconic, and we quickly booked him as a headliner for the 1996 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.

James Carter

1984 – Sarah Vaughan, Modern Jazz Quartet
1985 –Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra, Cramen Lundy,
The Barrett Sisters, Bobby Watson
1986 – Ella Fitzgerald, Abdullah Ibrahim
1987 – Count Basie All-Stars, Gary Burton Quartet, Ralph Towner, Don Pullen-George Adams Quartet, Vernon Jones
1988 – Dizzy Gillespie, Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Arkestra, Emily Remler & Mick Goodrick, Roomful of Blues, Lenny Pickett & the Borneo Horns, Vernon Jones Gospel Singers
1989 – Joe Williams, Geri Allen Trio, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Jerry Gonzales & the Fort Apache Band, Bob Telson & Little Village, Paradise City Jazz Band, Sonny Okosuns

Tito Puente

1990 – Betty Carter, Randy Weston African Rhythms with Andrew Cyrille, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Mahlathini & the Mahotella Queens
1991– Dave Holland Quartet, Cassandra Wilson, Frank Morgan & George Cables, Rebirth Brass Band, Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias, Avery Sharpe, Roomful of Blues, Bill Cole with Julius Hemphill & Abdul Wadid, Orange Then Blue, Kanza
1992 – Dorothy Donegan, The JB Horns with Maceo Parker/Fred Wesley/Pee Wee Ellis, Jane Ira Bloom, Carla Bley & Steve Swallow, Otis Clay & Ann Peebles with the Memphis Horns, Les Tetes Brulees, Attila Zoller Group
1993 – Tito Puente Latin Jazz All-Stars, Sheila Jordan, Don Pullen’s African-Brazilian Connection, The Skatalites, Don Cherry, Marva Wright

Betty Carter

1994 – Joe Henderson (with John Scofield, Al Foster & George Mraz), Kenny Burrell Trio, David Murray’s Shakill Warrior Quartet, Roomful of Blues, King Sunny Ade & His African Beats, Belizbeha
1995 – Betty Carter, Joshua Redman Quartet, James Carter Quartet, Jacky Terrasson Trio, Leon Parker Quintet, Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas
1996 – Max Roach & M’Boom, James Carter Quartet, Trio 4 (Reggie Workman, Oliver Lake & Andrew Cyrille), Houston Person & Etta Jones, John Santos & the Machete Ensemble
1997 – McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Smith, Dr. John, Abdullah Ibrahim Trio, Myra Melford Quintet, Luther Allison, The Bronx Horns, Jireh Gospel Choir
1998 – Roy Hargrove Sextet, Dianne Reeves with Clark Terry, Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy, Rebirth Brass Band, Cubanismo!, Gerry Hemingway Quartet, James Cotton,
Leon Parker Percussion Summit, Motion Poets, Jazz Mandolin Project, Combustible Edison

Dave Brubeck

1999 – Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter, David Murray Tenet, Danilo Perez Trio, Philip Hamilton, Lester Bowie with Fontella Bass, Terrance Simien, Sex Mob, The Toasters,
Nick Palumbo, Jireh Gospel Choir
2000 – Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, Dave Douglas Sextet, Chucho Valdes Quartet, Toots Thielmans, Shemekia Copeland, Henry Butler, Jazz Mandolin Project, Herbin “Tamango” van Cayseele, Corey Harris, Jeff “Tain” Watts Experience, Kenny Werner.
2001 – Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dave Holland Quintet, James Carter Sextet, Marcia Ball, Barry Harris, Los Hombres Calientes, William Parker, Ken Vandermark, Grupo Vocal Desandan, Matthew Shipp
2002 – Wayne Shorter Quartet, Regina Carter Quartet, John Scofield Band, Jason Moran Trio with Sam Rivers, David Ware Quartet, Avishai Cohen’s International Vamp Band, Son Seals, Olu Dara, Sandra Wright Band, Jerry Gonzalez Fort Apache Band

Sonny Rollins

2003 – Sonny Rollins, Trey Anastasio, Dave Holland Big Band, Andrew Hill Quartet, Alfredo de la Fe, Ray Anderson, Jean-Michel Pilc, Matthew Shipp Trio, Matt Savage
2004 – Branford Marsalis Quartet, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Omar Sosa Trio, Jane Bunnett & the Spirits of Havana, Randy Weston’s African Rhythms, Chris Potter Quartet, Steve Coleman & Five Elements
2005 – Madeline Peyroux Quartet, Kurt Rosenwinkel Group, McCoy Tyner Trio, Stanley Clarke/Bela Fleck/Jean-Luc Ponty Trio, Bill Charlap Trio, Sonny Fortune & Rashied Ali, Joe Lovano & Randy Brecker
2006 –Ahmad Jamal, Dianne Reeves, Vijay Iyer Quartet with Rudresh Mahanthappa, Dafnis Prieto, Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Jennifer Hartswick, Irma Thomas & Henry Butler, Kilimanjaro, Burlington Discover Jazz Festival Big Band

Esperanza Spalding

2007 – Eddie Palmieri, Esparanza Spalding, Kenny Garrett Quartet with Pharoah Sanders, Miguel Zenon, Chick Corea & Bela Fleck, Lee “Scratch” Perry, John Pizzarelli, Christine Jensen Quartet with Ingrid Jensen, Ryan Shaw, Magic Slim, Bettye Lavette, Naomi Davis & The Gospel Queens, Mary Lou Williams Resurgence Project, MaMaVig
2008 – Ornette Coleman, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Ledisi, Paquito D’Rivera, Joshua Redman Trio, hardcell, Trio 3, Lionel Loueke, Marcia Ball, Eek-A-Mouse, James Harvey
2009 – Diana Krall, Esparanza Spalding, Anat Cohen Quartet, Yusef Lateef, Branford Marsalis, Pink Martini, Belizbeha, Luis Perdomo Trio, Grace Kelly Quintet, Porter-Batiste-Stolz, Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher, Corey Harris, Pato Banton, Jennifer Hartswick

Bonnie Raitt

2010 – Sonny Rollins, Levon Helm, Luciana Souza & Romero Lubambo, Allen Toussaint, Mose Allison, Arturo Sandoval, Stephane Wrembel, Jim Hall Quartet, Gerald Clayton Trio, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Michael Zsoldos Quartet, Jason Kao Hwang, Wailing Souls
2011 – Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove, Catherine Russell, Roberta Gambarini, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Ray Vega Latin Jazz Quartet, JD Allen Trio, Jay Clayton & Sheila Jordan, Myra Melford Be Bread Sextet, Matt Schofield, The Abyssinians, Les Doigts de L’Homme, Viperhouse, “Bitches Brew Revisited”
2012 – Bonnie Raitt, Ninety Miles (feat. Stefon Harris, David Sanchez & Nicholas Payton), Bela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio, Christina McBride & Inside Straight, Dianne Reeves, Lee Konitz Quartet, Jonathan Batiste Quintet, Vijay Iyer, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Jimmy Cliff, Craig Taborn, Donny McCaslin Group, Tim Berne & Snakeoil, Mary Halvorson Quintet, Moon Hooch, Marco Benevento, Chicha Libra

Applications for the Vermont Artists’ Space Grant are welcome at any time and reviewed on a regular basis. This grant include six hours of creation time per week for 10 weeks at the Flynn and an opportunity for an informal public showing of the new work in either of the two FlynnArts studios or in FlynnSpace. To apply, click here.

We are thrilled to be collaborating on a new project that explores the themes of health, dignity, aging, memory, and perception. The creation of this work involves both experienced movers and the residents of Cathedral Square Assisted and Independent Living. We are facilitating a series of creative movement workshops for residents that focus on exploring movement and personal stories linked to the themes listed above.

Our ultimate goal is to create an evening-length piece that reflects our experiences with the Cathedral Square residents, the experiences and stories of the performers, and our own personal experiences related to these themes. As part of this work, Heather is conducting a number of oral history interviews with Vermonters related these themes. The oral history interviews will be incorporated into the sound score for the piece and will eventually have a home at the Vermont Historical Society Museum.

We are working with a core group of five company members and an additional group of five dancers. The piece as a whole will include twelve of us. We’re excited to be developing work in the studio and processing the creative movement workshops to turn what we develop there into choreography. This piece is a collaborative effort. In our early work in the studio we are focused on development of movement material. Some of this material will be refined and find a home in the work, some we will let go of. We are excited to see what will emerge!

by Stacy Raphael, Associate Director of School Programs

This year’s Vermont Young Playwrights Festival is on Wednesday & Thursday, May 15 & 16. Click here for more information.

Since 1995, when playwright Dana Yeaton and Vermont Stage Company initiated the Vermont Young Playwrights project, over 5,000 participating students have taken a stab at what is truly a challenging task—writing a 10-minute play for the stage. At the annual VYP Festival, professional actors and directors have brought over 400 of those plays to life over the years, many of them first efforts by the young playwrights. The results are sometimes funny, sometimes moving, often thought-provoking, and always surprising.

A young FlynnArts actress rehearses a student play.

For the last five years, the Flynn Center has been partnering with the Vermont Stage Company to bring professional playwrights to middle and high school classrooms for two or three full days over the course of a month or two. On the first day, students are introduced to the fundamentals of play writing and inspired by writing prompts to begin getting their ideas on paper. On the second (and optional third) visits, students read each other’s works-in-progress aloud, support and critique one another in a moderated feedback process, and refine their plays further. Teachers then select and submit three plays for festival consideration.

VYP Teaching Artist James Moore conducts a festival workshop.

A panel of theater artists reads and ranks these plays at the Flynn, and then passes the top two along to Vermont Stage Company. VSC casts the plays with topnotch actors, and assigns directors who present the plays at the May festival. One play from each school is rehearsed and performed onstage, and the second play receives a public cold reading with a moderated feedback session. Third place gets an honorable mention in the festival program.

In the last couple of years, we’ve expanded our partnerships to integrate into the Young Writer’s Project online platform and to increase participation by working with Weston Playhouse Theatre Company to serve schools in southern Vermont. We’ve also moved to a two-day festival in 2013 so that more schools can participate in this life-changing program.

We believe that every young person has something important to say. Through this wonderful program, we celebrate the creativity and courage of these inventive young playwrights!

An excerpt from Cut, Out
By Jack DeVos
Student at Hannaford Career Center, Middlebury, VT

JACOB  So, are you ready for this audition?
PETER  Um, I know all my pieces, I can play them with no mistakes, I’m not sure where I stand on personal connection, and that’s a big part of the score-
JACOB  You’re going to do fine, I know it.
PETER  How are you so sure?
JACOB  Just trust me; you’re going to go places, little brother.
PETER  I hope you’re right. This school, it’s all I want Jake-
JACOB  I know.
PETER  I just don’t see why they’d let me in.
JACOB  You want this right? You’ve been out till midnight in the barn practicing for this day for the past year and a half right?
PETER  Yeah.
JACOB  Then I’ll tell you what. If you don’t get in to this boarding school, I will take over the business.
PETER  You really have that much faith in me?
JACOB  You think I’d ever risk staying in this backwater town.
PETER  Thanks, Jake.
JACOB  You’d better get to work, Dad wanted twenty trees out of you before we leave.

by Fred Balzac, Lake Champlain Weekly

This article appears in this week’s issue of Lake Champlain Weekly.

On May 29, 1913, at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, all hell broke loose. That’s the night when the ballet, “The Rite of Spring” (“Le Sacre du Printemps”), had its world premiere. The work, as performed that evening, is the quintessential illustration of the term avant-garde.

With its pulsating score by Igor Stravinsky, unprecedented choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, and outlandish story of pagan rituals—climaxing with a young maiden dancing herself to death—“The Rite of Spring” was ahead of its time, certainly for many of the ballet-goers in attendance that night. The boos, hisses, and catcalls were so loud that the dancers could not adequately hear the orchestra, forcing Nijinsky to keep time by shouting out instructions from backstage. By some accounts, fisticuffs broke out among warring cultural factions in the audience.

According to Steve MacQueen, Artistic Director of the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, who researched the event for a talk he gave recently at the Burlington, Vt., arts complex, it was a “full-on riot.”

“It was an amazing evening, with people like Debussy and Gertrude Stein in the audience,” he said in an interview with the Lake Champlain Weekly. “From what I found, people actually were punching each other…. At some point, you couldn’t hear the music, and they had to throw some people out.”

Ironically, the initial reviews were generally favorable and did not mention the riot because the critics attended a preview prior to the premiere. “They missed the artistic event of the century,” Mr. MacQueen exclaimed. “It was a watershed moment [for artists] because it enabled you to do things you couldn’t do before.”

To commemorate the centennial of this seminal event, the Flynn is presenting Compagnie Marie Chouinard, which will perform its own highly regarded version of “The Rite of Spring” on Saturday, March 30, at 8 p.m. In Mr. MacQueen’s view, the Montreal based company’s eye-opening interpretation is likely to give its 2013 audience a taste of what it must have been like to be in the audience on that fateful 1913 night.

“Marie Chouinard is a provocateur in the best sense of the word,” he said. “She’s a very accomplished dancer and choreographer….Her take on ‘The Rite of Spring’ is quite different from Nijinsky’s, emphasizing the primal aspect….It puts the edge back into [the piece].”

Choreography with Backbone
Marie Chouinard burst onto the modern dance scene in 1978 with her first work, “Crystallization,” which, according to a Flynn press release, “immediately established her as an exceptional artist driven by an infectious search for the genuine.” Following a dozen successful years as a soloist-choreographer, she founded the Compagnie Marie Chouinard, which has performed on many of the great stages of the world and in virtually all of the most prestigious international dance festivals.

Of “The Rite of Spring,” which was created in 1993, Ms. Chouinard said: “There is no story in my ‘Rite,’ no development, no cause and effect. Only synchronicity. It is as if I were dealing with the very moment after the instant life first appeared. The performance is the unfolding of that moment. I have the feeling that before that moment there was an extraordinary burst of light, a flash of lightning.”

For Dorotea Saykaly, who joined the company in 2006, “The Rite of Spring” has such a spontaneous quality that, each time she performs the piece, it feels as if she and the other nine dancers in it are creating the work anew. Asked if she plays a specific character or role in it, Ms. Saykaly said no, emphasizing the non-narrative elements. “It’s more a celebration of life and sexuality and sensuality,” she said when reached by phone shortly after a performance of the piece in Chicago. “[It takes place] in the states of nature and evolution….There are solos and duos, trios and group sections…. It offers constant stimulation for the eyes.”

The roles are not gender-specific, and sometimes a role performed by one dancer in a given performance is taken on by another dancer at the next one. For all the physicality required of the dancers, Ms. Saykaly finds that the piece gives off an energy—something “The Rite of Spring” has in common with some of Ms. Chouinard’s other works.

“Although each one of Marie’s pieces is completely different…[the effect of her work] is very visceral,” said the dancer, who will open the evening in Burlington with a solo performance of “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun,” set to music by Claude Debussy. “There is a lot of spine movement involved….And because her works are so transparent, audiences are completely engaged.”

“Marie’s got a great eye for things. She knows what she wants and what she likes…. [The result] is a very intuitive art.”

Click here for ticketing information for Compagnie Marie Chouinard.

by Paula Roberts, Membership & Special Events Manager

The Flynn Dining Circle was created in 2011 to expand corporate membership benefits for restaurants. Over the years, the Flynn has received generous sponsorship from countless community restaurant friends through membership support and in-kind donations. These partnerships grew from former fundraising events such as Una Festa Italia and Fine Wine and Food Festival.

On performance nights, some of our nearest restaurant partners are busy, but they would love to see you. If you don’t have time for dinner, stop in with friends after the show for a drink or late night snack. Or, try an early dinner at a restaurant on your way to the Flynn for a performance.

When you visit Flynn Dining Circle restaurants, please tell your server that you’re dining there because they support the Flynn. We’re now sending performance reminder emails with a link to our Dining Circle, so be sure to check those out and make your plans—we want the restaurants to know that their support is being noticed in the community. Even if you’re not downtown, we have many Dining Circle members throughout Chittenden County who support the Flynn. If you’re planning a rehearsal dinner or birthday party, many of our partners host special events or, if you’re staying home for the night, some also deliver.

With your help, the Flynn’s Dining Circle will continue to grow. Bon Appétit!

Donnell Collins, executive chef and co-owner, Leunig’s.

Chiuho Duval, executive chef and owner, A Single Pebble. (Dining Circle photos: Brent Harrowyn)

David Hoene, executive chef and owner, Pauline’s.

Dining Circle Members
A Single Pebble
Akes’ Den
American Flatbread Burlington Hearth
Blue Cat Café
Bluebird Tavern
Chef’s Corner Café and Bakery
Chow! Bella
Church and Main
Dobra Tea
E.B. Strong’s
The Farmhouse Tap and Grill
Halvorson’s
L’Amante
Leonardo’s
Leunig’s
Pauline’s
Pistou
Pizzeria Verita
The Scuffer Steak and Ale House
Skinny Pancake
Sky Burgers
Sweetwaters
Three Tomatoes Trattoria
Trattoria Delia
Vermont Pub and Brewery
The Windjammer

by Fran Stoddard of Burlington Taiko

Fran Stoddard has been a performing member of Burlington Taiko for over 15 years. See the group perform a new piece commissioned by the Flynn on the MainStage, Sunday, March 24 at 3 pm.

I never would have guessed that a major part of my adult life would be as a drummer, much less a Taiko drummer.

Way back in 1995 (or so), I realized I knew a number of performers in the Burlington Taiko Group, including my future husband, Harry Grabenstein. It was a good bunch of folks: a few social workers, teachers, a lot of psychologists, a lawyer, a nurse, and a craftsman. I thought I’d give it a try as an exercise activity. It was certainly that, especially in those early days when three sets of 30 push-ups, sit-ups, and other calisthenics were a part of every rehearsal. But Taiko proved to be so much more. It was a great work out, but it was also meditative and challenging; it was making music and a unique performance outlet. I was learning intricacies of a foreign culture; I was hooked.

In those days, the group met in the loft of Memorial Auditorium, practicing on old tires strapped to folding chairs or, just before a performance, on drums lugged up three flights of stairs. The dedication was intense, but compelling.

Taiko is about precision and grace, timing and pushing limits. It is both joyous and an outlet for energy and passion. I’m still contemplating how this fierce energy is transformed into joyous spirit. I do know, at its best, we give that spirit and energy to the audience.

For Stuart Paton, the founder and leader of Burlington Taiko, Taiko practice honors his childhood spent in Japan as the son of American missionaries. But it was not until he returned to the US that he studied Taiko with Grandmaster SeiichiTanaka of the San Francisco Taiko dojo. He couldn’t have found a more important teacher: Tanaka Sensei is credited with initiating the development of Taiko in North America and is recognized as a National Heritage Fellow by the US National Endowment for the Arts and as a Cultural Treasure in Japan.

Taiko, Japanese for “drum,” refers not only to the art of Japanese drumming but also to the drums themselves. Over thousands of years, many areas of Japan developed unique choreography and rhythms for festivals or reenactments of historic events. The choreography is influenced by Shinto and Buddhist ritual, the martial arts, and the stylized movement of Japanese theater.

For many years, Burlington Taiko remained among the most traditional groups in North American.  Over time, with the encouragement of Tanaka Sensei and other Taiko groups, Paton Sensei and other members have been composing new work and creating unique arrangements of traditional repertoire.

Challenged by the Flynn Center to compose more new work, Burlington Taiko premieres two new works in March—one by Paton and a second, collaborative composition by Harry Grabenstein and Suzanne Hall—that reveal a diversity of influences. Paton’s works are influenced heavily by his memory of life in Japan. His proficiency in African and Afro-Caribbean drumming also bring those influences to bear in his composition. Hall brings dance rhythms, while Grabenstein is inspired by Spanish, African, and Irish rhythms, all in the context of Taiko—fierce, passionate, precise.

The March 24 concert features these five Burlington Taiko compositions and some classic favorites. We hope you come feel the expressive, exhilarating heartbeat that is Taiko.

Click here for Burlington Taiko ticketing information.

“The Taiko drummers are EXCELLENT! I’ve seen them a lot in Burlington and always enjoy hearing them play. It’s great to see them at the Flynn because it’s such a beautiful theater and the sound is great!” —Tate Agnew, age 9 (African drummer since age 7)

The clever and slightly irreverent work of East Montpelier artist Hal Mayforth inhabits the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery through the cold and dark months of winter, helping ease a viewer’s case of seasonal affective disorder as well as any therapeutic light box. His show, Subversive in His Own Little Way, is on display through Saturday, May 11.

Humorous illustrator and painter Mayforth was born and raised in Vermont. He was lucky to graduate from Skidmore College with a degree in fine art, as he spent most of his four years playing rock and roll in bars. After starting his illustration career in Boston, he returned to Vermont where he lives with his wife and three sons. He has continued his love of music and is the lead guitar player in the blues band, The Heckhounds.

Mayforth’s paintings have been featured in exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including the Housatonic Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut; the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles; the Sylvia Schmidt Gallery in New Orleans; Montserrat College in Beverly, Massachusetts; the Wood Gallery of the Vermont College of Fine Art in Montpelier; the Virginia Lynch Gallery in Tiverton, Rhode Island; the Furchgott-Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne; Studio Place Arts in Barre; The Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, and The Quimby Gallery at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville.

As a nationally recognized humorous illustrator, Mayforth’s work is published in national magazines and newspapers, including TIME, Newsweek, US News, and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, Outside, Sports Illustrated, Coke, Pepsi, IBM, HBO, Chase, and Bell Atlantic.

Subversive in His Own Little Way includes a series of works that have all had genesis in Mayforth’s sketchbooks. They include watercolors, abstract acrylics, word paintings, grid paintings, as well as humorous paintings done as self-generated illustration assignments to be sold as prints. An entire wall of sketchbook reprints show how important his sketchbooks are to his creative process and how his daily drawing regimen informs his painting.

Special Event: A Show & Tell
On Friday, April 5, Mayforth hosts a show and tell about his daily sketchbooks beginning at 6:30 pm.Gallery will be open at 5 pm for First Friday Art Walk.

Subversive in His Own Little Way is on display in the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery through Saturday, May 11. The Amy E. Tarrant Gallery is open to the public Saturdays from 11 am to 4 pm, and during First Friday Art Walk. Performance attendees may also view exhibits prior to MainStage shows and during intermission. To receive information about upcoming gallery exhibits and artist receptions, update your “My Account” page at www.flynncenter.org.