Llyn Foulkes (September 9, Barrick Museum) The painter, musician and performance artist opens UNLV’s Visiting Artist Fall Lecture Series, packed with emerging and established artists of varying disciplines. Also of particular note: Jennifer Wynn Reeves (September 23) and Judy Ledgerwood (October 28).
Operatic Love (Las Vegas Philharmonic, September 28, Smith Center) Anyone who caught the Phil’s performance of Mahler’s “Requiem” knows Reynolds Hall is perfect for sopranos. On a night of arias, duets and overtures, soprano Suzanne Vinnik and tenor Cody Austin perform Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Strauss under conductor Case Scaglione.
Matthew Schlagbaum (October 11-December 7, Contemporary Arts Center) The CAC brings in this Chicago-based artist, whose witty sculptures, often made of light, paint and found objects, are as poignant a commentary on contemporary life and personal issues as his humorous digital collages looking at the art world.
Kronos Quartet (October 21, Smith Center) Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the group—violinists David Harrington and John Sherba, cellist Sunny Yang and violist Hank Dutt—performs a U.S. premiere of work by composer Philip Glass, written and arranged specifically for the quartet. The program will also include works by Laurie Anderson, Richard Wagner, Jerry Garcia and George Gershwin, among others.
Ladies of Jazz (October 23, Smith Center) You might need to pinch yourself during this one: Three-time Grammy-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater shares the stage with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding, jazz vocalist Gretchen Parlato, pianist Gerri Allen and saxophonist Tia Fuller.
Vegas Valley Book Fest (October 30-November 2, various locations) Catherine Coulter, best-selling writer of suspense thrillers and romance, opens this year’s festival with a keynote address, and Luis Alberto Urrea, award-winning novelist and writer, closes it. In between: exhibits, panels, discussions and readings celebrating the written word.
A Tribute to Tchaikovsky (Nevada Ballet Theatre, November 1 & 2, Smith Center) Former Prima Ballerina Cynthia Gregory stages NBT’s presentation of “Swan Lake Act II” and “Sleeping Beauty Act III (Aurora’s Wedding),” two dance performances steeped in history and tradition.
Philip Denker’s Over and Under (November 1-29, Trifecta Gallery) Known for his geometric drawings and patterned pipe cleaner works, Denker returns—this time using plastic, proving he’s an expert in intense relationships between color and form.
2013 Fall Concert (Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater, November 8, Smith Center) Bernard H. Gaddis’ dance company presents its world premiere of the Gaddis-choreographed “Firebird,” with music by Igor Stravinsky, in an evening that includes Ulysses Dove’s “Bad Blood,” Alvin Ailey principal dancer Hope Boykin’s “Crashing Through” and Gaddis’ “Solstice.”
