Next month, St. Louis’ own Denise Thimes will get her share of the spotlight at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
The acclaimed jazz vocalist will be performing at Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s intimate jazz lounge, Oct. 19 and 20.
Thimes has toured nationally and internationally over the course of her accomplished career, sharing the stage with the likes of David Sanborn, Wynton Marsalis and Tony Bennett.
Next month at Dizzy’s, she’ll perform alongside fellow St. Louisan and celebrated jazz musician Adaron “Pops” Jackson on piano (more news on Pops below), as well as Lonnie Plaxico on bass, Ernie Adams on drums and Henry Johnson on guitar.
The multi-faceted diva was recently seen on the theatrical stage, as “Nana” in Metro Theater Company’s much-talked-about production of “Last Stop on Market Street” earlier this year.
Speaking of Metro Theater, there’s plenty to celebrate in the coming months as the company prepares to mark its 50th year.
Metro – the third-oldest professional theater company in St. Louis – began in 1973 and has since earned recognition for its programming for young people.
Metro’s 2022-23 season officially kicked off this month with the world premiere of “Bold, Brave, Curious!” by St. Louis-based playwright Mariah Richardson. The play, which follows the story of 9-year-old Delilah and her BFFs Lupe and Stanley, demonstrates the bonds of friendship and empower young people to examine bias, community and individual power.
“Bold, Brave, Curious!” is currently touring schools across the region and will conclude with two performances at the Sun Theater Oct. 15 and 16.
In addition, the rest of this season’s lineup includes “Seedfolks” (Oct. 9 to Nov. 6), the world premiere of “Spells of the Sea” (Feb. 5 to March 5) and “Go, Dog. Go!” (April 2 to 16, 2023).
This weekend is your chance to show the city you call home some love: The Greater St. Louis Volunteer Fair will be held at the Gateway Arch with plenty of opportunities to serve your community.
Hosted by the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, the fair is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, outside the west entrance of the visitor center. Representatives from area nonprofits will be on hand with information about their mission and how you can get involved in their work.
The event is free to attend; the Stadium East Garage is recommended for parking but metered spots and other lots are available nearby. For more information, click here.
Save the date for Safe Connections’ Lotus Ball on Friday, Nov. 4. The annual gala celebration is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Safe Connections, one of the area’s largest organizations serving victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Proceeds from the event benefit Safe Connections’ award-winning and nationally recognized programs that help prevent and end domestic and sexual violence, including youth education, 24-hour crisis care and therapy.
The event at the Missouri Athletic Club downtown begins with a cocktail hour at 7 p.m., followed by dinner and a program at 8 p.m. For tickets and additional information, click here.
Gazelle is a proud media sponsor of the 2022 Lotus Ball.
And all that jazz… longtime jazz saxophonist and clarinetist Victor Goines is the new president and CEO of Jazz St. Louis.
Goines, who is also a composer and educator, has been a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis for almost 30 years. In fact, it was Marsalis who recommended Goines for the leadership role at Jazz St. Louis, following the departure of Gene Dobbs Bradford, who led the organization for 23 years.
Goines is a New Orleans native who has more than 200 original works to his credit as composer. As a performer, he has played with some of music’s biggest names like Terence Blanchard, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder, and has also appeared on a number of film scores, including Ken Burns’ “Jazz.”
Most recently, Goines served as director of Jazz Studies and professor of music at Northwestern University. He officially assumes his new role at Jazz St. Louis on Monday, Sept. 19.
“Pops” Jackson, who, as we mentioned earlier, is preparing to perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center alongside headliner Denise Thimes, has joined the board of directors of Pianos for People, a local nonprofit that provides free pianos and lessons to those who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
We can’t think of a more perfect Pianos for People ambassador than Jackson, who currently serves as director of the David and Thelma Steward Institute for Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In his role at UMSL, he conducts the University Jazz Orchestra and teaches jazz improvisation.
As the newest board member for Pianos for People, Jackson will help oversee, direct and support the operations of the organization, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Since its founding, Pianos for People has served more than 10,000 individuals from ages 4 to 74 through lessons, camps and community events. Last year, it marked the distribution of its 300th piano.
This Sunday, Nine PBS will premiere the documentary, “The Places Music Has Taken Me: An Unfinished Story of Sarah Bryan Miller,” a tribute to the legacy of the longtime St. Louis Post-Dispatch classical music critic, who was known to friends and family as “Bryan.”
Produced by video documentarian Miran Halen and narrated by St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conductor laureate Leonard Slatkin, the program features artistic leaders, colleagues and friends who honor the late columnist and speak to the significant role a classical music reviewer plays in a community’s arts and cultural scene.
The documentary airs on Nine PBS Sunday, Sept. 18, at 3:30 p.m.; and again on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m.
An award-winning journalist recognized for her media leadership and for promoting diversity in her profession, Gazelle editor-in-chief Trish Muyco-Tobin has more than 25 years of experience in print and broadcast media. She is also a journalism professor at Webster University. The Trish Set is her monthly St. Louis column featuring good news and goodwill.
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