|
 |
|
|
Summer Music
in the City
By Linda F. Jarrett
This summer, St. Louis City and County parks are alive with the
sound of music, FREE music, and music to suit every taste, from
blues to Zydeco, and all types in between. Concertgoers are encouraged
to bring their blankets and chairs, the better to enjoy music under
the summer stars. Some venues permit coolers and picnic baskets,
others do not, so it would be best to call or check their websites
before packing the car.
Whitaker
Music Festival, Missouri Botanical Garden |
|
Besides being the flora and fauna showplace of the Midwest, The
Missouri Botanical Garden sponsors one of the area’s most popular
musical events, the Whitaker Music Festival.
Free concerts run from now through Aug. 9, every Wednesday beginning
at 7:30 p.m. Acts include Missouri folk and bluegrass group, Flying
Mules, Autumn’s Child, and Raven Moon. www.mobot.org.
The Carondelet Betterment Federation features concerts at two parks.
Carondelet Park at the corner
of I-55 and Loughbor-ough Avenue will have concerts every Sunday
during July and August. Herb Eberle, Zydeco Crawdaddys and Die Spitzbaum
are three of the bands that will perform. Bellerive
Park, overlooking the Mississippi River at South Broadway
and Bates Street present will present concerts every Monday during
July with bluegrass bands The Greers, Midnight Flight, Meramec Jets
and the Chris Talley Trio. Concerts run from 6 to 8 p.m. at both
parks, and vendors will be selling snacks and drinks. www.ccbf-inc.org.
|
Compton
Heights Band concert in Tower Grove Park |
|
The Compton Heights Concert Band
has been entertaining thousands of St. Louisans since 1976, and
this year is no different. They perform “Sunday Serenades” at 7:30
p.m. from July 2 through Aug. 13 at Francis Park, Eichelberger and
Donovan, and “Musical Mondays” July 3 through Aug. 14 at Tower Grove
Park, South Grand and Magnolia Avenues. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.
ww.stlouis.missouri.org/chband.
Always a favorite destination, Lafayette
Park in the Lafayette Square Neighborhood attracts large
crowds with their summer concerts. Neighborhood restaurants sell
food and drink, and concerts are signed for the hearing impaired.
Concerts run from 6 to 9 p.m. on July 1, 15, 29 and Aug. 12 and
26. The Arts Council of Lafayette Park has enlisted groups such
as the Murder City Players, Swing Cat Swing and Anna Harris. The
concert season ends on Sept. 9 with a “Taste of Lafayette” all day
concerts. www.lafayettesquare.org.
MUSIC FROM THE MUNICIPALITIES
For those who don’t want to drive far from home many area municipalities
feature open air music events.
University City hosts two summer-long concerts. The Market in the
Loop features marches, show tunes and big band music at 7 p.m. on
Tuesdays. Heman Park is the location for the Annual
Starlight Concert Series starting 7:30 p.m. on Mondays.
Concertgoers will be treated to Jazz, blues, R&B, and Motown for
starters. www.ucity100years.org.
The Maplewood Community Betterment Foundation along with the Chamber
of Commerce presents concerts on the fourth Wednesday of the month
in Junior High Park at Lyndover and Sutton. Festivities start at
6 p.m. and will feature Gumbohead, Magic Jam and the Javier Mendoza
Band. www.maplewoodchamber.com
Brentwood Sounds of Summer Concert Series
will be held at Field 4 in Brentwood Park. Fanfare performs July
7, Aug. 4 sees the Baker McClaren Band, and Cruzen cruises in on
Sept. 16. Times are 7 to 10 p.m. with Sept. 16 from 5:30 to 8:30
p.m. www.brentwoodmo.org
Music and movie lovers can head for Gazebo
Park at the corner of Big Bend Boulevard and Old Orchard
in Webster on July 7, 14 and 21 for movies and music under the stars.
Music starts at 7 p.m. with a movie following at 9 p.m. Entertainment
for July 7 will feature Erin Bode with the movie, “Sixteen Candles,”
on the 14, Two Car Garage with “Beach Blanket Bingo,” and on the
21st, Farshid Etniko with “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.”
The Making Music Concert Series,
sponsored by the Kirkwood Area Arts Council and Kirkwood Parks Department
will be July 22, Aug. 12, and Sept. 10. The July and Aug. concerts
perform at the Lions Amphitheater in Kirkwood Park, with the September
concert at the Monaco Park Gazebo in Glendale. The music begins
at 7 p.m. (314) 965-7100.
Des Peres will hold its Parties in the
Park at Des Peres Park, 12325 Manchester Rd. Velvet and
Satin performs on July 14 with the Ralph Butler Band on August 11.
Times are 7 to 9:30 p.m. www.desperesmo.org
The City of Florissant and the Florissant Fine Arts Council present
their Music under the Stars Concert Series every Sunday from
July 16 through August 20 at St. Ferdinand Park by the Lake, No.
25 St. Ferdinand Street. Artists include Bob Kuban Brass Band, The
Boeing Employees Concert Band and SmashBand SuperHits. www.florissantfinearts.com
The county contributes
St. Louis County Park Department offers a myriad of concert opportunities
ar parks around the county. www.co.st-louis.mo.us/parks
On Sat., July 8, George Portz and his Friends
of Bluegrass will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. at Suson Park,
6059 Wells Rd.
The Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the St.
Louis County Parks Department, features concerts from 7 to 9 p.m.
on Tuesdays at Faust Park, 15185
Olive Blvd., through Aug. 15, with such names as Spectrum, St. Louis
Brass and Bob Kuban. Concession stands open at 5:30 p.m.
On Sept. 8, 15, 22, and 20 the Parks Department present their “Blues
on the Mississippi” series at Jefferson Barracks Park,
I-55 and Telegraph Rd. from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. Performers include
Chubby Carrier, Mark Stallings and Renee Smith.
Further afield
The Historic Downtown Association of St. Charles will hold their
annual Music on Main on the
third Wednesday of every month from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Look for the
event on the 100 and 200 blocks of North Main St. in St. Charles.
(636) 946-7776.
On the east side of the Mississippi, the Belleville Chamber of Commerce
will hold the Fusion Street
Fest on Belleville Main Street
on July 21, 22, Aug. 18, 19, Sep. 15, 16, and Oct. 20, 21. Fridays
5 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays noon until 10 p.m. www.bellevillemainstreet.net/fusion.htm
Take advantage of the region’s diverse summer outdoor entertainment
offerings. They’re free and they’re fun—what more can you ask for
on a balmy summer evening?
|
RUSSEL E. AND FERN M. HETTENHAUSEN
CENTER FOR THE ARTS
|
When
the Russel E. and Fern M. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts
opens in November, Southern Illinois denizens will get the
opportunity to experience quality theater in their own backyard.
Located at McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., the $10 million,
34,400-square-foot theater is scheduled to be completed this
summer.
Rendering
for McKendree College new Center for the Arts
|
|
Director Peter Palermo, former director of operations and
project manager for the Stern Grove Festival Association in
San Francisco, was brought in by the College to handle the
task of building a comprehensive arts program for the students
and attract the community.
“This is a state–of-the-art theater,” Palermo says. “It will
have all the modern facilities that a theater should have
with a full-size stage and a 500-seat auditorium. Attached
to it will be facilities for the band and the choral department,
with offices and practice rooms.
“Our stage is 45-feet wide and 25-feet tall,” he says, comparing
it to New York’s Metropolitan Opera House stage which is 50-feet
wide and 40-feet tall. “We will be able to do full-scale ballet,
opera or any type of play or dance that you can throw at us.”
The Center’s main objective is to provide students with an
experience that is of a much more professional quality than
what they have been doing.
“We want to give the students a chance to perform on a stage
that they would encounter in the real world,“ Palermo says.
“So the College went around raising money and finding generous
donors, such as Fern Hettenhausen who gave a very significant
gift. That is why the building bears hers and her husband’s
name.”
The Center’s maiden season will feature both student and professional
performances, Palermo says. “Some of the professionals appearing
will be the Cypress String Quartet on Nov. 28; New Orleans
Jazz Orchestra on Jan. 31, 2007, Giordano Jazz Dance from
Chicago, Ill., on Feb. 14, and the Montana Repertory Theater
from Missoula, MT doing “Lost In Yonkers’ on March 8. We will
be announcing other events.”
McKendree College is just a 25-minute drive from Downtown
St. Louis, and Palermo hopes that St. Louis and Metro East
residents will make the trip to the Center for a large theater
experience. |
|
|
|
|
|
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
|
