Event Title: The High Kings

Where: Pensacola Civic Center

Sunday, May 4, 2008

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The Creators and Producers of Celtic Woman Bring Ireland's The High Kings to Cities Across the U.S. in 2008
The creators of the smash hit Celtic Woman proudly announce U.S. tour dates for EMI/Manhattan Records recording artists, The High Kings. The all-male Irish music group will debut in Louisville on April 17 and then travel to 40 cities nationwide through the spring and summer. Tickets for most cities go on-sale March 17^th.
Renowned vocalists and musicians Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey and Darren Holden have joined forces to create The High Kings. The rich Irish history and impressive resume of each of these men makes The High Kings the most exciting Irish ballad group to emerge since the folk revival of the 1960s.
For centuries Ireland was ruled by High Kings, but as their reign came to an end, their lives became only a legend told through narrative and song. The High Kings bring that legend to life as they dazzle audiences with traditional Irish songs re-imagined with a modern twist by the acclaimed composer and musical director, David Downes. The exciting repertoire of The High Kings includes: Rocky Road to Dublin, The Parting Glass, Fields of Glory and the irresistible The Wild Rover.
"I am thrilled to bring this style of music back to the United States," says David Downes. producer for The High Kings. "Starting this spring, these four exceptional musicians will bring great music that is rich in Irish heritage to cities across the U.S. for a truly a unique music event."
The High Kings
Finbarr Clancy from Carrick-on-Suir, is the son of Bobby Clancy, who first made his name as half of a duo with his sister Peg. Later Bobby joined his brothers Liam, Paddy and Tom in The Clancy Brothers after Tommy Makem had split from the group. Finbarr, who is blessed with the rare Clancy charm, has played all over America with The Clancy Brothers and as a solo artist, but for the past two years he has been singing and entertaining in Shanghai.
Martin Furey, who lives in Kilmoganny, Co. Kilkennny, is the son of the renowned Irish piper and singer, Finbar Furey. The musical tradition in the Furey family goes back 200 years and multi-instrumentalist and singer Martin is proudly carrying on the musical legacy. Martin has played all over America and Europe as a solo artist and also as a duo called Bohinta with his sister Aine.
Brian Dunphy from Dublin is the son of Sean Dunphy, who was a major star of the showband era in Ireland in the 1960s. Following in his father's footsteps, Brian has sung all over the world as a featured soloist with Riverdance. He was also one of the Three Irish Tenors, who performed successfully across America, and this past summer he was the star vocalist at Doyle's Irish Cabaret in The Burlington Hotel in Dublin.
Darren Holden, from Mooncoin in Co. Kilkenny, began his career as a singer/songwriter and has written and performed with some of the world's top songwriters. Holden became a featured vocalist and toured the world with Riverdance for several years before landing the lead role of The Piano Man in the Broadway production of the Billy Joel musical Movin' Out. Darren also toured the United States, Canada and Japan for three years with this highly successful show. He is now back in Ireland, and coincidentally he was just reengaging with Irish Folk Music when he was invited to join The High Kings.
The intricate four-part vocal harmonies of The High Kings are backed by world-class musicians including: Martin O'Connor on the accordion, Nollaig Casey on the fiddle, Dave Keery and Ewan Cowley on guitars, Pail Moore on double bass and master percussionist, Robbie Harris. Also featured in the show is the acclaimed Irish dancer, Mick Donegan.
For more information and how to purchase tickets, visit www.thehighkings.com
May 4 Pensacola, FL Pensacola Civic Center

Event Title: Silent Salzburg

Where: UWF Studio Theatre

Friday, May 9, 2008

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Pensacola Opera and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services present Silent Salzburg at the University of West Florida
Silent Salzburg, a new, powerful play about an Austrian Christian family that goes into hiding in 1940 to protect their deaf teenage son from sterilization by the Nazis will receive its world premiere staging at the UWF Studio Theatre May 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th by Pensacola Opera in a partnership with the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida.
The drama, written by Richard Medugno, author of "Deaf Daughter, Hearing Father," will be directed by Pensacola Opera's director of Education and Community Outreach Timothy Kennedy, who plans to incorporate musical interludes and pantomimed sequences between the scenes.
While the story is not based upon an actual family, it is based upon historical events and actual Nazi persecution of the deaf. "Silent Salzburg" is unique as it was created for deaf and hearing actors to be performed for both deaf and hearing audiences. The play received its first public performances in a workshop production at the California School for the Deaf - Fremont's Little Theatre in the fall of 2006.
Playwright Medugno said, "I was inspired to write 'Silent Salzburg' when I thought about Anne Frank and her family and how using sign language in a hiding situation could be a huge benefit. I also considered the irony of a Christian family, who might have been supporters of the Nazis and Hitler, being confronted with a difficult decision when their own child is marked for treatment or extermination because of a disability."
Silent Salzburg is a continuation of last year's "Two Worlds" project, collaboration between Pensacola Opera and Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida, which uniquely uses opera as an education and outreach tool to bring hearing and deaf and hard of hearing audiences and performers together. The production features Justin Mapps and Aliona Guernsey as Hans and Marlena, deaf Austrian teenagers facing sterilization from the Reich. Other deaf and hard of hearing teens appear as Hans' friends, Gestapo officers, and others.
"Silent Salzburg is such a powerful play, and so perfect for our work with DHHS," said director Timothy Kennedy, "because it shows that treating any difference as an inferiority, a defect, can result not only in the horrors of the Holocaust, but in smaller ways of alienation - this is a family that goes into hiding to protect a son they've never learned to understand."
Silent Salzburg will be performed May 9^th and 10^th at 7pm and May 11^th at 2pm at the University of West Florida's Studio Theatre. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased from Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at (850) 433-7128 (voice and TTY). After each performance, there will be a talk-back with the director, playwright, and a staff member of UWF's ADA Services Department. The production is a benefit for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida, with all proceeds going to support their mission of providing quality services, resources, and information to persons who are Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, Hearing, or Speech Impaired throughout Northwest Florida.

Event Title: Silent Salzburg

Where: UWF Studio Theatre

Saturday, May 10, 2008

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Pensacola Opera and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services present Silent Salzburg at the University of West Florida
Silent Salzburg, a new, powerful play about an Austrian Christian family that goes into hiding in 1940 to protect their deaf teenage son from sterilization by the Nazis will receive its world premiere staging at the UWF Studio Theatre May 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th by Pensacola Opera in a partnership with the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida.
The drama, written by Richard Medugno, author of "Deaf Daughter, Hearing Father," will be directed by Pensacola Opera's director of Education and Community Outreach Timothy Kennedy, who plans to incorporate musical interludes and pantomimed sequences between the scenes.
While the story is not based upon an actual family, it is based upon historical events and actual Nazi persecution of the deaf. "Silent Salzburg" is unique as it was created for deaf and hearing actors to be performed for both deaf and hearing audiences. The play received its first public performances in a workshop production at the California School for the Deaf - Fremont's Little Theatre in the fall of 2006.
Playwright Medugno said, "I was inspired to write 'Silent Salzburg' when I thought about Anne Frank and her family and how using sign language in a hiding situation could be a huge benefit. I also considered the irony of a Christian family, who might have been supporters of the Nazis and Hitler, being confronted with a difficult decision when their own child is marked for treatment or extermination because of a disability."
Silent Salzburg is a continuation of last year's "Two Worlds" project, collaboration between Pensacola Opera and Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida, which uniquely uses opera as an education and outreach tool to bring hearing and deaf and hard of hearing audiences and performers together. The production features Justin Mapps and Aliona Guernsey as Hans and Marlena, deaf Austrian teenagers facing sterilization from the Reich. Other deaf and hard of hearing teens appear as Hans' friends, Gestapo officers, and others.
"Silent Salzburg is such a powerful play, and so perfect for our work with DHHS," said director Timothy Kennedy, "because it shows that treating any difference as an inferiority, a defect, can result not only in the horrors of the Holocaust, but in smaller ways of alienation - this is a family that goes into hiding to protect a son they've never learned to understand."
Silent Salzburg will be performed May 9^th and 10^th at 7pm and May 11^th at 2pm at the University of West Florida's Studio Theatre. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased from Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at (850) 433-7128 (voice and TTY). After each performance, there will be a talk-back with the director, playwright, and a staff member of UWF's ADA Services Department. The production is a benefit for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida, with all proceeds going to support their mission of providing quality services, resources, and information to persons who are Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, Hearing, or Speech Impaired throughout Northwest Florida.

Event Title: Silent Salzburg

Where: UWF Studio Theatre

Sunday, May 11, 2008

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Pensacola Opera and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services present Silent Salzburg at the University of West Florida
Silent Salzburg, a new, powerful play about an Austrian Christian family that goes into hiding in 1940 to protect their deaf teenage son from sterilization by the Nazis will receive its world premiere staging at the UWF Studio Theatre May 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th by Pensacola Opera in a partnership with the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida.
The drama, written by Richard Medugno, author of "Deaf Daughter, Hearing Father," will be directed by Pensacola Opera's director of Education and Community Outreach Timothy Kennedy, who plans to incorporate musical interludes and pantomimed sequences between the scenes.
While the story is not based upon an actual family, it is based upon historical events and actual Nazi persecution of the deaf. "Silent Salzburg" is unique as it was created for deaf and hearing actors to be performed for both deaf and hearing audiences. The play received its first public performances in a workshop production at the California School for the Deaf - Fremont's Little Theatre in the fall of 2006.
Playwright Medugno said, "I was inspired to write 'Silent Salzburg' when I thought about Anne Frank and her family and how using sign language in a hiding situation could be a huge benefit. I also considered the irony of a Christian family, who might have been supporters of the Nazis and Hitler, being confronted with a difficult decision when their own child is marked for treatment or extermination because of a disability."
Silent Salzburg is a continuation of last year's "Two Worlds" project, collaboration between Pensacola Opera and Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida, which uniquely uses opera as an education and outreach tool to bring hearing and deaf and hard of hearing audiences and performers together. The production features Justin Mapps and Aliona Guernsey as Hans and Marlena, deaf Austrian teenagers facing sterilization from the Reich. Other deaf and hard of hearing teens appear as Hans' friends, Gestapo officers, and others.
"Silent Salzburg is such a powerful play, and so perfect for our work with DHHS," said director Timothy Kennedy, "because it shows that treating any difference as an inferiority, a defect, can result not only in the horrors of the Holocaust, but in smaller ways of alienation - this is a family that goes into hiding to protect a son they've never learned to understand."
Silent Salzburg will be performed May 9^th and 10^th at 7pm and May 11^th at 2pm at the University of West Florida's Studio Theatre. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased from Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at (850) 433-7128 (voice and TTY). After each performance, there will be a talk-back with the director, playwright, and a staff member of UWF's ADA Services Department. The production is a benefit for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Northwest Florida, with all proceeds going to support their mission of providing quality services, resources, and information to persons who are Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, Hearing, or Speech Impaired throughout Northwest Florida.

Event Title: Vivo Divo

Where: My Spayce in downtown Pensacola

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM EST

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Pensacola Opera presents "Vivo Divo" Memorial Day Weekend
Pensacola Opera brings three of its favorite male singers to Pensacola to present "Vivo Divo," a concert of music from opera, Broadway, and jazz standards. A full evening is planned, with dinner and libations to complete the experience. From seven to ten pm, Sunday, May 25^th, My Spayce in downtown Pensacola will rumble and roll with the voices of baritones Tim Kennedy and Grant Youngblood and bass Matthew Lau.
"'Vivo Divo' should fit in with anyone's Memorial Day Weekend plans," said Sherrie Mitchell, Executive Director, "whether you're a native Pensacolian or an out-of-town visitor, looking for the perfect end to a day at the beach or a great beginning to a night on the town, this program will fit the bill."
Grant Youngblood, baritone, was last seen on the Pensacola Opera stage as Germont in La Traviata. He has sung with companies including San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Washington Opera, and Florida Grand Opera. Matthew Lau, bass, sung Sarastro in The Magic Flute and Colline in La Boheme for Pensacola Opera's 25^th Anniversary Season, and has performed with Chicago Lyric Opera, New York City Opera, and other companies around the country. Timothy Kennedy, baritone, serves as Pensacola Opera's Director of Education and Outreach, and was last seen on the Pensacola Opera Stage as Benoit and Alcindoro in La Boheme.
Tickets are $75, which includes beverages, dinner, and the concert, and can be purchased from the Pensacola Opera offices at 75 S Tarragona St, over the phone at (850) 433-6737, or at the door.