Missouri Arts Council Supports Cottey College Performing Arts Series

Michael Donovan, executive director of the Missouri Arts Council (MAC), announces that Cottey College will receive two grants totaling $5,910 to support the Performing Arts Series. The funding will provide for four performances during the 2017-2018 season.

Upon receiving the award letter, Kris Korb, coordinator of campus activities, said, “I am so pleased that the Missouri Arts Council awarded us two grants to partially fund performing arts programs on the campus. Without the grants, we simply would not be able to continue to offer the quality or quantity of performances that we do now.”

“These funds also allow us to keep ticket prices low and we encourage Nevada and the surrounding community members to take advantage of these wonderful performance opportunities.”

The season launches with a performance featuring Step Afrika! The performance will take place on Saturday, September 16, 2017.

Step Afrika! is the first professional dance company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. The company began in 1994 as an exchange program with the Soweto Dance Theatre of Johannesburg, South Africa, and has expanded to become an international touring company presenting performances, residencies, and workshops worldwide.

Over the past 19 years Step Afrika! has grown to become one of the top 10 African American dance companies in the US and the largest African American led arts organization in Washington, DC. Their web site is www.stepafrika.org.

Next on the season schedule will be the well-known musical group Riders in the Sky on Saturday, January 27, 2018.

For more than thirty-five years Riders In The Sky (Riders) have been keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing the genre, while remaining true to the integrity of Western music.

In addition to being inducted into the Grand Ol’ Opry, Riders are in the Western Music Association’s Hall of Fame, the Country Music Foundation’s Walkway of Stars, and the Walk of Western Stars along with Gene, Roy, John Wayne and other cowboy legends. In addition to their two Grammy wins, Riders have been the Western Music Association’s “Entertainers of the Year” six times, and they have won “Traditional Group of the Year” and “Traditional Album of the Year” multiple times. Their website is www.ridersinthesky.com.

The next performance of the season will feature Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio on Wednesday, February 7, 2018.

Longtime friends bound by their Israeli roots and summers shared in Vermont at the Marlboro Music Festival, and now trio members for a decade, Alon Goldstein (piano), Amit Peled (cello) and Alex Fiterstein (clarinet) perform recitals that reflect their special gifts and originality as soloists as well as their marvelous sense of ensemble and love of chamber music.

Alon Goldstein, pianist, is admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality. Amit Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting cellists on the concert stage today. Alexander Fiterstein, clarinetist, is recognized for playing that combines flawless technique and consummate musicianship with graceful phrasing and a warm, soulful tone. Their web site is https://www.franksalomon.com/gpftrio.

The final performance of the season is Saint Mark’s Square on Friday, October 20.
St. Mark’s Square is a professional string quartet whose members are currently instructing at or have served on the faculties of Missouri State University, Drury University, and College of the Ozarks. Each is a permanent chair musician in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Collectively, their performance experience has brought them around the world to concert stages in Europe, the Far East, and South America. They have performed in Broadway shows and the stages of NYC’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, as well as Branson theaters.

All performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. except St. Mark’s Square which will begin at 8 p.m. in the Cottey College Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts located at 1000 W. Austin Boulevard in Nevada, Missouri.

The Performing Arts Series at Cottey College (formerly the Cottey Lecturers and Artists Super Series- CLASS) was created in 1990 to support the mission of the College and to express and enhance the human spirit. The purpose of the series is for the education and enjoyment of the audience members.

A full listing of events for the 2017-2018 season may be found at www.cottey.edu and on many college Facebook sites. For additional information contact the Campus Activities and Ticket Office at 417-667-8181, ext. 2186 or kkorb@cottey.edu.
The Missouri Arts Council is the state agency dedicated—as public leader, partner, and catalyst—to broadening the growth, availability, and appreciation of the arts in Missouri and fostering the diversity, vitality, and excellence of Missouri’s communities, economy, and cultural heritage. The grants we award make possible quality arts programming to communities both large and small throughout the state. We provide grants to arts projects that meet our strategic goals:

• Engage people in meaningful arts experiences
• Grow Missouri’s economy using the arts
• Strengthen Missouri education through the arts

Established as a state agency in 1965, the Missouri Arts Council is a division of the Department of Economic Development. We are funded through the Missouri General Assembly, Missouri Cultural Trust, and National Endowment for the Arts.