South of the Border Fireworks

The passionate performances of Mexico’s Three Tenors are musical explosions of operatic tenor favorites featuring famous arias such as Nessum Dorma. But the fireworks really begin when popular Mexican pieces are introduced! Spanning all generations and styles of Latin music, this trio shines brightest when singing these famous masterpieces. This promises to be a “South of the Border” experience you won’t want to miss!

 TIME OUT FOR THE ARTS

Time Out for the Arts is a free, open forum that explores the visual and performing arts, featuring artists and lecturers from the Phoenix area and across the country.

The Gospel According to the Beatles

Monday, March 12, 2012 – 7:30 pm in the Pinnacle Chapel

On February 9th, 1964, the Beatles, with their Edwardian suits and mop top haircuts, made their first American television appearance – LIVE – on The Ed Sullivan Show.  A record setting 73 million people tuned in that evening, making it one of the defining moments in television history.  Nearly fifty years later, people still remember exactly where they were the night The Beatles stepped onto Ed Sullivan’s stage.  The genius of The Beatles and the American institution that was The Ed Sullivan Show combined to create one of the most defining and indelible moments in the history of music, television and pop culture, in fact making an impact on the world that will never be duplicated.  Join Pinnacle’s music director, Brent Hylton, for an evening in which we will discuss the impact of The Beatles – not only on rock and roll but on all of Western culture.

Monteverdi’s “Vespers”

Sunday, April 22, 2012 – 3:00 pm in the Sanctuary

Lets set the scene. Its 1610. Claudio Monteverdi is 43 years old and in a bit of trouble.  He has been roundly criticized for his contrapuntal unorthodoxies and he is in financial strife, in danger of being a has-been.  To top it off, he is having problems with his benefactors at the court of Gonzanga.  He needs a new job – a job like the maestro di cappella at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Venice would be just fine.  Being the master of music at a major cathedral would look very good on his curriculum vitae.

And so the Vespers are born… choirs reverberate from galleries and soloists echo from all directions with daring stereophonic effects.  It is sacred music of the highest degree, but also high theatre.  It is the junction between Renaissance restraint and Baroque splendor.  And it could well have been Monteverdi’s audition piece for the job of St. Mark’s.

Join Kira Rugen, Director of Children’s & Youth Choral ensembles at Pinnacle, and doctoral candidate at Arizona State University, along with ASU’s Solis Camerata, as they present CLaudion Monteverdi’s timeless masterpiece, Vespers of the Blessed Virgin.