{"id":194351,"date":"2023-01-18T07:10:42","date_gmt":"2023-01-18T12:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=194351"},"modified":"2023-01-15T18:54:36","modified_gmt":"2023-01-15T23:54:36","slug":"jorgensen-celebrates-return-of-childrens-programming-marks-ukrainian-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/01\/jorgensen-celebrates-return-of-childrens-programming-marks-ukrainian-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Jorgensen Celebrates Return of Children\u2019s Programming, Marks Ukrainian Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than just advertising shows and waiting for tickets to sell, there\u2019s a secret to filling seats at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts<\/a>, says Director Rodney Rock.<\/p>\n

Cultivate audience members when they\u2019re young.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen children come to a show, they learn what it\u2019s like to visit a theater and about concert etiquette, what they should and shouldn\u2019t do during a performance,\u201d Rock says. \u201cChildren\u2019s programming, in general, not only is beneficial from an entertainment point of view, but it\u2019s audience development and that\u2019s a really important component of what we offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jorgensen used to present six family programming weekends annually with up to six performances each of those weekends, he says. The crowded theater would come to life as little boys and girls brimmed with excitement to see their favorite characters in person and sing along to their favorite songs.<\/p>\n

That energy was lost to the pandemic \u2013 until now.<\/p>\n

Once again, wide-eyed children are welcomed back to the Jorgensen for a trio of shows this spring, beginning Sunday with \u201cLlama Llama Red Pajama Live!\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what we\u2019re most excited about for the spring, getting back to family programming and welcoming back young audiences,\u201d Rock says. \u201cIt was important to us to make the leap.\u201d<\/p>\n

While some venues around the country are reporting a robust return of family audiences, others elsewhere say interest is tepid. Rock says he decided the time was right for Jorgensen, and the volume of ticket sales prove that true.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been strong interest in \u201cLlama Llama,\u201d along with the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater<\/a> on Feb. 19 and \u201cThe Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon\u201d<\/a> on March 19.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall, I have a sense that we\u2019re moving forward past the impact of COVID,\u201d Rock says. \u201cTicket income just from the fall is over projections and audience numbers already have doubled from the whole of last year. We even had a few sold-out events in the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rock says he expects some adult programming this spring to sell out as well, starting with comedian Jo Koy World Tour<\/a> on Feb. 18, which now only has a few tickets remaining.<\/p>\n

British guitarist and singer-songwriter Joanne Shaw Taylor<\/a> on Feb. 17 \u2013 she sounds a little like Bonnie Raitt – and NBC\u2019s \u201cThe Voice\u201d winner Girl Named Tom<\/a> on April 14 \u2013 the trio opened for Pentatonix in December at Mohegan Sun – also are expected to bring in big crowds.<\/p>\n

For the eighth time, the Japanese drumming group Kodo<\/a> will appear at Jorgensen, Rock says, for what he describes as a \u201ckinetic experience because the whole building vibrates.\u201d The group has a strong following of fans, who\u2019ve already been buying up tickets for the group\u2019s March 9 performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey bring the right message to us now,\u201d Rock says of Kodo. \u201cFor years they\u2019ve toured under the banner of \u2018one world,\u2019 and they want to use their art to reinforce the concept that regardless of what your religious or ethnic background is, we\u2019re all humans and we\u2019re all on this one planet. It\u2019s hard to argue with that sentiment.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sensibility that Rock tried to cultivate in the fall with the inclusion of DakhaBrakha, a Ukrainian musical quartet, and in the spring with the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine<\/a> on Feb. 13.<\/p>\n

Rock says that when the war in Ukraine started in February 2022, he began hearing stories about artists who were impacted by the Russian invasion and many of whom were fleeing the country. He made a commitment then to bring as many Ukrainian artists to Jorgensen as he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our way of making a little contribution to the plight of those people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"UConn's
UConn’s Solomiya Ivakhiv, associate professor of violin and viola and the music department’s coordinator of strings, will perform at the Jorgensen with the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine on Feb. 13. (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Lviv Philharmonic will perform in Storrs about two weeks before the war\u2019s first anniversary and will feature soloist Solomiya Ivakhiv<\/a>, associate professor of violin and viola in UConn\u2019s School of Fine Arts<\/a> and its coordinator of strings, in Bruch\u2019s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26. She traveled to Ukraine over the holidays to rehearse with the full orchestra, Rock says.<\/p>\n

To start the evening, the Lviv Philharmonic will perform Chamber Symphony No. 3 for Flute and String Orchestra from Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych and will end the night with Beethoven\u2019s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92.<\/p>\n

The performance also may include artwork from a traveling exhibition from the Ukrainian government that has documented the ravages of the war, Rock says. To augment the Lviv Philharmonic, he\u2019s hoping to display six or eight of the exhibition\u2019s images on easels in Martha\u2019s Foyer at the back of the performance hall.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, downstairs in the Jorgensen Gallery, the Connecticut Women Artists will have its 2023 Council Show<\/a> on display through March 11 with artwork from 15 women artists from throughout the state. The show\u2019s opening reception is Feb. 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis spring, you\u2019ll see a typical Jorgensen season. There\u2019s cultural and artistic diversity,\u201d Rock says. \u201cWe have some fine ensembles from Europe that\u2019ll be performing in the Lenard Chamber<\/a> series. We have a wonderful ballet company from Philadelphia, BalletX<\/a>. And we have the return of family programming. Audiences are coming back, and all of this is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visit the Jorgensen\u2019s website<\/a> for a season schedule and to buy tickets.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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