August 27, 2009

Jewel at the Alys Stephens Center October 30. Download image.

Oct. 8

Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, 7 p.m., in the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South, Birmingham. Tickets are $35; $20 for students. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org. This renowned ensemble has set the standard for performance of the piano trio. During the past two seasons, KLR has delighted fans with their presentations of complete cycles of the Beethoven piano trios. They recently celebrated their 30th anniversary with a performance premiering Richard Danielpour's "Book of Hours" commissioned for them. Part of the Birmingham Chamber Music Society Series. Sponsored by Jeanne Hutchison, Burr & Forman, Ben and Jessica Johnson, Alabama State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.

Oct. 9

David Sedaris, 8 p.m., in the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South, Birmingham. VIP tickets are $70. Performance tickets are $50, $40, $30; $20 for students. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org. Sedaris will sign books after his reading. The much-anticipated return of this NPR humorist and best-selling author is one of the season's hottest tickets. With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humor writers. His books include Me Talk Pretty One Day and When You Are Engulfed in Flames. His essays regularly appear in The New Yorker and his radio pieces can be heard on "This American Life." Part of the Beyond Comedy Series. Sponsored by The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.

Oct. 10

Gabriela Montero, Piano, 8 p.m., in the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South, Birmingham. VIP tickets are $65. Performance tickets are $45, $35, $25; $15 for 30 and Under Classical Pass. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org. Free pre-concert Prelude discussion of the music at 7 p.m. Montero is among the premier classical pianists in the world, a protégé of the legendary Martha Argerich and a tireless advocate of the lost art of classical improvisation. The world took notice of her talent during a recent performance at the Presidential Inauguration with Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. She is known for taking suggestions from the audience, which she uses to compose her trademark on-the-spot improvisations. Part of the Birmingham Music Club Classically Inclined Series. Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt R. Haskell, The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.

[New show]

Oct. 14

Jim Lauderdale Bluegrass Trio, part of the ASC's new "On Stage with the Band" series, 7 p.m., presented by the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets on the stage are $40; tickets in the choral balcony are $35. Doors to the show open at 6:30. Come early for a complimentary craft brew hour in the lobby. Each section is general admission, so come early to get the best seats. Call 205-975-2787 or go online to www.AlysStephens.org. Celebrate the music of Nashville when Lauderdale, country music's most prolific songwriter, brings his stellar bluegrass trio to the Alys Stephens Center's one-of-a-kind setting, "On Stage with the Band." Patrons enjoy a more intimate music experience with the band during "On Stage" shows: 110 seats are on stage with the band and 220 seats are in the choral balcony. Lauderdale is fresh from the acclaimed "Sulphur to Sugarcane" tour with Elvis Costello and a 2008 Grammy win for Bluegrass Album of the Year for "The Bluegrass Diaries." This quintessential songwriter's songwriter has written hits for some of country music's superstars: The Dixie Chicks, George Jones and Patti Loveless. He won a 2002 Grammy for "Lost in the Lonesome Pines" with Ralph Stanley and won the Americana Music Awards Artist of the Year and Song of the Year awards in 2002 and 2003. Sponsored by Live 100.5, The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.

Oct. 16

An Evening with Loretta Lynn, 8 p.m., in the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South, Birmingham. VIP tickets are $80. Performance tickets are $65, $55, $40; $20 for students. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org. Come early at 6:30 p.m. for live music from the Newgrass Troubadours in the Haskell Courtyard with a cash bar and Dreamland Bar-B-Que plates for sale. "The Coal Miner's Daughter," the tag that refers to a hit single, an album, a best-selling autobiography, an Oscar-winning film and to Lynn herself, journeyed from the Kentucky hills to Nashville superstardom and her status as an honest-to-goodness American icon. Her most recent album, the Jack White-produced "Van Lear Rose," reminded the world of Lynn's power as a vocalist and her skill as a songwriter. Part of the Legends & Icons Series. Sponsored by Davis Architects, The Birmingham News and Viva Health.

Oct. 23

Lizz Wright, 7:30 p.m., in the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South, Birmingham. VIP tickets are $60. Performance tickets are $40, $30, $20; $20 for students. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org. This Georgia native has taken the jazz world by storm with her trademark combination of jazz, R&B and soul. Her first two recordings, "Salt" and "Dreaming Wide Awake," established Wright as both an accomplished songwriter and a versatile, deeply expressive singer. On her third album "The Orchard," the artist shines with the warmth and resonance of her gospel-trained contralto. Part of the Red Hot & Jazz Series. Sponsored by The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.

[New show]

Oct. 30

An Evening with Jewel, Solo Acoustic, 8 p.m., in the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South, Birmingham. Singer-songwriter Meiko will open for Jewel. VIP tickets are $75. Performance tickets are $56, $46, $36 and $20 for students. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org. Jewel's personal odyssey, partly chronicled on one of the best-selling debut albums of all time, the 12-time platinum "Pieces of You," comes full circle with her latest work "Lullaby." The 15-track album, her first independent release, features 10 self-penned songs and a few standards, including "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Somewhere over the Rainbow." Sponsored by The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.

About the Alys Stephens Center

Located on the UAB campus, the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center is one of the Southeast's premier performing arts centers, hosting the best in international, national and local performances. Home to the UAB departments of Theatre and Music and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the ASC also presents its own season, bringing the world's best music, dance, theater, comedy and family entertainment to Alabama. For more information on all Alys Stephens Center events and programs, visit www.AlysStephens.org.