Crossings Concerts announces 2005-06 season

The multi-genre music series Crossings Concerts has announced its 2005-06 season, and there are a couple of programs of interest to jazz fans. Now in its fifth year, the series is the brainchild of Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra cellist Melissa Brooks-Rubright and her husband, guitarist and composer Dan Rubright, and their mission statement says it is "dedicated to presenting musical entertainment and education with performances that celebrate the commonalities between various musical genres such as classical, jazz, folk, rock and world music."

The first Crossings program of the season, "It Beats…it Sweeps…it Cleans featuring Stan Kann!" will take place Friday, September 16 at the Columbia Theater House, 5333 Columbia, on The Hill. Kann, a theater organist and collector of old vacuum cleaners known as a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, will accompany a couple of Buster Keaton short films, and perform a piece with the Nuclear Percussion Ensemble that will utilize some of his vacuum cleaners as sound sources. There will also be jazz performed by clarinetist Scott Alberici and guitarists Dan Rubright and Steve Schenkel.

On Friday, April 7, 2006, Crossings will present "Early In the Evening," an evening of jazz compositions selected by Dr. Gerald Early, the nationally renowned author and historian from Washington University, and performed by an ensemble of jazz musicians led by pianist Reggie Thomas. The concert will be held at Christ Church Cathedral downtown.

The upcoming season also includes a Christmas concert at Christ Church Cathedral; a concert of Beatles music featuring guitarist Peter Mayer and a string ensemble, and chamber music performances of Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat (with a new libretto by Kurt Vonnegut) and the U.S. premiere of Cassandre by composer Michael Jarrell. You can read more and find out how to purchase tickets here.