An Iliad

Written by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare

Starring Scott Keel

Music Composed and Performed by Franklin Keel

Lighting Design by Abby Auman

Stage Management, Hair & Make-up, Set Design by Devyn Ray

An adaptation of Homer’s epic masterpiece into an evening of theater at its best: intimate, incisive, and urgent. The war in Troy is over – and the Poet saw it all. Back from the frontlines, he spins a tale of unquenchable rage, disputatious gods, and grieving widows. Telling the story of the war, like the war itself, both seduces and ravages the Poet; it emboldens, burdens, and threatens to overwhelm him. An Iliad weaves humanity’s unshakable attraction to warfare with the music of the muses, capturing the contradictory conditions of glory and violence with spellbinding modernity.

Gary Robinson, conductor
Caroline Robinson, harpsichord
Christoph Wilibald Gluck: Overtura from Orfeo ed Euridice
Philip Glass: Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra
Ottorino Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 3
Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3

If for you, the sound of the harpsichord conjures the luxury and excess enjoyed at the court of Marie-Antoinette, this concert starts there and takes you to places you couldn’t imagine. The experience is a romp through eras starting with Gluck’s response to the excesses of the Enlightenment, his Orfeo ed Euridice Overture. Then it takes a hard left with composer Philip Glass who was sick and tired of being called a minimalist and decided to explore the flowery Baroque period with his Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra, premiered in Seattle in 2002. The last movement will make you want to dance. The grace of Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances is all the bright-toned elegance you could wish for, followed by the original master of the Baroque, the one and only Johann Sebastian Bach. The instantly-recognizable majesty and beautiful melody of his third orchestral suite brings everything that’s just happened into sharp focus, and ties it in a profoundly Baroque bow.
Conductor Gary Robinson collaborates here with his daughter and celebrated keyboardist Caroline Robinson. This is an unforgettable program for them and for all who will be in the room to share it.

Gary Robinson, Conductor

Gary Robinson has been a part of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra family since joining GSO’s percussion section in 1985. He has performed as an orchestral percussionist since 1977 in Connecticut, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, as well as with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra of Pittsburgh, PA
In the 1990s, Robinson teamed up with then-GSO conductor David Pollitt to found the Side-By-Side project (at the time, the Apprentice Project) which paired GSO and student musicians for rehearsal and performance. Following the1997 completion of his Doctor of Music in Orchestral Conducting at the University of South Carolina, Robinson took on other GSO assignments that included conducting chamber concerts, GSO/Greenville Ballet productions of the Nutcracker ballet, and Symphonic Expeditions concerts for school-aged children. Robinson’s work in joint student/professional concerts continued through 2021 in the Side-By-Side pairing of GSO musicians and the orchestra he nurtured starting in 1985, Greenville County Young Artist Orchestra.

Guest Artist: Caroline Robinson, Harpsichord

Organist and church musician Dr. Caroline Robinson has been featured as a solo recitalist across the United States, in venues including New York City churches St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, St. John the Divine, Trinity Church Wall Street, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral; in Boston: Church of the Advent, Harvard Memorial Church, Cambridge, Methuen Memorial Music Hall; St. James in the City, Los Angeles; and Kansas City’s the Kauffman Center. She has also performed in England, France, and Germany. Her playing has been broadcast multiple times on American Public Media’s “Pipedreams,” “Pipedreams LIVE!,” and Philadelphia-based public radio station 90.1 WRTI’s Wanamaker Organ Hour. She has been a featured performer at conventions of the Organ Historical Society, the East Texas Pipe Organ Festival, and the American Guild of Organists, most recently performing in the closing concert of the 2022 AGO Convention in Seattle in collaboration with Seattle Pro Musica.
A prize winner at several distinguished organ competitions, Dr. Robinson is a laureate of the 2018 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance (NYACOP) and holds First Prize from the 11th annual Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival (2008) and from the 10th annual West Chester University Organ Competition (2010). She was a semifinalist in the 2014 Dublin International Organ Competition. In 2016, she was chosen as one of the Diapason’s “20 Under 30” promising young organists in the United States.
Caroline holds the post of Organist and Associate Choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. There, under the direction of Canon Dale Adelmann, she shares organ playing and accompanying responsibilities with Artist-in-Residence Jack Mitchener, and she leads the RSCM-based Chorister program. She is an active continuo player with early music ensembles, having performed at the Rochester Early Music Festival, San Francisco’s American Bach Soloists Academy, and now regularly with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra.
Dr. Robinson completed her undergraduate work at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Alan Morrison. Aided by a grant from the J. William Fulbright fellowship fund, Caroline studied at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Toulouse with Michel Bouvard and Jan Willem Jansen (organ) and Yasuko Bouvard (harpsichord). Caroline holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and the Master of Music in Organ Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with David Higgs. Dr. Robinson also received from Eastman the Performer’s Certificate and the Advanced Teaching Certificate in Theory Pedagogy.
Dr. Robinson is represented in North America by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc.

by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Jason Williams
Fangmeyer Theatre

This gripping tale unfolds the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, an ambitious astronomer working at Harvard University as a human computer. Eager to make astronomical discoveries, Henrietta faces adversity as she strives to contribute to the field while navigating strained relationships with her sister, love interest, and colleagues. Witness the profound impact of Henrietta’s groundbreaking work on Cepheid stars, unveiling a cosmic mystery that will leave you enthralled and inspired by the wonders of the universe and one woman’s inspiring determination.

Suitable for all audiences.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Asheville. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Coldplay at Asheville Masonic Temple under the gentle glow of candlelight.
General Info📍 Venue: Asheville Masonic Temple📅 Dates and times: select your dates/times directly in the ticket selector⏳ Duration: 60 minutes (doors open 45 mins prior to the start time and late entry is not permitted)👤 Age requirement: 8 years old or older. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult♿ Accessibility: this venue is ADA compliant❓ View the FAQs for this event here🪑 Seating is assigned on a first come first served basis in each zone🕯️ If you would like to book a private concert (min 15+ people), please click here🎻 Check out all the Candlelight concerts in Asheville🎁 To treat your friends and family to a Candlelight gift card, click here
Tentative Program
“Clocks”“My Universe”“Speed of Sound”“Trouble”“Fix You”“Paradise”“Shiver”“Yellow”“Something Just Like This”“The Scientist”“A Sky Full of Stars”
Performers
Listeso String Quartet
Reviews of Candlelight Concerts💬 Awilda R. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “Wonderful venue… incredible musicians.”💬 Dixie L. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “Incredible talented and entertaining. The venue was beautiful:) so thankful for a beautiful experience.”💬 Holly H. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “Very well run and the very talented musicians were great!”

Baker Exhibit Center

In an age of complex environmental challenges, why not look to the ingenuity of nature for solutions? The forms, patterns, and processes found in the natural world—refined by 3.8 billion years of evolution—can inspire our design of everything from clothing to skyscrapers. This approach to innovation, called biomimicry, is becoming increasingly popular.

Nature’s Blueprints is supported in part by The North Carolina Arboretum Society, The Laurel of Asheville, RomanticAsheville.com Travel Guide, and Smoky Mountain Living Magazine.

CUSTOMIZED TOURS:

• A custom half day tour planned with your interests in mind.  This option is approximately 3.5 hr and can be morning from 9:30-1; or afternoon from 1:30-5.

We will select 2-3 artist studio options in the Asheville or Weaverville areas based on your input and artist availability.  Three studios are standard for this custom half-day option, or two glass studios work well in this time frame (due to glass demo’s taking a bit longer than other mediums).

• A custom full day tour planned with your interests in mind.  This option is a full day from 9:30a to approximately 4p.

Designed for the serious art lover! Lunch is included, and this tour allows for the possibility of visiting 4 artist studios that are 30-60 minutes away from Asheville: for example in Waynesville, Marshall, Burnsville, Penland or Spruce Pine.  Many of western NC’s professional artists live in these locations, so come explore more of the region with me – your local art insider!

Tour rates per participant: New Glass Plus 1 tour $65/ea. | Custom half day $85/ea. | Custom full day $165/ea.

For custom tours, planning ahead is key.   Art Connections provides tours for couples and small or medium size groups. These tours are based on your interests, your time frame, and which artists are available for a visit.  I know that everyone who considers a tour has different thoughts on what they’d enjoy seeing.  Maximize your visit by planning ahead with me. Having worked for over 30 years with so many of the artists in Western NC, I can accommodate participant interests and find options that are a good fit for each request.

Just use the Contact page and send in an inquiry, we’ll go from there and work out the details.

• Parking Fees
  • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
  • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
  • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
  • Members: Free

  Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Located within the wildly-popular and botanically beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum offers more than 10 miles of hiking trails that connect to many other area attractions such as Lake Powhatan, the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors of all ages and abilities can enjoy their hiking experience at the Arboretum as trail options include easy, moderate, and difficult challenge levels. All trails are dog-friendly and visitors are asked to adhere to the proper waste disposing procedures for pets.

Part of a running group that would like to use the Arboretum as a starting point or parking location? Please review our Running Group Guidance and email [email protected] with any questions.

Join other literature lovers to discuss your favorite books at the library! This month’s pick is Poster Girls, by Meredith Ritchie.

In Ayurveda, the kapha dosha is cold, heavy, wet, thick, and slow, among other things. This dosha tends to be most present in winter and early spring. As a practice, we challenge that in yoga by building heat in the body and releasing excess water, so we can be our strongest and fittest, boosting our immune system and staving off depression.

The Museum recognizes Western North Carolina youth for their original artworks Award winners will be featured in a student exhibition in the Museum’s Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery and Multipurpose Space from January 24–March 25, 2024. All regional award recipients will be honored at a closing reception on March 21. The Asheville Art Museum and the Asheville Area Section of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) are the Western North Carolina (WNC) regional Affiliate Partners of the National Scholastic Art Awards. This ongoing community partnership has supported the creative talents of our region’s youth for 44 years. The WNC regional program is open to students in grades 7–12, ages 13-18, across 24 counties. “I’m thrilled to witness the incredible talent showcased in the 2024 Western North Carolina Scholastic Art Awards exhibition,” said Susan Hendley, School & Teacher Programs Manager at the Asheville Art Museum.  “This is a celebration of original works by students across the WNC region and highlights the profound impact of arts education.” The regional program is judged in two groups: Group I, grades 7–9 and Group II, grades 10–12. Out of more than 500 total art entries, over 200 works have been recognized by the judges; Gold and Silver Key awards are featured in this exhibition, with select Honorable Mentions displayed digitally. The 2024 regional judges include Victoria Bradbury, Associate Professor and Chair of New Media at UNC Asheville, Andrew Davis, Studio Technician and instructor at Winthrop University, and Jenny Pickens, a native Asheville artist and educator. Those works receiving Gold Keys have been submitted to compete in the 101st Annual National Scholastic Art Awards Program in New York City. Of the Gold Key Award recipients, five students have also been nominated for American Visions, indicating their work is the Best in Show of the regional awards. One of these American Visions Nominees will receive an American Visions Medal at the 2024 National Scholastic Art Awards. Visit the Museum’s website for more information about the student exhibition. Thanks to our sponsors, Jon and Ann Kemske, Russell and Ladene Newton, and Frugal Framer. Download Student Artworks

Images: Left: Minna Wright Citron, Squid Under Pier, 1948, color etching, soft-ground, and engraving on paper, edition 42/50, 15 x 17 7/8 inches, 2010 Collections Circle purchase, Asheville Art Museum. © Estate of Minna Citron/Licensed by VAGA at ARS, New York. Right: Dorothy Dehner, Woman #2, 1954, watercolor and ink on paper, 22 3/4 x 18”, courtesy of Dolan Maxwell.

The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition American Art in the Atomic Age: 1940–1960, which explores the groundbreaking contributions of artists who worked at the experimental printmaking studio Atelier 17 in the wake of World War II. Co-curated by Marilyn Laufer and Tom Butler, American Art in the Atomic Age which draws from the holdings of Dolan/Maxwell, the Asheville Art Museum Collection, and private collections will be on view from November 10, 2023–April 29, 2024.

Atelier 17 operated in New York for fifteen years, between 1940 and 1955. The studio’s founder, Stanley William Hayter (1901–1988) established the workshop in Paris but relocated to New York just as the Nazi occupation of Paris began in 1940. Hayter’s new studio attracted European emigrants like André Masson, Yves Tanguy, and Joan Miró, as well as American artists like Dorothy Dehner, Judith Rothschild, and Karl Schrag, allowing for an exchange of artistic ideas and processes between European and American artists.

The Asheville Art Museum will present over 100 works that exemplify the cross-cultural exchange and profound social and political impact of Atelier 17 on American art. Prints made at Atelier 17—including those by Stanley William Hayter, Louise Nevelson, and Perle Fine—will be in conversation with works by European Surrealists who were working at the studio in the 1940s and 1950s. The exhibition will also feature a selection of domestic mid-century objects that exemplify how the ideas and aesthetics of post-war abstraction became a part of everyday life.

Jack’s Bluegrass Brunch kicks off every Sunday at 12 noon — with lively bluegrass tunes courtesy of The Jack of the Wood Bluegrass Brunch Boys from 1-3pm. Sip a Bloody Mary or Mimosa or a warm Irish coffee. Tasty brunch specials alongside our regular menu and 18 taps of rotating craft brews! Sláinte, y’all!

Follow the Terriers on Twitter at @WoffordBaseball

Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.

Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.

And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!

by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Jason Williams
Fangmeyer Theatre

This gripping tale unfolds the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, an ambitious astronomer working at Harvard University as a human computer. Eager to make astronomical discoveries, Henrietta faces adversity as she strives to contribute to the field while navigating strained relationships with her sister, love interest, and colleagues. Witness the profound impact of Henrietta’s groundbreaking work on Cepheid stars, unveiling a cosmic mystery that will leave you enthralled and inspired by the wonders of the universe and one woman’s inspiring determination.

Suitable for all audiences.