Wasatch Winds

March Musical Madness — Wasatch Winds Symphonic Band will present a “March Musical Madness” concert Friday at 7:30 p.m. at American Fork High School, 510 N. 600 East, American Fork. Tickets are $3 per person, $10 for a family and $2 for students. They are available at the door. Music will include compositions by Sousa and Tchaikovsky.

Center Stage Youth Productions

”The Wizard of Oz” — The Center Stage Youth Performers will perform “The Wizard of Oz” as its spring musical on April 22, 23, and 24 at 7 p.m. and April 25 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at UVSC’s Ragan Theater in the student center.

Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the door or online at the Center Stage Web site at www.plgrove.org/stage.

Center Stage Youth Performers is a youth theatre program of Pleasant Grove City. The cast of about 70 Utah Valley youths, ages 7 through 18, are led by Director Lori Sanders and a staff of teachers who provide instruction in acting, singing and dancing. For questions, contact Sanders at 221-7761.

SCERA

Amelia Bedelia — Children have been laughing at the misadventures of the lovable but literal-minded housekeeper Amelia Bedelia for more than 40 years, and her appeal continues. She’s a girl who takes everything seriously, so when her employer Mrs. Rogers asks her to dust the furniture, she throws talcum powder all over it. That’s because the box said “dusting powder.” She’s also the girl who when asked to dress the chicken for dinner, doesn’t prepare it, but puts pants on the poultry.

Amelia’s life of mistakes, messes and misunderstandings will become a stage production when SCERA’s Theatre for Youth Audiences presents the play Monday through March 29 at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem. While its morning matinees for elementary school field trips are essentially sold out, there are public shows Mondays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. with a Saturday matinee on March 15 at 2 p.m.

Reserved-seat tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for children (age 3-11), seniors (65+) and students (with ID). Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. at the SCERA Center, 745 S. State, Orem, by calling (801) 225-ARTS, online at www.scera.org or at the door 30 minutes prior to the show.

Celtic-Fusion Band Stonecircle in concert March 19 — Stonecircle, a five-piece Celtic-fusion band based out of Salt Lake City, will offer a musical experience that has been described as both ethereal and beautifully uplifting when it performs at the SCERA Center for the Arts March 19.

The concert, part of SCERA’s Wednesday Night Live series, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the SCERA Center, 745 S. State St., Orem. General admission tickets are $5 for ages 3 and older and are available 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. at SCERA Center, by calling (801) 225-ARTS, online at www.scera.org or at the door 30 minutes prior to the show.

The musicians have created a unique sound with a fusion of jazz, classical and original material tied to traditional Celtic music. Their music can be found through their critically-acclaimed CDs: “Serendipity,” “Alchemy,” “In Concert,” “Winter Sky” and “Asterisk and Dragonflies.”

Says SCERA President & CEO Adam J. Robertson, “Stonecircle has played in major venues and at major festivals throughout the United States, so we’re lucky to have this professional group based here in our state. We thought their unique brand of Celtic music would be a perfect celebration for St. Patrick’s Day.”

Utah Valley Symphony

Young Artists to solo with symphony — Eight young musicians will be in the spotlight as the Utah Valley Symphony presents its annual Young Artists Concert March 11, 12 and 13.

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center St. Tuesday’s concert is specially priced for families, at $25, with first-come, first-served seating. Reserved seats Wednesday and Thursday evenings are $10 each ($8 for students and senior citizens). Call 852-7007 for tickets.

Bryce Rytting will conduct. The program will open with the orchestra playing Brahms’s Tragic Overture. The eight young guest artists, ages 11-19, will then perform concertos, for which they were selected in auditions last fall.

Catherine Winters, 11, a sixth-grader at Northridge Elementary, will perform the third movement of the Quantz Flute Concerto in G Major. She is the daughter of Alan and Jill Winters of Lindon and a flute student of Elizabeth Ambler.

Rebekah Willey, 13, the daughter of Donell and Denise Willey of Pleasant Grove, will play the third movement of Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto in C Major. She attends American Heritage School and studies violin with Barbara Williams.

Brittany Williams, a 17-year-old senior at Mountain View High School, is the daughter of Clayton and Tracy Williams of Orem. A student of Barbara Williams since age 10, she will perform the second movement of Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto no. 1 in G Minor.

Ree Lu, 13, began studying piano at age 5 with Carmen Hall and is now a student of Irene Peery-Fox. The son of Kening Lu and June Tang of Orem, he is in eighth-grade at Centennial Middle School. He will perform the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2 in C Minor.

Jenny Spencer, soprano, will sing “Crude sorte” from L’Italiana in Algeri by Rossini. She is the 19-year-old daughter of Ross and Margo Spencer of Orem, and a sophomore at BYU. She has studied voice with Elizabeth Farnsworth since age 13.

Helen McGarr, 16, is the daughter of Edward and Wendy McGarr of Lindon. A flute student of Laurel Ann Maurer, she has appeared on NPR’s “From the Top.” The Pleasant Grove High School 11th-grader will perform Chaminade’s Concertino for Flute and Orchestra.

Conlon Miller, 17, is the son of Kevin and LuAnn Miller of Delta, and a piano student of Irene Peery-Fox. He will perform the third movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 3. He recently completed a tour of China with the Utah Young Pianists Quartet.

Mauresa Bastian, 15, attends Gunnison Valley High School and studies piano with Irene Peery-Fox. The daughter of Bevan and Gay Bastian of Axtell, Mauresa will conclude the concert with Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”

UVSC

UVSC’s Woodbury Art Museum presents annual Bachelor of Fine Arts show — Utah Valley State College’s Woodbury Art Museum will host its annual BFA Show through March 11. An opening reception will be held on Friday at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Each spring, the Department of Art and Visual Communications presents an exhibition featuring the work of advanced students who are candidates for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. This degree imposes a high standard of rigor and expectation on its candidates in the professional development of their artwork.

This year’s exhibition features the work of Rob James, illustration; Arthur Nelson, graphic design; Brad Hoen, graphic design; Kelly Larsen, painting/drawing; and Caleb Henderson, illustration.

The Woodbury Art Museum is located on the second floor of the University Mall, 575 E. University Parkway, between Nordstrom and The Gap. Art Show hours are Friday through March 11, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Synergy Dance Company presents “Refract” — The UVSC Department of Dance presents Synergy Dance Company’s spring concert, “Refract,” March 6-8 in the Ragan Theater at 7:30 p.m.

“Refract” is a dance exploration into how movement can progress on a straight forward path but also possesses possibilities to be tangential and “refract” off to change perspectives and points of view. Choreography includes works from professional guest artists such as Heidi Henderson. Henderson, from Connecticut, brings with her a sense of quirky length and extension in an exploration of stopping and re-beginning time in her piece, “The Depth of Waiting.”

From California, Nicole Bridgens creates a humorous duet of body language and misconnections in her piece, “Umm … So … yeah.” Synergy’s artistic co-director Amy Markgraf-Jacobson created a wave of high physicality and kinetic exuberance in her piece, “Shift.”

Artistic co-director Kate Monson’s choreography ponders on her physical responses to the experiences that her brother has related to her as he continues his active duty in Iraq, trying to make sense of the chaos and structure that he lives in each day. The concert will also feature student choreography from company members as they showcase their multifaceted abilities as artists.

Synergy will also include a performance of the sentinel modern dance piece, “A Dance for Walt Whitman,” choreographed by modern dance pioneer Helen Tamiris in 1958 and performed by UVSC’s Department of Dance students from the ballet, modern, dance education and ballroom programs as part of the NEA’s American Masterpieces: Dance College Component program. This grant was awarded to dance department faculty members Angela Banchero-Kelleher, Nichole Ortega and Kim Strunk. Various student choreographed works by Synergy company members will also be included.

Original cast member and Executive Artistic Director of Repertory Dance Theatre Linda C. Smith worked intensely with dancers to re-stage “Dance for Walt Whitman” with permission from the Dance Notation Bureau. The cast of 27 includes two young dancers from BYU’s Children’s Dance Program, as well as guest dancers from the community. Larry Harper, an English and literature professor, will narrate. The music is an original score by noted composer David Diamond.

Tickets are $10 for the general public, and $8 for students and faculty. Tickets are available at Campus Connection at (801) 863-8797.

Poetry Reading by Emma Lou Thayne — Emma Lou Thayne, will read poetry from her book, “How Much for the Earth?” Friday at 2 p.m. at UVSC’s Centre Stage.

“Ms. Thayne is a Utah classic, she will move us spiritually, intellectually and emotionally,” said Kathy French, professor of behavioral science. “Students will see a woman who is willing to take risks, who reaches out to others and who is a strong peacemaker and humanitarian with immense talents. She is a giver and a gift.”

The book Thayne will be reading from was inspired by author Jonathan Schell and by the war experiences of her students who served in Vietnam. Thayne is the author of 13 books of poetry, essays, fiction and the hymn, “Where Can I Turn for Peace?”

“Emma Lou shares her humanity with her beautiful writing,” said French. “Those of us who are present for this event are very fortunate and will long remember it.”

Also on hand for the event will be Clifton Sanders, playing improv saxophone between readings. This event is free and open to the public.

UVSC to Perform Mary Dickson’s Docudrama “Exposed” — The original cast from Plan B Theatre production will be at UVSC today at 7 p.m. to perform a staged reading of Mary Dickson’s, “Exposed.” The play combines oral history, personal experience and powerful documentation to show the human toll of four decades of nuclear testing.

From 1951 to 1992, the US government exploded 928 nuclear bombs in the desert near Las Vegas, Nev. “Exposed” tells the story of downwinders, combining Dickson’s experiences with actual government documents, including declassified portions of Atomic Energy Commission minutes, public testimony and interviews.

“Students will get a sense of the human cost of nuclear testing,” said Kathy French, professor of behavioral science. “The history of nuclear testing and the particular toll that Utahns paid is unknown to most young adults in Utah. The play portrays real events and real people, two of whom will be in attendance.”

Instead of leaving the audience with a sense of despair regarding nuclear war testing and its effects, the play gives hope and inspires action by telling the successful grassroots efforts to keep history from repeating itself.

“I suggest students ask their parents and neighbors; many families have lost loved ones to the nuclear fallout in Utah and other states, and many might like to join our campus community in seeing this,” said French. “The play is emotional, factual and very good.”

The play was nominated by the American Theatre Critics Association for best new play produced outside New York and was named best drama of 2007 by the Deseret Morning News. The reading is free and open to the public and will take place in the Centre Stage of the Sorensen Student Center.

Hale Center Theater Orem

”She Loves Me” — Hale Center Theater Orem presents the romantic musical comedy, “She Loves Me,” which will run now through April 5.

Performances are scheduled nightly, except Sundays. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Matinees are scheduled each Saturday at 3:30 p.m. beginning March 15. (The theater will be closed Feb. 19, 20, 26 and 27.)

Ticket prices are $13.50-$17.50 depending on night and seating location. Tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at (801) 226-8600. The theater is located at 225 W. 400 North, Orem.

The show focuses on Georg and Amalia, two lonely, feuding clerks, toiling in a 1930s European parfumerie. Their only solace comes in the form of anonymous, romantic letters from their lonely hearts club pen pals. How could they have ever guessed the letters were from each other? The musical, from the songwriting team that created “Fiddler on the Roof,” debuted on Broadway in the spring of 1963.

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