UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS

Portland’s Musical Theatre Series opened their collaborative production of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World. If you’ve ever been to a concert at Milagro, you can appreciate the immense power and presence that four actors and a baby grand have in their intimate theatre.

The Oregonian’s theatre reviewer Marty Hughley remarks how cast members David Cole, Elizabeth Klinger, Vin Shambry and Rebecca Teran throw themselves into the songs with an emphasis on passion and palpable emotion. “Among the show's highlights are Shambry and Cole dueting on The River Won't Flow, a sort of soulful anthem for the down-and-out, and Teran's reading of Stars and the Moon, a song that's become a cabaret staple recorded by the likes of Audra McDonald. Klinger gives an hilariously bawdy touch to Surabya-Santa [pictured here], Brown's comedic take on the romantic life of Mrs. Claus … All in all, though, the spare, crisply effective staging from director Jamie M. Rea brings out the humor as well as the pathos in Brown's songs, helping us discover a new world of musical theater.” Read the full review.

“These are men and women standing at the precipice (literally, in one case), staring down the cold reality they’ve spent years avoiding, and all they can do is sing,” writes Willamette Week theatre critic Ben Waterhouse. “And they sing really, really well. This production, a joint effort by Miracle Theatre Group and Staged! (an education-focused company that occasionally mounts minimalist musicals), features one of the best vocal ensembles I’ve ever seen on a Portland stage … David Cole, Elizabeth Klinger, Vin Shambry and Rebecca Teran make the meandering melodies’ sudden leaps of tempo and volume sound as natural and straightforward as any Rodgers and Hammerstein standard ... This is the musical stripp ed bare: Just one piano and four voices, sans plot, sans synthesized band and especially sans head mics … bless Staged! for giving us natural voices.” Read the full review.

In the Portland Mercury, Noah Dunham says that Songs for a New World is “moving” and that the four actors “are clearly full of love for this show. There is a very evident passion in each of their performances, and its’ hard not to be swept away by their earnestness and charm. … Jamie M. Rea’s thoughtful and precise direction keeps the show at an even pace, and musical director/pianst Eric Nordin is a force all on his own when put behind the piano. The production rings out as a successful and heartfelt endeavor, a musical without any of the kitsch, corniness, or spectacle of a 42nd Street-style show.” Read the full review.

Only two performances remain! July 2nd & 3rd. Tickets are selling out quickly so get yours ASAP! To buy tickets click here.

July 2nd & July 3rd, 2010 @ the Milagro Theatre
8:00pm

Fans of Rent’s small-stage roots will appreciate this intimate production from Stumptown Stages, and newcomers to the hit Broadway musical can still enjoy a slew of spectacular rock ballads belted by the talented young cast. Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini's opera La Bohème, follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York's East Village. AIDS and both its physical and emotional complications pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel; Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble; Benjamin has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends; and Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general, always behind the camera recording the events but never playing a part.

Now through July 25th, 2010. Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 503-381-8686. 7 pm Thursdays and Sundays, 7:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Closes July 25. $30. CLICK HERE for tickets and more information.

SUMMER PRIVATE LESSONS

PRIVATE LESSONS: (ages 5+)

They are scheduled "à la carte". This means you can schedule any day, any time – each week can be different if you need it to be. They are half hour lessons with the Instructor of your choice. Don't lose that school year momentum! A minimum of 1 lesson per month will keep your student's mind sharp and will make sure that going into the fall...you won't miss a beat.

SUMMER HOURS:
(teachers days & times may vary week to week)

Tuesdays: 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Wednesdays: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Thursdays: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Summer Music Camps

FORTE FUNDAMENTALS: Summer Camp Style! (ages 4-5)
(Includes all materials: Xylophone, Books, Registration Fee, etc...)

Tuesdays & Wednesdays
90 Minutes, 4 Week Long Class
July 20th - August 11th
12:30 - 2:00pm

ROCK BAND CAMP (ages 8+)
(minimum 1 year music lessons)

Session 2: August 16th - 19th (11:00am - 4:00pm)

GARAGEBAND COMPUTER MUSIC CAMP 2.0 (ages 7+)
(minimum 1 year music lessons)

Session 1: July 19 & 20
9:00am - 12:30pm
Session 2: August 9 & 10
9:00am - 12:30pm

M-COMPANY MUSICAL THEATER CAMP (ages 8 - 18)
Musical Theater will not be offered during Summer 2010.
It will resume during the Fall 2010 Semester.

ONLINE MUSIC FUN!

We scoured the internet for music fun online... Here is what we found.

TOON TUNES

ToonTunes is a fun, safe, and free community where kids can:

- Explore the world of music
- Experience music
- Edit your character
- Create their own songs
- Share their musical creations
- Play games
- Make friends