Barbara Cook

The Berman announces 2012-2013 Signature Season

Posted: Sept. 9, 2012 at 10:39 p.m.

WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI - The Berman Center for the Performing Arts announces its 2012-2013 Signature Season, featuring the biggest names in performing arts today, including Midori, Barbara Cook, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and The Acting Company.

The Signature Series will open Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. with legendary performer Barbara Cook, whom the Financial Times of London labeled "the greatest singer in the world."

For more than 50 years, Cook has charmed audiences with her warm, unforgettable performances. A Broadway and recording star, she has appeared in sold-out concerts throughout the world, as well for events at the White House, where she sang for Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton.

Cook, whose concert at The Berman will feature songs by Rodgers and Hart, Stephen Sondheim and George Gershwin, began her career as "Broadway's favorite ingénue," appearing in "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel." She then launched a second career as a concert and recording artist in six triumphant returns to Carnegie Hall. She received the Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk and New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, was a 2011 Kennedy Center honoree and was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

Tickets for Barbara Cook are $56 for the general public and $46 for JCC members. For tickets, contact The Berman box office at 248-661-1900 or www.theberman.org.

The Signature Series will continue with the following performances:

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The nation's premiere repertory company for chamber music, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, will perform an extraordinary collection of the world's finest music, dating as far back as the Renaissance and continuing to today. The CMS held its first concert in 1969 and features a multi-generational musical ensemble. Performing a full season of concerts and events, as well as nationally televised broadcasts on "Live From Lincoln Center," the CMS also has commissioned more than 150 new works from composers including Darius Milhaud, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein and Lukas Foss.
Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
$46 for the general public/$36 for JCC members

The Acting Company presents "Of Mice and Men"
In "Of Mice and Men," The Acting Company gives a brilliant performance of one of the greatest novellas of all time, the heartbreaking story of two migrant workers, written by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck and based on his own experiences in the 1920s. The Acting Company, which The New York Times hailed as "the major touring classical theater in the United States," was established in 1972 by the legendary John Houseman and current producing artistic director Margot Harley. The Tony Award-winning troupe has appeared in 48 states and 10 foreign countries, initiating the careers of some of today's leading actors, including Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson and Kevin Kline.
Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 17 at 3 p.m.
Monday, March 18 at 10 a.m. (student matinee)
$36 for the general public/ $26 for JCC members

Midori: Live in Concert
One of the world's most gifted and innovative musicians, violinist Midori performs a breathtaking repertoire that ranges from Bach and Mozart to Bartok and Shostakovich. Her style is sophisticated yet creative, stylish and fresh - and absolutely unparalleled. Born in Japan, Midori was discovered by Zubin Mehta when she was only 11 years old. She has since appeared in concert throughout the world and has been featured on CDs with the London Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic, among many others. She also is founder of Midori & Friends, which brings music to underprivileged neighborhoods, along with numerous other humanitarian programs.
Tuesday March 19 at 7:30 p.m.
$56 for the general public/$46 for JCC members