MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Buckman Arts Center is springing live performances forward to 2021! On January 14, we finally welcome Oleta Adams to the stage after her postponed April show. We then open our 24th Season with a live taping of Dan Pashman's award-winning podcast The Sporkful, featuring some of Memphis' revered restaurateurs. Matsuriza wows with Japanese Taiko drumming, while Las Cafeteras explores modern uses of authentic Mexican instruments. For our next trick, we turn the stage into a skating rink with Fairytales on Ice featuring the Little Mermaid and pirate adventures. Cutting-edge, multimedia, guitar goddess Kaki King will amaze and awe, and we'll wile away the evening with legendary jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. The esteemed dancers of Ailey II will close the season on April 25, 2021.
All shows are reasonably priced with discounts for students and seniors. Subscriptions, group tickets and sponsorships are available now. Single tickets go on sale to the public on October 1 at 8 a.m. at buckmanartscenter.com.
Tickets will start at $25 and Box Office hours are Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. or 1 hour prior to performance.
For information or to arrange an interview with the artist(s), contact Cindi Younker at cyounker@stmarysschool.org or (901) 537-1483.
Buckman Arts Center Season 24
- The Sporkful Podcast Live with Dan Pashman and Surprise Guest
- Friday, January 22, 2021, 7:00 p.m.
- $30
- The country’s number one food podcast will be making its Memphis debut live on the Buckman stage, and the Mid-South will be the featured guest! Join James Beard Award-winning host Dan Pashman for a special taping of the podcast that he proclaims, “is not for foodies, it's for eaters.” The Sporkful uses humor and humanity to approach food from many angles, including science, history, identity, culture, economics, and lengthy debates on the best way to layer a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Dan is a contributor to NPR and host of the Cooking Channel's You're Eating It Wrong. He'll be in conversation with leading members of Memphis' thriving food, arts and culture scene.
- Las Cafeteras
- Friday, January 29, 2021, 8:00 p.m.
- $28
- Born and raised east of the Los Angeles River, Las Cafeteras is remixing roots melodies and telling modern day stories with a vibrant, musical fusion and unique East LA sound. Performing on traditional Son Jarocho instruments like the jarana, requinto, quijada (donkey jawbone), and tarima (a wooden platform), Las Cafeteras sings in English, Spanish and Spanglish and adds a remix of sounds, from rock to hip-hop to rancheras. The group believes in using music as a vehicle to build bridges among different cultures and communities, and creates ‘a world where many worlds fit’.
- Matsuriza Taiko
- Friday, February 5, 2021, 7:00 p.m.
- $35
- Under the leadership of Takemasa Ishikura since 1988, Matsuriza Taiko drum troupe is an undisputed fan-favorite across the globe. With a commitment to traditional music as well as fresh, new compositions, the group has earned the coveted resident spot in Walt Disney World's EPCOT Japan pavilion, where it performs weekly. Matsuriza executes intricate arrangements on giant drums in a dazzling display of pure, physical stamina, mesmerizing listeners with rolling, clashing, fluid choreography and dramatic sound.
- Fairytales on Ice
- Thursday, March 18, 2021, 5:00 and 8:00 p.m.
- $35
- Join us for a remarkable evening guaranteed to thrill, chill and entertain! Fairytales on Ice creates a magical world where adventure is epic and love is harmonious. Sit on the edge of your seat as professional, champion ice skaters, Broadway singers, and cirque performers captivate audiences of all ages. Beloved, classic stories, featuring the Little Mermaid and pirate adventures, come to life with dramatic and imaginative staging, as the Buckman converts into an ice rink for two performances only!
- Kaki King: Guitar Movement
- Sunday, March 28, 2021, 7:00 p.m.
- $40
- Kaki King, the first female on Rolling Stone's "guitar god" list, is a true iconoclast. She is lauded for her percussive and jazz-tinged melodies, stunning live shows, and use of multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar. Kaki’s latest innovation, SEI ("six" in Italian), absorbs the entire stage, as guitarists become dancers, performing the rigors of both choreography and composition. With multiple instruments spaced out strategically, SEI amazes with the six individual strings of the six guitars mastered by Kaki and two special guest musicians.
- An Evening with Bill Frisell
- Sunday, April 11, 2021, 7:00 p.m.
- $40
- With more than 60 albums, Bill Frisell is recognized as one of America’s most vital and productive performing artists. He is a 15-time Best Guitarist winner in the DownBeat Critics Poll, a five-time Guitarist of the Year at the Jazz Awards, and recently Guest Curator for the “Roots of Americana” series at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Resident Artistic Director for the San Francisco Jazz Center. He performs on the latest albums by Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Charles Lloyd, John Zorn, Carrie Rodriguez, and Allen Toussaint's final recording. He is also the subject of the feature film and behind-themusic profile, entitled Bill Frisell, A Portrait.
- Ailey II
- Sunday, April 25, 2021, 7:00 p.m.
- $45
- Back by popular demand, Ailey II, the celebrated younger company of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, is renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country’s best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today’s most outstanding choreographers. Founded in 1974, the company embodies Mr. Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training, and programs for all. Under the direction of Troy Powell, Ailey II continues to flourish as one of the most renowned dance companies in the world. Sponsored by Dorothy Kirsch and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
