The news tells us that air travel prices are skyrocketing. If you can’t afford to go to a faraway place, here’s an alternative approach: visit some of the top museums in the world right here in Minneapolis. Get a passport to the Minneapolis Institute of Art for your foray through Florence, or head to the Mall of America for an interactive exploration of The Louvre. Also this week, holiday programming is beginning at The Jungle with the third installment of the “Christmas at Pemberley” series. Also this week, Womenfolk Radio turns 20, the Twin Cities Flamenco collective takes over the Icehouse, and The Arts Partnership heralds groundbreaking Black opera singers.
“Botticelli and Renaissance Florence: Masterworks from the Uffizi,” at the Minneapolis Institute of Art is a terrific show, co-curated by Mia’s own Rachel McGarry, and Cecilia Frosinini, a longtime curator at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. There are more than 45 works in the show loaned by the Uffizi Galleries in Florence. Botticelli’s “Minerva and the Centaur,” is a delightfully risqué stunner, one of a dozen of the artist’s works in the show. There are also nine paintings by Botticelli’s master, Fra Filippo, and contemporaries. In all, the show is made up of paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, and more, with ancient Roman marble statues that give you the feeling of what might have been surrounding Botticelli as he worked. It runs through Jan. 8 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art ($20). More information here. Also quick tip: They are having a “Black Friday” event on Nov. 25 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., with free tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.
Louvre Fantastique: The Exhibition
For the other world-famous museum in Minneapolis experience, Louvre Fantastique: The Exhibition opens this weekend at the Mall of America. Rather than loaned artworks, this installation features interactive replications that offer a personalized experience with the Louvre’s pieces. No, it’s not the real thing, but you’ll get a sense of what the Louvre is all about through multimedia, occasionally with touchable displays. It runs Nov. 18 through Jan. 15 at the Mall of America ($28 and up for adults). More information here.
Our Song, Our Story
Earlier this week, mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis performed at Carnegie Hall. This weekend, she’s performing at the Ordway with soprano Raven McMillon for an evening that highlights Black opera singers. The show is conceived by director, composer, conductor and multi-genre musician Damien Sneed, who has put together a program that pays homage to Black opera greats like Marian Anderson and Jessye Norman. The program is made up of a mix of repertoire from Mozart and Handel to Gershwin, and featuring Black composers Margaret Bonds, Harry T. Burleigh, and Richard Smallwood. They’ll also be doing a newly commissioned work from Damien Sneed. Friday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ordway Concert Hall ($13to $31). More information here.
Fall Forward: Week 4
The Cowles’ Center’s Fall Forward festival reaches its conclusion with a pair of new works from from Hijack and Aparna Ramaswamy. Hijack, the contemporary dance duo made up of Kristin Van Loon and Arwen Wilder, brings into the fold the talents of Jules Bither for a piece set amidst a set of mechanical plants created by Rachel Youn. It’s called “Sway,” and takes on themes of apocalyptic proportions, done with style, abstraction to the groove of music by Xiu Xiu. After that, Bharatanatyam wiz Aparna Ramaswamy, co-director of Ragamala Dance, shares a suite of solos that dives into the classical Indian dance form and the cultural aesthetics behind it. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19 and 2 p.m. Sat., Nov. 20 ($30) at the Cowles Center. More information here.
Georgina and Kitty
The Bennet and Darcy gang are back for another adventure as the Jungle produces the third installment of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s “Christmas at Pemberley” trilogy. The series follows the characters from Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice” as they move forward in their lives. The first one: “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” centered around Mary Bennet, Elizabeth and Jane’s younger sister, who gets a feminist lens in the production. Then “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley” focused on the impulsive Lydia Bennet, who in the original novel ends up having to marry the baddie George Wickham. Now, the trilogy turns to the youngest sister of the Bennet family, Kitty, and her friendship with Mr. Darcy’s youngest sister, Georgina. A story unfolds that brings in all the elements from the original novel and Gunderson and Melcon’s previous sequels: intrigue, wit, secret letters, and love. Co-directed by Christina Baldwin & Angela Timberman, the Jungle’s production brings back cast members James Rodriguez and Sun Mee Chomet as Mr. Darcy and Lizzy, with new cast members taking on the other roles. Becca Hart, who played a supporting singing character in the first production, takes the role of Kitty. Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. through Friday, December 21 at 7:30 p.m.— see website for specific days/times, (Pay-what-you-can pricing $45, if you need to pay less, pay less, if you can pay more and tthe extra goes to someone else’s ticket). More information here.
Twin Cities Flamenco Collective with Grace Holtaus, Brigid Bollweg and Ben Abrahamson
A cohort of Twin Cities flamenco musicians and dancers converge at the Icehouse for tablao style of performance. It’s a particular kind of flamenco that’s performed in a bar or cafe, setting it apart from what you might see at a theater or concert hall. A number of the performers, including the dancers and musicians, came out of the Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre and School, as well as Anda Flamenco in South Minneapolis. Sunday, Nov. 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Icehouse Mpls. ($15 in advance, $18 door). More information here. Afterwards, consider staying for the next show at Icehouse, a release show for ThoughtCast’s debut album, Nimbus in Motion. It’s a synthed-out jazz quartet with an edge, led by bandleader and bassist, Graydon Peterson, with Jake Baldwin on trumpet, Joe Strahan on keyboards and Ben Ehrlich on drums. Jazz fusion group Wave Cage opens. Sunday, Nov. 20 from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Icehouse Mpls ($10). More information here.
Womenfolk Radio
Twenty years ago, after graduating from Oberlin College where she had hosted a women’s music program, Ellen Stanley started up Womenfolk Radio, a program that highlights the best women’s folk, roots and bluegrass music around. A banjo player and songwriter herself, who also doubles as a publicist, Stanley brings her music and industry knowledge to her work, all the while bringing a feminist edge to the radio waves. With incisive interviews with legends like Joan Baez and the Indigo Girls, Stanley amplifies the creative talent of women and nonbinary musicians tirelessly. This week, she’ll be hosting an anniversary concert. Come for the spunky energy of Jonatha Brooke, the genre-bending string duo the OK Factor, plus Ann Reed, Molly Maher, Becky Schlegel, Ellis Delaney, and more. Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Parkway Theater ($15 advance, $21 door, $30 VIP). More information here.
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