The Bowles Performing Arts Series at Bentley University kicks off its season with Redline, a men’s a cappella group based in Boston, on Wednesday, November 16, at 6:30 p.m. in Wilder Pavilion (Adamian Academic Center) on the Bentley campus, 175 Forest Street in Waltham, Mass. Bentley’s student a cappella group, the Masters of Bentley A Cappella (MBAs), will open the show and are event co-sponsors. The event is free to the Bentley community with ID, and $5 for the general public.
Formed in October 2007, Redline is comprised of men local to the Boston area who love to sing. They’ve been delivering their fresh blend of instrument-free music to fans in New England ever since. Among its members is Bentley alumnus Andrew Kenyon. Redline is one of the founding members of The Contemporary A Cappella Society’s Contemporary A Cappella League (CAL), an association of post-collegiate a cappella groups across the nation.
Upcoming shows in the Bowles Performing Arts Series include:
• Swingin’ Holiday Show, Wednesday, December 7, Koumantzelis Auditorium, Lindsay Hall: Featuring the upbeat music of Ellington, Guaraldi, Fitzgerald, Mercer and more, this holiday show features traditional songs in a swinging new style. A night of fun holiday music for the whole family!
• Artist Justin BUA, Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 6:30 p.m., Wilder Pavilion (Adamian Academic Center): Groundbreaking artist Justin BUA is internationally known for his best-selling collection of fine art posters – the DJ being one of the most popular prints of all time. Currently, he teaches figure drawing at the University of Southern California, while continuing to be a leading innovator in both the fine and commercial art worlds. BUA’s energetic and vocal worldwide fan base ranges from former presidents, actors, musicians, professional athletes, and dancers, to street kids and art connoisseurs.
• Frank Vignola Trio, Wednesday, February 29, 2012, Wilder Pavilion (Adamian Academic Center): Guitarist Frank Vignola’s virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitar List” for the Wall Street Journal. Vignola’s jaw-dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest…stars of the guitar.”
• Dorothy Leeds: Good Lessons from Bad Women, Wednesday, March 7, 2012, Wilder Pavilion (Adamian Academic Center): Dorothy Leeds, performing artist and best-selling author and speaker, reveals her many sides -- stuck between Eleanor Roosevelt as the embodiment of virtue, and the delicious controversies in the lives of five other women: Mae West, Anne Bonney, Eve, Emperor Wu Chau, Elizabeth Freeman, and Mrs. “Machine Gun” Kelly. This 70-minute one-woman play is a multi-character piece that leaves audiences laughing and inspired. Leeds is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, whose credits include the National Tour of Stop the World I want to Get Off.
• Letters Home, Tuesday, March 27, 2012, Wilder Pavilion (Adamian Academic Center): Letters Home puts the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq front and center by bringing to life actual letters written by soldiers serving in the Middle East. The production is inspired by the New York Times op-ed article “The Things They Wrote” and the subsequent HBO documentary Last Letters Home. The play, without politicizing, gives audiences a powerful portrait of the soldier experience in the ongoing war.
• Home Free Vocal Band, Tuesday, April 3, 2012, Wilder Pavilion (Adamian Academic Center): The award winning a cappella sensation, Home Free Vocal Band, is a distinctive combination of comedy and music featuring five male vocalists with extensive theatrical and musical training. Each performance showcases a new, animated experience that draws audiences in, and leaves them amazed. With a style of music that covers an expansive mix of pop, jazz, classical and country, all songs are done with only the human voice and microphones, resulting in a truly unique and incredible sound.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.bentley.edu/bowles