COPLAND, PRINCE, PARTON, AND PAUL SIMON? YES, PLEASE.

MUSE/IQUE connects some unlikely musical dots,
then open the doors at Ambassador Auditorium
for a free season finale

MUSE/IQUE has come up with one hell of a program for American Sound Takes Flight: From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon — Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness. Artistic and Music Director Rachael Worby leads the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra, joined by Broadway’s Brandon Victor Dixon and soprano Liv Redpath, in a concert that connects some names you probably never expected to find sharing the same program.

Brandon Victor Dixon

It starts with Aaron Copland, who took American folk tunes and church hymns and gave them symphonic scale. From there, MUSE/IQUE follows that idea through Bernstein and John Williams and into popular music by Paul Simon, Prince, and Dolly Parton. Among the songs are Simon’s “American Tune,” Prince’s “Purple Rain,” and Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” That combination alone has me curious to hear what Worby has up her sleeve.

Liv Redpath (Dario Acosta)

She has two formidable singers to work with. Grammy winner and three-time Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon has appeared on Broadway in Hamilton, The Color Purple, Chicago, Shuffle Along, and Hell’s Kitchen. Liv Redpath has sung with the Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera, LA Phil, Cleveland Orchestra, and major companies and festivals throughout Europe. They’ll be backed by the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra, with Worby doing what she does particularly well: supplying the history and connections without turning the concert into a music-appreciation class.

MUSE/IQUE (Haoyuan Ren)

Now, pay attention to this part. The concerts at The Wallis require admission, but the final performance at Ambassador Auditorium on October 28 is FREE. Free. As in zero dollars. It’s MUSE/IQUE’s annual Open House, open to non-members and the general public, and it’s the full final performance of American Sound Takes Flight, not some little promotional taste of the program. Ambassador Auditorium is a glorious place to hear an orchestra, and getting MUSE/IQUE, Dixon, Redpath, and this program there for nothing is kind of ridiculous. Take advantage of it.

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American Sound Takes Flight: From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon — Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness
MUSE/IQUE

The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills
Oct. 23 at 7:30; Oct. 24 at 2:30 and 7:30; Oct. 25 at 2:30
admission for non-members starts at $75

Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S. St. John Ave. in Pasadena
Oct. 28 at 7:30
FREE OPEN HOUSE

for tickets and more information, visit MUSE/IQUE

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