By Amelia Kibbe
Features Editor
The music of the twenties will be heard within the walls of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Saturday, as the nationally acclaimed jazz group Avante takes the stage in the Rigas Family Theatre.
The performance is the third in The Quick Center’s annual Friends of Good Music series. It is open to all students and the community. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for general admission, $16 for seniors as well as Bonaventure faculty and staff and $5 for students.
Tickets will be given away to students one hour before the performance, Ludwig Brunner, executive director of The Quick Center, said.
The eight-person group Avante, which hails from North Carolina, has local roots. The founder, Kevin Badanes, is an Olean native. He served as the chorus director and visual performing arts at Bonaventure during the 1990’s, Brunner said.
Brunner explained the group will bring a new twist on a classical style of music.
“Avante performs a unique repertoire ranging from contemporary choral works to cutting-edge jazz with a modern flair,” Brunner said. “They tour the United States, appearing in concert halls and on college campuses. The evening before this concert they perform in Baltimore.”
Avante released its first album, “Mackie’s Back,” in early 2014. Copies of the album will be available for purchase after the performance.
Following the show, Friends of Good Music members will host a reception. There is no cost for season ticket holders, and all others are welcome to join at a cost of $5, Brunner said.
Each year, Friends of Good Music and The Quick Center staff organize a series of music performances. According to Brunner, these shows give audiences a taste of various types of music.
“[The series] serves interest for students from the visual performing arts and music department, especially chorus and jazz,” Brunner said. “[They] draw an audience from the community at large, who might not otherwise visit the center. All museum galleries are open and free of charge.”
Museum galleries will be open one hour before the show and will remain open through intermission.
Sophomore Daniel Leopold, a fan of jazz music, is excited The Quick Center offers fun, educational opportunities for Bonaventure students.
“I think it’s really cool that the tickets are cheaper for students,” Leopold, a journalism and mass communication and history double major, said. “It makes it seem like they [center directors] are targeting the students and sponsoring things around campus for them to do.”
Brunner explained The Quick Center does not often make a profit on the shows because the objective is not money, but spreading good music to audiences who otherwise would not have heard it.
“The Quick Center aims to keep ticket prices affordable for the general public and also provide low cost or free tickets to students,” Brunner said. “There isn’t always a profit, and if there is a small profit it is applied to support more performances during the season. The price for a student ticket to this live performance is cheaper than a movie ticket.”
Leopold added that jazz is still important in today’s culture, mainly due to its historical context.
“This generation is still exposed to jazz, because it’s sampled so frequently by popular artists,” Leopold said. “It’s also influenced in a lot of today’s music. So jazz is still definitely relevant.”
Kibbeaa13@bonaventure.edu
