Celebrate Arts In Context with a season three kick-off party. The new season of the award-winning arts show begins on Oct. 25th with a documentary on Austin’s Mother Falcon. KLRU is hosting a party to celebrate the event!
Date: Thursday, October 25th
Time: 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Location: KLRU’s Studio 6A (map)
RSVP: The event is free but RSVP is required. RSVP now
Arts In Context season three explores the process of creation through collaboration and the condition of living and working as an artist. By spotlighting visual arts, dance, music and culture, we hope to pique curiosity and inspire people to learn more about a subject, visit an exhibition, attend a performance or create and share something beautiful of their own and facilitate the dialogue between artists and audiences. Episodes air Thursdays at 7:30 pm on KLRU and are available everywhere on the PBS iPhone app and iPad app.
The new season begins airing on Oct. 25th with a documentary on the inspiring story of one of Austin’s beloved bands, Mother Falcon. Featuring performances and in-depth interviews, Arts in Context takes you inside the 21-member band’s journey from aspiring, high school musicians to the popular band they have become today, and the challenges they now face trying to break onto the national stage. Watch a preview of the Mother Falcon episode on klru.org/artsincontext.
KLRU broadcasts programming created by and about people from all cultures year-round, from public affairs to history to independent film to kids programming. In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, KLRU will broadcast a lineup of new and encore presentations honoring and exploring Native American culture.
Standing Bear’s Footsteps airs on Monday, October 15th at 9 pm.
“Standing Bear’s Footsteps” is the story of an Indian chief who went to court to prove he was a person…and in the process redefined what it means to be an American. The documentary traces one man’s journey from his Nebraska homeland to the malaria- infested plains of Indian Territory and finally to a trial that made front page news across America. Standing Bear’s odyssey began in 1877 when the Ponca tribe was exiled from the Niobrara valley to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma, a place they called death country. As Standing Bear’s son was dying, he begged his father to take his body home and bury him with his ancestors. In January of 1879, Standing Bear began the long walk north to keep his promise. Before he and his small band could make it home they were arrested and imprisoned at Fort Omaha. With the secret support of a famous army general, Standing Bear sued the U.S. government for his freedom. The film weaves interviews, re-creations and present day scenes to tell a story about human rights, one that resonates powerfully in the present. “I am a man,” Standing Bear said at his trial. “The same God made us both.”
Journey of Sacagawea airs on Monday, October 15th at 10 pm.
The teenage Sacagawea, who with her infant son accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is an American historical icon. This program seeks the woman behind the icon and shows how cultures and events may have shaped her. The special goes beyond the sparse comments found in the expedition journals to the rich oral history of the Agaidika Shoshoni (known as the Lemhi Shoshoni), the Mandan/Hidatsa and the Nez Perce. Dramatic re-enactments and scenes of the wild areas in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and Oregon that the youthful Sacagawea knew bring her story to life.
POV #2511 “Sun Kissed” airs Thursday, October 18th at 9 pm.
When a Navajo couple discovers their children have a disorder that makes exposure to sunlight fatal, they also learn their reservation is a hotbed for this rare genetic disease. Why? “Sun Kissed” follows Dorey and Yolanda Nez as they confront cultural taboos, tribal history and their own unconventional choices to learn the shocking truth: the consequences of the Navajos’ Long Walk — their forced relocation by the U.S. military in 1864 –are far from over.
Jim Thorpe: World’s Greatest Athlete airs Thursday, November 1st at 9 pm.
This program chronicles the sports superstar’s remarkable life (1887-1953) – from his boyhood in Oklahoma and his gold-medal wins at the 1912 Summer Olympics to his subsequent fall from grace and later, his advocacy of American Indian rights and self-sufficiency. The one-hour biography recounts these events, and others, through in-depth interviews with Thorpe’s surviving children, dramatic re-creations, and archival stills and film.
POV #2506 “Up Heartbreak Hill” airs Friday, November 8th at 9 pm.
Thomas and Tamara are track stars at their rural New Mexico high school. Like many teenagers, they are torn between the lure of brighter futures elsewhere and the ties that bind them to home. For these teens, however, home is an impoverished town on the Navajo reservation, and leaving means separating from family, tradition and the land that has been theirs for generations. Erica Scharf’s “Up Heartbreak Hill” is a look at a new generation of Americans struggling to be both Native and modern.
Independent Lens #1203 “Reel Injun” airs Thursday, November 15th at 9 pm.
Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond takes an entertaining, insightful, and often humorous look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through a century of cinema and examining the ways that the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding-and misunderstanding-of Natives. Narrated by Diamond with infectious enthusiasm and good humor, this film is a loving look at cinema through the eyes of the people who appeared in its very first flickering images and have survived to tell their stories their own way.
For those of you looking for Van Cliburn and Itzhak Perlman from Live from Lincoln Center, these two specials will be featured this Sunday, September 30th.
Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold will air on Sunday, September 30th at 2 pm followed at 3 pm by Live from Lincoln Center “The Philharmonic Opening Gala with Itzhak Perlman.”
Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold–Every four years a group of the finest young pianists take the stage at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. In the midst of the drama, the beauty, the nerves and the excitement, they know one thing is true – what happens there can change their lives. They strive to feel the joy of victory and achieve their utmost goal: to become a performer on the world stage. As seen through the eyes and memories of 15 gold medalists, The Cliburn: 50 Years of Gold follows the half-century long history of one of the world’s most prestigious music competitions, set against the backdrop of beautiful music. The most important moment in the life of a young pianist is when he or she walks out onto the stage of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Gut-wrenching drama, strung-out nerves and the joy of victory are the elements that make up this extraordinary film retrospective.
Live from Lincoln Center “The Philharmonic Opening Gala with Itzhak Perlman”–Violin legend Itzhak Perlman joins the New York Philharmonic and music director Alan Gilbert for this season opening concert gala featuring Respighi’s Pines of Rome.
So please join KLRU-TV on Sunday, September 30th at 2 pm for these two unique specials.
The first Monday of the month KLRU Q’s 11pm music block features Hardly Sound. The documentary series focuses on Texas underground music and artists but goes beyond the recording studio to tell the story of the band members with insight into the creative process.
This month … Dive into the world of the Austin, Texas garage rock scene with The Bad Lovers and all their rock ‘n’ roll cohorts as they talk about their adventurous past, hopeful future, and the sometimes tenuous friendships that they’ve formed over the years. Hardly Sound airs the first Monday of the month at 11 pm on KLRU-Q. The Bad Lovers episode airs October 1.
Thursday, September 27, Arts in Context explores some of Austin’s best contemporary and performance art featured in this year’s Fusebox Festival. Featured is Austin’s own Les RAV and composer Travis Weller, both showcasing unique local talent. Also featured is Jennifer Sherburn, a dancer and composer whose innovative style brings to the stage a non-traditional form of Austin art. Fusebox Festival features not only Austin’s best artists, but also showcases some of the most interesting national and international artists, like Singer/Songwriter Holcombe Waller (Portland), the electronic folk duo, Lulacruza (Colombia and Argentina), and choreographer David Zambrano’s (Venezuela).
Fusebox Festival is a space where artists and audiences can take risks, ask questions and explore ideas together, break rules and blur boundaries. The 2012 festival features a great mix of local and international talent performing theater, dance, and music.
Join KLRU Thursday, September 27 at 7:30 PM to catch Arts in Context’s Fusebox Festival episode!
KLRU is excited to announce a new addition to KLRU Q’s 11pm music block, Hardly Sound. The documentary series focuses on Texas underground music and artists but goes beyond the recording studio to tell the story of the band members with insight into the creative process.
New episodes air the first Monday of the month at 11pm on KLRU-Q, beginning with the Bye & Bye airing this Monday. To keep up with Hardly Sound visit http://hardlysound.tumblr.com/.
There are countless ways to support Austin’s creative sector. Attending opening night at a theater, playing in a band, taking an improv class. Creativity is what makes Austin unique…so what do *you* do that keeps creativity alive?
Tell us how you keep creativity alive in Austin. Make a quick video and upload it to YouTube. Tag it “CivicSummitCreativity” and your comments may be used in our upcoming broadcast.
KLRU expands the scope and diversity of the arts on television with a special presentation of Great Performances: Tanglewood as part of the PBS Summer Arts Festival. Located in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, Tanglewood is one of the world’s most beloved music festivals. The performance will feature appearances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), the Boston Pops, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra — led by conductors John Williams, Keith Lockhart and Andris Nelsons — and iconic Tanglewood artists Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Peter Serkin and James Taylor. The wide-ranging program, which will be taped on July 14, will include Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”; Leonard Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town; selections from the Great American Songbook; Franz Joseph Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D, 2nd and 3rd movements; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Andante cantabile for cello and strings; Pablo de Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy, for violin and orchestra; Maurice Ravel’s “La Valse”; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy.
The Summer Arts Festival line-up, part of PBS’ ongoing commitment to arts content on-air and online, features films that celebrate the contributions of independent filmmakers including a behind-the-scenes profile of actor/playwright John Leguizamo, a film that chronicles a year in the life of talented teenage Mariachi musicians, a look at priceless museum collections and a concert documentary profiling a world-renowned mezzo-soprano. The Festival explores international arts, including a historic concert by four Cuban music greats and a journey into Islamic art narrated by acclaimed actress Susan Sarandon. Slated to run for seven weeks, an additional program will be announced at a later date.
KLRU will be rebroadcasting Arts In Context: Jorge Caballero on August 2 at 7 pm. The episode features Peruvian classical guitarist Caballero, along with the Miró Quartet and the Classical Guitar Orchestra, performing their Modest Mussorgsky’s masterpiece suite “Pictures At An Exhibition” entitled “Austin Pictures.”
Caballero is the youngest musician and only guitarist to win the Naumberg International Competition, an award comparable to the Pulitzer, but for musicians. The Miró Quartet are currently the Faculty String Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Texas at Austin and one of America’s most important chamber music groups. The episode is an incredible showcase of impressive talent and musicianship and is not to be missed.
Jorge Caballero and the Miró Quartet will be performing perform live on Saturday, August 4th, at Dell Hall at The Long Center for the Performing Arts. They will reunite to perform a program of Mozart, Paganini, Bach, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Not only will you be captivated by the music, but the Alamo Drafthouse’s Beverage Manager, Bill Norris, will be concocting splendid cocktails – one for each member of the performing ensemble – in the Kodosky Lounge, beginning at 6 pm. The show begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets and more information can be found at the Austin Classical Guitar’s web site.
KLRU expands the scope and diversity of the arts on television with a special presentation of Homecoming: Kansas City Symphony as part of the PBS Summer Arts Festival. Barnes Collection follows Dr. Albert Barnes’ remarkable rise from Philadelphia’s working-class neighborhood to the top of the modern art world. This unique tale bounces back and forth through time as the late Dr. Barnes travels the world to collect works of art by some of history’s most famous artists — Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse, Renoir and many others. The film digs deep into the intricacies of each painting, offering a rare look at the priceless collection and the new Philadelphia museum that houses it.
Barnes Collection is part of the PSB Summer Arts Festival and each week KLRU will present a local story to accompany the PBS program. Stay tuned after Barnes Collection for a look at Ben Rubin’s installation And That’s the Way It Is. The installation projects an interwoven grid of text from televised news broadcasts, translating the spoken language of televised evening news into written fragments.
The PBS Summer Arts Festival line-up, part of PBS’ ongoing commitment to arts content on-air and online, features films that celebrate the contributions of independent filmmakers including a behind-the-scenes profile of actor/playwright John Leguizamo, a film that chronicles a year in the life of talented teenage Mariachi musicians, a look at priceless museum collections and a concert documentary profiling a world-renowned mezzo-soprano. The Festival explores international arts, including a historic concert by four Cuban music greats and a journey into Islamic art narrated by acclaimed actress Susan Sarandon. Slated to run for seven weeks, an additional program will be announced at a later date.
© 2013 KLRU-TV