Our Chamber Players and two nights of Beacon dance were among the 2022-23 highlights

*Palladium Chamber Players Jeffrey Multer violin; Edward Arron cello. May 10, 2023*

With our fiscal year ending on June 30, and our Summer Jam season upon us, I wanted to look back at a few of the highlights of last season.

The good news overall, our audiences and artists returned. It felt like 2018 and 2019 again with sold-out shows, lots of great dates on the calendar and the great feeling of folks being together sharing a musical or theater experience.

Our season included lots of jazz, blues, stand-up comedy, indie music, and community events, including the Times Festival of Reading, which moved to the Palladium and will return again next November.

*The Julliard String Quartet: Michelle Ross, violin; Ronald Copes, violin; Molly Carr, viola; Astrid Schween, cello.*
*Palladium Chamber Series, February 21, 2023*

I’m particularly proud of our Palladium Chamber Players season. We were celebrating our 10^th anniversary of this world-class series. Not only did our core players appear at the beginning and end of the season, we also featured the Julliard String Quartet and Time For Three, two of the best ensembles in the business. More than 500 people attended the Julliard concert.

*Time For Three: Ranaan Meyer, double bass and vocals; Nicolas “Nick” Kendall, violin and vocals; Charles Yang, violin and vocals.*
*Palladium Chamber Series, March 8, 2023*

Jeff Multer and Ed Arron did another masterful job of pulling together a well-rounded, crowd-pleasing season. Our Chamber coordinator, Laurel Borden, made sure it all happened smoothly. Thanks to Westminster Communities and all our private donors for helping us set a new fund-raising record this season.

*Palladium Chamber Players: Jeffrey Multer, violin; Edward Arron, cello; Jeewon Park, piano; Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, guest violist;*
Paul Nemeth, guest bassist. *Palladium Chamber Series, March 8, 2023*

We have dates on the books for next season and tickets go on sale right after Labor Day.

In late April, our Beacon Dance series, directed by Helen Hansen French and Lauren Ree Sloane, expanded to two nights, and was supported by a grant from South Arts, a branch of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Jazzman Jeremy Carter and choreographer Alex Jones, combined to create Jazz Theory, a night of music and dance in the Side Door. That show sold out. Check out the pictures for a taste of Jazz Theory!

*projectALCHEMY’s Jazz Theory with Jeremy Carter, April 27, 2023*

The following night, Jones’ Project Alchemy was on the mainstage dancing to the music of Bach. Helen Hansen French partnered with jazz pianist John O’Leary for a piece called “Imperfect Joy.” Choreographers Heidi Brewer, Sarah Walston and Sarah Emery, also contributed pieces. And we celebrated the dance photography of the late Tom Kramer.

Take a look at the photos from our Chamber Series and our two nights of Beacon dance.

In my next blog, I’ll be writing more about our past season and offering a look at what’s coming up for summer.