UPCLOSE Concert Series Brings Patrons Closer to Performers

The 2nd annual concert series that encourages audience interaction will feature four great shows at Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center.

Folkgrass duo Still On The Hill closes out the UPCLOSE concert series on Jan. 21, 2014.

Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center excitedly reveals who takes its stage for UPCLOSE, the second ­annual concert series that encourages audience ­interaction and conversation with some of the most ­entertaining and talented artists in the region. With a four-show lineup, UPCLOSE brings Broadway, jazz, holiday tunes and folkgrass music to the BAPAC stage this year.

    Presented by Broken Arrow Arts and Humanities Council in cooperation with the BAPAC, UPCLOSE kicks off with a Broadway-style show “And Baby Makes 3” on Sept. 7, 2013. New York City’s JazzReach comes to town on Oct. 1, 2013 to highlight the first 100 years of jazz. Broken Arrow native and Broadway star Kathryn Zaremba spreads Christmas cheer on Dec. 21, 2013, and folkgrass duo Still On The Hill closes out the series on Jan. 31, 2014. Each show begins at 7:30 and is held at the BAPAC in ­downtown Broken Arrow.

    “This unique series gives patrons the opportunity to share the stage with some truly exceptional talent,” BAPAC Executive Director Mark Frie said. “There is no better way to experience what we do here at the PAC than to see it ­up-close.”

    The UPCLOSE ­entertainment starts with “And Baby Makes 3,” starring and written by BAPAC’s Executive Director, Mark Frie, and his wife, Kim. The Broadway-style show pulls music from iconic shows, such as “I Do! I Do!” “Closer Than Ever,” “Songs for a New World,” “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Company,” to tell the story of a love-filled ­marriage and a bright-eyed, busy baby who completed it all. Their emotional journey takes the audience with them through heartache, laughter and compassion in a one-night only performance. Both Mark and Kim have traveled the globe, performing in ­world-renowned venues like Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Skylight Opera, North Shore Music Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Center and New York City Opera.  

    Next to visit the Rose District is JazzReach, a ­nationally recognized New York City-based, not-for-profit organization that is “steadfastly dedicated to fostering a greater appreciation, awareness and understanding of this rich, vital, ever-evolving American art form.” Their multi-media educational program “Stolen Moments: The First 100 Years of Jazz” introduces the music’s vast ­history and is carried out exclusively by JazzReach’s ­official resident ensemble, Metta Quintet. The critically acclaimed Metta Quintet is devoted to furthering arts ­education by performing ­original jazz masterpieces from the great American songbook through the integration of live performance, captivating video, lighting and sound.

    It’s the happiest time of the year, and Kathryn Zaremba, accompanied by her pianist and husband, Jeremy Ney, makes her second ­appearance on our stage, this time performing a Christmas show for the ages. Zaremba, a Broken Arrow native, is best known for her role as Annie in off-Broadway’s “Annie Warbucks.” Her television credits include “Full House,” “Sisters” and “The Jeff Foxworthy Show.” She also worked alongside Ed Asner and Betty White in the CBS Christmas Special “The Story of Santa Claus” and appeared in the Disney movie “Toothless” with Kirstie Alley.  

    The series concludes on Jan. 31 with an evening of folkgrass tunes, performed by high-energy, Ozarkian duo Still On The Hill. Band members Kelly Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna have produced ­numerous records since 2001 and have been voted “Best Folk Band” by the Ozark region. The group’s repertoire is comprised mainly of their own original compositions combined with innovative arrangements of traditional songs. They perform with a plethora of acoustic ­instruments, including the mandolin, banjo, fiddle, ­guitar, harmonica and scrub board, to create a ­“kaleidoscope of musical color and texture.”  

    Tickets for each show are $20 plus a facility fee and are available online at ­www.brokenarrowpac.com. Season tickets for all four shows are $60. Tickets can also be purchased at the BAPAC Box Office located at 701 South Main in downtown Broken Arrow or by phone at (918) 259-5778, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

For more information, contact

Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center

(918) 259-5778

www.brokenarrowpac.com