Arts Briefs (7/3)

Business in the Arts Awards nominations sought

Nominations are being accepted through 5 p.m. Friday, July 10, for the 19th Annual Business in the Arts Awards, which recognizes individuals, businesses and arts organizations for their promotion of and dedication to the arts in the community.

Winners in each of six categories will be honored at the Business in the Arts Awards Breakfast, sponsored by BOEING, which will be held at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel on Aug. 19. Registration and networking start at 7 a.m., followed by breakfast, program and awards presentations at 7:45 a.m.

Nominations are open in the following six categories, and winners are selected by an independent panel of judges: Large Business Partner of the Year, Mid-Size Business Partner of the Year, Small Business Partner of the Year, Arts Organization of the Year, Arts Advocate of the Year, and Arts Board Member of the Year.

Complete guidelines, instructions and nomination forms are available online at www.abcannualawardsbreakfast.org.

Sponsorships also are available for the breakfast.

For information, visit the Web site or call (602) 234-4711.

Heard Museum exhibitions, Movie Mondays

Exhibitions at the Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave., include: Mothers & Daughters: Stories in Clay (ongoing through Jan. 24); Harry Fonseca: An Artist's Journey (ongoing through April 4); Life in a Cold Place: Arctic Art from the Albrecht Collection (through Jan. 3); New Traditions in Old Pots: Silver Seed Pots from the Norman L. Sandfield Collection (ongoing); HOME: Native People in the Southwest (ongoing); Around the World: The Heard Museum Collection (ongoing); History & Collections of the Heard Museum (ongoing); Every Picture Tells a Story (ongoing); Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience (ongoing); and We Are! Arizona's First People (ongoing).

Movie Mondays start at 1:30 p.m., and the upcoming schedule includes Coming to Light: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indians (Sept. 14), Hana: The Heart of Hawai'i (Sept. 21) and Trudell (Sept. 28).

For more information, call (602) 252.8848 or visit www.heard.org.

Cirque du Soleil to present Saltimbanco

Cirque du Soleil will weave its magic at Jobing.com Arena July 29 to Aug. 2 with Saltimbanco, the very first "classic" Cirque du Soleil touring show to be presented in an arena. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets range from $40 to $95 for adults and $32 to $76 for children 12 and under and are available online at www.cirquedusoleil.com or by calling (623) 772-3800. 

Auditions open for Phoenix Boys Choir

Auditions for the Phoenix Boys Choir are now being scheduled for boys 7 to 14 years old.

The Boys Choir consists of three choirs - the Training, Cadet and Town choirs. Most boys begin in the training choir and move up through their years of training with the choir. Auditions are being held through Oct. 1 for the Training Choirs. To audition, boys must turn 7 years old by Sept. 15.

Auditions are held between 4 and 6 p.m. at the Phoenix Boys Choir building at 1131 E. Missouri Ave. To schedule an appointment, call Pat or Latesha at (602) 264-5328, ext. 21 or 22.

The audition process takes about 15 minutes. Eligible boys should possess an unchanged, clear and pleasant singing voice and a good "ear" for music. Previous choir experience is not required and there is no need to prepare audition material.

Rehearsals and concerts take place September through May. Scholarships and financial aid for tuition and other costs are available.

For more information, visit www.phoenixboyschoir.com or call (602) 264-5328.

Auditions set for Show Your Stuff and Ragtime

Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre Actor's Cafe will present Show Your Stuff starting at 6 p.m. Aug. 9 at Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre, 4720 N. Scottsdale Road. Auditions will begin at 10 a.m. Aug. 1.

No appointment or experience are needed to audition. Auditioners should bring a CD or instrument to the audition and wear appropriate dance shoes, if needed (no flip-flops or sandals are allowed).

Tickets are $6 to the show, and reservations are recommended.

Auditions for Ragtime will begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 for ages 16 and older. The show will run 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays Oct. 9 to Nov. 1.

For more information or reservations, call the box office at (480) 483-1664 or visit www.desertstages.com.

Spiked! Thursdays at DBG

Spiked! Thursdays, a happy hour and social event at the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, will continue from 7 to 9 p.m. July 9, Aug. 13 and Sept. 10 focusing on summer vacation beach destinations. Each night will feature a different beach theme, paired with a beach inspired cocktail, light hors d'oeuvres and beach music.

Must be 21 or older to attend and show proper identification to be admitted. Tickets are available online at www.dbg.org or by calling (480) 481-8188.

ASU Art Museum hosting exhibit, family fun day

The Arizona State University Art Museum, located at Tenth Street and Mill Avenue in Tempe, is featuring the 10th Annual Summer Family Exhibition, Food: Feasts for the Eyes from the Permanent Collection through Aug. 30 and will host Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 10.

For more information, call (480) 965-2787 or visit the museum online at http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu.

Childsplay announces 2009-10 season

Childsplay, Arizona's professional theater company for young audiences, has announced its 2009-10 season, and all performances will take place at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. The schedule includes:

• Honus and Me - 4 p.m. Sept. 13 (preview with discounted tickets), runs Sept. 19 to Oct. 11. Recommended for age six and older.

• Androcles and the Lion -  4 p.m. Oct. 25 (preview), runs Oct. 31 to Nov. 15. Recommended for age five and older.

• Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Santa Smells - 4 p.m. Nov. 15 (preview), runs Nov. 21 to Dec. 27. Recommended for age four and older.

• Peter and the Wolf - 4 p.m. Jan. 24 (preview), runs Jan. 30 to March 14. Recommended for ages three and older.

• Tomato Plant Girl - 1 p.m. April 10 (preview), runs April 10 to 18. Recommended for ages five and older.

• The Big Friendly Giant - 4 p.m. April 25 (preview), runs May 1 to 23. Recommended for ages five and older.

Ticket prices remain the same as last season. Childsplay Play Passes (flexible subscription packages customized for families) are on sale through the Childsplay Web site at www.childsplayaz.org. Single tickets will be on sale at the theater box office starting in early August.

For the box office, call (480) 350-2822 or visit www.childsplayaz.org/box office.

ASU Gammage, Broadway Across America announce upcoming season

Arizona State University Gammage has announced the 2009-10 Broadway Across America - Arizona season. The seven show series includes Legally Blonde The Musical, Sept. 22 to 27; Little House On The Prairie, Dec. 8 to 13; August: Osage County, Jan. 5 to 10, 2010; Mary Poppins, Feb. 11 to 28; Avenue Q, March 9 to 14; Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, April 20 to 25; and In The Heights, June 15 to 20.

Special engagements include Phantom Of The Opera, Oct. 28 to Nov. 22; and Annie, Dec. 29 to Jan. 3, 2010.

Season subscriptions start at $112, and single tickets will go on sale July 27.

For more information, call 1-(800) 982-ARTS (2787), or visit asugammage.com or broadwayacrossamerica.com.

Sonoran Desert Chorale announces upcoming season

Inspired with optimism, the Sonoran Desert Chorale has themed its new season "How Can I Keep From Singing"? and features a year of heart-lifting, infectious songs designed to entertain audiences.

Saturday evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 15 E. First Ave., Mesa, and Sunday afternoon performances will be at 3 p.m. at Paradise Valley Methodist Church, 4455 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley.

The schedule includes: How Can I Keep From Singing?, Oct. 10 and 11; Singing Together - A Holiday Tradition, Dec. 12 and 13; Song, Go On!  A Tribute to the Music of Canada, Feb. 27 and 28; and Music of Fame and Fortune - the Stage and Screen, May 1 and 2.

Tickets are available by calling (480) 305-4538 and will also be available 30 minutes prior to each concert at the door. Visit www.sonorandesertchorale.org for more information.

Phoenix Children's Chorus announces 2009-10 season

The renowned Phoenix Children's Chorus has announced its 25th Anniversary Season. The chorus is comprised young singers from second to 12 grades in four distinct choirs.

The upcoming season includes: 25th Anniversary Holiday Concert, Dec. 5, 2 and 7 p.m., St. Agnes Church; Phoenix Children's Chorus Dinner Gala, April 24, Memorial Hall at Indian Steele Park; 25th Anniversary Celebration Concert, May 22, 7 p.m., Ikeda Theater at Mesa Center for the Arts; and 25th Anniversary Tour to China, June 2010, Shanghai, Zhengzhou and Beijing.

Season tickets are on sale now by calling (602) 534-3788. Individual performance tickets will go on sale Nov. 10 by calling the number above or through Ticketmaster. For more information, visit www.phoenixchildrenschorus.org.

Amateur film-makers invited to enter contest

A new collaboration between the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival and the New Israel Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix has resulted in the creation of the Scholastic Film Contest.

The contest is open to all amateur scholastic film-makers in the United States. Film-makers do not have to be Jewish to enter the contest, but must fall into the following two grade levels for which one winner will be selected for each level - Level 1, high school students grades 9 to 12; and Level 2, undergraduate or graduate students at any college or university.

Submitted films must be no longer than 10 minutes and of obvious Jewish content or reflect issues related to any cultural, political historical, religious, geographical or any other aspects of Jewish life.

The deadline for submissions is Feb. 15, 2010.

For complete details, e-mail Roni Zee at Ronizee@cox.net.

Phoenix Opera begins third season

Phoenix Opera will present two of the world's best-loved operas, Bizet's Carmen Nov. 6 and 8 and Puccini's Madama Butterfly Feb. 12 and 14, at the Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams St.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster or by calling (602) 262-7272.

Phoenix Boys Choir Fall Gala coming up

The Phoenix Boys Choir invites community members to attend its Fall 2009 Gala, "A Night of Wondrous Entertainment," beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Herberger Theater Center Stage West, 222 E. Monroe St.

The cabaret-style evening will include wondrous entertainment featuring a performance by the Tour Choir, silent and live auctions and cocktail reception. 

All proceeds benefit the Phoenix Boys Choir. Cocktail attire.

For more information, visit www.phoenixboyschoir.com or call (602) 264-5328.