Kirkland Performance Center Announces December Performances

Media Contacts:
Rachel Jackson, Public Relations Manager
425-828-0422
Rachel@kpcenter.org
www.kpcenter.org

Celebrate KPChristmas with these great December artists: Rita Coolidge with the Kirkland Choral Society December 4, Bronn Journey’s 24th Annual Christmas Concert December 1, BREAK! – The Urban Funk Spectacular December 2, International Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker December 9-11, Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra with special guest, Greta Matassa December 13, Sister’s Christmas Catechism December 15-18, and ring in the new year with The Comedy Underground’s The Best of Comedy Underground December 31.

Kirkland Performance Center presents:
Rita Coolidge with the Kirkland Choral Society
Date/Time: December 4, 2005, 7:30pm
Reg Price: $44 • Sr $39 • Youth $29 • Group $39

Best known for her uplifting, chart-topping renditions of “Higher and Higher” and “We’re All Alone,” this show features Rita accompanied by the Kirkland Choral Society. Celebrate the season with Rita’s silky-smooth delivery of holiday favorites, emotional translations of songs into her native Cherokee, songs from her new Concord Records jazz cd, And So Is Love, as well as the songs that made her famous. Artist Sponsors: Don & Merrily Dicks, G.G. Getz, David Gibson, Woodinville Oral & Maxofacial Surgery

Bronn Journey’s 24th Annual Christmas Concert
Date/Time: Dec. 1, 7:30pm
Reg Price: $15 • Sr $15 • Youth $12 • Group $14

Bronn and Katherine Journey return to KPC with their annual Christmas (and more!) concert. Bronn is a performer of the concert harp. He brings a warm, casual approach to a classical instrument, accompanied at times throughout the evening by Katherine’s glorious, angelic voice. This joyous concert features Christmas music from the British Isles as well as other music from Wales, Scotland and Ireland in honor of Bronn’s newest CD from the Celtic genré. Joining the Journeys will be Robert Puff playing woodwinds, cellist Diane Tremayne, vioinist Susan Burke and Ben Rudd playing percussion.

Kirkland Performance Center presents:
BREAK! – The Urban Funk Spectacular
Date/Time: December 2, 8pm
Reg Price: $29 • Sr $26 • Youth $15 • Group $26

What started out on street corners of America’s inner cities has evolved into a distinct, dynamic dance form. BREAK! The Urban Funk Spectacular is nothing short of awesome, featuring mind-bending moves, gravity-defying gymnastics, and razor-sharp synchronicity. Dance has seldom been this breathtakingly irresistible! Artist Sponsors: Cal McAusland and Northwest Aerials Gymnastics & Dance.

International Ballet Theatre presents:
The Nutcracker
Date/Time: December 9, 7:30pm and December 10-11, 2pm & 7:30pm
Reg Price: $25 • Sr $19 • Youth $10 • Group $25

Preserving the original style of The Nutcracker Ballet as it was first created by Tchaikovsky and Petipa in St. Petersburg in 1892, Vera Altunina, Artistic Director of Kirkland’s International Ballet Theatre, weaves her own artistic expression into this delightful, funny, and extraordinarily beautiful production. Audiences of all ages will be captivated by the magic of the Nutcracker and the fantasy of the mouse family. Featuring Evgeny Lushkin, former soloist with the American Ballet Theater. Visit www.interballettheatre.org or call 425-822-7694 for information.

Sants & Sue Contreras and Kirkland Performance Center present:
Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra with special guest, Greta Matassa
Date/Time: December 13, 7:30pm
Reg Price: $21 • Sr $19 • Youth $10 • Group $19

Tremendous, powerful and inspiring, SWOJO joins us for a winter concert perfectly poised between songs of the season and boisterous big band favorites. Made up of many of the finest female jazz musicians in the region and the Northwest’s favorite jazz vocalist, Greta Matassa, the ensemble’s lush dynamic sound is the result of five years of thrilling audiences on two continents.

Kirkland Performance Center presents:
Sister’s Christmas Catechism
Date/Time: Dec. 15, 7:30pm; Dec. 16, 8pm; Dec. 17, 8pm; Dec.18, 7pm
Reg Price: $24 • Sr $21.50 • Youth $10 • Group $21.50

Nuttier than the Nutcracker and more of a kick than the Rockettes, the infamous Sister of Late Nite Catechism is back and on the case, solving the greatest mystery never told: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold. Sister’s special forensics tools, an audience-participation living nativity and performances by a local choir are only part of the fun on this “O’ ho-ho-holy night.” For more information, visit www.entertainmenteventsinc.com. Artist Sponsors: David & Gail Alskog, G.G. Getz, Lee Johnson Chevrolet, Jindra Rieger

The Comedy Underground presents:
The Best of Comedy Underground
Date/Time: December 31, 8pm
Reg Price: $20 • Sr $17 • Youth $15 • Group $18

Start the New Year off with a laugh: KPC celebrates its first stand-up comedy New Year’s Eve show, featuring the top performers from The Comedy Underground, Seattle’s longest-running comedy club. You know what they say - laughter is good for you, and studies have shown that it can improve your love life and take off extra pounds. We’re not promising either, but what better way could there be to welcome 2006?

All KPC tickets are subject to a $1.00 service fee. Senior prices apply to adults aged 62 and older and youth prices apply to anyone aged 25 and younger with valid ID. Group discounts are available to any group of 10 or more.

About Kirkland Performance Center
Responsive to the cultural needs of the community, Kirkland Performance Center provides a home for the presentation, support and promotion of the performing arts. Located in downtown Kirkland, this 402-seat theatre hosts more than 250 music, theatre and dance performances each year from acclaimed regional, national and international artists. In addition to presenting performing arts, KPC conducts educational outreach programs through “A World of Arts”, a program designed to bring visiting artists into the classrooms for in-depth workshops. KPC also hosts a variety of community programs, including the King County Library Lecture Series and “Kids-at-Play”, an opportunity for students to perform in a professional setting at KPC. For more information and to review upcoming performances, please visit www.kpcenter.org.

The 2005-2006 Season is made possible in part by: Evergreen Healthcare, The Boeing Company, Woodmark Hotel on Lake Washington, Direct Mailing Solutions, Univar USA, King County Journal Newspapers, Northwest Aerials Gymnastics & Dance, Woodinville Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Merit Financial, Frontier Bank, Software 21, Oasis Complete Facilities Management, Western States Arts Federation/National Endowment for the Arts, ArtsFund, 4Culture, Washington State Arts Commission and generous support from The City of Kirkland.

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