Arts Briefs: Music and comedy
X FACTOR FINALIST RENE
AT KLUC BLOCK PARTY
Singer-songwriter Chris Rene, a season-one "X Factor" finalist, joins teen heartthrob Austin Mahone and singer/rapper Outasight ("Tonight Is the Night") at the Henderson Pavilion Saturday night for 98.5 KLUC-FM's End of Summer Block Party.
In the past four years, the End of Summer Block Party has provided a way for teens (and their families) to bid farewell to summer before heading back to school. (Previous Block Party performers include Mindless Behavior, Big Time Rush, Cody Simpson and Jesse McCartney.)
Leading this year's lineup: Rene, who placed third during "X Factor's" first season and released his debut album this summer, highlighted by the lead single "Young Homie."
Mahone, 16, has been dubbed the next Justin Bieber for such songs as his debut single, "11:11," and his viral videos. And Outasight scored an international hit last year with "Tonight Is the Night," which later turned up in a Pepsi commercial and at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, where the singer performed it live.
The End of Summer Block Party kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway. Tickets ($9.85 or $15 for premium seating, plus service fee) are available by phone at 267-4849 or online at www.HendersonLive.com.
LAS VEGAS YOUTH CAMERATA ORCHESTRA
CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
The Las Vegas Youth Camerata Orchestra celebrates 25 years at the Winchester Cultural Center Sunday afternoon with a "Best of the Camerata" program that ranges from Vivaldi to Piazzola.
Founded by Argentinian violinist and guitarist Oscar Carrescia, the orchestra debuted in fall 1986 at what was then Winchester Community Center, playing in the center's echo-prone gymnasium; the gym was transformed into a 274-seat theater in 1995, becoming the Winchester Cultural Center.
Hundreds of dedicated young string players who have performed with the Youth Camerata have enjoyed a unique repertoire, including works by Astor Piazzola and Jose Bragatto - both of whom are represented in Sunday's anniversary concert.
Violinist Szandor Ladu will solo on Piazzola's "Oblivion," while cellist Elena Kapustina will be featured on Bragatto's "Malambo," which the composer rewrote especially for the Camerata. Rounding out the program: Vivaldi's Concert in D Major for Guitar and String Orchestra, featuring young classical guitarist Marcelino Chavez.
"The Best of the Camerata" will be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. Tickets ($10 in advance, $12 at the door) may be purchased at the center or online at www.clarkcountynv.gov; more informationis available by phone at 455-7340.
MARTIN, STEEP CANYON RANGERS
BLEND BLUEGRASS AND COMEDY
It's a comedy concert with music. It's a bluegrass concert with comedy.
It's two, two, two concerts in one, as Steve Martin leads the Steep Canyon Rangers in "An Evening of Bluegrass and Comedy" Wednesday at The Smith Center's Reynolds Hall.
A banjo has been part of Martin's comedy act since his '70s breakthrough as that wild and crazy guy, but bluegrass banjo is serious business for Martin and his Rangers.
The multitalented Martin (actor, writer, art collector) picked up the banjo as a teenager, during the early '60s folk boom.
"I just loved the sound of it," Martin told Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Jason Bracelin last year, when he and the Steep Canyon Rangers played The Mirage. "I loved both its melancholy aspect and its dynamic speed."
Martin won a Grammy for his first all-music album, "The Crow," and hit No. 1 on the bluegrass charts with the follow-up, "Rare Bird Alert," which featured vocals by everyone from Paul McCartney to The Dixie Chicks.
And though many bluegrass shows - including Martin's - incorporate comedy, "there's something about the banjo - it looks and sounds very difficult. And it is," he said last year. "And so suddenly they're not laughing when you play a three-finger banjo thing at lightning speed."
You can catch Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave. Tickets ($29-$108) are available by phone at 749-2000 or online at www.thesmithcenter.com.
- Carol Cling
