Jazz is Dead, Vienna Boys Choir, THE BFG and More Set for Fall 2015 at SOPAC

South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) has announced its Fall 2015 Events at 1 SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ, 07079. Scroll down for details!

To purchase tickets, contact SOPAC at 973.313.ARTS (2787) or visit www.SOPACnow.org.

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Fall 2015 at SOPAC:

THU, 8/20 at 7:30PM Jazz is Dead Reunion- A Jazz Exploration of the Grateful Dead
Jazz

Tickets: $40-$55
Jazz is Dead celebrates the 50th Anniversary of The Grateful Dead with their highly-anticipated exclusive tour beginning August 1, the late Jerry Garcia's birthday, and running through Labor Day 2015. Jazz is Dead - A Jazz Exploration of the Grateful Dead embarks from the point of Garcia and company's most complex and audacious material from many periods of their storied history. Each performance promises Deadheads musical staples as well as inspired improvisation crafted by a line-up of stellar players.

FRI, 9/11 at 8PM The Manhattans, featuring Gerald Alston
With Special Guests The Silver Stars, the Soul of New Jersey

R&B

Tickets: $55-$85
Many will remember The Manhattans for their quintessential Grammy Award-winning hit of the 80s, "Shining Star," which reached the Top Five on both the pop and R&B charts and went gold. Earlier hits include "Kiss and Say Goodbye," "There's No Me Without You," "It Feels So Good to Be Loved So Bad," not to mention their very first chart-topping single from 1965, "I Wanna Be Your Everything."

SAT, 9/19 at 8PM--Jerry Douglas Presents the Earls of Leicester

Bluegrass, Roots
Tickets: $30-$40
Led by thirteen-time Grammy Award-winner and three-time Country Music "Musician of the Year" Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester is a tribute to the music of legendary bluegrass pioneers Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and their band, Foggy Mountain Boys.

SAT, 9/26 at 8PM An Evening With Colin Quinn

Comedy

Tickets: $30-$48

Colin Quinn returns to SOPAC on the heels of his new one man show "New York Story" directed by Jerry Seinfeld and a co-starring role in the forthcoming Amy Schumer film "Trainwreck." Colin Quinn is currently the king of Twitter and will be back on the upcoming season of HBO's "Girls."

SAT, 10/3 AT 8PM Loudon Wainwright III & Nellie McKay
Singer-Songwriter, Folk

Tickets: $35-$55
See the dynamic duo! Grammy Award-winning traditional folk singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III along with songstress and Broadway actress Nellie McKay.

FRI, 10/9 at 8PM EagleMania- The Ultimate Tribute to the Eagles
Rock, Tribute

Tickets: $25-$35
EagleMania has dedicated itself to faithfully reproducing the sound of The Eagles for the past three years. Since their inception, EagleMania has been thrilling audiences all over the East Coast with their stunning five part harmonies and their uncanny ability to emulate The Eagles note by note.

SAT, 10/10 at 8PM Jonatha Brooke & Patty Larkin

Singer-Songwriter, Folk

Tickets: $35-$45

An evening with Jonatha Brooke and Patty Larkin promises poignant lyrics and complex harmonies within the genres of folk, rock and pop, all the while touching your heart, tickling your funny bone and delivering a message or a story in a totally authentic way.

SUN, 10/11 at 3PM Vienna Boys Choir
Classical, Choral

Tickets: $38-$58
The Vienna Boys Choir is a musical tradition that dates back over 500 years. Until 1918, the choir sang exclusively for the imperial court, at mass, at private concerts and functions, and on state occasions. Today, however, with a repertoire that includes everything from medieval to contemporary to experimental music, over 100 choristers travel the globe in four different choirs performing music to over a half million people in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Presented by SOPAC and Seton Hall University.

THU, 10/29 at 7:30PM A Very Special Solo Evening With Joan Armatrading
Singer-Songwriter
Tickets: $68-$95
This beloved singer-songwriter's world tour will be her first as a solo performer, as well as her final major tour. In a recording career spanning 40 years, British singer-songwriter and guitarist Joan Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee, a two-time BRIT Award-nominee, and an Ivor Novello Award recipient for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection in 1996.

SUN, 11/1 at 7:30PM David Bromberg Big|Brave Band
Blues, Roots
Tickets: $48-$70
With a stage full of incredible talent and no set list, the freewheeling David Bromberg Big|Brave Band concerts have become the stuff of legends. His sensitive and versatile approach to guitar-playing is steeped in the folk and blues traditions. An eclectic artist, he plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country, western, and rock and roll equally well. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the same time.

SAT, 11/7 at 8PM Get the Led Out "The American Led Zeppelin"

Classic Rock

Tickets: $35-$50

The premiere Led Zeppelin tribute band returns to the SOPAC stage. Dubbed by the media as "The American Led Zeppelin," Get The Led Out have captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin and brought it to the concert stage for a live experience like you've never heard before.

SUN, 11/8 at 3PM In the Loft
Art in the Public Eye: 3 One-Act Plays

Theatre, Reading

Tickets: $15

The South Orange Performing Arts Center and The Lennie Pierro Memorial Arts Foundation present readings of three commissioned plays that explore the provocative issues that often arise around public art as part of Art in the Public Eye. Playwrights include B.V.Marshall, Mark Lowenstern, and Eddie Antar.

SAT, 11/14 at 8PM Leon Russell
Blues, Country, Rock

Tickets: $38-$58
Leon Russell is a Rock N'Roll Hall of Famer who has been performing his gospel-infused southern boogie piano rock, blues, and country music for over 50 years. He is a music legend and perhaps the most accomplished and versatile musician in the history of rock 'n roll. In his distinguished and unique career, he has played on, arranged, written and/or produced some of the best records in popular music.

SAT, 11/21 at 8PM The Weight "Celebrating the Music of Levon Helm and the Band"

Classic Rock, Tribute

Tickets: $27-$38

Replicating the music of The Band is a tall order. But interpreting the music of The Band is an art. Songs that have reverberated across history for decades continue to speak to millions of us. Come and "Take A Load Off."

THU, 12/17 at 7:30PM Dar Williams
Singer-Songwriter, Folk

Tickets: $30-$45

Dar Williams has enjoyed a remarkable career which began when Joan Baez, an early fan of her music, took her out on the road and recorded several of her songs. At the core of her work is a belief in the innate ability of people to make a better world, the product of countless observations in her travels and conversations with her fans.

SAT, 12/19 at 8PM Cherish the Ladies "A Celtic Christmas"
Irish-Celtic, World

Tickets: $30-$40

Taking their name from a traditional Irish jig, Cherish the Ladies share timeless Irish traditions with audiences worldwide. In this program, the Ladies perform classic Christmas carols in their signature arrangements highlighting unique Celtic instrumentation, beautiful harmonies, and spectacular Irish step-dancing.

Kids 'N Family Performances

SAT, 10/10 at 2PM Madeline and the Bad Hat

Ticket: $18

Told with gentle humor, and featuring a beautiful musical score, it is a delightful tale of enemies-become-friends and of the unbreakable bonds of friendship and family that will charm and entertain children and adults alike.

SAT, 11/14 at 2PM Rainbow Magic Live! Saving Fairyland

Tickets: $23-$28
Follow best friends Rachel and Kirsty as they hunt for magical wands and trick the silly goblins to save Fairyland. Filled with fun and adventure, this musical production will travel around the world exploring the arctic, the desert, and the rainforest with lots of excitement and laughter along the way.

SUN, 12/6 at 1 & 5PM American Repertory Ballet's Nutcracker

Tickets: $25-$30

American Repertory Ballet brings the beloved classic Nutcracker to the SOPAC stage with Tchaikovsky's glittering score, spectacular costumes, stunning scenic effects, inventive choreography and a cast of approximately seventy-five performers. In this holiday ballet, the gift of a beautiful nutcracker brings young Clara astonishing dreams of battling mice, enchanted forests, and the exotic Land of Sweets.

SUN, 1/10 at 2PM The Berenstain Bears Live! In Family Matters, the Musical

Tickets: $23-$28

Adapted from the classic children's book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain, The Berenstain Bears LIVE! in Family Matters, the Musical brings everyone's favorite bear family to life in a thrilling theatrical experience that kids will treasure for many years to come.

SAT, 2/6 at 2PM The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites

Ticket: $20-$25
The triple-bill includes the wonderful story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar's metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly; the fanciful account of Little Cloud's travels through the sky, and the Mixed-Up Chameleon's discovery of his own unique nature. The whimsical tales have enchanted several generations, and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia's acclaimed stage adaptation teaches as well as entertains.

SAT, 3/19 at 2PM PINKALICIOUS, The Musical

Ticket: $23-$28

Elizabeth and Victoria Kann's popular series of picture books follows the adventures of a charming girl whose single-minded determination gets her into all sorts of colorful trouble.

SAT, 4/2 at 2PM The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)

Tickets: $25-$30

Humongous on humor and large on laughs, the story of The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) was Roald Dahl's personal favorite. On stage, his whizz-cracklingly wacky tale comes to life with puppets and people creating a fantastical world of towering giants and magical adventures.

SAT, 5/14 at 2PM Story Pirates: Greatest Hits
Ticket: $18

Story Pirates celebrates creative writing by students from coast to coast in a loud, hilarious sketch comedy musical performed by professional improvisers and musicians. When the curtain rises, cats can fly; hot dogs save the world; fried foods battle dairy foods; some of the characters you're likely to meet are Captain Waffles, Moneyhead Alan, or Snufflepants. Each live performance also includes an improvisation segment with stories and suggestions coming straight from the live audience!

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SOPAC programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is a 501(c)(3)charitable organization.

Since 2006, SOPAC has been serving as a premier performing arts center in the region. SOPAC offers innovative artistic and cultural experiences for diverse audiences in an intimate, inviting environment. The premier arts center hosts a variety of live performances, community events and education programs for all ages. To further expand its offerings, SOPAC has a partnership with the Juilliard School of Music to present Juilliard @ SOPAC-a series featuring upcoming musicians from the acclaimed conservatory. SOPAC is home for Seton Hall University Arts Council's performances, including Classical Concert Series, Jazz N' the Hall performances and Seton Hall Theatre productions. SOPAC also presents performances by its theater company in residence, Midtown Direct Rep, and its dance company in residence, Lydia Johnson Dance. For more information, visit SOPACnow.org.

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