Brooks Center Set to Launch 20th Season

The Brooks Center for the Performing Arts at Clemson University marks its 20th season with entertainment ranging from bluegrass to Broadway and dance to drama.

The Boni Belle Brooks Series begins Sept. 3 with an evening of upbeat tunes by “queen of bluegrass” Rhonda Vincent and her band The Rage.

Broadway lights shine bright all season long with two evening performances of “MAMMA MIA!” (Sept. 30 and Oct. 1), Broadway legend Patti LuPone’s “Coulda’, Woulda’, Shoulda’” (Oct. 8) concert performance, the high-spirited musical “Bring It On: The Musical” (Jan. 28), and the dynamic Ten Tenors’ collection of Broadway’s greatest hits (April 3).

“Ballet Hispanico” (Oct. 17) makes the magic of Latin dance come alive and “Flamenco Vivo” featuring Carlota Santana (Mar. 11) will set the stage on fire with newly created pieces and reconstructed early works.

Get in the Christmas spirit with the entire family as the Boston Brass and The Brass All-Stars Big Band present “Christmas Bells Are Swingin’” (Dec. 6) and join the Walnut Street Theatre’s presentation of “Driving Miss Daisy” (March 13).

It will be an extravaganza when the Brooks Center presents its 20th Anniversary Celebration (Feb. 6). There will be performances by students and faculty from the past and present, as well as reflections on the treasures of the past two decades.

The Family Series features a variety of entertainment for all ages at affordable ticket prices. Illusionist Jason Bishop performs state-of-the-art magic (Sept. 9), and LEO (March 25), seems to defy gravity in his hilarious one-man show. Explore the roots of American music with Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem (Jan. 16) and dive into the captivating story of “ Aladdin and Other Enchanting Tales” (Nov. 12) performed by the Enchantment Theatre Company.

The Lillian and Robert Utsey Chamber Music Series celebrates its 28th season with five free performances by rising stars and established musicians.

David Finckel (cello) and Wu Han (piano), co-directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Philip Setzer (violin), will present the first concert of the Utsey Series this season (Oct. 24). Violinist Benjamin Beilman (Nov. 4), a Presidential Scholar and 2012 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, is set to perform, as is Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martinez (Feb. 25), first-prize and Audience Award-winner at the Anton Rubinstein International Piano Competition.

Brooklyn Rider joins premier banjo player Béla Fleck (Nov. 19) for a gripping and highly anticipated performance, while A Far Cry (March 27), a chamber orchestra at the forefront of an exciting new generation in classical music, concludes the Utsey Series in the spring.

The 2013-2014 season offers many opportunities to enjoy performances by student instrumental groups and choral ensembles, all under the direction of Clemson University music faculty. Varying will be presented at performances from September through April.

The Clemson Players, the university’s premier theater ensemble, joins the celebration with a season of performances. The array of small stage works in the Bellamy Theatre includes a play that straddles the realistic and the abstract called “Late: a cowboy song: (Sept. 9-15) the engaging and revealing production of “The Laramie Project” (Nov. 18-22, 24) and “Melissa Artic” (April 14-20), a magical story of redemption and love.

The Brooks Theater will host the players as they present “Working” (Feb. 20-23), a musical that paints a vivid portrait of the men and women the world so often takes for granted.

A complete schedule, information and tickets are available online at www.clemson.edu/Brooks or by calling the box office from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or calling 864-656-7787.