CHICAGO, Ill. - The landscape remained flat but the artistry of the Cleveland Orchestra on the second half of its 2017 Midwest Tour rose dramatically.
Aided by fine acoustics and the insights that follow repeat performances, the Cleveland Orchestra Friday and Saturday handily conquered Iowa City and Chicago, leaving on listeners there impressions certain to last at least until the group's next visits.
Almost any space would have been an improvement on Indiana University Auditorium, where the orchestra played last Thursday evening. Still, even on its own account, Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City was a pleasure.
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Cleveland - Monday, January 23, 2017
The Daily Iowan - Thursday, January 19, 2017
The Cleveland Orchestra, though commonly referred to as one of the “Big Five” American classical ensembles, is widely considered second to none. While it keeps company with only the highest order in this select group — flagship orchestras from Chicago, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia — Cleveland’s outfit has long guarded a particular air of excellence.
Now, the group — deemed “the best in America” by the New York Times — is bringing that excellence to Hancher for the first time since the facility opened.
The orchestra, founded in 1918 by the pianist Adella Prentiss Hughes and now conducted by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, will bring its signature sound to Hancher at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Little Village - Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Rob Cline, director of marketing and communications for Hancher Auditorium, noted that while the Showcase gift shop, box office and coat check accept cash, the café, operated by University Catering, follows the catering service’s policy of only accepting credit and debit cards — neither cash nor American Express cards are accepted.
The Gazette - Saturday, January 14, 2017
Hancher has presented the Cleveland Orchestra in 1979, 1980 and 1982, and staff members are excited to bring the ensemble back in the new auditorium.
“What I’m looking forward to more than anything, is the experience of that major orchestra in our new Hancher hall — acoustically and just being able to see all of that happening on our stage,” Chuck Swanson, Hancher’s executive director, said.
“The acoustics have tested so well with other performances we’ve had. The University orchestra had their major performance early in the season with the choirs, and the sound was exquisite — it was extraordinary. I’m very excited to be sitting in that audience and experiencing a world-class orchestra from the standpoint of the audience side, and then to hear from orchestra, too, as to what they think of the hall.”
The Gazette - Thursday, December 29, 2016
By far the largest grant — $204,000 — has been awarded to the University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters for its Building Bridges: Arts, Culture and Identity initiative.
The Hancher project, titled “Embracing Complexity,” aims to increase understanding of contemporary Islamic cultures and Muslim identity. It is to be conducted through 2019, featuring artist residencies on and off campus, with performances, classes, exhibits, discussions and lectures. The project also aims to document the experiences of Muslims in Eastern Iowa, through local stories and oral histories.
The Press Citizen - Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Eight years after the historic 2008 flood devastated much of Iowa City and heavily damaged several University of Iowa buildings, Iowa City saw a slew of new buildings officially open doors to the public. The hardest-to-miss new addition to town was the new Hancher Auditorium, which hosted its first concert on Sept. 16. The $176 million construction project took 1,078 days to complete but was well worth the wait when it brought the likes of Steve Martin, Martin Short, "The Book of Mormon" and Joffrey Ballet's new "The Nutcracker" to Iowa City.
The Gazette - Tuesday, December 27, 2016
The flood of 2008 caused devastation to businesses and homes up and down the Cedar and Iowa Rivers. Eight years later, many people have either moved on or are trying to pick up the pieces from that traumatic event.
For the University of Iowa arts campus, the flood claimed its music building, damaged its theater and arts buildings, and ruined its arts museum and its crown jewel performance venue, Hancher. As a result, 2008 meant the derailing of several campus arts programs, with performances being held in high school spaces, arts classes being held in a converted big box space that formerly housed a Menards, and the art museum’s prized items being put in storage or on loan.
KCRG - Friday, December 23, 2016
$200,000, Hancher Auditorium is getting that money through a grant. It's dedicated to bringing Muslim art to Eastern Iowa. The Association of Performing Arts Presenters will give Hancher the grant. They'll work to deepen the relationships between diverse Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Artists will work on performances, classes, exhibits, discussions, and lectures. The projects will go until 2019.
Hancher’s project, Embracing Complexity, will take a multidisciplinary approach to building understanding of contemporary Islamic cultures and Muslim identity. Performing and visual artists will be in residence at various times over the course of two years and will work with partners both on and off campus on a broad range of activities including performances, classes, exhibits, discussions, and lectures. The project will also document and explore the experiences of Muslims in Eastern Iowa through sharing of local stories and oral histories.
Little Village - Monday, December 19, 2016
Iowa City’s newly reopened Hancher Auditorium announced today that it is one of four recipients of a Building Bridges: Arts, Culture and Identity Individual Grant. The Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) awarded five Building Bridges grants earlier this year: four to individual organizations and one to a consortium. The Building Bridges program, co-funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA), aims to “deepen the relationships between diverse Muslim and non-Muslim communities,” according to an APAP press release.
The Hancher project, Embracing Complexity, will receive $204,000 in funding. All projects funded this round will span 2016-2019. Embracing Complexity will explore these topics in a multidisciplinary effort. Hancher will bring in several artists-in-residence, both visual and performing, over the course of the two years. The project will also, according to a press release from Hancher, “document and explore the experiences of Muslims in Eastern Iowa through sharing of local stories and oral histories.”