2/18/2020
Performances and Artists
Multi-Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval has experienced broader musical influences than most other trumpet players. “My first job as a musician was in my own village, playing traditional Cuban music,” Sandoval recalls. Add to that an encounter with a jazz legend and his own virtuosic style broke loose.
2/10/2020
Performances and Artists
Without a doubt, growing up in Ireland groomed Paul Byrom for success as an entertainer. Music intertwines with all aspects of life in his native country, Byrom says. This only spurred his rise as a vocal prodigy, recording his first album at 14. “Everything in Ireland is based around music. Every wedding, every funeral, music is everywhere,” says Byrom.
2/10/2020
Performances and Artists
Music and other artforms have remained intertwined with every era of African-American history, says Vegas singer Michelle Johnson. “The arts have often been the catalyst or tool for moving us forward as a people,” Johnson says. “From the blues to the protest songs of the civil rights movement, to gospel to hip-hop."
2/6/2020
Education and Outreach
Sixteen-year-old Eslly Jeronimo-Reyes feels keenly aware of the sensitives today over people’s differences. “(Relations) right now with us, Mexicans, and our president are not the best,” says Jeronimo-Reyes, a student at Western High School in Las Vegas.
1/31/2020
Performances and Artists
No doubt, Chris Mann says, the greatest challenge of his acting and singing career was playing the Phantom in more than 700 performances of “The Phantom of the Opera” on the national Broadway tour. The frenzy and excitement of touring cities across the U.S. proved an emotional experience.
1/30/2020
Discovering The Smith Center
This week marks an important transition for The Smith Center’s executive team. After guiding the development of The Smith Center from the ground up, Paul Beard steps down today from his position as vice president and COO. This doesn’t signal the end of his journey with the center, however. Beard will continue to serve as a consultant on key aspects of The Smith Center’s operations.
1/29/2020
Performances and Artists
From his many years dancing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Matthew Rushing has “an extremely long list” of favorite moments. These include performing in South Africa just after Apartheid ended, and dancing for President Barack Obama. “I’ve traveled the world for years,” says Rushing, now associate artistic director with the company.
1/17/2020
Community Impact / Broadway Las Vegas
Audiences at “Once on This Island” will likely notice a special addition to the Tony-winning production. They will see fellow audience members seated on stage, as part of the national tour’s vision for creating an immersive theater experience, as inspired by the revival’s set design on Broadway.
1/16/2020
Education and Outreach
Noa Agatstein proudly confirms she studies theater at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas because she attended Camp Broadway at The Smith Center. That’s not just because this annual summer program teaches theater skills with professionals from Broadway, film and television. It’s also because Camp Broadway gave Agatstein faith in herself to pursue her dreams.
1/14/2020
Performances and Artists
Comedy icon Carol Burnett looks back on the 11 seasons of “The Carol Burnett Show” as “the peak” of her career. “It never occurred to me (that I was breaking ground), because it was all I knew,” says Burnett, who became the first woman to star in a comedy variety show.