Hollywood A-lister Bill Murray will join his friend, cellist Jan Vogler, to perform a program called New Worlds, celebrating Murray’s love for the traditions that have influenced generations of artists.
Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends, presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, in The Granada Theatre, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara.
Actor, comedian and bon vivant, Murray will explore the works of Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote and Mark Twain, dance a tango and even sing on stage in an encounter between great music and literature featuring celebrated masters of their art.
Murray and Vogler met on an intercontinental flight, when Murray jokingly asked Vogler whether his cello would fit in the overhead compartment. Without skipping a beat, Vogler answered that it had its own first-class seat.
The two struck up a conversation and became fast friends through their shared love of music, poetry, literature and more. As their curiosity about each other’s artistic world and interests grew, the artist and the cellist soon had the idea to work together on a project.
The result is New Worlds, which showcases the core of the American values in literature and music, and communicates the bridges artists have built between America and Europe.
Twain, Hemingway, Whitman, Cooper, Bernstein, Gershwin and Foster are some of the strongest voices that influenced generations of humans in America and gave the world a picture of the charm, energy and creative force of the New World.
Murray reads texts and sings in his inimitable style, while Vogler leads a trio featuring violinist Mira Wang and pianist Vanessa Paredes performing Bach, Ravel and Piazzolla.
A mashup of classics alongside contemporary hits by Van Morrison and more, New Worlds brings such surprises as “blessing the boats” by American poet Lucille Clifton paired with Saint-Saëns’ “The Swan,” or an excerpt from James Fenimore Cooper’s The Deerslayer next to a piece by Schubert.
New Worlds celebrated its world premiere in Dresden, Germany, in June. It premiered in the U.S. in August and the Santa Barbara performance marks its Southern California debut, one of only a few live appearances before the tour closes at Carnegie Hall.
The New Worlds studio album is slated for release on Sept. 29.
Tickets are $50-$150 for the general public, $25 for UCSB students with valid student ID. A Granada facility fee will be added to each ticket price.
For tickets and more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 893-3535 or visitwww.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu, or contact The Granada Theatre, 899-2222 or granadasb.org.
— Caitlin O’Hara for UCSB Arts & Lectures.