Crosstown Arts

Live Score to Seijun Suzuki's Detective Bureau 2-3: Go To Hell Bastards!
2019-09-06 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Memphis-based Detective Bureau presents a live score of Seijun Suzuki’s “Detective Bureau 2-3: Go To Hell Bastards!”
Detective Bureau explores late ’60s and early ’70s Afro-Brazilian soul jazz stylings. Featuring Joe Restivo (guitar), Marc Franklin (trumpet), Landon Moore (bass), Pat Fusco (keys), George Sluppick (drums), and Felix Hernandez (percussion).
Tickets: $10
Doors 7:30pm | Performance 8pm
Seijun Suzuki was a Japanese filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter. His films are known for their jarring visual style, irreverent humor, nihilistic cool, and entertainment-over-logic sensibility. He made 40 predominately B-movies for the Nikkatsu Company between 1956 and 1967, working most prolifically in the yakuza genre. His increasingly surreal style began to draw the ire of the studio in 1963 and culminated in his ultimate dismissal for what is now regarded as his magnum opus, Branded to Kill (1967).

The Grammy Award-Winning Rebirth Brass Band at Crosstown Theater
2019-09-08 14:00 - 16:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us for a performance by the Grammy Award-winning, New Orleans-based Rebirth Brass Band on the Kemmons Wilson Family Stage at Crosstown Theater.
Tickets: $20
Doors at 6 pm | performance at 7 pm
“UNBELIEVABLE. HARD AS HELL,
FREE AS A RAY OF LIGHT, THERE IS
NOT A BAND ON EARTH THAT IS BETTER. STUNNING.”
— FLEA (OF THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS)

About Rebirth Brass Band:
Whether seen on HBO’s Treme or at their legendary Tuesday night gig at The Maple Leaf, Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band is a true New Orleans institution. Formed in 1983 by the Frazier brothers, the band has evolved from playing the streets of the French Quarter to playing festivals and stages all over the world. While committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands, they’ve also extended themselves into the realms of funk and hip-hop to create their signature sound.
“Rebirth can be precise whenever it wants to,” says The New York Times, “but it’s more like a party than a machine. It’s a working model of the New Orleans musical ethos: as long as everybody knows what they’re doing, anyone can cut loose.”
In the wake of the sometimes- stringent competition amongst New Orleans brass bands, Rebirth is the undisputed leader of the pack, and they show no signs of slowing down.

Open Crit
2019-09-10 13:00 - 15:00 | TN
Crosstown Arts’ Open Crit series is a monthly critique event where visual artists are invited to bring new and/or in-progress studio work for critical feedback and group discussion particular to each artist’s practice.

A dedicated facilitator with experience in a group critique setting will guide discussion for each critique event, which will include up to 4 artists’ work, with 15-25 minutes devoted to the work of each.
All visual artists and anyone interested in joining the discussion are welcome to participate regardless of their level of expertise, prior professional art experience or background/education in fine art. Participation is free and open to the public. Input during the critiques from everyone in attendance is welcomed and encouraged.
No formal preparation is necessary for participating artists, who will have an opportunity to introduce and contextualize their work on view at the beginning of each critique. Participating artists are only asked to be open to (and interested in) considering reactions to their work by the group, which will always be done in a supportive, constructive and casual environment, but could at the same time be challenging.
Special thanks to Art Center Supply Store for donating a $25 gift certificate for each participating artist.

To participate, artists can sign up here:
Open Crit Request form

Contact Mary Jo at maryjo@crosstownarts.org with any questions!
Artists are asked to bring no more than 8 individual pieces (in any medium). Maximum run time for time-based work(s) is 10 minutes.
Participating artists are encouraged to invite friends, peers and colleagues to the open crits, both to see their work in progress and to give constructive feedback.

Spotlight Concert Series feat. Trombonist Greg Luscombe
2019-09-10 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join MSO principal trombonist Greg Luscombe and pianist Brian Ray for a special performance in The Green Room.
Featuring works by Leonard Bernstein, Jacques Casterede, Arthur Pryor, Lars-Erik Larsson, Tommy Dorsey, and Eugen Reiche.
General Admission $10 | $5 at door with Student ID
Doors at 7pm | Performance 7:30pm
The Spotlight Concert Series showcases members of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in the intimate Green Room at Crosstown Arts. The series provides the Memphis community the opportunity to get to know and learn more about the talented musicians that make up the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Each month will feature a different musician or small chamber group as soloist or featured ensemble.

About the artists:
Greg Luscombe has served as the principal trombonist with the Memphis Symphony since 1989. He also served as the Orchestra Personnel Manager for two seasons. Since August of 2008, Mr. Luscombe is also Professor of Low Brass at the University of Mississippi. Mr. Luscombe has been a featured soloist on various subscription concerts with the Memphis Symphony. He recently performed in recital at Henderson State University, University of Northern Alabama, and at the University of Tennessee (Martin). Last season, he performed the David Concertino with the Dyersburg (TN) Community Orchestra. This season, he will be performing the Grondahl Concerto with the Germantown Symphony Orchestra in April. Mr. Luscombe has also performed and recorded with the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony and the Mexico City Philharmonic. He has also done a variety of commercial work including theatre engagements and recordings. He also performs professionally on euphonium and bass trumpet. Mr. Luscombe was recently invited to perform as a guest artist on a recital series at the Eastern Trombone Workshop (ETW-2011) held annually in Fort Meyer, Maryland – one of the largest events for trombone in the world. Mr. Luscombe is married to Beth Luscombe, a member of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra viola section.
In addition to private piano instruction at Rhodes College, Brian Ray is the departmental collaborative pianist and also teaches piano classes at the University of Memphis. He has been a soloist with the University of Memphis Orchestra and the Memphis Civic Orchestra and has performed extensively as an assisting pianist in voice recitals. His most recent collaborative ventures have included art song recitals of works by Richard Hundley, Samuel Barber, Libby Larsen, and Rebecca Clarke. He has been a student of Allison Nelson and Joan Gilbert. His areas of research include the piano works of Joseph Marx, piano repertoire of the 20th century, works for piano ensemble, and harpsichord.

A Bloch Party, featuring cellist Alisa Horn and pianist Maeve Brophy
2019-09-11 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Welcome award-winning musicians Alisa Horn and Maeve Brophy back to Memphis with a “Bloch Party” featuring works for cello and piano.
The program will feature works by Ernest Bloch, Ethyl Smyth, and Nadia Boulanger at The Green Room at Crosstown Arts.
Doors 7 pm | Performance 7:30 pm
General Admission $10 | $5 with student ID
Alisa Horn is a freelance cellist and loves performing and teaching a wide variety of musical genres from classical to jazz to rock and beyond. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Alisa has performed as soloist with orchestra playing pieces by Miaskovsky, Bloch, Dvorak, Bruch, and Elgar. She was a winner of the WAMSO-Young Artist Solo Competition and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony. Alisa has attended many music festivals, including Aspen Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Meadowmount, Sewanee Summer Music Center, Henry Mancini Institute, Newport Jazz Festival (Rhode Island) , and Newport Jazz Festival (Oregon). With pianist, Jue He, Alisa recorded the Rachmaninoff and Miaskovsky Sonatas and the duo was featured on McGraw-Hill Young Artist Showcase.
Along with jazz legends Marvin Stamm and Bill Mays, Alisa is a member of The Inventions Trio, which performs a fusion of jazz and classical repertoire. The Trio has toured extensively and has released three albums including the diverse works of Bill Evans, Bill Mays, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Claude Debussy, and Miles Davis.
On Broadway, Alisa has played in many shows including the 2017 revival of Sunday in the Park with George, An American in Paris, If/Then, Dogfight, Venice, Little Miss Sunshine, Carrie, and Next to Normal. Alisa performs with Broadway singer, Mary Testa, and Broadway orchestrator, Michael Starobin, who released their album “Have Faith” in 2015. She has played with many singer/songwriters and pop artists/bands such as John Legend, Devotchka, Rod Stewart, The Roots, and Phish.
Maeve Brophy gave her first solo piano recital at age 9 and made her orchestral debut at 15. She has given solo and collaborative performances in Wells, England; the Amalfi Coast; Kiev, Ukraine; New York; San Francisco; Seattle; Aspen; Nashville; and Memphis. She has performed for the Memphis Chamber Music Society and the Artist Ascending Series in Memphis and is a regular performer with the Luna Nova Ensemble. Maeve has performed as soloist with the Chernygev Symphony in Kiev as well as the Paducah Symphony and the Central Florida Philharmonic. She has a BA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Texas Christian University. She also studied at the Manhattan School of Music and at the New England Conservatory of Music with Russell Sherman. She has worked as a freelance accompanist in Memphis and played for numerous student recitals at the University of Memphis. She has taught students privately as well as at the Boston College of Adult Education. She is also a Licensed Massage Therapist and Registered Yoga Teacher.

Open Call — Color Schemes: The Value of Intensity
2019-09-11 - 2019-10-14 | TN
Color Schemes: The Value of Intensity
Open call to visual artists in any medium whose use of color is a primary consideration in their work. Our senses are affected by the vibrations of color immediately and intrinsically.
This exhibition will focus on the meaning, sensitivity, and passion that the intensity of color creates.
Please submit up to 10 images of work, a short statement, and bio.
Important Dates:
Deadline for submissions: Monday, October 14, 2019
Notifications will be sent out Friday, October 25, 2019
Exhibition dates: November 22, 2019 – February 9, 2020
Submit Your Work

Women in the Arts Cocktails & Chit-Chat
2019-09-12 12:00 - 14:00 | Crosstown Arts Art Bar, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, United States
Female artists of all genres and women who work in the arts sector are invited to join us for cocktails and conversation at Art Bar at Crosstown Arts. Stick around afterward for a Crosstown Arthouse screening of Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am at Crosstown Theater at 7:30 pm.
The meet-up is free, and tickets to the film are $5.

Crosstown Arthouse presents Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
2019-09-12 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series showcases a diverse collection of independent, international, historically significant, artistic, experimental, cult, underground, and documentary features.
Films begin at 7:30 pm sharp.
Tickets are $5 (at the door only)
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am is an artful and intimate meditation on legendary storyteller Toni Morrison. It examines her life, her works, and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, history, America and the human condition.

A Celebration of Black Composers
2019-09-13 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Come join us at Crosstown Theater as we celebrate the works of composers of African descent from around the world.
Featuring rhythms from gospel to jazz, the serene to classical influences, there is something for everyone. Featuring award-winning artists James Rodriguez (baritone), Gwendolyn Alfred (soprano), Alisa Horn (cello) and Artina McCain (Piano).
Doors 7 pm | Performance 7:30 pm
General Admission $12 | $5 at door with Student ID
About the performers:
Described as a pianist with “power and finesse” (Dallas Arts Society), Artina McCain enjoys an international career throughout Europe, China and the US as a solo and chamber performer, pedagogue, and speaker. McCain’s solo and chamber performances have been heard on radio shows in Chicago, Austin, Toronto, and Hong Kong. An American Prize winner for her solo piano recordings, she will release an album of works entitled “Heritage: The American Composer” on the MSR label. She has won performance awards from the Austin Critics Table for the “Black Composers” Concert Series and is a three-time Global Music Awards winner for the album I, Too (Naxos), Shades, and Trombone Czar with husband and bass trombonist, Martin McCain. Dr. McCain is currently an Assistant Professor of Piano at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis and co-artistic director of the Memphis International Piano Festival and Competition.
Gwendolyn Alfred, DMA, Assistant Professor of Voice, Area Coordinator, Texas Southern University is an educator and professional vocalist. She recently premiered a newly commissioned opera for Houston Grand Opera which landed her in the prestigious Texas Monthly magazine. Her most recent solo debuts were with the Houston Symphony, Houston Civic Symphony, and the Fort Bend Symphony. Alfred was honored as a Living Legend of Southeast Texas specifically for her outstanding leadership in the music field.
Praised for his “authoritative and rich baritone,” James D. Rodriguez most recently performed and co-hosted the Carnegie Hall Linkup Concerts with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and sang the baritone solos in Handel’s Messiah with the San Antonio Symphony. He made his Opera in the Heights debut in the role of Tonio (Pagliacci) and was part of the holiday Spanish concert series, ConciertOh! de Invierno. Other notable roles include Escamillo (Carmen), Figaro (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Dandini (La Cenerentola), Harlekin (Ariadne auf Naxos), Belcore (L’Elisir d’Amore), Captain Magallanes (Salsipuedes), Rappaccini (La Hija de Rappaccini), and the title roles in Don Giovanni and Rigoletto with such companies as Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera IOWA, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, the Natchez Festival of Music, and the Moores Opera Center. Concert appearances include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Fauré’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Carlisle Floyd’s Pilgrimage, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, and Stainer’s Crucifixion. He regularly performs solo recitals, most recently with Austin Chamber Music Center, Phil Kramer Recital Series (Houston), Memorial Classic Music Series (Houston), and Coe College Music Department (Iowa). He was a finalist in the Concorso Lirica International Competition and the first place winner in the Texas Young Artist Vocal Competition.
Alisa Horn is a freelance cellist and loves performing and teaching a wide variety of musical genres from classical to jazz to rock and beyond. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Alisa has performed as soloist with orchestra playing pieces by Miaskovsky, Bloch, Dvorak, Bruch, and Elgar. She was a winner of the WAMSO-Young Artist Solo Competition and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony. Alisa has attended many music festivals including Aspen Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Meadowmount, Sewanee Summer Music Center, Henry Mancini Institute, Newport Jazz Festival (Rhode Island) , and Newport Jazz Festival (Oregon). With pianist, Jue He, Alisa recorded the Rachmaninoff and Miaskovsky Sonatas and the duo was featured on McGraw-Hill Young Artist Showcase. Along with jazz legends Marvin Stamm and Bill Mays, Alisa is a member of The Inventions Trio which performs a fusion of jazz and classical repertoire. The Trio has toured extensively and has released three albums including the diverse works of Bill Evans, Bill Mays, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Claude Debussy, and Miles Davis.

Kevin Morby – Duo Tour w/ Support from William Tyler
2019-09-13 15:00 - 18:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us for a performance by singer-songwriter Kevin Morby in The Green Room at Crosstown Arts. Opening for Kevin is William Tyler (Lambchop/Silver Jews).
Tickets: $15
Doors at 7:30pm | Show at 8pm
About Kevin Morby:
Kevin Morby released his beloved solo debut Harlem River in 2013 and has released a full-length nearly every year since. His latest, 2017’s City Music, is a collection Kevin says “is a mix-tape, a fever dream, a love letter dedicated to those cities that I cannot get rid of, to those cities that are all inside of me.”
About William Tyler:
“William Tyler knows the South — as a crucible of American histories and cultures, an entity capable of expansive beauty and incomprehensible violence, often in the same beat — as his native place, the place that holds him and that he runs from. In the music of William Tyler, the South is not apart from America; the South is America condensed.
“William’s latest album, Goes West, marks a sort of narrowing of focus for his music; it sounds as though he found a way to point himself directly towards the rich and bittersweet emotional center of his music without being distracted by side trips. Perhaps this is down to the fact that William only plays acoustic guitar on the album, a clear and conscious decision considering that he is one of Nashville’s great electric guitarists. The band that performs Goes West alongside William—including guitarists Meg Duffy and Bill Frisell, bassist and producer Brad Cook, keyboardist James Wallace, drummer Griffin Goldsmith, and engineer Tucker Martine—is the best and most sympathetic group of players that William could have assembled to play these songs.” — M.C. Taylor

Crosstown Arts Workshop: Ego Puppets
2019-09-14 06:30 - 08:00 | Crosstown Arts East Atrium, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Memphis, TN, United States
Focusing on the work of artist Wang Chen, participants will explore their inner-selves and challenge the concept of alter egos to create a puppet representation of themselves.
Wang Chen’s work is currently on display in The Sin Park at the Crosstown Arts Screening Room and East Atrium.
Free and open to kids of all ages

Katharine Hedlund at The Green Room
2019-09-14 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us in the Green Room at Crosstown Arts for a performance by Katharine Hedlund.
Join jazz vocalist/pianist Katharine Hedlund for a special live album recording performance at The Green Room at Crosstown Arts with Paul Taylor, Jim Spake, and Carl Caspersen. Katherine Hedlund was becoming quite the fixture and turning heads in Memphis before she departed for San Francisco in 2018, and we are thrilled to be hosting her in a rare return appearance.
Tickets: $10
Doors at 7 pm | Performance 7:30 pm

Katharine Hedlund is a jazz/soul pianist and vocalist with a musicality far beyond her years. Katharine grew up in Darien, CT, and began her professional performing career at 13 years old, playing original renditions of jazz standards with her trio in local clubs around the New York metro area. Her performances frequently invite comparison to Diana Krall and Norah Jones – but with quite a bit more sass than either of the former!
Katharine attended Northwestern University in Chicago, IL ,to continue musical studies with the renowned saxophonist of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Victor Goines, and soulful Grammy-winning pianist for vocalist Diane Reeves, Peter Martin. She was awarded the highly competitive piano chair of the school’s premier touring graduate small ensemble as an undergraduate.
She has performed in some of Jazz’s most prestigious venues, including The Green Mill Chicago, The Jazz Showcase Chicago, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola of Jazz at Lincoln Center NYC, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Germantown Performing Arts Center, The Sound Room (Oakland, CA), among others.
Katharine relocated to Memphis after graduation from Northwestern and began performing weekly at the historic Peabody Hotel and the Zebra Lounge in Overton Square, honing her skills in voice and piano in soul, blues, and pop styles. Katharine has since moved to San Francisco, but Memphis will always be her musical home.

Kafé Kirk with special guest Bernie Williams
2019-09-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum for Kafé Kirk, a monthly jazz series in Crosstown Theater featuring musical and spiritual collaborations with special guest artists. This month’s guest: former New York Yankees center fielder and World Series Champion/jazz guitarist Bernie Williams.
Doors at 5 pm | performance at 6 pm
General admission tickets — $45
VIP tickets (includes a meet-and-greet and free CD) — $60

About Kirk Whalum:
Soulful, passionate, stirring … these are the words most often used to describe Kirk’s music. Forged from his Memphis gospel roots and his 1980s initiation into the thriving Houston nightclub scene, Kirk’s big, rich tenor sound is unmistakably his.The 80s were highlighted by Kirk’s stepping out of his blossoming sideman role and forming his own band. It was there that Kirk ultimately developed both his “voice” and songwriting in the crucible of the local club scene — especially at a rooftop club called Cody’s. It was also in Houston where jazz pianist Bob James “discovered” him and brought him on tour, which led to five successful albums with Columbia Records, including Cache, Kirk’s first No. 1 album. Kirk and Bob also received a Grammy nomination for their collaboration album, Joined at the Hip.
After moving to Los Angeles, Kirk became an in-demand session player for top artists like Barbara Streisand, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Larry Carlton, Quincy Jones, and, most notably, Whitney Houston, amongst many others. It’s his sax heard on the mega-hit, “I Will Always Love You.” Kirk soon followed that career high point with his phenomenal hit album released on Warner Bros. Records, For You, perhaps the most successful of over 25 solo recordings to date. Others include his eclectic, and much-lauded, Gospel According to Jazz series, (Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4). In addition to his many solo projects, Kirk was also a member of the popular soul/jazz group, BWB, which features Kirk as the “W” of the group with Rick Braun (trumpet) and Norman Brown (guitar).
About Bernie Williams:
Growing up in Puerto Rico, Bernie Williams discovered his love for baseball and music at roughly the same time, when at the age of eight he fell in love with the sounds of a flamenco guitar his merchant-marine father brought home from Spain, and also felt the same exhilaration when he first picked up a baseball bat. The young student-athlete quickly excelled in both pursuits, going on to attend the special performance arts school Escuela Libre de Musica at the age of thirteen and becoming one of the most noted young athletes on the island, both as a track and field standout posting record times in the 400 meters, as well as one of Puerto Rico’s most sought after young baseball prospects. Bernie was signed by the New York Yankees after high school in 1987. After working his way through the farm system, the switch-hitting Williams made his Major League debut with the Yankees in May, 1991.
In his 16-year career patrolling centerfield for the New York Yankees, Bernie Williams was a four-time World Series Champion and a five-time All Star. Williams has more post-season RBIs to his credit than any other player in Major League history and his resume also boasts four Gold Glove awards, six American League pennants, the 1996 ALCS MVP award, and the 1998 American League batting title. Bernie is also among the Yankees all-time leaders in every major batting category, with his performance statistics often standing alongside such legetnds as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. On May, 24, 2015, the Yankees retired Bernie’s uniform number 51 and a plaque was dedicated and placed in Monument Park in Yankee Stadium, cementing his legacy as an all-time Yankee great.
Throughout Williams’ years with the Yankees, his passion for music never waned, and the sound of his guitar would often be heard emanating from the clubhouse or during team flights. Whether acoustic or electric, a guitar was a constant presence in the star’s locker or equipment bag, and it was no surprise when he demonstrated how serious his musical pursuit was with the release of his first album, The Journey Within in 2003. The record featured fusions of jazz, rock and the tropical rhythms of Williams’ Latin heritage and was met with both strong critical praise and instant chart success- reaching #3 on Billboard’s “Contemporary Jazz Chart.”
Bernie Williams raised his musical game even further with the release of his second album Moving Forward. Featuring guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Secada, Dave Koz, and an All-Star cast of renowned studio musicians, Moving Forward debuted as Billboard’s #2 Contemporary Jazz album in the country, and continued to hold that chart position for five straight weeks, and spawned two consecutive Billboard #1 singles, Go For It, and Ritmo de Otono. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Album in 2009.
In addition to performing at concert venues, music festivals, and special events, since the release of Moving Forward, Bernie spent considerable time authoring his first book, Rhythms of the Game: The Link Between Music and Athletic Performance, published by Hal Leonard Books and released in July 2011. The book examines the symbiotic relationship between musical artistry and athletic performance through the eyes of a man who has mastered both.
Bernie is an active crusader for arts and music education in the lives of all students, and is a national spokesman for the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation’s SupportMusic Coalition, which unites non-profit organizations, schools, and businesses working to assure that music education is supported in communities everywhere, and that all children have the opportunity to learn and grow with music. He has met with leaders of Congress on Capitol Hill for years lobbying to ensure that arts and music become part of a core education in our schools across the United States.
In 2015, he was appointed a Turnaround Arts artist by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in partnership with the White House, and U.S. Department of Education. Turnaround Arts brings arts education programs and supplies to a group of the lowest-performing elementary and middle schools in the country. These resources help schools improve attendance, parent engagement, student motivation, and academic achievement.
On May 13, 2016, Williams graduated from the Manhattan School of Music, in New York, NY, a prestigious music conservatory in New York, NY, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance.
In 2017, Bernie became the national spokesperson for Breathless, an educational awareness campaign for Ideopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a mysterious lung disease that took the life of Bernie’s father Bernabe Sr., and still has no cure. He has been touring the country visiting many cities, Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball ballparks, and speaking at major medical conferences to spread the word about the disease that affects up to 132,000 people and their families per year.
On June 13, 2019, Bernie became “Dr. Williams”, as he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the State University of New York through SUNY Potsdam and the world- renowned Drake School of Music, considered the “birthplace of music education”. Williams was recognized for his record-setting achievements as a New York Yankee, as well as his artistic accomplishments as a musician and dedication to philanthropy.
You can find Bernie online at www.bernie51.com, on Twitter @bw51official and on Facebook at BernieWilliamsOfficial and Instagram at BernieWilliamsOfficial.

Panel Discussion: Sexuality & Politics
2019-09-17 13:00 - 14:30 | Crosstown Arts East Atrium, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Memphis, TN, United States
Crosstown Arts staff will moderate a conversation with Mauricio Calvo and Sharolyn Peyton exploring how sexuality and sexual expression are linked to, and affected by, social and civic politics.

For the past 25 years, Mauricio Calvo has chosen Memphis, “the 901,” as his home. Over the course of his career, he has worked tirelessly to help ensure that the Memphis community has been heard. Through his leadership, serving as the executive director of Latino Memphis for 11 years, he has worked with diverse and underrepresented populations within and outside of the city. Using this platform, he has fearlessly spoken out against acts of injustice, both local and national, to uplift the voices of those in need.
He is a proud graduate of CBU. Mauricio obtained a masters degree from Lipscomb University and completed graduate work at Boston College. He is also a graduate of Leadership Memphis, New Memphis and Leadership Tennessee.
Mauricio is openly bi. He and his best friend, local artist Yancy Villa-Calvo, married 19 years ago. Together they are figuring out how to raise three future leaders: Anna 14, Carolina 13 and Santiago 11, all of whom proudly attend public schools. They all have to endure his cooking every night, from his famous grilled tacos to his stir fry tofu. The Calvo-Villa’s are champions of progressive social issues, and they love to enjoy all things Memphis as a family.
When feeling down, to boost his ego, he recalls being named “Top 10 Young Professionals” by The Memphis Chamber (a while ago), “12 Who Made a Difference in 2012” by The Commercial Appeal and “Top 40 Under 40” by the Memphis Business Journal. In 2018, he was named “Communicator of the Year” by the Memphis chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). In 2018 he received the “NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award” for Tennessee. In 2019 the Memphis Business Journal featured him as one of “100 Most Powerful People in Memphis business.” In commemoration of its 75th anniversary, The Memphis Urban League will recognize Mauricio as a Diamond of HOPE” in the fall of 2019.
When he is not working with his organization or spending quality time with his family, Mauricio dedicates time to contributing to other parts of the Memphis community. He serves on various boards, including the Downtown Memphis Commission, Hope Credit Union, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, We Are Memphis, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, and the National Leadership Council for LeBonheur Children’s Hospital among others.
Most recently, after 25 years, Yancy and Mauricio became US citizens, a privilege they know many are unable to obtain. As a citizen, Mauricio will continue to use his voice, and his vote, to fight for others that are deserving of their own American dream.

Sharolyn Payton, Professional Life, Business, and Community Coach, is a champion for all things human development. Her mission is to help people identify, cultivate, and demonstrate their full human potential. Sharolyn attended Crichton College, where she studied Christian Ministry and Belhaven University where she studied Applied Psychology. She is the Lead Coach at Payton Place Coaching & Consulting. Her practice primarily serves nonprofit organizations, minority and women business owners, and visionary leaders. Sharolyn is known for her community-centered, advocacy-based, style of social entrepreneurship, as well as her passion for social justice. She has been recognized as a community influencer who encourages and promotes solution-focused, inter-generational dialogue about social, cultural, political, and economic challenges that exist in Memphis and in our Global community. Wherever there is “truth” that needs to be told or hard questions that need to be asked, Sharolyn can usually be found in those places and spaces.

Crosstown Arthouse presents A Face in the Crowd
2019-09-19 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series showcases a diverse collection of independent, international, historically significant, artistic, experimental, cult, underground, and documentary features.
Films begin at 7:30 pm sharp.
Tickets are $5 (at the door only)
A FACE IN THE CROWD chronicles the rise and fall of Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes (Andy Griffith), a boisterous entertainer discovered in an Arkansas drunk tank by Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal), a local radio producer with ambitions of her own. His charisma and cunning soon shoot him to the heights of television stardom and political demagoguery, forcing Marcia to grapple with the manipulative, reactionary monster she has created. Directed by Elia Kazan from a screenplay by Budd Schulberg, this incisive satire features an extraordinary debut screen performance by Griffith, who brandishes his charm in an uncharacteristically sinister role. Though the film was a flop on its initial release, subsequent generations have marveled at its eerily prescient diagnosis of the toxic intimacy between media and politics in American life.

A Night of Memphis Deep Soul Gospel at Crosstown Theater
2019-09-20 14:00 - 16:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join Bible & Tire Recording Co. and D-Vine Spirituals for a night of Memphis Soul Gospel featuring The Sensational Barnes Brothers, Elizabeth King, D-Vine Spiritualettes, The Vaughn Sisters, the Rev. John Wilkins, Elder Ward, Liz Brasher, and Gary “Lucky” Smith on the Kemmons Wilson Family Stage at Crosstown Theater.
The concert will celebrate the launch of The Sensational Barnes Brothers’ newly recorded, rugged ‘Nobody’s Fault But My Own’ and Elizabeth King & The Gospel Souls’ 1970s gems ‘The D-Vine Spirituals Recordings.’ Both recordings will be released on September 20th from the new Bible & Tire Recording Co., headed up by Bruce Watson of Fat Possum Records with the aim of showcasing new and archival Memphis gospel releases.
Tickets: $15
Doors at 6:30 pm | Show at 7 pm

Crosstown Arts Drumming Demonstration
2019-09-21 09:00 - 09:45 | Crosstown Arts East Atrium, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Memphis, TN, United States
Enjoy a private tour of Scott Carter’s Counterpoint, on view in Crosstown Arts East Gallery, following by drumming demonstration inspired by Carter’s work.
Scott Carter’s Counterpoint is on display in the Crosstown Arts West Gallery.
Free and open to the public

Those Pretty Wrongs at The Green Room
2019-09-21 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us in The Green Room for Those Pretty Wrongs, a musical partnership between Jody Stephens (of Big Star) and Luther Russell. Also featuring members of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra — Jessie Munson, Yennifer Correia, Beth Luscombe, and Jonathan Kirkscey.
Tickets: $15
Doors at 7 pm | Show at 7:30 pm
Those Pretty Wrongs are Jody Stephens and Luther Russell. It’s a musical partnership borne of a deep and lasting friendship, the roots of which stretch back to the early ’90s, when the two were introduced. As the story goes, nary a note of music was made between them until about five years ago, when they were united in the cause of a documentary about Jody’s alma mater, the legendary Memphis group Big Star. After releasing their self-titled debut on Ardent/Burger in 2016 to a healthy dose of acclaim, they went out on the road, playing for audiences across North America, Australia, Europe, and the U.K.
During the course of these runs, they began to forge the sound for their second offering, Zed for Zulu, due out September 6, 2019 on Burger Records, a meditation on communication or lack thereof, the ever-present past or the question of the future, inevitable death, or imminent re-birth. The music is colorful but muted, something complex woven in a simple way. It’s a symphony of chords and melodies, yet played in an understated fashion, without too much fuss. Those Pretty Wrongs don’t have time to fuss, as Luther dwells in Los Angeles and Jody resides in Memphis. And they like it that way.

Todd Snider at Crosstown Theater
2019-09-21 15:00 - 18:00 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Update to those who purchased tickets to see Todd Snider and his new band on September 21. Due to the tragic loss of friend and guitar player Neal Casal, who was part of the new band, Todd will be performing these shows solo. Todd wants you to know that he appreciates your support and understanding.
Former Memphian Todd Snider is back, and he’s performing a solo show at Crosstown Theater. Opening act: Dean Alexander
Tickets: $30
Doors at 7 pm | show at 8 pm
About Todd Snider:
One morning near the end of August, Todd Snider was relaxing with a visitor on the back porch of his house just outside Nashville, drinking coffee and shooting the breeze while his dog, Cowboy Jim, took a nap nearby. After awhile, Snider said to his guest, “I’ve got an album’s worth of songs, and I think the songs are telling me to make a folk record.”
This was a surprising bit of news considering he had spent the last six years making rock albums of one kind or another. But Snider was feeling as if he had “maybe drifted too far from the shore.” He was feeling the pull to start over, to go back to what he was doing when he first began, to return to his roots as a folksinger.
If Snider needed any further evidence that was the direction he should pursue, he got it a half hour later. Back inside his home office, he checked his email and had one from his manager informing him he had just received an offer to play the 2019 Newport Folk Festival, an event he had never done.
Snider mentioned he had been listening to Woody Guthrie’s Library of Congress Recordings, then crossed the room to the turntable and put the needle down on side one of the record. “Woody Guthrie sometimes gets me reset on why you do a song, instead of how,” Snider explains of the man who has long been a touchstone for him. “When I was young, there was something about him that made me want to do it. So once or twice a year, I’ll go back to him, I’ll go back to the source.”
Guthrie famously had the words “This machine kills fascists” printed on his guitar, and on several of the songs on Snider’s new album, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3, he squarely aims his guitar at the creeping fascism he sees in America. He had been wanting to make a political record since 2016, and although only half the songs lean in that direction, there is one constant throughout the album: a man, his guitar, and the truth.

Theater Sound Test with The PRVLG and Paul Taylor
2019-09-24 08:00 - 09:30 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us for a free sound test performance by The PRVLG and Paul Taylor at Crosstown Theater.
Please note that this is not a concert. The performers will be starting and stopping as our staff works to perfect the sound in Crosstown Theater, but the public is invited for free music.
Free and open to the public

The Mystic
2019-09-24 13:00 - 14:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
On the last Tuesday of each month join Crosstown Concourse neighbors and friends for The Mystic.
The Mystic is a time set aside each month to experience the undefinable together through music, dialogue and silence. The Mystic is not affiliated with any defined belief system, but is a shared listening experience intended to deepen our understand of one another.
The Mystic is hosted by a rotated panel including Rabbi Micah Greenstein, Chris Miner, Dr. Scott Morris, Dr. Sonia Walker, and Kirk Whalum, with a variety of musical guests.

Listening Sessions at the Green Room: Woman to Woman by Shirley Brown (1974)
2019-09-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Despite the difficult financial times Stax Records faced in 1974, it was still able to churn out one more classic album and single, the incredible Woman to Woman cut by West Memphis’ own Shirley Brown.
Produced by Jim Stewart and Al Jackson, Jr., Woman to Woman was the label’s swan song, but not before the single (Stax’s final #1 song) became an anthem to every woman whose man dared covet another.
Join Dr. Charles Hughes of Rhodes College and Memphis author and filmmaker Jamey Hatley for a close listen of and a lively discussion about this classic album.

Crosstown Arthouse presents THE QUEEN (1968)
2019-09-26 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Theater, 1350 Concourse Ave., Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
The Crosstown Arthouse Film Series showcases a diverse collection of independent, international, historically significant, artistic, experimental, cult, underground, and documentary features.
Films begin at 7:30 pm sharp.
Tickets are $5 (at the door only)
More than 40 years before RuPaul’s Drag Race, the ground-breaking documentary THE QUEEN is about the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant introduced audiences to the world of competitive drag. The film takes us backstage to kiki with the contestants as they rehearse, throw shade, and transform into their drag personas in the lead-up to the big event. Organized by LGBTQ icon and activist Flawless Sabrina, the competition boasted a star-studded panel of judges including Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers, and Terry Southern.. But perhaps most memorable is an epic diatribe calling out the pageant’s bias delivered by Crystal LaBeija, who would go on to form the influential House of LaBeija, heavily featured in Paris Is Burning (1990). A vibrant piece of queer history, The Queen can now be seen in full resplendence thanks to a new restoration from the original camera negative.

Gonerfest 16 Presents: The Puppet Worlds Of Miss Pussycat
2019-09-27 13:00 - 15:00 | TN
Miss Pussycat will perform a new puppet show, “The History of Egypt,” in conjunction with Gonerfest 16.
Music by synth master Benni
Free
The Puppet Worlds of Miss Pussycat features an installation of puppets and their worlds by New-Orleans based artist, musician, and puppeteer, Panacea Theriac (also known as Miss Pussycat). The exhibition includes puppets and puppet theaters, along with videos, photographs and ceramic sculptures of her puppets. The Puppet Worlds of Miss Pussycat highlights characters and worlds from several of her last puppet shows, including The Western Village Shopping Village, Clothes Made by Small Furry Animals, Frenchy and Jett, The Happy Castle of Goblinburg, and The Cookie Carnival Baking Contest. In her work, Miss Pussycat’s creates anthropomorphic fantasies that often relate to her own experience as an artist and musician. She’s in a band and her puppets have a band that releases records, while others are artists and museum workers in a fictitious museum. Each character assumes a life of their own in an ever-evolving series of stories.
Bio:
Panacea Theriac’s most widely known public role is as Miss Pussycat, performing puppet shows, singing, and playing maracas in the band “Quintron and Miss Pussycat”. Based in New Orleans, Quintron and Miss Pussycat present live organ-driven party music and puppet shows at parties all over the world.
Born in Antlers, Oklahoma, Theriac began her career in art and puppetry as a child in the Southern Baptist Church of Antlers as part of the Christian Puppet Youth Ministry. She later moved to New Orleans and started a secret nightclub called Pussycat Caverns, which hosted bands and all types of performance in a unique and lively atmosphere. Since 1997 she has run a similar secret night club, The Spellcaster Lodge, with the artist Quintron. Both of these enterprises have brought bands and other inspired people together to put on fun shows for the New Orleans 9th Ward neighborhood. For over 20 years, she has presented live puppet shows in rock clubs, libraries, and secret clubhouses all around the world. Miss Pussycat has also made a number of puppet movies and videos, including Trixie and the Treetunks, North Pole Nutrias, and Electric Swamp.
Exhibitions and installations are an important part of her work. These shows display puppets and their worlds in galleries and museums and have included exhibits at The New Orleans Museum of Art and an installation at the Center for Contemporary Art in New Orleans. In 2017, she was a featured artist for Prospect 4, New Orleans’ citywide contemporary art triennial, with an exhibition at The Ogden Museum of Southern Art. In 2014, she and Quintron were each awarded a Rauschenberg Residency.
www.quintronandmisspussycat.com
www.panaceatheriac.com

The Lost Wages with Sister Justice & Jesse Cole
2019-09-27 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us for a performance by The Lost Wages in The Green Room, with opening acts Jessie Cole and Sister Justice.
Tickets: $14
Doors 7pm | Performance 7:30pm
Memphis natives, The Lost Wages, return again to The Green Room on Friday September 27. The show will be opened by fellow Memphian singer/songwriter Jesse Cole, as well as traditional country sister-duo (Leah and Lacy Blevins), Sister Justice.
The Lost Wages is a sibling-led Americana band from Millington, TN. Lead singers/songwriters, Houston and Cyrena Wages, fuse honky-tonk edge with anthemic melodies reminiscent of the ’70s Laurel Canyon scene and soulful ballads that nod at the nature that makes Memphis, Memphis. Now based in East Nashville, the two children of a small-town judge elicit an unapologetic thumbprint and a “fresh take on a nostalgic sound.”
Previous credits include opening for hero Emmylou Harris, being voted “Top 3 Best Local Bands” by the Nashville Scene, being named “Country Rock Revivalists” by Pandora Radio, and landing a track in a major motion picture starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.
In late 2018, The Lost Wages released their debut EP, “Rose Motel.” The band’s breakout video for single, “Drunk and Forget,” is in rotation now on CMT. Houston and Cyrena are currently completing solo projects, alongside a new TLW project, all slated to release in 2020.

Crosstown Arts Workshop: Create Your Own Instrument
2019-09-28 05:00 - 07:00 | Crosstown Arts East Atrium, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Memphis, TN, United States
Focusing on the work of Scott Carter, participants will be challenged to create instruments from re-purposed materials.
Scott Carter’s work is currently on display in Counterpoint in the Crosstown Arts East Gallery.
Free and open to kids of all ages

Musical Demo with KO & the Crew
2019-09-28 07:00 - 08:30 | Crosstown Arts East Atrium, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Memphis, TN, United States
Scott Carter’s work explores the intersection of music and sculpture. In this short experience, participants will enjoy a private tour of the Counterpoint exhibition in the West Gallery, immediately followed by a musical demonstration inspired by Carter’s works.

The Music of Wes Montgomery & Charlie Christian
2019-09-28 14:30 - 16:30 | Crosstown Arts East Atrium, 1350 Concourse Avenue, Memphis, TN, United States
Jazz tribute to Wes Montgomery and Charlie Christian featuring Chip Henderson (guitar), Alvie Givhan (piano), Earl Lowe (drums), John Lux (tenor sax, clarinet), and Tim Goodwin (acoustic bass).
Tickets: $15
Doors at 6:30 pm | Show at 7 pm
The Crosstown Jazz Series, presented by Strictly Jazz Entertainment in collaboration with Crosstown Arts, is designed to salute classic jazz music as contemporary musicians perform the work of the legends.
About Strictly Jazz Entertainment:
Strictly Jazz Entertainment is committed to cultivating a growing community in the knowledge and appreciation of jazz. We facilitate dialogue and collaboration between the devoted supporters of jazz and the brand new constituents – those new to the genre – for the furthering of the jazz community. We provide a bridge between leading artists and a community that typically does not embrace jazz by promoting concerts in various venues to generate an atmosphere that is viable for the absorption of pure jazz.

SPINS feat. DJ B.A.
2019-09-28 16:00 - 19:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join us for SPINS with DJ B.A. (R&B, hip-hop, afro-beats, pop, house) at The Green Room.
A live monthly DJ series at Crosstown Arts
This month: DJ BA.
$5 cover
The SPINS series features music as diverse as the City of Memphis. Each month, a rotating line-up of DJs will play everything from old-school Hip-Hop and House to Ultra Lounge and Afrobeat. There’s something for everyone to enjoy. So, come chill. Come hang. Come Party!
About DJ B.A.:
Hailing from Youngsville NC, this country boy embraced everything from rock, hip hop, country, east coast rap, and R&B. After the Navy in 2004, DJ B.A.’s musical knowledge and selection exploded, adding musical genres from across the U.S to the islands. Traveling the world and living overseas added electronic dance music, house music, afro beats, UK Grime, Neo Soul, and even Arabic music to his repertoire. This turntablist loves to perform and entertain the crowd.

EUNBI KIM: Stories We Tell Ourselves
2019-09-29 10:00 - 11:00 | Crosstown Arts, The Green Room, 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 280, Memphis, TN, 38104, United States
Join NYC-based pianist Eunbi Kim for a special performance of solo contemporary works including works for piano and pre-recorded electronics. The program highlights works by living composers and is inspired by themes of family, childhood, and immigration.
General Admission $10 | $5 with Student ID
Doors 2:30pm | Performance at 3pm
Music by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Fred Hersch, William Bolcom, and Claude Debussy*
*program subject to change
About Eunbi Kim:
Pianist Eunbi Kim is creating new ways of experiencing concert music as a performer, speaker, and arts advocate. Her adventurous recitals, cast in venues across the United States, are characterized by their vividly personal themes ranging from mental illness to familial memories, and have received international recognition in television and in print. Most known as the creator of music-theater work Murakami Music, she has also recorded an album of Fred Hersch’s rare concert music, premiered work by Emmy-nominated composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), and gave a TEDx talk in 2017. She is based in New York City.
