Lucy Kaplansky

The 7 p.m. performance will be held at the PAS’s home, the historic Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave.

Kaplansky, who started her singing career in Chicago bars, moved to New York after high school. There she found a fertile community of songwriters and performers, including Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega, Nanci Griffith, John Gorka, Bill Morrissey and Cliff Eberhardt. She and Colvin became a popular singing duo.

Convinced that her calling was in another direction, however, Kaplansky returned to school and earned a doctorate in psychology from Yeshiva University. She worked as a staff psychologist at a New York hospital and opened a private practice.

Pulled back into the studio by her friends, Kaplansky harmonized on Colvin's Grammy-winning Steady On, Griffith's Lone Star State of Mind and Little Love Affairs, and four of Gorka's albums. She also has a number of soundtrack credits, including singing with Vega on Pretty in Pink and with Griffith on The Firm.

In 1994, with the release of her first album, The Tide, Kaplansky gave up her psychology practice and returned to music full-time.

Her latest CD, 2007’s Over The Hills, recounts the story of how her family came to be in America and the struggles it has endured and connects to the universal themes of love, joy, loss, and dreams for the future. She is joined on harmony by Eliza Gilkyson, Buddy Miller, Richard Shindell and Jonatha Brooke. 

Of Over the Hills, The Washington Post said, “The warmth of Kaplansky’s voice paired with her pensive songs makes her music sound like wistful lullabies … The album’s title track is particularly stunning. Its touching meditation on the passing of time is enhanced by Eliza Gilkyson’s striking harmonies.”

Kaplansky’s other albums include Flesh and Bone (1996), Ten Year Night (1999), Every Single Day (2001) and The Red Thread (2004). A new single, "Life Threads” is available as a digital download.

Tickets for Kaplansky’s Winter Wind performance are $20. Seating is limited and advance purchase is recommended.

Winter Wind Concerts are made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, Oklahoma Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support from Tom McAuliffe, Nancy McClellan, Cindy Merrick, Skye Diers, Glen Brown, Mark and Teresa Marsee, Becky Grider, Danna Primm and Marie Soleil.

For more information on Winter Wind and other PAS programs, call (405) 307-9320.

Norman’s own musical icon Mike Hosty will entertain children of all ages at the Performing Arts Studio’s “Kids ‘n’ Kazoos” concert scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20.
 
The free concert will be held at the PAS’s home, the historic Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave.

Hosty started his musical career at age 11 when he received his first guitar.  He mimicked jazz and blues techniques to create a unique sound that became a trademark. Known for playing multiple instruments simultaneously – the guitar with his hands and drums and bass pedals with his feet – Hosty also is an expert kazoo player, transforming the sound of the simple instrument into one that resembles a saxophone.

The kazoo is a wind instrument into which one hums, causing a buzzing quality to the player’s voice.  Based on instruments used for centuries in Africa to disguise voices or imitate animals, the kazoo was invented and first manufactured in Macon, Ga. in the 1800s.  It is one of the few acoustic instruments to be developed in the United States.

The “Kids ‘n’ Kazoos” concert will conclude with the distribution of kazoos to young audience members so they can join Hosty in making some memorable music.

For more information about “Kids ‘n’ Kazoos” or other PAS programs, call 307-9320.

An exhibition of drawings and paintings by Norman artist Nick Wu will open with a reception for the artist at 2 p.m. Feb. 7 at the historic Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave.
 
Presented by The Performing Arts Studio, “Art of Portraiture” will run through March 28.  There is no admission charge.

Wu specializes in portraiture characterized by spontaneity of expression and realism and a skillful control of light, tone and texture.  Although he received some formal training in China, he is largely self-taught.  “My parents encouraged me to develop my art at an early age by taking me to various art studios, where I became familiar with the works of llya Repin, Nicholai Fechin and Richard Schmid,” he explained.  “Those artists have had a lasting impact on my use of light and color.”

Wu works with great speed, completing oil portraits of live models within three hours and pencil drawings within 30 minutes.  “Drawing is the most important foundation technique for any visual art, including painting,” he said.  Wu demonstrated his drawing technique at the Depot during the December 2009 and January 2010 Second Friday Circuit of Arts.

The Norman Downtowners Association and the Performing Arts Studio present the University of Oklahoma Steel Drum Band as the final Lunchtime Concert of the season.  The band will transport the audience to the islands with a performance on the north lawn of Norman’s historic Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, October 9.  There is no admission charge.
 
A free lunch will feature Mark Amspatcher’s award-winning chili from The Diner.

The University of Oklahoma Steel Drum Band was formed in 1987 and is comprised of both music and non-music majors.  The group performs  throughout Norman and Oklahoma City.  The band also is committed to educational outreach, offering concerts, master classes and workshops to elementary, secondary and university students and groups.