Maine Center for the Arts ready to kick off new season

Great adventures of the world are coming to Orono beginning in September when the Maine Center for the Arts kicks off its 1990 season.

Curtain times for Monday through Thursday have been scheduled at 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. to accommodate the work schedules of patrons.

The Gala Benefit performance on Oct. 13 features the 110-member Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Family events for the season include comedian Avner the Eccentric, the Shanghai Acrobats and Imperial Warriors of the Peking Opera, a concert with Glen Campbell, Jim Stafford, John Hartford and Nicolette Larson, and the Swiss mask-mime group, Mummenschanz.

This year’s musical offerings lean heavily toward jazz tastes. The innovative jazz musician Cecil Taylor and trumpet player Wynton Marsalis are the highlights of the season. George Shearer, Joe Williams and Joe Pass will join company and skills for a special concert called “A Gathering of Friends.” The Klezmer Conservatory Band, which combines Yiddish and American music, and the Chieftains, a traditional Irish band, will bring more folk sounds to the concert hall.

Grammy-nominated Windham Hill guitarist Michael Hedges will also perform a solo concert.

Classical enthusiasts will be excited over the lineup of solo and ensemble performances. Anne-Marie McDermott, Emanuel Ax, the Franciscan String Quartet, and the Tokyo String Quartet will be featured.

Additionally, the New York City Opera National Company will present “The Marriage of Figaro.”

“Into the Woods,” Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical; “Sarafina!” a musical celebration of South African revolution, and “American Song,” a musical revue of Woody Guthrie’s music are the musical theater events for the season. The “Sarafina!” production will include the original Broadway cast for the show.

The dance events include a challenging group of performance artists such as Kodo, a Japanese drumming troupe that combines music, movement and ritual for a humorous and powerful event.

Feld Ballet N.Y. (formerly the Feld Ballet), O Vertigo Danse, a Montreal-based group, and Desrosiers Dance Theater of Toronto will offer innovative approaches to traditional styles of ballet, dance and mime.

For information about any of the performances or for reservations, phone the Maine Center for the Arts box office at 581-1755.