Connecticut Arts Connection News Briefs

John Meilleur and John Regan in a performance of The Music of Elton John.

• The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will pay tribute to this living legend at Rocket Man: The Music of Elton John at the Talcott Mountain Music Festival on Friday, July 13, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows.  Led by guest conductor Bradley Thachuk, this concert will feature Sir Elton’s greatest hits, including Your Song, I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, Rocket Man, Daniel, Tiny Dancer, and Circle of Life, as performed by vocalist John Meilleur, pianist and vocalist John Regan, bassist Mitch Tyler, drummer Jeff Christmas, and, of course, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Ticket Information: Subscriptions to the 2012 Talcott Mountain Music Festival range in price from $100-$1420; single tickets range in price from $20-$45; and lawn tickets for kids 12 and under are $5. Discounts are available for tickets purchased in advance. For more ticketing information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860)244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.
• YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA (James Bundy, Dean;Victoria Nolan, Deputy Dean) has appointed Michael Yeargan as Co-Chair of the Design Department, alongside current Co-ChairStephen Strawbridge, effective July 1. He will succeed Donald M. Oenslager ProfessorMing Cho Lee who will continue to teach full-time in the Design Department at Yale School of Drama, where he has taught since 1969 and has chaired or co-chaired the Department since 1993.
• Premier Concerts and Manic Productions proudly present MORRISSEY live in concert in his onlyConnecticut appearance, Saturday, October 6, at 8p.m. at the Palace Theater inWaterbury.  Tickets are $62, $52, and $42, plus service charges, and can be purchased by phone at 203-346-2000, online at www.palacetheaterct.org, and in person at the box office,100 East Main Street in Waterbury.
• Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts presents two performances by the New York-based dance company Brian Brooks Moving Company, featuring the New England premiere of the work "Big City" (2012), onThursday, July 12 and Friday, July 13, 2012 at 8pm in the CFA Theater, located at 271 Washington Terrace on the Wesleyan campus in Middletown.
  Click here to watch a video about the creation of Brian Brooks Moving Company's "Big City" in Santa Barbara on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-ICHEGOafo&feature=player_embedded. Admission for the performance by Brian Brooks Moving Company is $22 for the general public; $19 for senior citizens and Wesleyan faculty/staff; and $10 for students. Tickets are available online at http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa, by phone at (860) 685-3355, or in person at the Wesleyan University Box Office, located in the Usdan University Center, 45 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown. Tickets may also be purchased at the door beginning one hour prior to the performance, subject to availability. The Center for the Arts accepts cash, checks written to “Wesleyan University”, and all major credit cards. Groups of ten or more may receive a discount – please call (860) 685-3355 for details. No refunds, cancellations, or exchanges. All programs, artists and dates are subject to change. All Center for the Arts facilities are air-conditioned.

The Mark Twain House:

• On the anniversary -- Friday, July 6, at 5:30 pm -- author Michael Downs will speak on the Hartford Circus Fire, describe his literary take on it, and read from the book at The Mark Twain House & Museum. A reception at 5 pm will precede the talk, and a booksigning will follow. The event is free.
• The Hartford has awarded a $75,000 gift to The Mark Twain House & Museum to help with important museum initiatives, including writing and literacy programs, public programs and events.
• The Connecticut Film Festival (www.ctfilmfest.com) continues its occasional series of important films at The Mark Twain House & Museum on Friday, July 27, at 7:30 p.m.with Black Tulip, a 2010 film set in Afghanistan directed by Sonia Nassery Cole.
• The Mark Twain House & Museum's Sunday Jazz Brunches, presented by Japanalia Music, continue on Sunday, July 22, with "Romance Tropical"  -- an appearance by Hartford's acclaimed guitarist, bassist and band leader Carlos Hernández Chávez. Carlos Hernández Chávez appears Sunday, July 22, at 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 a.m., at the Murasaki Cafe at The Mark Twain House & Museum. The $35 admission includes the performance, full brunch, soft drinks and hot beverages. Alcoholic beverages are available at an additional charge. Call 860-280-3130 for reservations.
• Harold: The Boy Who Became Mark Twain is the July selection for Nook Farm Book Talk, The Mark Twain House & Museum's book club-style collaboration with the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center next door. Participants in the free event will read and discuss Holbrook's affecting memoir of growing up behind disguises, and his lifelong search for himself. The discussion will be held at The Mark Twain House & Museum, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Conn., on Thursday, June 12. A 5:00 p.m. reception will be followed by the 5:30 pm discussion. The event is free, but registration is encouraged at 860-522-9258, Ext. 317.
• In a parody inspired by the great original game, a full-fledged murder mystery will be laid out for visitors to solve during The Mark Twain House & Museum's "Get a Clue" Tour, Friday, July 13, and Saturday, July 14. The one-hour experience provoked fun, intrigue and hilarity among visitors fortunate enough to take part in the tours when they debuted last winter. Moving from room to room in the mysterious gloom of evening, probing dark corners of the house (magnifying glasses optional), visitors will get clues to help them in their detection and make their guesses. Finally, in a stunning reveal, all will become clear and the perpetrator unmasked. Members of Hartford's Sea Tea Improv comedy troupe portray the suspects, who are based on famous literary characters Twain created in the very house where the mystery unfolds. The "Get a Clue" tours will be held Friday, July 13, and Saturday, July 14, from 7 to 10 pm. Tickets are $20 ($16 for members); $13 for children 16 and under. The hour-long tours step off every 15 minutes. Reservartions are required! Call 860-280-3130.