LiveArt Gala
Fifteen Years of LiveArt: 2008 - 2024
LiveArt was created in the spring of 2007 to enrich the cultural relationship between the community and the University of West Georgia. To this end, LiveArt strives to offer exceptional and diverse artistic programming, outreach and arts education. Each of the last fifteen galas has been a considerable undertaking that was inspired and managed by a group of community volunteers. Here, we list the artists throughout those years that have provided lasting memories: 15 unique Seasons, 25 fabulous Artists!
LiveArt Galas
- 2008 - Ballet Memphis
- 2009 - Chicago Jazz Ensemble starring Jon Faddis
- 2010 - Beausoleil
- 2011 - Spanish Harlem Orchestra
- 2012 - Club Swing starring Five by Design
- 2013 - Irish Homecoming starring Cherish the Ladies
- 2014 - Dress Casual starring Mandy Patinkin
- 2015 - Manhattan Transfer
- 2016 - Johnny Mercer: A Night in Savannah starring The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra
- 2017 - Take 6 with Nnenna Freelon
- 2018 - Meet Me in Paris starring The Hot Club of San Francisco
- 2019 - 1966: A Night at the Sands starring Matt Dusk
- 2020 - A Night in Little Italy starring Joe Piscopo
- 2023 - A Night in the Roaring Twenties starring Alex Mendham
- 2024 - A Night in Old Havana starring Joachim Horsley and Via Havana
LiveArt Family Shows
- 2008 - Seusical the Musical
- 2012 - Peking Acrobats
- 2013 - Cirque Zuma Zuma
- 2014 - Houston Ballet II
- 2015 - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
- 2016 - Golden Dragron Acrobats
- 2017 - Artrageous!
- 2018 - Million Dollar Quartet
- 2019 - The Corner of Broadway & Mainstreet starring Voctave
- 2020 - Magic & Illusion starring Mike Super
LiveArt 2024 ~ January Gala: A Night in Old Havana
The LiveArt 2024 Gala on Friday, January 26th presented A Night in Old Havana starring Joachim Horsley and his Via Havana Ensemble with special guests Loly Moreno and The Jon Lehrer Dance Company. A Night in Old Havana is a fusion of great classical works and the songs, rhythms, and dance of the Caribbean Islands. This World Premier showcased the talents of 18 performers on stage. Pianist Joachim Horsley led the audience on a cultural journey accompanied by Murph Aucamp, Yonathan "Morocho" Gavidia, Luca Alamanno, Olivia Soler, Ana Paola Rincones, Michelle Skinner, and Loly Moreno.
Joachim Horsley
Composer, multi-instrumentalist, and arranger Joachim Horsley is an exceptional American pianist who uses his favorite instrument to break musical barriers. Having recently created numerous original scores for film and television, Horsley continues to orchestrate his own story: a tale where the great composers of classical music infused their works with Afro-Caribbean rhythms.
"It's an alternate universe: one where Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart are channeling Havana more than Vienna," says Horsley. "To me, this is a way to meet old friends in a fresh context, giving our audiences a new appreciation for the Classical and Caribbean cultures."
Via Havana Ensemble
The idea for this project started in 2015, after studying music in Cuba with his good friend and mentor Aldo Mazza. Cuban rumba music, both in its sound and the way it's created, made a lasting impression and inspired the first piece in this series. In 2016, Beethoven In Havana, an arrangement of Beethoven's 7th symphony in a Cuban style, was a viral hit gaining international attention and leading to the 2019 album Via Havana. Many composers, musicians, and fans in the classical and Afro-Caribbean worlds share a mutual interest in the opposite sides of this genre divide. It's Horsley's hope that his merging of these two worlds encourages exploration.
Jon Lehrer Dance Company
Based in NYC since 2019, Jon Lehrer started his company in 2007 in Buffalo, NY and has received critical acclaim nationally and internationally. Under his artistic direction, the company showcases Jon's unique choreography and embodies his definitive style. His extensive background in both the modern and jazz dance idioms fosters choreography that is organic, athletic, artistic, and often humorous, reflecting the human condition.