Vilar Performing Arts Center creates ‘small club’ feel with intimate Live in the May Gallery series this summer

The Vail Valley Foundation recently issued the following press release on this summer’s Live in the May Gallery series:

Summertime and live music go hand in hand. If festival crowds aren’t your scene, or you are missing that intimate jazz club vibe, the Vilar Performing Arts Center has the perfect summer music experience!

It’s newest series, Live in the May Gallery, debuts in July, hosting distinguished jazz artists in the intimate, contemporary May Gallery patrons’ lounge. The inaugural Live in the May Gallery kicks off with the Bob Reynolds Group in July, followed by OKAN in August. Tickets for both events are on sale now at www.vilarpac.org.

Never heard of the May Gallery? 

Nestled within the Vilar Performing Arts Center’s upper lobby, the May Gallery Patrons Lounge is one of the Vail Valley’s most unique spaces, offering a flare of metropolitan charm in the heart of Beaver Creek Village. The space consists of an exquisite wine bar, open lounge seating, a coat check, and dedicated restrooms. It also boasts a stage and state-of-the-art sound system for live performances.

Live in the May Gallery is planned to continue long after the initial season, presenting spectacular artists from a global landscape of acoustic music and entertainment in the intimacy and allure of the venue’s private lounge and art gallery. Performers hail from a wide variety of genres and styles, including jazz, classical, folk, and more, curated specifically to be enjoyed in a salon or club-like format.

Says Artistic Director Owen Hutchinson, “Many of my all-time favorite performances took place in very small rooms — in jazz clubs, coffee houses, blues bars, barns and a variety of charming listening rooms — where fifty to eighty people gathered and sat just a few tables away from the musicians, to hear their music come straight from the source.” 

Attendees can expect to enjoy this unique musical experience in a small crowd setting. Notes Hutchinson, “This kind of event, paired with an incredible glass of wine or fresh-made cocktail, can transport you to a world of sound that you’ll tell friends about for years to come.”

To kick off the series, Hutchinson handpicked the Bob Reynolds Group and OKAN, as both groups “are making important music in their respective styles of jazz. They’ll fill the room with their warmth and fantastic musicianship.”

The Bob Reynolds Group

The Bob Reynolds Group will perform Tuesday, July 9 at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Bob Reynolds is a saxophonist, composer, educator, and 3x Grammy® Award-winning and member of the instrumental supergroup Snarky Puppy. Often recognized for his work with Snarky and earlier tours with John Mayer, Bob has also been a featured soloist with Grammy-winning instrumentalists Larry Carlton, Jeff Lorber, and Chris Botti. He’s worked with a wide array of pop artists including Michael Bublé, The 1975, Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, and USHER. He’s also recorded on over 50 albums.

The New York Times called him “a self-assured saxophonist and an unassuming yet effective composer,” and his solo albums showcase his melodic improvisational style, tuneful songwriting, and, as the LA Times put it: “hip-swiveling” grooves. His Guitar Band album, filmed live in concert, has over 4 million views on YouTube.

Reynolds, on tenor sax, will be joined by Ruslan Sirota (piano), Janek Gwizdala (bass), and Jordan Perlson (drums).

OKAN

On Saturday, August 17, OKAN will take the May Gallery stage for performances at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Fusing Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, resistance and love, OKAN takes its name from the word for heart in the duo’s Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, Yoruba, and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees. OKAN’s joyful music doesn’t easily fit into any one genre, making it widely appealing and crowd pleasing.

Additional artists will be added to the Live lineup for coming seasons, so stay tuned!

Tickets for Live in the May Gallery performances are offered as General Admission for theater-style seats closest to the stage, or at reserved tables positioned along the back of this intimate room which provide ideal sightlines and the comfort of a private table. Guests at Reserved Tables will also enjoy a dedicated server. A minimum of two tickets must be purchased at Reserved Tables.

For more information about VPAC’s schedule and to purchase tickets, visit vilarpac.org or call 970-845-8497.