Lied Live Online to feature six new concerts, two encores

Courtesy photo

Sam Stacy will perform at 7 p.m. May 9 as part of the Lied Live Online concert series. The performance will feature both virtual and in-person audiences.

The free Lied Live Online concert series is kicking off 2021 with six new events in a range of genres. In collaboration with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music, the Lied Center will also present encore recorded performances of “The Gambler’s Son” and the university’s N150 celebration.

All shows will be presented virtually. As approved by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, socially distanced in-person tickets will also be available for some events noted below. The Lied will continue to collaborate with the university and local health officials to determine when it is safe to hold in-person events.

Shows with in-person audiences are free to attend, but a ticket is required. In-person and virtual reservations can be made here. There is also the option to add a donation to support the Lied Center. Lied Live Online events are available to watch on the Lied Center’s website and Facebook page. Free tickets to all events are available at the Lied Center website, via phone at 402-472-4747 and at the Lied Center box office, 301 N. 12th St., beginning at 11 a.m. Jan. 12.

All shows are on the Lied Center’s main stage unless otherwise noted.

Lied Live Online events:

“Juli Burney: Still Laughing,” Jan. 17, 7 p.m. (virtual and in-person), Carson Theater — Amid the psychological challenges of an ever-changing world, humor is more important than ever. Burney, an award-winning humorist, returns to the Lied Live Online series to remind people that even though there are compromises made in this “new normal,” humor does not need to be one of them.
Paul Haar, saxophone, and Tom Larson, piano, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m. (virtual and in-person) —Haar and Larson will present an intimate evening of great American standards. Haar is a versatile saxophonist who has contributed to numerous projects in both the jazz and classical genres throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. The Fremont native has performed with such artists as Dave Brubeck, James Moody and The Manhattan Transfer. A sought-after pianist and composer, Larson has performed and recorded his original compositions internationally. In addition to performing, composing and arranging jazz, he has written the musical scores for dozens of films. Both are instructors in the Korff School, where Haar is associate professor of saxophone and Larson is an assistant professor of composition and serves as the music director and composer in residence for the Faculty Jazz Ensemble.
Hannah Huston, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m. (virtual and in-person) — Presented in collaboration with the Arts for the Soul Music and Fine Arts Series, the Lied welcomes back the pop singer. Huston was a preschool teacher in Lincoln when she auditioned for season 10 of NBC’s “The Voice” in 2016. She finished second runner up, launching a successful career. Since the show, Huston has been spending time in Nashville, writing and recording. Her performance will feature some fan favorites along with new singles (some unreleased). Patrons who reserved in-person tickets for Huston’s originally scheduled December concert will have their tickets honored at this concert.
IBEX Puppetry, March 4, 7:30 p.m. (virtual only) — IBEX Puppetry returns to Nebraska following its “Crane: On Earth, In Sky” performance in March 2017. It is part of the Jim Henson legacy, led by Heather Henson. Viewers can experience the magic of puppetry for all ages, including highlights from the show “Ajijaak on Turtle Island.”

Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra: Edward Polochick and Anton Miller, April 11, 7 p.m. (virtual and in-person) — LSO Music Director Edward Polochick and Concertmaster Anton Miller will perform a range of popular and classical pieces for violin and piano. Polochick has been the orchestra’s music director since 1998, serves as artistic director of Concert Artists of Baltimore and is a longtime faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. He continues to attract worldwide attention as an orchestral, choral and operatic conductor. Violinist Miller has served as concertmaster for LSO for nearly 30 years. Since giving his Carnegie Hall concerto debut, he has appeared throughout the United States and abroad as a soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and pedagogue.
Sam Stacy, May 9, 7 p.m. (virtual and in-person) — Stacy is a Lincoln native who recently received national attention after winning a spot on Team Blake on NBC’s “The Voice.” He was first introduced to music through choir at Lincoln’s First Plymouth Church, then got involved in musical theater and taught himself to play guitar at age 12. After graduating from Lincoln Southeast High School and starting college, he would study by day and gig by night, taking a job at a bank after graduating to keep his evenings free for performing. Once he started making more money from music than at the bank, he quit his day job and never looked back. Stacy is now a full-time musician in Los Angeles.

Other events:

“The Gambler’s Son,” Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m. (virtual only) — The Korff School premiered this new opera by Tyler Goodrich White (composer) and Laura White (librettist) in 2019. “The Gambler’s Son” is adapted from Mari Sandoz’s 1960 novel “Son of the Gamblin’ Man,” which tells the true story of the founding of Cozad, Nebraska; its larger-than-life founder, John J. Cozad; and Cozad’s son, the illustrious American painter Robert Henri.
“Charter Day Celebration: Music and Milestones,” Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m. (virtual only) — On Feb. 15, 2019, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln celebrated its 150th anniversary with an evening of live performances and multimedia entertainment. Jeff Zeleny, Nebraska native, Husker alumnus and senior White House correspondent for CNN, guided the audience through some of the university’s major accomplishments. More than 300 artists united to perform a program including Richard Wagner’s “Entrance of the Gods,” Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” and new works by Nebraska alumni David von Kampen and Garrett Hope. Special features included tributes to celebrated alumni Willa Cather, Roxane Gay and Ted Kooser. Performing ensembles included the Cornhusker Marching Band, UNL Symphony Orchestra, UNL Opera, UNL Dance, Chamber Singers, University Singers and Varsity Singers. They were joined throughout the evening by notable University of Nebraska alumni and supporters, including actress Marg Helgenberger.