Cullowhee, NC | Fantasia On Mysterium: The Epic Immersive Theatrical Recital is a genre-busting reimagining of a traditional piano recital and theatrical play, blended with artistically created mind-blowing immersive visuals that accompany both the storytelling and the live performances of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin’s piano works. The audience joins the pianist/actor/playwright Michael Yannette onstage as he weaves the highly synchronistic real-life stories of both he and the composer, which, as it furthers down the rabbit hole, exposes itself to be highly revelatory to both. The adventure that Yannette began years ago as research into his favorite composer weaves into an “epic” play that is at varying times hilarious, deeply moving, hair-raising but, ultimately, fully life-changing and life-affirming. Submerge yourself in a seating arrangement that will place audiences physically on the stage for an intimate experience beginning at 7:30 pm on January 25- January 27, 2024.
Performance artist Michael Yannette is an exceptional concert pianist, actor, playwright, multi-media artist, and music educator who combines all his talents to create rich and thoroughly unique theatrical, musical, and visual experiences. He wrote, produced, and starred in the title role of An Evening with George Gershwin, a one-man show about the life of the great composer that played to rave reviews nationally. Mr. Yannette has music directed and performed in professional, collegiate, and community theater nationwide. As a soloist, he recently performed in New York master classes with Jerome Lowenthal of the Julliard School for the Scriabin Society of America. As a composer, Mr. Yannette is a published choral composer (Alfred Publishing) and composer and arranger for the theater (The American Woodsman, Confessions of a Jewish Shiksa).
Mr. Yannette has been a proud music educator for over 36 years. He was twice named teacher of the year through his work on the Cherokee Reservation through Cherokee Central Schools and Grandview Preparatory School in Boca Raton, FL. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian tribe also named Yannette the 2019 recipient of the Frell Owl Award, given annually to an individual who has significantly contributed to the welfare of Cherokee children and families. He has worked with WCU students through the Department of Stage and Screen and the School of Music for the past 10 years. He is the co-founder and a past director of the Men’s Chorus of the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, an organization which, having just celebrated its 20th anniversary, has grown to reach over 450 students annually in 8 different choirs through the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, FL. As a choral accompanist, Mr. Yannette has performed for choirs in National, Southern Division, and State Level American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) conventions and was an annual accompanist for Florida All-State Choirs. He recently conducted his work, The Cherokee Morning Song, at the 2022 ACDA Southern Division convention with the North Carolina Masterworks Chorale and the Stetson University Chorus. He is also currently the Director of Music at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers, NC.
Mr. Yannette is a graduate of Florida State University, where he was named the 1986 Presser Scholar and received various honors, including the Ernst von Dohnanyi Prize and the winner of both the FSU Concerto Competition and the Florida Collegiate Artist Competition. Mr. Yannette’s choral works are available on Alfred Publishing.
Bardo Arts Center is thrilled to bring Fantasia on Mysterium: The Epic Immersive Theatrical Recital. Doors will open at 7:00 pm, preshow will begin at 7:20 pm, with the show starting at 7:30 pm on Thursday, January 25, Friday, January 26, and Saturday, January 27, 2024. Seating will be on the Bardo Arts Center stage, and capacity is limited for each performance. Box Office is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 am-4 pm and Thursdays from 10 am-7 pm. Don’t forget to stop by the WCU Fine Art Museum and BAC Concessions one hour before each performance.
Visit arts.wcu.edu/fantasia to learn more about the event and purchase tickets. All of Bardo Arts Center’s 2023-2024 Performance Hall tickets are available at arts.wcu.edu/tickets. Get your tickets before they are gone!
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Image Credits:
Images courtesy of Michael Yannette. Joshua Norman created the original artwork.
