Events

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Tenor Gregory Turay knows about journeys, not only in distances logged by frequent flyer miles but paths taken when one follows one’s heart. So it’s no surprise that the Metropolitan Opera singer will perform two wayfarer song cycles, “Songs of Travel” and “On Wenlock Edge,” written by prolific English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, for a concert in his hometown of Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Transylvania University’s Carrick Theater. The concert is free and open to the public. The hour-long concert features the six-part song cycle “On Wenlock Edge” for voice, piano and string quartet and the world premiere of John Greer’s arrangement of “Songs of Travel,” a nine-part song cycle for voice and piano. There will be a brief intermission between the two compositions. “I wanted to do a recital of “On Wenlock Edge” because I love the piece,” said Turay. “It’s been a passion of mine since I performed it almost 20 years ago in Charleston, S.C., at the Spoleto Festival with Charles Wadsworth. And then John Greer, my accompanist, suggested the ‘Songs of Travel,’ as he had been working on an arrangement of them for piano and string quartet; it was a perfect marriage!” Turay’s journey into the opera world began in 1995 when he competed and won at the national level of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He was awarded a place in the opera’s Young Artist Development Program, which

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—The intense basketball rivalry between Kentucky and Indiana will electrify downtown Lexington June 13 when the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star Classic comes to Transylvania University’s beautiful Clive M. Beck Athletic and Recreation Center. Though the event—which matches the top boys and girls high school seniors in Kentucky against the best in Indiana, including the “Mr. and Miss Basketball” award winners—launched in 1940, 2014 will mark just the sixth time it will be held in Lexington and the first time since 1996. The Bluegrass Sports Commission (BSC) and the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation (KLEF) announced Jan. 29 that they had agreed to a three-year contract to bring the event to Lexington. WKYT-TV (Lexington) will televise the games live on the CW in Lexington and WYMT in Hazard. And plans call for syndicating a statewide network of TV stations to broadcast the games across the Commonwealth. “This is a very exciting announcement for us,” said Terry Johnson, executive director of the BSC. “We are honored to work with Transylvania, WKYT and others to host an event with such a rich history that supports the amazing work of the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation.” Located on one of the nation’s most historic college campuses, Transylvania’s Beck Center is a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of downtown Lexington. It seats 1,200 in an intimate setting perfect for high-stakes basketball. Transylvania’s storied basketball program has used the facility for its NCAA Division III games since 2001. Free

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Planning a special Valentine’s weekend with your significant other? Don’t miss this opportunity to share the joy of a local performance by international music star and Lexington native Ben Sollee on Feb. 15 at Transylvania University’s Haggin Auditorium, sponsored by the Student Activities Board. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $5 for Transylvania students, faculty and staff. They can be purchased online at www.tinyurl.com/TUBenSollee. The doors will open at 8 p.m. and the concert will begin at 8:30 with a performance by the Dreamin’ Rovers, a Transylvania student band that includes Ryan Anderson, Luke Gnadinger, Dan Marnatti, Alex Schmitt and Mason Williams. Ben Sollee—cellist, singer-songwriter and composer—will then offer his rare mix of genre-bending music, which moves easily from personal ballads to environmental protest songs. NPR’s “All Things Considered” called “Learning to Bend,” Sollee’s debut album, “an inspired collection of acoustic, folk and jazz-flavored songs, filled with hope and the earnest belief that the world is good.” Sollee regularly collaborates with a number of recognized artists, including Bela Fleck, Daniel Martin Moore and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. Writing about Sollee’s latest album, “Half-Made Man,” noted Kentucky author Silas House says, “The songs give us the many facets of a human being who is acutely aware of the world around him and his own faults. The album is novelistic in its scope and theme as we travel with the narrator who reveals everything about himself as a

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