Snapshots
Aspen Film will honor film and theater director Julie Taymor with the organization’s first-ever Visionary Award. The award, created to recognize extraordinary achievement in filmmaking and the arts, will be presented in an event on June 28, at Paepcke Auditorium.
Taymor, 55, earned a Tony Award for best direction for 1998’s Broadway production of “The Lion King,” becoming the first woman to be honored as director of a musical. She also won a Tony for Best Costume Design for “The Lion King.”
Taymor directed last year’s Beatles-inspired film “Across the Universe,” which earned an Academy Award nomination for costume design, and won the Audience Award at Aspen Film 2007. Taymor had been scheduled to appear at Aspen Film, but canceled due to work requirements. Her filmography as director also includes 2002’s “Frida,” which earned Oscars for makeup and original score, and a nomination for Taymor in the Best Original Song category; and 1999’s “Titus,” an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus.”
Taymor has also been involved in opera, directing “The Magic Flute” for the Metropolitan Opera, and “Grendel” for the Los Angeles Opera. Among her current projects is a stage musical version of “Spider-Man.”
The event at Paepcke Auditorium will include behind-the-scenes film clips and a discussion with Taymor. There will also be a separate dinner with Taymor following the appearance.
For tickets, call 920-5770, or go to aspenshowtickets.com. For tickets for the dinner, call 925-6882, ext. 109.
The Carbondale Summer of Music Concert Series, presented by the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities and the town of Carbondale, will present five events this season.
The series opens with the Rockin’ 4th of July Extravaganza, featuring the local debut of New Jersey-born Danielia Cotton. The 20-something soul-rock singer-guitarist recently released the CD, “Rare Child.”
Panjea, a socially conscious groove band led by Zimbabwe-educated mbira player Chris Berry, is set for July 13. Joining Panjea will be Michael Kang, mandolinist of defunct Colorado band String Cheese Incident.
Country-rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage appear in the series on July 20. The group, which began in the early ’70s as a spin-off of the Grateful Dead, with Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar, has had many hits, including “Panama Red.” The current New Riders lineup includes singer-guitarist David Nelson and pedal steel player Buddy Cage.
On Aug. 9, Aphrodesia, a Midwestern band that plays music inspired by Afrobeat rhythms, headlines the Human Rights Tour, an event focused on environmentalism and other global issues.
The series concludes Aug. 23 with the KDNK Blues and BBQ Fest, with acts still to be announced.
Also, a partial music lineup for the Carbondale Mountain Fair has been set. Acts for Mountain Fair, taking place July 25-27, include Lipbone Redding, Bumpus, the Clumsy Lovers, the Chicago Afrobeat Project and the Redtones, with more to be added.
The Human Rights Tour is set for the 4th Street Plaza, with the Blues and BBQ Fest scheduled for Main Street. All other performances in the Carbondale Summer of Music series will be held in Sopris Park.
