From an intimate woodwind quintet, to dazzling acrobats, to Cajun music, the San Juan College Silhouette Performing Arts Series brings a variety of entertainment to the Four Corners. The season will open on October 7, at 7 p.m. with the Southwest Winds Quintet, a component of the United States Air Force Band of the West, in a free concert. The ensemble is fashioned after a typical 18th-century orchestral wind section and includes five wind instrumentalists.

The College's Theatre Department will present the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Wit, October 8-10 and 16-18. The play features Dr. Vivian Bearing, a lecturer and professor of 17th century poetry. The play documents her struggle with stage IV metastatic ovarian cancer. As she prepares to die alone, she gradually realizes that she would much prefer kindness and compassion to intellect, hence the title of the work, Wit.

On October 15, The Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats will swing from the rafters in the Performance Hall, showcasing dazzling acrobatic displays, formidable feats of daring and balance, explosive Kung Fu, brilliant costumes, and even a touch of Chinese comedy.

The annual Masterworks Concert, a collaboration of the College's instrumental and choral departments, will be October 23 and will feature music from popular video games and music that has been used commercially for movies and TV shows.

On November 21, flamenco guitarist Juan Carmona will demonstrate his virtuosity, showing quickly why he has garnered international acclaim.

December will showcase the College's Jazz Band on December 3; the Concert Band on December 11; and the Choir on December 17.

The new year will begin with the youthful exuberance of the Pine Leaf Boys on January 15. Louisiana's finest, these musicians are known for their wild shows and thoughtful arrangements, breathing new life into Cajun music.

The College Orchestra will close out January with a concert on the 29th in the Little Theatre.

On February 9, the doo-wop group The Alley Cats will perform their renditions of timeless a cappella classics and zany improvisational comedy. The College's Concert Band will perform on February 19.

And in March, the SJC Theatre Department will take on the award-winning musical Sweeney Todd, a darkly comic tale of love, murder and obsession. Not for the faint of heart, the play will be staged March 5, 6, 11-14.

Always a Four Corners favorite, Celtic music will rock the house on March 19 with Enter the Haggis, from Toronto. The band has blazed a path touring up and down the East Coast, to Canada, the West Coast and back again, winning over success one fan, one town, one region at a time. On April 9, the popular San Juan College Jazz Festival will feature a guest artist, who will be announced later. The SJC Choir will perform on April 23; the Orchestra on April 30; and on May 7, the Concert Band.

Season tickets are on sale through the SJC Box Office. A full season ticket will allow you to attend all 18 Silhouette Series events at $130 for adults, and $80 for students and seniors. A half season ticket will allow you to attend any six events at $75 for adults, and $60 for students and seniors.

These projects are made possible, in part, by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Western Jazz Presenters Network, the Western States Art Federation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For individual or season tickets, call 505-566-3430.
For ticket prices and other details, go to www.sanjuancollege.edu/silhouette.