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Cliburn personalities

Backstage with Artina McCain, the sharp and stylish emcee of the 2022 Cliburn Competition

Stephanie Allmon Merry
Jun 15, 2022 | 3:21 pm
Artina McCain emcees the first night of the final round.
Artina McCain emcees the first night of the final round.
Photo courtesy of The Cliburn

UPDATE 6-18-2022: The Cliburn Competition winners have been announced; find the list here.

---

By the time the Cliburn Competition ends June 18, Artina McCain will have appeared on stage over 100 times — more than all of the competitors, conductors, and piano tuners combined.

As the stage announcer and mistress of ceremonies for the entire 17-day competition in Fort Worth, McCain introduces contestants, announces repertoire, and reminds patrons to silence their cellphones before each concert begins. And, although she only pops on stage for a few seconds at a time, she's become one of the brightest stars of the event.

Since the early days of the competition at the Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU and now at Bass Hall, McCain has earned the appreciation of audiences for her affable demeanor, spot-on pronunciations, and — in a fun surprise — her stylish onstage wardrobe.

What audiences are seeing from the seats is genuine: Dr. Artina McCain, herself, is an accomplished concert pianist, professor, clinician, speaker, and author, who is now having the time of her life doing one of the coolest jobs at the Cliburn.

“For me to be a part of it is a real honor,” she says.

‘A different route’
An Arlington native, McCain took her first piano lessons in Grand Prairie, then moved to Orlando, Florida with her family and attended a performing arts magnet school. The dream of a career as a concert pianist pulled her back to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she earned a bachelor of arts in piano performance in 2003.

“It was just a great environment. [The professors, including mentor Dr. Carol Leone] were so nurturing and caring, and they were always like, ‘You can do it’ — and look, here I am.”

On paper, her resume from there looks straightforward: a master of music from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2006, then a doctor of musical arts from the University of Texas at Austin, in 2011. In reality, it was anything but.

In her 20s, McCain suffered an injury that sidelined her from the piano. “I wasn’t able to play for six years,” she says. “Physically, I was not able to play because of pain, for many reasons.”

Through an alternative practice called Muscle Activation Techniques, McCain restored her body and trained herself to play in new ways.

“If you have an injury, a lot of times, it can be career ending so you can’t compete or play,” she says. “After about six years of not playing, I’ve had now almost a decade of a really great performing career.”

Because of her own experiences, McCain now advocates for musicians’ wellness, often writing and presenting on the topic at conservatories, universities, and major music conferences.

“I have a great career now as a pianist,” she says, “but in a different route.”

McCain currently calls Memphis, Tennessee home, where she is an associate professor of piano and coordinator of keyboard area at the University of Memphis, as well as co-founder and director of the Memphis International Piano Festival and Competition.

While she keeps a full teaching schedule, she also performs on big stages and regularly collaborates with one special musician in particular — her husband. Together, Artina and Martin McCain are The McCain Duo — she on piano, and he on bass trombone. (“He also went to UT Austin — Go, Longhorns!” she adds.)

She will be jetting away from the Cliburn for one "off" day during the finals, in fact, for a McCain Duo concert in Orlando. She’ll fly back for her emcee duties the next day. “Just a quick day trip,” she says. “The life of a musician, right?”

Substance, style, and more substance
The Cliburn approached McCain about emceeing the competition last fall after being impressed with a “Cliburn Kids” online presentation she was involved in, recalls artistic director Sandra Doan.

McCain eagerly took on the new challenge, starting with learning competitors’ name pronunciations and looking through the repertoire. “I’ve taught or played about 70 percent of it," she says, "so it’s not that foreign to me.”

Her biggest challenge? Learning how to pronounce the titles of French pieces. “I have had friends and a French colleague, Anne-Cécille Rouiller, backstage. She helps me with the French pronunciations literally right before I go on the stage,” she says.

But the one development that McCain did not expect was that she would become a competition style star. From colorful dresses and separates, to a chic off-the-shoulder jumpsuit, and even a pair of pink and black sequin pants that an Italian competitor coveted, her fashionable looks have become part of her onstage ethos.

”Now when I come out in the lobby," she says, "people are commenting on what day they liked, and I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness — pressure.’”

A self-admitted shopping addict, she’s been doing a bit of retail therapy on Fort Worth to mix new items with her own clothes with some rented wardrobe pieces. The pressure is now on to glam up for the final round, she joked.

“I’m gonna do a big crescendo right to the end,” she teases.

When the competition ends, McCain will go home to Memphis and see where life takes her next.

One of her passions is championing Black and other underrepresented composers and musicians. She curates such concerts for arts organizations, has won awards for her own solo recordings of them, and, six months ago, Hal Leonard published her arrangements of African American Folk Songs for burgeoning piano students.

“I think our music communities can always benefit from diversity in many ways — ethnic diversity, gender diversity — something I didn’t see so much of when I was younger and probably still,” she says. “I’m really passionate about performing works by those composers, letting people know what those are, and in this case writing a book for the little ones so that they can start sooner than I did in knowing that there’s a lot of great music and art out there that deserves to be heard in all stages.”

McCain strives to be the same kind of role model and teacher to other young pianists that she remembers fondly from her days at SMU. “I think mentorship’s really important, and having people believe in you even when you don’t know what you can be,” she says.

Her own career has taught her to stay open to every opportunity, she says, even if it means learning French.

“I like doing a lot of things, so I kind of like how my career has taken shape where I get to teach and perform and now, emcee — another line on the resume."

McCain, herself, is an accomplished pianist, speaker, author, and educator.

Artina McCain
Photo courtesy of The Cliburn
McCain, herself, is an accomplished pianist, speaker, author, and educator.
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Entertainment Venue News

Main Event adds in-house restaurant to fun & games at all Dallas-Fort Worth locations

Teresa Gubbins
Nov 11, 2022 | 2:57 pm
main event family kitchen
sanantonio.culturemap.com

Check out the spread at Main Event.

Main Event, the Dallas-based entertainment chain known for its arcade games, sports, and prizes, has added something edible to its roster: a full restaurant called Family Kitchen that puts a creative spin on arcade favorites such as burgers, sandwiches, and pizza.

The restaurant has been added to all six of its locations in the DFW area: two in Fort Worth, plus Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Lewisville, Plano, and Frisco. It launched November 1.

Main Event's chief marketing officer Ashley Zickefoose says the idea for a restaurant was inspired by the company's goal to be a place for families to bond.

“From shareable favorites with our Family Feasts to offering something tasty and memorable for everyone in the family, our new restaurant showcases that Main Event is not only the premier place to have fun, but also a top-notch place to dine with families and friends," Zickefoose says.

The menu was devised by chef Wiley Bates III, Main Event's director of culinary innovation, and features more than 50 items, from chips & queso to wings.

Highlights include:

  • Triple Lava Burger, featuring three hand-smashed patties with American cheese, cheese sauce, and caramelized onions
  • PBB&J Burger, with two burger patties topped with peanut butter, blueberry jam, American cheese & bacon
  • Pan Pepperoni Pizza, with giant pepperoni, tomato sauce, and garlic butter on a crisp pan crust from house-made dough

A big priority is shareables such as loaded fries, nachos, and pizzas, in family-size servings for four to six people, as well as more inclusive options such as vegan Beyond Meat and salads.

Mocktails are also offered, although selections such as a Cotton Candy Shirley seem to be more about being fun for kids than catering to sober adults. (Alcoholic drinks are available at the bar or the restaurant, but are not included on the online menu.)

"Family Kitchen was developed with extra care, attention to detail and a focus on premium quality ingredients," says Bates. "We're excited for our guests to experience our new menu offerings, which have been seasoned with salt, pepper, and love, and added playfulness that customers experience throughout the rest of the Main Event center."

Main Event is owned and operated by Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, which also owns Dave & Buster's, but is more kid-focused and larger, with billiards, bowling, arcade games, virtual reality games, laser tag, rock climbing, mini golf, gravity ropes course, and karaoke.

Brianna Caleri contributed to this story.

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Markets to Watch

Dallas-Fort Worth named the No. 2 real estate market to watch in 2023

Arden Ward
Nov 11, 2022 | 2:10 pm
Fort Worth skyline
Photo by benedek Getty Images
Fort Worth's a shining star in more ways than one.

The real estate market may be changing, but Dallas is still one of the hottest in the U.S. as we head into 2023.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI)'s annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate report, released October 27, names Dallas-Fort Worth the No. 2 U.S. market to watch in 2023, behind only Nashville.

The report, a joint project between ULI and PricewaterhouseCoopers, "provides an outlook on real estate investment and development trends, real estate finance and capital markets, property sectors, metropolitan areas, and other real estate issues throughout the United States and Canada."

It is based on surveys and interviews with real estate industry professionals.

After an in-depth analysis, the report identifies the top U.S. markets to watch, based on overall real estate prospects. Austin, San Antonio, and Houston join DFW in the top 15, at at Nos. 4, 12, and 14, respectively.

A top trend heading into 2023 is the continued "normalization" of markets following the post-COVID boom. Notes the report: "Almost every market in the country received lower ratings for both investment and development prospects this year, illustrating that outlooks are darkening just about everywhere following the brief post-COVID exuberance shown in last year’s survey across a variety of metrics."

However, it continues, "the pandemic seems to have reinforced some trends, notably the dominance of what we called the 'Magnet' markets — many of which are in warmer Sun Belt regions — at the top of the Emerging Trends 'Markets to Watch' standings."

Those "Magnet" markets include Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and others. The report further categorizes markets into subgroups, with DFW, along with San Antonio and Houston, falling into the "Super Sun Belt" group.

"These markets are large and diverse but still affordable, forming powerhouse economies that attract a wide range of businesses. Despite their large population bases, most are among the fastest-growing markets in the United States. Moreover, their economic performance has been solid through thick and thin," the report states.

"Though every market lost jobs during the pandemic recession, recovery has been much quicker and more complete in the Super Sun Belt markets. These metro areas collectively have the highest average rating of any subgroup, as it did last year."

Austin is classified as a real estate "Supernova," defined as a smaller metro area (1 to 2 million residents) that has "exploded into prominence over the past decade or so."

According to the report, Austin has the highest investor demand of any market, with DFW just two spots below. DFW, meanwhile, tops the list for development/redevelopment opportunities, with Austin at No. 6. Both metros boast the strongest local economies among the markets studied, with Austin at No. 1 and DFW at No. 2.

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Season Announcement

Familiar names fill Circle Theatre's inspiring 2023 season in Fort Worth

Lindsey Wilson
Nov 10, 2022 | 2:29 pm
Dallas Theater Center presents The Mountaintop
Photo by Karen Almond

"The Mountaintop" at Dallas Theater Center in 2015.

Blind Lemon Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dear Sugar, the real Josh Cohen, and Mr. Rogers. These are all lead characters in Circle Theatre's 2023 season, which features a true-to-life protagonist in each show that exemplifies the theater’s values of innovation, integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, and service.

"These delightful and inspiring stories will spark curiosity, empathy, and joy in our patrons," says executive director Tim Long. "In a time where we crave authenticity, Circle Theatre is keeping it real for 2023.”

The theater, located in Sundance Square, begins its season with Lonesome Blues, which was recently produced at Dallas' Undermain Theatre.

Born blind but ultimately able to express his deepest emotions through music, Blind Lemon Jefferson was discovered on a street corner in the Deep Ellum section of Dallas in 1925. He made more than 80 records over the next four years — becoming one the most prolific and influential performers of his generation and propelling the growth of rhythm and blues, soul, doo-wop, rap, and hip-hop. Written by Alan Govenar and Akin Babatunde, and directed by Babatunde, it runs February 2-11, 2023.

Katori Hall's The Mountaintop is next, directed by D. Wambui Richardson.

On April 3, 1968, after delivering one of his most memorable speeches, an exhausted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious stranger arrives with some surprising news, King is forced to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people. It runs March 30-April 15, 2023.

Tiny Beautiful Things, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos, is a celebration of the simple beauty of being human.

Based on Cheryl Strayed’s journey as the beloved anonymous advice columnist for “Dear Sugar," where thousands of people turned to her for words of wisdom, compassion, and hope. Reluctant to claim that she has all the answers, Sugar looks to her own past and draws on her life experiences to bring light, laughter, and humanity to others. Directed by Susan Sargeant, it runs June 1-17, 2023.

The regional premiere of The Other Josh Cohenhas book, music, and lyrics by Steve Rosen and David Rossmer, and is directed by Joel Ferrell with music direction by Cody Dry.

Josh Cohen just can’t get a break. He’s single, broke, and to top it all off, his apartment’s been robbed of everything but a Neil Diamond CD. Soon though, his luck takes a turn when a mysterious envelope arrives that changes his life forever. Thus begins the hilarious and quirky romantic comedy about a good guy caught in a lifelong battle with bad luck. It runs August 24-September 16, 2023.

Closing out the season is I’m Proud of You, adapted for the stage by Tim Madigan and Harry Parker and based on Madigan's book I’m Proud of You, My Friendship with Fred Rogers.

Former Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer Tim Madigan recalls how an interview with the icon of kindness and everyone’s neighbor, Mr. Fred Rogers, led to a wondrous and life-changing friendship. Throughout this friendship, Fred helped Tim mend his relationships and become a better husband, father, and brother. This world premiere is directed by Parker and runs November 2-18, 2023.

Individual ticket prices are $40-$50, with preview performance tickets $20-$25. Call 817-877-3040 for further information and reservations, or visit CircleTheatre.com to buy tickets online.

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