With painted horns and colorful personalities to match, Genghis Barbie will be bringing the crowd to its feet this weekend at the University of Dayton.
This lively “post post-feminist feminist” horn ensemble is comprised of four accomplished female musicians: Danielle Kuhlmann, Rachel Drehmann, Alana Vegter, and Wei-ping Chou; stage named Velvet Barbie, Attila the Horn, Freedom Barbie, and Sunshine Barbie, respectively. Integrating music from the 70’s to now, each of Genghis Barbie’s songs is a unique conglomerate of conventional meets contemporary, resulting in their vow to “create distinctive, interactive and personal performances.” Expect this group to cover the songs of pop artists ranging from Queen to Mariah Carey, Madonna to the Beach Boys, and Lady Gaga to Frankie Valli.
According to Eileen Carr, the University of Dayton’s Arts Series manager, Genghis Barbie was the perfect choice for this Arts Series event because they are a group that “pushes the envelope” of conventional music.
“…these women have tremendous education and professional experience, but rather than stick with the classical canon, [they] mix it up and create their own arrangements of pop songs, alternative music and lots more. They’re not afraid to have fun with their music–which is so appealing, especially for this generation,” Carr said.
A list of Genghis Barbie’s accomplishments include performing as Contributing Artists at the 2011 International Horn Society Symposium in San Francisco, and releasing two studio albums: the self-titled debut album “Genghis Barbie,” and the newly released holiday album, “Genghis Barbie: Home for the Holidays.” As a testament to their fun and flamboyant nature, Genghis Barbie says that their next aspiration is to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show by the end of this year.
The performance will be held on Friday, Feb. 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Dayton’s Sears Recital Hall located in the Jesse Philips Humanities Center. Tickets for this event cost $15 for general admission, and can be purchased at the Kennedy Union Box Office located on the UD campus (937-229-2545).
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Want to find out what it means to be a post post-feminist feminist? For those who are interested, there will be a pre-performance program discussing feminism and featuring the four women of Genghis Barbie, at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 31. This event is free and open to the public, and will be held in Sears Recital Hall located in the Jesse Philips Humanities Center on the UD campus.
For more information about arts events at the University of Dayton and a map of campus arts venues, visit www.udayton.edu/arts.
Submitted b Lauren Glass, a senior at the University of Dayton who is studying journalism. Currently working as a social media assistant for ArtStreet, she enjoys music, writing, and photography.
