Jackie Evancho is coming to Providence

Rhode Island PBS presents 12-year-old classical crossover prodigy Jackie Evancho's second television special for Great Performances Jackie Evancho: Music of the Movies, at 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday, September 5. The new special is a follow-up to her popular debut special Great Performances Dream With Me in Concert, which will air at 9 P.M. 

In early 2013, Jackie is coming to Providence, one of only 16 cities in her tour. Rhode Island PBS has the best seats in the house for her concert at the Providence Performing Arts Center, plus an exclusive meet and greet reception. 

In addition, Rhode Island PBS will offer Jackie's new CD, Songs from the Silver Screen, before its public release in October, as well as the new concert DVD (which has no public release date as yet). 

 

Great Performances Jackie Evancho: Music of the Movies and Great Performances Dream With Me in Concert are airing as part of our quarterly fund raising to benefit Rhode Island PBS. Tune in on September 5 to experience Jackie's inspiring voice, and to get details about her Providence appearance.

Directed by David Horn with conductor Bill Ross, Jackie Evancho: Music of the Movies was recorded in the opulent splendor of the newly restored Orpheum Theatre, one of the most venerable landmarks in Los Angeles. The show features Jackie singing such evergreens as "Pure Imagination" from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, "My Heart Will Go On" fromTitanic, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King, and "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific.  

Jackie Evancho got her big break at just 10-years-old as a contestant on America's Got Talent, where the breakout star finished in second place. Her first release for Columbia Records, a Christmas EP titled O Holy Night, was certified Platinum and earned Jackie the distinction of being the top-selling debut artist in 2010 as well as the youngest solo artist ever to go platinum and debut in the Top 10. 

In 2011 she released Dream With Me, her debut major label full-length album. Dream With Mewas produced by the legendary David Foster, and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and is certified Gold. She recorded Dream With Me In Concert for PBS'sGreat Performances in 2011, and the special rapidly became one of the most broadcast programs of the year across PBS stations. 

Downton Abbey Returns

Cast in the signature image for season 3 of Downton Abbey

The new and long anticipated Season 3 of Downton Abbey premieres on Masterpiece on Rhode Island PBS in January. At the end of Season 2, we were left breathless by Matthew's (Dan Stevens) romantic marriage proposal to Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) amid swirling Christmas snowflakes - and her acceptance finally. But we have to wonder what new twists of destiny and fate writer Julian Fellowes has planned for us.

We do know that Shirley MacLaine (above) joins the cast as Cora's (Elizabeth McGovern) American mother, Martha Levinson. Can you imagine the electrifying quips and barbs that will fly between Martha and Violet, Dowager Countess Grantham (Dame Maggie Smith, pictured below)?

If the video clips are any indication, those moments will be delicious.



In the meantime, Rhode Island PBS presents Season 1 of Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Fridays at 9 P.M., beginning September 28. We will encore Season 2 at the end of November.

For fans of good statistics as well as good drama, Downton Abbey was nominated for 12 Emmy awards and won four - including Outstanding Miniseries - in its first season. It has been nominated for a staggering 16 Emmys for its second season.

Taking fondness for Downton Abbey a grand leap forward, Rhode Island PBS is working with Collette Vacations on a customized 11-day tour of British landscapes that includes a visit to the real-life Downton Abbey - Highclere Castle, the sumptuous home of Earl and Countess of Carnarvon where the Downton Abbey series is filmed.
 
According to the Highclere Castle and Masterpiece Web sites:

The Highclere Castle of today was achieved through several iterations, most of them overseen by the Carnarvon family, who have lived there since 1679. The original Elizabethan house was built on the site of a medieval palace and later rebuilt as a classical Georgian house. But it was the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon who, in 1839, created the Highclere Castle of today when he commissioned the architect of the Houses of Parliament, Charles Barry.

The architect of Highclere Castle (above)
also designed the Houses of Parliament (below)

Set on 1,000 acres of parkland, Highclere Castle's interior was finished in 1878, and within its walls history was made as the Egyptologist and 5th Earl of Carnarvon financed Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. 

British and world history intersected again with the castle as it was converted into a hospital during the First World War. During World War II, it was home to more than 100 children evacuated during the Blitz.

Even the simplest Google search term "Downton Abbey" reveals several sites and blogs rich with information about the Downton Abbey series and Highclere Castle itself. The Highclere Castle and Masterpiece Web sites start you on a fascinating journey that can blur the line between television fiction and the often more fantastic history... like the real-life conversion of Highclere Castle into a hospital during World War I!

Signature images for each season: 

Downton Abbey, Season 1

Downton Abbey, Season 2

Downton Abbey, Season 3

To keep up with unfolding news about Downton Abbey Season 3 - as well as the Highclere Castle tour during the British Landscapes trip to England, Scotland, and Wales - visit ripbs.org/britain.

Providence Summer School Program on PBS NewsHour

Providence is a failing school district. Less than half of middle school students are reading on grade level, and fewer than a third are meeting targets in math. For districts like Providence, summer school is a critical time to help students catch up.

Like most districts, Providence had been offering remedial classes to students over the summer -- but as in many districts, it wasnt working, and so Providence decided to try something different. Its new program is called Summer Scholars.

Students participate in hands-on, field learning experiences that feel more like camp than summer school. Students and teachers seem to like it more, but how much are students really learning?

Producer Cat McGrath and correspondent John Merrow bring you this story tonight on PBS NewsHour at 7 P.M. on Learn (over the air on digital 36.2; on cable: Cox 808, Verizon 478, Full Channel 109, Comcast 294 or 312).

See what else is going on at the Providence After School Alliance (PASA) below.

Have You Seen Wizbee?

Where in the World is Wizbee? (What in the world is Wizbee?)

Summer is here, and that means more winding down, but there's still plenty of outdoor activities with family and friends. We invite you to take us with you where ever you go this summer autumn.

You're probably asking yourself, 'How can I take my public TV station with me on vacation?' It's easy, really - take Wizbee, the WSBE bird! And then tell us, "Where in the World is Wizbee?"

Wizbee, named for the station's call letters, WSBE, is ready to accompany you anywhere - to the beach, the park, the zoo, the museum, the backyard cook out - every where you are, Wizbee's with you! Simply print and cut out Wizbee, attach with tape or glue to a popsicle stick or tongue depressor, grab your camera, and Wizbee is ready for a little wing-flapping or to pose for a close-up. 

We promise Wizbee will be the perfect pal - quiet, polite, and patient... no car-sickness, no drink stops or bathroom breaks, and you'll never hear that haunting back-seat question, 'Are we there yet?' 

We invite you to share with us Wizbee's adventures with you. Take a picture with Wizbee and let us know, "Where in the World is Wizbee?" Hint: Wizbee is particularly fond of local Ocean State and Bay State locations but, hey, it's a big world - you decide! 

We'll also award some "cool" prizes for your most imaginative locations and creative photographs. 

Add your image(s) here on the blog as a comment, or send it to us by email to public (at) ripbs (dot) org by October 15. Here's our fun little Web page for this idea, too.