Queen City Ballet Company will be performing excerpts from Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Nutcracker at 7:00 at Queen City Ballet and 8:00 at Bert & Ernie's.

Once again the Helena Symphony under the direction of Allan R. Scott and queen City Ballet Company under the direction of Artistic Director Campbell Migley Pryor will be bringing The Nutcracker to the Helena Civic Center Stage on December 13th and 14th. Tickets are on sale at the symphony office.

Along with this, Queen City Ballet will be hosting:

Patrick Kelly (1937-    )
Born in Sidney, MT, Patrick grew up in small town America and enjoyed a carefree upbringing.  He played football, basketball and delivered newspapers.  From college Pat entered the Air Force and put his art career on hold until his retirement.  His Air Force time allowed him to study the great art of Europe while stationed in Germany.  Upon retiring Pat threw himself whole heartedly into acquiring an art education and studying with today’s fine contemporary American artists such as Dan McCaw and Quang Ho.  One of Pat favorite subjects is mothers and their babes and one of his favorite places to paint when not on his mountain property in Montana are the mountains of Tibet, the rooftop of the world. 

Rupert Conrad (1907-1979)
Rupert Conrad was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1907, where he studied at the John P. Wicker School of Fine Arts, the Scarab Club, Detroit Institute of Art, the Hi-Lite Club and the Cranbrook Academy.  Each of these places gave him the opportunity to study with, John P. Wicker, Paul Honore`, John Carroll, and Carl Milles.  Rupert Conrad was a member of the famous, historic Scarab Club from 1924-1929.  His formative art years in Detroit and New York City, in the late 1920's and early 1930's found him sharing a studio with Vetold Pasternacki and associating with  contemporaries, Sarkis Sarkisian, Edward Yaeger, and Albert Kahn. This was followed by time in France and Italy. In 1941 Conrad was awarded a Scholarship in Lithography to the Colorado Fine Arts Center. In Colorado he studied under Boardman Robinson, illustator of The Brothers Karamozov.  Conrad spent a number of years, at different times in the Bahamas, and in Florida at the fabulous Storyland (pre-Disney World Amusement Park in Pompano Beach).  Time was also spent in Connecticut, as an assistant to national illustrator, Ben Stahl and on occasion working with Norman Rockwell.  However his life seemed like a long avenue of darkened alleys.  He drank heavily, drinking becoming the outlet of his misery.  Happier, more productive days were his after relocating to Wyoming to accept a teaching position at Casper College.  Rupert entered the Lander Rehabilitation Center and freed himself from his destructive alcohol habit.  After a failed first marriage, Conrad enjoyed his career and his life with his second wife Ruth Spear, whom he married in 1964.  She was able to revitalize his faith and his work.  His art has been represented in the Library of Congress, Detroit Institute of Art, the Metropolitan Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Toledo Museum, the National Gallery of Paris, and the Seattle and Philadelphia Print Clubs.  Rupert Conrad died in 1979 in Denver , CO.

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