The Performing Arts Center at UNLV, southern Nevada's premier performing arts venue for more than 25 years, has announced its 2003-2004 season, "A Season of Colors."

Ben Vereen opens the season September 5 - part of the Best of the New York Stage series. Star of countless Broadway hits, Vereen is a consummate entertainer who has left his enduring mark on the stage, in film and in television.

The Best of the New York Stage series also welcomes performances by Tony Award Winner Faith Prince October 10; the internationally recognized Boys Choir of Harlem December 5; the timeless Maureen McGovern, featuring the music of Richard Rodgers December 20; Marvin Hamlisch, winner of three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony and three Golden Globes, performs along with UNLV Classics and Jazz February 22; the acclaimed Newport Jazz Festival brings its 50th Anniversary Tour March 12; and the world-class Parsons Dance Company, one of the hottest tickets in contemporary dance, performs April 16.

The Charles Vanda Master Series, the gold standard in southern Nevada classical entertainment, welcomes Opera Verdi Europa performing "Rigoletto" September 27. Seldom performed in Las Vegas, Guiseppe Verdi's "Rigoletto" tells the tale of a malicious court jester, his sheltered daughter, and the amorous escapades of the Duke he serves.

The Vanda Series also hosts the leading Czech Republic orchestra, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, featuring The Eroica Trio October 26; the Rising Stars of Classical Music November 21, featuring Icelandic violinist Judith Ingolfsson and the Miami String Quartet; the elegant Moscow Festival Ballet performing "Carmen and Paquita" February 18; the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra, featuring Navah Perlman on piano, along with some of the world's finest musicians March 4; and consummate flautist Sir James Galway, a matchless interpreter of the classical repertoire, March 26.

The World Stage series brings performers from around the globe, creating an eclectic mix of entertainment. The series begins September 12 with the Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia; continues with The Chieftains, one of Ireland's most beloved exports and winners of five Grammy Awards on January 31; and concludes with the American Spiritual Ensemble, highlighting the African-American experience through song and dance, February 13.

In a spectacular season finale, "A Season of Colors" welcomes Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain Tonight May 22. Winner of the Tony and the New York Drama Critics Circle awards, Holbrook's creation is arguably the most successful one-man production in the history of American theatre.

For information on season or single tickets, please call 895-ARTS (2787) or visit the website at pac.Nevada.edu. For media tickets, interviews, photos, or questions please contact at 895-1575.