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(11/14/06 3:37am)
Boasting more than 20 IU Jacobs School of Music alumni, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performed Sunday at the Musical Arts Center before a packed crowd. The free concert was the symphony's first visit to IU since its show last year, according to a press release. \nThe Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's music director, Mario Venzago, conducted the performance. Venzago is in his fifth season as music director for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and is the newly appointed principal conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, according to the concert program. \nThe two-hour performance consisted of four composed works: Johannes Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture" and "Double Concerto in A Minor" for violin, cello and orchestra, Jean Sibelius' "Symphony No. 7 in C Major" and Giuseppe Verdi's "Overture to La Forza del Destino." \nJacobs School of Music faculty and noted musicians, including violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson, were featured soloists in Brahms' "Double Concerto." Brahms' "Double Concerto" is the heart of Laredo and Robinson's repertoire together, according to the program. Laredo and Robinson are also members of the eminent Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, which was named Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year" in 2002, according to the event's press release. This month Laredo and Robinson celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary along with the 30th anniversary of their Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio.\nResponding to questions that had been generated before the concert, Robinson wrote in the program that the audience should pay close attention to the conversation and dialogue between her cello and Laredo's violin. During the performance, the connection between them was evident as they played both in a call-and-response fashion and together. \nThe Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is the primary orchestra in Indiana, said Alain Barker, director of marketing and publicity for Jacobs School of Music. \n"It is significant bringing the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra to Bloomington because it allows the students and community to experience and appreciate music from a major orchestra," Barker said. \nBarker added that the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra shares a growing, long-standing relationship with Jacobs School of Music. The orchestra often invites IU faculty to Indianapolis to perform with them, he said.\nVenzago emphasized the strong relationship during the performance by graciously thanking the Jacobs School of Music and by stating the valuable, close connection it shares with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. \nBarker said he does not know when the IndianapolisSymphony Orchestra will return to IU but hopes it will perform again soon.\nFor those who want to see the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, upcoming events in Indianapolis include the symphony accompanying the reunited original Broadway cast of "Beatlemania" for the Classical Mystery Tour at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Hilbert Circle Theatre. Those interested can hear highlights from Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performances at 8 p.m. Tuesdays and 7 p.m. Sundays on WFYI 90.1 FM on Public Radio's "Indianapolis On-The-Air." These broadcasts can also be accessed online at www.wfyi.org/radioISO.asp.
(10/25/06 2:25am)
This week, the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction will host a two-day "Adopt a Work of Art" event to fund the framing of infrequently seen artwork. \nThe art collection at the Kinsey Institute contains thousands of donated works, many of which are rarely seen because there is not enough money to frame them, according to the Kinsey Web site. Five years ago, employees at the Kinsey Institute came up with the idea to organize an event where they could display these unframed pieces and put them up for adoption, said curator Catherine Johnson-Roehr. The event provides patrons the chance to "adopt" the works by giving a tax-deductible donation to cover the cost of framing so the pieces can be exhibited. \n"It's like 'Adopt-a-Road,'" Johnson-Roehr said. "You don't get to bring the road home with you, but you contribute to its funding."\nThe pieces up for adoption this month are all photographs that will be in the exhibition "Expressive Bodies: Contemporary Art Photography" from the Kinsey Institute, which will be in the IU School of Fine Arts gallery Jan. 9-27. Donors will be attributed to their adopted piece by a permanent label next to their chosen photograph.\n"People who attend 'Adopt a Work of Art' will not get to see every piece that is going to be in the 'Expressive Bodies' show because some pieces have already been adopted," said Johnson-Roehr. "However, they will get the chance to see the pieces that won't make it into the show." \n"Adopt a Work of Art" will take place in the conference room at the Kinsey Institute, located in Morrison Hall, room 313, and will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday.\n"The event this Thursday and Friday is a little more elaborate than the 'Adopt a Work of Art' events in the past because the adoption is paired with the Kinsey Institute Library's book sale and open gallery hours at the Kinsey Institute Gallery," assistant curator Gary Milius said in an e-mail.\nMilus said visitors will also have the opportunity to visit a book sale, view the art exhibit "Sex Objects" and preview a collection of contemporary photographs. \nJohnson-Roehr said if people cannot attend "Adopt a Work of Art," alternate times to view the pieces can be arranged by calling or e-mailing the Kinsey Institute. Some pieces will also be available to adopt online at the Kinsey Institute's Web site.\n"The pieces are images of both men and women with a nice mix of both couples and single male and female figures," Johnson-Roehr said. "We have quite a collection. There is something for everyone"
(10/12/06 3:54am)
Budd Stalnaker is still having an effect on the art world at IU, despite passing away in May 2005. Stalnaker came to IU more than 40 years ago to teach textiles, and now his own private collection of African artwork will be displayed in the IU Art Museum.\nStarting now and continuing through Dec. 17, the IU Art Museum will present a special exhibit in the Hexagon Gallery titled "Hats off to Budd," featuring an array of gifts of African art donated by Stalnaker who came to IU in 1964 and taught textiles in the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts. \n"He was a teacher but also an artist in his own right," said Diane Pelrine, IU Art Museum curator of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas.\nPelrine said Stalnaker had a great interest in African art, which led him to accumulate a large collection of objects such as tapestries and hats. His understanding of weaving fostered an appreciation of the West African strip-woven cloth "Kente," and he developed collections from the Asante and Ewe peoples, according to the information provided inside the exhibit. \nThroughout his time at IU, Stalnaker donated various pieces from his collection. Shortly before he died in May, Stalnaker donated a remarkable collection of at least 80 hats from sub-Saharan Africa, Pelrine said. The hat collection shows the diversity of materials and techniques used in hats across sub-Saharan African, as well as varied purposes for which they are made, according to the museum. \n"The hats are intense levels of imagination and creativity," said professor of African art history Patrick McNaughton. \nA sampling of these hats along with some of Stalnaker's own work and other African tapestries from his collection are displayed in the exhibit. Presenting a lecture Wednesday afternoon as part of the museum's Lunch with a Curator series, McNaughton pointed out pieces from the Stalnaker collection and explained them. \n"I call this exhibit 'Magic Budd' because it is an excuse to recognize the profound sensibility he shared with the artists he loved," McNaughton said. "It is metaphorical magic because if you take all the capabilities and put them together, you get a kind of power that becomes bigger than itself; it is more than what it seems to be visually," he said. \nPelrine said the exhibition is a representation of Stalnaker in many ways.\n"He was a master of technique and creator of meditative form in his own work," she wrote in a tribute that hangs in the exhibit. \nPelrine added that Stalnaker had genuine appreciation for the creativity of African art, which is displayed in the hats and other items in the museum. \n"You can't find this type of hat at Kmart," McNaughton said during the lecture.
(09/22/06 2:55am)
This weekend, IU Opera Theater will present "Don Giovanni," a Mozart masterwork said to be one of the greatest operas ever written, according to the Jacobs School of Music Web site.\nThis drama giocoso, meaning "playful drama" or "tragic comedy" in Italian, is based on the legendary Spanish tale of Don Juan. Don Giovanni is a lustful man who engages in episodic conquests of seducing women for nothing more than his own gratification. Giovanni is as easily loathed as is he is adored, as his malicious intentions are contrary to his irresistible charm.\n"Don Giovanni is a metaphor of the futility of the human condition," said Christian Capocaccia, IU graduate student and the production's Italian diction coach. "This opera is connected to Mozart's life and personality. He was very much like Giovanni."\nAmong Mozart's many magnificent pieces regularly performed around the world, Don Giovanni is probably the most favored and commonly performed opera, said IU graduate student Sian Davies, who plays Donna Anna in the Sept. 22 and 30 performances of the production.\n"It is a rare opportunity for students to be given the chance to put on a production as pristine as Don Giovanni," said IU graduate student Austin Kness, who plays Don Giovanni in the Sept. 22 and 30 performances. "Don Giovanni is one of the most recognized operas. It has been in production for three centuries, which hardly ever happens."\nThe opera's longevity is no accident, Davies said.\n"It's a timeless story that is applicable to common day," Davies said. "People can relate to the characters." \nDavies said Director David Effron and conductor Tito Capobianco add a distinctive touch to this particular production. \n"They support each other fully, which doesn't always happen," Davies said. "The combination of the two of them make this experience very special and unusual." \nCapocaccia said working with the duo was a unique experience.\n"They have extreme expectations. They made this production the best it could possibly be," he said. \nThe IU Opera Theater's production of Don Giovanni will play at the Musical Arts Center on Sept. 22, 23, 29 and 30. Showtime will be at 8:00 p.m., and ticket prices range from $15-$35 for adults and $10-$20 for students with a valid student ID. All audience members are invited to attend the pre-show "Opera Insights" lecture, held in the Musical Arts Center lobby an hour before each performance.
(04/27/06 11:27pm)
For the past 10 years, IU's only men's \na cappella singing group has been gracing venues across the nation with its harmonized sound.\nThe student-run group was founded in 1996 by Dan Ponce. Since then, Straight No Chaser has molded itself into IU's premier men's singing group, said junior Tyler Trepp, Straight No Chaser member and music director. The current group consists of nine members, who have formed a steady fan base by performing twice a week at various fraternities, sororities and other groups on campus, in addition to performing at other universities and off-campus events. Straight No Chaser will perform its spring concert celebrating its ten-year anniversary 8 p.m. Saturday at the IU Auditorium.\n"I have been in the group for four years now and have seen many different aspects of what the group has to offer," said senior and Business Manager for Straight No Chaser, Adam Stulberg, in an e-mail message. "Performing has become a part of my life and one that I wouldn't trade for the world."\nThe a cappella group has produced many notable alumni, including Steve Morgan, who performs "Mamma Mia!" on Broadway and Ponce, who is now a news anchor in Chicago, Stulberg said.\nThe group is known for its breadth of performance.\n"In the last four years, I have performed for everything from charity events at local schools to the Governor's inauguration. I have traveled from Texas to Florida to Las Vegas and finally New York City. I have sung for countless sorority shows and at a vast amount of philanthropic events around campus. The group was also fortunate enough to place fourth in the nation last year when we competed in the ICCA's (the NCAA tournament for a cappella)," said Stulberg.\nThe anniversary spring concert will include Straight No Chaser's current members and alumni, including the 10 original members who will be performing a feature presentation. In addition to celebrating Straight No Chaser's 10 years of existence, the group will also celebrate the release of its sixth CD "Another Round." \n"It is fresh off the presses and will hopefully be as big of a success as the last five have been," Stulberg said.\nFor more information on Straight No Chaser or its upcoming concert, visit www.sncproductions.com.
(04/27/06 3:59am)
For the past 10 years, IU's only men's \na cappella singing group has been gracing venues across the nation with its harmonized sound.\nThe student-run group was founded in 1996 by Dan Ponce. Since then, Straight No Chaser has molded itself into IU's premier men's singing group, said junior Tyler Trepp, Straight No Chaser member and music director. The current group consists of nine members, who have formed a steady fan base by performing twice a week at various fraternities, sororities and other groups on campus, in addition to performing at other universities and off-campus events. Straight No Chaser will perform its spring concert celebrating its ten-year anniversary 8 p.m. Saturday at the IU Auditorium.\n"I have been in the group for four years now and have seen many different aspects of what the group has to offer," said senior and Business Manager for Straight No Chaser, Adam Stulberg, in an e-mail message. "Performing has become a part of my life and one that I wouldn't trade for the world."\nThe a cappella group has produced many notable alumni, including Steve Morgan, who performs "Mamma Mia!" on Broadway and Ponce, who is now a news anchor in Chicago, Stulberg said.\nThe group is known for its breadth of performance.\n"In the last four years, I have performed for everything from charity events at local schools to the Governor's inauguration. I have traveled from Texas to Florida to Las Vegas and finally New York City. I have sung for countless sorority shows and at a vast amount of philanthropic events around campus. The group was also fortunate enough to place fourth in the nation last year when we competed in the ICCA's (the NCAA tournament for a cappella)," said Stulberg.\nThe anniversary spring concert will include Straight No Chaser's current members and alumni, including the 10 original members who will be performing a feature presentation. In addition to celebrating Straight No Chaser's 10 years of existence, the group will also celebrate the release of its sixth CD "Another Round." \n"It is fresh off the presses and will hopefully be as big of a success as the last five have been," Stulberg said.\nFor more information on Straight No Chaser or its upcoming concert, visit www.sncproductions.com.
(04/07/06 5:05am)
On April 9, 1989, at 3 p.m., Bloomington's Camerata Orchestra performed its first concert. Seventeen years later to the exact hour, it will perform again in "celebration." \nThe group started as a 35-piece orchestra and has grown into a full-size symphony, with 75 to 85 members, said Lenore Hatfield, violinist and orchestra founder. \nThe concert is at 3 p.m. Sunday at Bloomington High School South's auditorium. All Bloomington-area music lovers are invited to come to the performance, titled "Celebration." Tickets are available at the door for $12 for adults and $4 for students.\nAccording to a press release, the orchestra is made up of IU music faculty, music students and Bloomington residents, and was organized to offer a professional setting separate from the University. The orchestra also includes many guest conductors and soloists from around the world. \nThis anniversary concert will be featuring violin soloist, Alexander Kerr, concert master of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and IU music faculty member. Kerr will be performing the Bernstein Serenade with faculty members and percussionists, Anthony Cirone and Wilber England. The featured guest conductor will be Luis Biava, resident conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Gerald Carlyss, timpani, and M. Dee Stewart, trombone, two IU faculty members and former Philadelphia Orchestra principals, will also be performing. \n"The roster of musicians who performs each season is of world-class stature," Hatfield said. \nThe instrumentation varies with each program and more opportunities are offered to more musicians. \n"Camerata is a professional orchestra in Bloomington, and the students are hired to play in it," said Anthony Cirone, professional musician and chair of the percussion department at IU. "It is important for students to have professional experience. It helps increase their chances of being hired again in the future."\nCirone said IU offers an incredible amount of professional playing opportunities to students while attending college. \n"Playing in Camerata is an excellent experience for music students," Cirone said. "Giving them the opportunity to play among their professors and other professional musicians is very valuable for them"
(03/09/06 4:50am)
This month, the IU Art Museum will feature works depicting 60 years of "Black Spirit" conceptualized by one person, displayed in one place and portrayed in many ways. \nFrom now until May 7, the IU Art Museum's special exhibit gallery is featuring the works of African-American artist Eldzier Cortor. The exhibit displays 60 years of Cortor's career through 21 original art works on paper, both drawings and prints of his versatile styles and interpretations of the African-American experience, according to a press release. The show presents a taste of the different subjects and styles he used over the span of the different periods in his career. \n"The goal of this exhibit is to bring his greatness to attention, mainly in the Midwestern region," said Nan Brewer, a curator of works on paper at the IU Art Museum. "His work is the symbol for black spirit." \nBrewer said Cortor is most often seen as an artist whose works are generally included in major survey expositions and books on African-American art. Still, Cortor is not well-known because he does not use a distinct style with his work, which can make it difficult for others to identify his pieces as his, Brewer said. \nMoreover, Cortor uses new printing techniques, stylistic changes and has strong feelings toward his work. Therefore, he likes to produce his pieces in series and also often reworks the same design. His work is not shown in many public collections. However, the few places where his pieces are featured include The Smithsonian and The Art Institute of Chicago. \nSome of Cortor's works are locally inspired.\n"Part of the inspiration for the exhibit came from the controversy on this campus concerning the depiction of the Ku Klux Klan in the Thomas Hart Benton murals," said Matthew Backer, an art history \ngraduate student and co-curator for the exhibit. "I felt that one way to offset this painful memory from America's past, especially for African Americans, was to provide more positive, celebratory images of African Americans on campus."\nBacker said Cortor's works include a lot of figural realism which is influenced by personal experiences. He found particular interest and significance in his African-American descent and created unique figural portraits of the black female body. \n"He tried to use his art to make the world better, especially for African Americans," Backer said. \nAccording to an essay by Backer on "Black Spirit," Cortor grew up during the depression era on the south side of Chicago and witnessed many African Americans struggling to provide for their families. This steered the focus of his early work and after studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, Cortor spent much time in Haiti, where he taught and exhibited his art. His time there influenced a large part of his subject matter. \nBacker said he looks forward to sharing Cortor's art with Bloomington and hopes that Cortor's career will teach the community something about the African-American experience during much of the 20th century. \n"He is an important artist and doesn't get the credit he deserves," Backer said.