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(03/07/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Most musicians aspire for a big stage. Matt Gold is looking forward to a smaller one.Gold, a Bloomington singer-songwriter, will perform March 23 at Collins Living-Learning Center. Gold released the album “Drown Before You Swim” in 2012. Some songs from this album will be performed at the concert, although he said he isn’t sure of the set list.“That came from dealing with personal relationships, break-ups, disappointments and just the fact of having to go through all that stuff to be where I am today,” Gold said.A self-taught pianist, Gold said while he initially took lessons, he soon gave up on them altogether. “I just kind of figured out on my own and learned the rest of it as I went along,” Gold said.According to a quote from Bill Browning of Bilerico.com on Gold’s website, “Imagine if Rufus Wainwright joined Depeche Mode and then had a baby with Tori Amos ... Get the picture? The baby would be Matt.” Gold focused on the work of Tori Amos and how strong of an influence she was to him. He says this is due to a strong similarity in their work.“I am essentially doing the same thing,” he said. “I’m performing with me and my piano.”Compared to larger venues, Gold said he preferred performing at Collins because of the private and intimate setting. He says it’s better than a big production.“I think that leads towards the more honest performance,” he said. “It’s a better way to reach out to your fans.” With the concert approaching, Gold said he is excited to perform. Every performance offers him the opportunity to hear audience opinions and widen his range of listeners, he said. “This is what I was put on Earth to do,” he said.
(03/05/13 7:10pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Most musicians aspire for a big stage. Matt Gold is looking forward to a smaller one.Gold, a Bloomington singer-songwriter, will perform March 23 at Collins Living-Learning Center. Gold released the album “Drown Before You Swim” in 2012. Some songs from this album will be performed at the concert, although he said he isn’t sure of the set list.“That came from dealing with personal relationships, break-ups, disappointments and just the fact of having to go through all that stuff to be where I am today,” Gold said.A self-taught pianist, Gold said while he initially took lessons, he soon gave up on them altogether. “I just kind of figured out on my own and learned the rest of it as I went along,” Gold said.According to a quote from Bill Browning of Bilerico.com on Gold’s website, “Imagine if Rufus Wainwright joined Depeche Mode and then had a baby with Tori Amos ... Get the picture? The baby would be Matt.” Gold focused on the work of Tori Amos and how strong of an influence she was to him. He says this is due to a strong similarity in their work.“I am essentially doing the same thing,” he said. “I’m performing with me and my piano.”Compared to larger venues, Gold said he preferred performing at Collins because of the private and intimate setting. He says it’s better than a big production.“I think that leads towards the more honest performance,” he said. “It’s a better way to reach out to your fans.” With the concert approaching, Gold said he is excited to perform. Every performance offers him the opportunity to hear audience opinions and widen his range of listeners, he said. “This is what I was put on Earth to do,” he said.
(02/28/13 3:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Comedian Drew Hastings will return to Bloomington’s Comedy Attic today, bringing his markedly “unique” sense of humor with him.Jared Thompson, owner of The Comedy Attic, says using the term “unique” is commonly used superficially. Yet, he said unique is truly the only word that can describe the comedian.Hastings, who was raised on an Ohio farm by a British mother, is also the mayor of Hillsboro, Ohio. He writes a weekly newspaper column, too. “Everything he does is slightly different than the way other people approach things,” Thompson said.Hastings has 22 years of experience in comedy, and he first performed at The Comedy Attic on its first anniversary weekend in 2009. Since then, Hastings has returned once a year.Thompson said one of Hastings’ talents is engaging audiences. Only, at times, the level of engagement is more scary than reassuring for the owner, Thompson said.“Sometimes, you can hear a pin drop during his shows because you’re just so engrossed in the stories he’s telling,” Thompson said. While silence can be daunting, Thompson said the silence Hastings commands is better than laughter.In a phone interview, Hastings warned audiences if they are easily shocked or offended, they shouldn’t come to his show. He isn’t afraid to tell the truth as he sees it. However, one could say that’s what makes his humor so unique. He doesn’t accentuate or cover up. He won’t dumb down his comedy for the audience, Thompson said.“His show is very sharp, really, really funny,” Thompson said. “Nobody else is anything like what he is doing.”Hastings compared his upcoming shows to sugary sweet treats, dubbing his show “thought-provoking,” “anything but mundane” and layered with “strong opinions,” but “not quite earth-shattering.” Then he said they were all encased in “extremely funny.”“Like a candy coating shell,” he said.This weekend’s performances will offer local comic Josh Cocks as the show’s host, “America’s Got Talent” finalist Doogie Horner as a feature act and Hastings as the headliner.Cocks said he is excited to perform because it will be a valuable experience for him.“Drew is a big man in comedy,” he said. “He is someone that a lot of comics respect.”
(02/25/13 1:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Many restaurants offer their customers a live musician for the evening. However, the music often blends into the background. On Friday, Café Django defied that stereotype, creating a quaint atmosphere by inviting personable pianist Craig Brenner to play.“Many times we are hired to play, but expected to be background,” Brenner said. “That isn’t the case here.”He said he recognizes a tendency for musicians to end up as background music, and while his performance was more engaging and reactionary, there are some aspects of that type of performance Brenner said he embraces.Unlike background music, he said it is important for a performance to become interactive. Brenner said he should not lose himself into his music because he wants to watch for people’s reactions and then adjust his performance to match the audience’s mood, he said.“Part of music is communicating, and if you’re not communicating ... it’s not successful,” Brenner said.The 64-year-old musician first discovered Café Django as an avid customer. He recommends the nutty noodles with tofu. However, he was approached to play in the restaurant by its owner after performing in the Grant Street Jazz Festival. “After I played, Linda (Eversoll) and some of the staff here really liked my music, and so they said, ‘you need to come in and play here,” Brenner said.Now, he plays at the Peruvian-Asian restaurant on a monthly basis. Friday’s performance included different genres of music aside from jazz, such as stride and boogie-woogie, as well as vocals. Audience member Kritika Murli munched on pita and hummus at a table not far from the piano. “I really enjoyed getting to hear quality music,” she said. “It’s different from the mainstream music of today.”Café Django’s conducive atmosphere complemented Brenner’s performance. Perhaps it came from the soft lighting, or the assorted jazz-themed posters and knick-knacks filling the restaurant. No matter what it was, the mixture of music and food created an experience the jazz-themed café embraces.“It’s the only place like this in Bloomington,” Brenner said.
(02/24/13 7:19pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Many restaurants offer their customers a live musician for the evening. However, the music often blends into the background. On Friday, Café Django defied that stereotype, creating a quaint atmosphere by inviting personable pianist Craig Brenner to play.“Many times we are hired to play, but expected to be background,” Brenner said. “That isn’t the case here.”He said he recognizes a tendency for musicians to end up as background music, and while his performance was more engaging and reactionary, there are some aspects of that type of performance Brenner said he embraces.Unlike background music, he said it is important for a performance to become interactive. Brenner said he should not lose himself into his music because he wants to watch for people’s reactions and then adjust his performance to match the audience’s mood, he said.“Part of music is communicating, and if you’re not communicating ... it’s not successful,” Brenner said.The 64-year-old musician first discovered Café Django as an avid customer. He recommends the nutty noodles with tofu. However, he was approached to play in the restaurant by its owner after performing in the Grant Street Jazz Festival. “After I played, Linda (Eversoll) and some of the staff here really liked my music, and so they said, ‘you need to come in and play here,” Brenner said.Now, he plays at the Peruvian-Asian restaurant on a monthly basis. Friday’s performance included different genres of music aside from jazz, such as stride and boogie-woogie, as well as some vocals. Audience member Kritika Murli munched on pita and hummus at a table not far from the piano. “I really enjoyed getting to hear quality music,” she said. “It’s different from the mainstream music of today.”Café Django’s conducive atmosphere complemented Brenner’s performance. Perhaps it came from the soft lighting, or the assorted jazz-themed posters and knick-knacks filling the restaurant. No matter what it was, the mixture of music and food created an experience the jazz-themed café embraces.“It’s the only place like this in Bloomington,” Brenner said.
(02/06/13 4:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nicholas Mariscal recently won the opportunity to record a CD produced by the Latin American Music Center, as well as a full concert at the competition winner’s recital Feb. 28 in Auer Hall in the Simon Music Center. Mariscal first learned how to play the cello when he was 12, but the piano was the first musical instrument he ever touched.Now a music major, Mariscal said he was at first hesitant to try playing any instruments. He only started playing piano because his father pushed him into it. “When I first started to learn the piano, I had no interest in music whatsoever, but I began taking after-school lessons when my dad more or less forced me to try it,” he said. “I quickly became very enthusiastic about music, and by the time I began learning the cello, I think I knew that I wanted to be a musician.”Now, the once-uncertain pianist is the talented musician who surprised the audience with a cello performance infused with a Latin flair. When thinking of Latin music, the cello is not usually associated as a key instrument. Mariscal said he agrees his use of the cello is a strange combination.“I think that was actually one of the reasons I was so interested in entering this competition was because I wanted to explore and perform the Latin American music for cello that very few people would be familiar with,” he said.Mariscal’s performance included songs from Argentinean composers Alberto Ginastera and Osvaldo Golijov and Venezuelan composer Paul Desenne. He said that his performance did not include any stereotypically “Latin” songs, such as tango and salsa, but rather contained influences from them. “The music that I’m playing is all very different,” Mariscal said. “Some of it is very Latin in the sense that it has colorful melodies and harmonies and is intensely rhythmic. But some of it is less dominated by the characteristics most people probably associate with Latin music.”Mariscal said he is looking forward to performing in the upcoming concert and album recording process but is a bit nervous to be performing in his solo concert. “I am very excited to be introduced to the recording process,” he said. “I have never made a professionally produced studio recording before, so I’m not really sure what to expect. However, I can say that I’m thrilled that in a few months there will be a CD with my name on it.”
(01/31/13 7:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Taylor 2, a dance troupe that performs the work of American choreographer Paul Taylor, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the IU Auditorium.Taylor 2’s routines span across several decades of Taylor’s work. The original performance was formed in 1993 with 16 members.A three-day residency where the dancers are offering master classes to IU’s dance majors and minors is accompanying the performance. On Wednesday, they taught dance classes at the School of Public Health building.“People that want to study dance at a college have the opportunity of guest partners,” said Ruth Andrien, Taylor 2’s company director.The troupe performed with IU Conservatory students, had a career panel and performed for IU students in various HPER classes.Andrien travels with the troupe. Once a Taylor dancer herself, Andrien said she knows what it is like to be a dancer and be influenced by other dancers.Based on her past experiences, she said how much of an asset it would be for IU’s dancers to be exposed to the troupe’s classes.“Paul Taylor is considered to be the world’s leading choreographer, and even if they don’t become dancers in the Taylor company, exposure to diverse choreographic styles will help them in any future endeavor,” she said.Despite offering the master classes for IU students, troupe members said the highlight of their stay in Bloomington will be their performance Friday.This is the first time the Taylor 2 crew has worked in Bloomington, though they have performed in a variety of locations such as Boston, New York City and Philadelphia, as well as internationally in Africa and India.Andrien said she is eager for her dancers to work on the IU Auditorium’s “opera”-like stage.“We dance on a lot of small, tiny stages, and we have an actual professional theater here,” Andrien said.Andrien said the choreography Taylor 2 uses is meant to take place on a medium-to-large sized stage, much like the stage inside the IU Auditorium. However, she said the troupe’s adaptability makes it stand out. Manuel Sanchez, a Taylor 2 dancer, said he agrees with that idea.“We’ve done ‘Esplanade’ in a hallway,” Sanchez said, using musical sounds and gestures to tell the story. “We went to a hospital. It was a cancer ward, and the little kids couldn’t really leave their rooms. We did the whole first section with a boom-box.”Andrian said she is thrilled to have her dancers perform on campus Friday.“We are very excited,” she said. “Especially because it’s such a beautiful theater.”
(01/31/13 3:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Taylor 2, a dance troupe that performs the work of American choreographer Paul Taylor, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the IU Auditorium. Taylor 2’s routines span across several decades of Taylor’s work. The original performance was formed in 1993 with 16 members.A three-day residency where the dancers are offering master classes to IU’s dance majors and minors is accompanying the performance. On Wednesday, they taught dance classes at the School of Public Health building.“People that want to study dance at a college have the opportunity of guest partners,” said Ruth Andrien, Taylor 2’s company director.The troupe performed with IU Conservatory students, had a career panel and performed for IU students in various HPER classes. Andrien travels with the troupe. Once a Taylor dancer herself, Andrien said she knows what it is like to be a dancer and be influenced by other dancers. Based on her past experiences, she said how much of an asset it would be for IU’s dancers to be exposed to the troupe’s classes.“Paul Taylor is considered to be the world’s leading choreographer, and even if they don’t become dancers in the Taylor company, exposure to diverse choreographic styles will help them in any future endeavor,” she said.Despite offering the master classes for IU students, troupe members said the highlight of their stay in Bloomington will be their performance Friday. This is the first time the Taylor 2 crew has worked in Bloomington, though they have performed in a variety of locations such as Boston, New York City and Philadelphia, as well as internationally in Africa and India. Andrien said she is eager for her dancers to work on the IU Auditorium’s “opera”-like stage.“We dance on a lot of small, tiny stages, and we have an actual professional theater here,” Andrien said.Andrien said the choreography Taylor 2 uses is meant to take place on a medium-to-large sized stage, much like the stage inside the IU Auditorium. However, she said the troupe’s adaptability makes it stand out. Manuel Sanchez, a Taylor 2 dancer, said he agrees with that idea.“We’ve done ‘Esplanade’ in a hallway,” Sanchez said, using musical sounds and gestures to tell the story. “We went to a hospital. It was a cancer ward, and the little kids couldn’t really leave their rooms. We did the whole first section with a boom-box.”Andrian said she is thrilled to have her dancers perform on campus Friday. “We are very excited,” she said. “Especially because it’s such a beautiful theater.”
(01/28/13 4:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU Art Museum was filled with the saccharine smell of chocolate Sunday night as LifeDesigns put on its annual Art of Chocolate Gala.The sound of about a hundred people talking echoed within the stone walls of the museum, their chatter accompanied by the smooth music of a live jazz band. Tables covered in black cloth held platters upon platters of food, all donated to the organization. Accompanying the food was an array of art pieces on sale.LifeDesigns, which is an organization that gives services to those with disabilities, has put on the event for nine years. Leslie Abshier, the Community Development Officer, of LifeDesigns, said all funds raised from last night’s event went directly toward helping the people.“It’s our signature even. It’s really the only fundraiser we do all year that’s designed just to raise funds,” Abshier said.John Woodcock was one of the artists with work on display for the night.“It’s a very festive occasion, especially if you love chocolate,” Woodcock said.Abshier was excited about last night’s turn out. Typically in years past, the Art of Chocolate Gala entertains about 300 guests, which is the event’s cut off due to the museum’s fire code. The reverberation that flooded the room suggested a similar attendance. “The turnout’s great, especially because of the weather,” Abshier said. “We applaud the people that came out.”Sunday’s gala was one event of many. In fact, the Art of Chocolate is actually a week of events, the first being a Chocolate Challenge on Saturday at the Pinnacle School in Bloomington. While LifeDesigns organized last night’s art gala, the entire week is supported by a variety of organizations, some being the Pinnacle School, Citizen Advocacy and Martha’s House. “A lot of organizations got on board ... it’s a fundraising festival,” Abshier said.Most importantly, the beauty of the week-long “festival” of events, was the fact that it brought the community together, said Abshier. Rather than having people send in checks, the Art of Chocolate was designed to make people aware of what was going on in the community through the mutual love of chocolate.“Everybody loves chocolate,” Abshier said.There are a variety of events scheduled for this week, each with a variety of price ranges. Last night’s event was the pinnacle of the week, with an entry cost of $50. It is safe to say last night was a good kick-off for the rest of the week’s events.“I think that it’s fun to have the two events on Saturday, and then to have the Art of Chocolate,” Abshier said. “Kind of a big weekend of chocolate events.”
(01/24/13 4:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Swedish Electronic Dance Music duo Cazzette raved at the Dunnkirk for the first time Wednesday. Bloomington was one of many university stops on Cazzette’s tour this year.“We have been touring on and off for one and a half years,” DJ Alexander Björklund said.Partners Björklund and Sebastian Furrer just released the third and final part of their extended play “Eject” on Spotify Tuesday. They both said they were uncomfortable with just one type of song, so they describe the EP as a challenge they used to get out of their comfort zone — a challenge that they conquered because they say they are happy with the outcome of the release. “It feels really good to have the third part out, so that people can listen to it as a whole,” Björklund said. The two are honored to work with the music streaming site, Furrer said. They used Spotify to release part one of their EP on Nov. 13 2012, and they used it again on Dec. 11 2012, to release part two.“We think streaming is the future,” Furrer said.Cazzette blasted the Dunnkirk Wednesday night with their fusion of house and dubstep, the blend labeled as “dubhouse” on their Spotify biography page. “This is something new.Something we haven’t heard before,” Björklund said. While Cazzette has played in all venues. Björklund said he prefers smaller venues like Dunnkirk because of the intimate nature that naturally accompanies them. “It’s easier to read the crowd,” he said.Compared to his experiences playing in an enormous setting, he said performing for a smaller crowd is similar to having the crowd right in the sound booth with him. The band members of Cazzette said they were excited to play for the college crowd that filled the Dunnkirk.
(01/21/13 8:31pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Comedic cover band Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press arrived in Bloomington on Friday to launch their first-ever doubleheader at the Bluebird Nightclub.A few hours before the opening act took stage, the bandmates set up their instruments up on the stage. During the time they had before warming up, they sat side-by-side on one of the long benches running around the border of the room, their “home away from home,” according to the band’s website. The band has a loyal fan base in Bloomington.The band entertained this fan base both Friday and Saturday nights. “Bloomington really knows how to party,” band member Rod Tuffcurls said. “It’s a particular blend of really smart kids who get all the weird stuff we do,” drummer Dick Celebrity immediately added in.The Bloomington fan base has started going to other shows, Tuffcurls said. “A lot of them showed up at our gigs in the Chicagoland area,” he said. Because it was the first doubleheader anywhere, Celebrity said there would need to be something especially unique besides humor to bring crowds to the Bluebird two nights in a row. Celebrity said besides a costume change, the two back-to-back concerts would have completely different music. “We are gonna play an entirely different set tonight as tomorrow night,” Celebrity said.Tuffcurls said they tried to match their songs to what the Bloomington fans like to hear.“We try to mix it up somewhat...a big thing for us is night-to-night, whatever the crowd is like, whatever the gig is like,” Tuffcurls said. “So if it’s like party, we will do more party jams and dance numbers.”Three hours after warming up and hanging out on the side of the stage, the once-empty nightclub was filled to the brim with a lively crowd. Announced by a brightly colored fog that inched its way through the dark room, true to their word, the four members of the band took the stage dressed in their usual uniform of colorful gym wear and played their multi-generational set list. Before the nightclub opened, Bluebird door worker Meghan Morrow said something that was fulfilled in the scene described above.“They will bring in a big crowd, they always do,” she said.
(11/16/12 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The doors of the IU Auditorium opened up to an eager crowd Nov. 15. Audience members of all ages overflowed the Christmas tree-filled lobby in anticipation for the return of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical.” Allan Headly, an audience member, sat in the second row with his wife. “It’s one of my favorite stories,” he said. “I grew up with it.”After the house doors opened at 6:30 p.m., the crowd streamed into seating, guided by the auditorium’s ushers. While initially quiet, the room gradually filled with the buzz of an incoming audience. When the lights dimmed, signaling the beginning of the show, the audience became silent as they awaited the rise of the cartoon-decorated red curtain.The show started with Old Max, an older version of the Grinch’s puppy, and the character continued to comment on the plot throughout the length of the musical. Everything on the stage, including the actors, was colored with black, white or red.Seth Bazacas, the actor who plays Young Max, said he thinks Seuss would approve of the show.“It is close to what we hope Dr. Seuss himself would want when he wrote that book, if it were to come to life on as a musical on stage,” Bazacas said in a previous interview.This color scheme depicted the imagery of the illustrations in Dr. Seuss’ story of the Grinch. The only time a different color than black, white or red was used was during the entrance of a vibrant green Grinch soon after the start of the show.The costumes donned by the actors on stage were whimsical, as was the fairy tale-like stage, but no costume was more extravagant than the ones worn by the Grinch and Max. Stefen Karl, who plays the Grinch, said he reacted strongly when he found out he had to wear such an extreme costume. “I got scared, really scared, because it’s really hot,” he said. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” re-tells the heart-warming classic of how an initially isolated antagonist slowly grows to love the holiday season.During the length of the show, the Grinch is progressively adopted into his cheerful community.Cheers erupted in the audience when the Grinch came out wearing a crimson Hoosiers foam finger.Watching the show so close to Thanksgiving break was a reminder of the upcoming holiday season, Headly said.“It’s a good start for the holiday season,” he said.
(11/15/12 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the vacant lobby of the IU Auditorium, Stefan Karl and Seth Bazacas relaxed on a leather couch surrounded by scattered holiday decorations. The main leads of the upcoming performance “How the Grinch Stole Christmas: the Musical,” surrounded by the various branches of a disassembled Christmas tree, were a reminder of the approaching holiday season.Cast members arrived about a week ago in preparation for their upcoming performances at 7 p.m. today and Friday. Karl, who plays the Grinch, has portrayed this character for five years and about 300 shows. He explained the storyline comes from Dr. Seuss.“This musical is completely based on the book,” he said. Karl, who is a fan of physical comedy in acting, said his character uses cartoonish movements.Despite the Grinch’s whimsical background, Karl said he believes the character has something in common with every member of the audience.“The Grinch is all of us,” Karl said. “We all love Christmas. The Grinch loves Christmas, too.” There is a true longing for companionship within the furry green character, Karl said.Bazacas plays Max, the Grinch’s dog. He said the young dog embodies the child-like joy that leads to the Christmas atmosphere needed for the musical. “I do get to represent that little piece of the holidays and Christmas that is just so pure and true,” Bazacas said.Audience members should anticipate walking into a life-like version of the Dr. Seuss tale. The large black, white and red props will create an atmosphere similar to walking into an extremely large pop-up book.“The designers literally created the banners and the props and the crooked houses to look like the book,” Bazacas said. “Even the color palette is the same.”Bazacas said the audience should be excited for a show loaded with high energy and fun for all ages.“You can expect to leave with a smile and warm fuzzy (feeling),” he said. “And a sore stomach from laughing.”
(11/12/12 1:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Scholars explored the efforts and success of Herman B Wells, Paul Sachs and Henry Hope in bringing the IU Art Museum to campus during a symposium last Friday in the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts.Carrie Schwier, assistant archivist at the Office of University Archives and Records Management, spoke about how World War II transformed the former pastoral University into a “citizen of the world.”Because of the influx of refugees on campus due to WWII, there was a drastic increase of University efforts to help assimilate them into the student population, she said. James Capshew, associate professor in the IU Department of History and Philosophy of Science, discussed how Wells, Sachs and Hope made IU the cultural center that it is today.“Wells wanted, ‘to widen the cultural front until every taxpayer in every county gets some return from the state university,’” Capshew said.Capshew said one of the reasons Hope was hired at the School of Fine Arts was the recommendation of Sachs.David Alan Brown, curator of Italian paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., focused his talk on Sachs, Hope’s professor.Sachs taught a course at Harvard University about the modern art museum. It was Sachs who taught soon-to-be influential students about modern museum organization, Brown said.“Through the impact he had on many of his disciples, Sachs was largely responsible for the way we acquire, present and even look at the art,” Brown said.Jenny McComas, curator of Western art after 1800 at the museum, tied together the other talks by showing how IU cultivated culture by creating the museum. Despite size and age differences, both the old and new museums represented a bridge between a museum and education, she said.“To teach art effectively, some visual experience with original works of art must be provided,” McComas said, quoting Hope. Ivy Tech Community College instructor Taresah Youngman said he enjoyed the symposium lectures.“I think it’s really interesting to see how they were all connected,” Youngman said.
(11/01/12 4:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Formed at IU 16 years ago, Straight No Chaser blossomed as a campus sensation. Now, it is an international sensation, playing across the United States and in a 10-concert tour throughout the United Kingdom.Straight No Chaser will return at 8 p.m. today to the IU Auditorium.Doug Booher, director of the auditorium, said the group’s roots are firmly buried in Bloomington soil.“Having been the starting point of their careers as entertainers, it’s always special for the guys to return to the auditorium stage and Bloomington,” he said in an email. Straight No Chaser has more than 20 million video views on YouTube. Taking into account the online response, Straight No Chaser catered the tour toward its tech-savvy audience.“We are excited to really drive home the idea of building a fan community around content by naming our tour #SNCLive,” group member Randy Stine said in a press release.Despite their fame, the members of Straight No Chaser remain humble, Booher said. From his experiences working with the group, Booher said they are “just regular guys” who love what they do on and offstage.When Straight No Chaser was a student group, the performers’ charismatic personalities wooed the audience without the aid of their singing voices, Booher said. Now, the audience still receives the humor it expected 16 years ago.“They have definitely continued to hone the production value of their show, sharpen the vocal quality of their music and still wow the audience with their warmth and humor,” Booher said.Booher also said he is excited for Straight No Chaser to return to its roots and that it will be a night to remember.“Members of the audience should expect to smile, laugh and walk away humming a few of their tunes,” he said. “It will be a great night for everyone.”
(10/29/12 3:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sitting at a jewelry-filled table tucked in a corner of Pygmalions Art Supplies, Bling representatives Kimberly Jackson and Katie Hayden chatted with a potential customer about the many pieces for sale.Bling, a newly created brand from the IU Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design Guild, launched this year. “We basically wanted to create a brand for ourselves, so we called it Bling,” Jackson said.Hayden described working with the brand as a learning experience. “It’s really great for us, because it’s giving us a lot of practice with marketing, getting things out there and figuring out how to price things,” she said. “So, it’s giving us real hands-on jewelry-selling marketing skills as well as the skills of just making the jewelry itself.”Bling’s pieces range in value from $12 to $280. The average is between $30 and $60, Jackson said.Many of Bling’s products are hand made by students studying in the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts, Jackson said, but some are crafted by students in other schools. Hayden gestured toward the intricate wire wrapped jewelry on the table. She said some of the most expensive pieces on the table were made by a student studying cognitive science.“Some of then aren’t even studio majors,” Hayden said. “They just have been really involved with the metalsmithing classes.”Despite the real world experience the brand offers, both Jackson and Hayden agree that one of the purposes of the sale was to help jump start a symposium next year. “It’s our line of jewelry that we’re using as a fundraiser for the symposium that we are planning on holding next year in October of 2013,” Jackson said.Acquiring the funds will be a difficult task, Hayden said. They need to raise $10,000. Sales from Bling will bring them closer to their goal. The symposium will be called Zoom: Examining the Future of Craft. It will include a lecture series, workshops from artists in the field and an exhibition of work Jackson and Hayden think will be the future of jewelry design. “(The) jewelry... is very future-focused,” Hayden said, “Not just what is going on now, but what we think will be going on later.”
(10/26/12 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Latin American Music Center will offer a series of concerts to focus on its repertoire of Latin chamber music. “Salón Latino” will kick start the series with an 8 p.m. concert Friday at Auer Hall.In past years, the LAMC offered multiple concerts each semester. Until now, the concerts were never connected under the umbrella of a single series. Eric Carballo, interim director of the LAMC, said the chamber series has many benefits.“The idea is to take advantage of the talent that we have in the Jacobs School (of Music) and combine it with the Latin American music repertoire that we have,” he said.Carballo said the program for tonight’s concert fit with the LAMC’s goals.“It goes right along with the objective of the Latin American Music Center,” he said. “That is, to foster Latin-American music in all of its manifestations.”The concert will have music featuring a variety of composers from Brazil, Argentina, Cuba and Venezuela. Yuriria Rodriguez, one of the performers for the concert, said she is eager to perform. Rodriguez described the beauty of one piece in particular, “Modinha” by Heitor Villa-Lobos.“The melodies are very friendly to the ear,” she said. “They stay in your mind a lot.” Students and music professionals will both perform in the concert.The music school has awarded various scholarships to student performers in the concert.Top students in the music school will perform, Rodriguez said.Scholarships include the Anthony and Olimpia Babera Latin American Music Scholarship and the Barbara and David Jacobs Fellowship.For more information about the LAMC and the performance, visit music.indiana.edu/lamc.