News from the Mudd

Da Symphony.

bear conductorOrdinarily we would not be all that excited about breathing the same air as Chicago. But our big sister to the south has been mightily honored. The highly respected magazine out of Great Britain, Gramophone, conducted a poll of classical music critics to determine the best orchestras in the world. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra ranked at the top of U.S. orchestras.

We applaud the Second City’s recognition, particularly after the embarrassment of a recent unfortunate sporting-related incident.

Read all about it on NPR.

And, needless to say, the Mudd has boatloads of CSO recordings.

Why? Because We Like You!

turkey tree

You may have noticed that the Mudd Same-As-Last-Year, Never-Will-Die, perma-green Christmas tree made its appearance yesterday. Since we will not have the pleasure of your company for too long after Thanksgiving, we decided to hurry up the season and festive-up the place. We hope you will accept this pre-pre-holiday offering and enjoy. And remember, we are not trying to sell you anything.

Current exhibits and new digital collection

The Artist Series at Lawrence, 1908-2008: A Look at 100 Years of History

This exhibit features programs, season announcements, and photographs documenting the past 100 years of the Artist Series program. The program was created by William Harper, Dean of the Conservatory of Music, to bring outside performers to Lawrence. The exhibit is located in the display cases on the first floor of the library and will be up through December.

A digital collection on the Artist Series is at the link below.

http://www.lawrence.edu/library/archives/artistseries.shtml

GreenFILE

GreenFILE offers well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 384,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 4,700 records.

On this date yesterday, 100 years ago

On Monday evening, November 2, 1908, the first performance of the Artist Series program at Lawrence took place. The performer was David Bispham, a baritone, and the concert took place in Appleton Theatre. According to the Lawrentian,

“Once did not listen to the voice or its production but rather to the vocal picture he was painting. Lawrence University students should be thankful that they have the opportunity of hearing these world renowned artists.”

Haunted Lawrence tour is Sunday!

The annual Haunted Lawrence tour is this Sunday, November 2 at 7:00 pm and starts at the Union Info Desk. Stories of Lawrence’s haunted and creepy past will be shared as we visit campus buildings, including the tunnels under the Union and library, the attic of Ormsby Hall, and the Main Hall cupola where everyone will have an opportunity to ring the bell. The tour will be given by Julia Stringfellow, university archivist, and security officer Dell Cook who has witnessed some creepy things in her time at Lawrence.

Orson Welles and War of the Worlds

Yesterday was the 70th anniversary of Orson Welles’ famous radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. Welles (then 23 years old) and the Mercury Theater players created a program so realistic that thousands of listeners panicked thinking that Martians had landed in Grover’s Mill, N.J. and were moving toward New York City.

Search the library catalog for recordings and more. If you’re on campus, you can also read the New York Times report of the event.