Lawrence University News

Lawrence University Percussionist, Saxophonist Earn Top Honors in State Music Competition

Lawrence University senior Michael Truesdell and 2005 Lawrence graduate Sara Kind shared top honors at the 12th annual Neale-Silva Young Artists competition held Sunday, March 19 in Madison.

Truesdell, a percussionist from Verona, and Kind, a saxophonist from Oshkosh, were named two of the five winners in the Wisconsin Public Radio-sponsored competition. It was the sixth time in the past nine years that Lawrence music students have won or shared top honors in the Neale-Silva.

The competition is open to instrumentalists and vocal performers 17-26 years of age who are either from Wisconsin or attend a Wisconsin college. This year’s competition attracted 49 musicians, including three quintets, two quartets and a trio. Fourteen musicians were invited to perform as finalists.

Lawrence and UW-Madison accounted for all of this year’s competition winners. In addition to Truesdell and Kind, UW pianist Kayme Henkel, violinist Jeannette Jang and a piano quintet also received first-place honors.

Truesdell performed on the marimba for the competition, playing “Three Movements for a Solo Dancer” by Eckhard Kopetzki, “Mirage for Marimba” by Japanense composer Yasuo Sueyoski and Federico Chueca’s “Los Paraguas.” He is a student of Associate Professor of Music Dane Richeson.

Kind, who also earned first-place honors in the 2004 Neale-Silva competition as a member of the Lawrence University saxophone quartet, performed “Fantasia” by Heitor Villa-Lobos. She is currently studying with Professor Steven Jordheim through the Lawrence Academy of Music.

Truesdell and Kind will reprise their winning performances Sunday, April 2 in WPR’s Neale-Silva Concert of Young Musicians at Madison’s Chazen Museum. The concert also will be broadcast live statewide as a special edition of “Sunday Afternoon Live from the Chazen” from 12:30 – 2 p.m. on the NPR News and Classical Music stations of WPR. In addition, Truesdell and Kind both will receive $300 for their winning performances.

The Neale-Silva Young Artists’ Competition was established to recognize young Wisconsin performers of classical music who demonstrate an exceptionally high level of artistry and is supported by a grant from the estate of the late University of Wisconsin Madison professor Eduardo Neale-Silva, a classical music enthusiast who was born in Talca, Chile and came to the United States in 1925.

Lawrence University’s Leila Sahar Earns “Outstanding Witness” Award at Mock Trial National Tournament

Sophomore Leila Sahar registered a perfect score en route to earning an “outstanding witness” award for Lawrence University’s mock trial team at the national tournament held March 17-19 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.

Sahar, who portrayed Jordan Nathanson, a criminal profiler for the FBI, shared top point honors in the outstanding witness competition with Alex Durst of the University of Cincinnati.

She was one of six students representing Lawrence at the American Mock Trial Association’s 48-team national tournament. Lawrence, in just its second year of mock trial competition, qualified for the national tournament after placing seventh among 20 teams at the regional tournament at Marquette University in mid-February.

Lawrence competed against the University of Cincinnati, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Western Michigan University and Iowa State University at the national tournament, finishing with 2.5 points out of a maximum of eight.

The 48-team field was divided into two divisions, with Penn State University winning Lawrence’s division and the University of Alabama-Birmingham finishing first in the other. The top three teams in each division advance to the national championship tournament April 7-9 in Des Moines, Iowa. A second 48-team national tournament was held at Stetson University in Florida.

“In mock trial competition, teams aren’t divided by school size, so Lawrence is almost always competing against much larger universities,” said John Peterson, an Appleton attorney who serves as the team’s trial coach. “The teams competing at the national tournament tend to be schools with long-standing programs which are frequently part of the academic curriculum. Lawrence really caught everyone’s attention by reaching the national tournament in just its second year of competition.

“And Leila selection for the outstanding witness award was a terrific and well-deserved individual honor for her as well,” Peterson added.

The tournament is divided into four rounds of trials with teams competing head to-head either as the prosecution or as the defense before a pair of judges. All trials are based on the same case — State of Midlands v. Tyler Perry — in which Perry is charged with kidnapping his employer’s child and chaining the child to a water pipe. The child is found three days later in good health before the requested ransom of $300,000 is paid.

Each team is responsible for presenting opening statements, examination and cross-examination of witnesses and closing statements in each round. The judges award each team points based on their courtroom decorum, which side presented a more compelling case as well as other courtroom events.

Also competing for Lawrence were senior Tim Ruberton, who portrayed a defense attorney and witness Donny Walsh, an investigator for the sheriff’s department; junior Candice Gangle, who portrayed the defendant, Tyler Perry and Ryan Reynolds, the mother of the kidnapped victim; junior Maggie Helms and senior Serene Sahar, both of whom served as prosecuting attorneys and defense lawyers; and sophomore Valerie Raedy, who played witness Frankie Gustavo, a liquor store owner. Marti Hemwall, dean of student academic services, serves as the team’s faculty advisor.

Lawrence University Freshman Invited to Dedicate New Piano at Clinton Library

Krystle Maczka has a first-time visit to the new William J. Clinton Presidential Center in her home state of Arkansas on her spring break itinerary. The Lawrence University freshman’s visit won’t be merely as a curious tourist or interested history buff, though, but rather as an invited guest of honor.

Maczka will be one of two featured performers for a by-invitation-only event Wednesday, March 22 in the Great Hall of the Clinton Center in downtown Little Rock. The piano performance major from El Dorado, Ark., will have the honor of officially dedicating a new seven-foot Steinway Grand Piano, a gift to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton’s presidential library opened in November, 2004.

A student in the studio of Associate Professor of Music Michael Kim, Maczka will entertain an audience of Arkansas A-List guests with a recital featuring Brahms “Intermezzo in A Major, op. 118, no. 2” and Beethoven’s “Variations on ‘God Save the Queen.’” Lawrence Hamilton, a member of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, will also perform at the dedication event.

The honor came unexpectedly to Maczka. A friend of her father who works for the presidential library, knew she played the piano and extended an invitation to her to be the first to publicly perform on the new Steinway. The Clinton Foundation is covering all expenses for Maczka’s trip to Little Rock and is providing rooms for her and her parents at the Peabody Hotel for the occasion.

Ocean Drilling Research at Great Australian Bight Subject of LU Science Hall Lecture

University of South Florida paleo-oceanographer Albert Hine will discuss his research with the Ocean Drilling Program along the continental margins of southern Australia in a Lawrence University Science Hall Colloquium.

Hine, associate dean of research at USF’s College of Marine Science, presents “Big Waves, Extreme Aridity, Strange Reefs and Poisonous Gas All Seen in the Cool-Water Carbonate Sediments of the Great Australian Bight” Wednesday, March 29 at 4:15 p.m. in Science Hall, Room 102. The event is free and open to the public.

Hine will discuss the findings of ocean drilling conducted on carbonate rocks deposits such as limestone and dolostone in the Great Australian Bight, the largest area in the world for these types of sediments. Observations from this drilling expedition provide clues to how carbonate systems respond to climate change and may shed light on the environmental conditions represented by the sedimentary bedrock of the upper Midwest.

A specialist in coastal geology and the geologic processes of shallow marine sedimentary environments, Hine has conducted scientific ocean drilling research around the world. In addition to his work as co-chief scientist at the Great Australian Bight drilling, Hine has studied the geologic history of margin environments off the coasts of Iceland, Bermuda, the Bahamas, western Canada as well as the Nicaraguan Rise in the Caribbean Sea and the Marion Plateau in the Coral Sea.

Hine joined the USF College of Marine Science faculty in 1979. He earned his bachelor’s degree in geology from Dartmouth College and his Ph.D. in geology at the University of South Carolina.

Oshkosh Painter Jeff Lipschutz, Ancient Coins Featured in Wriston Art Center Galleries Exhibition

A retrospective of Oshkosh painter Jeff Lipschutz’s expressionist style landscapes and a display of ancient Roman coins will be featured in the newest exhibition at Lawrence University’s Wriston Art Center galleries. The exhibition opens March 31 and runs through May 14.

Lipschutz, professor of painting and drawing at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and director of UWO’s Allen Priebe Art Gallery, presents “Desert,” a collection of images primarily of the modern American West, in the Hoffmaster and Kohler galleries. Lispschutz opens the exhibition with a discussion of his work Friday, March 31 at 6 p.m. The address, followed by a reception with the artist, is free and open to the public.

Lipschutz draws inspiration for his paintings from his childhood home of tiny Eagle Mountain, Calif., an isolated iron-ore mining town on one of the most barren stretches of the Mojave Desert. Lipschutz says his paintings “tap into the desert’s dream life as a natural extension of my own; into the Mojave’s unconscious; its antediluvian beginnings, science fiction futures and contradictory presents.” While his depictions of arid wastelands share a bond with that of land use artists and conceptualists, his work “also has distinct philosophical underpinnings.”

The Leech Gallery will feature the show “The Women of the Augusti: Coins from the Ottilia Buerger Collection of Lawrence University.” The exhibit was curated by Lawrence student Jennifer Nummerdor, a senior art history major from Appleton, as part of her senior honors project.

The exhibit focuses on Imperial Roman coins featuring important women — wives, daughters, sisters and mothers — and why they earned the distinct honor of being cast on a coin in a world dominated by men. The exhibit details the background of these women as well as the culture and tradition surrounding imagery of women on coins in Ancient Rome.

The exhibit is drawn from the Ottilia Buerger Collection of Ancient and Byzantine Coins. The collection of more than 300 rare, ancient coins dating from the 6th-century B.C. to the mid-1400s, is widely regarded as one of the finest in the United States. It was assembled by Ottilia M. Buerger, a 1938 Lawrence graduate, who bequeathed the collection to the college in 2001.

Wriston Art Center hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from noon – 4:00 p.m. The gallery is closed on Mondays. For more information, call 920-832-6621 or visit http://www.lawrence.edu/news/wriston/.

Lawrence University Musical Production presents You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Lawrence University Musical Production (LUMP) presents You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at 8:00 p.m. April 13-14 and at 3:00 p.m. April 15 in Cloak Theatre of the Lawrence Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton.

Based on Charles Schultz’ popular comic strip, the show is made up of little moments picked from the life of everyone’s favorite “Peanuts” character, Charlie Brown, from Valentine’s Day to the baseball season, from wild optimism to utter despair, from bright uncertain morning to hopeful starlit evening.

The original off-Broadway production, with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, opened on March 7, 1967, and ran for 1,597 performances. In 1971, it moved to Broadway where it played for only 32 performances. In 1999, the show was revived on Broadway and included one new character, two new songs, and completely new orchestrations with piano, violin, viola, saxophone, clarinet, flute, bass, and percussion.

According to director, Jacob Allen, ’03, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown has been produced several times at Lawrence, although this is the first time the revised edition will be performed. Rebecca Young, ’07 choreographs the performance, and Bonnie Alger, ‘06, provides musical assistance. Starring as Charlie Brown is Mike Axtell, ‘08. Other characters include Siri Hellerman, ’06, as Lucy; Brad Grimmer, ’06, as Schroeder; Peter Welch, ’09, as Linus; Meghan Phillip, ’06, as Sally; and Stephen Christensen, ’08, as Snoopy.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students and are available at the Lawrence University Box Office, located in the Music-Drama Center, or by phone at 920-832-6749, beginning March 27.

Lawrence International Student Organization presents the 30th Annual Cabaret

The 30th Annual International Cabaret and Dinner is set for 4:00 p.m. April 9 in Stansbury Theatre, located in the Lawrence Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. Lawrence International Student Organization is hosting the event

The cabaret is an occasion to celebrate life though music, dance, and cuisine from around the world. With that in mind, the theme for this year’s student-coordinated extravaganza is “Festival of Life.” This year’s show will include over 75 performers and 16 performances from every continent making it one of the biggest cabarets in recent memory at Lawrence. Popular dances such as the subcontinental dance, the belly dance from the Middle East, and dances from Africa are back again this year, along with new dances such as the Cossack dance from Russia, and the cha-cha.

An international dinner will follow the performance at Lucinda’s in Colman Hall. The menu includes a variety of dishes from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Africa, making it an excellent opportunity to experience a variety of dishes from around the world.

Tickets are $7 for the show only, and $12 for dinner and the show. Tickets are available at the Lawrence University Box Office, located in the Music-Drama Center, or by phone at 920-832-6749, beginning March 27.

Lawrence University Welcomes Attic Theatre Back to Campus

Lawrence University, which served as the home of Attic Theatre for 44 of the community theatre group’s 55-year history, will reprise that role again beginning this summer.

Lawrence and Attic officials have announced an agreement that will bring Attic productions back to Lawrence’s Music-Drama Center, where they staged plays from 1959 until 2003. Attic formed a partnership with the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in 2004 to perform shows at that facility’s Kimberly-Clark Theater.

“Lawrence and Attic Theatre share a common and mutually reinforcing history and we are thrilled to welcome Attic back to their home on our campus,” said Greg Volk, Lawrence executive vice president. “Both organizations remain committed to enhancing the cultural life of the community and we believe that our partnership should be sustained and extended.”

The “new” Attic Theatre will resume performances with a limited schedule this summer. They will stage two shows in Lawrence’s Cloak Theatre the weeks of Aug. 2-12 and Aug. 17-30. The titles of the two productions are expected to be announced this Sunday afternoon at a volunteer event at Cloak Theatre.

“We’re delighted to be coming back,” said Judy Winzenz, newly-elected president of Attic’s board of directors. “Lawrence and Attic have simply grown up together. That’s where we belong.

“The board of directors and I have been thrilled with the enthusiastic reception we have received from Lawrence about our reestablishment of Attic on Lawrence’s campus. We’re happy we were able to work out an agreement and we look forward to reestablishing ourselves at Lawrence for a very long time.”

After spending the 2004 season at the PAC, Attic Theatre approached Lawrence officials about returning to campus but ultimately opted to stage its 2005 season at the Monkeywrench Theatre inside the YouthFutures Valley Fair on Appleton’s south side.

Last August, Attic announced plans to construct its own performing space inside the Edison Center in Appleton’s industrial flats, but a $1.5 million fund-raising effort for that project failed to generate sufficient interest. In December, Attic’s board of directors voted to dissolve the organization, effective Dec. 31, 2005.

Winzenz was among a group of supporters who were against Attic permanently closing its doors. The former board was persuaded to rescind its decision to disband and in January, a new 14-member board was elected, with Winzenz as its president. Discussions with Lawrence officials about returning to campus began at that time.

According to Winzenz, the restructured Attic Theatre, whose board has since grown to 20 members, will be virtually an all-volunteer organization with no full-time paid staff members.

“We will work hard to rebuild our audience and our base of contributors. I’ve been delighted with the response of the community at this point.”

Attic Theatre was founded in 1950 by Zoe Cloak, wife of Ted Cloak, founder of the Lawrence theatre department and professor at the college from 1929-69. The group drew its name from the fact it held its first acting classes in the attic of Cloak’s home on Union Street.

When Lawrence opened its Music-Drama Center in 1959, Attic Theatre began using its 500-seat proscenium and smaller “black box” theatres for productions even before Lawrence students staged shows in the building. Over the years, Attic Theatre enjoyed a strong reputation amd established itself a the area’s premier community theatre troupe. By the late 1990s, attendance at Attic Theatre productions had reached 20,000 a season.

Choral Conductor Rick Bjella Recognized for Service to Local Arts Community

Since 1986, Lawrence University Professor of Music Rick Bjella has devoted 40 Sunday evenings a year to rehearsals with the White Heron Chorale.

Next month, Bjella will be recognized as the 2006 recipient of the Hanns Kretzschmar Award for Excellence in the Arts for his 20 years of dedicated service as artistic director of the 65-member mixed voice community choir of volunteer singers.

Bjella will be one of eight community award winners honored Thursday, April 20 for their outstanding efforts at the annual “Celebrating Our Volunteers” dinner at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton. The event, sponsored by The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Inc. and The Post-Crescent, has saluted deserving area individuals for their volunteerism since 1998.

The Hanns Kretzschmar Award for Excellence in the Arts “recognizes an individual for leadership and volunteer service in local arts organizations and activities; for long-standing commitment to the local arts community; and for noteworthy personal involvement in developing and promoting arts within the community.” Sponsored by Thrivent Financial For Lutherans, the award includes $5,000 to be donated to a charity of the recipient’s choosing.

“I was completely humbled by being nominated and then selected for this prestigious award,” said Bjella, who has served as director of choral studies at Lawrence since 1984. “There are so many people that have given and continue to give so much to this community to make the arts come alive in many powerful ways. I am honored to be considered among these fine men and women.

“The White Heron Chorale, which I am privileged to conduct, all give of their individual time and talent to make that organization flourish,” Bjella added. “Some members drive more than 50 miles one way for each rehearsal without a penny of compensation. These people are among my heroes.”

When the Chorale went looking for an artistic director in the mid-1980s, they wanted someone who combined good musicianship and sound vocal technique with an inspiring personality. According to Carol Jegen, one of the founding members of the Chorale, the search committee hit the trifecta in choosing Bjella.

“His enthusiasm for what he does was a perfect fit for a chorus of amateurs — those who pursue excellence because of their love for singing,” said Jegen in nominating Bjella for the Kretzchmar Award.

The White Heron Chorale will celebrate Bjella’s anniversary as the organization conductor with a concert of his favorite choral pieces entitled “How Can I Keep from Singing?” on Saturday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

In addition to his work with the White Heron Chorale, Bjella directs Lawrence University’s Concert Choir, Chorale and Collegium. He’s also previously conducted the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Singers and the Choral Society at Lawrence.
He is past president of the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association and is the current chair of the Repertoire and Standards Committee for the North Central division of the American Choral Directors Association.

Bjella has conducted in concert halls around the world, including Paris, Prague, London and Lucerne and has guest conducted more than 350 festivals and workshops in 25 states.

Lawrence University Artist Series Concludes With Ethos Percussion Group

The 2005-06 Lawrence University Artist Series will conclude on April 1 with Ethos Percussion Group. The concert, which takes place at 8:00 p.m., will be held in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. Tickets are available at the Lawrence University Box Office, located in the Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., or by phone at 920-832-6749, and range from $15 for students to $22 for adults.

For more than 15 years, Ethos Percussion Group has inspired audiences throughout the country with its exceptional music-making and collective devotion to the diverse world of percussion.

Ensemble members Trey Files, Eric Phinney, Yousif Sheronick, and David Shively are accomplished classical and world music artists, each with a distinctive background and musical perspective. Their combined expertise is the source of Ethos’ innovative programming, which integrates global instruments and playing styles into the conventions of Western chamber music to create a visually and aurally compelling experience. The ensemble’s critically-acclaimed performances regularly feature numerous commissions and world premieres, traditional rhythms from India, West Africa, and the Middle East, and landmark works by composers such as John Cage, Lou Harrison and Steve Reich.

Individually, the members of Ethos have performed with Philip Glass, Branford Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma, New World Symphony, New Music Consort, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Sospeso, New York City Ballet, De La Guarda, and Mabou Mines.

Previous concert seasons have included shows across the United States and the United Kingdom, with major engagements at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, the Bermuda Festival, London’s Wigmore Hall and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Recent collaborations include the Kansas City Symphony, Grammy-winning frame drummer Glen Velez, and Indian tabla master Pandit Samir Chatterjee.

Ethos’ discography includes Sol Tunnels (2003), The Persistence of Past Chemistries (1999) and Ethos Percussion Group (1996).

For additional information on this and other “Performing Arts at Lawrence” series concerts, please visit www.lawrence.edu/news/performingartsseries.