Lawrence University News

Lawrence University’s quarterly magazine has been recognized with a 2016 Pride of CASE gold award in the annual competition sponsored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

The Pride of CASE V Awards Program honors institutions and individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement in the concept and execution of advancement programs and communications throughout the six-state District V (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio).

Lawrence was honored in the best alumni/institution magazine category for colleges and universities with less than 3,000 students. Specifically cited were the 2016 Winter and 2016 Spring editions, which examined Lawrence’s commitment to engaged learning on a global scale and how a liberal arts education prepares students for success in the workforce and in life, respectively.

The award was based on several criteria, including the objectives of the magazine publishing program; the magazine’s content, writing, editing, layout/design and print quality; creative story ideas and how best it serves the audience.

Tom Ziemer is the editor of the magazine and Elizabeth Boutelle is its art director.

Craig Gagnon, associate vice president of communications, said the magazine’s evolution was the result of a deliberate, research-driven process to inform content and design.

“We began by taking a critical look at our own magazine as well as those of more than 30 other colleges to identify the characteristics of the best in class,” said Gagnon. “We then conducted a readership study to determine what was of greatest interest to our readers and compared those results to national norms.

“With information in hand, our writers and designers made incremental changes over the past two years, leading to a compelling magazine that combines creative execution with reader interest,” he added. “Although the evolution will continue, we’re delighted to have been recognized for our efforts to date.”

This was Lawrence’s third CASE award in the past two years. In June of this year, Lawrence earned gold honors for its recruitment package of brochures entitled “The Power of Engaged Learning at Lawrence University” and its student recruitment single mailer “Don’t Just Finish. Flourish.”

In 2015, Lawrence won a Grand Gold award, CASE’s highest honor, in the general information video category for “The Rabbit’s Nose,” a spoken-word piece, written and performed by Shea Love, a 2014 graduate, and produced by Rachel Crowl.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

A little Latin flavor will spice up Lawrence University’s 36^th annual salute to all things jazz Nov. 4-5.

Brazil-born Grammy Award-winning vocalist Luciana Souza performs Friday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. with guitarist Romero Lubambo and percussionist Cyro Baptista.

The Children of the Light Trio — pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade — closes the Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Both concerts are in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

Tickets, at $30/$25 for adults, $25/$20 for seniors and $20/$18 for students are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

The daughter of a singer/songwriter father and poet/lyricist mother, Souza has been transcending traditional boundaries around musical styles as one of jazz’s leading singers and interpreters. a transcends traditional boundaries around musical styles. She has been releasing recordings to much acclaim since 2002, including six records that have earned Grammy nominations. Souza won a Grammy Award in 2007 as a featured vocalist on Herbie Hancock’s “River: The Joni Letters.”

Souza, who is returning to Lawrence after performing at 2010’s Jazz Celebration Weekend, has recorded with numerous jazz greats, among them Maria Schneider, Donny McCaslin and Vince Mendoza. She also has worked with Bobby McFerrin, Paul Simon and James Taylor and performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, among others.

“We are thrilled to have Luciana Souza return to the Chapel for Friday evening’s concert,” said Patricia Darling, lecturer in music at Lawrence who also directs the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble. “Luciana’s work combines solid roots in jazz with sophisticated elements of world music and new music.”

Grammy Award winners Perez, Patitucci and Blade have been long-time musical soulmates as the rhythm section of the Wayne Shorter Quartet. As the Children of the Light trio, they celebrate Shorter’s music and embrace new compositions.

Their group improvisations of Shorter’s 50-year history of compositions were described by NPR as “a family dinner where everyone’s talking at once yet somehow, everyone’s being heard.” The trio’s name is an homage to the Shorter composition “Children Of The Light.”

“This trio features three independent musical virtuosos and when they come together, they bring layers of intricate melodies, rhythm and textures, which is positively explosive,” said Jose Encarnacion, director of jazz studies at Lawrence. “Just as light naturally stimulates sights and makes things visible, so does this trio, bringing enlightenment and illumination to all its audience.”

Like Souza, Perez is also making a return visit to Lawrence, having closed out the 2011-12 Jazz Series. Born in Panama, he began playing piano at age three and later studied classical music at the National Conservatory in Panama. After moving to the United States, he studied jazz at Berklee College of Music, where he began performing with jazz heavyweights Jon Hendricks, Terence Blanchard, Claudio Roditi and Paquito D’Rivera. In the late 1980s, Pérez became the youngest member of Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra.

A Brooklyn native, Patitucci has been playing the bass since the age of 10. As a successful studio musician in Los Angeles, Patitucci performed on scores of albums with artists ranging from B. B. King, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock to Bon Jovi, Sting and Queen Latifah. A 15-time Grammy Award nominee, his self-titled first solo recording hit No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz charts. Last year, he released his 14th solo album, “Brooklyn,” which featured his latest band, “The John Patitucci Electric Guitar Quartet.”

Blade, who performed at Lawrence in May 2015 with Jon Cowherd, is the founder of the eight-member Fellowship Band, which has released four albums, including 2014’s “Landmarks,” since making its debut in 1997. Blade applied his own singer/songwriter talents to his first solo album in 2009, “Mama Rosa,” which featured songs dedicated to his grandmother and family.

In addition to the evening concerts, a series of free performances by Lawrence combos, big bands, jazz faculty and high school bands will be held throughout the day on Saturday. Visit http://go.lawrence.edu/lujazz-16 for a complete schedule.

Lawrence’s annual jazz celebration weekend was renamed last year in honor of long-time music professor Fred Sturm, its founder and mentor who passed away in 2014.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

One man’s struggles with temptation, friendship and disapproval are explored in the Lawrence University Theatre Arts department’s production of the musical
“A Man of No Importance.”

Four performances will be staged in Stansbury Theatre Oct. 27-29 with an 8 p.m. show each night and an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 29. Tickets, at $15 for adults, $8 for students/seniors, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Winner of the 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for best musical, “A Man of No Importance” is based on the 2002 book of the same name by Terrence McNally, with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynne Ahrens, the songwriting team behind the musicals “Ragtime,” “My Favorite Year,” and “Seussical,” among others.

Music Theatre International hailed “A Man of No Importance” as “a rare gem in the canon of musical theater, one which combines the depth and drama of a play with the lyricism and comedy of a musical. A tender and beautifully woven tale of love, friendship and coming to terms with who we are.”

Set in Dublin, Ireland in 1964, the story centers around gay bus driver Alfie Byrne, who saves his deepest secrets for his imagined confidante: playwright Oscar Wilde. Alfie’s efforts to stage an amateur production of Wilde’s “Salome” in the local church hall force him to confront forces of bigotry and shame over a love “that dare not speak its name.” His life is changed, though, by the redemptive power of the theater.

Sprinkled with gentle humor, the musical explores serious themes, including how can a gay character navigate a traditional culture, while trying to contribute to the cultural dialogue of community and can the exploration of art teach us to break free of our prejudices?

“The takeaway message may be that while we can’t change everyone’s mind, perhaps by working together in common cause, especially the collaborative act of making theatre art, we can make progress toward warming our hearts to those around us,” said Timothy X. Troy, J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama and professor of theatre arts, who is directing the production.

Like Flaherty’s and Ahrens’ other musicals, “A Man of No Importance” features nuanced charters and a rich musical score.

“They created new songs in the manner of traditional Irish music,” said Troy, “somehow making you feel that you already know a song, even when you listen for the first time.”

Troy, who spent 2005 as a visiting professor at Dublin’s Trinity College, is enjoying the chance to revisit Ireland’s capital.

“It’s been a real joy to explore the various accents, place names and cultural vocabulary of Dublin with our cast,” said Troy. “Having spent time there, I’m very familiar with the physical and human landscape of Dublin itself. Since the play takes place in 1964, we get to explore the similarities and differences in from our time and the time in the play.”

Senior Matt Kierzek, who portrays Alfie Byrne, describes the musical’s central character “as a man who loves poetry and theatre and is motivated by his friends and through creating art. Through his story, we learn that family and friendship help us realize that it is important to ‘love who you love.’

“The music is simple, yet beautiful with bits of comedy thrown in throughout the production,” Kierzek added. “I think the story will captivate many.”

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.”  Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.