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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.

Three Lawrence University Horn Students Shine at Regional Music Competition

Three Lawrence University students won honors at the recent (Feb. 24-26) 2006 Midwest Horn Workshop, a regional workshop of the International Horn Society conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Dan Severson, a freshman from Edina, Minn., earned first-place honors in the low horn orchestral excerpts competition. Anna Suechting, a sophomore from Elk Mound and Karen Oliver, a freshman from Lexington, Mass., both received second-place recognition in the solo horn and high horn orchestral excerpts competitions, respectively. All three students are horn performance majors in the studio of Associate Professor James DeCorsey.

“Lawrence was certainly well represented at this workshop by the performances of Dan, Anna and Karen,” said DeCorsey. “What really puts their accomplishments in perspective is the fact that many of the students they were competing against were upperclassmen and graduate students. Given their relative youth and lack of experience with the format, such early recognition bodes well for further competitive successes as their careers progress.”

Nearly 50 undergraduate as well as graduate horn students from eight states in the Upper Midwest competed in five different categories at the workshop. Participants in the solo competition performed one required piece and one work of their own choosing. Students who advanced to the finals then played a piece commissioned specifically for this workshop. Students in the orchestral competition performed six short excerpts selected from a wide range of standard orchestra repertoire. The competition was juried by a panel of well-known horn soloists and music professors.

Two Lawrence University Choirs Selected to Perform at Regional Convention

The voices of two Lawrence University choirs will be showcased Friday, March 3 on the stage of the Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha, Neb., as part of the North Central — American Choral Directors Association division convention.

Only five college-level choirs were selected for the convention and Lawrence pulled off a rare double invitation by having both its Concert Choir and Women’s Choir chosen to perform. The ACDA North Central division includes institutions in a six-state area — Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota and Nebraska.

Choirs are chosen by a review committee through a blind audition tape process. The audition CDs submitted feature “live” concert performances from the previous three years. Joining Lawrence as college division performers will be the Dordt College Choir, Concordia University A Cappella Choir and the Minnesota State University – Mankato Concert Choir.

“Only the best auditions are chosen to perform at the convention, so for Lawrence to have two of the five college choir ensembles selected is really quite an honor,” said Phillip Swan, conductor of the women’s choir.

The Lawrence Concert Choir, under the direction of Richard Bjella, will perform at 9:35 Friday morning, while Swan’s Women’s Choir will take the stage at 1:30 p.m. The Concert Choir was selected for the honor of performing the ACDA’s prestigious Raymond Brock Commission Composition, which was composed by Mack Wilberg, the associate director of the Morman Tabernacle Choir.

The Women’s Choir will perform a program entitled “In Praise of…” that will feature three distinct sections: “In Praise of the Sacred,” “In Praise of Music” and “In Praise of Cultural Diversity,” which will include compositions from Venezuella, Czechoslovokia and the United States.

Founded in 1959, the American Choral Directors Association is composed of more than 20,000 choral musicians from schools, colleges, and universities, industry and institutional organizations, places of worship and community and professional choirs representing all 50 states.

Music and Motor Movement Examined in Lawrence University Science Hall Colloquium

The relationship between music and physical coordination and the clues music may offer for basic motor coordination research will be examined Thursday, March 2 in a Lawrence University Science Hall Colloquium.

John Paul Ito, assistant professor of music at Lawrence, presents “What Performing Musicians and Motor Control Scientists Can Learn from Each Other” at 4:15 p.m. in Science Hall Room 102. The lecture is free and open to the public.

A former professional violist, Ito investigated modes of physical coordination and their expressive consequences for his Ph.D. in music theory. In his address, he will discuss some of the ground-breaking work on movement coordination formulated by famed Russian neurophysiologist Nikolai Bernstein during the first half of the 20th-century. He will argue that the outdated theories of Bernstein’s predecessor, Ivan Pavlov, may in some cases continue to haunt performing musicians, leading them to conceive of their tasks in ways that may not be maximally effective. According to Ito, musicians may benefit from looking at performance from a more Bernsteinian perspective.

The address also will explore the ways in which studying several smaller, embedded motions within the context of a larger, single motion, such as those performed by musicians, could help lead scientists to a better understanding of the organization of movement.

A member of the Lawrence conservatory faculty since 2004, Ito earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master of music in viola performance from Boston University and Ph.D. in music theory from Columbia University.

Role of “People Power” as Democratic Accelerator Examined in Lawrence University International Studies Address

The power ordinary citizens can generate through mobilization and engagement of their opponents/oppressors and strategies that can fuel democratic reforms will be the focus of the third installment of Lawrence University’s four-part international studies lecture series “Pariah States and Policy Responses.”

Jack DuVall, president and founding director of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict in Washington, D.C., presents “The Right to Rise Up: People Power and the Virtues of Civic Disruption” Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Countering Osama bin Laden’s assertion that “the walls of oppression and humiliation cannot be demolished except in a rain of bullets,” DuVall will explain how nonviolent, civilian-based strategies — using tactics such as strikes, boycotts, mass protests and civil disobedience — have won human rights and produced better democracies in nations as diverse as the Philippines, South Africa and Ukraine.

In his lecture, DuVall will focus on three key elements present in such struggles: unity among civic groups and activists who want an open and just society; planning, based on targeting the oppressor’s sources of power; and nonviolent discipline, which enables great numbers of ordinary citizens to participate and thus broaden the scope of the conflict.

Those dynamics of nonviolent struggle, according to DuVall, are frequently not seen or understood by most policymakers and media organizations.

“They only notice people power when mass protests occur,” says DuVall. “They invariably act as if every nonviolent campaign erupted spontaneously in the moment.”

The executive producer of the Emmy-nominated PBS series “A Force More Powerful” and co-author of its companion book of the same name, DuVall helped establish the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict in 2002. The ICNC disseminates educational tools and resources on a global basis that assist the development of nonviolent resistance.

Prior to co-founding the ICNC, DuVall spent 16 years as a television executive, producing non-fiction programming for The Learning Channel, Turner Broadcasting, as well as more than 30 other commercial television and non-profit organizations. He previously served as vice president of WETA Television/Radio and director of corporate relations of The University of Chicago.

A graduate of Colgate University, DuVall is a member of the board of sponsors of Atlanta’s Morehouse College and serves as an associate of the Centre for Justice and Peace Development at Massey University in New Zealand.

The series will conclude Tuesday, April 4 when John Merrill, chief of the Northeast Asia Division, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. State Department, discusses North Korea.

The “Pariah States and Policy Responses” lecture series is sponsored by the Mojmir Povolny Lectureship in International Studies. Named in honor of long-time Lawrence government professor Mojmir Povolny, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on issues of moral significance and ethical dimensions.

Planning Expert Discusses “Sustainable Neighborhoods” in Lawrence University Environmental Studies Lecture

The critical importance of fundamental land use planning in the efforts to build truly “sustainable” communities will be the focus of the final installment of Lawrence University’s environmental studies lecture series dealing with issues of “green” building.

Judy Corbett, founder and executive director of the Local Government Commission in Sacramento, Calif., presents “Beyond Green Buildings: Planning for Sustainable Neighborhoods and Regions” Thursday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Science Hall, Room 102 on the Lawrence campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Going beyond a mere call for increased use of “green” building principles, Corbett will argue that careful land use planning is the critical element to becoming sustainable due to its potential to reduce air and water pollution, limit the loss of agricultural land and cut excessive energy use that results from the nation’s over dependence on the automobile.

Corbett will discuss the role “Smart Growth” — also known as “New Urbanism” or “Livable Communities” — is playing in making communities more transit-friendly, walkable and bike-able. She will outline the growing acceptance and implementation of Smart Growth plans around the country as well as the barriers that still need to be cleared to transform Smart Growth concepts into business-as-usual practices.

Named a “Hero for the Planet” by Time magazine in 1999, Corbett has served as executive director of the Local Government Commission for the past 24 years. The commission analyzes current social, economic and environmental problems and provides strategies that local elected officials can use to address them. The commission was awarded the American Planning Association’s national Public Education Award in 1997 and Corbett herself was honored with the APA’s 2005 National Award for “Distinguished Leadership by a Citizen Planner.”

Corbett has co-authored three books on resource efficient land use and building design, including “Designing Sustainable Communities: Learning from Village Homes,” and has published more than 50 policy guidebooks for local government officials on topics ranging from hazardous waste reduction, recycling, energy conservation and resource-efficient land use patterns. She holds a master’s degree in ecology from the University of California.

Corbett and her husband were responsible for creating Village Homes, a 60-acre pioneering experiment in ecological living that began in the late 1970s in Davis, Calif., and completed in 1981. Considered “the granddaddy” of green developments, the project successfully combined residential, commercial and agricultural elements.

Village Homes features 240 houses that incorporate the latest in solar technology. They are built in clusters and oriented toward the backyards, which open onto large common areas. The streets are narrower than normal — 23 feet wide as opposed to a more standard 36 feet — and end in cul-de-sacs. The land is contoured to capture most rainwater, with the excess flowing into ditches and ponds rather than concrete storm sewers. Winding walkways connect homes to a small courtyard of offices, reinforcing the theme of a community built for people, not cars.

The environmental lecture series is sponsored by the Spoerl Lectureship in Science in Society. Established in 1999 by Milwaukee-Downer College graduate Barbara Gray Spoerl and her husband, Edward, the lectureship promotes interest and discussion on the role of science and technology in societies worldwide.

Lawrence University Qualifies Two Teams for National Semifinals of Mock Trial Competition

Competing against such long-time mock trial “Goliaths” as the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northwestern University, Lawrence University’s fledging second-year squad of make-believe defense attorneys, prosecutors and witnesses acquitted themselves so well at the recent American Mock Trial Association regional competition that they earned an invitational to the national semifinals.

Lawrence’s two entries in the 20-team (representing 13 institutions) regional competition at Marquette University Feb. 18-19 both earned bids to the 48-team national semifinal tournament March 17-19 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. The other national semifinal will be held March 10-12 at Stetson University in Florida. The top six finishing teams at each semifinal advance to the national championship tournament April 7-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.

A maximum of two teams from any one school is allocated bids to the national semifinals following regional competition. Lawrence’s two teams earned invitations by finishing seventh and 10th. Only UW-Madison (1st, 6th) and Northwestern University (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th) finished ahead of Lawrence’s top team. While both teams qualified, Lawrence declined its second bid and will select just one eight-person squad from among its 15-member team to represent the college at the national semifinals.

In addition to qualifying both teams for the national semifinals, two Lawrence students were recognized with individual awards. Senior Loni Philbrick-Linzmeyer and sophomore Caitlin Gallogly were two of 12 students cited with “outstanding witness awards” for their work portraying various witnesses in the trial.

“At most of the larger schools, mock trial is part of the curriculum in communication arts,” said John Peterson, an Appleton attorney who serves as the team’s trial coach. “It’s particularly gratifying to see Lawrence’s program progress so fast as an extracurricular activity.”

First held in 1985, the mock trial program is designed to provide undergraduate students opportunities to learn first-hand about the work of trial attorneys, understand the judicial system, develop critical thinking and enhance communication skills.

This year’s mock trial competition was based on a kidnapping case involving a 13-year old child. All teams are given pertinent information about the case in question, then 30 minutes before the start of each round, team members are assigned roles as either prosecutors, defense counselors or witnesses. Testimony and arguments are then made before practicing attorneys who serve as judges for the competition.

Members of Lawrence’s seventh place finishing team included seniors Philbrick-Linzmeyer and Tim Ruberton, juniors Candice Gangle and Maggie Helms, sophomores Katie Gladych and Leila Sahar and freshman Matt Sennewald.

Representing Lawrence’s 10th-place team in the regional were Gallogly, seniors Jeremy Bamsch, Evan Fye, Jonathon Horne, Serene Sahar and Markus Specks. Sophomore Valerie Raedy is also a member of the mock trial team but performed in Lawrence’s opera production last weekend and was unable to make the trip to Marquette. Marti Hemwall, dean of student academic services, serves as faculty advisor for the team.

Finishing behind Lawrence’s top team, UW-Madison and Northwestern at the regional competition were the host institution Marquette, the University of Chicago, Carthage College, Luther College, Northern Michigan University, St. John’s/St. Benedict’s College, Winona State University, UW-La Crosse, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Platteville.