Press Releases

Category: Press Releases

Lawrence University Announces 2009-10 Artist and Jazz Performing Arts Series

APPLETON, WIS. — An eclectic mix of renowned performers and rising stars, including the multi-talented Bobby McFerrin and pianist Simone Dinnerstein, bring their musical virtuosity to Appleton for the eight concert 2009-10 Lawrence University Artist and Jazz Series.

New York’s internationally acclaimed African-American quintet Imani Winds opens the Artist Series season Oct. 17. The Paris-based Ebène String Quartet, known for its careful attention to dynamic detail, comes to the Lawrence Memorial Chapel Feb. 5. Acclaimed operatic tenor Anthony Dean Griffey performs with renowned pianist Warren Jones April 9. Dinnerstein, “a phenomenon in the world of classical music” according to the Washington Post, closes the series April 30.

Audience favorite Steve March Tormé opens the Jazz Series Nov. 6, kicking off Lawrence’s annual Jazz Celebration Weekend with the Lawrence Faculty Jazz. The Wisconsin Homegrown Jazz Quintet performs the second half of Jazz Celebration Weekend Nov. 7. McFerrin brings his inimitable style to the stage Feb. 19 in a performance with the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble. Bassist extraordinaire Christian McBride and his band Inside Straight closes the Jazz Series May 14.

Season subscriptions to either the artist, jazz or a “favorite 4” series that allows subscribers to select any combination of four concerts from either series, are currently on sale, with discounts available to senior citizens and students. Single-concert tickets go on sale Sept. 16. Contact the Lawrence Box Office at 920-832-6749.

Since its 1997 founding, the Grammy-nominated Imani Winds has carved out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming and genre-blurring collaborations. With two member composers and a deep commitment to commissioning new work, the group is enriching the traditional wind quintet repertoire while bridging American, African, European and Latin American traditions.

The Ebène String Quartet — four young musicians from France all still in their 20s — has quickly become one of Europe’s most talked-about ensembles. The group made its American debut earlier this year in an eight-city concert tour to rave reviews. The New Yorker called their playing “so secure, alive, rich-toned, and profoundly musical that age ceased to be an issue.” The quartet is distinguished by its versatility, displaying equal facility in the classical repertoire and contemporary music.

Griffey, named one of 12 “exceptional singers of distinction” by Musical America magazine in 2005, added a pair of 2009 Grammy Awards (Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Album) in February to his impressive resume for his work on the Los Angeles Opera’s “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.” He has captured critical and popular acclaim on opera, concert, and recital stages worldwide and is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the title character in Benjamin Britten’s “Peter Grimes,” which he has performed with New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the San Diego Opera. Long-time vocal coach Warren Jones, who will be Griffey’s accompanist, has been praised as “a singer’s greatest partner.”

Dinnerstein has gained international attention as a commanding and charismatic artist since making a triumphant New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall in 2005. She has performed around the world, including the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Copenhagen Music Festival and London’s Wigmore Hall. Her recording of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” was released in August 2007 and shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales. Piano Magazine hailed the disc as “precisely the kind of playing that the early 21st century most needs, infused as it is with a deep and pervasive sense of beauty and tenderness of heart.”

Tormé has spent the past three decades as a working musician since releasing his critically acclaimed debut record “Lucky” in the late 1970s. His concert repertoire spans the musical spectrum, from classic American standards to his own original music, which reflect the influences of the Beatles, Steely Dan and Todd Rundgren, among others. The New York Daily News has called Tormé “so personable, his voice so becoming and his performance so filled with élan, that he is always interesting.”

The Wisconsin Homegrown Jazz Quintet features five world-class instrumentalists all with state roots, including two with ties to Lawrence: bassist Ike Sturm, son of Lawrence’s director of jazz studies and improvisational music Fred Sturm, and drummer Zach Harmon, son of renowned composer John Harmon, the first director of Lawrence’s jazz studies program. The group’s members have worked with many jazz luminaries, among them Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Joshua Redman.

McFerrin, winner of 10 Grammy awards and creator of the iconic pop classic “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” makes his fourth appearance at Lawrence in a performance of “Migrations” with the LU Jazz Ensemble. The work, which McFerrin commissioned Fred Sturm to write, is a “musical plea for world unity” that showcases 23 indigenous songs from 21 countries. In the work, McFerrin improvises and interprets Sturm’s scores of an aboriginal chant from Australia, a Mbuti Pygmy tribal song of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an Inuit chant from Greenland, among others.

Despite not yet turning 40 years of age, McBride has been among the most omnipresent figures in the jazz world for 20 years. Bassist, composer, arranger and educator, McBride’s career collaborations read like a Who’s Who of music’s most dynamic artists, including Sonny Rollins, James Brown, R&B superstars Isaac Hayes and Natalie Cole, pop icons Sting and Don Henley, hip-hop’s Queen Latifah, opera legend Kathleen Battle and bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer. The quintet “Christian McBride & Inside Straight” is scheduled to release its first CD, “Kind of Brown,” this June.

Lawrence University Receives $10 Million Bequest Commitment from Anonymous Donor

APPLETON, WIS. — Citing a strong belief in all of what Lawrence University does and represents, a graduate of the college, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has made a $10 million commitment to Lawrence in the form of a bequest college officials announced today (6/8).

It ranks among the largest commitments in Lawrence’s history, second only to the $16 million commitment from an anonymous donor in 2006 for the construction of the Warch Campus Center.

The $10 million future gift will support the college’s endowment, including the establishment of a new endowed professorship in Lawrence’s conservatory of music. A portion of the gift also will be used to bolster the endowment for Bjorklunden, Lawrence’s 425-acre “northern campus” in Door County, with additional funds from the gift designated for campus facilities maintenance and general operations.

“The generosity of this donor is remarkable in its scale and in the hopes it embodies for the future of our fine liberal arts college and conservatory,” said Lawrence President Jill Beck. “Planned commitments such as this may be more comfortable for donors to make today, yet they help us to guarantee the success of tomorrow.”

“We are exceedingly grateful that one of Lawrence’s own would make a financial commitment of this magnitude to the college,” said Cal Husmann, vice president for development and alumni relations. “This person has previously made significant philanthropic investments in Lawrence for a variety of important initiatives and this latest gift is yet another incredible example of the donor’s unwavering support for Lawrence, its students and its programs.

“This donor also understands that while Lawrence is an institution with a national profile, the college has a finite and small number of alumni relative to its peers,” Husmann added. “As such, we are obviously very pleased the donor has made Lawrence a philanthropic priority.”

In making the gift, the donor said growing the college’s endowment was paramount to ensuring Lawrence’s future financial vitality.

“Lawrence is deserving of the very best and I want to do my part to strengthen the college’s endowment,” said the donor, who lives outside of Wisconsin. “Deferred giving provides everyone who loves and cares about Lawrence an important way to profoundly impact the college. I very much hope my example might encourage others to make deferred gifts in ways that are appropriate for their financial situation. Collectively, we can effect significant progress at the college.”

Lawrence is in the fourth year of six-year $150 million capital campaign that was publicly announced last October. The “More Light!” Campaign, which will conclude in October 2011, has raised $120 million to date toward its goal. Half of the campaign’s goal, $75 million, will be directed to Lawrence’s endowment.

Lawrence University Choirs Bid Conductor Rick Bjella Farewell in “Around the World” Concert

APPLETON, WIS. — The Lawrence University Concert Choir, Cantala women’s choir and Viking Chorale present their 11th annual “Around the World” concert Friday, May 29 at 8 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The concert is free and open to the public. It also will be webcast on WLFM, beginning with a pre-concert program at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will be the choirs’ final performance under the direction of long-time conductor Richard Bjella, who has directed the Lawrence choir program the past 25 years. Bjella recently announced he is leaving Lawrence at the end of the school year to become the director of choral studies at Texas Tech University.

“Over the years, it has been wonderful to see the substantial growth in the students’ participation and commitment to excellence and caring for each other that has taken place in all areas,” said Bjella, who drew raves from his peers in March for the Concert Choir’s performance at the American Choral Directors’ Association national convention in Oklahoma City. “The ownership of the choir is held by every single member in the ensemble. They all take personal responsibility for their part in making the picture complete and believe not only in their singular contribution but also the power of the whole being far greater than the sum of its parts.

“It has been wonderful to be a part of this picture that I believe has enhanced the lives of so very many in the Lawrence community,” Bjella added. “The saying ‘we is a lot smarter than me’ has been my mantra for many years. Every student, faculty, staff and community member that I have worked with over the last 25 years has helped me grow in some way and I am so appreciative of their collective wisdom of heart, mind, and soul. I hope that I have assisted a few along the way as well.”

The concert will feature music from Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, the Nordic countries and the Far East, ranging from works by such world-renowned composers as Samuel Barber and Felix Mendelssohn to isolated Celtic/Scottish traditions of mouth music.

Bjella will conduct the concert choir and the Viking chorale, while Phillip Swan will conduct Cantala. Brian Pertl, dean of the conservatory, will join the concert choir in the program’s finale with a performance on the didgeridoo.

Annual Senior Art Exhibition Opens May 22 at Lawrence University’s Wriston Galleries

APPLETON, WIS. – The work of 14 Lawrence University art majors will be featured in the annual Senior Art Exhibit in the Wriston Art Center galleries.

The exhibition, in the Leech, Hoffmaster and Kohler galleries, opens Friday, May 22 at 6 p.m. with a reception with the student artists and runs through August 2.

The exhibition includes works of ceramic, felted pieces, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and video.

The students whose work will be featured are Elena Amesbury, Kristen Boehm, Mara Hagopian, Jennifer Halbman, Andrew Kincaid, Sarah Page, Carrie Ann Rennolds, Sarah Rhoads, Madeline Shadduck, Rachel Talbot, Erin Campbell Watson, Heather Watson, April West and Yifan Zhu.

The Wriston Art Center galleries are free and open to the public Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from noon – 4 p.m. The galleries are closed on Mondays. For more information on the exhibition, call 920-832-6890.

MacArthur Fellow Will Allen Discusses Holistic Farming in Lawrence University Address

APPLETON, WIS. — Social entrepreneur and “urban farmer” Will Allen shares his holistic approach to growing food in the Lawrence University address “Rich Food for All People” Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The talk is free and open to the public.

Leaving the corporate world of Proctor & Gamble in 1993, Allen turned a love of farming into an innovative, small scale, food system designed to combat what he has called the “food deserts” of America, inner cities where the only access to food is corner grocery stories and their assortment of beer, cigarettes and processed foods.

Two years after buying the last remaining registered farm within the city limits of Milwaukee, Allen founded Growing Power, Inc., a nonprofit organization and land trust that supports people from diverse backgrounds by helping to provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food in underserved urban communities.

Combining a variety of low-cost farming technologies, including the use of raised beds, aquaculture and vermiculture and the sweat equity of some 2,000 resident volunteers, many of them teenagers, Allen and his staff of less than 40 raises nearly $500,000 worth of affordable, chemical-free vegetables, meat and fish on a two-acre farming site. He also oversees a nearby 40-acre farm and several gardens throughout Milwaukee.

He has expanded his operations to Chicago, including a garden at the Cabrini Green housing project and urban farms in Grant and Jackson Parks.

Over the last decade, Allen has formed partnerships with several local organizations, including Farm-City Market Basket Program, which provides a weekly basket of fresh produce grown by members of the Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative to low-income urban residents at a reduced cost.

In 2008, the MacArthur Foundation recognized Allen’s practical solution to inner city hunger with one of its $500,000 so called “genius” grants. He is only the second working farmer in the 28-year history of the program to win a MacArthur award.

Author, Activist, Filmmaker Jennifer Baumgardner Closes Lawrence University Convocation Series

APPLETON, WIS. — Jennifer Baumgardner, one of the nation’s prominent voices in the “third wave of feminism,” presents “Climate Change We Can Live With: The Ecology of Justice,” Tuesday, May 19 in the final address of Lawrence University’s 2008-09 convocation series.

Baumgardner’s address, at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, will be followed by a question-and-answer session in the Lawrence Memorial Union at 2 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

A 1992 graduate of Lawrence and recipient of the college’s Nathan M. Pusey Young Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award in 2007, Baumgardner began her career at Ms. magazine, where she spent five years as its youngest editor. After leaving the magazine, she wrote for a diverse body of publications, including Harper’s, The Nation, Real Simple, Glamour and Elle, among others. She also has written several commentaries for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.”

She co-wrote two books with Ms. colleague Amy Richards, “Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future” and “Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism” and is the author of 2007’s “Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics,” which explores the intersection of bisexuality and feminism. Her latest book, “Abortion and Life,” was released in September, 2008 as part of her “I Had an Abortion” project, which encouraged women to talk about their experiences. The project included t-shirts and a film documenting women’s stories of abortion. Last year she launched a similar awareness campaign called “I Was Raped.”

A resident of Brooklyn, Baumgardner is the co-founder of Soapbox, Inc., a New York City-based feminist speakers’ bureau. In 2003, the Commonwealth Club of California hailed Baumgardner as one of six “visionaries for the 21st Century,” citing her role as author and activist for “permanently changing the way people think about feminism” and helping to shape “the next 100 years of politics and culture.”

Listen to her Q & A

Listen to her entire convocation

Student Panel Explore Questions of “Identity” in Community Forum

APPLETON, WIS. — A nine-member student panel will explore the question of identity as it relates to their membership in the Lawrence community in a presentation Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. in the Wriston Art Center auditorium. The event, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the ethnic studies program, is free and open to the public.

The purpose of the “identity forum,” according to Mohammed Bey, acting assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs, is to encourage conversations about the various forms of identity that define a person — ethnic, gender, racial, religious, regional, and sexual orientation — and enhance understanding, mutual respect and acceptance on which multicultural communities thrive.

“The personal stories that our students are willing to share will undoubtedly link us to our own realization of, ‘who am I,'” said Bey. ” Each person’s own personal story, consisting of past and present experiences, hold intricate pieces to what has developed into that person’s own unique identity.”

Assistant Professor of Art Ben Rinehart will serve as the forum’s moderator.

“I know first hand what it is like to question identity and ultimately what role I serve in society” said Rinehart, who joined the Lawrence faculty in 2006. “Prior to moving to Wisconsin, I identified as a gay male. After getting married to someone of the same sex and having children of my own, my identity continues to shift and evolve.”

Sharing their stories as panelists at the forum will be Marshall Cuffe, Heung Jo (Ernie) Ji, Nidal Kram, Jasmine Peters-McClashie, Kaleesha Rajamantri, Sirgourney Tanner, Hayley Vatch, Chelsea Wantland and Nate Zibart.

Appleton Couple’s $1 Million Gift Gives Lawrence University Major Scholarship Boost

APPLETON, WIS. – Robert and Bonnie Buchanan always appreciated the quality of their Lawrence University education. They intend to ensure that future generations of students are able to access a similar opportunity.

The Appleton couple, both 1962 graduates of Lawrence, have established the Bonnie Glidden and Robert C. Buchanan Scholarship with a $1 million gift college officials announced today (5/13).

Beginning in the fall of 2010, the gift will provide four student scholarships annually of nearly $12,500 each. Preference will be given to students from the Fox Valley of Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula who have an interest in English or economics.

“The timing of this gift is incredible,” said Cal Husmann, vice president for development and alumni relations. “Given the current economic climate, this is testament to Lawrence’s standing in the community that the Buchanans continue to support our students in good as well as difficult times. This gift provides further proof of the importance of the college and our amazing students, who have demonstrated time and again that they are worthy of this kind of investment.”

The Buchanans, who met as students at Lawrence, have been long-time supporters of the college as well as active volunteers in the local community. Bob Buchanan, who graduated with a degree in economics, is a member of the board of directors of the Fox Valley Performing Arts Center and the Green Bay Packers. A 31-year member of Lawrence’s Board of Trustees, he served as chair of the board from 1984-1986.

After graduating from Lawrence, Bob spent three years in the U.S. Air Force on an ROTC commission before earning a Masters of Business Administration degree from Dartmouth College. He spent his career working in the paper industry, retiring in 2005 as chairman of Fox Valley Corporation, the parent company of Fox River Paper.

Bonnie Buchanan, who earned a degree in English from Lawrence and graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, has served on the board of directors of the Appleton Y.M.C.A., the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and is a member of The Wednesday Club, a local literary society. She also was a director of the Lawrence Alumni Association from 1968-71.

This is the second major gift the Buchanans have made to Lawrence. In 1994, they established the Bonnie Glidden Buchanan Chair in English Literature, an endowed professorship currently held by Associate Professor Tim Spurgin.

“At a time when students and their parents are more concerned than ever about how to pay for a college education, gifts of this magnitude bolster our scholarship endowment, enabling us to continue attracting the best college students in the country,” Husmann added. “We are honored that Bob and Bonnie decided to invest in Lawrence in this most thoughtful fashion.”

This is the third gift of $1 million or more Lawrence has received in the past nine months for student scholarship support.

Lawrence University Theatre Dept. Presents Wilder’s Pulitzer-Winning Play “The Skin of Our Teeth”

APPLETON, WIS. — Thornton Wilder’s 1942 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “The Skin of Our Teeth” comes to Lawrence University’s Stansbury Theatre May 14-15 at 8 p.m. and May 16 at 3 and 8 p.m.

Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

The comically anachronistic tale focuses on the trials and misadventures of the nuclear American family. With biting wit, Wilder examines the perseverance of the human race through all of life’s disasters and the lessons of history to provide answers for the future.

“Wilder’s deft juxtaposition of the familiar with the unlikely takes us on a wild romp through history and humanity,” said Kathy Privatt, associate professor of theatre arts and James G. and Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama, who will direct the production.

Wilder creates archetypal characters like the protective mother, the prodigal son, and the seductive maid to tell the story of the Antrobus family in this universal drama. Wilder’s loose conception of time and non-continuous plot bring the characters into extreme situations during each act.

The family travels from the dawning of the Ice Age to the moments before the Great Flood (of Noah). Written in 1942, Wilder anticipates the eventual end of World War II: the final scene takes place in the aftermath of a great world war that even included animals.

“Choosing to direct this play was giving myself permission to spend artistic energy on a favorite script,” said Privatt. “World events in the last year have made it a tremendously topical play, including its underlying message of hope.”

Seniors Eric Ohlrogge and Nora Taylor play Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus while sophomores Jeff Rudisill and Erika Thiede play the Antrobuses’ children, Henry and Gladys, respectively. Sophomore Katie Cravens portrays Sabina, the family’s maid.

The Nation’s Best: Lawrence University Musicians Earn Top Honors from DownBeat Magazine

APPLETON, WIS. — One is fun. Two is twice as nice.

Two distinctly different sets of Lawrence University musicians have been honored as the nation’s best by DownBeat magazine in its 32nd annual student music awards competition.

The Lawrence University Wind Ensemble, under the direction of assistant professor of music Andy Mast, was named the winner in the classical group division, which encompasses chamber ensembles, bands and orchestras from around the country. The seven-member student band Fatbook shared top honors with the Funk Fusion Ensemble of the University of Miami in the magazine’s blues/pop/rock category as the nation’s best college band.

Winners will be announced in DownBeat’s upcoming June edition, which hits newsstands on May 19. Known as “DBs” and presented in 15 categories in four separate divisions (junior high, high school, performing high school and college) the DownBeat awards are considered among the highest music honors in the field of jazz education.

The two latest awards push Lawrence’s DB total to 15 since the competition was launched in 1978, and the college’s fifth DB since 2005.

“What a thrill,” said Mast. “I really had no idea what our chances would be, so it was very exciting to receive the news of this honor. I’m proud to be associated with the ensemble.”

The audition CD Mast submitted for the competition was a collection of pieces performed in concerts in the winter and spring of 2008 and the fall of 2008.

“There really are two groups of students who contributed to winning this award,” said Mast. “It’s so gratifying to have the ensemble students recognized like this because they so richly deserve it. They work incredibly hard, are extremely dedicated to being the best musicians they can be and are a true privilege to work with.

“The external recognition is certainly great because it shines a national spotlight on Lawrence as the first-rate school that it is,” Mast added, “but I am even happier for the internal satisfaction this brings the students who work so hard on a daily basis to make it that way.”

Fatbook, which started out strictly as a reggae band in the fall of 2007, becomes a footnote in Lawrence history as the college’s first non-curricular ensemble to be recognized by DownBeat.

The band features three home-grown musicians — senior Harjinder Bedi, lead vocals and guitar, junior Jake Crowe, tenor saxophone and Ted Toussaint, trumpet, all from Appleton — as well as senior Nick Anderson, bass, from Verona, Wis., senior Evan Jacobson, trombone, from Oak Park, Ill., junior Dario LaPoma, piano, from Eugene, Ore., and senior Kyle Traska, drums/ percussion, from Oregon, Wis.

While Fatbook musical style has evolved into a more diverse sound, it hasn’t completely abandoned its original sound and reggae remains a central influence on the band.

“We don’t like to categorize ourselves in any one genre of music. We like to draw on a wide variety of influences, including rock, pop, jazz, reggae and even a little bit of hip-hop,” said Jacobson.

Fatbook’s entry in DownBeat’s student music awards competition was a disc of three original compositions. They will be releasing their first CD, “No Time to Lose,” a 10-track disc of all original material, later this month.

According to Toussaint, much of the original material they perform is a result of “shared composition.”

“Someone will suggest a core idea, but we’ll flesh it out together as a group,” said Toussaint. “All the guys in the band listen to and participate in a wide range of musical styles, so we naturally bring that diversity to the table.”

The band, which also performs cover material ranging from The Police to Bela Fleck to Bob Marley, has made inroads in the local club scene, performing at such area venues as Mill Creek Blues, Stone Cellar Brewery and Cranky Pat’s.

Fred Sturm, director of jazz and improvisational music at Lawrence, has served as a mentor to the fledgling band and has watched with pride as they’ve evolved.

“These are all talented young musicians who are beginning to realize some of their musical dreams while still college students. That’s a thrill to witness,” said Sturm. “They’re striving to establish a unique musical identity and they’ve got enormous heart for the task of making it all happen. Earning a DownBeat award is a great first step for them.”

This year’s DownBeat competition drew a total of 832 ensemble and individual entries for all categories in all four divisions.