Press Releases

APPLETON, WIS. — The Lawrence University Wind Ensemble will be among a select group of featured performers March 13-15 at the College Band Directors National Association North Central Division Professional Conference at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Under the direction of Andrew Mast, assistant professor and director of bands, the Lawrence Wind Ensemble was one of six college ensembles in the 10-state region invited to perform at the conference. The invitations were based on audition tapes of live performance recordings from the 2006-07 academic year.

“The selection is done by peers who know and understand the difficulties and challenges of the repertoire,” said Mast. “It is always a special honor to be recognized by one’s colleagues and peers.

“The north central region is among, if not the, strongest region in the nation for college and university bands,” Mast added. “I’d compare it to winning the ACC title in college basketball versus winning the Patriot League. We are simply in a part of the country with more and better ensembles, so earning a conference invitation against that level of competition is very gratifying.”

The Lawrence Wind Ensemble will perform on Saturday afternoon in the Strauss Performing Arts Center, the last of the six invited ensembles to do so. The hour-long program will include “Early Light” by Carolyn Bremer, Yo Goto’s “Lachrymae,” “Sunan Dances” by Dorothy Chang, “Frenzy” by Andrew Boysen and “Prevailing Wings” a work written by former Lawrence faculty member Rodney Rogers in 1983 for Bob Levy and the wind ensemble.

“Getting to perform on the last day of the conference in a marquee time slot was like icing on the cake,” said Mast.

Putting together the program for the conference proved to be both a joy and a challenge.

“I attempted to represent the widest possible swath of wind band repertoire I could in an hour program,” Mast said. “There is variety in the composers’ gender, ethnic background and style. I also wanted to present a unified journey from the beginning to the end of the program that takes listeners and performers through the entire gamut of emotions — joy, celebration, mourning, passion, vigor.”

Joining Lawrence as audition-selected performers at the conference will be the Drake University Wind Symphony, the Northwestern University Symphonic Band, the University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the UW-Eau Claire Wind Symphony and the Western Illinois University Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

“I am extraordinarily proud of the students and the hard work they have put into this program,” said Mast. “It has been an honor and a pleasure to prepare for the conference and I’m looking forward to showcasing Lawrence and our talented students.”

The College Band Directors National Association began its existence as a committee of the Music Educators National Conference in the 1930s and assumed its current organizational name in 1947. Members of the CBDNA are dedicated to the teaching, performance, study and cultivation of music, with particular focus on the wind band medium.

APPLETON, WIS. — Lawrence University’s recent production of “Blood Wedding” drew accolades from the American College Theatre Festival for the cast, production staff, musicians and director.

Juniors Brune Macary, Lyon, France, and Cara Wantland, McAllen, Texas, earned invitations to the 2009 Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition for their individual performances, while the ACTF issued Certificates of Merit for the ensemble, the music design, and the production’s director, Annette Thornton.

Macary and Wantland will vie for a $500 scholarship in the Ryan competition next January in Saginaw, Mich., at the ACTF’s five-state regional competition. Winners at the eight regional competitions advance to the national auditions at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in April, 2009.

In Lawrence’s production of Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca’s tale of love, passion and betrayal, Macary played the role of the wedding bride, an unhappy young woman tormented by the presence of a former lover on the night of her arranged marriage. Wantland portrayed Death, an eerie and morbid personification of the force that drives two men to their ends.

In awarding an ensemble (cast and production staff) certificate of merit, Roger Held, chair of the theatre department at Michigan Tech University and an ACTF respondent, wrote “the movement of actors whether in a scene or executing a scene shift was perfect, effortless and economical. They created a mental realm and moment-to-moment focus that kept the audience transfixed.”

In his certificate for music design, Held cited the 10 student musicians for providing “a unified musical voice that, with so many participants, could easily have degenerated into chaos. The collaborative and unselfish efforts of these students is remarkable and gave a special and unique quality to the performance.”

Held praised Thornton as “the epitome of a theatrical director, one who gives direction to the arts and crafts of others while making their personal contribution almost invisible” in his certificate of merit for direction.

Founded in 1969, the ACTF recognizes the finest and most exciting work produced in college theatre programs and provides opportunities for participants to develop their theatre skills. Conducted since 1972, the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship was established in the will of the late actress, best known for her role as the lovable and feisty Granny Clampett on the TV hit show “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

APPLETON, WIS. — Everyone should have such successful first tries.

Lynn Gilge had never shot a video before getting an assignment for one for her digital processes class at Lawrence University. Not only did her videography debut earn Gilge an ‘A’ for the assignment, it wound up being selected for the exhibition “Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes” at Minneapolis’ prestigious Walker Art Center.

The four-minute video titled “Continuous Fence” features a dizzying series of fence styles, including traditional white picket, decorative wrought-iron and industrial chain link. Gilge, a sophomore at Lawrence from Phillips, shot the video in one day while walking around Appleton. Some thoughtful observation turned into spontaneous inspiration.

“Back home, I live out in the country, but as I thought about people living in suburbia and started looking at how close the houses are and how many of them have fences around their yards, I was struck with the notion of ‘Are they trying to keep things in, or are they trying to keep things out?,'” said Gilge.

“It’s incredible that Lynn was able to communicate her artistic vision so poetically and that the Walker recognized its hypnotic beauty,” said Julie Lindemann, assistant professor of art at Lawrence, who co-teaches the digital processes class.

“Continuous Fence” was one of 12 videos selected by the Walker Art Center from a nation-wide call for submissions through the popular Internet site YouTube. All of the videos are being shown on a television set in a faux 1970’s suburban basement rec room — complete with paneling, shag carpet and bean bag chairs — the art center constructed specifically for the exhibition, which runs through Aug. 17.

“I couldn’t believe it when I received the email saying my video had been selected for the exhibition,” said Gilge, who is pursuing a major in both studio art and English at Lawrence. “I started calling everyone I knew. It was really kind of surreal. The work of some very famous artists are on display at the Walker, folks like Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko, even Yoko Ono, so to have something I did featured in the same art museum with artists of that stature is beyond description.”

While heartily endorsing the video-making experience as “a lot of fun,” Gilge said it wasn’t without its anxious moments.

“I was a little nervous walking in front of all these people’s houses with a video camera,” Gilge said. “I was worried someone would be suspicious of my intentions and report me to the police.”

During her filming, she did draw the attention of one excited homeowner, who came out to question what she was up to. But Gilge’s explanation of a class assignment quickly defused the situation.

That Gilge’s video debut wound up being part of an exhibition at a major art museum is even more remarkable given the fact she was initially “wait-listed” for the digital art class due to enrollment limitations. It took someone else dropping out for her to get in.

“There was a whole lot of luck involved in all of this,” Gilge said with a laugh.

APPLETON, WIS. — William Shakespeare’s farcical whirlwind of love, lust and jealousy gets a musical treatment in four performances of Lawrence University’s production of Otto von Nicolai’s comic opera “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”

The opera will be performed March 6-8 at 8 p.m. and March 9 at 3 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre of the Lawrence Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students, are available at the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Through masterfully rich orchestration and beautifully sweeping melodies, Nicolai’s setting of Shakespeare’s farce of the same name follows the amorous antics of Sir John Falstaff and his struggle with the battle of the sexes. The aging and prodigiously portly Falstaff attempts to simultaneously court two married women, who quickly become aware of his plot and plan their revenge.

Visiting Professor of Music John T. Gates, who is directing the production, notes that audiences may be more familiar with “Falstaff,” Verdi’s operatic adaptation of the same story, but he considers “The Merry Wives of Windsor” to be “a more successful wedding of music and drama.”

“The mythological personification of Love randomly afflicts unsuspecting human beings with uncontrollable passions and then sits back to watch its spectacles unfold, be they tragic, comic or sublime,” said Gates. “For me this human vulnerability to the whims of Love is at the core of Shakespeare’s ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor.'”

The production features a double cast of singers with one performing Thursday and Saturday nights and the other taking the stage Friday and Sunday. Gates said audiences will be treated to “two excellent casts of students singing this fantastical story of love gone right and love gone wrong.”

Gates is a veteran of the opera world, with a resume featuring more than 1,000 performances covering 80 roles in many of Germany’s most important opera houses and concert halls. David Becker, who directs orchestral studies at Lawrence, is the musical conductor for the production. Bonnie Koestner, Brian DeMaris and Tad Hardin are the production’s vocal coaches.

APPLETON, WIS. — Lawrence University has been awarded a core set of resources by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) designed to enhance the preservation of valuable artifacts and historical records housed in its archives. As part of the IMLS’s “Connecting to Collections Bookshelf” program, Lawrence will receive conservation books, DVDs and online resources that provide guidance on preservation procedures.

Located in the Seeley G. Mudd Library, the Lawrence University Archives is the repository of historical records of both Lawrence and Milwaukee-Downer College, which consolidated with Lawrence in 1964.

“Maintaining an institution’s heritage and history is at the heart of all collections efforts,” said Lawrence archivist Julia Stringfellow. “The Bookshelf award is a wonderful resource that will greatly support the preservation of, and access to, the collections housed in our archives.”

The IMLS is the primary source of federal funding for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Its Bookshelf program focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries’ special collections.

Based on an application detailing the needs and plans for care of its collections, Lawrence was among the first recipients of a 2008 IMLS Bookshelf, which addresses such topics as collections management and planning, emergency preparedness and culturally specific conservation issues. Lawrence, UW-Madison and UW-Eau Claire were the only colleges or universities in Wisconsin awarded an IMLS Bookshelf in the initial round of grants.

“A recent national study tells a sobering story about the state of America’s library and museum collections,” said Anne Radice, director of the IMLS. “Without immediate action, we stand to lose important collections that are at the heart of the American story.”

According to the IMLS report “Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America’s Collections,” 190 million objects need conservation treatment, 65 percent of collecting institutions have damaged collections due to improper storage and 40 percent of institutions have no funds allocated in their annual budget for preservation and conservation.

APPLETON, WIS. — A Taiwanese initiative to join the United Nations that caused China to declare a “period of high danger” and drew criticism from the United States could have serious foreign policy ramifications says a leading scholar on relations between the three countries.

Richard Bush, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., presents “The Taiwan Strait Issue and U.S.-China Relations” in the final installment of Lawrence University’s 2008 Povolny International Studies Lecture Series, Monday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in Science Hall Room 102. The event is free and open to the public.

A 1969 Lawrence graduate, Bush will examine the “Taiwan muddle,” including implications of a proposed referendum on the question of whether the island should become a member of the United Nations. The current plan calls for the referendum to be held in connection with Taiwan’s March 22 presidential election. He also will discuss the causes of political tensions between China and Taiwan despite their growing economic cooperation, among them poor communication, a conflict of goals and a mix of politics and external policies.

During a distinguished public service career spanning more than 20 years, Bush spent 1997-2002 as the chairman and managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan and also served on the House Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is the author of three books, including 2007’s “A War Like No Other: The Truth About China’s Challenge to America.”

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in political science from Lawrence, Bush earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Columbia University. In June 1998, he was awarded the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal.

The “U.S.-China Relations” 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.

APPLETON, WIS. — More than 300 voices will join forces in tribute to some of America’s greatest composers Sunday, Feb. 24 for the EXPERIENCE American Choral Masterpieces concert at 2 p.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton. The concert is free and open to the public.

In a pre-concert lecture begining at 1:15 p.m., Lawrence music historian Julie McQuinn will explore the concept of “American” music, examine the history of America’s quest to define itself musically and discuss the music and attitudes of some of the diverse group of composers featured on the concert program.

The two-hour concert will showcase Lawrence’s own Concert Choir, Cantala (women’s choir) and Viking Chorale as well as a special “Festival Choir” of 140 exceptional high school singers nominated by their respective choral directors.

Members of the Festival Choir were drawn from 20 high schools in six states, including as far away as Oregon and Vermont. The choir will have a strong local flavor, with singers from Appleton East, Appleton West, Xavier, Ashwaubenon, Green Bay Southwest and Oshkosh West high schools performing with the Lawrence choirs. The entire Appleton North High School choir also will perform.

The concert, supported by a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, will be performed under the direction of noted guest conductor Charles Bruffy, artistic director of the Phoenix Bach Choir and the Kansas City Chorale. Praised by many as the next great American choral conductor, The New York Times named Bruffy a potential heir apparent to the late great Robert Shaw and Fanfare magazine has hailed him as “one of the next big things in American choral music.”

Focusing exclusively on works by noted American composers, among them Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland and Eric Whitacre, the program will include the world premiere of “Careless Carols,” a commissioned work written specifically for this concert by award-winning composer Andrew Rindfleisch.

Considered among the leading composers of his generation, Rindfleisch is the director of music composition studies at Cleveland State University. His work has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, among them the Aaron Copland Award, the Koussevitzky Foundation Commission from the Library of Congress and the 1997-98 Rome Prize.

APPLETON — The nine-member, all-male vocal ensemble Cantus brings its impeccable technique to the stage of the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave., Appleton, Saturday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. as part of the 2007-08 Lawrence University Artist Series.

Tickets for the concert, at $22-20 for adults, $19-17 for seniors, and $17-15 for students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Hailed by Gramophone Magazine for its “astonishing perfection of tone and diction,” Cantus sings in the bel canto tradition, presenting music freely and colorfully, with repertoire spanning a broad range of periods and genres, including Renaissance, world music and pop. The Lawrence concert program will include an Indian raga, an African-American spiritual, a Japanese folk song and a piece by Bobby McFerrin.

Founded in 1995 by four St. Olaf College students, Cantus has earned praise as one of the nation’s finest professional male vocal ensembles through national tours and more than 400 concerts, including performances at the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress. Shahzore Shah, a 1999 Lawrence graduate, performs as a member of Cantus.

Cantus has released eight CDs, including last year’s self-titled disc that NPR named one of the Top Ten recordings of 2007. It showcases their varied style through a 20th-century Russian sacred music work, a Smokey Robinson tune and an amusing faux-Finnish piece.

Lawrence gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts in sponsorship of this concert.