Appleton

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.

APPLETON, WIS. — A poetic tale of love, passion and betrayal in Spain’s tumultuous 1920s is retold in four performances of Lawrence University’s production of “Blood Wedding,” a tragedy by Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca.

The play will be performed Feb. 21-23 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. in Cloak Theatre of the Lawrence Music-Drama Center, 420 E. College Ave., Appleton. Tickets, at $10 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, are available at the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.

Rich with symbolism, “Blood Wedding” weaves together music, dance and storytelling to reveal a marriage ceremony filled with jealousy and romance. Set in rural Andalusia just before the Spanish Civil War, the play examines themes of individualism vs. society, a woman’s role in society and death.

Lawrence’s production is only the second time the play will be performed using the new translation by Caridad Svich, an award-winning Latina playwright and translator whose works have been staged throughout the United States and abroad.

“Blood Wedding,” directed by Annette Thornton, postdoctoral fellow in theatre arts, is the second of three productions in the theatre department’s celebration of Spanish playwrights during the 2007-08 season.

APPLETON, WIS. — As the presidential primary season rolls on, how well do voters know the candidate for whom they intend to vote? Perhaps not as well as they think says a Lawrence University researcher who helped create a Web site to help voters identify the candidate that best aligns with their own views on the issues.

Since making its debut, MyElectionDecision.org has attracted more than 7,500 users from 27 countries — China, India, Iraq, Nigeria and Thailand among them — who have taken advantage of its interactive questionnaires to help match their views with candidates’ statements.

“People using this Web site have reported being surprised by the candidates they seem to support based on the issues alone,” said Lawrence University’s Rob Beck, a member of the team that created the site. “Many users have seen that their original choice of candidate was based more on personal characteristics and less on ideas.”

Launched in mid-October, and created by a team of Lawrence faculty and staff, in partnership with researchers from the University of California-Irvine, MyElectionDecision.org was aimed primarily at the Internet-obsessed Millennium Generation, but users have spanned all generations. It allows users to take a blind test without knowing which candidate said what, evaluate which issue statements they support, and then, with computer assistance weighing the preferences, find out which candidate most closely supports their own views.

“In an age of sound bites, we’re asking people to think more deeply about this election and what the candidates positions are on the issues,” said Beck. “What makes MyElectionDecision.org different is that it offers, and requires, a more thoughtful reading of the issues.”

Among five issues the Web site asks users to rank in importance on a one to five scale, the war in Iraq, energy, health care and the economy are all in a virtual dead heat for the lead, with the fifth, immigration, trailing only slightly.

The candidate statements used by MyElectionDecision.org are drawn largely from the official web sites of the various presidential candidates or in some cases from recent speeches to ensure they are both current and accurately capture what the candidate wishes to communicate to the public.

“As the primary races tighten,” Beck said, “I hope voters will finally see that there are substantive differences among the candidates’ positions.”

MyElectionDecision.org is one of several initiatives launched last fall in response to a challenge issued by President Jill Beck to the members of the Lawrence community to increase their political awareness and become more involved in participatory democracy.

Among them is a special seminar on political engagement and student activism that is being team-taught by President Beck, Rob Beck and William Skinner, director of institutional research.

Students in the class have surveyed more than 500 of their classmates to determine what issues are most important to college-age voters. Preliminary results indicate environmental issues, funding for K-12 education and arts, the war on terror, reproductive rights and civil liberties were among the most important to the students from a list of 15 issues.

The completed surveys will be analyzed and the most popular issues will be added to the MyElectionDecision.org questionnaires.

Lawrence senior Nathan Litt, 22, a government major from Sheboygan, was one of the students who conducted the on-campus survey. He said the experience of talking politics with his fellow students exposed him to much of the excitement that is building for the election.

“Young voters are becoming more engaged and turning out at the polls and candidates have to recognize the impact we’re having on the election,” said Litt, who was surprised to discover after taking the MyElectionDecision.org survey that the candidate who best matched his answers wasn’t the same one he planned to vote for. “I like the fact that the role of the young voter has increased.”

APPLETON, WIS. — Author Helen Boyd discusses the evolution of her marriage to a transgendered husband and the legal and personal issues they have encountered in an address and book reading at Lawrence University.

Boyd, who is spending Winter Term as a visiting professor in Lawrence’s gender studies department, presents “Transgender Couples, Queer Heterosexuals and Marriage Rights,” Monday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in Science Hall, 102. A reception with the speaker prior to the address will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Science Hall atrium. Both events are free and open to the public.

The presentation will examine the murky intersection of state marriage laws, the difficulties they pose to transgender couples and the possibility of states having to legally define the terms “man” and “woman.”

In her 2004 book “My Husband Betty,” Boyd details her relationship with Betty Crow, who crossdressed occasionally. Over time, her husband began to be seen as more female than male and so contemplated living full time as a woman. Boyd and Crow were legally married in Brooklyn, N.Y., although they now appear as a couple who can’t be legally married in most places.

Boyd also will read excerpts from her 2007 book “She’s Not the Man I Married,” in which she confronts the nature of marriage, passion and love. She shares observations on the ways relationships are gendered and how one copes — or not — with the emotional and sexual pressures that gender roles can bring to marriages and relationships. “My Husband Betty” was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist in 2005 and “She’s Not the Man I Married” was recently nominated for this year’s Lambda Literary awards.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The City College of New York with degrees in literature and writing, Boyd is teaching “Introduction to Gender Studies” and “Transgender Lives” during her term at Lawrence.

APPLETON, WIS. — Implementing a market system for water could improve the quality and quantity of one of the world’s most important resources says Terry Anderson, executive director of the Property and Environment Research Center in Bozeman, Mont.

The second of three events planned in Lawrence University’s year-long series on entrepreneurial thinking, Anderson presents “Water, Water Everywhere, But Not a Drop to Sell” Monday, Feb. 18 at 4:30 p.m. in Science Hall 102. The event is free and open to the public.

A leading scholar of free market environmentalism, Anderson believes introducing the price mechanism into water policy could help alleviate the problem of water scarcity in areas of the United States by encouraging consumers to utilize the resource more carefully. The presentation will outline how water markets can work, examine the importance of clear and transferable water rights, provide evidence of current working water markets and suggest how water markets could be primed to do more, especially in the Great Lakes region.

A senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and author of the book “Water Markets: Priming the Invisible Pump,” Anderson has written extensively on economic and environmental topics. His work as co-author of the 1991 book “Free Market Environmentalism” was recognized with the Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award, which honors publications that have made the greatest contributions to the public understanding of the free society.

APPLETON, WIS. — For the second straight year, Lawrence University has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to disadvantaged youth by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

“We are extremely pleased to be recognized for our community service efforts again this year and I continue to be amazed by the quality and depth of our work in the community not only by students, but by Lawrence faculty and staff,” said Jill Beck, Lawrence University president. “More and more often, community engagement is an extension of our classrooms and the result is a better learning experience and a better community.”

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award are chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

In the past year, Lawrence, with an enrollment of 1,400, documented 6,000 service hours involving at least 650 students, including more than 50 students who performed at least 20 hours of service per week. Of that total, 1,430 service hours were devoted to the disadvantaged.

Among the initiatives for which Lawrence was recognized was ArtsBridge America, an arts-based outreach program that partners Lawrence students with area K-12 teachers to create unique interdisciplinary projects; the Lawrence Assistance Reaching Youth (LARY) Buddies, a mentoring program for at-risk elementary students; The Volunteers in Tutoring at Lawrence (VITAL) program, which matches students with Fox Valley K-12 students who need help in a wide variety of academic subjects, and the local chapter of A Better Chance program in which Lawrence students serve as tutors and mentors for high school boys who come out of difficult urban environments to live in Appleton and attend local schools.

“College students are tackling the toughest problems in America, demonstrating their compassion, commitment, and creativity by serving as mentors, tutors, health workers and even engineers,” said David Eisner, chief executive officer of CNCS. “They represent a renewed spirit of civic engagement fostered by outstanding leadership on caring campuses.”

“There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded,” said David Ward, president of the American Council on Education. “Earning this distinction is not easy. But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor.”

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations.