Singing a Different Tune: The EDLOS­The Bad Boys of A Cappella perform Dec. 20 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Bad Boys Return for Good Show at Lied

They wowed the Lied Center last season with their gorgeous voices and hilarious antics, and now The EDLOS-The Bad Boys of A Cappella, are coming back to the Lied Center for Performing Arts for a fun-filled holiday special. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Dec. 20.

The EDLOS - Ed Cohn, Eric Morris, Larry Venza and Craig Knudsen - offer a holiday show unlike any other. With a cappella renditions of holiday classics and some not-so-traditional songs, The EDLOS use their masterful voices to great effect. But powerful singing is only the beginning of this performance. An EDLOS show also includes a large dose of humor mixed with arena-style lighting, wacky costumes, silly wigs, funny hats and all sorts of mayhem. The result is an inventive performance that will tickle the funny bone and put you in the holiday spirit.

All four members of The EDLOS have extensive operatic training and continue to perform with professional opera companies when not touring with The EDLOS. Where does the group's name come from? The members say that EDLOS stands for "Excessive Decibels from Outer Space" and that they are aliens exiled from the planet "A" (in the system of "Cappella") for singing too loudly. Another story has it that after meeting at a cast party, the group banded together to recapture the joy of performing that had been lost in years of professional opera work. Whatever their origin, The EDLOS are on a mission to break new ground in a cappella performances through humor and originality.

John Cutler, arts writer for the Lincoln Journal Star and KFOR radio personality, will deliver a preperformance talk in the Lied's Steinhart room 30 minutes prior to curtain.

As part of the Family Favorites series, tickets for this performance are $10, half price for students. Call the Lied box office at 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability.

Featuring design concepts made possible by digital printing, Digital Connections in Imagery, Cloth and the Human Form opens Jan. 8 in the Home Economics building.

Hillestad Gallery Hosts Digital Imagery Installation

The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery presents Digital Connections in Imagery, Cloth and the Human Form, a new installation opening Jan. 8. The exhibition runs through Feb. 2 in the gallery located the Home Economics building.

A special digital print demonstration will coincide with the opening reception for the exhibition from 2-5 p.m. Jan. 14. Designers J.R. Campbell and Mary Stieglitz have created an installation that explores new design concepts made possible through the use of digital printing technology for textiles. Viewers will be presented with an environment in which they view and interact with fabrics that address our human presence.

"Textiles are an excellent medium for the expression of identity and transmission of new ideas," the artists say. "We can attach imagery to the surface of cloth and instantly give the image new meaning. We begin to associate with the image, perhaps wear it, walk through it as it is draped in a passageway. We might see it as having a spiritual significance, a functional purpose or an expressive or symbolic ability."

They are fascinated with the relationship between historic textile technology and contemporary computer-assisted design, citing the Jacquard loom as the precursor to the computer. Digital printing to cloth provides a rich forum for new directions in textile art and surface design, as well as in the textile and apparel industry.

Campbell is an assistant professor of textiles and clothing at Iowa State University. A graduate of the University of California-Davis, he is studying and creating in the areas of digital capture, development and surface application to textile art and design. He is exploring the visual, cultural and technological aspects of digital textile printing as he creates connections between two-dimensional print design and three-dimensional garment forms.

Stieglitz is professor and chair of the department of art and design at Iowa State. A trained studio photography artist, she is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where her research examined art and visual perception. She works in traditional and wide-format digital photography and her images explore the visible and metaphoric patterns of the visual world, merging the inner and outer worlds.

For more information, contact Wendy Ruth Weiss at 472-6370.

Support Your Local Artist

Jill Hochstein, software manager for University Television, gets a better look at a pot during the Biannual Pottery Sale staged by UNL ceramics students Dec. 8 in the newly renovated Richards Hall.

University Singers at Carnegie Hall

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's premier choral ensemble, the University Singers, will present a solo performance at 8 p.m. Jan. 14 on the famous stage at New York City's Carnegie Hall. Later in the program, they will combine with the New York Chamber Orchestra and singers from Hofstra University for a performance of Mendelssohn's Psalm 42, Opus 42.

While many groups have had the opportunity to participate in Carnegie's massed chorus and festival programs in recent years, or to perform preludes to formal concerts, it is still rare that a choral ensemble be given the prime 8 p.m. performance slot. The UNL choral program has experienced tremendous growth is the past three years. The University Singers have grown from 36 singers to 72, the Varsity Men's Choir has grown from 12 to 124, and other choirs, Concert Choir, University Chorale, a new choir - Collegiate Chorus, have all experienced growth or additional interest.

Open Auditions Jan. 22 for Role in Ragtime

An open audition for the role of "Little Coalhouse" in the touring production of Ragtime will start at 6 p.m. Jan. 22 in the Lied Center's Steinhart Room. The Lied is staging eight performances of a touring production of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Jan. 23 through 28.

The Ragtime company is looking for two African-American boys between the ages of 4 and 6 and no taller than 40 inches for this paying role. This non-speaking part has limited stage time during the show's finale. Audition registration begins at 6 p.m. with auditions following immediately. Each child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and must have a note with contact information, age, height and experience (if any). Children auditioning for Ragtime do not need previous stage experience, but will be evaluated on how well they follow directions. Children should wear clothing that won't hinder movement as they may be asked to perform a few physical activities. For more information, call the Lied Center at 472-4700.

Ragtime, based on the popular novel by E.L. Doctorow, is the story of three dreamers-an African-American who dreams of equality for his family, an immigrant who dreams of a better life in a new country, and a wife who dreams of breaking out from her dull existence.

Public Radio Programs Holiday Fare Dec. 17 ­ 23

Sustain the holiday spirit whether at home, at the office or even in your car by tuning in to special seasonal programming on the Nebraska Public Radio Network Dec. 17 - 23.

A Chanukah Special: The Golden Dreidl and A Klezmer Nutcracker, airing at 7 a.m. Dec. 17, features public radio series Sound & Spirit host Ellen Kushner and the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra in a fresh retelling of an old story.

Magnificats in the Morning, NPRN music director William Stibor's annual airing of musical settings of the words of Mary, will be broadcast at 9 a.m. Dec. 18 - 22. Another traditional holiday program featured that week will be readings from holiday works of Nebraska authors Bess Streeter Aldrich and Mari Sandoz by NPRN announcer Lora Black. Black will present her readings each day at 3:15 p.m.

NPRN will broadcast Christmas Around the Country, a special presentation from National Public Radio's Performance Today, at 1 p.m. Dec. 19.

On Dec. 21, listeners can tune in at 1 p.m. to Christmas Suites and Carols, the U.S. Coast Guard Band's popular Christmas concert featuring selections from Leroy Anderson's rarely heard Suite of Carols. At 10 p.m., NPRN will air Star of Wonder, the renowned choirs and symphony orchestra of Concordia College in Moorehead, Minn., performing works by Felix Mendelssohn, John Rutter and Rene Clausen.

At 11 a.m. Dec. 22, NPRN will broadcast Ancient Noels, a performance by the Ensemble Galilei offering enchanting interpretations on an all-instrumental program of carols, Renaissance dances and more.

Ending the week on a festive note, NPRN host Dave Hughes has selected a unique mix of holiday-inspired jazz, blues and world music to air at 11 p.m. Dec. 23 during Late in the Evening Holiday Party.

NPRN broadcasts on the following frequencies: Alliance/91.1 FM; Bassett/90.3 FM; Chadron/91.9 FM; Columbus/90.3 FM; Culbertson/92.7 FM; Falls City/91.7 FM; Harrison/89.5 FM; Hastings/Grand Island/89.1 FM; Lexington/88.7 FM; Lincoln/90.9 FM; Max/93.3 FM; McCook/92.7 FM; Merriman/91.5 FM; Norfolk/89.3 FM; and North Platte/91.7 FM.

Holiday Specials on the NETV Network

The following are just a few of the afternoon and evening holiday programs on the Nebraska ETV Network and NETV2 in the coming week.

At 9 p.m. Dec. 19, the acclaimed Frontline series explores the life of Jesus, challenging conventional assumptions about the origins of Christianity in From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians. Drawing upon new and sometimes controversial historical evidence and interviews with leading New Testament scholars, the series traces Jesus' life, focusing on the events after he died and on his first followers. This two-hour program will be rebroadcast on NETV2 at 6 p.m. Dec. 23.

At 1 p.m. Dec. 21 and. 22, celebrity guests, a family of lovable puppets and a time-traveling mouse named Mitzvah combine on Alef . . . Bet . . . Blast-off! Rachel and David Blastowitz, brother and sister puppets, learn firsthand lessons by witnessing important moments in Jewish history, and teach children and adults about Jewish heritage.

Christmas in Vienna will be presented at 2 p.m. Dec. 21. In the Vienna City Hall, an international cast will perform seasonal songs such as "Deck the Halls," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and many others. From carols to classical, Christmas in Vienna will bring the holiday spirit into your home to entertain family and friends of all ages.

Travel from Vienna, Austria, to Decorah, Iowa, as Juletide Fest at Luther College follows Christmas in Vienna at 3 p.m. Dec. 21. Festive music, robed choristers and glowing candlelight capture the joy of the season. Juletide Fest features holiday carols and sacred anthems performed by the nationally recognized musical groups at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Q&A features Photographer Joel Sartore Dec. 21

Get a snapshot of the work of nationally recognized photographer Joel Sartore when he appears on with Ward Jacobson on Q&A, the Nebraska ETV Network's weekly interview series, at 7 p.m. Dec. 21. This episode of Q&A repeats at 11 p.m. the following Friday, at 3:30 p.m. the following Sunday, and at 8 a.m. the following Tuesday on NETV2.

Sartore is one of the nation's best-known freelance photographers. After graduating in journalism from UNL and working at a daily newspaper, Sartore began working for National Geographic magazine in 1990. Since then, he has completed 14 photo stories for National Geographic as both a contract and freelance photographer and published photos in magazines including Audubon, Life, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and Time. He has also published Under a Big Red Sky, a photo essay collection about Nebraska, and recently published a calendar based on that book.

Outdoor Nebraska Features Grouse, Archery

Viewers can join a southeast Nebraska grouse hunt, an archer's first-ever hunt for wild turkey and learn more about how IMAX films are produced on this week's edition of Outdoor Nebraska on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network. This episode of the outdoor news magazine series airs at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21, and repeats at 8 a.m. Dec. 23. The program also repeats on NETV2 at noon Dec. 24.

Join Lincoln hunter David Feddern and his father Ron as they hunt grouse in southeast Nebraska. The southeastern part of the state was newly opened to grouse hunting this fall. In another feature, follow Kathy Schon of Seward as she goes on her first-ever wild turkey hunt last spring near Steinauer. Schon has been honing her archery skills for some time, but the male turkey is one of the wild's more cagey creatures.

Outdoor Nebraska also provides an on-the-scene look at the production process of an IMAX film about the Lewis and Clark expedition. The IMAX producers shot scenes filmed on the Missouri River and its bluffs near Niobrara, Neb.

Also don't miss the chance to catch two segments featuring photographs taken by people from all over the state. To submit your own photos for "Viewer's Views" (nature shots) and "For the Scrapbook" (favorite photos of proud moments), send your photos to: Outdoor Nebraska TV, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503. Include the name of the photographer, names of people in the photos, location, date, size of fish, etc. Outdoor Nebraska will return all photos submitted.

Museum's Patricia Freeman Guests on Welsch Dec. 29

Patricia Freeman, curator of zoology at the University of Nebraska State Museum, will be the guest on Roger Welsch & when the interview series airs at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 29 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network. The program will repeat on NETV2 at 2 p.m. Dec. 31.

Freeman will talk about the redistribution of wildlife in Nebraska. Mountain lions, eagles and bluebirds, once rare in Nebraska, are being sighted with more frequency.

Welsch and Freeman discuss how the lack of prairie fires has promoted the growth of trees, bushes and other habitat along rivers and other areas, contributing to the shift in the animal population. Freeman also talks about new animals that are moving into Nebraska, some from great distances.

In addition to being curator of zoology and associate director of research at the University of Nebraska State Museum, Freeman is a professor in Museum Studies and the School of Biological Sciences at UNL.

Modern-Day Families Needed for Public TV History Project

Have you got what it takes to be a pioneer?

A new public television series that will take modern-day families and individuals back in time to the rigors and adventure of life in the Old West is looking for applicants.

Thirteen/WNET New York, one of public television's leading producers of national programming, has issued a "Call for Applicants" for Frontier House, a six-part series slated to air in 2002 that will find modern-day Americans living out the trials and triumphs of frontier life.

Thirteen and co-producer Wall to Wall Television, previously brought the acclaimed "experiemental history" series The 1900 House to the Nebraska ETV Network in June.

The participants will spend six months living and working in rural Montana, relying exclusively on the tools, techniques, technology and resources they would have had in the 1880s.

Those with an affinity for the Wild West and the wish to venture into the homesteaders' reality of the late 1880s must complete a detailed application. This questionnaire will help the series' producers assess the motivation, skills and ability of applicants to adhere to the strict set of rules.

Interested parties may apply for Frontier House in several ways. Applications will be available by writing to: Nebraska ETV Network, Attention: Larry Kubert, P.O. Box 83111, Lincoln, NE 68501. Applications can also be downloaded directly from Nebraska ETV's website, NET Online http://net.unl.edu. The deadline for submission is Jan. 15, and the final participant selections will be made in February. Filming is expected to begin in May.

Statewide Reports on Kearney's Presidential Preparations

Discover what it takes to host the leader of the free world when Statewide, the Nebraska ETV Network's weekly magazine series, airs a special report at 8 p.m. Dec. 15 on Kearney's preparations for President Bill Clinton's visit.

Statewide, which includes up-to-the-minute news reports from across the state and other features of interest, repeats at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16, and at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 17. This episode of Statewide repeats on NETV2 at 3 p.m. Dec. 17.

Statewide correspondent Andrea Gallagher will report in depth on Kearney's preparations to host the president. Gallagher will talk to local officials and members of the president's advance team as they prepare for a speech at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a public appearance at the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument.

Attic Treasures Dusted Off in new Series on ETV

Antiques and collectibles enthusiasts interesting in exploring their hobby further can get buying and selling tips and advice about antique care and preservation on Treasures in Your Attic, a weekly television series airing at 1 p.m. Saturdays, beginning Dec. 23 on the Nebraska ETV network.

The antiques and collectibles series, taped on location, offers tips and appraisals from the experts about evaluating the treasures that may be locked away in your attic. Hosted by newspaper columnist Joe Rosson and Helaine Fendelman, past president of the Appraisers Association of America and a contributing editor and columnist for Country Living Magazine, Treasures in Your Attic will unravel many of the myths and explore the charms and wonders of antiques and collecting.

The first episode focuses on quilts and a discussion of the collector's philosophy "don't throw anything away." Other upcoming shows feature enameled ware, Roseville pottery, perfume bottles, autographs, lunch boxes and political memorabilia, with hints and tips on topics from "when in doubt, ask an expert" to "old doesn't mean valuable."

Author Wilson Is Welsch Guest

Nebraskan Ralph Wilson, author of a new book of photographs of Native Americans taken in the early 1900s, will be the guest on Roger Welsch & when the interview series airs at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 22 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network. The program will repeat on NETV2, at 2 p.m. Dec. 24.

Roger Welsch notes: "Photographs take a moment in time and capture it forever. Sometimes a photo is our only reminder of a person, a place or an entire way of life. So it is with the images in the new book Camera Man and Picture Woman. It's a collection of photographs of Native Americans, especially the Omaha Tribe, and it reminds us how things used to be for this group of people."

Ralph Wilson compiled the book Camera Man and Picture Woman as a tribute to his parents and their love for Native American culture. It is primarily made up of photos taken by his father Otto Wilson. His mother Mabel, known as the "Picture Woman," painted portraits of Native Americans in oils, as well as researching and lecturing on Native American topics.