October 3, 2002

Instrumentalist and vocalist Burhan Öçal.

Oçal, Ensemble showcase music of Eastern Europe

Instrumentalist and vocalist Burhan Öçal returns to the Lied Center for Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 to lead the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble in a selection of music from their homeland of Turkey.

The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble includes a number of Turkey's leading musicians, and the group is dedicated to preserving the 18th and 19th century Gypsy music of Eastern Europe. Members of the ensemble include Öçal on darbuka, a vase-shaped drum played with the fingers, vocals, percussion and strings; Ibrahim Halil Camli on violin and flute; Ekrem Bagi on darbuka; Alaattin Coskuner on kanun, also known as a zither; Ayhan Birol on clarinet; and Huseyin Bitmez on the ud, a Middle Eastern lute. The ensemble has recorded three award-winning CDs.

In addition to playing ancient folk music, the ensemble performs newer compositions that carry on the Gypsy musical heritage.

A native of Turkey, Burhan Öçal grew up in a musical family and was influenced at an early age by Turkish court and folk music. After his first contact with Western music, he became interested in combining other genres such as jazz and Western classical music with his own. Öçal has collaborated with many musicians including a 1999 concert/residency series with jazz star Seamus Blake, which included a performance at the Lied Center.

Randall Snyder of the UNL School of Music will give a talk 30 minutes before the performance in the Lied's Steinhart Room.

Tickets are $28, $24 and $18; college students and those 18 and under pay half price. For ticket information, call the Lied box office at 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231. To order tickets online or for more information on any Lied Center performances, visit www.liedcenter.org.

Righteous Brothers concert is Nov. 26

The Righteous Brothers concert has been moved from Nov. 25 to Nov. 26 because of scheduling conflicts. Curtain time remains at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets issued for the original date will be honored for the new date; new tickets are not needed. Ticket holders may exchange tickets for a different event in the 2002/03 season if they are unable to attend the rescheduled performance. Tickets to be exchanged will need to be returned to the Lied Center box office at 12th and Q streets by the end of October. Call the Lied box office at 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231 with questions.

Tickets for this performance are $48 and $38; tickets for college students and those 18 and younger are half price.

Now at the Lentz Center This corner cupboard made of carved ivory, circa 1875-1915, is part of the "Asian Influence in Miniature" exhibit at the Lentz Center for Asian Culture through Dec. 20. It features items from the UNL College of Architecture's Kruger Collection of miniature objects. This object is 5 1/2 inches high by 2 1/4 inches wide by 2 inches deep.

The New Yorker's Schjeldahl to speak Oct. 4

Peter Schjeldahl, the art critic for The New Yorker, will deliver the keynote address for the Mid-America College Art Association 2002 conference at 8 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Embassy Suites Hotel Grand Ballroom, 11th and Q streets. Schjeldahl's address is free and open to the public.

Before joining The New Yorker in 1998, Schjeldahl was an art critic at The Village Voice from 1990-98. He is a North Dakota native.

The MACAA Conference continues through Oct. 5 at the Embassy Suites. It is sponsored by the Department of Art and Art History, the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, UNL, and the Nebraska Arts Council. An accompanying exhibition, Cause/Effect, continues at the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall through Oct. 17.

Sweden's Cullberg Ballet will present Mats Ek's interpretation of Swan Lake at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Lied Center.

Cullberg Ballet offers new vision of Swan Lake

Sweden's premier modern dance troupe, Cullberg Ballet, will present its version of "Swan Lake" at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

The Swedish government set up the Cullberg Ballet company in 1967 under the direction of Birgit Cullberg. She was well known by that time as a dancer and choreographer, having created the modern ballet classic "Miss Julie" in 1950. Cullberg turned over the reins of the company in 1985 to her son Mats Ek but continued to be involved in the troupe well into her 90s.

This performance features Ek's interpretation of "Swan Lake," which is loosely based on the classic. The original musical score by Tchaikovsky is intact, but in this comic tale, the prince eventually finds the white swan of his dreams, only to discover that the black swan is another side of the same bird. He realizes that life consists of contrasts and that no one, not even a swan, is completely black or white.

Lisa Fusillo, UNL professor of dance, will give a talk 30 minutes before the performance in the Lied's Steinhart Room.

Tickets for this performance are $38, $34 and $28; tickets for college students and those 18 and under are half price. Call the Lied box office at 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231 for tickets. To order tickets online or for more information on any Lied Center performances, visit www.liedcenter.org.

UNL Symphony Orchestra Performs Oct. 4

The UNL School of Music will present the UNL Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in Kimball Recital Hall.

Under the direction of Tyler Goodrich White and graduate associate directors Jiang Liu and Scott A. Shoemaker, the UNL Symphony Orchestra will perform Symphony No. 32 in G major, K. 318 by W.A. Mozart and Symphony No. 1 in D major ­ 'Titan' by Gustav Mahler.

Founded in 1884, UNL Symphony is the oldest continuously operating orchestra in Nebraska.

Tickets for this concert are $5 for general admission for $3 for students (ID required) and are available at the door of Kimball Recital Hall the evening of the performance.

Faculty artist Cochran in concert

The UNL School of Music will present faculty artist Michael J. Cochran, tenor, in concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at Kimball Recital Hall. This performance is free and open to the public.

Cochran will perform Franz Schubert's Die schone Mullerin. Ian Moschenross will accompany at the piano.

Grant to aid tractor museum renovation

A grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services will allow officials at the F. Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum to enhance the museum's renovation plans, according to museum director William Splinter.

"The purpose of this grant is to get the Tractor Museum evaluated by museum professionals so we can better compete for grants to complete the renovation of the museum," Splinter said.

"Supporting the conservation of the vast and varied collections in our nation's museums is central to the mission of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services," said Robert Martin, director of the institute.

The institute is a federal grantmaking agency located in Washington, D.C., that fosters leadership, innovation and a lifetime of learning by supporting museums and libraries.