Presented by the Berman Music Foundation and the UNL School of Music, the Motion Poets will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 19 in Westbrook Recital Hall. Tickets cost $8 for the public and $4 for students. Tickets are available by calling 476-3112 or at the door starting at 7 p.m.
Motion Poets hit the road again still riding the wave of positive vibes generated by this year's release of "Standard of Living." A follow-up to their 1995 debut, "Truth & Consequence," the new disc is a collection of 11 original compositions. With each member of the ensemble a contributing composer, the works on this recording reflect the range of the sextet's style and the close musical bond of these musicians. Ranging from winging grooves to eastern harmonies, free jazz to beautiful horn trios, "Standard of Living" is "stunning energy and passion, excitement and beauty the music is a terrific blend of tradition and forward thinking," hailed Bob Protzman of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
This Minneapolis/St. Paul sextet brings a big sound to a little band with a trumpeter, a trombonist and a saxophonist/flutist fronting the basic piano-bass-drum trio. On the national scene since 1995, Motion Poets' coffeehouse beginnings were in St. Paul's funky Lowertown. The band rode the front end of a jazz revival in the Twin Cities into the recording studio and onto the jazz club circuit. With near constant touring and at times kamikaze enthusiasm, the music of Motion Poets has caught the attention of the jazz community. The addition of stellar trumpeter Matt Shulman in early 1997 has only augmented the group's abilities.
Playing originals that tap tradition yet add in a mixed bag of moods and avant-garde stylings, Motion Poets blend finesse with facility to create an unclassifiable unique sound - varied, fresh and inspiring.
Motion Poets have toured extensively and been featured in magazines such as Cadence, Down Beat, Jazz Times and Jazziz.
Viennese chamber music comes to Lincoln Oct 24, in person and in repertoire. The inaugural concert of the Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music 1997-98 season features the renowned Vienna Piano Trio playing the music of the Viennese masters Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in the Sheldon Art Gallery Auditorium.
John Bailey, UNL music professor and a member of the artist selection committee of the Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music, said he's pleased to bring the trio to town.
"Superlative reviews of concerts by the Vienna Trio throughout Europe and America forecast an exceptional evening of ensemble performance in Lincoln," he said. "Having spent several summers recently in Vienna, I know of the fame and ability of this youthful group of musicians. . . . I believe that they presently stand at the pinnacle of their profession, and I look forward to an outstanding concert when they perform here."
The program will include Haydn's Trio in A, Beethoven's Trio in D (nicknamed "The Ghost"), and Brahms' Trio in B. The performance will be preceded by a talk on the music to be performed by Professor Clark Potter at 7:30 p.m. The doors of the Sheldon Gallery open at 7 p.m. A reception follows the concert. Parking for people with special needs is available in the lot north of the gallery.
Other concerts in the chamber series of international artists this year include the Alcan String Quartet of Quebec Nov. 14; the Colorado String Quartet Feb. 6; the Boehm Woodwind Quintette from New York March 7; and the St. Petersburg String Quartet from Russia April 4.
Individual admission tickets may be purchased for $25 at the door. Students are admitted for $5. Season tickets for the five concerts of the series are $85; $25 for students. Call 435-5454 for more information.
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Trouble in the Image by Pat O'Neill ©1996 |
From Ken Jacob's fragile but insistent Georgetown Loop to Pat O'Neill's haunting, precision-crafted Trouble in the Image, this program of 35mm avant-garde films - White Light/ White Heat: The Power of Cinema in 35mm showing at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater Oct. 25-26 - is "flat-out dazzling," said Village Voice film critic Amy Taubin.
Also included are two blink-and-you'll-miss-them pieces by Martin Arnold, Peter Kubelka's classic flicker film Arnulf Rainer, and a restored version of Alan Schneider's legendary Samuel Beckett's Film starring Buster Keaton.
White Light/White Heat: The Power of Cinema in 35mm is a 10-film anthology of new and restored classics of avant-garde cinema made in large-gauge 35mm format. Pat O'Neill's astonishing Trouble in the Image provides the centerpiece for this visually stimulating filmgoing experience.
Highlights include the world premiere of the beautiful and mysterious feature Trouble in the /Image: Works on Film 1978-1995 by special effects wizard Pat O'Neill; a neglected masterpiece of existential drama Samuel Beckett's Film, starring the enigmatic Buster Keaton in playwright Beckett's sole filmmaking venture; and a three-film salute to animation pioneer Mary Ellen Bute, whose abstract music shorts premiered at Radio City Music Hall and other prestigious first-run theaters during the 1930s, '40s and '50s.
Also presented in this international palette of award-winning shorts and acclaimed experimental masterworks are films by contemporary artists Ken Jacobs, Martin Arnold, Peter Kubelka and Kilian Dellers.
Stylistically White Light/White Heat uses the feature-length mode to unify each maker's ideas into a denser, more complex cinematic statement. Although each film is a separate artistic enterprise deserving a singular presentation to satisfy filmgoers' expectation of a feature-length cinematic experience, the program expands on the artists' intentions and an audiences' desire for a unified whole.
White Light/White Heat: The Power of Cinema in 35-mm shows at 1, 3, 7 and 9 p.m. Oct. 25 and at 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m. Oct. 26. Admission is $6; $5 for students; and $4 for senior citizens, children and members of the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater.
If the thought of a chamber music concert makes you wrinkle your nose, get hold of this new wrinkle. Four women, four cellos, Beatles, Boccherini, Barber and Bartok. This is not just chamber music. This is CELLO.
Defying a traditional image, the foursome known as CELLO present two concerts at 8 p.m. Oct. 21-22 in the Johnny Carson Theater at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Classically trained, these four can pull the sweetest romantic depths from Claude Debussy, then tear the strings off their instruments by ripping through the Lennon-McCartney classic "I Am The Walrus" or a heart-stopping Miles Davis riff.
Created in 1988, the four players of CELLO are Laura Bontrager, Maria Kitsopoulos, Maureen McDermott and Caryl Paisner. Mixing pop, jazz, rock and hard-core classical music has won this quartet a devoted following. Their inviting way with audiences especially appeals to youthful musicians, who pack the house to hear CELLO.
With two compact disc recordings under their belts, CELLO has played the big time - Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center - as well as tiny college recital halls and music festivals in Europe. Critics rave about CELLO's technical expertise, youthful vitality, interpretation and warm rapport with the audience, who tends to swarm the stage begging for autographs.
CELLO also works to expand the cello quartet repertoire by commissioning new works or settings of established pieces for four cellos.
So why is this group such a hit? In the words of cellist Caryl Paisner: "What this group is about is making music more accessible to a broader audience, especially younger people." She notes there is a hunger for classical music. When Samuel Barber's Adagio for String became the theme song for the movie Platoon, it sold millions of records, and is the No. 1 most requested piece on many classical music stations.
CELLO is appearing as part of the Lied Center's ongoing New Voices series. In addition to supporting performances by emerging artists, New Voices programs are designed to incorporate meaningful outreach experiences for audience members aged 12 to 21. With that in mind, CELLO is sure to meet that goal.
Post-performance discussions with the artists, moderated by Charles Bethea, Lied's executive director, will follow the performances.
Tickets for both 8 p.m. performances in the Johnny Carson Theater are sold out. Call the Lied Box Office to be placed on a waiting list. Tickets are $20. UNL, Nebraska Wesleyan University and Doane College students and youth 18 and younger with proper identification may purchase tickets for half price.
Call the Lied Box Office at 472-4747 for ticket availability. Box Office hours are 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 60 minutes prior to the performance.
THEATRIX opens its 1997 season with Minor Demons at 8 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Howell Theatre. Additional performances are at 8 p.m. Oct. 24 and 7 and 10 p.m. Oct. 25. Tickets are $3 at the door.
Minor Demons is written by Bruce Graham and directed by Michael Rothmayer. It is the nightmare of Deke Winters. When a local boy is accused of raping and murdering a young girl, Winters, a down and out defense attorney, must chose between personal loyalty and professional duty in defending Kenny, a young boy whom he knows is guilty of this unspeakable crime.
THEATRIX, UNL's Second Stage, is a division of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. THEATRIX features student directors, actors and designers in creating non-mainstream theater in the Lincoln area. Other productions this season include John Gurney's Sylvia and William Mastrosimone's The Woolgatherer.
For more information, call Timothy Scholl at 472-1610.
This play contains material which may not be suitable for children.
The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden will present an exhibition of works by the internationally recognized artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, organized collaboratively by the Richmond Art Museum and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.
Probably best known for their projects involving the use of fabric on a very large scale, the Christos have assembled an impressive resume of architectural projects in the course of their 37-year career. Most notable among their past projects are Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, Calif., l 972-76; Wrapped Walk Ways, Loose Park, Kansas City, Mo., 1977-78; Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Fla., 1980-83; The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975-85; The Umbrellas, Japan - USA, 1984-91; and Wrapped Reichstag, Project for Berlin, 1995. These projects are complex and the process of completing one is similar to the detailed process of constructing a building. Many people become involved in different aspects of each project, ranging from legal hearings to actual construction.
This traveling exhibition is drawn from the collection of Thomas Golden, a retired California businessman who is a native of Richmond, Ind. Golden has worked with Christo and Jeanne-Claude for 21 years and has assembled the largest private collection of Christo works in the United States. The collection consists of unique original preparatory art works, including collages of Running Fence, Wrapped Walk Ways and The Umbrellas; and two original packages, a wrapped stapler and a bouquet of artificial carnations. The balance of the collection consists of dye-transfer photographs by Wolfgang Volz of Christo and Jeanne-Claude realized projects, and lithographs and serigraphs of their realized and unrealized projects.
The first Christo and Jeanne-Claude project on which Golden worked was Running Fence. Since then he has participated in many other works, most notably as project director for The Umbrellas. Golden is project director for Over the River, Project for Western USA, which is in progress.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, internationally renowned artists, will present a public lecture at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in the Sheldon Auditorium in connection with their current exhibition Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Tom Golden Collection. This exhibition, organized collaboratively by the Richmond Art Museum and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, is available to the public from Oct. 31 through Jan. 4. Best known for their projects involving the use of fabric on a large scale, the Christos have assembled an impressive resume of architectural projects in the course of their 37-year career.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude will present a public slide lecture, "Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Works in Progress," in which the will discuss the complex process of two new projects: The Gates, Project for Central Park, New York City, and Over the River, Project for the Arkansas River, Colorado.
Following the lecture, Christo and Jeanne-Claude will sign a selection of their books. The presentation and a reception for the artists will be free to the public.
In connection with the current exhibition, the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden will sponsor a series of video screenings documenting the major projects of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Four videos will be presented from noon to 1 p.m. each Tuesday and Wednesday in November in the Sheldon Gallery's conference room. The public is invited to bring a lunch to the screenings.
The schedule of video presentations follows:
The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden has scheduled cultural and educational events and activities to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month in October. Members of the National Cultural Alliance, a coalition of national organizations in the arts and humanities, believe that creativity and lifelong learning are a birthright of every person in this country. By fostering an understanding of the arts and the humanities among all segments of the American public, NCA provides access to new resources, helps strengthen communities and encourages a healthy, productive society.
In October 1993, NCA initiated the first public awareness campaign targeted for the American public, in which the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery has participated each year. Through the campaign, artists, scholars, and arts and humanities organizations were joined by President Bill Clinton, governors, mayors and the public in celebrating the first National Arts and Humanities Month. In support of this national event, hundreds of people across the country volunteer their time to bring attention to the importance of the arts and humanities in their communities.
In celebration of the 1997 National Arts and Humanities Month, the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, in conjunction with the Nebraska Art Association, the Sheldon's membership support organization, plans the following events and activities.
Special events include:
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