Russian Song and Dance Ensemble Oct. 6 at Lied Center

The Don Cossacks of Rostov, under the director of artistic director, Anatoly Kvasov, will bring their ancestral music and dance to the Lied Center for an 8 p.m. concert Oct. 6.

The Don Cossacks, natives of the Russian plains surrounding the Don River, celebrate their unique history and culture through choral singing. For four centuries, the Don Cossacks have used songs to mark the events in their lives - from the somber tunes of men going off to war to the livelier melodies celebrating the end of the workday. Historical stories are also passed down through the songs of the Don Cossacks.

Almost every Don Cossacks tune is accompanied by elements of theater, in most cases, by dancing. The dances of the Cossacks are, in turn, often accompanied by singing, rhythmical voice or instrumental music. It is the custom for the folk songs to be sung without accompaniment, but some of the dance and military songs are performed with a small orchestra.

The Don Cossacks are best experienced in a live performance, because part of their appeal is their colorful and authentic costumes, which reveal a great deal about their heritage.

The Don Cossacks Song and Dance Ensemble is dedicated to preserving their history by performing these works in their original form. They are also inspired to promote and educate about the Cossack culture with their performances. In keeping with this mission, the Don Cossacks tour extensively around the world, including Asia, Europe and North America.

Pre-performance talks will occur in the Lied's Steinhart Room 55 minutes and 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Tickets are $34, $30 and $26; half-price for students.

Call the Lied box office at 472-4747 or toll free (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability.

Fin de Siècle Celebration

Chamber Music Series Opens Oct 2 with Shanghai Quartet

The Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music's "Fin de Siècle" series will celebrate the close of the century with performances featuring works 20th century played by acclaimed ensembles from around the world.

At 8 p.m. Oct. 2 the season opens in the Sheldon Art Gallery Auditorium with the Shanghai String Quartet. The concert will feature Mozart's Quartet in D major (K.499), known as the "Hoffmeister," Beethoven's Quartet in A minor, Opus 132, and String Quartet No 3 by Bright Sheng.

Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, this group has been in residence at the Tanglewood and Ravinia Festivals, and has been praised by the New York Times for its "poetry, intelligence and musical sympathy."

The series continues at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 in the Sheldon auditorium with the return of the Vienna Piano Trio from Austria. In addition to performing works of Haydn, Mozart and Dvoràk, the trio will offer a short group of relatively obscure works by Anton von Webern, the 20th-century Viennese expressionist. Their interpretations of the great Viennese masters have inspired universal acclaim throughout Europe and America.

The Amici Chamber Ensemble will perform Messiaen's famous Quartet for the End of Time at 8 p.m. Jan. 14 in the Sheldon auditorium. Hailing from Toronto, this mixed ensemble of clarinet, violin, cello and piano is committed to stimulating its audiences through diverse and exciting programming. Their performance in Lincoln will serve as a prelude for their second commercial recording of Messiaen's masterwork.

The Pacifica String Quartet will appear at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Sheldon auditorium for a performance of Gyorgy Ligeti's Quartet No. 1. This seldom-heard composition will complement their interpretations of Beethoven's "Harp" Quartet and Mendelssohn's Quartet in F minor. Founded in Los Angeles in 1994, this young quartet received the prestigious Naumburg Chamber Music Award in 1998. Their concert promises to be "full of fire and fun," according to a recent review.

The Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music season culminates with a very special appearance by the Beaux Arts Trio at 8 p.m. March 27 in Kimball Recital Hall. Pianist Menachem Pressler will be joined by two new colleagues, Young Uck Kim (violin) and Antonio Meneses (cello). Critics are already hailing this "new" Beaux Arts Trio as a "felicitous blending of youthful urgency and experienced authority." This concert is presented as a joint venture with the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

Season tickets are available for $90 (adults) and $25 (students); individual tickets will only be available two weeks before each concert. For information, call 435-5454 in Lincoln, or write to LFCM, 1910 Lake Street, Lincoln NE 68502.

A Room, A Family and 50 Years'of Life

Gurney's The Dining Room Opens 99th Theatre Season

A.R. Gurney's The Dining Room is the first play of University Theatre's 99th season. Its premiere performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 in Howell Theatre.

University Theatre is the production wing of the Department of Theatre Arts.

The Dining Room, is a humorous and compassionate play from the author of Sylvia, which was performed by the Nebraska Repertory Theatre last summer, and The Cocktail Hour, which The Rep performed during the summer of 1994.

Scripted as a series of overlapping vignettes, the play visits a host of characters of all ages (50 or more all played by seven actors) as they go about their daily business. Each of the 18 scenes, which range from the comic to the serious, and range in time from the Depression to the 1980s, explores the dynamic relationships of family life. Set in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household, the play takes audiences back to a bygone era when the dining room table was the hub of family life.

Ronald Reagan had been president for almost a year when The Dining Room opened in New York. As the administration harkened back to an idealized America, Gurney, shrewdly, looked back over 50 years of white Anglo-Saxon protestant ascendancy with wisdom and a sense of humor.

An ensemble of undergraduate students, Katie Byrd, Robyn Donner, James Dunn, Heather Harrison, Jessica Hutchinson, Brian Lucas and Mike Meyer, change characters in a seamless collection of moments. For example, a real estate agent and her client search for a short-term home, while brother and sister argue over who will inherit the dining room furniture. Two children are finally permitted to join their father for breakfast, a young boy tries to prevent his family's maid from leaving, a mother and daughter clash over Saturday morning activities, a graduate student converts the room into a workspace, and a birthday party becomes the backdrop for the meeting of two would-be lovers. A family tries to help their aging mother through Thanksgiving dinner, a college student does research on WASPs eating habits, and an architect makes plans for the room's redesign. Each situation presents a glimpse into the human condition: the joys, sorrows, love and sadness that accompany family life.

Michael A. Rothmayer, Ph.D. candidate in theatre arts, directs his first University Theatre main stage production with The Dining Room. Rothmayer's Theatrix productions of Minor Demons and Dead Hamlet were applauded by critics. Rothmayer has taught "Introduction to Theatre" for the Department of Theatre for the past six semesters. He has also worked as a carpenter and as season program editor with the Nebraska Repertory Theatre and as an outreach representative for the department. Rothmayer is currently collaborating with faculty members Charles O'Connor and William Grange on the Web as a teaching tool for "Introduction to Theatre."

Janis Martin, costume designer for the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, Minn., and at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa., is guest costume designer for this production. Martin was most recently in research and marketing with The Production Network, and was assistant professor of Theatre at Marshall University in Huntington, W.V.

Additional performances are Oct. 2 and 5-9. Tickets are available at the box office, 472-2073.

Perlman-Nikkanen-Bailey Piano Trio at Lied Oct. 5, 8

Rising chamber music stars Navah Perlman, Kurt Nikkanen and Zuill Bailey, will bring their piano trio to the Lied Center for Performing Arts in October. At 8 p.m. Oct. 5 the trio will perform in the Johnny Carson Theater. At 8 p.m. Oct. 8, the trio will make a guest appearance with the University Symphony Orchestra on the main stage.

The Perlman-Nikkanen-Bailey Piano Trio will perform chamber pieces by Beethoven and Schubert for its Oct. 5 concert. On Oct. 8 the University Symphony Orchestra will perform works by Wagner and Mussorgsky/Ravel with the Perlman-Nikkanen-Bailey Trio, joining them for Beethoven's Concerto in C Major.

Pianist Perlman has performed to critical acclaim in major concert venues throughout the United States. Perlman began her music studies at age six and later attended the Juilliard School, furthering her mastery of the piano. In addition, she studied chamber music with several masters of the form. Perlman then studied Art History at Brown University while continuing to make concert appearances, however, chronic rheumatoid arthritis forced her to take a five-year hiatus from recitals. In 1996 she regained her strength and has been performing ever since. Perlman's appearance schedule has included orchestra engagements as well as chamber performances with some of the most recognized ensembles in the country. A highlight of her career is the recent cameo appearance with her father, violinist Itzhak Perlman, in the Woody Allen film Everyone Says I Love You.

Born in 1965, violinist Nikkanen made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 12 with the New York Youth Symphony. Two years later he was invited to perform with the New York Philharmonic and graduated from the Juilliard School in 1986. Since that time Nikkanen has appeared as a soloist with leading orchestras in North America, Europe, and Asia. Nikkanen is hailed by his musical peers and audiences for his elegance and technical mastery.

Born into a musical family, cellist Bailey discovered his love for music at age four and subsequently began studying with cellist Loran Stephenson of the National Symphony Orchestra. A recent graduate of the Juilliard School masters degree program, Bailey has presented recitals throughout the country and recently completed a tour throughout the Middle East as part of a series to promote peace. Bailey is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Peabody Conservatory Yale-Gordon Concerto Competition and the Juilliard Cello Competition.

Founded in 1884, the orchestra program at UNL is the oldest continuously operating orchestra in the state. Members are selected from qualified musicians throughout the university, from doctoral candidates in musical performance to undergraduates in nonmusical disciplines. Former members of the orchestra now hold positions in major symphony orchestras and on music faculties throughout the United States.

As director of orchestral activities at the School of Music, Tyler White maintains an active career as conductor, composer and teacher. Before coming to UNL in 1994, White directed orchestras at Cornell University and Trinity University. As a composer, White has received commissions from numerous ensembles and has received various awards and grants. In 1985, his orchestral piece Triptych (Symphony No. 1) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Pre-performance talks occur in the Lied's Steinhart Room 55 minutes and 30 minutes prior to curtain for the Oct. 8 performance only.No late seating will be allowed for the performance in the Carson Theater.

Tickets for the Oct. 5 performance are $24; tickets for the concert on Oct. 8 are $24, $20, and $16; student tickets are half-price. Call the Lied box office at 472-4747 or toll free (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability.

Guest Artists Present Concert Oct. 12

The School of Music presents present guest artists Edward Laut, cello, and Jack Winerock, piano, 8 p.m. Oct. 12 in Kimball Recital Hall. Admission is free.

Laut and Winerock will perform works by Antonio Vivaldi, Joaquín Cassadó, Charles Hoag, Johannes Brahms and David Popper.

Laut has appeared as soloist on radio and television in the United States and abroad. Concerto for Cello and Jazz Band, Sonata for Solo Cello, and Suite for Cello and Jazz Trio, by renowned composer David Baker, were written for, premiered and recorded on the Liscio label by Laut. He has recorded for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and National Public Radio and won the plaudits of such composers as Samuel Barber, Virgil Thompson and George Crumb for his performances of their works. Laut has held principal positions in the Manilla Symphony, the Atlantic Symphony, and the USAF Band and Orchestra, Washington, D.C., was assistant principal of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and cellist in the Cleveland Orchestra. He taught in the Philippines under the auspices of the JDR III Fund Project. In 1977 he joined the faculty of the University of Kansas, where he was named outstanding educator by the Mortar Board Society.

A graduate of Juilliard with a doctorate from the University of Michigan, Winerock made his recital debut at Carnegie Recital and his orchestral debut with the National Symphony Orchestra. He was a prize winner in the 1976 International Bach Competition and the 1978 International Competition for Excellence in American Music sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He performed for the first time in the People's Republic of China in 1986 and in Japan in 1988. Winerock is professor piano at the University of Kansas. He has also served as visiting professor at the Chopin Academy in Warsaw, the Herzliya Conservatory in Israel, and Middlesex University in London. His students have achieved success in numerous national and international competitions and hold important university and conservatory professorships in North America, Europe and Asia.

Faculty Recital by Violist Clark Potter Oct. 10

The School of Music presents faculty artist Clark Potter, viola, with guest artist John D. White, composer, pianist, baritone, in recital at 3 p.m. Oct. 10 in Kimball Recital Hall. Admission is free.

Potter and White will be assisted by David C. Neely, violin; Susan Moeser, organ; Philip Blackburn, baritone and Anthony Falcone and Chris Gordon, percussion. The program will feature works by Bohuslav Martinu, Paul Hindemith and John D. White; with Benjamin Carlisle, conducting.

Potter is assistant professor of viola at the NU School of Music and principal violist of the Lincoln Symphony. Potter received his master of fine arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts, his master of music degree from Indiana University and his bachelor of music from Western Washington University. He is an artist/teacher of viola at the Lutheran Summer Music Camp and violist of the Omega String Quartet. He has also served as artist/teacher at the Csehy Summer School of Music in Philadelphia. Potter is an active recitalist, having performed in 13 states in this decade, and he has premiered numerous works for viola. He has studied with Charmian Gadd, Peter Marsh, and James Dunham. Prior to his appointment at UNL, Potter was associate professor of strings at Eastern Oregon State College, and conductor of the college orchestra. He has written for American String Teacher Magazine and is a past president of the American String Teachers Association, Oregon chapter.

Fanciful Flowers: Botany and the American Quilt

The "Fanciful Flowers: Botany and the American Quilt" exhibit at the Cooper Gallery in Morrill Hall opened a new series of botanical quilts on Sept. 25. This is the second round of an exhibit featured at the University of Nebraska State Museum from Feb. 20, 1999 through January 2001.

Floral patterns in quilts are an important aspect of the history of quilts and the history of women. For centuries, women have been using herbs and plants as healing aides and as food. In the 19th century botany became the most popular science for women to study in the United States. As a result, in the latter years of the 19th century, the University of Nebraska developed a botany program for women. At the same time, interest in botany inspired the creation of numerous floral quilts. The appreciation of natural beauty as celebrated in these quilts demonstrated an awareness of culture and a desire to promote a moral lifestyle.

Included in this fascinating show is a quilt top dated 1850 that is a fine example of a signature album quilt. Presented as a special memento, a signature album quilt is made up of blocks signed by friends and relatives. Also included in the exhibit is a Whig Rose quilt that features bright birds ready to pluck grapes from intertwining vines and a Pineapple Applique that has large scale pineapples growing on thin stems.ø

The International Quilt Study Center and the University of Nebraska State Museum are sponsoring "Fanciful Flowers: Botany and the American Quilt." All the quilts being shown are part of the Center's James Collection, which was donated to the University by Ardis and Robert James in 1997. In addition to donating nearly 950 quilts, the James' pledged $1 million to support the Center.

The Cooper Gallery is located on the second floor of Morrill Hall.

Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Concert Oct. 3

The University of Nebraska Wind Ensemble, conducted by Jay Kloecker, and the University of Nebraska Symphonic Band, conducted by Craig Cornish, will present their first concert of the 1999-2000 season at 3 p.m. Oct. 3 at Kimball Recital Hall. The program, "American Images," will feature compositions with a distinctly American flavor, all written by American composers.

The concert is free and open to the public.

The concert will open with Cornish and the Symphonic Band, along with guest conductor Anthony Falcone. Featuring some of the time-honored classics of the concert band repertoire, their program will include Aaron Copland's "Variations on a Shaker Melody;" Leonard Bernstein's unique and appealing "Slava;" William Schumann's "Chester Overture," and Arthur Frankenpohl's "American Folk Song Suite." Additionally, the Symphonic Band will present two of the most well-known and popular marches from the American Band repertoire - Fillmore's "Americans We" and America's national march, Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever."

The Wind Ensemble's program presents American music in several different lights. Opening their portion of the program is Carolyn Bremer's "Early Light," and "Variations on America" by the inimitable Charles Ives. Each of these compositions are unique settings time-honored patriotic melodies from our country's heritage - "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America." The program will also include Walter May's "Dreamcatcher," inspired by the powerful Native-American symbol of the same name, and Morton Gould's "Santa Fe Sage," a musical pastiche of the American Southwest. The Wind Ensemble will also perform Sousa's "Solid Men to the Front!" march.

The Symphonic Band is an 80-member auditioned ensemble that concentrates on performing the finest traditional repertoire available for concert winds and percussion. The Wind Ensemble is the premiere concert ensemble in the NU Band Program, and has earned national and international distinction in recent years through performances at the Music Educators National Conference Biennial National Convention in 1998, and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles in 1996 International Conference in Schladming, Austria.

Fiber Art of 4-H'ers at Hillestad Gallery

The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery will host "Celebration of Youth: Creativity in Textiles and Design," an exhibit of fiber art by Nebraska Youth in 4-H, through Oct. 21. And opening reception will be from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Oct. 3 at the gallery.

The show is presented in recognition of the efforts of youth across Nebraska and exemplifies the artistic and creative fiber arts and textiles of youth participating at the Nebraska State Fair. The exhibit is funded by the UNL 4-H Youth Development Office, Cooperative Extension Division, in cooperation with the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.