Violinist Milenkovich Is Bright New Star on Concert Stage

Yugoslavian violinist Stefan Milenkovich began his musical studies at age 3 under the watchful eye of his father. He performed for President Reagan at age 10, Mikhail Gorbachev at age 11 and the Pope at age 14. The 1997 winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions brings his astonishing talent to Lincoln for a performance at 8 p.m. March 12 in the Johnny Carson Theater as part of the Lied Center for Performing Arts' season.

His concert is part of the Lied's Discovery! series which showcases the best in cutting edge new talent. Milenkovich (pronounced mee-LEN-ko-vitch) certainly exemplifies that definition. By age 16, he already had 1,000 concert performances under his belt, and he has toured world-wide as both solo peformer and featured soloist with orchestra.

Born in Belgrade in former Yugoslavia (now Serbia) in 1977, he was the youngest student to ever earn a music degree frin the University of Belgrade in 1994. His father, also a violinist, recognized his early genius and devoted all his energies to nurturing the child's talent. His mother became his accompaniest. The family's devotion has paid off well. The family moved to Italy at the height of the Yugoslavian civil war in 1992, and the emotional scars of exile fuel the violinist's playing.

He is now a student of Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School's Professional Studies Program. A recently released double CD set of the complete Bach sonatas and partitas for solo violin has won critical acclaim. And his concert reviews prove this is a young artist of considerable force and skill whose playing displays a level of maturity unusual for a performer of his age.

For his Lincoln concert, Milenkovich will perform Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2 by Beethoven, Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45 by Grieg; Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34 by Tchaikovsky; and I Palpiti, Op. 13 (Theme and Variations on Rossini's Tancredi) by Paganini. Milenkovich will be accompanied by Rohan De Silva on the piano.

Tickets for the performance are $20. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nebraska Wesleyan University and Doane College students and youth 18 and younger with proper identification can purchase tickets for half-price.

Call the Lied Box Office at 472-4747 or toll free, (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability.

Tamburitzans Celebrate Folk Traditions of Eastern European Music

To describe them as "college students who put on a stage show" is to severely under-rate the performance of The Tamburitzans of Duquesne University. For more than 60 years, this 40-member ensemble has performed the folk music and dance of Eastern Europe in perhaps the most authentic manner presented in the Western Hemisphere.

The ensemble performs at 7 p.m. March 10 in the Lied Center for Performing Arts. The earlier-than-usual curtain time reflects this performance's nature as part of the Lied's Family Series created with the support of the Lied Foundation Trust, to ensure performances suitable for all ages at very affordable prices.

The troupe was founded in 1937 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa., as the first university-based performing folk ensemble in the United States. It takes its name from the tamburitza family of stringed instruments indigenous to the folk cultures of southeastern Europe. The group exists to preserve and perpetuate Eastern European cultural heritage in the United States and to provide scholarship opportunities to students. More than $5 million in scholarships have been awarded to Duquesne student-performers over the years. These college students, from all parts of the United States, study in any academic area at Duquesne as well as participate in more than 80 performances annually.

Most Tamburitzan performers have years of study in ethnic performing groups in their own communities. During their senior high school year, applicants audition for spots in the ensemble. Those who are accepted begin an intensive three-week production camp in July before school begins in August.

The Tamburitzans' program includes but is not limited to music from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, Romania, Greece, Slovakia, Russia, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Macedonia and Bulgaria. The material, from various ethnographic regions, is not necessarily representative of contemporary geopolitical boundaries but rather of historic and contemporary folkloric cultures.

Each performance strives to give audiences a taste of peasant culture and to present an essence of originality and atmosphere of folk culture and art.

The ensemble's instruments are descended from ancient Persian lutes, long-necked stringed instruments that no doubt also were ancestors of guitars, mandolins and balalaika. A tamburitza ensemble usually includes a variety of tamburitzans as well as flutes and other woodwind instruments and drums.

While music is the heart of the performance, the exceptional costumes are what add richness and texture to all Tamburitzans concerts. It is not unusual for more than 500 different costumes to appear in a concert. Each is either an original example of native dress or an extremely well-researched and faithful copy of an original. It is believed that the university owns perhaps the largest collection of East European costumes in the Western Hemisphere. And they are not "gaudy" show costumes, but more in keeping with what was actually worn in the country of origin.

The Tamburitzans also feature world-class precision dancing, the product of years of hard work and authentic choreography true to the style of dancing in each country of origin.

Each two-part performance, presented in languages indigenous to eastern and southeastern Europe, celebrates daily life rituals such as wedding or funeral tunes, harvest themes, sorrow, pride and patriotism.

Pre-performance talks are part of the Lied Center's ongoing education programming. The talks begin in the Lied's Steinhart Room 55 minutes and 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Tickets for the performance are $9 for adults and $4 for children, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Wesleyan University and Doane College students and youth 18 and younger with proper identification.

Call the Lied Box Office at 472-4747 or toll free, (8001) 432-3231 for ticket availability.

Jared Harris and Jane Adams star in Happiness, showing at the Mary Riepma Ross Theater in the month of March.

Happiness Comes to the Ross Theater

Isolation . . . alienation . . . happiness. In America they all go hand in hand. "Be happy," and if that doesn't work, pretend to make it work. For the characters in Todd Solondz' subversively funny new film, Happiness, opening at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater on March 4, the struggle at attain such a state is fraught with perils both heartbreaking and hilarious.

Painting a broad portrait of contemporary suburbia and the demons that haunt it, Happiness delivers a provocative take on the meaning and value of happiness in America today.

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly describes Happiness as "a tender, shocking, cathartically honest comedy of desire and despair. Set mostly in suburban New Jersey, the movie observes such characters as a wonkish obscene phone caller (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a guitar-strumming waif (Jane Adams) suffering from pathological niceness, a chirpy passive-aggressive housewife (Cynthia Stevenson), and her blandly unsmiling husband (Dylan Baker), who turns out to be a gay pedophile. Solondz, a scampish showman, leaves us giddy with anticipation at whatever seamy private horror is coming next, yet he stares at his characters with a voyeuristic candor so unflinching it becomes a kind of twisted benediction. In its deadpan sardonic way, the film breaks through to haunted levels of erotic compulsion that place it close to the hypnotic artistry of Blue Velvet."

Happiness is showing on March 4 through 7 and on March 11 through 14. Screenings are at 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, at 1, 3:15, 7 and 9:15 on Saturdays; and at 2:30, 4:45, 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is $6; $5 for students; and $4 for members of the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater, seniors and children.

Lentz Gallery Talk Feb. 27

The Lentz Center for Asian Culture will host a Gallery Talk at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 27 in the Lentz Center, 329 Morrill Hall. Professors Kam-ching Leung and Peter Pinnell will speak on the exhibition "6,000 Years of Chinese Ceramic Art" and "People and Places in Asia." Leung will talk about his collection, and Pinnell will address the artistic development of Chinese ceramic art.

For more information call the Lentz Center at 472-5841.

Mozart's Cosi fan Tutti Performed Feb. 26-28

One of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's greatest operas will be on-stage when the School of Music presents Cosi fan tutte at 8 pm Feb. 26 and 27 and 3 pm Feb. 28 at Kimball Recital Hall. General admission tickets are $10, $6 for students, at the door or through the Lied Box Office, 472-4747.

This opera was long reviled on account of its subject-female fickleness-but has come to viewed as a penetrating essay on human feelings and their mature recognition. Features of the music of Cosi fan tutte-serenity, restraint, poise, irony-are often noted as markers of Mozart's late style, which developed after 1787.

William Shomos, assistant professor of voice and opera, is the stage director. Tyler White, assistant professor and director of orchestral activities, will conduct the University Orchestra. The opera will be sung in Italian by university students, with projected supertitles.

Hillestad Gallery Open on Sundays

The Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery will now be open on Sunday afternoons from 1:30-4:30 p.m. The gallery will be closed over spring break, holidays and during the installation of exhibitions.

Visitors can view the Japanese resist printed textiles of Akemi Cohn in the exhibition titled Habitat Feb. 28, March 7 and March 14. The Juried Student Exhibition will be open to the public on April 11. Undulations and Other Rhythms, an exhibition by advanced textile design students, will be open to the public April 25, May 2 and May 9. Special additional weekend hours following commencement exercises will be from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. May 8.

Visitors to the Gallery should use the main doors to the Home Economics Building. This door is accessible with convenient access to the elevator. The gallery is located on the south end of the second floor of the building.

For more information contact Wendy Weiss, 472-6370 or 472-2911.

Landscape of the Body Next Theatrix Production

Theatrix will present Landscape of the Body at 8 p.m. March 4, 5 and 6 in the Studio Theatre, 3rd floor of the Temple Building.

In John Guare's dark drama of mystery and murder, a mother and son move to New York's Greenwich Village searching for happiness, only to become involved in drugs, death and possibly the Mob. The theatre department warns that this production contains adult themes and language and may not be suitable for children.

Tickets are $3 at the door.

Guest Pianist Jordan Concert March 2

The School of Music presents guest artist Krassimira Jordan, pianist, in recital at 8 p.m. March 2 in Kimball Hall. Admission is free.

For her program, Jordan has selected works by Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, Pantscho Vladigerov and Sergei Prokofiev. Born in Varna, Bulgaria, of Russian and Bulgarian parents, Jordan began her formative musical training at age four and made her recital debut when she was seven. She studied in Sofia, Vienna, and Moscow, where she was a pupil of Stanislav Neuhaus and Emil Gilels.

During her years of study, a series of prestigious international prizes were awarded to Jordan, including the International Piano Competitions "Alfredo Casella" and "Alessandro Casagrande" as well as the Mozart "Clara Haskil" prize. As a representative of Austria, Jordan was the Gold Medal winner at the 1981 Rio de Janeiro International Piano Competition.

Jordan has performed with much acclaim as recitalist and orchestral soloist in major European cities in Austria, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, Poland, the Scandinavian countries, the Far East, Brazil and the United States. She has appeared as soloist with the Wiener Symphoniker and the Tonkunstler-Orchester in Vienna. In recent years Jordan has been regularly invited by the governments of China, Korea, and Taiwan to conduct master classes at the major universities in Peking, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei.

Women's Week and Art Exhibit

The UNL Women's Center will be hosting an art exhibit in conjunction with Women's Week. The exhibit, which highlights the work of UNL's female undergraduate artists, will be on display from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 10 in the the Women's Center, 340 Nebraska Union. The Feb. 24 opening of the exhibit was celebrated with a reception for the artists.

The exhibit is part of of the 20th anniversary celebration of Womyn's Week; this year's theme is "The Womyn of Nebraska: Past, Present and Future." The purpose of the exhibit is to recognize the creative expression and acheivemnet of female students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

For more information about Women's Week, or about the Women's Week Art Exhibit, contact Tolandra Coleman, 472-2597, or Mary Beth Chapman, at 474-5962.

Physics of Music Is Lecture Theme March 4

Music of the most versatile wind instrument of the Renaissance and early Baroque era will be heard March 5 when William G. Mathews of the University of California at Santa Cruz gives a public lecture-recital on the Renaissance cornetto.

The recital by Matthews, a virtuoso cornettist, begins at 8 p.m. in 119 Westbrook Music Building, 12th and R streets. An astrophysicist by training, Mathews has joint appointments as professor of the cornetto in the department of music and as professor of astrophysics in the department of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC. He will also give a public lecture, "The Physics of Music," at 4 p.m. March 4 in room 211 of Brace Laboratory (south end of Stadium Drive).

The Renaissance cornetto was a hybrid instrument played with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument, but with finger holes somewhat similar to those of the recorder. Mathews will share some of his knowledge of the history, construction, and historical technique of the cornetto. With the assistance of local musicians Mathews will illustrate the use of the cornetto as a solo instrument and in pieces with voice and other instruments of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Spring Dance Concert March 4-7

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dance Program presents its annual Spring Dance Concert at 8 p.m. March 4, 5 and 6 and at 7 p.m. March 7 in the Johnny Carson Theater. Tickets are $10 general public, $8 UNL faculty, and $6 students. For reservations, call 472-2703.

The Spring Dance Concert will feature works by UNL faculty members Julie Kane, Kelly Holcombe and Lisa Fusillo, as well as guest artist Cat Steinweis. Former member of Contraband, Julie Kane will present the world premiere of "Skin Muscle Bone," a dance exploring partnering. Kelly Holcombe, formerly with MOMIX, will present "Ladies Speak" and the world premiere of "Back in Town" using music by Squirrel Nut Zippers.

"Skin Muscle Bone" is three simultaneous duets in an exploration of partnering choreographed by Julie Kane. Live music accompanying "Skin Muscle Bone" will be performed by Nancy Marshall, Christi Hargesheimer and Dianne Myer, members of the group Meribah. "Skin Muscle Bone" will be performed by Mandy Bailey, Brandy Miller, Megan Dant, Becky Smith, Nicole Hart, Sara Schmid and Julie Quinn.

"Ladies Speak" is a musically inspired dance for six women choreographed by Kelly Holcombe using music by The Kronos Quartet. The movement "Ladies Speak" is a reflection of the discussion that the musicians held during their performance using the language of music. Parts of this discussion were transferred into phrases of words. This verse was then transposed into movement. "Ladies Speak" will be performed by Mandy Bailey, Monye DeBoer, Jen Grundman, Sarah Harris, Brandy Miller, Melissa Prettyman, Megan Dant, Nicole Hart, Amber Klepper, Sara Schmid, Becky Smith, Julie Quinn and Kellie Werner.

Sun Disrupts Satellite Reception Feb. 27 through March 9

Satellite dishes tuned to GE Americom's GE-3 satellite will experience three- to 20-minute disruptions in service daily beginning Feb. 27 and ending March 9, according to Roger Bartlett, assistant director of engineering for satellite services at Nebraska Educational Telecommunications.

Disruptions occur when the satellite's orbit places it in a direct line between the Sun and the Earth, Bartlett explained. "Most communications satellites circle the Earth in a geosynchronous orbit directly above the equator," Bartlett said. "In the spring and fall, the Sun 'crosses' the Earth's equator. When that happens, all the antenna on the ground sees is the light and radio waves from the Sun. It's like staring at someone who's shining a flashlight in your face."

The precise time of the disruption depends on a given satellite's exact position above the equator. For GE-3, these "sun transits" will begin at approximately 11:51 a.m. CT/10:51 a.m. MT. The length of time that communication is disrupted depends on the date and the size of the antenna. The larger the antenna, Bartlett said, the shorter the disruption. Bartlett estimates that satellite dishes 3.7 meters in diameter-about 12 feet-will lose the signal for anywhere from three to 20 minutes. Smaller dishes will lose contact with GE-3 for longer periods.

NET leases a transponder on GE-3 and uses it to transmit programs and data from NET headquarters in Lincoln to sites across North America. NET also uses the transponder to relay programs from the Nebraska ETV Network headquarters in Lincoln to eight of the Network's nine transmitters across the state.

ETV Premieres Native American Dance Journey

Spirit-A Journey in Dance, Drums and Song combines the power of Broadway choreography and contemporary music with the songs, chants and dances born of Native American culture to tell the story of one person's-and a nation's-search for renewal by exploring ancestral roots.

This multicultural performance event airs at 8 p.m. March 8 on the Nebraska ETV Network, and will air on public television stations nationwide. Omaha native Peter Buffett-who conceived the performance, working in collaboration with Chief Hawk Pope-will be on hand in the Nebraska ETV Network studio to talk about his work and answer questions during the broadcast.

Buffett is a composer/musician whose credits include sound track music for the highly-acclaimed commercial television miniseries 500 Nations and films such as The Scarlet Letter. He also composed the music for the pivotal Fire Dance scene in Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning film Dances with Wolves.

Costner introduces Spirit-A Journey in Dance, Drums and Song, which features the choreography and stage direction of Tony-winner Wayne Cilento, who blends his demanding trademark movement with traditional Native American dance. Chief Hawk Pope, a vocalist, lyricist and composer who is Principal Chief of the Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band of Ohio, is the narrator and vocalist for the project. His credits include Disney's Pocahontas and Tecumseh: The Last Warrior.

Taped during the show's premiere performance weekend at the Weidner Center in Green Bay, Wis., Spirit-A Journey in Dance, Drums and Song features more than 80 performers-dancers, choir, percussionists and orchestra-selected from the worlds of Native-American performance and Broadway dance. The cast includes 20 dancers with both modern and traditional training, including Indian Nation dancers arrayed in fancy dress of feathers, beads and bones. The orchestra features both modern and traditional Native-American instruments, a string section and percussionists playing a variety of drums. The 40-voice Green Bay and Oneida Nation Girls' Choir provides additional vocals.

The program also features soloists Robert Mirabal, a renowned Native-American flautist, vocalist and percussionist, and Ron Anquoe, a traditionally trained Eagle Dancer who is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma.

Spirit-A Journey opens Act I with "Urban Overtures" as a group of city dwellers reacts robotically to the stressful sounds of daily life. Determined to escape this chaos, one young man decides in "Fire Dance" to look back to his roots and search for a new way to live. In "Coashelleaqu (The Shawnee Letter)," a Native-American grandfather encourages him to begin this journey of renewal. "Hidden Heritage" celebrates the 500 Indian Nations.

Act I continues with "An Eagle Above," in which Ron Anquoe performs the ritual Eagle Dance to convey the legend of the Eagle Feather, providing the young man with knowledge and courage for the journey. "Passage," featuring Robert Mirabal's haunting flute solo, continues the young man's quest to embrace the past. Act I ends with "Spirit Dance," bringing together dancers from the traditional Native-American and contemporary urban cultures for a celebration.

Act II of Spirit-A Journey begins with two numbers-"The Place Where Crying Begins" and "The Dream"-offering a sensual exploration of the relationship of man and woman in a more natural world. "Aubenaubee (Prelude to Rebirth)" begins the young man's journey back to his own world; in "The Thunderbird," he returns as a newly enlightened member of society. In the final number, the two cultures-traditional and urban contemporary-dance in unison, recovering the true spirit of America.

Another former Nebraskan who played a significant role in this project is JoAnn Young. Young, a Lincoln native, was executive co-producer for the broadcast.