A Grammy nominee in Carver this spring

Upcoming Celebrity Artist Series performer Luciana Souza has been nominated for two Grammys —for best Jazz Vocal Album for The Book of Chet  and for best Latin Jazz Album for Brazillian Duos III.

Souza — who performed with Herbie Hancock on his Grammy winning record, River – The Joni Letters — will play BU on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Tickets are  $29.50 for adults, $16.50 for children and $14 for BU students. At Bloomsburg she will perform with longstanding collaborator, Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo.

Souza, a studio vet by 16, earned a BA in jazz composition from Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where she also spent four years on the faculty; an MA in jazz studies from the New England Conservatory of Music; and had a four-year teaching stint at the Manhattan School of Music.

The video below catches her in a distinctly mellow mood.

Miscellanea: Homegrown

The Moose Exchange will host its third annual Home-Based-Business Expo tonight (Dec. 7), in the Grille Room from 6 to 10 p.m. Shop for great crafts, home accessories, food, and more. The vendors for this year’s event include representatives for Sparkle Tees, Pampered Chef, Scentsy, Tastefully Simple, and 31, as well as repurposed fabrics from 9 Stitches Saved; Ballengee Farm's soap and other goods; handmade crocheted items by Brooke Evonne; Holly Doraski’s nail shields; handmade TC Jewelry; cards by Susan Yale; jewelry, paintings, and more by Chello Sherman; and a lace-making demonstration by Iva Kressler.

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Area poet Melanie Simms will be a featured guest on WFTE 90.3 FM radio Saturday, Dec. 8, at 9:30 am and again on Sunday at 9 am. 

Passings

The local arts community lost BU choir Eileen Hower this past week. She was well-known both on campus and from her work at Central School District. (The family has set up a memorial fund for music education in her name. Contributions can be made to the Eileen Hower Memorial Fund for Music Education. Please make check payable to Bloomsburg University Foundation, Eileen Hower Memorial Fund, 400 E. Second St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815.)

And, nationally, classic jazzer Dave Brubeck died. Brubeck has a personal significance — going through college, his album Take Five was the soundtrack to weekends. My roommate Raj (I worked on campus and stayed in the dorms four years) would keep the disc on fairly constant rotation, particularly Sundays. It's funny how music creates space. Take Five represented to me a kind of old-fashioned cool and casual elegance and it created a space that worked for both reflection and getting things done.  I've since found that saxophonist Paul Desmond's Take Ten is as least as good. — EGF.

The song's the thing ...

Have a favorite song? The River Poets reading tonight, Dec. 6, will revolve on the theme of "song lyrics."  Readings begin at 7:30 pm at Bloomsburg Public Library. Bring the CD or cassette or any song you'd like to read. Players will be there.

Get the '60s feeling

The Midtown Men, four stars from the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys, will perform at Bloomsburg University on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hal. The show is part of the Celebrity Artist Series.
 
Tickets cost $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for children and $17 for BU students. The quartet — Tony Award-winner Christian Hoff, Tony Award-nominee J. Robert Spencer, Michael Longoria and Daniel Reichard — have given more than a thousand performances together on stage and on TV programs, including “The Today Show,” “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve.” 

Upcoming Celebrity Artist Series’ shows are:

• Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, 8 p.m., Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 
• Luciana Souza, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, 7:30 p.m., in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Tickets: $29.50 
• DALA, Friday, April 5, 2013, 7:30 p.m., Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Tickets: $29.50 
• Kathy Mattea, Friday, April 26, 2013, 8 p.m., Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 
• Nai-Ni Chen (Dance) with the Ahn Trio, Saturday, May 11, 2013, 8 p.m., Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 

For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at (570) 389-4409. This production is not a performance of or associated with Jersey Boys.

Art majors have senior show

Graduating Bloomsburg University students majoring in art studio are exhibiting works in the Haas Gallery of Art from Tuesday, Dec. 4, to Friday, Dec. 14.Featured in the exhibit are works by Tory Girton, Autumn Lau, Lee Patton and Rebekah Robbins.

The show will open with a reception on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. where the seniors in art history and art studio will present their research and art work.

Research presentations include: 

• Marissa Weinger, “The Dangers of Women: Aristotle and Phyllis” 
• Gwen Mottern, “Santos: Reflections of Puerto Rico” 
• Tory Girton, “The Iconography of the Abyss: Dore's illustrations of Inferno” 
• Lee Patton, “Benjamin, Adams and the Aura of Authenticity” 

Ready for some jazz Thursday?

The BU Jazz Ensemble will perform Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7 pm* in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Admission is free.

The concert will feature jazz saxophonist Virginia Mayhew (featured in the video above), a Downbeat magazine rising star.

Dan McClenaghan of All ABout Jazz says "Who's this Virginia Mayhew woman anyway? Dexter Gordon's daughter? Sonny Rollins' niece? She plays the saxophone like a blood relative of those two giants."

In the video below, the Jazz Ensemble's Christian Smith solos on drums during rehearsal.

* Note: Two different times had been listed for the show at various points. The time has been corrected to 7 pm.

Celebrate the season with song

There are still some tickets left for Bloomsburg University's annual Carols by Candlelight concert on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, at 7:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg.

The event features the Concert Choir, Husky Singers and Women's Choral Ensemble. Admission is free, but tickets are required. The free tickets are available at the Haas Center Box Office — and if there are any left — at the door. Alan Baker and Eileen Hower conduct the ensembles at this popular event.

If you're interested, get your tickets early. They are usually all gone by showtime. — E.G.F.

Meet the artist ...

There will be a closing reception with artist Sky Kim on Tuesday, Nov. 27, from 11 am to 2 pm in Bloomsburg University's Haas Gallery of Art. Kim will give talks at 11:15 am and 1:15 pm.

Lecture: A view of diplomacy with Iran

Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council, will discuss President Barack Obama’s diplomacy with Iran on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. at Bloomsburg University’s Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

Parsi is the author of two books, “Treacherous Alliance” and “A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama's Diplomacy with Iran,” and is considered an expert on U.S.-Iran relations, Iranian foreign policy and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He has appeared as a guest on CNN, “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart and many other talk shows, both in Iran and the U.S. He is the 2010 recipient of the H. Charles Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. The award recognizes individuals for their innovative ideas, in honor of Grawemeyer, an entrepreneur and industrialist who graduated from the University of Louisville in 1984.

Born in Iran and raised in Sweden, Parsi moved to the United States to study foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, where he received his doctoral degree.

In 2002, he founded the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), which attempts to advocate the conflict that developed between the U.S. and Iran after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington, D.C. and western Pennsylvania. NIAC has emerged as a leader since the attacks by representing the Iranian American voice.

Happy Thanksgiving

Holiday thanks at the BTE: "A Christmas Carol"

The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble is staging Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol Nov. 23 through Dec. 29. This production is directed by Richard Cannaday.

Miscellanea at the Moose

Area artisans, crafters, food vendors, farmers and musicians will be at the Moose Exchange this Saturday, Nov. 24, 9 am to 7 pm.

Children (at least in Bloomsburg) are off school Monday, Nov. 26. The Moose is offering bowling from 10 am to 4 pm. A fiver gets the shoes, the ball and the lane for hours.

Breakfast for Jazz

The Bloomsburg University Jazz Ensemble will hold a fundraising breakfast on Sunday, Dec. 9, from 8 am to 10 am at Applebee's Restaurant on Route 11, Bloomsburg. The breakfast will support the Jazz Ensemble's performance trip to the Crescent City Jazz Festival in New Orleans this March. Tickets for the breakfast — all-you-can-eat pancakes and while being seranaded by a jazz trio — are $7 and can be purchased from director Steve Clickard.

If you'd like to see the Jazz Ensemble before March, they perform Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7 pm in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Admission is free.

Words of the week: Wind ... spring ... talent ... circus

Bloomsburg University''s Wind Ensemble will perform Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The concert will feature the Don Quixote Symphony and Concertango for Alto Sax, Jazz trio and Symphonic band

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The PBS documentary, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, will be screened at Bloomsburg’s Moose Exchange on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 pm at the Moose Exchange, 203 West Main Street. The presentation will feature a discussion led by Claire Lawrence, Bloomsburg University English professor.

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Claim Your Fame 4 Talent Show will be held Thursday, Nov. 15, at 9 pm in Bloomsburg University’s Kehr Union, Ballroom. Students will compete in vocal, dance and lip sync categories before a panel of judges and voting audience. Admission is free to the show, which is sponsored by Residence Life and DASL Campus Leadership.

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The National Circus of the People’s Republic of China will perform at Bloomsburg University of on Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 pm in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. This show is part of BU's Celebrity Artist Series. Tickets cost $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for children and $17 for BU students. 

The National Circus was founded in 1953, making it one of the longest-running circus companies in China. The troupe is known for unique acts, such as Great Teeterboard, Grand Flying Trapeze and Group Contortion. Several performers have been recognized for their talents, including Li Liping, the first Chinese winner of the Golden Clown award, and Xia Juhua, who has served as chairwoman of the International Chinese Circus Society since the early 1980s. As a whole, the company has won more than 20 awards – including gold and silver medals – at circus festivals all over the world. During the 1980s, the National Circus began to focus less on animal acts and more on human stunts. This new style influenced other troupes, including early members of Cirque du Soleil, who invited coaches from the National Circus to instruct them. For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at (570) 389-4409.

Song and dance ... in a good way

The Bloomsburg University Gospel Choir will hold a Holiday Sing Thursday, Nov. 8, at 6 pm in the Kehr Union, Ballroom.

The Bloomsburg University Dance Ensemble will have its Fall Showcase Sunday, Nov. 11, at 6 pm at the Nelson Field House. This is a preview of the choreography that the ensemble is working on.

Admission is free and open to the public for both.

A multi-media art happening

Now this looks different ...

Award-winning pianist Charisse Baldoria (left) will give a perform Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 pm in Bloomsburg University's Carver Hall.

The unusual part: BU professors will interact with the music by reciting poetry, doing live drawing, and performing dance.

Performance artist Hunter Fine will recite works by Federico García Lorca and Rainer Maria Rilke. Artist Lisa Corine von Koch will create a drawing onstage. Dancer Julie Petry will perform.

Details here: bloomuliberalarts.blogspot.com

Cinema: Prepare to see a cold, white scary place

The horror film, The Last Winter, written and directed by Larry Fessenden, CEO of Glass Eye Pix, will be shown at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, in Bloomsburg University’s Warren Student Services Center, room 004.

The film is open to the public free of charge. Fessenden also will lead a roundtable discussion from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, open to interested students. For information or to reserve a space for the roundtable discussion, contact John Barrett, assistant professor, at jbarrett@bloomu.edu.

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The Bloomsburg University Players will present 12 Angry Jurors, an adaptation of 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm, Nov. 7 to 10, and Sunday, Nov. 11, at 3 pm in Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg.Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and non-BU students; and free for BU students. For information, call (570) 389-2795.

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The 1993 French film, Blue, will be shown Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7 pm in Bloomsburg University’s McCormick Center, room 2303, as part of the Gender Studies Minor Foreign Film Series. The first of a trilogy of films dealing with contemporary French society, Blue centers on how the wife of a composer deals with the death of her husband and child. The series is sponsored by BU’s Gender Studies Minor, Department of English and College of Liberal Arts. Admission is free.

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The Bloomsburg University – Community Orchestra will present its fall concert Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2:3o pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The program will feature Festive Overture by Shostakovich; Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte by Ravel; The Moldau by Smetana; and Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre by Rodrigo. Admission is free. 

A painting cascade

An exhibit of drawings, paintings and installations by artist Sky Kim is on display in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Gallery of Art through Nov. 27. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Make tracks to the Moose

Action at the Moose (203 West Main) in the coming days.

• The Community Market starts Saturday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will run through Dec. 22. Shop at the Moose Exchange for high-quality local foods and local art and crafts, grown and made locally.
• "Greased" ... a '50s themed murder-mystery-dessert event ... is Saturday, Nov. 3. The audience-participation fundraising event includes delicious pastries and other goodies included with the $25 ticket price; cash bar. Call 570-317-2596 to reserve your seat now.
• Redesigned Album Covers from the the Cover of a Cover exhibit are on display in the Stairwell Gallery until November 11. 
• Figure drawing sessions for artists aged 18 and older, 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays, usually in the Ballroom. Contact Will Whitmoyer, 570-394-3656, for information.

Sunday with Satie

Bloomsburg University’s Chamber Orchestra will perform Erik Satie's Gymnopedies Sunday, Oxt. 28, at 2:30 p.m. in St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 123 N. Market St., Bloomsburg.

Well, they'll also perform Bach/Cailliet's Fugues in G Minor "Little Lamb," Telemann's Don Quixote Suite, Jacob's Concerto for Horn and Bach/Stokowski's Ein' Fest Burg. But the Gymnopedies are a favorite of mine ... so very simple and elegant.  — EGF.

The featured soloist will be Christiana Smith on horn. Admission, naturally, is free.

The Gymnopedies were written in the late 19th century, but for all their simplicity, they (and Satie in general) have cast a long shadow. Wikipedia's entry on Satie helpfully points out some of the very unexpected places where his works have turned up, including this track by Lana Del Rey ... at the very end.

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The Italian film, Bread and Tulips, will be shown Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. in Bloomsburg University’s McCormick Center, room 2303, as part of the Gender Studies Minor Foreign Film Series. The film tells the story of a middle-aged mother who hitchhikes to Venice where she falls in love with a lonely Icelandic poet and rediscovers joy for life. Admission is free.

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BU’s Haunted Husky Hollow will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Oct. 25 and 26, at the Quest woods. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for Trick or Treat for UNICEF. Contact George Kinzel in Residence Life, gkinzel@bloomu.edu, for information.

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 An exhibit of drawings, paintings and installations by artist Sky Kim will open Tuesday, Oct. 30, with a reception from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and gallery talks at 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Gallery of Art. The exhibit will remain on display and open to the public free of charge through Nov. 27. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. 

In which River Poets become Dead Poets for a night

The River Poets will hold Dead Poets Night on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bloomsburg Public Library, Market St. River poet veterans Susan Brook and Janet Locke invite you to bring you things witchy, new and spooky, as well as readings from some of their favorite Dead Poets. MC is Katelyn Faye Winters.

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Fracking and Democracy: BU philosophy professor will talk on "The Crisis of American Democracy and Why Hydraulic Fracturing Epitomizes It: Profiteering and the Good American" Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 5 pm in Andruss Library, Schweiker Room. The talk is part of BU's College of Liberal Arts  Institute for Culture and Society Lecture Series. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

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Poetry on TV: A recent poetry reading at the Harrisburg State Capitol will be broadcast on PCN TV on Saturday, Oct. 27, beginning at 3:45 pm and running until 5:15 pm. Featured poets are: Jerry Wemple, Creative Writing Director of Bloomsburg University; Marjorie Maddox, Creative Writing Director of Lock Haven University; Melanie Simms, former Perry County Poet Laureate; Nate Gadsden, former Harrisburg Poet Laureate; and upcoming Commonwealth poet, David Bauman. Closed captioning will be available.

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How high will the water go?  BU math professor Reza Noubary, a statistics expert whose been sought out by the global media will discuss “Hazard Assessment of Bloomsburg Floods” on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 3:30 p.m. in Hartline G40. Noubary will present a statistical analysis of Bloomsburg floods with a view towards their use in hazard assessment. His analysis includes estimation of the largest possible future flood in Bloomsburg.

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Green Fire: On Tuesday, October 23rd, BU’s Green Campus Initiative is sponsoring a screening of “Green Fire” on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 7 pm at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main St. The film profiles the legendary conservationist, Aldo Leopold, who influenced the modern environmental movement. His life and his philosophy continue to inspire new initiatives and the concept of Land Ethic has become the guide for a responsible interaction between people and the land, as well as its plants and animals.

Picture this: A Halloween treat for the library

Have your photo taken and help the Bloomsburg Library. On Friday, Oct. 26, from 5 to 7 pm Wow Factory Photography and Towne Camera will offer photos of those in costume or not. Pay $5 for a 5 by 7 and the proceeds go to the library.

Koresh Dance Company coming to BU Saturday

The Koresh Dance Company will perform at Bloomsburg University on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

This production is part of the 27th season of BU’s Celebrity Artist Series. Tickets cost $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for children and $17 for BU students.

Brothers Alon and Ronen Koresh founded the Philadelphia-based company in 1991. Both are still involved in the troupe, with Ronen serving as artistic director and choreographer and Alon acting as executive director. Ronen has been dancing since childhood, when he began training with his mother, a folk dancer. He continued to study dance and work with artists both in Israel and the United States, eventually winning a People’s Choice Award in 1987 for Philadelphia’s Most Outstanding Jazz Dancer. His eclectic background has allowed him to blend several dance styles such as ballet, modern and jazz that the Philadelphia Inquirer described as “liquidly sensual.”

Koresh Dance Company has a repertoire of more than 60 works and has been featured in numerous publications. Ronen has received multi-year choreography fellowships from organizations such as the Pew Charitable Trusts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Philadelphia College of Performing Arts. In addition to teaching dance classes, the company holds outreach programs for underserved children and public schools in the Philadelphia area. 

Future shows in Celebrity Artist Series’ 2012-13 season include:

• Cirque Chinois – Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 
• The Midtown Men – Sunday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 M
• Monty Python’s “Spamalot” – Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 
• Luciana Souza – Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Tickets: $29.50 
• DALA – Friday, April 5, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Tickets: $29.50 Kathy Mattea – Friday, April 26, 2013, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 
• Nai-Ni Chen with the Ahn Trio – Saturday, May 11, 2013, at 8 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets: $34.50 

For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at (570) 389-4409.

The Warren Asian Art Collection

Something interesting for Bloomsburg alums coming back to campus this weekend to check out.

Robert 'Doc' Warren, a beloved BU professor emeritus who passed away in July 2010, gave the university a wonderful collection of more than 600 items of Asian art.

A selection of more than five dozen works from the collection is on on display in the Warren Student Services Center central atrium. The exhibit includes sculptures of chinese guardian lions or ShiShi (above), the goddess Guanyin (also called Kannon), dragon sculptures, and ceramics.

Warren maintained a close relationship with the university even after retirement as he continued to advise Sigma Iota Omega, the social fraternity he founded. His gift of $1 million to the BU Foundation was one of the largest. He also endowed numerous scholarships at the university. He taught at BU from 1964 to 1983, was made an honorary BU alumnus in 1995, and the Warren Student Services Center was named in his honor in 2005.

Miscellanea: Concerts, talks, and a parade

Saxophonist Joseph Murphy and guitarist Matthew Slotkin will give a concert Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Bloomsburg University’s Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Admission is free.

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Bloomsburg University’s Women’s Choral Ensemble, Husky Singers and Concert Choir will present a concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Admission is free.

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Jerry Wemple and other Pennsylvania poets will give readings in the Pennsylvania Capitol Building (East Wing Rotunda) on Thursday, Oct. 11, at noon. Wemple, is a BU professor of English, while Melanie Simms and David Bauman are BU students. First Lady Susan Corbett is scheduled to introduce the readers. Other poets reading will include Marjorie Maddox, director of the Creative Writing program at Lock Haven University, and Nathaniel Gadsden, the former poet laureate of Harrisburg. Wemple and Maddox co-edited a poetry anthology entitled “Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania.” Wemple and Maddox will also read at 7 p.m. that evening at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg. The reading will be recorded for podcast by WITF-FM, the local PBS affiliate.

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The French film Entre Nous will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, in Bloomsburg University’s McCormick Hall, room 2303, as part of the Gender Studies Minor Foreign Film Series. The film, open to the public free of charge, tells the story of two women in unsatisfactory marriages who struggle for identity in post-World War II France. The series is sponsored by the Gender Studies Minor, Department of English and College of Liberal Arts.

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Have a favorite record? Wish it had a cooler cover? Now's your chance, but not for long. The deadline to submit works for the The Cover of a Cover show (at the Moose Exchange and sponsored by Endless Records) is Thursday, Oct. 12. For more information contact Nick or Emily at Endless Records in the Moose Exchange, 570-951-1821.

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The Center for Visual and Performing Arts fundraising dinner on October 21, has had the ticket deadline extended to Oct. 12. The event will feature a delectable menu as well as an art exhibit, plus literary, musical, theatrical and dance performances featuring some of BU's most talented students. Proceeds will go to the CVPA to continue and expand our University/town events as well as provide community performance venues. For tickets, call 389-4410

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Saturday, Oct. 13, is homcoming for Bloomsburg, the high school and the university, will celebrate Homecoming with a parade on Saturday. The parade begins at 11 am at the Geisinger Bloomsburg parking lot on Lightstreet Road and continues to College Hill, Main and Market streets, ending in Town Park. Chang Shub Roh, BU sociology professor emeritus, as grand marshal of the homecoming parade.

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On a more serious note:

• Liz Seccuro, victim’s rights activist and author, will present My Story: The Journey from Sexual Assault Victim to Survivor to Activist, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, in the Bloomsburg University’s Kehr Union, Ballroom. Seccuro founded STARS (Sisters Together Assisting Rape Survivors) to fund programs to help rape victims and their families. Her visit, presented in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, is sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center and open to the public free of charge.
• Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy, National Alliance to End Homelessness, will speak on National Best Practices for Building a Homeless System from the Ground Up, at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, in Bloomsburg University’s Kehr Union. His talk will be followed by a panel discussion. The program is open to anyone interested in issues associated with homelessness.

Poetry: Wemple featured reader Thursday

BU English professor Jerry Wemple will be the featured reader for the River Poets Thursday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 pm at Bloomsburg Public Library, Market St.

 Wemple is the author of two poetry collections: You Can See It from Here, and The Civil War in Baltimore. He is co-editor of the anthology Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania, and editor of Watershed: The Journal of the Susquehanna. MC for the night is Richard Brook. 

BTE staging 'Moon Over Buffalo'

The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble brings The Moon over Buffalo to the stage Oct 4 through 21. If you come opening night Thursday, Oct. 4, you can pay what you want.

BTE member Andrew Hubatsek directs the comic farce by Ken Ludwig. It's 1953 and George and Charlotte Hay, one-time Hollywood hopefuls, have been touring for over 20 years and not getting anywhere but tired. Doors slam, identities are mistaken and lovers ... go to the show and find out?

Details here.

Dinner for the arts

Bloomsburg University's Center for the Visual and Performing Arts is hosting a dinner celebration Sunday, Oct. 21, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main St.

The event, costing $30 a person, will feature Hors d'oeuvres, a three-course dinner, entertainment, art exhibit, and silent auction.

Learn more at cvpa.bloomu.edu or by calling (570) 389-4410. Get your tickets early. I've heard that seating is limited and reservations are due by Oct. 5.

Movies at the Moose

The Moose Exchange is hosting a Short Film Festival sponsored by Box of Light on Saturday, Sept. 15. Showtime is 8 p.m. in the ballroom upstairs.

Before the show, stop by the Stairwell Gallery and check out Images of the Susquehanna photo exhibit reception with light refreshments, music by Fricknadorable, a photo presentation with Doug Brubaker of Looking Back Studio, and river-themed readings with Melanie Simms and David Bauman.

The Cover of a Cover exhibit will return to the Moose this year. Reinterpret your favorite album cover. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 12.

The Moose will also host a murder mystery dessert Nov. 3 with a '50s vibe.

And because movies were referenced and I love King Crimson, here's their Frame by Frame in 7/8. —EGF.

I see creepy colored objects

Painter Kay Knight is exhibiting her work in Bloomsburg University's Haas Gallery of Art through Oct. 11.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm, Saturday from noon to 2 pm and closed Sunday.

A reception will be held Oct. 11 from 11 am to 2 pm.

Her online gallery is definitely worth checking out. At a glance her works are colorful and structured. But look just a moment longer and something unsettling creeps in. Cool. — EGF.

Talk roundup

A given lecture on a university campus won't be everyone's cup of tea ... but one of these may be the cat's meow for you. Here's a roundup of lectures, talks and presentations at Bloomsburg University, free and open to the public.

• Jung Park, “Using Identity and Passion to Find Success,” Wednesday, Sept. 19, 7 pm, Kehr Union, Multicultural Center.
• Sikh religion information program, Thursday, Sept. 20, 7 pm, Kehr Union, Multicultural Center.
• TJ Leyden, “Turning Away From Hate," Thursday, Oct. 4, 7 pm, Kehr Union, Ballroom.
• Olivia A.T. Frimpong Kwapong, "The Driving Forces for Women in a Developing Country in Africa," 7 pm, McCormick Center, room 2303.
• Engy Abdelkader, vice president of Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, "Islam: Popular Myths and Misconceptions," Monday, Oct. 8,  7 pm, McCormick Center, 1303.
• William Damon, Stanford University, "The Path to Purpose in Work and Life," Tuesday, Oct. 16, 7: pm, Kehr Union Ballroom.
• Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council, "US and Iran: Between War and Diplomacy," Wednesday, Nov. 28, 7 pm, Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium.

Of poetry and passion

Poets Gabe Welsch and Harry Humes will read from their works at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, in the Moose Exchange, downtown Bloomsburg, as part of the Bloomsburg University English Department’s Big Dog Reading Series. Welsch’s most recent collection is “The Death of Flying Things.” Humes, a graduate of the former Bloomsburg State College, often writes about the coal region and other Pennsylvania locales. The reading, open to the public free of charge, is co-sponsored by BU’s Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

 Motivational speaker Jung Park will present “Finding Your North Star: Using Identity and Passion to Find Success” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, in Bloomsburg University’s Multicultural Center. The program, open to the public free of charge, will focus on discovering your personal brand and reaching your goals.

Larry Ney joins Artspace

I was walking past the Artspace Gallery on Center Street about a week ago on my way to pick up chinese takeout and I spotted someone new at the counter inside. Larry Ney II has now joined the gallery as a member. 

I dig his work. A lot.

At a fast glance ... it's impressionistic and drawn from nature ... but that's just a starting point. The connection of brush to paint to canvas is so much more personal. Landscape is just an entry point for a very personal expression. When I see one of his paintings, I need to stop, to look, to reflect. They are really gorgeous.

—EGF.

When I'm working with student's trying to explain design concepts at BU, I often refer them to King Crimson as the musical (aural) equivalent of various visual ideas. Here's a live performance of Matte Kudasai. To my mind, it fits.

Road Trip: Anyone for poetry?

The Stillwater Poetry Festival will be held tomorrow, Sept, 8, from noon to 8 pm. (rain or shine) at the Stillwater Municipal Park. Rt. 487, 12 miles north of Bloomsburg. Admission is free.

Award winning poets from across Pennsylvania will read their work under a “revival style” tent. Headliners are Todd Davis (Penn State Altoona), author of four books of poetry, and Jimmy Cvetic, a 30 year veteran Allegheny County homicide and undercover narcotics detective from Pittsburgh. Cvetic, a Vietnam veteran, is sponsored by the VFW Fort Ricketts Post 8317 of Benton.

The complete schedule is ...

Noon to 12:30 Rachel Lyon (Bellefonte)
12:30 to 1:00 David Brooks (Hughesville)
1:30 to 2:00 Open Mic (bring a poem to read)
2:00 to 2:30 Caroline Ebeid (Bucknell Stadler Fellow)
2:30 to 3:00 Jamaal May (Bucknell Stadler Fellow)
3:00 to 4:00 “Jerusalem,” live acoustic music
4:00 to 4:30 Thad Rutkowski (NYC) schedule continues to next page
4:30 to 5:00 Open Mic (bring a poem to share)
5:00 to 6:00 “The Philosophy of Never Rushing,” live acoustic music
6:00 to 6:30 Angel Hogan (University of Pennsylvania)
6:30 to 7:00 Todd Davis (Penn State Altoona)
7:00 to 7:30 Jimmy Cvetic (Vietnam Veteran and retired Pittsburgh homicide and undercover narcotic detective).

Miscellanea: Culture on campus

Painting Exhibit 
Painter Kay Knight will exhibit her work September 14 through October 19 in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Gallery of Art. There will be an artist's reception Thursday, Oct. 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with gallery talks at 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Reminder: Vaudeville silliness 
The Handsome Little Devils present “Squirm Burpee" at Bloomsburg University on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. General admission tickets for the show are $34.50. For information, call (570) 389-4409. The show is part of the Celebrity Artist Series.

Films from afar 
The French film “Sarah’s Key” will be shown Thursday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. in McCormick Center, room 2303, as part of a series sponsored by the Gender Studies Minor, Department of English and College of Liberal Arts. Admission is free.

River Poets reading Thursday

The River Poets will have a reading Thursday, Sept. 6, at 7:30 pm at the Bloomsburg Public Library, Market St. The featured reader will Sue O’Donnell of the Bloomsburg University Art Department and a volunteer member of the Bloomsburg ArtWalk committee. She will read the poetry of her late husband, Mike. Open reading follows. The theme is “the concept of journey. Consider journey as a loosely defined passage of time: real or imagine, physical or emotional, fleeting or life-long.” MC is Paul Loomis

Seeking: Oud and Dumbek Players

An unusual request.

The Bloomsburg University's Women's Choir is performing an Andalusian/Arabic song, "Lamma Badaa Yatathanna." They are seeking  someone who can perform on the dumbek and someone who can perform on the oud. If you are a "performance caliber accompanist" on one of these instruments (or know of someone who is) and are game to perform with the group, contact director Eileen Hower.

For myself: I'd love to hear the song with the traditional instruments.

Love is Hard

The Bloomsburg University Players open their fall season with Jack and Jill by Jane Martin.

Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 30 and 31, and Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7 and 8, as well as 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, in the Theatre Lab, located behind the University Store. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and non-BU students and free for BU students with a student ID.


 “Many plays explore the search for the perfect mate, Jack and Jill looks at what happens after that person is found,” said Bruce Candlish, associate professor of music, theatre and dance. “It playfully portrays the hard work of love.”

Senior Lauren Shover from Camp Hill directs and designed the set and sound; junior Sydney Hare, Sunbury, and sophomore Emily Miller, Mercer, designed costumes and junior Rebecca Kestel, Abington, designed lights.

The cast features senior Ben Deivert, Northumberland; junior Rachel DelVecchio, Bethlehem; senior Gabriella Russo, Effort; senior Philip Czekner, Harleysville; junior Jaryn Wilcox, Canton; and junior Dan Clark, Abington. Junior Courtney Costello, Pittston Township, is the stage manager.

BU Players previously staged Martin’s Anton in Show Business and this latest production features some of the same offbeat humor says Candlish.

Tickets for Jack and Jill are available at the Performing Arts Box Office in the lobby of the Haas Center for the Arts or at the door before each performance.

On exhibit: town and gown edition

A few exhibits to check out in both downtown Bloomsburg and in Bloomsburg University's Haas Gallery.

Ben Pranger is showing sculpture and works on paper in a Haas Gallery show titled "The Icy Heights." He'll have a reception on the closing day, Tuesday, Sept. 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. and closed Sunday.

Artspace gallery on Center Street, Bloomsburg is featuring hand-pulled prints by Marilyn Paul Watercolor paintings by Vicki Renn through Sunday, Sept. 30. Artspace is open Thursday through Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Marching Music

The Bloomsburg University's Husky Marching Band will give a free post-band-camp performance Friday, Aug. 24, ta 4 p.m. at BU's Redman Stadium. Title of the show this year: LIVE at the Husky Jazz Lounge. Photo: The band rehearses marching earlier this week. More photos at: bloomufocus.com.

Get your tickets early. Some of these may sell out.

Bloomsburg University has announced its 2012-2013 Celebrity Artist Series season with a set of shows that range from modern dance to Monty Python.

Some of these shows will likely sell out ... Spamalot, Kathy Mattea in particular. So if you're going to get tickets ... sooner rather than later would be a good idea. A few will likely be near sellouts ... The Midtown Men comes to mind ... the chinese circus too. Fact: almost all of the seats in Haas Auditorium are pretty good ... but if you want the best seats, where you can see the dancers and performers glistening ... get your tickets early.

First show in the series is Squirm Burpee by a troupe that calls itself the Handsome Little Devils.
(In the 8 to 5, I do a lot of the promotional materials for the series, and  initially I had a tough time wrapping my head around what the show was ... the more I looked into it the cooler it seems. I have an 8-year-old and I think she might dig this. — EGF.)  Looks like we should expect comedy, juggling, song, dance and a plot with a Snidely Whiplash type character — Baron Vegan von Hamburger. Satisfyingly silly.

This is set for BU's Parents' Weekend, Saturday, Sept. 15, ... so tickets will get scarce if you wait. Showtime is 7 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets run. $34.50/$19.50 Child/$17 BU student. Details from BU.

The rest of the series.

• Saturday, October 20 — Koresh Dance Company, 8 p.m.
• Friday, November 16 — Cirque Chinois, 8 p.m.
• Sunday, December 9 — The Midtown Men, 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, February 8 — Monty Python’s Spamalot, 8 p.m.
• Sunday, February 17— Luciana Souza, 7:30 p.m. (Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium)
• Friday, April 5 — DALA, 7:30 p.m. (Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium)
• Friday, April 26 — Kathy Mattea, 8 p.m.
• Saturday, May 11 — Nai-Ni Chen with the Ahn Trio, 8 p.m.

Spamalot and Mattea will be big sellers. Luciana Souza is a Brazilian superstar and DALA is a upcoming Canadian folk duo ... the venue for those is Carver Hall's Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. It's a beautiful and intimate setting. I've been told that Koresh is known for the striking athleticism of their work. The Ahn Trio has been to Bloomsburg a number of times. I have some of their discs and they really bring an both a perspective to classical music that's both fresh and approachable ... they have a really elegant take on the Doors (looks like authentic cell-phone video from a show with decent quality). This time, they're performing with a dance troupe ... different. I'm not a Broadway guy so I don't know anything about Midtown Men or the Cirque Chinois at this point. — EFG.

Boogie down Romanian style

Romanian Dance leader Mihai David will be the leader for a dance and party Sunday, Aug. 19, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at Bloomsburg University's Centennial Hall. The visit is sponsored by Bloomsburg's International Student Association and the Susquehanna International Dancers and a free and open to the public. There will be a reception afterwards off-campus on Millville Road.

Roadtrip: Sunbury RiverFest Aug. 16-18

Could be a last arts-related (mini) road trip before school starts again.

Sunbury is hosting its annual RiverFest Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 16 to 18. The riverfront area will be packed with food and craft vendors (200 booths) and live entertainment (on three stages Friday and Saturday). There are also games, train rides, and Highlights of Sunbury's Recreation Area (demonstrations) and a very large car show.

Noh theatre by torchlight

The Bloomsburg Theatre ensemble will perform the Noh play Atsumori on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 3 and 4, at 7 pm by torchlight at Bloomsburg Town Park. The performance is free. Bring your own lawn chair. (In case of rain, the performance will take place at BTE's Alvina Krause Theatre).

Outdoor arts and entertainment Aug. 4

The Bloomsburg ArtFest will be held Saturday, Aug. 4, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Center Street between Main and Third.

In addition to displays by artists, there will be live music and food. That Saturday will also be free movie night starting at 7 pm at the Courthouse Plaza.

Theatre silliness with the BU alumni players

The BU alumni players will stage some detective silliness this month with a production of Peter Gordon's Murdered to Death." 

Directed by James H. Slusser, the play is set in a country manor house in the 1930s with an eclectic group of characters who need to determine who murdered the owner of the house. Shows are in Carver Hall's Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium on July 27 & 28 and Aug. 3 & 4 at 8 p.m.; Matinee shows on July 29 & Aug. 5 at 3 p.m.

Poster illustration by Sarah Foster.

Plus: Panda's from Space

The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble and BU Players are doing a co-production of David Mamet's The Revenge of the Space Pandas, or Binky Rudich and the Two-Speed Clock. Directed by Richie Cannaday, the show runs July 19 to 29 at Alvina Kraus Theatre, Center Street, Bloomsburg.

Moose show benefits 'It gets better' movement

The Moose Exchange will host a production of How Would You Feel? by playwright Janice McCrostie. The docu-drama takes an inside look at real-life bullying, based on interviews of people from all walks of life about their experiences and where their personal journeys have taken them because of, or in spite of, their difficult pasts. Shows are Wednesday, July 25, through Saturday, July 28, at 7 pm. Tickets at the door are $5 for students, $10 for adults. All proceeds benefit itgetsbetter.org, an organization that brings hope to young people of the gay community. 


There are 75 seats for each show available for free to Bloomsburg University students. To reserve one, go to the Haas Center for The Arts and leave your name and student I.D number.

15 years of the Blues at Briggs Farm

The Briggs Farm Blues Festival celebrates 15 years of bringing the blues to rural Nescopeck this Friday and Saturday, July 6 and 7. Ten shows each day. Advance tickets are $23 for one day and $40 for two days. At the gate, tickets are $28 for one day, $50 for both and $85 if you want to camp as well. Details at briggsfarm.com.

Free you mind through verse

The River Poets will have a reading Thursday, July 5, at  7:30 pm at the Bloomsburg Public Library, Market Street. The theme is"4th on the 5th: Celebrating the Independence of Thought." Parts of the Declaration of Independence will be read along with thoughts commentaries on this declaration. There will be an open reading with emcee Mary Lou Wagner.

Family fun at the mall

Completely unpretentious, but a really nice service. The Columbia Mall in nearby Buckhorn hosts a series of lighthearted children's shows through the summer in the BonTon Court. Here's what's planned:

Tuesday, June 26, 11 a.m.: John Cassidy, magic, comedy and balloons.

Tuesday, July 10, 11 a.m.: Sadecky's Puppets.

Tuesday, July 17, 11 a.m.: The Turtlesinger Show.

Tuesday, July 24, 11 a.m.: Pat Davidson, magic show.

Tuesday, July 31, 11 a.m.: Eric Dasher, game show.

Tuesday, Aug. 7, 11 a.m.: Tucker's Tales Puppet Theatre.

Celebrate Bloomsday June 16 (as in Leopold)

Named not for the town, but for the hero of James Joyce's Ulysses, Leopold Bloom, and the day of the novel's events, June 16, 1904.

Members of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble will give a reading at the Cloak and Dragon bookstore on Main Street from 10 am to 12:30 pm.

Also in honor of Bloomsday: There will be a scavenger hunt throughout downtown beginning with registration at 9:30 am at the Moose Exchange.

On the poetry front: Troubadour-poet Lester Hirsh will perform at Edith's Kitchen, June 16, from 6 to 8 pm. Edith's Kitchen is located at 119 Pine Street, Catawissa, AKA the Whistle Stop by the River.

An English major in college, my take on Ulysses was: Joyce is a female supremacist because women are the gatekeepers in relationships. Bloom tries to upset that natural balance by denying his wife for 10 years and having a correspondence relationship with a woman, who he refuses to meet in person (to deny her the ability to decide if they meet again). Spoiler alert: After several hundred pages of a fairly miserable day for Leopold, the fate of his marriage is determined by his wife in a half-asleep haze in the very last pages. — EGF.

Town Park concerts return

Concerts in Bloomsburg Town Park are returning for the summer.

The schedule of the remaining (generally) Wednesday night shows:

Wednesday, June 13,  7 pm to 8:30 pm
DANVILLE COMMUNITY CONCERT BAND
Ted McCafferty, Director

Wednesday, June 20,  7 pm to 8:30 pm
SEASONED SOUNDS (Music of the Big Band Era)
Todd Hunter, Director

Wednesday, June 27,  7pm to 8:30 pm 
CABIN RUN (Pennsylvania Bluegrass)
Bob Knorr, Leader

Wednesday, July 4, 8 pm to Dusk
CATAWISSA MILITARY BAND (Fourth of July Holiday Music)
Jessica Martz, Conductor
Fireworks by Skyshooters/Pyrotechnics at dusk

Wednesday, July 11,  7 pm to 8:30 pm
 COUNTRY MEMORIES (Classic country music and gospel)
Dave Slusser, Leader

Wednesday, July 18, 7: pm to 8:30 pm
MEMORY LANE (Music of the 50's, 60's and 70's)
Fritz Dabulis, Leader

Wednesday, July 25,  7 pm to 8:30 pm
GIFT, TROUTMAN AND GIFT (A Trio Well-Known for Vocal Harmonies and Songs from the 40's to the Present)
  
Thursday, August 9, 5 pm until dark
55th ANNUAL ICE CREAM & CAKE FESTIVAL
Featuring the Catawissa Military Band and Covered Bridge Cloggers Bill Bitler, director

Culture on Center Street in June

At the BTE

The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble's interns are presenting Mr. and Mrs. Fitch, a light comedy about two gossip columnists. Details.

Dan Ford and Katti Mayk star; Michael Yerges, directs. The play is by Douglas Carter Beane and ran in New York with John Lithgow and Jennifer Ehle a couple of years ago.

Artspace

Joan Trusty Lentczner and Gail Zambor are exhibiting paintings at Artspace Gallery, 221 Center Street, through July 8. A reception will be held Saturday, June 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. Lentczner works brings the immediacy of rapidly done watercolors; Zambor the drama of large-scale oil canvases.

What's that buzzing sound next door?

The Bloosmburg Theatre Ensemble is staging In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) through May 20 at Alvina Krause Theatre, Center Street.

Cassandra Piscieczko directs the play by Sarah Ruhl about Victorian Dr. Givings, who performs experimental treatments for hysteria in his home office. Wife Catherine Givings discovers some pleasant side effects. Yes, sexual topics are explored, so mature audiences only. Tickets range in price from $5 to $25. Check the BTE website for specifics.

Sky writing

Graduating Bloomsburg University art studio majors are showing their work for one more week until May 12.  Featured in the exhibit are works by these BU students: Brittney Logan Andrew Bull Rachel Etzweiler Megan Combs Melanie Ortiz Olivia DeFranco Megan Koontz Lena Kurtz and Kyle Gosson. A detail of Gosson's sculpture, which deals with his experience as a deaf person, is pictured. This piece is located just outside of Haas Gallery and really needs to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. The Haas Gallery is open free of charge weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They played real good for free ... until there was a fee

Today's (April 30) Press-Enterprise has an article on the front page about the Town Park Association needing to pay licensing (back) fees to ASCAP for the Summer Concert Series. The story brought to mind a situation my brother, a musician in Missoula, Montana, passed along to me a few weeks back.

A folk singer he knows, who performs only originals, played at a community market. BMI contacted the market and told them they had to pay licensing fees to have live music ... even if it was all originals by the performer. The community market can't pay the fee and so the performer is out of a gig. Seems more than unfair and it does makes you wonder, who empowered this organization.

Details here.

—E.G.F.

Final shows for the semester

Bloomsburg University will hold it's second annual Repertory/Ensemble Dance Minor Concert on Sunday, April 29, at 3 p.m., and Monday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. in the Haas Center for the Arts. The show will feature choreography by Jenna Introna, Marcedes Kennedy, Michelle Megill, Olivia Naugle, Amber Nicole and Julie Petry. Both shows are open free to the public.

Graduating Bloomsburg University seniors majoring in art history and art studio will exhibit their work in the Senior Exit Show that runs from Tuesday, May 1, until Saturday, May 12, in Haas Gallery of Art. A reception will be held Tuesday, May 1, from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Featured in the exhibit are works by these BU students:

Brittney Logan
Andrew Bull
Rachel Etzweiler
Megan Combs
Melanie Ortiz
Olivia DeFranco
Megan Koontz
Lena Kurtz
Kyle Gosson 

Haas Gallery is open free of charge weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Art you can wear

Bloomsburg University will hold its annual Personal Adornment Day and Makeup Extravaganza on Thursday, April 26, at the Moose Exchange, 203 West Main Street, Bloomsburg.

Personal Adornment Day (PADME for short) is a visual showcase of student wearable art, performance art and theater makeup. There will be catwalk and stage presentation of 30 students' work from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  at the Moose. Visiting artist  Jan Myers-Newbury, internationally renowned art quilter, will give a lecture from 9:45 to 11 a.m. in Old Science Hall, room 311.

To the Bat ... gallery

The Bloomsburg University Museum Exhibition class has put up a show in the Haas Gallery ... "The Many Faces of Batman." The show runs through May 10. A reception is today (April 24) from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. and closed Sunday.

Music with spirit, improvisation

The Bloomsburg University Gospel Choir will have it's 22nd annual Gospelrama Saturday, April 21, at 4 p.m. in the Kehr Union, Ballroom. This year’s theme, “Yet Will I Trust You,” is inspired by Psalms 121:1. The concert is open free to the public.

More photos of the choir can be found at www.bloomufocus.com.

In a a jazzier vein

Garry L. Hagberg, James H. Ottoway Jr. Professor of Philosophy and Aesthetics at Bard College and guitarist with the Atlantic Jazz Trio, will speak and perform Monday, April 23, at 7 pm. in Bloomsburg University’s McCormick Center, room 1303. Hagberg’s talk, “Playing as One: Group Improvisation and Collective Intention” will feature live jazz improvisation. The program is presented as part of BU’s Center for Applied and Popular Philosophy.

More concerts at BU

• Bloomsburg University’s Wind Ensemble will present a concert at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. 
• The Bloomsburg University’s Concert Choir will perform Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. in First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg. 
• Two Bloomsburg University instrumental ensembles will perform in the annual Knoebels Amusement Resort “Pops” Concert Sunday, April 29, weather permitting. The Concert Band will play at 2 p.m.; the Jazz Ensemble will perform at 5:30 p.m. 

More than fashion: Art you can wear

BU students will show wearable art creations at the annual Personal Adornment Day and Makeup Extravaganza on Thursday, April 26. The catwalk and stage presentation will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main St., Bloomsburg. This event, part of BU’s Center for Visual and Preforming Arts, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Meredith Re’ Grimsley, associate professor of art, at mgrimsle@bloomu.edu.

In a mood for dance

 “New Heights,” the second annual repertory/ensemble dance minor concert, will be given Sunday, April 29, at 3 p.m., and 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Admission is free.

Gas Springs Eternal (?)

Not strictly arts related, but there seems to be a considerable overlap in the community interested in the arts, and in the environment. 

John Hintz, associate professor of geography and geosciences, will give a lecture “Gas Springs Eternal: The Marcellus Shale and Pennsylvania’s Unconventional Future,” at 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 25, in the Harvey Andruss Library, Schweiker Room. The event, open to the public free of charge, is presented by BU’s Institute for Culture and Society.

BU Players to stage LaBute's 'The Shape of Things'

The Bloomsburg University Players will present Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things Wednesday through Sunday, April 18 to 22. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Alvina Krause Theatre, Centre Street, Bloomsburg.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and non-BU students and free for BU students with an ID.

How far would you go for love? For art? What concessions would you make? What price would you pay? The Shape of Things explores these questions in the story of an aggressive artist and a shy university student. The production is staged by the international award-winning director, John Clancy.


Friday Night is Faculty-Staff Night. You and your guest admitted free at the door. No advance purchase. Please bring your BU ID.

Miscellanea: Poetry, exhibits, lectures, concerts

Poet Grant Clauser, a Bloomsburg University alumnus, will read Monday, April 9, at 7:30 pm from his new poetry collection, The Trouble with Rivers, in the Alumni House, Bloomsburg University.

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Bloomsburg University’s Percussion Ensemble will perform Tuesday, April 10, at 7:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The performance is open to the public free of charge.

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The annual Take Back the Night observance will be held Tuesday, April 10, from 7 to 8 pm, beginning at Bloomsburg University’s Kehr Union, Ballroom.

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David Gluck, author of “Rhythms of the Game,” will give a multimedia presentation Wednesday, April 11, at 6 pm in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for the Arts, room 116. Gluck’s presentation, which includes video and music, shares the story of Bernie Williams, former New York Yankees star and accomplish jazz guitarist. He will explain how athletes and artists conquer their fears, embrace failure and ultimately achieve extraordinary success.

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R. Holborn Brown will have a show of photographs, “Passages,” at the Artspace Gallery, Center Street, Bloomsburg, from April 12 to May 20. Reception will be Saturday, April 14, from 6 to 8 pm. 

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The 2012 Juried Student Art Show will run in Bloomsburg University's Haas Gallery through April 23. A reception will be held Friday, April 20, from 5 to 7 pm. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm and Saturday from noon to 2 pm.

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Susan Feiner, professor of economics and professor of women and gender studies at the University of Southern Maine, will speak on “The New/Old Macho Economy” Friday, April 13, at 1 pm in Bloomsburg University’s McCormick Center, room 1303. The lecture is sponsored by BU’s Department of Economics and College of Liberal Arts.

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The Bloomsburg University Concert Band’s spring concert will be Sunday, April 15, at 2:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The concert is open to the public free of charge.