The season for holiday concerts and shows

Students Tyler Knipe and Alex Link will present a guitar recital Monday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 pm at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 123 N. Market St. The event is free and open to the public.

***

Though not strictly holiday-related — An evening of 10-minute plays, projects directed by Bloomsburg University students, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, in the Theatre Lab, Bookstore Annex. The event is free and open to the public.

***

The fall concert by Bloomsburg University’s Jazz Ensemble will be held Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the Jazz Ensemble, contact Stephen Clickard, chair of music, theatre and dance, at sclickar@bloomu.edu.

***

Bloomsburg University’s Guitar Ensemble will perform Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Admission is free.

***

The Carols by Candlelight Concert featuring Bloomsburg University’s Concert Choir, Husky Singers and Women’s Choral Ensemble will be presented Thursday, Dec. 5, and Friday, Dec. 6,at 7:30 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg. Admission is free but tickets are required, and available at Bloomsburg University’s Mitrani Hall box office, 570-389-4409.

***

An evening of one-act plays directed by Bloomsburg University students, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in the Theatre Lab, Bookstore Annex. The event is free and open to the public.

***

BU’s Celebrity Artist Series kicks off the holiday season with a jazz performance, Christmas with Sara Gazarek, Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 pm in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets for the Celebrity Artist Series show are $30 for regular admission and $15 for BU students and children. For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at 570-389-4409.

***

The Jubilate Choir and Orchestra will hold a holiday concert Saturday, Dec. 7, at 7 pm and Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 pm at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 123 N. Market St. The concerts by the 70-member choir and 30-member orchestra are free and open to the public.

***

A Tuba Christmas will be presented Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3 pm in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Musicians who wish to perform may pre-register by calling 570-389-4284. Open registration will begin at noon, with rehearsal at 1 p.m.

Staged reading of two new plays at the Moose

Bloomsburg University students will give a staged reading of two new plays Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 pm at the Moose Exchange, 203 West Main St.

The plays, written by students in BU's Advanced Playwriting Course, are:

"Milly" by Julie Redmond 

"From Hell" by Lauren Dodge

The performances are sponsored by the Center for Visual and Performing Arts and the Division of Theatre and Dance. Theatre professor David Miller will direct. Admission is free.

The Graduate comes to Haas Center

The play is called "The Graduate" ... though in my mind I always think Mrs. Robinson after the Simon and Garfunkel song. This Friday, Nov. 15, L.A. Theatre Works brings cult favorite “The Graduate” to life at 8 p.m. at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

Tickets for the Celebrity Artist Series show are $35 for general admission and $17 for BU students and children.

Reviewer Caroline Sposto of Broadway World praises the new production for “the skillful use of an innovative genre bolstered by deft direction, peerless performances and spellbinding sound design. “Their reprisal of this classic is a fascinating hybrid — radio production meets stage production — that unfailingly delivers the best of both. The actors appear in costume and are physically suited to their roles, but they perform with minimal staging. Live manual sound effects replace props and there are no sets per se. As a result, vocal nuances, full-on facial expressions and solid literary writing carry the fast-paced performance.”

 From novel to big screen, the film received multiple Academy Award nominations and remains one of the top-grossing films. L.A. Theatre Works, known for the spontaneity of its live performances, takes “The Graduate” to stage embodying character favorites Mrs. Robinson, Benjamin, Elaine and other. Based on Charles Webb’s novel, this production coincides with the 50th anniversary of its publication. 

Jazz expert Sascha Feinstein featured River Poets reader

Poet and jazz expert Sascha Feinstein to read from his work Thursday, Nov. 7 with the River Poets at the Bloomsburg Public Library, Market Street, at 7:30 p.m. An open reading will follow with the suggested theme All That Jazz. The public is invited.

 Feinstein is the author of two collections of poetry, Ajanta’s Ledge and Misterioso (the winner of the Hayden Carruth Award.) His poems have appeared in such publications as American Poetry Review, The Georgia Review, The Missouri Review, and North American Review, as well as in anthologies such as American Poetry, the Next Generation, The Penguin Book of the Sonnet and Poets Against the War. Essays he has written have appeared in scholarly journals and he also writes regularly for JAZZIZ magazine. He has written liner notes and program notes for Jazz at Lincoln Center. Feinstein hosts Jazz Standards, a radio program on WVIA-FM, the public radio station for Central Pennsylvania. In 2008, he received the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Artist of the Year. He enjoys playing the saxophone at local venues.

Come on down to 'Avenue Q'

The Bloomsburg University Players will present the comedic musical Avenue Q at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 7, 8 and 9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Alvina Krause Theater, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg.

Staged with large puppets (a la Sesame Street), Avenue Q is a laugh-out-loud, Tony Award-winning musical about a group of 20-somethings seeking their purpose in life in the big city. Avenue Q is the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. There, he meets Kate (the girl next door), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the internet sexpert), Lucy the Slut (need we say more), and other colorful types who help Princeton finally discover his purpose in life.

Admission is free with BU ID, $12 for adults and $8 for seniors. Advanced tickets are available at the Haas Box Office at 570-389-4340. For more information about the BU Players, visit buplayers.org.

PLEASE NOTE: Mature content not suitable for children.*

The coming week music at BU

Bloomsburg University will host three musical events in the coming week.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The show will feature works for quartets, quintets, and a large ensemble. Look for some non-traditional percussion stylings as well. Gifford Howarth conducts. Admission is free.

***

The University-Community Orchestra will perform Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The program will feature works by composers LoPresti, Sammy Nestico, and Copland. Trombonist Todd Hunter will be the featured soloist. Mark Jelinek conducts. Admission is free.

Hunter will hold a trombone master class will be held Saturday, Nov. 9, at 9:30 am. Call Mark Jelinek at 570-389-4289 if you're interested in attending.

***

The Bloomsburg University Wind Ensemble will perform Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

The ensemble will perform works originally composed for symphonies, inlcuding: Franz Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody,” Camille Saint-Saens’ “Dance Macabra,” Antonin Dvořák’s “Finale from the New World Symphony,” Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero,” Peter Tschaikovsky’s “March Slav” and Luigi Denza “Funiculi-Funicula Rhapsody.”

Steve Clickard conducts. Admission is free.

Guitarist to perform at BU

Guitarist Stephen Mattingly will perform at Bloomsburg University on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, room 166. Mattingly is active as a soloist and a member of the Tantalus Quartet.  

Get ready to see some dance and song

Bloomsburg University's Celebrity Artist Series is bringing "Dancing with the Stars," "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance?" finalists to campus on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets are $45 for adults and $22 for children and BU students.

The show "Ballroom With A Twist" is an evening of entertainment for the entire family highlighted by stunning costumes, fantastic music and breathtaking performances, directed and choreographed by international world champion, Emmy nominated, “Dancing With the Stars” Louis van Amstel. This show will feature dancers Chelsie Hightower and Dmitry Chaplin.

And several of favorite “American Idol” finalists will join the bill with their powerhouse hit songs. If you love watching the cha-cha rattle on the television screen, getting up close and live beneath the fringe and sequins is a whole other ballgame you will want to experience.

Upcoming shows include:

• Nov .15 — The Graduate 
• Dec. 6 — Sara Gazarek 
• Feb. 7 — Project Trio Feb. 22 — Christopher O’Riley 
• March 7 — American Idiot 
• March 29 — Swan Lake 
• April 13 — Pedrito Martinez

A look at life "Under the Sea"

The film Under the Sea, narrated by Jim Carrey, will be shown Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 7 pm, at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main St. The screening is sponsored by BU's Campus Green Initiative.

The film examines the impact of global climate change on the ocean wilderness as award-winning director/cinematographer Howard Hall (Into the Deep, Deep Sea 3D) travels from South Australia to the Indo-Pacific to teach viewers the importance of keeping our oceans clean for future generations.

Claire Watkins to give reading at Moose Monday

Short story writer and essayist Claire Vaye Watkins will give a reading Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 pm at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main Street, Bloomsburg.

Watkins is the author of Battleborn, which was named a best book of 2012 by the San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Time Out New York, Flavorwire, and NPR.org. Battleborn (Riverhead Books) also won the Story Prize, the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a Silver Pen Award from the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.

In 2012, Claire was selected as one of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35.” Currently a visiting assistant professor at Princeton University, Claire is also the co-director, with Derek Palacio, of the Mojave School, a free creative writing workshop for teenagers in rural Nevada.

The reading is sponsored by the Bloomsburg University Center for Visual and Performing Arts and the Big Dog Reading Series.

A choral concert. A look at commune life.

Bloomsburg University’s Fall Choral Concert, featuring the Women’s Choral Ensemble, Husky Singers and Concert Choir, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, in First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg. The concert is open to the public free of charge.

***

The Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association is presenting its Fall Program this Sunday afternoon, October 20, at 2 p.m. in the Andruss Library Schweiker Room. The guest speaker is Melvyn Stiriss, the author of “Voluntary Peasants: Birth of the Farm Commune.” Stiriss spent the 1970s on a commune in Tennessee, and will relate his experiences on the farm and writing the book, the first in a four-part series. Here is the link to information on the book:www.voluntarypeasants.com/ It should be an interesting presentation, so please be sure to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

A parade, a merchant and Motown

Bloomsburg School District and Bloomsburg University will celebrate Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 12. The parade begins at 11 a.m. parade on Lightstreet, then on to Main and Market streets to Town Park. This year’s homecoming theme is Nashville music City, U.S.A.

*** 

The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble is staging Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice through Oct. 20. Director Andrew Hubatsek sets the play in a kind of gangster milieu.

***

A reception for artist Sage Dawson will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Gallery of Art. Dawson will lecture at 3 p.m. For information, contact Scott Roper, sroper@bloomu.edu.

***

Motown and More, featuring Souled Out, will perform Friday, Oct. 11, at  8 p.m. in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall as part of the Celebrity Artist Series. Reproducing the classic sounds of the ’70s soul era, the group will perform hits from Motown and soul legends including Earth, Wind & Fire, the Commodores and Tower of Power. Tickets are $35 for regular admission and $17 for BU students and children. For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/CAS or call the box office at 570-389-4409.

Arts in Autumn dinner at Moose Oct. 20

Musical performances by a jazz combo, poetry readings and scenes from “Avenue Q” will be featured during the second annual Arts in Autumn. Presented by Bloomsburg University's Center for Visual and Performing Arts, the dinner celebration will be Sunday, Oct. 20, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main Street. Tickets at $35 per person benefit BU scholarships and must be ordered in advance.

Guests can preview the items available in the silent auction beginning at 5 p.m., including pieces by local artists and tickets for Celebrity Artist Series shows and BU theatre department performances. Guests may also view an exhibit which spotlights works in a variety of mediums by advanced art students.

The three-course dinner will be interspersed with musical performances, poetry readings by BU students from Creative Writing: Poetry classes and members of BU Players performing a scene and a song from the upcoming production of “Avenue Q,” which will run from Nov. 7 to 10.

Centerpieces will be contributed by Introduction to Sculpture students. Tickets may be reserved at www.bloomu.edu/cvpa or by calling (570) 389-4410. The deadline is Oct. 4.

Things to do in Bloomsburg that don't involve the fair

Yep. It's that time of year again. Fair week. Big crowds, artery-clogging food, traffic, etc. But there are things to do, and places to eat, that have nothing to do with the fair. A sampling:

At the Moose Exchange on West Main Street, Endless Records is sponsoring the third annual Cover of a Cover exhibit. Anyone can participate in any medium. The deadline, Sept. 29, is approaching faster than a Metallica riff.  Re-imagine or re-design an existing album cover and they'll display the new work side-by-side with its inspiration. Must be 12-3/8″ by 12-3/8″ (the size of an LP album cover). Contact Endless Records for more information: 570-951-1821 or endlessvinyl@gmail.com. Drop off your submission with the original album cover (without the vinyl please) no later than Sunday, Sept. 29; the show opens on Tuesday, Oct. 1, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 16. A public reception is scheduled on Friday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 8 pm.

***

At Artspace on Center Street, ceramist Sara Baker and fabric artist Denise Richards are the featured artists at Artspace, 221 Center Street, Bloomsburg, through Sunday, Sept. 29.

***

Bloomsburg University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs is sponsoring an international taste test at its Flavors of the World event on Tuesday, Sept. 24,  at 6 pm at the Kehr Union, Multicultural Center. The free event aims to bring the community together to celebrate and learn about other cultures through music and food. The Ewabo Calypso Band will perform reggae and Latin music.

***

Tami Tango Trio will perform Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7 pm in Bloomsburg University’s Kehr Union, Ballroom. The event is open to the public free of charge.

***

The 2002 French film, L’Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment), will be shown at 7 pm Thursday, Sept. 26, in McCormick Center, room 2303, as part of Bloomsburg University’s Gender Studies Minor Film Series. The film tells the story of a Parisian college student who is spending a year in Barcelona sharing an apartment with international students. The film showing is open to the public free of charge.    

***

The fair is famous for the artery-clogging food, but you'll find very fine fare just a quarter mile east on Main Street —encompassing pizza (lots of choices), fresh-made bagels, a casual but satisfying burrito experience, and even (very fine) dining. Plus, you get to sit down inside.

Now, this is all completely subjective ...
Pizza choices are pretty personal, but to my taste La Fontana at the square is the best. Non-pizza food is fab as well. Love Ready Go Burrito — and while you're waiting for the burritos to be made you can pop next door to Balzano's for a drink at the bar. Just tried the relatively new restaurant, Saisons on Main. BYOB, with a very reasonable $1 per person corking fee. The food isn't fussy, but it is expertly done, with nice twists that complement but don't overwhelm the dish. I had venison with a cabernet juniper glaze. Really good and the juniper was a really cool touch. Different, but to my taste equal to always excellent Inn at Turkey Hill, which is just out of town. If you're a dark beer aficionado, Marley's on Route 11 is worth a stop for the Porter alone, which is getting close to a stout with great coffee and chocolate flavors, natural carbonation, and just a little edge. — EGF.

Illustration exhibit in Benton Saturday

Artist, illustrator and cartoonist Ron Wing will host his annual exhibition at The West Creek Gallery in the historic Cole's Mill in Benton on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 5 to 9 pm. (Benton is about half an hour's drive from Bloomsburg.)

Guest artists will include Cheryl Fallon, Jody Fallon and Mary Ellen Minnier. The show is one night only.

Wing's work will be familiar to many people with children as he illustrated many Choose you Own Adventure books. He was  born in 1929 in San Diego, studied fine art for several years before serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. After three years in the Navy, he returned to Pratt Institute and graduated in 1954. He lived and worked in New York City for most of the 50’s, where he earned his living as a cartoonist and illustrator. During this time he continued to paint and periodically sell his fine art. He left NYC for Red Bank, New Jersey and then moved to Columbia County, Pennsylvania in the early 60’s. As a commercial artist and cartoonist for over 50 years, Ron Wing’s work has been published in such magazines as Business Week, Argosy, Pageant, Coronet, Reader’s Digest and The Saturday Evening Post. For the last 45 years, Ron has lived in the historic Cole’s Mill in Benton.

This news comes from Cheryl Fallon, who write that a GPS may not get you there, so here's the directions: From Bloomsburg take Rte 487 to Benton. Turn LEFT onto Rte 239N. The mill is located on the LEFT side just after the bridge after Fritz Hill Road and Cole's Creek Mill Road. 

More details are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/419824211470145/

Exhibits: Downtown and on campus

The Moose Exchange on West Main Street is hosting an exhibit of artists who are, or formerly were, connected with the Pajama Factory in Williamsport through Sept. 26. There will be a closing reception Thursday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 8 pm.

The exhibit covers a wide range of mediums by many artists and artisans, including Chad Andrews, Juan Arata, Rebecca Armstrong, David W. Becker, Lynne M. Becker, Valerie Beggs, Aaron Bellve, Rita Bower, Robert Bower, Steve Bower, Alex Callender, Lynn Estomin, Phil Evans, Casey Gleghorn, Tommy Grieco, The Williamsport Guardian, Jennifer Gunlock, Jeremiah Johnson, Laura Knorr, Jennifer Leidhecker, Todd Lim, Keeley Loy, Vaughn Mallery, John McKaig, Curt Miller, Lawrence C. Miller, Tim Miller, Ron Moreland, John Nicholson, Misako Oba, Jill Ostrowski, Liz Parrish, Matthew Parrish, Veera Pfaffli, Michael Pilato, Marsha Turner Pluhar, Holly Patton Shull, Brian Spies, Dave Stabley, Mark Stabley, Andrea McDonough Varner, Ralph Wilson, Mark Winkelman, and Luke Yocum.

***

Sage Dawson will exhibit her work in BU's Haas Gallery through Oct. 11. In her show, Home Sweet Ruin, Dawson uses cartography as a visual metaphor and style. The gallery is open free of charge from 9 am. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays. A closing reception will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, with an artist lecture and presentation by Dawson at 3 pm. Dawson was recently featured in “From Here to There” published by Princeton Architectural Press and “Cosmologies of the Self” in Elephant Magazine.

***

BU's Gender Studies Minor is sponsoring a series of six French films. The first film, La Vie en rose, will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, in McCormick Center, room 2303. The film depicts the life of the French singer Edith Piaf, who lived from 1915 to 1963. This film series is free and open to the public.

***

Open Mic Night, featuring a performance by host Griffen Alexander, will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, in Bloomsburg University’s Scranton Commons Amphitheater. The rain location is the Kehr Union Fireside Lounge. Each act in this “unplugged” event must include at least one BU student, faculty or staff member. Open Mic Night is open to the public free of charge and sponsored by BU’s Program Board and Community Government Association.

***

Justine Ayuk, a lecturer in the gender studies department at the University of Buea, Cameroon, will talk about Gender and Development in Cameroon at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, Bloomsburg University’s Andruss Library, Schweiker Room. Ayuk is one of four University of Buea faculty visiting BU during September. The lecture, open to the public free of charge, is sponsored by BU’s College of Liberal Arts and Gender Studies minor. 

Poetry and song Sunday in Northumberland

Poet and musician Lester Hirsh will read from his work accompanying himself on guitar Sunday, Sept. 1, from 9:30 to 10:10 am at Joseph Priestley Memorial Chapel, 380 Front Street, Northumberland. Hirsh is a guitarist, singer/songwriter, and poet who plays on Spanish 6-string and acoustic 12-string guitars in styles ranging from classical, country, and folk, to Brazilian jazz and Flamenco.

***

More poetry in September

The 5th annual Stillwater Poetry and Music Festival will be Saturday, Sept. 7, under a  tent in the Stillwater Memorial Park. The event will feature award-winning poets from across Pennsylvania, including:

• Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Associate Professor of Women’s Studies and Creative Writing at Penn State University. Kasdorf is the author of three volumes of poetry, Sleeping Preacher, Eve’s Striptease, and Poetry in America.
• Sheryl St. Germain, a Louisiana native and director of the MFA writing program at Chatham University, Pittsburgh. St. Germain is the author of Going Home, The Mask of Medusa, Making Bread at Midnight, How Heavy the Breath of God, and The Journals of Scheherazade, as well as her latest Let it Be a Dark Roux: New and Selected Poems.
•  Jack Troy, professor emeritus of Juniata College and author of Calling the Planet Home.

The theme of this year’s festival is agriculture and nature writing. Several other poets completing the roster are farmer/poets who write of the land and its importance in their lives.

Additionally, Benton’s Fort Ricketts Post #8317 is supporting the festival with the sponsorship of a veteran poet who, in addition to reading at the festival, will make a visit to the Benton Area School District for a reading. Two open mic sessions allow anyone with a poem to share it from the festival stage. Live acoustic music will also be part of the festival. Local and organic food will be available.

Free admission, rain or shine. For more information contact: stillwaterpoetry@yahoo.com.

Back to school. Here's what going on in art this week.

I've taken a bit of a break from posting over the summer, but school's back and there's lots going on. — EGF.

Clay and Cloth

Ceramist Sara Baker and fabric artist Denise Richards are the featured artists at Artspace, 221 Center Street, Bloomsburg, through Sept. 29.  

Catch it while you can

Current exhibiting artist at BU's Haas Gallery Lisa Corine Von Koch and her show 'DAD' will be having a closing reception Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 11 am to 2 pm. She will give a lecture at 11:15 and 1:15 pm.

A hike in the evening

Bloomsburg University’s Quest Program will offer a night hike from 9 a.m. to midnight, Wednesday, Aug. 28, meeting at the Quest office on BU’s Upper Campus. Quest events are open to members of the campus community and the public. For information, see www.buquest.org.

Maybe this is your ball of yarn

If you are an adult who knits, or who would like to learn how, the Bloomin’ Knitters want you. They meet every Monday at the Bloomsburg Public Library on Market Street in the Fireplace Lounge at 6 pm. Bring your latest project and come prepared for chat.

And looking farther ahead ...

The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble will stage Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in October. I'm really curious to see what they do with this.

***

Manga illustration by Sarah Foster. She does commissions. Inquires? Contact me.

A preview of concerts and shows at BU

Here's the schedule of concerts and plays at BU for the 2013-2014 academic year. Most concerts are free. There's a modest admission charge for most plays. It's early, so there may be adjustments to the schedule down the line.

For myself, I'm particularly interested to see what the Chamber Orchestra does with guitarists Matt Leece and Victoria Hummer and the theatre shows, which seem to include a number of new pieces and a provocative classic by Lillian Hellman. — EGF.  

University-Community Orchestra: Young Person’s Concert, Oct. 1, 10 a.m., Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. Mark Jelinek, conducting.

Fall Choral Festival: Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg. Featuring Women’s Choral Ensemble, Husky Singers and the Concert Choir Alan Baker conducting.

Chamber Orchestra Concert: Oct. 27, 2:30 p.m. Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, 123 N. Market St., Bloomsburg. Featuring Victoria Hummer and Matthew Leece, guitar. Mark Jelinek conducting.

Percussion Ensemble Concert: Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., Mitrani Hall, Haas Center Gifford Howarth, directing.

Theatre: Avenue Q, by David A. Miller Performed by Bloomsburg Players Nov. 7, 8, 9, 10. Alvina Krause Theatre, 226 Center St, Bloomsburg.

University-Community Orchestra: Nov. 10, 2:30 p.m., Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. Featuring Todd Hunter, trombone. Mark Jelinek, conducting. A trombone master class will be offered Nov 9. Email mjelinek@bloomu.edu for information.

Wind Ensemble: Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts Stephen Clickard, conducting.

Theatre: An Evening of 10-Minute Plays,  Student-Directed Projects, Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., Theatre Lab, University Bookstore Annex.

Jazz Ensemble: Dec. 3, 7 p.m. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts Stephen Clickard, conducting.

Guitar Ensemble: Dec. 4, 7 p.m. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts Matthew Slotkin, directing.

Carols by Candlelight: Dec. 5 and 6, 7:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg. Featuring the Concert Choir, Husky Singers, and Women’s Choral Ensemble. (Admission free, but tickets required; pick up at Performing Arts Box Office located in lobby of Haas Center.)

Theatre: An Evening of One-Act Plays, Student-directed projects, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. Theatre Lab, University Bookstore Annex

SPRING 2014

Spring Music Residency, PROJECT Trio: Feb. 7 to 9.

Theatre: February Festival, 30 Plays in 60 Minutes: Original scripts by the BU Players. Feb. 13-15, 19-20, Alvina Krause Theatre.

Theatre: 24-Hour Plays, Feb. 22, Alvina Krause Theatre.

Theatre: The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman, April 11-15, Alvina Krause Theatre.

Fourth Annual Dance Minors Concert, April 27-28, Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts

Honors Recital: Feb. 13, 7 p.m. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts

Chamber Orchestra: March 9, 2:30 p.m. St. Matthew Lutheran Church 123 N. Market St., Bloomsburg

Jazz Festival: April 4, noon Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts

Spring Orchestra Concert: April 6, 2:30 p.m., Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. Mark Jelinek directing. A piano master class will be offered April 5. Email mjelinek@bloomu.edu for information.

BU Choirs Spring Concert: April 12, 7:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church 345 Market St., Bloomsburg

Concert Band: April 13, 2:30 pm Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall

Guitar Ensemble: April 15, 7 p.m. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts

Percussion Ensemble: April 17, 7:30 p.m. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts

Summer concerts in Town Park

Bloomsburg Town Park will host a series of concerts again this summer. Most are on Wednesday's starting at 7 pm. Here's the schedule of upcoming shows:

Wednesday, June 12, 7 pm - 8:30 pm 

THE DANVILLE COMMUNITY BAND

John Collins, III, Director

Wednesday, June 19, 7 pm - 8:30 pm 

CABIN RUN

Bob Knorr, Leader 

Pennsylvania Blue Grass Music

Wednesday, June 26, 7 pm - 8:30 pm 

CATAWISSA MILITARY BAND

Jessica Martz, Conductor

Wednesday, July 3, 7 pm - 8:30 pm 

MCNETT COUNTRY

Tim and Shawn McNett 

Entertainment & Square Dancing

Wednesday, July 10, 7 pm - 8:30 pm 

CLICKARD CONSORTIUM 

Dr. Stephen Clickard, Composer 

A Ten Piece Ensemble Playing Music from Swing to Modern Jazz 

Wednesday, July 17, 7 pm - 8:30 pm 

MEMORY LANE 

Fritz Dabulis, Leader 

Music of the 50's, 60's and 70's 

Wednesday, July 24, 7 pm - 8:30 pm 

SEASONED SOUNDS

Todd Hunter, Director 

Music of the Big Band Era 

 Thursday, August 1, 5 pm until dark 

 56th ANNUAL ICE CREAM & CAKE FESTIVAL 

Featuring the Catawissa Military Band and Covered Bridge Cloggers Bill Bitler, Director 

Come and share this community event featuring games, prizes, food, music and fun for all!

Poetry: Harry Humes featured reader Thursday

Harry Humes will be the featured reader for the River Poets Thursday, June 6, at 7:30 pm in the Bloomsburg Public Library. Humes' most recent collections of poetry are August Evening with Trumpet (2004) and Butterfly Effect (1998). MC will be Dave Barsky and there will be time for open readings.

'Confluence' exhibit to be unveiled in Haas Saturday

The public unveiling of “Confluence,” a 7-by-62-foot mixed media collaborative installation by 19 regional artists, will be Saturday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the grand lobby of BU's Haas Center for the Arts.

This original piece celebrates the collaboration of the university with the greater Bloomsburg community and depicts the growth and activity of a thriving town in the Susquehanna River Valley. Nineteen members of Susquehanna River Artists created 18 individual tiles that collectively depict the wealth of visual art in our region.

Artists who contributed to the piece are: Dave Ashby, Sara Baker, Annie Barnhardt, Susan Fulginiti, Doug Hopkins, Jeff McGreevy, Larry Ney, Dave Stabley and Deb Stabley, all of Bloomsburg; William Whitmoyer and Marcia and Richard Lilley, all of Millville; Robert Brown and Glen Klein, both of Danville; Pamela McHenry Thomas, Cambra; Abigail Smith Kurecian and Joan McCarty, both of Orangeville; Sarah Mika, Catawissa; and Sandy Tranor, Benton.

The completion and unveiling of the project, initiated by Bloomsburg University’s Celebrity Artist Series and the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, coincides with the staged presentation of “The Temptation of the Muses,” a performance of dance and music that also celebrates water.

The performance by the Ahn Trio with the Nai-Ni Chen contemporary dance ensemble, begins Saturday, May 11, at 8 p.m. in Mitrani Hall. Chen and the Ahns will present a workshop for area dancers Friday, May 10, at 4:30 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium.

Final show for BU seniors

BU's graduating art studio and art history students’ exit show will open with a reception Wednesday, May 8, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Haas Gallery of Art. The exhibit will continue until Saturday, May 18, and will be open to the public free of charge Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 2 p.m.

The exhibit features a variety of materials and mediums, including sculpture, photography, drawing, painting, installation, fabric design, mixed media and printmaking.

The opening reception will begin with presentations by art history seniors Holli Trivelpiece, Berwick; Disa Turner, Danville; Mei Yang and Shonda Cobb, both from Bloomsburg; Deanna Barnes, Royersford; Angie Musselman, Millville; and Jill A. Suda, Swoyersville. Topics include “Female Portraits of the Renaissance,” “Into the World of Hancock” and “Cake: Delectable Art.”

Art studio seniors who will discuss their works beginning at 12:45 p.m. are Rachel Barnes, Butler; Katelin Bolig, Winfield; Julie Farnan, Pen Argyl; Terrance Jones, Hampton, Ga.; Alyssa Karpa, Doylestown; Kristen Lang, Paramus, N.J.; Tyann McGinn, Shamokin; Erin Mills, West Chester; Chello Sherman, Bloomsburg; Kimberly Walko, Hazleton; Nevada Dehn, Mifflinville; Daniel Gaylord, Vestal, N.Y.; A.J. Diaz, Montoursville; Carissa Meyer, Muncy Valley; and Suda. They will talk about how they arrived at their body of work, materials used, themes and aspects that are crucial to their studio practice and art-making process.

Music? Dance? Both. Nai-Ni Chen and the Ahn Trio

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and the Ahn Trio will a dynamic collaboration of music and dance in “The Temptation of the Muses"on on Saturday, May 11, at 8 p.m. in BU's Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.   Tickets cost $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for children and $17 for BU students.

Nai-Ni Chen is an established Asian-American choreographer who melds the freedom of modern American dance with the discipline of Chinese classical arts. She has taught master classes throughout the U.S. and at dance festivals in Poland, Taiwan, China and Russia.

The Ahn sisters have performed at BU several times. Angela, Maria and Lucia Ahn were born in Korea. Educated at the Julliard School, the Ahns reflect both cultures – U.S. and Korean. Unlike most musicians in the pit of the theatre, the Ahn Trio interacts with the dancers on stage for a partnership of dance and music.

The selections planned for the BU performance will include compositions by Kenji Bunch, David Balakrishnan, Pat Metheny, Ronn Yedidia and an arrangement of The Door's "Riders on the Storm."

“They’re used to practicing to recorded music and expect the same tempos and cadences,” said Angela Ahn. “As we get to know each other more, the dancers can be more free and we can, too.

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

The performance, the final program in BU’s 2012-13 Celebrity Artist Series, is supported Barbara and Michael Hudock, Hudock Moyer Wealth Management, and the Woodcock Foundation for the Appreciation of the Arts.

Guitar ensemble to perform at BU on Wednesday

BU’s Guitar Ensemble will give a concert on Wednesday, May 8, at 7 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

The show will feature as many seven classical guitars playing together, and a variety of music from the 1600s to the present day, including Renaissance dances, a classical sonata, popular Latin American songs and a contemporary Cuban work. The ensemble is directed by Matthew Slotkin, assistant professor of music. The group's repertoire includes music by Issac Albeniz, Leo Brouwer, Scott Joplin, Stepan Rak, Fernando Sor and folk music from Brazil and Chile. The 15-member ensemble is made up of music majors who study guitar as their primary instrument.

BU to hold dance concert Sunday, Monday

BU will host its 3rd Annual Repertory/Ensemble Dance Minor Concert, Workin' It!, on Sunday, May 5, at 3 pm, and Monday, May 6, at 7:30 pm in Carver Hall, Kenneth Gross Auditorium. Admission is free.

The performance will feature six world-premiere choreographic works created by faculty member Julie Petry and the dance minor students, and a dance re-construction staged by visiting artist Teena Marie Custer of Slippery Rock University. Additionally featured are costume, make-up, lighting, sound and projection design contributed by theatre arts faculty, staff, students, and guest costume designer Jenny Kenyon.

The performance will include adult themes and language. Choreographic topics will vary widely: the trauma of losing a baby, street-life of prostitutes, a Detroit DJ homage, a Michael Jackson musical montage, a piece about dreams, a comedy on Charlie Chaplin, and a duet offering a spiritual/soulful interpretation of struggle.

River Poets Thursday reading to feature Rob Burnside

Rob Burnside will be the featured reader for the River Poets on Thursday, May 2, at 7:30 pm at the Bloomsburg Public Library, 225 Market Street. The theme of the reading is Old Friends. A native of northeastern Pennsylvania, Burnside's interest in poetry began in childhood, listening to his mother recite from memory. He is a graduate of Wyoming Seminary and received a B.A. in Art Education from Wilkes University. In the early 1990s, near the end of a career on the Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department, he began writing poetry and short fiction to fill in long night shift hours at the fire station, and joined the River Poets shortly thereafter. He currently resides in Swoyersville, and has published a chapbook Falling Off the Bone, with the help of Finishing Line Press. His work is substantially influenced by the poetry of Stanley Kunitz, Ruth Stone, William Stafford, Patti Smith, and Walt Whitman. MC is Mike DeMarco.

Concert Choir to perform downtown Saturday

The BU Concert Choir will give a concert on Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg.

This concert is free and open to the public. The program will feature sacred and secular music, including Z. Randall Stroope’s “Lamentations of Jeremiah” and “Inscription of Hope” and Randall Thompson’s “Choose Something Like a Star.” World music selections will include “Dubula” by Stephen Hatfield and the “Jamaican Market Place” by Larry Farrow.” Gospel music, spirituals and vocal jazz will complete the program.

Following commencement on Saturday, May 18, the Concert Choir, BU’s Husky Singers and Women’s Chorale will perform concerts in Chicago, with proceeds benefiting cancer-related organizations in memory of the late professor Eileen Hower, who passed away in December 2012. The Concert Choir is directed by professor of music Alan Baker and accompanied by Harry Martenas, jazz musician and church organist.

More weekend music

Two Bloomsburg University ensembles will perform in the annual Knoebels Amusement Resort Pops Concert Sunday, April 28, at the park in Elysburg. BU’s Concert Band will play at 2 p.m., followed by the Jazz Ensemble at 5:30 p.m. The performances are open to park visitors free of charge.

Renaissance Jamboree Saturday Schedule

Renaissance Jamboree Entertainment Schedule

April 27, 10 am - 5 pm
Downtown Bloomsburg

Courthouse Stage

• 10 am Beef—Classic Rock
• 11 am Seasoned Sounds—Contemporary Swing 
• Noon Joyous—Classic Motown & Funk
• 2:30 pm Chamuris and Brown—Classic Acoustic Rock 
• 3:45 pm Stained Grass Window-Bluegrass & Country

Iron Street Stage

• 10 am Darling Run- Modern Rock
• 11 am Finally Surrendered—Original & Contemporary Christian Rock
• Noon Fricknadorable—Americana, Roots, Novelty
• 1 pm Clickard Consortium—Straight Ahead Jazz
• 2 pm Mime Tribes—Original Music
• 3:00 pm Finally Surrendered—Original & Contemporary Christian Rock
• 4:00 pm Jeff Brown- Classic Acoustic Rock

Market Square

• 10:10 am Greenwood Friends & Susquehanna International Folk Dancers
• 10:45 am Susque Country Danjo Wheelers Square Dance
• 11:30 am Flippenout Extreme Aerial Trampoline Team
• Noon Rainbow Twirlers
• 12:30 pm Crosswinds Martial Arts
• 1:15 pm Flippenout Extreme Aerial Trampoline Team
• 1:30 pm YMCA Zumba
• 2:15 pm Flippenout Extreme Aerial Trampoline Team
• 2:30 pm Covered Bridge Cloggers
• 3:15 pm Karen Gronsky School of Dance Dancers
• 4 pm Flippenout Extreme Aerial Trampoline Team
• 4:30 pm International Student Assn Dancers

Jefferson Street Children’s Show Area

• 10:30am Dora Show
• 11:15 am Jerry Brown- “The Monkey Man”
• Noon Sully Show
• 12:45 pm The Magic of Brent Kessler
• 1:30 pm Dora Show
• 2:15 pm Jerry Brown—“The Monkey Man”
• 3 pm Sully Show
• 3:45 pm The Magic of Brent Kessler

Strolling performances by Jerry Brown, Dora, Sully, and Leo Schott on Bagpipes.

The Bloosmburg Theatre Ensemble will perform their theatre in the classroom show Patch Works: Life & Legends of the Coal Towns, at 2 pm in Phillips Emporium. The show is free.

Pony Party Paradise will be offering pony rides for a nominal charge on Market Street north of the Fountain.

Backyard Bouncin’ will have two inflatable games for a nominal charge at Main & West streets.

Renaissance Jamboree is co-sponsored by: Columbia Montour Area Chamber of Commerce, Program 
Board of Bloomsburg University, Town of Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg University, Renaissance Jamboree Committee, Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc.

Art you can wear

BU's ninth annual Personal Adornment Day and Makeup Extravaganza (PADME) on Thursday, April 25, will feature a lecture and a workshop on embroidery technique and history, "Extraordinary Embroidery: Stitches in Unexpected Places."

The PADME catwalk and stage presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Moose Exchange, 203 W. Main St., Bloomsburg. The event allows students enrolled in BU’s 3-D Design and Fabric Design classes to express visual form through artwork made for the body.

Nick DeFord, professor of art at the University of Tennessee, will present a lecture at 9:45 a.m. and workshop at noon on BU's campus.

All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required for the lecture and workshop. To register, contact Meredith Grimsley, associate professor of art, mgrimsle@bloomu.edu.

Grammy winner Kathy Mattea to perform at BU Friday

This is a treat for country music fans. 

Triple Grammy Award winner Kathy Mattea will perform Friday, April 26, at 8 pm in BU's Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.  Tickets cost $34.50 for adults, $19.50 for children and $17 for BU students.

At about 1,700 seats, Haas is a pretty intimate setting to see a show by a major performer for $35 a ticket.

Mattea will play songs from her most recent album, “Calling Me Home,” and her hits, including “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” and Grammy Award-winning “Where’ve You Been.”

More info about the Friday evening show at www.bloomu.edu/CAS or call the Haas Center Box Office, (570) 389-4409.

Mattea also will deliver the keynote address for BU’s 22nd annual Health Sciences Symposium and Wellness Fair, The Healing Power of the Arts, at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Mitrani Hall, followed by a workshop, The Positive Effects of Music in the Health Field, at 9 a.m. Friday, April 26, in Kehr Union, Ballroom. Both Mattea’s Thursday evening keynote address and Friday workshop are free and open to the public.

The impact of Marcellus Shale ... in art, film and words

Just a reminder: The Moose Exchange on West Main is hosting a multi-disciplinary project focused on the impact of Marcellus Gas Shale on Pennsylvania communities. 

The extensive multi-disciplinary project includes an art exhibit, lectures, film screenings. Get the details direct from the Moose. 

***

The Moose is also hosting a Mayoral Debate for the Town of Bloomsburg.

A tribute in song this Sunday

BU's  Husky Singers and the Women’s Chorale will give a concert on Sunday, April 21, at 2:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Admission is free.

The program’s highlight will be the premiere performance of a new work from Canadian choral composer Stephen Hatfield. “As She Goes” was commissioned by the Bloomsburg University choirs in memory of Eileen Hower, assistant professor of music, who passed away in December 2012. For this new work, Hatfield combined his original text and music with musical quotations from the Celtic folk song, “Wild Mountain Thyme,” one of Hower’s favorite tunes.

Other works to be performed by the women’s ensemble include Eleanor Daley’s “In Remembrance,” sacred Renaissance works of Arcadelt and Palestrina, a variety of spirituals and gospel arrangements, and a jazz arrangement of “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music.”

Selections by the Husky Singers, BU’s male vocal ensemble, will include music from the southern gospel tradition, spirituals, glee club standards, Morten Lauridsen’s “Dirait’on” and “Hol’ You Han,” a Jamaican/rap novelty song.

Directed by Alan Baker, associate professor of music, the Husky Singers specialize in doo-wop, barbershop and other popular arrangements, complete with comic sketches and Motown-inspired dance moves.

The Women’s Chorale’s repertoire ranges from ancient to contemporary pieces, directed by of Andrew Robinette, professor of music. Both ensembles are accompanied by pianist Valyn Boy.

Miscellanea: Economics, Edith Wharton, Poetry + Jazz

Economics

A Harvard University professor called “America’s leading immigration economist” by Business Week and The Wall Street Journal will speak at 2 p.m., Thursday, April 18, in BU's Kehr Union, multipurpose rooms.

George J. Borjas, professor of economics and social policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, will discuss “Immigration and Economics.” The free lecture is open to the public.

A research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor. His editorials appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journaland Le Monde, and he is the author of the textbook, Labor Economics, now in its sixth edition, and Heaven’s Door: Immigration Policy and the American Economy.

He has appeared on CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” the PBS “NewsHour” with Jim Lehrer, the nightly news shows of CBS and NBC, Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor” and “Fox and Friends,” and Ben Wattenberg’s “Think Tank.” The lecture is sponsored by BU’s College of Liberal Arts, economics department, and International Economics Honors Society. For more information, contact Mehdi Haririan, chair of economics, (570) 389-4682 or mhariria@bloomu.edu.

I know this isn't strictly arts related. However, the speakers that Mehdi Haririan has brought to campus over the years —including NYT columnist Paul Krugman — have been consistently superb and insightful. — EGF

Edith Wharton

BU English professor Ferda Asya will give a talk on "Edith Wharton's Transatlantic Homes and Friends" on Thursday, April 18, from 4:30 – 5:30 pm, in Warren Student Services Center, room 004 This event is open to the public and free of charge. Light refreshments will be provided. Edith Wharton was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for her novel The Age of Innocence (1920) and she was the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate degree from Yale University. For her war work, she was awarded la Légion d’honneur, the highest decoration given by the French government.

Asya will explore Wharton’s passion for her houses in the United States and France, devotion to her transatlantic friends, including Elisina Tyler, Rosa de Fitz-James, Minnie David Bourget, Paul Bourget, Walter Van Rensselaer Berry, and William Morton Fullerton, and enactment of her friends in some of her fiction.

Poetry

The River Poets will host readings Thursday, APril 18, at 7:30 pm (sharp) at Bloomsburg Public Library, 22 Market St. Abigail Hess and other poets from the Slam Poetry group at Susquehanna University will perform and present their poems. MC is Tara Holdren.

More Poetry + Jazz

A tidbit from guitarist Matt Leece: Channel your inner bohemian Friday night at the Center Street Café (next to Artspace). Poetry readings and jazz music commence at about 7 pm.

An unexpected exhibit on Main Street

Here's a great example of artistic initiative. A group of graduating BU art students are showing their work in a downtown storefront.

Dubbing their show the "Senior Squat Exhibit," the students will display their work at 40 East Main Street until Saturday, April 27 (Renaissance Jamboree). The gallery space, donated by Jag Student Housing, will be open from noon to 8 pm daily except for Sundays, when it will be noon to 6 pm. There will be an opening reception Friday, April 19, from 3 to 6 pm.

I had a chance to get a peek at the show as it was going up over the weekend. Definitely worth a walk on Main Street ... the students' work is big, bold and ambitious. I've posted the photo above to give a sense of the scale they've worked in without giving away the details. —EFG.

The parrot may be dead. This talk won't be.

BU philosophy professor Gary Hardcastle helped write a book about Monty Python, Monty Python and Philosophy: Nudge Nudge, Think Think!

Hardcastle will share his Python prowess in a free talk, "The Philosophical Importance of Monty Python," on Thursday, April 18, at 7 pm in McCormick Center, room 2303.

At some point, someone will be upside down

Bloomsburg University's Dance Ensemble will perform Thursday and Friday, April 18 and 19, at 7 pm at Haas Center for the Arts. Admission is free. More than 150 students involved in the ensemble and the students really take on much of the choreography and organization of the show themselves — giving it a great roll up your sleeves, do-it-yourself vibe. There will be 25 different dance routines in the show and they typically range from ballet, jazz, hip-hop to tumbling. (This shot is from  the show two years ago.)

Looking ahead to more dancing ...

BU also has a dance minor and the Third Annual Repertory/Ensemble Dance Minor Concert will be Sunday, May 5, at 3 pm and Monday, May 6, 7:30 pm in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Admission is free. The doors open half an hour before the show.

Essayist and poet Lia Purpura to read Tuesday

Essayist and poet Lia Purpura will give a reading Tuesday, April 16, at 7 pm in BU's Hartline Science Center, Kuster Auditorium.

A leading author in the "New Essay" movement, A 2012 Guggenheim fellowship recipient, Purpura is the author of three collections of poems (King Baby, Stone Sky Lifting, The Brighter the Veil), three collections of essays (Rough Likeness, On Looking, and Increase) and one collection of translations (Poems of Grzegorz Musial: Berliner Tagebuch and Taste of Ash).

Her poems and essays appear in AGNI, The Antioch Review, DoubleTake, FIELD, The Georgia Review, The Iowa Review, Orion Magazine, The New Republic, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Parnassus: Poetry in Review, Ploughshares. Southern Review.

Her visit, part of the Big Dog Reading Series, is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and is free and open to the public.

Miscellanea: Jazz in the afternoon ... film in the evening

Jazz in the afternoon

The Bloomsburg University Jazz Ensemble will perform Friday, April 12,  at 1 pm, and the John Vanore and Abstract Truth will play at 2 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. The performances are part of BU's annual Jazz Festival for high schools and middle schools, but the public is invited.

Photos of the ensemble rehearsing and short video are at www.bloomufocus.com.

A film festival to celebrate women

LUNAFEST, a fundraising film festival dedicated to promoting awareness about women's issues, will be hosted Sunday, April 14, from 3 to 4:30 pm and 5:30 to 7 pm in BU's McCormick Center, room 1303. Three short films will be shown during each time. The screenings are sponsored by BU's WISE: Women Inspiring Strength and Empowerment There is a charge of $5 at the door to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund, Columbia Montour Family Health, Inc. and WISE.

A cinematic look at moving to America

The film Amreeka will be shown Monday, April 15, at 7 pm in BU's McCormick Center, room 1303. The screening is sponsored by BU's department of languages and cultures and the Middle Eastern studies minor. Free and open to the public.

A fun take on the expression: "Keep your pants on"

The Bloomsburg University Players will present comedian Steve Martin’s adaptation of Carl Sternheim’s play The Underpants from Wednesday, April 17, to Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 21, at 3 p.m. at the Alvina Krause Theater, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg.

Admission is free with BU ID, $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors. Directed by David A. Miller, assistant professor of theatre, The Underpants tells the tale of Theobald Maske and his unusual problem: his wife’s underpants won’t stay on. One Friday morning, they fall to her ankles right in the middle of town. Mortified, Theo swears to keep her at home until she can find some less unruly undies. Amid this chaos, he's trying to rent a room in their flat, and the prospective lodgers have some surprises of their own.

 Miller said Martin’s comic genius and sophisticated literary style have transformed the 1910 German social satire written by Sternheim into a comedy about gender politics.

Advance tickets are available at Haas Center Box Office at (570) 389-4340. For more information, visit buplayers.org.

Works by famed ceramicist Takaezu to be shown at BU

This is certainly one of the most significant art exhibits that BU has hosted in Haas Gallery. Rereading Karl Beamer's remembrance of his mentor reminded me of what an enduring contribution she made to the campus. The photo above was taken during a reception in 2008 when she spoke with faculty and students in 2008 and presented Bloomsburg with 19 of her works. Takaezu is second from left with Beamer sitting at her side. Art history professor Nogin Chung is on the right. —EGF. 

Ceramics by famed artist Toshiko Takaezu will be exhibited in BU’s Haas Gallery. The exhibit, running April 17 to May 1, will include 19 ceramic works that Takaezu gifted to the university. A reception for the show will be held Wednesday, April 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. Karl Beamer, professor emeritus of art and art history and a close friend of the late Takaezu, will give a lecture at 4:30 p.m.

Takaezu’s relationship with Bloomsburg University began in 1958 through a friendship with the late BU art department chair, Percival “Bob” Roberts. Her relationship continued through a friendship with Beamer, who was BU’s ceramics and sculpture professor. In addition to the many ceramic works she donated to the university, Takaezu cast the bronze bell, her first created in North America, which hangs in the Academic Quad outside the Andruss Library. She also donated a large painting by famed Japanese artist Sawada, which hangs in the lobby of Mitrani Hall. In addition to her contributions of art to BU, she visited campus many times to work and speak with students.

Takaezu’s ceramic art focused on poetic expression rather than practicality. She drew from nature, such as her vertical closed-form pieces modeled after the scorched trees along the Devastation Trail in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park. Her glazing technique, in which she brushed, dripped or poured color onto the clay, brought a spontaneous element to her work.

“I see no difference between making pots, cooking and growing vegetables,” Takaezu once said when asked about how art ingrates itself into everyday life.

Takaezu was born in Pepeekoo, Hawaii, in 1922, and died in March 2011. She studied at the University of Hawaii, Cranbrook Academy of Art and traveled to Japan to study Zen Buddhism. She taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art and at Princeton University. Her works are included in the permanent collections in many major art museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Smithsonian Institute.

This gallery exhibit is presented by the Museum Exhibition Class and is open to the public free of charge Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. For more information, contact gallery associate Rebecca Morgan at rmorgan@bloomu.edu or (570) 389-4708.

PS: You can follow this blog through Twitter, Facebook or by email. My preference for these sorts of things is email ... just fill in the box at right. You will get no spam and no more than one email a day and the address won't be sold or shared.

Speaking ahem ... figuratively. Are you an A** ... ?

There are words that aren’t spoken in polite company, but still are part of the common vocabulary. Philosopher Aaron James will speak about one of those terms and the traits it identifies in a free lecture Thursday, April 11, at 7:30 pm in BU’s McCormick Center, room 2303.

James said in a Huffington Post blog that the term relates to “a person who systematically allows himself special advantages in cooperative life out of an entrenched sense of entitlement that immunizes him against the complaints of other people.” His lecture, “Are You an A**hole?” builds on his book with a similar title, which offers a philosophical analysis of the term and the people to whom it applies.

James is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of California at Irvine. He earned a doctoral degree from Harvard University and recently was an American Council of Learned Societies Burkhardt Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

The idea for his latest book came from a 2008 encounter with a fellow surfer who, he said, “was blatantly breaking the rules of right-of-way.”

I designed the poster for this lecture and it was one of those projects that I could picture immediately. A blast to do. In print versions around campus, the center of the "O" is reflective, like a mirror. —EGF.

The American dream, translated

Anna Monardo, award-winning author of The Courtyard of Dreams and Falling in Love with Natassia, will visit Bloomsburg University on Thursday, April 11, for a lecture and question-and-answer session.

The lecture, "Translating the American Dream," will be at 7:30 pm in McCormick Center, room 1303; the question-and-answer session will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Warren Student Services Center, room 004. The events, sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, Department of English and Gender Studies Minor (GSM), are free and open to the public.

Music on the horizon

John Vanore and Abstract Truth are special guest performers at Bloomsburg University’s Jazz Festival on Friday, April 12 in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Bands from middle schools and high schools will participate in master classes for each section and a full band clinic. The BU Jazz Ensemble will perform a free concert at noon.

BU student Kyle Moore, pianist, will give a free recital Saturday, April 13, at 5 pm in First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St.

Bloomsburg University’s Concert Band will perform Sunday, April 14, at 7:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall.

Democracy on Celluloid 

The move Recount, starring Kevin Spacey, will be shown Thursday, April 11, at 6:15 pm in Hartline Science Center, room G42. The screening is part of BU's Constitutional Freedom Film Series. The movie explores the human drama surrounding the 2000 presidential election. The film screening, sponsored by the Frederick Douglass Institute and the American Democracy Project, is open to the public free of charge. 

Miscellanea: Poetry and an International Festival

Poetry at the Priestley Chapel

April's First Sunday Program at Priestley Chapel is this Sunday, April 7, at 9:30 am. Bloomsburg University professor Claire Lawrence will discuss poet Elizabeth Bishop. Ann Evans will read a selection of her poems. Bucknell student Nate Dresher will perform several classical pieces on the chapel piano. The Priestly Memorial Chapel is located at 380 Front Street, Northumberland, which is about a half an hour drive from Bloomsburg.

International Festival

BU’s International Student Association will hold its Cultural Diversity Festival on Friday, April 19, beginning at 5 pm in the Kehr Union Ballroom. In addition to international cuisine, there will be a fashion show and performances. Admission is $10 with BU Student ID; $20 for others. Tickets are available at the Office of International Education Services in the Student Services Center or by contacting msharma@bloomu.edu.

Barber's Adagio. On marimba.

Photo by Gordon Wenzel/Impressions

This is a big deal.

BU's Percussion Ensemble will perform an arrangement of Samuel Barber's Adagio at their concert on Tuesday, April 9, at 7:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. 

Ensemble director Gifford Howarth arranged the music for marimba. The Adagio — one of the most recognizable and beautiful pieces ever written — was created for strings (though there have have haunting choral arrangements done). It's been featured in a lot of movies ... notably Platoon ... it was played for JFK's funeral and it inspired a book length critical analysis The Saddest Music Ever Written. It happens to be my very  favorite piece of music. 

It's not a piece that would seem to intuitively lend itself to the marimba. But Howarth is an ace. If it can be done ... he can do it. This is a must see.  

PS: You can hear the Adagio on YouTube. Interesting note: Barber was a Pennsylvanian and while the Adagio is his towering achievement, many of his other works are singularly beautiful. The second movement of his Violin Concerto is especially lovely. It's one of the things I like to have on the CD driving into work. — EFG

The concert will also feature Matt Savage’s “Spirits Rising,” Paul Goldstaub’s “Six Slick Stix Click Licks” and Alice Gomez’s “Marimba Flamenca.” Students Josh Nesmith and Kyle Richards will perform solos.

More recitals

BU student Scott Ashford, tenor, will give a free recital at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 6, in the First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg.

BU students Victoria Hummer and Matt Leece will give a recital Monday, April 8, at 7 pm in Haas Center, room 166. The performance will feature works ranging from the baraque and classical to modern compositions. Also look out for number featuring the piano as well.


PPS: You can follow this blog through Twitter, Facebook or by email. My preference for these sorts of things is email ... just fill in the box at right. You will get no spam and no more than one email a day and the address won't be sold or shared.

Orchestra concert to feature violist

I've got a soft spot for the viola — the violin's bigger sister. I think it's got a prettier voice than the violin. It speaks in a register and timbre that seems human. Tuned a fifth lower than a violin, the viola is larger — but not as large as it should be proportionally. So compromises are made, but for me those compromises, limitations perhaps, just add to the charm. That will make next Sunday a special treat. — EGF.

The featured solist for the Bloomsburg University-Community Orchestra spring concert is violist Adam Cordle. The show, conducted by Mark Jelinek, will be Sunday, April 7, at 2:30 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Here's the program:

• Overture to Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio”
• Carl Stamitz’s Viola Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Opus 1
• Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Opus 17, “The Little Russian” 

Cordle teaches violin and viola and coaches chamber music at BU as well as Mount St. Mary’s University. He has performed in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall as the first prize winner of the 2011 American Protégé International Competition. He performs regularly as a member of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes.

Eliesha Nelson's performance of Quincy Porter's works are a nice showcase for the viola. The disc has got a stylish melancholy all of its own.

Of books ... and authors

Books ... (and videos and CDs)

The Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association (FOBULA) will hold their 13th Annual Book Sale from Saturday, April 6, to Monday, April 8, in the Andruss Library Schweiker Room. The book sale is their largest fundraiser, bringing in $25,000 in the first twelve years, which has gone toward a number of special projects, two of which are the digitization and preservation of local and university historic materials and providing textbook scholarships to deserving students. The sale also includes CDs, DVDs, video tapes, cassettes and even records.

and authors

Michael Shepard will be the featured speaker for the Annual Author's Dinner of the Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association. The dinner will be Friday, April 19, from 6 to 8 pm, in the Monty's meeting room. There will be an open wine bar with live music Tickets are $25 for the evening (reservations required) Contact: rabbott@ptd.net or call 784-0428.

Shepard, a planetary scientist at BU, will be honored as this year's recipient of the Maroon and Gold Quill Award. Shepard wrote "The Curious Professor" column in the Press Enterprise for three years before retiring the column after 100 installments. Shepard has published papers on Venus, Mars, and the Moon. Using a sample of the actual lunar soil, he analyzed its light reflection properties in his lab here at the University. Most recently he has been studying asteroids using the great Arecibo Radar telescope in Puerto Rico. Shepard has over 150 publications and has been cited in over 800 publications.