Guitar duo to perform at BU Tuesday

The guitar duo of Kenneth Meyer and Steven Thachuk have reunited after a 10-year hiatus to offer a master class Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. in Bloomsburg University’s Haas Center for the Arts, room 227, and a concert at 7:30 that evening in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. Both events are free and open to the public.

The concert by the Meyer-Thachuk Guitar Duo will feature works by Domenico Scarlatti, Carlo Domeniconi, Joaquin Rodrigo, Marek Pasieczny, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados, including Rodrigo’s “Tonadilla” and Pasieczny’s “Sakura No Hana.” Meyer-Thachuk Guitar Duo Meyer, an American, and Thachuk, a Canadian, met during their studies at the Eastman School of Music. They performed in recitals and concertos throughout North America between 1997 and 2001 and released a CD of Spanish works, “Evocacion,” in 1999.

Meyer, who received first prize at the Music Teacher’s National Association Collegiate Artist Competition, continues to appear as a chamber musician and soloist with orchestras throughout North America, South America and Europe. His performances have been featured on film, radio and most recently on the Albany records label. He directs a guitar studies program at Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music.

Playing both traditional classical guitar and a steel string instrument, Thachuk has appeared as a chamber musician and soloist with orchestras throughout North America and Europe. His concerts were broadcast on NPR in the United States and the CBC in Canada. Thachuk, who released “Currents,” a solo recital CD of 20th century guitar works, was appointed professor of guitar and chair of guitar studies at California State University, Northridge, in 2002. The program is supported by a Curricular Enhancement Award from BU’s College of Liberal Arts. For information, contact Matthew Slotkin, assistant professor of music, at mslotkin@bloomu.edu.

Indian singer, scholar to present programs at BU

Indian singer and Sufi scholar Vidya Rao will present a lecture and concert this week at Bloomsburg University.

She will give a lecture, “Today is Your Wedding Day, Qasim: The Gendered Voice of the Shi’a Moharram Laments,” on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. in McCormick Center, room 2303. On Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. she will present a concert, “An Evening of Thumri Music,” in Kehr Union, Ballroom.

The concert will feature Rao on vocals, Samir Chatterjee on tabla and Rajyasree Ghosh on harmonium. Both events are free and open to the public. Rao is a performer of thumri-dadra, Indian classical music, and ghazal, a form of Persian and Indian poetry closely linked to Sufism. A disciple of the legendary singer, the late Vidushi Naina Deve, Rao has performed at national and international forums. She conducts lectures, workshops and lecture demonstrations, and sings and composes for dance, film and theatre. While researching and writing extensively on the performing arts and music, she focuses most of her attention toward musical form and gender.

 Chatterjee, of India, is an expert tabla player. Traveling worldwide, he has performed in many festivals, both collaboratively and as a soloist, including the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007 and at the United Nations General Assembly. He has played with artists including Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Dave Douglas, Steve Gorn and Glen Velez.

Ghosh, a trained musician and vocalist of Indian classical music, has performed and been featured regularly on India’s national television and radio. She holds the position of lecturer at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata.

 The program is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Institute for Culture and Society, International Faculty Association, Global Awareness Society International and Department of History. For information, contact M. Safa Saraçoğlu, associate professor of history, at msaracog@bloomu.edu.

Documentary 'Chasing Ice' to be shown

Bloomsburg University's Green Campus Initiative is screening of “Chasing Ice” tonight, Oct. 15, at 7:30 pm in Carver Hall’s Gross Auditorium.

The film has won numerous awards including an Emmy for its airing on the National Geographic Channel, an Academy Award nomination and it is a New York Time’s Critic’s Choice. The documentary chronicles the efforts of environmental photographer James Balog, whose National Geographic assignment was to bring back from the Arctic undeniable evidence of changes in climate. Through time-lapse photography in extreme conditions his amazing images tell the story of his quest.
The film is being screened with no admission fee, and Green Campus Initiative is inviting the public as well. More information at www.chasingice.com.

High school students to exhibit in Haas Gallery

Works by 20 high school students will be exhibited in Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Haas Gallery from May 14 to 31. The artwork was selected based on a review of art portfolios by faculty from BU’s art and art history department.

Three of the student artists will be offered tuition scholarship awards during a reception and awards ceremony from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, in the gallery. Awards will be announced at 7 p.m. 

Names and high schools of students whose works have been selected for exhibition are: Laura Chappell, Millville; Brandon Conrad, Breanna Fowler, Ava Guffey, Kagen Haberstick, McKayla Robbins, Scarlett Tuck and Lakota Wadena, all of Bloomsburg; Gunnar Feldmann, Morgan Gallagher, Abby Meredick, Justin Phillips and Taylor Roberson, all of Danville; Sarah Foster, Central Columbia; Olivia Greene, Southern Columbia; Darrian Keller and Logyn Smith, both of Selinsgrove; Merre Martin, Northwest Area; Cassandra Vanatta, Warrior Run; and Tailor Weible, Garnet Valley.

The exhibit will also be featured at The Antler, the Moose Exchange annex at 24 E. Main Street, during July and August, with a closing reception on Friday, Aug. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The portfolio review and tuition scholarship program is possible thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor who was inspired by First Columbia Bank’s Teen Star Competition.

“The donor is impressed by the talented high school vocalists and musicians who perform in the annual Teen Star Competition,” said James Brown, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “The concept behind these scholarships is to recognize talented young people who excel in the visual arts.”

BU seniors to show work

Nineteen BU art and art history majors will show their artwork in the Spring Senior Exit Show in the Haas Gallery of Art from Tuesday, April 29, through Saturday, May 10.

The show will open with a reception on Tuesday, April 29, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., where the seniors will talk briefly about their work. This event is open free to the public.

Seniors presenting their work are Rachel Di Renzo, Jo Pennypacker, Carrie Reber, Timothy Wright, Stephanie Chambers, Alyssa Kopf, Matt Chenski, Kristina Ciaccio, Rhea Mitchell, Emily Davis, Amanda Higgins, Laura Iacono, Sara Kahr, Lindie Lloyd, Candice McFall, Dylan Oralls, Paige Willock, Michael Zielinskie and Melinda Chappell.

Haas Gallery of Art is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m.

Documentary on Art Installation to air Tuesday

A documentary detailing the creation of the large collaborative art installation in Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Haas Center for the Arts will premiere at BU. “Confluence: The Making of an Installation Art Piece” will be shown on Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. in the Haas Center’s Mitrani Hall.

Renaissance Jamboree on Main Street Saturday

The 36th annual Renaissance Jamboree will be held on Main Street, Bloomsburg, Saturday, April 26.
The event features hundreds of craft vendors from the region and delicious food from stands provided by non-profit organizations in Columbia and Montour counties. Enjoy FREE entertainment, kiddie rides, and games. Free parking with shuttle service will be available from the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds starting at 9:30 am.

Renaissance Jamboree Entertainment Schedule

Courthouse Stage

10 am: Beef—Classic Rock
11 am: BU Jazz Ensemble- Jazz Classics
Noon: Joyous—Classic Motown & Funk
2:30 pm: Chamuris and Brown—Classic Acoustic Rock
3:45 pm: Third Street- Original & Classic Rock

 Iron Street Stage 

10 am: Darren Inman- Acoustic Rock
11 am: NC7—Original & Contemporary Christian Rock
Noon: Darling Run- Modern Rock
1 pm: Clickard Consortium—Straight Ahead Jazz
2 pm: Emily Inman- Alternative Pop
3:00 pm: NC7—Original & Contemporary Christian Rock
4:00 pm: Fricknadorable- Americana, Roots, Novelty

 Market Square 

10:30 am: Flippenout Extreme Aerial Trampoline Team
11:15 am: The Friendship Squares
Noon: Flippenout Extreme Aerial Trampoline Team
12:30 pm Crosswinds Martial Arts
1:15 pm: YMCA Zumba
2:00 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

 Jefferson Street Children’s Show Area 

10:30am: The Magic of Brent Kessler
11:15 am: Elmo Show Noon: Juggler Rob Smith
12:45 pm: Sully Show 1:30 pm: The Magic of Brent Kessler
2:15 pm: Elmo Show
3 pm: Juggler Rob Smith
3:45 pm: Sully Show 

Strolling performances by Rob Smith, Elmo, Sully, and Leo Schott on Bagpipes.

BTE will be performing their Theatre in the Classroom show (The Amazing Mr. Franklin or Ben There, Done That) 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 be offering 3 inflatables for a nominal charge at Main & West streets.

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

Economist to discuss globalization and jobs

An expert on economics and public policy will share his perspective on the global economy and what it will mean for college graduates during a lecture, “How the Global Economy Works – And Will It be Working to Find You a Job?” on Tuesday, April 15, at 12:30 pm in Bloomsburg University’s Kehr Union Ballroom.

Peter Navarro, a professor of economics and public policy at the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine, will explain how the global economy works in a relationship of consumer, producer and commodity nations and forecast future conditions with an eye toward the job market for college graduates. The lecture is open to the public free of charge.

As a preview of his lecture, Navarro will show the film he directed, “Death by China,” Monday, April 14, at 6:30 p.m., also in the KUB Ballroom. The film, based on his book of the same title, discusses the economic trade relationship between the United States and China and its effects on U.S. workers. A question-and-answer session with Navarro will follow the free screening.

 Navarro  has written best-selling books about management strategy, the stock market and public policy that include “The Well-Timed Strategy,” “Always a Winner,” “If It’s Raining in Brazil, Buy Starbucks” and “The Coming China Wars.” He is a frequent media commentator on networks such as CNBC, CNN and MSNBC. He has written articles that have appeared in Business Week, the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

He earned his doctorate in economics from Harvard University in 1986 and became a professor of economics and public policy at the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine, in 1988.

Weekend concerts

Bloomsburg University will sponsor four concerts this weekend and next week.

A Choral Concert will be held Saturday, April 12, at 7:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church, Market St. The concert will feature the Women's Choral Ensemble, Husky Singers and Concert Choir.

The University Concert Band will perform Sunday, April 13, at 2:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts. Featured selections will include modern band music, marches and film music.

The Guitar Ensemble will perform Tuesday, April 15, at 7 pm in Haas Center for the Arts.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform Thursday, April 17, at 7:30 pm in Haas Center for the Arts.

BU Players to stage 'The Children's Hour'

The BU Players will present The Children’s Hour By Lillian Hellman from April 11 to 15 at the Alvina Krause Theatre, Center Street, Bloomsburg. David A. Miller directs.
Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 3 pm, Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 pm.

About the play: It is 1934. Two women successfully run a school for girls. One of their students is determined to do as she pleases, even if it means creating a corrosive lie that undoes the women’s lives. Tickets are free to BU students with ID, $6 for Adults, $4 Students & Seniors. Advanced tickets available at the Performing Arts Box Office located in the Haas Center for the Arts, weekdays noon to 5pm, Wednesdays noon to 7 pm. 570-389-4340. Remaining tickets will also be available at the door starting one hour before curtain time.

 For more information about the current and upcoming season, visit buplayers.org. For “behind the scenes” photos and information about The Children’s Hour, visit facebook.com/buplayers and follow BU Players on Twitter at @buplayers.

Film explores genetically modified seeds

The Green Campus Initiative at Bloomsburg University and the Moose Exchange are partnering to show two movies related to agriculture and nature.

Bitter Seeds will be shown Tuesday, April 8, at 7pm at St Paul's Episcopal church (at the corner of Iron and Main, Bloomsburg). India has more farmers than any country in the world, and they are in a crisis that is unprecedented in human history. Every 30 minutes a farmer in India kills himself in despair. In a village at the center of the suicide epidemic, a farmer and his family struggle to keep his land and a teenage girl makes her first steps to become a journalist and tell the world about the crisis. "Bitter Seeds" raises questions about the human cost of genetically-modified agriculture and the future of how we grow things. This is the third film in Micha Peled's globalization trilogy, following the award-winning Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town and China Blue.

Play Again will be shown on Tuesday, April 22, at 7 pm at St Paul's Episcopal church. Play Again investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature. At a time when children play more behind screens than outside, this documentary unplugs a group of tech savvy teens and takes them on their first wilderness adventure, documenting the wonder that comes from time spent in nature and inspiring action for a sustainable future. 

Painter to discuss theatricality in his art

Jason Godeke, associate professor of art and art history at Bloomsburg University, will discuss how incorporating theatrical elements has improved his art on Thursday, April 10, at 5 p.m. His lecture, “Theatricality in Painting,” will be in the Warren Student Services Center, room 004.

For the past few years, Godeke has taken his work out of the studio and painted through the direct observation of a landscape. These landscapes act as backdrops for his own troupe of “actors” in the form of miniatures and figurines. He will discuss how these theatrical elements come together when he creates a narrative. Godeke’s lecture is sponsored by the Institute for Culture and Society and the College of Liberal Arts.

Pianist to perform with Orchestra Sunday

Pianist and BU music professor Charisse Baldoria will perform with the University-Community Orchestra Sunday, April 6, at 2:30 p.m. in Haas Center for the Arts Mitrani Hall. The concert will feature Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in G Minor (an intense and dynamic, piece with lots of runs and a lyrical middle movement) and Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Admission is free and open to the public.

Prepare for some Friday jazz

BU will host its 15th Annual Jazz Festival Friday, April 4. As part of the festival public concerts will be given at 11 am by the BU Jazz Band and special guests The Dave Stryker Trio will perform at noon with a clinic immediately following at 1:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Guitarist Dave Stryker has fronted his own group (with 23 CD’s as a leader to date), and been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and many others. Gary Giddins in the Village Voice calls him “one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.” He was voted one of the Top Ten Guitarists in the 2001 Downbeat Readers poll, and a Rising Star for the last 5 years in the Downbeat Critics Poll. His approach combining the jazz burn to a soulful blues feeling is communicating to new fans wherever he plays. His most recent CD “Blue Strike” has made many Best of 2011 lists including WBGO Jazz Radio and Tom Reney/New England Public Radio.

Nature Conservancy scientist to speak at BU

Bloomsburg University's department of biological and allied health sciences is hosting a seminar by Dr. Scott Bearer, senior scientist for the Nature Conservancy, on Friday, March 28, at 3 pm in Hartline Science Center, room G38. He will talk on "Current Conservation Issues in Pennsylvania: How The Nature Conservancy is Approaching Modern Threats to Biodiversity and How You Can Help." All are welcome.

Miscellanea: Dance, talks, more dance, and a reception

Big Band Concert and Dance: Do you like to dance? Would you like to learn to cha cha, mambo, swing, or tango? If yes, then come to the Big Band Dance Tuesday, March 25, 7 pm in the Caldwell Consistory, Market Street, Bloomsburg. The dance is sponsored by the Center For Visual And Performing Arts. The evening will feature a live big band plus demonstrations of the different dance steps-provided by BU dance professor, Julie Petry. Admission is free.

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Bloomsburg University’s LGBTQA Commission is hosting the sixth annual reception, Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler (Let the Good Times Roll) from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 28, at The Barn at Boone’s Dam, 737 Fort McClure Blvd., Bloomsburg. The event, which supports LGBTQA educational outreach, will feature a silent auction, awards, light refreshments and musical entertainment by Chamuris and Brown. Tickets are $25 per person. For information, contact the LGBTQA Resource Center, lgbt@bloomu.edu or 570-389-2819.

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Talking about Video Games: David S. Heineman, assistant professor of communications studies at BU, will talk about the cultural significance of video games at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, in Warren Student Services Center, room 004. His lecture, Thinking about Video Games: Notes from a Researcher, is sponsored by the Institute for Culture and Society and the College of Liberal Arts and is free and open to the public.

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Russian Ballet to perform Swan Lake: BU is bringing the Tchaikovsky ballet, Swan Lake, to the stage as a part of BU’s 175th anniversary celebration Saturday, March 29, at 8 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, Mitrani Hall. Tickets are $35 for adults and $17 for children and BU students. For more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at 570-389-4409.

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Library Book Sale: The Friends of the Bloomsburg University Library Association (FOBULA) will hold their 14th annual book sale from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 29; 1 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, March 30; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, March 31, in the Andruss Library, Schweiker Room. The library’s largest fundraiser, the book sale has raised more than $27,000 to fund special projects, including digitization and preservation of local and university historic materials, and textbook scholarships. For information, contact Robert Dunkelberger, university archivist, 570-389-4210.

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Empty Bowls Banquet: Empty Bowls, an international hunger awareness and fundraising event, returns to Bloomsburg University to benefit the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 30, in the Kehr Union Ballroom. A minimum donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students is requested for unlimited soups. Children under 5-years-old eat free. For more information on this year’s event, contact Jean Downing, SOLVE director, 570-389-4798.

Guitar and bass concert

Dez Cordas, a double bass and guitar duo featuring Bloomsburg University guitar professor Matthew Slotkin and Craig Butterfield, associate professor of double bass and jazz studies at the University of South Carolina will perform Tuesday, March 11, at 6 pm in Haas Center for the Arts, room 166. Admission is free.

They will perform works by Bela Bartok, Robert Beaser and Alec Wilder, as well as the premieres of two new compositions that we commissioned from Irish composer Greg Caffrey and American composer James Crowley.

More information is here:  www.dezcordas.com, www.butterfieldbass.com, www.matthewslotkin.com.

Sample the arts Saturday

Taste of the Arts, an afternoon of art and entertainment, will be held on Saturday, March 8, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Caldwell Consistory in downtown Bloomsburg. The event, sponsored by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s College of Liberal Arts and Center for Visual and Performing Arts, is free and open to the public.

Students and faculty in theater, music, dance, art and art history, and English will showcase their talents throughout the afternoon with performances taking place about every 10 minutes. A Taste of the Arts will feature music by the Jazz, Percussion and Guitar ensembles, Concert Choir, Sax Quartet, Women’s Chorale and Husky Singers; theatrical and dance performances; and poetry readings, along with fine arts exhibitions, demonstrations and talks.

Visitors may attend any portion of the three-hour program. Refreshments will be available.

Schedule of Events

MURAL ROOM (DOWNSTAIRS) 

2:00 PEP BAND and WELCOMING REMARKS 

2:10 HUSKY SINGERS 

2:20 POETRY | PROSE 

2:30 WOMEN’S CHORALE 

 2:40 PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE 

STAGE THEATRE (UPSTAIRS) 

3:00 THEATRE PERFORMANCE 

3:10 DANCE 

3:20 BRASS CHOIR/SAX QUARTET 

3:30 THEATRE PERFORMANCE 

3:40 JAZZ ENSEMBLE MURAL ROOM (DOWNSTAIRS) 

 4:00 POETRY | PROSE 

4:10 ART HISTORY PRESENTATION 

4:20 GUITAR ENSEMBLE 

4:30 ART HISTORY PRESENTATION 

4:40 CONCERT CHOIR 

ONGOING (COLUMN ROOM) 

ART DEMONSTRATIONS AND STUDENT EXHIBITION

Lecture: A strategic perspective of the Middle East

Rashid Khalidi, author, professor and scholar at Columbia University, will lecture on “New Strategic Perspectives in the Middle East” at Bloomsburg University on Wednesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. in Carver Hall’s Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium.

Khalidi’s talk, sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the College of Liberal Arts and the Civic Engagement Office, is free and open to the public. The lecture will focus on the changing dynamics in the Middle East in light of a possible nuclear accord between the West and Iran. Khalidi will give his perspective on the obstacles to an agreement and the regional implications if the agreement is forged. The areas affected if a deal breaks down or is negotiated are the ongoing civil war and proxy war in Syria, the Palestinian-Israeli arena and the strategic situation in the Gulf region.

He previously spoke at BU two years ago, explaining the significance of Arab Spring, the revolutionary activity occurring throughout the region. Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia, is a former president of the Middle East Studies Association. He was adviser to the Palestinian delegation during the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli peace negotiations in October 1991 and June 1993. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the national advisory committee of the U.S. Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East.

Khalidi has authored several books, including last year’s “Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. has Undermined Peace in the Middle East”; more than 75 articles on Middle East history and politics; and opinion pieces featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and The Nation. The editor of the Journal of Palestinian Studies, Khalidi has been a regular guest on radio and television programs, including “All Things Considered,” “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer” and “Nightline.”

Author Nick Flynn to give reading Wednesday

Award-winning author Nick Flynn, will give a reading Wednesday, March 5, at 7 pm in Bloomsburg University's McCormick Center, room 2303. His visit is part of the Big Dog Reading Series.

Flynn is the author of the memoir “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City.” On Wednesday, he will also talk about the craft of writing at 4 p.m. in Kehr Union, Multipurpose Room A. The events are free and open to public.

Raised by his mother in suburban Boston, Flynn was estranged from his father, Jonathan, an alcoholic who worked odd jobs and spent several years in prison for passing forged checks. At 27, Flynn was unexpectedly reunited with his then-homeless father, who showed up as a “guest” at a shelter in Boston. Flynn examined his relationship with his father and the suicide of his mother in “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City,” which won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir and has been translated into 15 languages. Flynn also wrote two other memoirs, “The Reenactments” and “The Ticking is the Bomb: A Memoir of Bewilderment,” and three books of poetry, “The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands” “Some Ether,” which won the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award, and “Blind Huber.” His fourth book of poetry, “My Feelings,” is forthcoming.

The Big Dog Reading Series, sponsored by the BU English department’s creative writing program, brings poets and writers of regional and national interest to the community. Call 570-389-4427 for more information on the series. To learn more about author Nick Flynn, see blueflowerarts.com.

The 39 Steps in Bloomsburg

The 39 Steps have been films by Alfred Hitchcock starring Robert Donat and again starring Jimmy Stewart. Now the espionage thriller comes to stage with the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble running March 6 to 23 at the Alvina Krause Theatre, Center Street.
Thursday, March 6, is a pay-what-you-wish performance (cash-only and no reservations) at 7:30 pm. General admission for the run is $12 all seats. Additional performance on Wednesday, March 12. Details.

American Idiot coming to BU

American Idiot, The National Broadway Tour will come to Bloomsburg University on Friday, March 7, at 8 p.m. Mitrani Hall, Haas Center for the Arts. Tickets are $45 for adults, $22 child/BU student. The show is part of Bloomsburg's Celebrity Artist Series.

Green Day’s multi-platinum album “American Idiot,” exploded on the punk rock music scene in 2004 selling over 12 million copies to become one of the best-selling albums of all time and winning the Grammy for Rock Album of the Year.

In 2010 one of Broadway’s most accomplished creative teams, led by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), two-time Tony Award-winning composer and orchestrator Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and Olivier Award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett (Black Watch), brought the rock opera to the Broadway stage in this tale of three lifelong friends: one who will fight for his dreams, one who will fight for his country and one who will stay behind frozen in the safety of suburbia. The show has been described as “FLAT OUT ELECTRIFYING” by the Boston Globe and “UNBRIDLED ROCK ENERGY” by the San Francisco Chronicle. American Idiot Contains Adult Content and Strong Language Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong never thought he would end up producing a Broadway musical. It is a long way from mosh pits and singing to thousands of punk rock fans in stadiums around the world. So when Tony Award winning director, Michael Mayer, suggested turning Green Day’s multi-platinum selling album, “American Idiot,” into a staged musical, something magical was bound to happen.

 American Idiot Contains Adult Content and Strong Language

See a making of American Idiot movie

In support of the March 7 presentation of American Idiot as part of the next Celebrity Artist Series, a documentary — the making of Broadway’s American Idiot — will be shown at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 pm,  in the newly renovated Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. The film, which is open free to the public, chronicles the momentous collaboration between rock and roll icons, Green Day and the “Great White Way” to turn the mega hit, Platinum selling album, American Idiot into a staged Broadway musical. 

Matthew Leece to give guitar recital Tuesday

BU music major Matthew Leece will give a guitar recital Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 pm at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 123 Market Street, Bloomsburg.

Leece will perform all of J.S. Bach's Lute Suite BWV 998, a small suite by modern Australian composer Phillip Houghton, a depiction of Poe's Fall of the house of Usher by Russian composer Nikita Koshkin, and several other pieces.

Miscellanea: See the movie, meet the writer ...

Being Flynn, a film based on writer Nick Flynn's memoir, "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City,” will be shown Monday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 pm in BU’s McCormick Center, room 2303. The event is free and open to public. Flynn will visit campus on Wednesday, March 5, as part of the Big Dog Reading Series. The film stars Robert DeNiro, Paul Dano and Julianne Moore. The screening is open to the public free of charge, sponsored by BU’s English department.

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Sue O’Donnell, associate professor of digital art at BU, will explore the tangible nature of memory in her lecture, “Collective Memory,” on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 4:30 p.m. in the Warren Student Services Center, room 004. The lecture is based on O’Donnell’s book, “Collective Memory: Recollections from 203 West Main Street Bloomsburg, PA: a Workbook,” published in 2012. The book centers on the Moose Exchange, a well-known community center in downtown Bloomsburg that received heavy damage from a fire on Jan. 30. When O’Donnell rented studio space in the Moose Exchange, she heard people reminiscing over their times in the building for proms, weddings and holiday parties. O’Donnell collaborated with various community members to get those memories published.

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The Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary Inequality for All Thursday, Feb. 20, from 5 to 6:30 pm in the McCormick Center for the Humanities, room 1303. A panel of university faculty will discuss the problems of economic inequality at 4 p.m. in McCormick Center, room 1316. The event is free and open to the public.

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Student artwork will be exhibited in BU's Haas Gallery from Feb. 22 to March 6. On Feb. 27, a reception for the Student Art Show will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibit and reception are open to the public free of charge. The Haas Gallery of Art is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon until 2 p.m. Saturday. The gallery is closed Sundays and university holidays.

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The Bloomsburg University Players will present The 24 Hour Plays on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 pm in the Alvina Krause Theater, 226 Center St., Bloomsburg. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for seniors and students from other schools. Advance tickets are available at the Haas Box Office at 570-389-4340.

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BU's Celebrity Artist Series will present Christopher O’Riley, who will perform his solo show, Out of My Hands, Saturday, Feb. 22, at 8 pm in Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium, Carver Hall. O'Riley is the host of the weekly National Public Radio program From the Top and is known for his piano arrangements of songs by alternative artists such as Radiohead and Nick Drake. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children and BU students. For tickets or more information, visit www.bloomu.edu/cas or call the box office at 570-389-4409.

BU art history students to present research

BU's Department of Art and Art History will hold the 17th Annual Student Symposium in Art History on Friday, Feb. 7, from 9:30 am to noon in the Kehr Union, Hideaway.

Eight Art History majors and minors will present their research papers. There will be refreshments followed by the ICS lecture by Dr. Alla Myzelev titled "Creating Digital Materiality," at 1 pm.

Student presentations include:

• Valerie V. Haas, "How Politics and Motherhood Influenced Dorothea Lange’s Art Work" 
• Michael D. Zielinskie, "Georgia O’Keeffe: Painting an Ancient Landscape" 
• Jacqueline Whitman, "Womanhouse: Opening the Closed Doors" 
• Alyssa Kopf, "Who Can Behead Whom?" 
• Alicia M. Pucci, "The Influence & Portrayal of Catalonian & Parisian Culture in Joan Miró’s work"
• Timothy Wright, "The Will of Victory" 
• Angela Bainbridge, "Suprematism and views of Kazimir Malevich" 
• Jesse L. Hockman, "Bridging the Gap: Comics as Art"

Poetry will go on

The River Poets will hold their February reading tonight (Feb. 6) at 7:30 pm at the Bloomsburg Public Library. Featured readers will be Richard Brook and Tara Holden. Sue Brook will MC. The theme of the night is "Confession-Less Heart."

BU Players plan '30 plays in 60 minutes' festival

The Bloomsburg University Players will perform plays from “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” in their February Festival: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes. The show runs from Thursday to Saturday, Feb. 13 to Feb. 15, and continues on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 19 and. 20.

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Alvina Krause Theater, 226 Center St., in downtown Bloomsburg. Tickets are free to BU students, $6 for adults and $4 for seniors and students from other schools.

“Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” was originally produced by the Chicago-based experimental theater troupe, the Neo-Futurists, whose production has been running for more than 20 years. Neo-Futurism is inspired by the Italian Futurist movement from the early 20th century, which is based on the concepts of honesty, speed and brevity.

During the production, the audience calls out the number of the performance they would like to see next, creating an unpredictable and exciting atmosphere. The BU Players’ production is directed by professional guest artist Kevin R. Free, a long-time New York Neo-Futurist.

Advance tickets are available at the Haas Box Office, at 570-389-4340. For more information about the BU Players, visit buplayers.org. For information on the Neo-Futurists, visit www.neofuturists.org.

Water everwhere. But is it fit to drink?

A premier screening of WVIA’s WaterWise-Part 2 will be held Monday, Jan. 13, at 6:30 pm in Centennial Hall, room 170. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with guests Mark Stephens, P.G., from the PA DEP’s Safe Drinking Water program, Bryan Swistock, Water Resources Coordinator with the Penn State Extension, and Jen Whisner, hydrogeologist in BU's department of environmental, geological and geographical sciences.

WaterWise highlights success stories from grass-roots organizations working to clean up pollution in Central PA watersheds. The panel discussion will focus on strategies we can use in our area to improve and maintain drinking water quality. The program is sponsored by the Columbia-Montour Coalition for Source Water Protection, the Columbia County Conservation District, WVIA, and BU's department of environmental, geographical, and geological sciences.