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

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

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

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

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

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

Song and dance ... in a good way

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

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

Admission is free and open to the public for both.

A multi-media art happening

Now this looks different ...

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

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

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

Details here: bloomuliberalarts.blogspot.com

Cinema: Prepare to see a cold, white scary place

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

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

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

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

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

A painting cascade

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

Make tracks to the Moose

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

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

Sunday with Satie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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