E&H Presents Henderson and Friends Sept. 6

Emory & Henry College will present Wayne Henderson and Friends in a concert of traditional Appalachian music Thursday evening, Sept. 6 in Memorial Chapel, on the college campus. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Henderson is known the world over not only for his musicianship, but for his craftsmanship as an instrument maker.

Members of the band include Henderson, with his lightning-fast "pinch picking" guitar style; Helen White, an old time fiddle player and folk singer; Herb Key, a long-time member of the group, playing bass; and N.C. bluegrass piano-playing sensation Jeff Little.

Henderson is well-known for his craftsmanship of guitars, mandolins and banjos in his shop in Rugby, Virginia. He was honored at the White House in 1995 for both his craftsmanship and playing as a recipient of the prestigious National Heritage Award. He has toured widely in Asia, Africa and the Middle East under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute and the Office of Arts America.  He has played in the Folk Masters series in Carnegie Hall, at Wolf Trap and at the 1977 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Helen White, not only known for her instrument playing and singing, is founder and executive director of the Junior Appalachian Musicians Program (JAM) which introduces mountain children to their musical heritage.  Also a songwriter/tunesmith, she wrote and produced the soundtrack for a children's video documentary on draft horses ("Big Horse") and the Frank Levering theatrical production, "Jewel of the Blue Ridge," a play celebrating the centennial of the City of Galax, Va.  Her album of mostly original songs for children, "Nobody Smiles Like Me; Songs for a Kinder World" was awarded "Editor's Choice" for 1999 by the American Library Association's Booklist.

Henderson and White have been playing as a duo and as part of string bands together for 15 years. Their performances as a duo have led them to events sponsored by the National Center for Traditional Arts, the Presidential Inaugural Folk Festival, the Vancouver International Folk Festival, the Carterfold, events sponsored by the BCMA in Bristol, the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Conventions in Nashville, and Issoudun, France and many local and regional festivals in the southeastern US. 

In the spring of 2000, they were sponsored in a tour of Holland and Germany by the European World of Bluegrass Festival, in November 2006 they were featured performers on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion and in spring of '09 spent 3 weeks touring in Germany and Switzerland with the premier German bluegrass band, the Looping Brothers.  Together they recorded an album “Live From Virginia” in the fall of 2009..

Also appearing in the concert is Jeff Little, whom the Boston Globe called “tricky and playful, yet always intelligent and richly melodic.”  A professional musician hailing from Boone, N.C., Little is conversant with old-time, country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and blues. He settled in Nashville for a while, working as a session man between stints on the road, and also worked with a wide range of commercial country artists, most notably Keith Urban. 

He returned to his roots in Jamestown, NC to live, but he travels to critically acclaimed arts centers and festivals throughout the US and overseas; to name a few:  National Public Radio, PBS, The Smithsonian Institution, American Masters Series, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the American Folk Festival and the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival.

This performance is being partially funded by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Tickets for this very special evening are $12 at the door and $10 in advance for adults.  Individuals 55 years and older, and students from other institutions are $8.  Emory & Henry College students, faculty and staff are admitted free of charge.  Call 276.944.6846 for reservations, and information about group discount rates.

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Bellarmine Museum of Art presents Artemisia Gentileschi documentary film screening

"a woman like that"

7 p.m., Friday, March 22, 2013
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
Free Admission

Fairfield University's Bellarmine Museum of Art presents a special screening of "a woman like that," a compelling documentary about the provocative 17th-century Italian woman artist Artemisia Gentileschi, by Ellen Weissbrod at 7 p.m., Friday, March 22, 2013, at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Admission is free and open to the public. Reservations are required. The event is sponsored by the Bellarmine Museum of Art and the Robert Lehman Foundation. Tickets are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396).

"a woman like that" merges filmmaker Ellen Weissbrod's own coming of (middle) age story with her pursuit of the truths behind the legends of 17th-century female painter Artemisia Gentileschi's meaningful work and her fascinating biography. Presented in celebration of Women's History Month, and in conjunction with the current Bellarmine Museum of Art and Walsh Art Gallery exhibitions exploring the career of Colleen Browning, the event will include a question and answer session with Ms. Weissbrod, after the 93-minute film.

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) was one of the first female artists to achieve recognition in her own time. She was taught to paint by her father Orazio, who was himself a renowned follower of Caravaggio. Artemisia went on to have a successful career as a painter - a rarity for a woman in her day. She also enjoyed the friendship and support of Galileo and the Medici family. Her achievements, however, are often over-shadowed by the scandal surrounding her public rape trial. More remarkable than her biography is the art itself - Artemisia "changed the frame." She told stories of women as heroes, from history, mythology, and the Bible. Her work is held in museums and private collections worldwide. Best-selling novels, popular plays, and one highly protested French film have been made about Artemisia.

"a woman like that" is the first personal documentary directed by Weissbrod, who has been working in film for close to thirty years. In 2002, Weissbrod was at a career crossroads, mired in directing reality television shows that struck her as "empty." Fascinated by Artemisia's story, Weissbrod decides to take a risk and make her own work - but is mysteriously denied permission to film the once-in-a-lifetime retrospective of Artemisia and her father Orazio at the St. Louis Art Museum. Undeterred, she dons a spy camera and goes "undercover," secretly filming the exhibition. This bold act sets her on a 5-year journey, during which time she travels to Italy, where curators and collectors opened their museums and homes for her.

Alexandra Lapierre, author of the bestseller "Artemisia," walks Weissbrod through Artemisia's Roman neighborhood. Weissbrod examines the 400 year-old rape trial transcripts in the Rome State Archive, before it is locked away for repair. She follows Artemisia's trail from Florence to Naples, talking about the paintings with distinguished scholars and passionate fans. Weissbrod gathers a diverse collection of Artemisia admirers, who act out the paintings, read her letters, and recount her influence in their own lives.

Weissbrod's directing debut was the Warner Bros. feature documentary, "Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones." She has directed many documentary portraits, including the acclaimed "Face To Face" about conjoined twins Lori and Reba Schappell. Weissbrod was nominated for an Emmy for "It Just Takes One" with Savion Glover.

Previous sold-out screenings include the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The Zimmerli Museum at Rutgers University, The Davis Cinema at Wellesley College, The Portland Art Museum in Portland Oregon, The Palm Springs Art Museum, The Cleveland Museum of Art, the Rosendale Theatre in Rosendale, New York, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, The Cincinnati Art Museum and The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. The DVD release is scheduled for later this year.

For more information, visit: www.awomanlikethatfilm.com

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. Fairfield University is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit www.quickcenter.com.

Media Contact: Mike Horyczun, (203) 254-4000 ext. 2647, mhoryczun@fairfield.edu

Posted on March 18, 2013

Vol. 45, No. 202

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The Met: Live in HD presents Riccardo Zandonai’s "Francesca da Rimini"

Media Advisory

12 p.m. (encore) and 6 p.m. (encore)
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT

Who: Riccardo Zandonai's "Francesca da Rimini" presented by The Met: Live in HD.

In a rare revival of Zandonai's passionate drama, based on an episode from Dante’s Inferno, Eva Maria-Westbroek sings the title role, with Marcello Giordani as her clandestine lover Paolo, and Mark Delavan as Paolo’s devious brother Gianciotto. Marco Armiliato conducts the compelling masterpiece’s renowned lush and romantic score.

What: The Met: Live in HD is a series of high definition opera transmissions of The Metropolitan Opera’s new season direct from Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. With strategically placed cameras in front of, around and behind The Metropolitan Opera House stage, The Met: Live in HD transmissions give Quick Center audiences a state-of-the art opera experience and better-than-front-row-seat visibility.

When: 12 p.m. (encore) and 6 p.m. (encore), Saturday, March 23, 2013

Where: Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield, CT

Tickets: $25, $20 seniors, $10 children/students. The Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396).

Location: The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. Fairfield University is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit www.quickcenter.com.

Media Contact: Mike Horyczun, (203) 254-4000 ext. 2647, mhoryczun@fairfield.edu

Posted on March 06, 2013

Vol. 45, No. 211

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Center for Italian Studies presents “Big Night”

The Center for Italian Culture at Fitchburg State University launches Affari di Famiglia, an exploration of Italian-American families and their foray into commerce, with a screening of the film “Big Night” (1996) at 3:30 and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5 at Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets will be sold at the door.

In this acclaimed film, two immigrant brothers in 1950s America struggle to establish their own restaurant.  They finagle a promise that Louis Prima will make an appearance at their restaurant and begin preparing food for the “big night.”

Conflict between the brothers arises over life in America and creative issues in the kitchen. This poignant film blends Italian love of food, family and immigrant ambitions for success, all mixed in with family dynamics. Directed by and starring Stanley Tucci. 

The Affari di Famiglia project continues Wednesday, March 20 with a panel discussion featuring representatives from Italian-American businesses in central Massachusetts. The conversation will focus on how immigrants and their children worked to establish commercial enterprises and how the challenges of family and success affected them. The discussion will be led by Fitchburg State Professor Teresa Fava Thomas, a member of the Economics, History and Political Science Department faculty.

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National Geographic Book presents new release: In the Footsteps of Jesus by Fielding faculty Jean-Pierre Isbouts

Posted by Hilary Edwards on Wed, Nov 07, 2012

According to In the Footsteps of Jesus, a new publication from National Geographic Books, Jesus and his father, Joseph, may have been skilled workers forced into labor on the rebuilding of Sepphoris, the Galilean capital. Drawing from a variety of evidence, the book reports that many scholars have begun to explore this theory for several reasons: One relates to the various meanings of tekton, which though translated in the King James Bible as “carpenter,” also can be defined as “skilled worker.” Secondly, conscripting labor from surrounding villages was a familiar operating procedure in Roman vassal states.

The book also suggests that many of the poor and hungry peasants who flocked to Jesus were, in fact, victims of Herod the Great’s rapacious tax policies. Additionally, the book examines Jesus’ treatment and acceptance of women. This issue was recently brought into the spotlight by the controversy over a Coptic papyrus fragment referring to Jesus’ wife, so the discussion in the book is particularly well-timed. In the Footsteps of Jesus purports that Jesus even counted women among his Apostles. The Gospel of Philip, for example, states that “the companion of the [Savior is] Mary Magdalene.” However, the book cautions that terms such as “companion” or “wife” were often used metaphorically in Jewish and Christian texts of the time.

These are just some of the insights contained in this fresh portrait of the historical Jesus. “This is a Jesus for the 21st century,” says author Jean-Pierre Isbouts, a humanities scholar and author of National Geographic’s bestseller “The Biblical World” (2007). “This is a Jesus who is deeply involved in the social issues of his day and is determined to create a new paradigm for a compassionate society despite the political reality of Roman occupation.”

To make its case, the book not only draws from a vast array of visual evidence, including all-new photography, archaeological objects, literary sources and scores of detailed maps, but also from sources not usually associated with the historical Jesus, such as studies of Roman tax data.

Isbouts spent 15 years researching the historical Jesus, emphatically looking for sources not deeply investigated by his peers. “We tend to become very focused on our specialties in this field,” he says. “Archaeologists look for archaeological data; text experts look for literary data and anthropologists search for cultural evidence. Insights from people like economists or forensic sociologists are rarely consulted. So this book is an effort to reconstruct the man from Nazareth with input from all those different disciplines.”

Isbouts worked with a board of advisers and numerous other scholars from a variety of fields to corroborate his findings and paint a clear picture of Jesus of Nazareth within the appropriate and telling historical and cultural context. His board of advisers included:

Shaye J. D. Cohen, Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of Harvard University

Craig Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College of Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada

Amy-Jill Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies and Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University

Rev. Donald Senior, C.P., Professor of New Testament Studies, president of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and general editor of the Oxford Catholic Study Bible

What emerges from the book’s pages is a very modern portrait of a grassroots spiritual reformer, fired by the socio-economic injustices of the Galilee and Judea of his day. This makes the book surprisingly relevant for our own era, when the Middle East is once again convulsed by the collision of political, religious and ideological forces.

For those readers for whom Jesus has become a remote personality, veiled by centuries of church dogma and Christology, In the Footsteps of Jesus offers a fresh and often moving encounter with a fully realized human being; a social and spiritual activist whose message still resonates with the great issues of our day.

Jean-Pierre Isbouts completed his doctoral program on archaeology and art at the University of Leyden and is currently professor in two doctoral programs at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA. He has written several other books, including National Geographic’s “The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas” and “From Moses to Muhammad.” Isbouts has also written four television programs that explore the legacy of the Bible, including the Hallmark television mini-series “The Quest for Peace,” which won the 2005 Gold Aurora Award and the 2005 DeRose-Hinkhouse Award.

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Fielding doctoral faculty Jenny Edwards, PhD, presents in Hong Kong and Nanjing

Posted by Hilary Edwards on Mon, Nov 26, 2012

The Invitational Education World Conference provides a professional platform where educators around the world meet and share their success stories in optimizing the potentials of young people. 

Edwards's presentation was based on her book Inviting Students to Learn: 100 Tips for Talking Effectively with Your Students which is available on Amazon.com

Following her presentation in Hong Kong, Edwards traveled to Nanjing, China where she presented the same topic at the pre-conference for the Nanjing Principals.

Edwards has taught grades K–5 and grade 7. She has also served in Staff Development in Jefferson County Schools in Denver, Colorado. She is a training associate in Cognitive CoachingSM and has done extensive research in the area. She co-authored and served as project director and principal investigator for a $1.01 million grant for implementing Cognitive CoachingSM, Nonverbal Classroom Management, and monthly dialogue groups from 1994 to 1997 in Jefferson County Schools. She has conducted trainings in 11 countries in Spanish, French, Italian, and English. She has most recently presented Adaptive Schools trainings in Mexico and Italy.

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E&H Presents Henderson and Friends Sept. 6

Emory & Henry College will present Wayne Henderson and Friends in a concert of traditional Appalachian music Thursday evening, Sept. 6 in Memorial Chapel, on the college campus. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Henderson is known the world over not only for his musicianship, but for his craftsmanship as an instrument maker.

Members of the band include Henderson, with his lightning-fast "pinch picking" guitar style; Helen White, an old time fiddle player and folk singer; Herb Key, a long-time member of the group, playing bass; and N.C. bluegrass piano-playing sensation Jeff Little.

Henderson is well-known for his craftsmanship of guitars, mandolins and banjos in his shop in Rugby, Virginia. He was honored at the White House in 1995 for both his craftsmanship and playing as a recipient of the prestigious National Heritage Award. He has toured widely in Asia, Africa and the Middle East under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute and the Office of Arts America.  He has played in the Folk Masters series in Carnegie Hall, at Wolf Trap and at the 1977 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Helen White, not only known for her instrument playing and singing, is founder and executive director of the Junior Appalachian Musicians Program (JAM) which introduces mountain children to their musical heritage.  Also a songwriter/tunesmith, she wrote and produced the soundtrack for a children's video documentary on draft horses ("Big Horse") and the Frank Levering theatrical production, "Jewel of the Blue Ridge," a play celebrating the centennial of the City of Galax, Va.  Her album of mostly original songs for children, "Nobody Smiles Like Me; Songs for a Kinder World" was awarded "Editor's Choice" for 1999 by the American Library Association's Booklist.

Henderson and White have been playing as a duo and as part of string bands together for 15 years. Their performances as a duo have led them to events sponsored by the National Center for Traditional Arts, the Presidential Inaugural Folk Festival, the Vancouver International Folk Festival, the Carterfold, events sponsored by the BCMA in Bristol, the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Conventions in Nashville, and Issoudun, France and many local and regional festivals in the southeastern US. 

In the spring of 2000, they were sponsored in a tour of Holland and Germany by the European World of Bluegrass Festival, in November 2006 they were featured performers on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion and in spring of '09 spent 3 weeks touring in Germany and Switzerland with the premier German bluegrass band, the Looping Brothers.  Together they recorded an album “Live From Virginia” in the fall of 2009..

Also appearing in the concert is Jeff Little, whom the Boston Globe called “tricky and playful, yet always intelligent and richly melodic.”  A professional musician hailing from Boone, N.C., Little is conversant with old-time, country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and blues. He settled in Nashville for a while, working as a session man between stints on the road, and also worked with a wide range of commercial country artists, most notably Keith Urban. 

He returned to his roots in Jamestown, NC to live, but he travels to critically acclaimed arts centers and festivals throughout the US and overseas; to name a few:  National Public Radio, PBS, The Smithsonian Institution, American Masters Series, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the American Folk Festival and the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival.

This performance is being partially funded by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Tickets for this very special evening are $12 at the door and $10 in advance for adults.  Individuals 55 years and older, and students from other institutions are $8.  Emory & Henry College students, faculty and staff are admitted free of charge.  Call 276.944.6846 for reservations, and information about group discount rates.

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CenterStage presents Lunasa on Saturday, Feb. 23

The CenterStage at Fitchburg State University arts and culture series invites you to be transported to the Emerald Isle when the celebrated Irish ensemble Lúnasa performs on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. in Weston Auditorium, 353 North St.

Lúnasa’s melodic lines soar as flutes, fiddles, whistles, and uillean pipe capture the ancient soul of traditional instrumental Irish music-and then surge into the 21st century with the rhythmic drive of the double bass. Experience what the Irish Voice calls “the hottest Irish acoustic group on the planet.” No wonder Irish Echo named Lúnasa’s CD one of Top Ten Traditional Albums of 2010.

Adding to the enjoyment of the evening are step-dance performances by the Fitchburg State dance club and Flying Irish Dance Studio from Ashby.

The performance is preceded by a spotlight talk at 7:15 p.m. with members of the band. While many Celtic bands feature a singer to carry its melodies, Lúnasa has taken a different path. Members of this band discuss how their instrumentation evokes the singer’s part.

Tickets for the concert are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors and $7 for students. The Weston Box Office, located inside Weston Auditorium, is open Thursdays and Fridays from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. and can be reached at 978-665-3347.

Lúnasa’s performance is co-sponsored by Sentinel & Enterprise, with support from media partner WPKZ and support from Slattery’s Restaurant.

Learn more at Lúnasa’s official website.
Hear for yourself on Lúnasa’s YouTube channel.

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Theatre Fairfield's Independent Project presents Pulitzer Prize-winning play "How I Learned to Drive" by Paula Vogel

January 25-27th, 2013
PepsiCo Theatre, Fairfield University

Theatre Fairfield, Fairfield University's resident production company, opens its 2013 theatrical season with an Independent Project production of "How I Learned to Drive," Paula Vogel's 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Student proposed, conceived, and produced, "How I Learned to Drive" will be a completely student-driven production. Performances take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26, 2013, and at 2 p.m. Saturday January 26 and Sunday January 27, 2013, at the PepsiCo Theatre on Fairfield University's campus. Tickets are $7 for General Admission, and $5 for Students. Tickets are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396), and online at www.quickcenter.com. Tickets can also be purchased on the day of performance at the PepsiCo Theatre, but are subject to availability. The PepsiCo Theatre is located at 1073 North Benson Road, on the campus of Fairfield University, in Fairfield, CT. This production was made possible by the generous support of the Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation.

"The Independent Project offers a valuable opportunity to learn the ins and outs of putting on a play under 'real world' circumstances," said Fairfield University theatre major Michael Maio '13, who is directing this year's production. "The company returned early from winter break and labored tirelessly over the past three weeks to put together a show we are proud of that is completely our own."

Paula Vogel's "How I Learned to Drive" tells the story of Lil' Bit, a young woman reflecting on her life and the relationships she has had. It focuses on one relationship in particular, her relationship with an older man. Vogel's play challenges society's conception of what love is and what defines a healthy, stable connection. "This play makes us all look at our concept of love and stretch out minds," explains Maio, who chose it for this year's project. "It forces us to face some difficult subject matters, and leaves us to ponder why humans are the way they are, is it nature vs. nurture? The show itself is also witty, funny, and thought-provoking. The characters are larger-than-life, and all are challenges for our performers. We wanted a show that would challenge the audience and the entire company."

The cast and crew of Theater Fairfield's "How I Learned to Drive" includes: director Michael Maio (Seekonk, MA); scenic designer Joe Plouffe '13 (Brockton, MA); Maggie Greene '15 (Portland, OR), as Lil' Bit; Plouffe as Peck; Brendan Freeman '15 (Shrewsbury, MA), as Male Greek Chorus; Katie Premus '15 (Staten Island, NY), as Teenage Greek Chorus; and DiMenna-Nyselius reference librarian Elise Bochinski as Female Greek Chorus. Ms. Bochinski, the only non-student member of the company, returns to Theatre Fairfield after playing the Nurse in "Romeo & Juliet," and the Teacher/ Reporter in last year's Independent Project "Speech & Debate." The crew on this production includes, Kelan McDonnell '15 (Winfield, IL); Ryan Champlin '16 (Warwick, RI); Mary Corigliano '14 (Old Saybrook, CT); Logan Pratt '15 (Cohasset, MA); and Christina Barry '15 (Leominster, MA).

The Jamie A. Hulley Arts Foundation provides educational and career development opportunities in the arts. The Hulley Foundation accepts student proposals and has previously supplied funds for Theatre Fairfield's Independent Project.

Image: Rehearsing a scene from Theatre Fairfield's production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "How I Learned to Drive" are Fairfield University's Joe Plouffe '13, as Peck, and Maggie Greene '15, as Lil' Bit (left-to-right).

Media Contact: Mike Horyczun, (203) 254-4000 ext. 2647, mhoryczun@fairfield.edu

Posted on January 17, 2013

Vol. 45, No. 153

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The Young Artists Series presents Kate Liu, award-winning pianist

3 p.m., Sunday, January 27, 2013
Lawrence A. Wien Experimental Theatre
Quick Center for the Arts
Free Admission

Award-winning pianist Kate Liu performs at 3 p.m., on Sunday, January 27, 2013, in Fairfield University's Lawrence A. Wien Experimental Theatre, located in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The concert is part of the Quick Center's Young Artists Series and is presented in association with The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation. Admission is free and open to the public.

Kate Liu was born in Singapore in 1994 and began playing the piano when she was four years old. She moved to the United States with her family when she was eight years of age. She won the Illinois Junior Music Teachers National Association Competition in 2007 and 2008 and both the Junior and Senior Divisions of the Chicago Steinway Competition in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and performed on the Young Steinway Concert Series in 2007. In 2008, Ms. Liu won Second Prize in the International Institute for Young Musicians Competition, and received honors in the regionals of the Junior MTNA Competition.

In 2010, at the age of 16, she won First Prize at the Fifth New York International Piano Competition, a biennial event presented under the auspices of The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation. She was also the Prize Winner for Best Performance of the Required Contemporary Work by Avner Dorman. Ms. Liu was a scholarship recipient and student of the Music Institute of Chicago's Academy program for gifted pre-college musicians, where she studied privately with artist faculty member Alan Chow and Emilio Del Rosario

She was also featured on WTTW Chicago's "Tonight" show. Following an audition held by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Kate was chosen to perform with the internationally renowned pianist Lang Lang and also to participate in his master class. She played Schubert's Fantasy in F minor, one-piano, four hands with Lang Lang in two concerts at the Symphony Center in Chicago in November, 2008. That year, she also performed a live recital on WFMT radio's Introductions Program.

In March of 2009, she traveled with the Music Institute of Chicago to the east coast where she performed at Weill Hall, at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In October of 2009, she won the Junior Division of the Louisiana International Piano Competition. In July, 2010 she performed Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Cleveland Orchestra as a finalist of the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition, receiving Third Prize.

Kate Liu has performed with the Skokie Symphony Orchestra in Illinois, and in New York at Temple Emanu-El, the Ossining Public Library, The Park Avenue Christian Church and the Bohemian Club. Ms. Liu is the recipient of a scholarship from the Chopin Foundation of the United States and has also been featured on NPR's "From the Top." During the 2011 season, Kate Liu's recital at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. "confirmed a burgeoning talent and a musical poise well beyond her years. She is already a pianist worth leaving home to hear" according to The Washington Post.

Kate Liu entered Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in the fall of 2012 to begin her undergraduate studies with Robert McDonald.

The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, through its flagship program, The New York International Piano Competition, is committed to furthering the education, recognition and fostering of a new generation of talented young musicians, directly serving pianists ages 16-21. The Foundation helps aspirants achieve their personal and professional goals through mentoring, career guidance, artistic development, and performance opportunities throughout the year.

For Quick Center Box Office information, call (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396). Visit online at www.quickcenter.com.

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. Fairfield University is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit www.quickcenter.com.

Media Contact: Mike Horyczun, (203) 254-4000 ext. 2647, mhoryczun@fairfield.edu

Posted on January 09, 2013

Vol. 45, No. 148

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Open research and education: Fielding alumna Gigi Johnson presents globally

Posted by Hilary Edwards on Mon, Oct 29, 2012

The first Open Knowledge Festival was held in in Helsinki from September 17th to 22nd, 2012 with over 800 participants from across the globe. This festival included a week of participatory sessions, keynote lectures, workshops, hackathons and satellite events. This years theme was Open Knowledge in Action: looking at the value that can be generated by opening up knowledge, the ecosystems of organizations that can benefit from such sharing, and the impacts transparency can have in society.

The week was organized through collaborations amongst over 100 guest planners from around the world leading 13 key Topic Streams of whom Fielding Graduate University alumna and current Fielding Alumni Council member, Gigi Johnson, EdD, (ELC '11) presented on Topic Stream 7: Open Research and Education. From her time zone southern California in the middle of the night, Gigi remotely joined team members from Mexico City, Brooklyn, and in Finland at the festival.  Gigi noted, "It went really well. We used Google Hangout to do a four city discussion while showing videos and text from our Peeragogy project. Our cohort on the ground (on-site in Helsinki) worked with our workshop participants, who had contributing new ideas to the research project based on their experiences across several countries."

To view videos of how hundreds of change-makers and experts from private, public and community sectors and helped build an international open knowledge ecosystem in Helsinki:  View the online videostreams today

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Fielding alumna Melle Starsen presents in the US and the UK with research of steroetypes in media

Posted by Hilary Edwards on Fri, Oct 26, 2012

Starsen started off 2012 by traveling to the University of Oregon in Portland, OR, Loughborough University in Loughborough, UK, and John Moores University in Liverpool, UK presenting her research titled: "Cool to be cruel: Mean-spiritedness in 21st century children's TV sitcoms"  Starsen cites, "Much has been written about the proven negative effects viewing television violence has on children and yet there is another kind of violent role-modeling embedded in an unlikely place: children’s television sitcoms. This content analysis investigated live-action children’s half-hour sitcoms and discovered the presence of relational aggression and superiority humor, both of which rely on brutally treating other humans as inferior. The television characters seek revenge on each other, intentionally make others look bad or stupid, humiliate peers and parents, and are rarely punished for their mean-spiritedness and cruelty. The children’s sitcoms are behavioral blueprints of lies and deceit, as the characters unashamedly cheat others, defraud parents and other adults, and attempt to make peers and teachers look stupid and in the vernacular of the culture, “clueless.” Further, stereotypes are not only presented as acceptable, but are reinforced by frequent inclusion into the action. This study discovered myriad examples of mean-spiritedness and cruelty on the part of characters in the programs, ranging in frequency from 7 to 31.25 per half-hour episode, averaging 33.75 per hour for programs viewed. The study includes recommendations for parents and educators to help offset the possible negative effects of these programs."

For the next part of the year, Starsen began presenting her next topic: "Hidden messages: Archetypes in Blaxploitation Films" at the 2012 Film and History Conference-Film and Myth in Milwaukee, WI in September. Starsen states: "Many movie critics and researchers have rebuked Blaxploitation films (1970-1975) as sexist, racist, and, most of all, degrading to black audiences and the black community.  However, this empirical study of blaxploitation films has determined that far from presenting a negative image of the black community, many of the entries in this genre do in fact provide embedded archetypes that present consistent messages for black audiences about the need to eschew exploitation of their own people and communities and instead, support education, crime-reduction programs, and community outreach to improve the communities. The films, though accused of being violent and brutal, actually present messages about the need for black communities to stand together and right the wrongs of the past by supporting an almost sovereign nation-within-a-nation."

Starsen presented this research at the Midwest Popular Culture Association in Columbus, OH in October along with a second presentation titled "The metamorphosis of modern television news into 'entertainment propaganda" which she is scheduled to present at the upcoming Media and Politics Conference at the University on Bedfordshire, Luton, UK on Nov. 1-2, 2012.  

Starsen currently serves as assistant professor of communication at Upper Iowa University  which has an international and online presence; teaching television history, editing, writing for media, television production, media law and ethics, journalistic and online writing, and public speaking. Previously an instructor in communication for 10 years teaching screenwriting and speech. Published author with two novels, short stories in academic journals, and articles in national publications and journals. TV producer-director-writer at university PBS affiliate for nine years, producing documentary programs and PSAs. Researched, wrote and acted as location unit manager for American documentary on Dr Who. Journalist and freelance writer for 20 years, with articles in publications such as The New York Times. Wrote screenplay that is currently in pre-production. Appeared as extra in two films. Ten years’ experience acting and doing technical work in theatre. Ongoing research interests include: 1) using media such as film in successful college teaching; 2) importing real-life experience into university teaching pedagogy; and 3) researching and studying the millennial generation, so-called “echo boomers,” and their visually-oriented learning styles and short attention spans. Hobbies include photography, fossil hunting and collecting sea pottery shards from the UK.

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National Geographic Book presents new release: In the Footsteps of Jesus by Fielding faculty Jean-Pierre Isbouts

Posted by Hilary Edwards on Wed, Nov 07, 2012

According to In the Footsteps of Jesus, a new publication from National Geographic Books, Jesus and his father, Joseph, may have been skilled workers forced into labor on the rebuilding of Sepphoris, the Galilean capital. Drawing from a variety of evidence, the book reports that many scholars have begun to explore this theory for several reasons: One relates to the various meanings of tekton, which though translated in the King James Bible as “carpenter,” also can be defined as “skilled worker.” Secondly, conscripting labor from surrounding villages was a familiar operating procedure in Roman vassal states.

The book also suggests that many of the poor and hungry peasants who flocked to Jesus were, in fact, victims of Herod the Great’s rapacious tax policies. Additionally, the book examines Jesus’ treatment and acceptance of women. This issue was recently brought into the spotlight by the controversy over a Coptic papyrus fragment referring to Jesus’ wife, so the discussion in the book is particularly well-timed. In the Footsteps of Jesus purports that Jesus even counted women among his Apostles. The Gospel of Philip, for example, states that “the companion of the [Savior is] Mary Magdalene.” However, the book cautions that terms such as “companion” or “wife” were often used metaphorically in Jewish and Christian texts of the time.

These are just some of the insights contained in this fresh portrait of the historical Jesus. “This is a Jesus for the 21st century,” says author Jean-Pierre Isbouts, a humanities scholar and author of National Geographic’s bestseller “The Biblical World” (2007). “This is a Jesus who is deeply involved in the social issues of his day and is determined to create a new paradigm for a compassionate society despite the political reality of Roman occupation.”

To make its case, the book not only draws from a vast array of visual evidence, including all-new photography, archaeological objects, literary sources and scores of detailed maps, but also from sources not usually associated with the historical Jesus, such as studies of Roman tax data.

Isbouts spent 15 years researching the historical Jesus, emphatically looking for sources not deeply investigated by his peers. “We tend to become very focused on our specialties in this field,” he says. “Archaeologists look for archaeological data; text experts look for literary data and anthropologists search for cultural evidence. Insights from people like economists or forensic sociologists are rarely consulted. So this book is an effort to reconstruct the man from Nazareth with input from all those different disciplines.”

Isbouts worked with a board of advisers and numerous other scholars from a variety of fields to corroborate his findings and paint a clear picture of Jesus of Nazareth within the appropriate and telling historical and cultural context. His board of advisers included:

Shaye J. D. Cohen, Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of Harvard University

Craig Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College of Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada

Amy-Jill Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies and Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University

Rev. Donald Senior, C.P., Professor of New Testament Studies, president of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and general editor of the Oxford Catholic Study Bible

What emerges from the book’s pages is a very modern portrait of a grassroots spiritual reformer, fired by the socio-economic injustices of the Galilee and Judea of his day. This makes the book surprisingly relevant for our own era, when the Middle East is once again convulsed by the collision of political, religious and ideological forces.

For those readers for whom Jesus has become a remote personality, veiled by centuries of church dogma and Christology, In the Footsteps of Jesus offers a fresh and often moving encounter with a fully realized human being; a social and spiritual activist whose message still resonates with the great issues of our day.

Jean-Pierre Isbouts completed his doctoral program on archaeology and art at the University of Leyden and is currently professor in two doctoral programs at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA. He has written several other books, including National Geographic’s “The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas” and “From Moses to Muhammad.” Isbouts has also written four television programs that explore the legacy of the Bible, including the Hallmark television mini-series “The Quest for Peace,” which won the 2005 Gold Aurora Award and the 2005 DeRose-Hinkhouse Award.

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E&H Presents Henderson and Friends Sept. 6

Emory & Henry College will present Wayne Henderson and Friends in a concert of traditional Appalachian music Thursday evening, Sept. 6 in Memorial Chapel, on the college campus. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Henderson is known the world over not only for his musicianship, but for his craftsmanship as an instrument maker.

Members of the band include Henderson, with his lightning-fast "pinch picking" guitar style; Helen White, an old time fiddle player and folk singer; Herb Key, a long-time member of the group, playing bass; and N.C. bluegrass piano-playing sensation Jeff Little.

Henderson is well-known for his craftsmanship of guitars, mandolins and banjos in his shop in Rugby, Virginia. He was honored at the White House in 1995 for both his craftsmanship and playing as a recipient of the prestigious National Heritage Award. He has toured widely in Asia, Africa and the Middle East under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute and the Office of Arts America.  He has played in the Folk Masters series in Carnegie Hall, at Wolf Trap and at the 1977 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Helen White, not only known for her instrument playing and singing, is founder and executive director of the Junior Appalachian Musicians Program (JAM) which introduces mountain children to their musical heritage.  Also a songwriter/tunesmith, she wrote and produced the soundtrack for a children's video documentary on draft horses ("Big Horse") and the Frank Levering theatrical production, "Jewel of the Blue Ridge," a play celebrating the centennial of the City of Galax, Va.  Her album of mostly original songs for children, "Nobody Smiles Like Me; Songs for a Kinder World" was awarded "Editor's Choice" for 1999 by the American Library Association's Booklist.

Henderson and White have been playing as a duo and as part of string bands together for 15 years. Their performances as a duo have led them to events sponsored by the National Center for Traditional Arts, the Presidential Inaugural Folk Festival, the Vancouver International Folk Festival, the Carterfold, events sponsored by the BCMA in Bristol, the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Conventions in Nashville, and Issoudun, France and many local and regional festivals in the southeastern US. 

In the spring of 2000, they were sponsored in a tour of Holland and Germany by the European World of Bluegrass Festival, in November 2006 they were featured performers on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion and in spring of '09 spent 3 weeks touring in Germany and Switzerland with the premier German bluegrass band, the Looping Brothers.  Together they recorded an album “Live From Virginia” in the fall of 2009..

Also appearing in the concert is Jeff Little, whom the Boston Globe called “tricky and playful, yet always intelligent and richly melodic.”  A professional musician hailing from Boone, N.C., Little is conversant with old-time, country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and blues. He settled in Nashville for a while, working as a session man between stints on the road, and also worked with a wide range of commercial country artists, most notably Keith Urban. 

He returned to his roots in Jamestown, NC to live, but he travels to critically acclaimed arts centers and festivals throughout the US and overseas; to name a few:  National Public Radio, PBS, The Smithsonian Institution, American Masters Series, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the American Folk Festival and the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival.

This performance is being partially funded by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Tickets for this very special evening are $12 at the door and $10 in advance for adults.  Individuals 55 years and older, and students from other institutions are $8.  Emory & Henry College students, faculty and staff are admitted free of charge.  Call 276.944.6846 for reservations, and information about group discount rates.

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Dept. of Performing Arts presents 'Cloud Nine' - Jan. 18-23

A show that parodies the Victorian Empire is on stage through Wednesday; another run of performances takes place Feb. 6-9, 2013.

*****

Friday—Wednesday, January 18-23
Wednesday—Saturday, February 6-9
Department of Performing Arts presents Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Fredrick J. Rubeck

Black Box Theatre, Jan. 18-19 at 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 20 at 2 p.m.; Jan. 21-23 and Feb. 6-8 at 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 9 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Cloud Nine both parodies and spoofs the Victorian Empire and its rigid attitudes, especially toward sex and gender. There is Clive, a British aristocrat; his wife Betty (played by a man), their daughter Victoria (a rag doll); Clive’s son Edward (played by a woman); and Joshua, a native servant who knows what is really going on.

Admission: $12 or Elon ID. Reservations highly recommended and will be taken beginning January 11 by calling (336) 278-5650.

Note: Contains mature language and subject matter—viewer discretion is advised.

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by Eric Townsend, Staff Last Updated - 1/22/2013

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Dept. of Performing Arts presents 'Cloud Nine' - Jan. 18-23

A show that parodies the Victorian Empire is on stage through Wednesday; another run of performances takes place Feb. 6-9, 2013.

*****

Friday—Wednesday, January 18-23
Wednesday—Saturday, February 6-9
Department of Performing Arts presents Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Fredrick J. Rubeck

Black Box Theatre, Jan. 18-19 at 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 20 at 2 p.m.; Jan. 21-23 and Feb. 6-8 at 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 9 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Cloud Nine both parodies and spoofs the Victorian Empire and its rigid attitudes, especially toward sex and gender. There is Clive, a British aristocrat; his wife Betty (played by a man), their daughter Victoria (a rag doll); Clive’s son Edward (played by a woman); and Joshua, a native servant who knows what is really going on.

Admission: $12 or Elon ID. Reservations highly recommended and will be taken beginning January 11 by calling (336) 278-5650.

Note: Contains mature language and subject matter—viewer discretion is advised.

Email Author Your Email *
Message *
by Eric Townsend, Staff Last Updated - 1/22/2013

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