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Thursday, October 20, 2011
Musical narrative looks at war and after
Shaw Pong Liu, a violinist, teacher, artist and sonic explorer Boston who has been part of the past two Blue Sky Projects sponsored by the University of Dayton, will return to Dayton Monday, Oct. 24, for the Midwest premiere of her musical narrative, “Soldiers Tales Untold.”
Time is 8 p.m. at the South Park United Methodist Church, 140 Stonemill Road, Dayton.
“This is a performance that brings together music of Stravinsky, veterans’ stories and community dialogue about war, veterans’ issues, and post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said. “I am thrilled to be directing a stellar group of musicians from the Dayton Philharmonic, local actors and UD faculty and students in a production especially designed for the University of Dayton Music Department.”
A post-performance discussion will include panelists Dr. Kristen Rodzinka, staff psychologist and coordinator of the Dayton VA PTSD program; Bill Walker, a local Vietnam veteran, and a representative from the military community.
Admission is free, but donations will be accepted on behalf of local organizations that help veterans.
There will be also be a special performance of Stravinsky’s original piece, “The Soldier’s Tale (L’Histoire du Soldat),” directed by Patrick Reynolds, at 8 p.m. on Sunday Oct 23, at Sears Recital Hall in UD’s Philips Humanities Center.
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TweetHanks applauds WSU’s state arts honor
Film star Tom Hanks offered his congratulations by video on Thursday, Oct. 20, when several arts programs at Wright State University were designated an Ohio Center of Excellence by the state Board of Regents.
The departments of art, art history, music, theater, dance and motion pictures are partners in WSU’s collective CELIA (Collaborative Education, Leadership & Innovation in the Arts), which has now been declared an Ohio Center for Excellence in Cultural and Societal Transformation.
The announcement was made by Jim Petro, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. Music faculty member Hank Dahlman was named CELIA director.
Hanks, who wore a Wright State polo shirt, said the university “not only has one of the most outstanding arts programs in the state of Ohio, it has one of the best in the entire nation.”
He said he knows this “first hand” from working with graduates and students from the university.
To see and hear Hanks’ congratulations, go to http://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/newsroom/2011/10/20/tom-hanks-praises-wright-states-celia-and-arts-programs/
Besides the university’s annual Arts Gala, which has raised more than $1.3 million for arts scholarships, CELIA has spawned recent major productions that brought WSU students and faculty together with arts professionals.
Those have included the Academy Award-nominated 2010 documentary “The Last Truck,” a 2011 production of “Leonard Bernstein’s Mass” at the Schuster Center in Dayton and the Ohio premiere of the prize-winning drama “August: Osage County” at WSU’s Creative Arts Center.
Six other Wright State programs have previously been recognized centers of excellence in categories related to engineering, medicine and job creation. Those are its centers for Human-Centered Innovation, Medical Readiness, the WSU and Premier Health Partners Neuroscience Institute, Knowledge-Enabled Computing (Kno.e.sis), Product Reliability and Optimization, and Micro Air Vehicle Research.
Petro said Wright State’s collaborative endeavors in the fine and performing arts have significant economic impact on the community and the state.
WSU president David R. Hopkins said CELIA “will produce, attract and retain talent.”
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TweetHarvard hires Muse director
Luke Dennis, executive director of the Dayton-based arts education organization the Muse Machine, has announced his resignation to accept a position at Harvard University.
Hired in the fall of 2007, Dennis succeeded Mary Karr as Muse executive director in June 2008. At Harvard, he will be curator of the Harvard Theatre Collection, one of the largest performing arts collections in the world.
“We hate to lose him, but we’re proud that Harvard wants him,” said Dianne Trentman, chair of the Muse Machine board of trustees.
Dennis, 33, a native of Wilmington who resides in Yellow Springs, will continue with the Muse Machine through December 2011 and will start at Harvard on Jan. 9, 2012.
“We will be putting together a search committee for a new director within the next five business days,” Trentman said.
The Harvard position take Dennis back to New England. He earned a master’s degree in theater history and literary theory at Tufts University in Massachusetts. His bachelor’s degree is from Wittenberg University.
Dennis previously served as manager of education and outreach for the Victoria Theatre Association and has done the Dayton Opera’s pre-performance lectures the past two seasons.
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