| This week's arts briefs: Chamber Orchestra Nutcracker adds show Singing Lions Winterfest Wind ensemble Bands to perform "Holiday Sing" Bach's Lunch Symphonic Band French horn studio Cartoons at Pattee B.B. King returns Ted Nugent at outdoor show |
Other arts-related sites: College of Arts and Architecture
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The annual Festival of Trees will
be held Dec. 8-12 in the Ag Arena on the University Park campus. Visitors
can view the trees decorated by local businesses, families, groups and schools
from within the community. There is no admission charge, but donations are
welcome. Visitors also can vote on their favorite tree. Proceeds from this
event go to Centre County United Way.
Photo: Greg Grieco
The Penn State Opera and Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Susan Boardman, associate professor of music, will present Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3 and 4, in the School of Music Recital Hall on the University Park campus.
Tickets are $4. For information, call (814) 865-0431.
The Center for the Performing Arts has added a second performance of Nutcracker on Ice, featuring the St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. The first show will be at 2 p.m. the same day.
Tickets are $28 and $18 for the general public; $23 and $15 for students; $18 and $15 for Penn State students; and $14 and $8 for children 12 and younger. For tickets or more information, call the Arts Ticket Center at (814) 863-0255 or (800) 278-7849.
The Singing Lions, under the direction of Matt Doebler, will perform at 2 p.m Sunday, Dec. 5, in the School of Music Recital Hall on the University Park campus. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the group. The program will include traditional Penn State songs and holiday favorites.
Tickets are $4 for non-students, $2 for students and are available at the door before the performance.
More than 450 Penn State singers will combine voices to present the School of Music's annual "Winterfest, A Choral Celebration" at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, in Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus.
The first half of this popular event will feature short performances by six of the school's choral ensembles: Concert Choir, University Choir, Oriana Singers, Glee Club, Women's Chorale and Essence of Joy.
After intermission, the choirs will combine to perform works from the African and African American choral traditions. Anthony Leach, assistant professor of music, will conduct these works. Charles Dumas, associate professor of theatre, will be master of ceremonies. Members of the Penn State Flute Ensemble will provide instrumental music in the auditorium before the concert and during the transitions between choirs.
Advance-purchase tickets are $7 for non-students, $4 for students and are available at the Eisenhower Auditorium box office. The day of the performance, non-student tickets are $10.
The Symphonic Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dennis Glocke, associate professor of music, will perform at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, in the School of Music Recital Hall on the University Park campus.
Featured in the concert will be Kevin Lucey, the 1999 Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition winner. Assistant conductor Doug Stephens will conduct a piece in the program.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $3.50 for students and are available at the door before the performance.
The Concert Band and University Band will present concerts on Wednesday, Dec. 8, in Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus. Both groups will present individual concerts, but only one ticket is needed to attend both performances.
The Penn State Concert Band, under the direction of Doug Stephens and Mark Yingling, will present a concert at 7 p.m. The University Band will perform at 8:30 p.m. Kevin Tutt and Stephen Crawford are the conductors.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3.50 for students and are available at the Eisenhower Auditorium Box Office before the performance.
The Penn State Concert Choir and Chamber Singers will present a free, one-hour "Holiday Sing"" at noon Wednesday, Dec. 8, in the lobby of Old Main on the University Park campus.
This tradition began with the Chamber Singers in 1997, and this year's presentation will be the first to feature both the 16 member Chamber Singers and the 68-voice Concert Choir.
The "Holiday Sing" will feature both groups singing appropriate a cappella works from their fall repertoire, followed by a group of seasonal pieces. Singers will perform from the Old Main stairs and balcony, with audience members standing in the well of the lobby and in the balcony. D. Douglas Miller, professor of music, will conduct both ensembles.
The Penn State Trombone Choir, under the direction of Mark L. Lusk, associate professor of music, will perform at the next Bach's Lunch concert at 12:10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in the Helen Eakin Eisenhower Chapel on the University Park campus.
The Trombone Choir has 27 members, most of whom are music majors. The Bach's Lunch program will feature holiday-oriented music. This free, 20-minute concert is sponsored by the College of Arts and Architecture's School of Music and the University Lutheran Parish. After the concert, audience members may take their bag lunches to the Roy and Agnes Wilkinson Lounge in Eisenhower Chapel. Coffee and tea will be provided.
The Symphonic Band, under the direction of Dennis Glocke, associate professor of music, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus. Assistant conductors Kevin Tutt and Mark Yingling will each conduct a piece on the program.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $3.50 for students and are available at Eisenhower Auditorium before the concert.
Members of the French horn studio will present a recital at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, in 122 Music Building II on the the University Park campus. Horn students of Lisa O. Bontrager, associate professor of music, will perform works for solo horn with piano accompaniment. The performers are all Penn State music majors.
"Fred Waring -- Cartoon Fan" is on display in Pattee Library lobby through Jan. 3, 2000. The world knows Fred Waring as "the man who taught America how to sing" and the developer of the Waring Blender, but few know of his penchant for the comics.
He was a fan of cartoonists and for 26 years, usually around his June 9 birthday, Waring entertained the members of the National Cartoon Society. The cartoons on display in Pattee Library are a selection from the more than 500 cartoons that were drawn for and about him by the leading cartoonists of his day, including the creators of Batman, Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Dick Tracy, Mighty Mouse, Nancy, Pogo, Popeye and Superman.
The cartoons are part of Fred Waring's America collection, which includes historical memorabilia reflecting his nearly 70-year career as a choral conductor and showman. Before his death in 1984, Waring arranged to give his lifelong collections to Penn State, his alma mater.
For more information, check http://www.libraries.psu.edu/crsweb/speccol/waring/ on the Web, or call Peter T. Kiefer, coordinator of the Fred Waring's America collection, at (814) 863-2911.
The Center for the Performing Arts announces a special performance by King of the Blues B.B. King at 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23, 2000, in Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus.
Tickets are $30 for the general public, $25 for University Park students with ID, and will be on sale at 8 a.m., Monday, Dec. 6, at the Arts Ticket Center at Eisenhower Auditorium.
With more than 50 albums and numerous tours since the 1950s, King's lifelong dedication to the blues is universally acknowledged. For ticket information, call the Arts Ticket Center at (814) 863-0255 or (800) 278-7849.
The Bryce Jordan Center will hold the Third Annual Pennsylvania Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Show from March 31 to April 2, 2000. The show will feature American sporting legend Ted Nugent as a special guest speaker. Show hours are Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Bryce Jordan Center will be filled with exhibitors featuring sporting equipment, fishing tackle, hunting gear, guides, outfitters, lodges and travel exhibits, taxidermists, archery equipment, sportsmen's organizations and related displays. In addition to all exhibits, there will be daily seminars and clinics on hunting, fishing and the outdoors featuring world-famous outdoorsmen, such as fly fishing expert Joe Humphreys and white-tailed deer specialist Bob Foulkrod.
Reservations for booth space are now being taken. Vendors interested in participating should call (814) 863-1570 or e-mail sal142@psu.edu.
Tickets are available at the Bryce Jordan Ticket Center, Eisenhower Auditorium, select Uni-Marts and Commonwealth Campus outlets, or charge by phone at (814) 865-5555 or (800) 863-3336.