Powerful! Percussion and Dance Together

The OSU School of Music’s Percussion Ensemble, directed by Susan Powell and Joe Krygier, once again joins forces with the Department of Dance to prevent a powerful performance of Drums Downtown V at 8 pm Friday, Feb 29, and Saturday, March 1. The crowd-pleasing show -- at the Riffe Center’s Capitol Theatre, 77 S. High St in downtown Columbus — combines original music, new choreography, 3D animation and more. Fifty music and dance students will perform in Dance Downtown selections, which include a massive hip-hop piece, Gershwin jazz and global percussion sounds. Choreographers include Susan Hadley, Coco Loupe and Teena Custer. Tickets are available at the Riffe Center; $17 general admission; $12 students and senior citizens. Call CAPA at (614) 469-0939 or Ticketmaster at (614) 431-3600.

Notable News

Terry Barrett (Art Education) is participating in a full-day seminar -- The Art of Collecting Art -- for novice and seasoned art collectors on March 9 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He will discuss "Criteria for Judging Art." Barrett also has a new book out, Why is that Art? Aesthetics and Criticism of Contemporary Art (2008).

Russell Pensyl, a digital animation faculty candidate at ACCAD, will present an artist's lecture at 4:30 pm Tues, Feb 26, in room 100 Stillman Hall. He currently is director of the Interaction and Entertainment Research Center at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Art alumnus Brent Sommerhauser lives in Las Vegas and teaches art at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He recently received a prestigious Cirque du Soleil Community Support Grant for the Visual and Performing Arts, which supported his recent solo exhibition, Structuring the Invisible.

Alum Harold Weller (Music) has established the Foundation to Assist Young Musicians. Weller also is the founding music director and conductor laureate of the Las Vegas Philharmonic and conductor laureate of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.

Shakespeare on the beach?

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Shakespeare meets "beach blanket bingo" in the rollicking Department of Theatre production of Much Ado About Nothing Feb 21-March 1 in Thurber Theatre, Drake Performance Center. The production is a nod to the beach movies of the 1960s, which -- like Shakespeare's comedies -- included dangerous plot twists like kidnapping, betrayal, jealousy, lust and greed but are in the end of course comedies, explains director Mandy Fox. The cast includes (above) MFA students Kal Poole as Benedick and Jessica Podewell as Beatrice. For information and tickets, call 292-2295. Photo by Matt Hazard

Notable News

More photos from the grand opening of the OSU Urban Arts Space are posted on our website. Take a look!

The Department of Art Visiting Artist Series presents Meredith Monk at 4:30 pm Tuesday, Feb 19, in the Wexner Center Film/Video Theater. With a career that spans more than 40 years, Monk has been acclaimed as a major creative force in the performing arts. After talking about her work, she will join dancer/choreographer Susan Hadley (Dance) and visual artist Ann Hamilton (Art) to discuss working across traditional boundaries in the arts. For more, click here.

At the Central Ohio Theatre Roundtable Awards on Sunday, Feb 10, the organization's highest honor -- the Harold Award -- was presented to Joy Reilly (Theatre) in honor of her prolific career and impact on the central Ohio theatre community. The Theatre Research Institute also was recognized with a Harold Award for its theatrical archives. Other awards presented to OSU included: The Trojan Women 2.0 for outstanding production; Sarah Katz (The Children's Hour) and Julie Ann McMillan (Mary Stuart) for acting; Maureen Ryan and Jeanine Thompson (The Trojan Women 2.0) for directing; and Matthew McCarren (The Trojan Women, scenic design), Elinore Loomis (Mary Stuart, scenic design) and Mary McMullen (Mary Stuart, costuming) for technical excellence. Congrats!!

Students from School of Music fraternities Phi Mu Alpha, Sigma Alpha Iota, Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma are sponsoring a "Save Our Symphony" benefit recital to aid the Columbus Symphony. The concert is scheduled for 8 pm Wednesday, Feb 20, in Weigel Auditorium and will feature an evening of chamber music by student ensembles. Admission is free; all donations go the the Columbus Symphony. Call 292-0789 for details.

Terry Barrett (Art Education) was honored as the inaugural William Hollis Visiting Artist at Washington and Lee University in Virginia last week. His visit included demonstrations to classes in education, painting, drawing, photography, art history and a public lecture on "Art & Meaning: An Interactive Exploration."

Please note that the Stephen Glaser (Music) faculty recital scheduled for Monday, Feb 25, has been canceled.

Theatre alumnus Brad Fryman founded Oberon Theatre Ensemble in New York City 11 years ago and he produces the shows there. On Feb 14, the ensemble opened Shakespeare's Macbeth and Ghost on Fire, by Michael Weller, in which Fryman appears.

The Columbus Chamber is leading an initiative called "attact and retain talent." One element is to convince young and talented artists, entrepreneurs and other professionals to stay in Columbus. The Chamber is inviting individuals to submit videos about why they love Columbus. For information, check out the website where there's a place you can upload your videos.

SRO Downtown

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It was standing room only at last Friday's grand opening celebration of the OSU Urban Arts Space in the historic Lazarus building in downtown Columbus! An estimated 1,200 people flocked to the College of the Arts' new exhibition and alternative performance space for the festivities, which included costumed stilt-walkers from alumna Kristina Isabelle's HighJinks dance company (above), music from a student mallet ensemble headed by Susan Powell, a Carnival costume in action thanks to Cleveland's art museum, a student jazz ensemble, food, drinks and fun. The event also celebrated the opening of two inaugural exhibitions, Midnight Robbers: The Artists of Notting Hill Carnival and Linking the Past to the Future, a look at the Lazarus building through the years. Mayor Michael Coleman (right) gave remarks to the crowd -- which included students and faculty from throughout the university, alumni, community members, and local arts leaders -- at the evening event, as did Dean Karen Bell and OSU President Gordon Gee. More photos of the Feb 8 grand opening will be posted tomorrow on our website.

Notable News

The Department of Art presents a Jan Dilenschneider visiting artist lecture Monday, Feb 11, at 4 pm in Haskett Hall, room 211. Featured speaker is artist and alumnus Richard Aldrich. For details, call 292-5072.

The Department of Design kicks off its 40th anniversary this week with a series of celebrations. Tuesday, Feb 12, 4-6 pm in 250 Knowlton Hall, three early design faculty members return to chart the future. They are George Burden, industrial design, Stuttgart, Germany; Edgar Reinhard, interior design, Zuerich, Switzerland; and Dean Lindsay, visual communication design, Chicago. On Thursday, Feb 14, 4-6 pm in the Wexner Film/Video Theatre, a panel discussion on design education will take place with additional guests Gregg Davis, Design Central; Haig Khachatoorian, NC State University; and Judith Riley, Moen Inc. For information, call 292-6746.

We're Open!

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The much-anticipated opening of the OSU Urban Arts Space in downtown Columbus kicked off with a media preview (above) on Monday, Feb 4. Karen Bell (Dean) addressed reporters and granted several interviews while Lesley Ferris (below) led an informal tour. The space and its two inaugural exhibitions officially open to the public Tuesday, Feb 5, with a grand opening reception Friday, Feb 8, from 5:30 to 8 pm. All are invited to the reception; simply call 292-5171 to attend. The festivities will celebrate the space and opening of Midnight Robbers: The Artists of Notting Hill Carnival, exploring the artistry of the London Carnival (left), and Linking the Past to the Future, a look at the Lazarus building through the years. The evening event will include remarks from Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, OSU President Gordon Gee and Dean Bell, along with informal tours, refreshments and entertainment by student percussionists and costumed stilt walkers. For more, go to the web.
Notable News

Speaking of the OSU Urban Arts Space, it's already garnering a bunch of attention from local newspapers and magazines, incuding this story in The Other Paper.

Feeling patriotic? The popular New Sousa Band headed by Keith Brion (below) will present a concert Wednesday, Feb 6, at 8 pm in Weigel Auditorium. The national band commemorates the life and times of John Philip Sousa and is a fast-moving replica of Sousa concerts of the past. The concert is a tribute to Westerville author Paul Bierley, who penned a biography of Sousa. The 43-member band includes faculty members Katherine Borst Jones and Susan Powell and former faculty Chris Weait; they will be joined in the concert by 75 members of the spectacular OSU Marching Band and OSU Flute Troupe. A wide range of tunes will be presented, from The Star Spangled Banner and The Invincible Eagle to a George Cohan sing-along, Irish reels and the moving Parade of the Services. Tickets at the door or by calling 292-2295.

One-of-a-kind gifts -- just in time for Valentine's Day -- will be for sale at the Valentine's Day Glass Sale during the day Feb 7 and 8 in Hopkins Hall lobby. All work is unique and made by students in the glass program in Art. Items include hand-blown vases, hand-made jewelry, paperweights and more.

Pat Stuhr (Art Education) has been awarded the June McFee Award by the National Art Education Women's Caucus. The award is given annually to honor a person who has made distinguished contributions to the profession of art education.

Michael Szczesniak (Music alumnus), who sings under the name Michele Angelini, had a favorable review by music critic Robert Thomas regarding his debut performance with Los Angeles Opera in Judas Maccabeus. Thomas said, "What made the evening really worthwhile was discovering tenor Michele Angelini, making his company debut singing the title role. . . Angelini is a real find; LAO General Director Placido Domingo should sign him for future seasons before the word gets out."

Save the Date! This April 4-6 several very funny OSU alums return for a Theatre scholarship benefit performance. The troupe, now called Just for Laughs, reprises music satire and comedy sketches in a madcap comedy revue. The group started as a 1963 experimental theatre production, The Esoterics at Large, resulting in standing-room-only crowds. They evolved into The Esoterics and toured nationally. Today, original cast members and alumni Denis Freeh and Richard Farshler are part of the troupe, along with six others who create 86 wacky characters on stage. Performances will be April 4 and 5 at 7:30 pm and April 6 at 3 pm in Roy Bowen Theatre, Drake Performance Center. Tickets $25; proceeds will fund OSU Theatre scholarships. To order, call 292-2295.