October 21, 2014
Southern Illinois University Arts and Cultural Events
Oct. 28-Nov. 11
This weekly email brings together all the arts and cultural events happening in a two-week period at SIU Carbondale. From music to art, film to dance, guest lectures to workshops and theater, you will find the information here. Please note that information listed under “for the media” is to assist reporters and is not intended to be published or aired. Also, event information is subject to change.
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
The inaugural SIU Guitar Festival brings two days of guitar music to SIU Carbondale on Nov. 7-8. Isaac Lausell, festival artistic director and assistant professor of guitar in the SIU School of Music, describes the event as “a two-day immersion into the guitar and its traditions from around the world.”
The featured guest artist is Armando Nuñez-Portillo from the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Mexico. Nuñez-Portillo is an advocate for jazz guitar. He launched a program at his university that emphasizes jazz improvisation, jazz theory, jazz composing and arranging and jazz history.
Other featured musicians are SIU students, and former faculty member and alumnus Joseph Palermo, currently an instructor at John A. Logan College and Rend Lake College. The students are: Ali Behfatian Esfahani, a doctoral student from Iran in the engineering science program, playing Persian setar; Jose Guzman, a graduate student from Puerto Rico in the music program, playing jazz guitar; and Marcus de Jesus, a graduate student from Brazil in the music program, playing Brazilian guitar.
Admission to all festival events is free for students, faculty and staff from the SIU School of Music. All others may audit the classes and attend the concerts by buying a two-day pass for $50 or a one-day pass for $25.
For the public, the highlights of the festival are the music performances. The performances are free of charge.
All events take place in the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall (OBF) and Altgeld Hall. Here is a schedule:
Nov. 7
1 p.m. -- Check-in (OBF)
1:45 p.m. -- Orientation with Isaac Lausell (OBF)
2 p.m. -- Brazilian guitar fundamentals with Marcus de Jesus (OBF)
3 p.m. -- Jazz guitar chords with Jose Guzman (OBF)
7:30 p.m. -- Flute and guitar recital with Douglas Worthen and Isaac Lausell (OBF)
Worthen is assistant professor of flute and assistant director of the School of Music.
Nov. 8
9 a.m. -- Overview of the Persian setar with Ali Behjatian (Altgeld Hall, Room 110)
10 a.m. -- Classical guitar master class with Joseph Palermo (Altgeld Hall, Room 110)
1 p.m. -- Jazz guitar master class with Armando Nuñez-Portillo (Altgeld Hall, Room 112)
3:15 p.m. -- SIU Guitar Ensembles Concert (Altgeld Hall, Room 110)
7:30 p.m. -- Armando Nuñez-Portillo Concert (Altgeld Hall, Room 112)
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Isaac Lausell, isaac.lausell@siu.edu or 536-8742.
Upcoming Events:
OCTOBER
28 -- This year’s Emeritus Faculty Lecture includes a performance. Professor emeriti Jeanine Wagner and Margaret Simmons present “It Takes Two,” 7-9 p.m. in Altgeld Hall, Room 110. Light refreshments follow. Vocal soloist Wagner and accompanying pianist Simmons have performed together many times across North America, and they co-edited “A New Anthology of Art Songs by African American Composers,” available from SIU Press.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact William Wright, wright@cs.siu.edu.
29 -- Turkish Cultural Night, 6-8 p.m., Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium. The Turkish Student Association hosts this event. The registered student organization promotes and supports cultural activities aimed at introducing Turkish culture and history to the SIU community.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Yildiz Dak Hazirbaba, yildiz.dak@gmail.com or yildiz.dak@siu.edu.
30 – The Center for Ecology Distinguished Speaker Series welcomes Jill Baron, director of the John Wesley Powell Center for Earth System Analysis and Synthesis of the U. S. Geological Survey. Baron will talk about “The Long View of Global Change: Ecosystem Ecology in Support of the Public Good,” 4-6:15 p.m., Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium. She is involved in long-term ecological research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed in Rocky Mountain National Park. A reception follows.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact James Lovvorn, lovvorn@siu.edu or 453-4127; Jill Baron, jill_baron@usgs.gov or 970/491-1968.
30-31 – “This is Not a Minstrel,” 7:30-9 p.m., Communications Building, C. H. Moe Theater. The registered student organization Africana Theater Laboratory presents this performance of excerpts and monologues featuring the African American lifestyle. There is no charge.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Modupe Ogunyemi, mopay07@siu.edu or 305-4747.
NOVEMBER
2 – Astronomy Observation, 7-9 p.m., Neckers Observation Deck. The moon, Mars, Neptune, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Ring Nebula should be available for viewing. Free admission.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Bob Baer, rbaer@siu.edu or 453-2729.
2-4 – Martin Katz, Visiting Artist Residency with the School of Music. Katz is a collaborative pianist, vocal repertoire coach, conductor, editor and author with a long career in the music business. He is program chair for collaborative piano at the University of Michigan. All events are in the Old Baptist Foundation.
Here’s the schedule:
Nov. 2 – Master class, 1-3 p.m.; master class 4-6 p.m.
Nov. 3 – Master class, 10 a.m.-Noon; pianists’ workshop, 3:30-4:40 p.m.; master class 5-7 p.m.
Nov. 4 – Diction workshop, 9-10 a.m.; convocation “Partnering with your Collaborator,” 10-11 a.m.; lecture “How to Learn a Song,” Noon-1 p.m.
4 – The Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra presents Klassics for Kids, 10 a.m., Altgeld Hall, room 112. The program is for children in pre-kindergarten through third grade. Children learn listening skills and get an introduction to the musical instruments used in an orchestra. Admission is free.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Edward Benyas, benyas@siu.edu or 453-5834.
5 – Guest artist Joy Harjo, Native American poet, 7 p.m., Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium. A member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Harjo is the author of several poetry collections, including “How We Became Human,” “The Woman Who Fell From the Sky,” and “She Had Some Horses;” “A Map to the Next World,” and a memoir, “Crazy Brave.” Harjo will read from her work.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Melinda Yeomans, myeomans1@siu.edu or 453-4846.
6 – Women Pioneers in the Environment, 4 p.m., Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium. A presentation promoting environmental awareness and women researchers and scholars.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Melinda Yeomans, myeomans1@siu.edu or 453-4846.
7 – Film screening: “Split Estate,” 7 p.m. Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium. The documentary shows another aspect of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and natural gas.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Brent Ritzel at brent@siu.edu or 618/203-4844.
7 – Film screening: “Reel Rock Film Tour,” featuring the documentary “Valley Uprising.”
7 p.m., Morris Library, John C. Guyon Auditorium. Doors open at 5 p.m., with access to a silent auction. The film tells the history of rock climbing in Yosemite, the counter-culture of the early climbers, and the rivalries that pushed climbers to ever more daring ascents. The Rock Climbing Club, a registered student organization at SIU, in conjunction with the Illinois Climbers Association, is the event sponsor. The event is a fundraiser with proceeds going to the Access Fund, which area climbers are using to purchase a local climbing destination known as the “Holy Boulders.” Admission is $12.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Nicholas L. Edwards, vice president of the Rock Climbing Club, eickndwards@siu.edu.
7-8 – SIU Guitar Festival. The featured guest artist is Armando Nuñez-Portillo from the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Mexico. See the schedule under Spotlight of the Week.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Isaac Lausell, isaac.lausell@siu.edu or 536-8742.
7-9 – Fourth annual Association for Experiential Education (AEE) Heartland Region Student Summit, Touch of Nature Environmental Center. This is a three-day event. AEE is a professional membership association promoting experiential education, a methodology suggested by philosopher John Dewey. Experiential education uses outdoor education and environmental experiences, service learning, cooperative learning within like groups, and hands-on learning. The conference includes workshops, presentations and speakers, and includes student scholars.
FOR THE MEDIA: Contact Annie Linhart, ton.siu.edu or 453-1121.