Alfred University Division of Performing Arts

CenterStage

Spring 2007

Spring musical:
Once on This Island
About a year ago as the faculty members of the Division of Performing Arts began the process of assembling the upcoming season, it was decided that it was time again in the three-year cycle for the production of a musical. Musicals are a big deal for AU students and audiences. Musicals are very popular. Musicals also are a big deal for the Division. As ambitious and as complicated to pull off as they are, they also present a wonderful opportunity for faculty members in the Division’s Theatre, Music and Dance Departments to come together in a major artistic collaboration. Once on This Island, written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, was chosen as the spring musical. The production opens in C. D. Smith III Theatre of the Miller Performing Arts Center on Wed., April 11th and runs through Saturday, April 14th.
Right from the start, many factors converged as the decision making process for selecting a musical began, all pointing to Once on This Island. First, Island is set in the Caribbean. This had an immediate personal appeal for director Steve Crosby, because as a child, Steve lived in the islands and has very fond memories of those early and formative days of his life. Second, with the growing multi-cultural presence within the AU student body and the number of students specifically from the Caribbean, Steve very much wanted to find a production that could celebrate our cultural diversity at AU. Island fit that requirement with ease. Third, finding a “quality” musical with depth of plot, good music and high-energy dance was important to all. Island had these qualities in abundance. Lastly, selecting a production that could play to the strengths of our newly hired design faculty member was essential. Island was ideal from that standpoint. Once on This Island was the hands-down winning choice to end the ‘06-’07 season!
Once on This Island, nominated for eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, boasts a score that immediately reflects its Caribbean setting. Set in the French Antilles, Island tells the “modern” mythic story of Ti Moune, an orphaned peasant girl who, as a small child, was the sole survivor of a devastating storm that wiped out the rest of her people. Saved by the gods and adopted and raised by a poor, elderly couple from another remote village, Ti Moune always felt she didn’t belong, though believing the gods saved her for a reason. And indeed they did. Unknown to her, Ti Moune became the centerpiece of a debate between Agwe, Asaka, Erzulie and Papa Ge (the gods of water, earth, love and death): can the power of love conquer the fear of death? Set against a backdrop of class differences, Ti Moune’s story unfolds. Through rousing and upbeat songs, poignant ballads and soaring melodies, we see Ti Moune’s mythic journey to find herself and how her decisions have a profound impact on her and the future of her island with its divisive class structure.
Once on This Island brings together Division professors Stephen Crosby (director), Luanne Crosby (music director), Chase Angier (choreographer) and Marketa Fantova (scenic designer) in this collaborative effort. Other members of the team include pianist/conductor Laurel Buckwalter, recent AU Theatre grad Carlos Bido (lighting designer), and senior Elizabeth Hart (costume design). The production features a cast of twenty-one students of many nationalities and cultures, two children, and a live instrumental ensemble.
Show time is 8 p.m. General admission is $5; AU students $1. For reservations, please call 871-2828, or reserve by clicking on “Box Office” at http:// www/Alfred.edu/performing_arts or by emailing performs@alfred.edu..

Coppen to perform
Grieg Piano Concerto
The AU Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Lisa
Lantz will present a concert on Friday, April 6. Featured soloist David Peter Coppen from Rochester, NY, (shown at left with Lantz) will perform the ever-popular Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor. The concert will open with the “Barber of Seville” Overture by Rossini. Also on the program is the finale from Mendelssohn’s “Reformation” Symphony which features the beautiful Bach Chorale “Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott” (A Mighty Fortress is Our God). AU student clarinetist Georg Neubauer will be featured with the orchestra in the Romanze from the Stamitz Clarinet Concerto No. 3.
The free concert begins at 8 p.m. in Holmes Auditorium

April Fools Day
Student Recital
There will be no fooling around on Sunday, April 1st, when capable University students provide an afternoon recital of beautiful music. The program, which begins at 3 p.m. in Howell, features baritone Jeff Daring singing Handel’s "Leave Me Loathsome Light" and old English tune “False Phillis”, Victoria Collins performing “Moonglow” and Jaimie Pinkham with Menotti’s “Lullaby” and “Much More” from the Fantastiks. Pianists on the program are Christy Evers, Alissa Faber, Joseph Underhill, and Jessica Goff, performing works by Duke Ellington, Chopin and Dan Coates.
Clarinetist Georg Neubauer will perform the third movement of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto. Violinist Tanya Hurst will perform the first movement from the Vivaldi Concert in G Major. Jasmine Reese, violin, and Colleen Raynor, will perform the Duet in C Major by Stamitz. Reese and guitarist Yimeng Zhu will perform “The Night Watch” by Holborne; a cello trio of Megan McKee, Stephen Peifer, and Davis Russo will perform the Requiem for Three Cellos and Piano by David Popper. Piano accompanist for the recital is University Carillonneur Laurel Buckwalter.
All are invited to this free event.

Division of Performing Arts Faculty and Staff

Dance
D. Chase Angier
Robert Bingham
Linda Mitchell
Division Chair
Lisa Lantz
Division Secretary
Nancy Freelove

Music
Todd Bialecki
Laurel Buckwalter
Luanne Crosby
Vicki Eaklor
Ben Howard
Lisa Lantz
Ken Maracek
Peter O’Connor
Rebecca Weaver

Theatre
Carlos Bido
J. Stephen Crosby
Marketa Fantova
Debra MacCrea
Becky Prophet

37 Years of Artistic Excellence
is Coming to Alfred University
“PHILADANCO’s dancers are a miracle of skill and energy. They work in a range of idioms most companies
don’t even try to possess … A company that can do more than just anything ... It can represent
the possibilities of human spirit through dance.” Dance Magazine
The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) is celebrating 37 years of providing exceptional dance performances and training to its many communities throughout the US and abroad, and they are coming to Alfred University March 24th to give a master class and a lecture demonstration. Since its inception in 1970, PHILADANCO has had a significant impact on the dance world. As a cultural ambassador representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia, its artistic direction and renowned national and international guest choreographers have developed a reputation of producing a dance repertory with passion, power, skill and diversity. Over the 37 years, a stellar faculty (hand picked by Joan Myers Brown, Founder of PHILADANCO) has trained over 4,500 dancers in a comprehensive program achieving the highest level of technical skills in dance and performance. The unique blend of dance styles of PHILADANCO, and its roster of 50 to 60 concert performances and 45 residencies annually has made them one of the most sought after modern companies in the United States. In 1981 the company was one of only 15 organizations awarded the prestigious National Choreography Planning Grant. Last year, PHILADANCO had the pleasure of performing at venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and The Joyce Theater in NYC and took a noteworthy tour, spending the month of March 2006 in Germany, Luxembourg and Italy.

AU Chamber Singers
Preview of 2007 Tour
The AU Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Luanne Crosby will give a preview of the music they are working on for their May 2007 tour of Greece and Bulgaria. The concert begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 23 in the Alfred 7th Day Baptist Church. The group of 35 singers has been invited to perform with the Ambitus Choir, directed by Katerina Vassilikou in Athens on May 16. The Chamber Singers will perform a short program on their own and then join with Ambitus to perform three Greek songs and two American choral works. Two days later they will give a concert in Thessoloniki with the Thessoloniki Opera Chorus under the baton of Mary Konstantinidou. While in Bulgaria, Chamber Singers will perform in Plovdiv and Varna and engage in a workshop on Russian and Bulgarian choral music with Professor Marin Chonev. Chonev is one of the foremost choral conductors in Bulgaria; Dr. Crosby had the pleasure of working with him two summers ago when she participated in the Varna International Choral Conductors Workshop.
The March 23 concert will include the Greek, Bulgarian and Russian songs as well as a sampling of the “All American” program to be performed on tour. Selections include the beautiful “Shenandoah”, the lively Country Dances (a medley of fiddle tunes), “Lux Arumque” by up and coming choral composer, Eric Whitacre, and spirituals by Moses Hogan. The concert is free. Come hear the music our talented singers will be taking across the seas!

Ensemble Fioretto
in residency with La Vita Femina
On March 15 and 16, the Ensemble Fioretto will be in residence on the AU campus. The Ensemble Fioretto, which specializes in medieval music, is made up of Debra Gomez-Tapio, vocalist and harpist, and Dr. Kay Stonefelt, percussionist and dulcimer player. On Thursday, March 15, at 12:10 p.m. in Nevins Theatre, the duo will present the
Bergren Forum, giving an introduction to their Friday evening program entitled “La Vita Femina” which focuses on the life of medieval women as expressed in texts of the era set to music. The poetry and music are taken from sources of the 12th and 13th centuries and explore the themes of Mary as the flower of womanhood, the role of women in the medieval church, and longing in love, loyalty and infidelity. The music and poetry represent the writing of both men and women and provide an opportunity to hear how each sex deals with these themes. Translations for all the texts will be provided. The full program will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Howell Hall.
Debra Gomez-Tapio received a Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Vocal Performance (Early Music) from Sarah Lawrence College. As a Fulbright Scholar for post-graduate studies in Early Music, she spent two years in Basel, Switzerland, where she studied voice. As a harpist and singer, Debra has been a member and/or soloist for many professional musical groups in Europe and has performed at numerous festivals throughout Europe and the British Isles. Currently Debra is the musical director, vocal soloist and harpist for the Fioretto Ensemble based in Tampere, Finland and teaches voice at Tampere Conservatory. She also is the vocal trainer for the Tampere Philharmonic Choir and artistic director and/or conductor for four choirs.
Dr. Kay Stonefelt is a 2006 recipient of a State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and a Professor of Music and Chair of Percussion Studies at SUNY Fredonia. Kay completed a Doctor of Music in Percussion Performance degree at Indiana University, with additional study areas of Ethnomusicology and Jazz History, concentrating on various aspects of musics of the Middle East and Africa, i.e. frame-drumming, amadinda (log xylophone from Uganda), gyil (xylophone of the Dagara people), and West African drumming styles. At the completion of the Doctor of Music degree, Kay applied for, and received, her Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Grant to Ghana, West Africa. Kay has performed in Germany, France, and the former USSR with the Stuttgart Opera Orchestra, has participated in many orchestral ensembles in the US, including the Baltimore Symphony, and has performed in over 20 Broadway and off-Broadway shows.
While on campus, Debra and Kay will visit classes (Women in Society and Medieval Culture) and present workshops. On Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. in Howell Hall, Debra will talk about “The Art of Courtly Love”, using poetry and song texts to discuss the proper ways to behave and conduct one’s love affairs in medieval times. On Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in Howell Hall. Kay will discuss “Women Frame Drummers in Pan-Islamic Traditions”, the topic of her doctoral dissertation.
On Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. in Howell Hall, Kay will offer an Ethnic Drumming Workshop. Participants should bring their own drums, if possible. Observers are welcome also. A different workshop on the amadinda (log xylophone from Uganda) will be taught by Kay on Friday afternoon for five students at a time at the following times: 2:00, 2:30 and 3:00 and 3:30. Participants will examine interlocking patterns and emergent melodies on instruments provided by Kay. Participants need to have had some musical background/education in the past. Please sign up by contacting Laurel Buckwalter, coordinator of the residency, at fbuckwal@alfred.edu. Observers are also welcome.
All these events are free and open to the student and village community, thanks to generous funding from the
National Endowment for the Humanities and the David and Elizabeth Miller Guest Artist Series.

AU Hosts NY Dance Artist
Kelly Donovan The AU Dance Program is excited to host Kelly Donovan, a New York-based performer and choreographer, in residence in early April. During her residency, made possible by the Marlin Miller Dance Residency Program, she will present two new dance works and teach a master class in choreographic improvisation geared towards dance students of all levels. Kelly is a Co-Founder of De Facto Dance and Co-Artistic Director of Improvisational Arts Ensembles, a nonprofit presenting organization devoted to the development of improvisational choreography. She was a member of the Richard Bull Dance Theatre (RBDT) from 1994-1998. With RBDT, she frequently performed at The Warren Street Performance Loft and learned to appreciate the never-ending intricacies of improvisational choreography, taught to her by the "Father of Choreographic Improvisation" Richard Bull. In addition to her work with De Facto Dance, Kelly performs with other companies including Artichoke Dance and the New Haven-based puppet company Puppetsweat Theater. Kelly's own dances have been produced in New York by Improvisational Arts Ensembles, Movement Research at the Judson Church, The New Dance Alliance, University Settlement, Free Range Arts' Humor Unplucked, TheaterKore, and in Philadelphia By Dance Camp at the Painted Bride. Her dance "Run" was performed by the New York City repertory company Gotham Group Dance. She has also self-produced several evenings of her own work. Kelly's choreography draws from an eclectic array of sources, producing unpredictable dances. Her movement training includes structured improvisation, modern, ballet, tap, West African, Korean martial arts, stilt walking, several years as a soccer goalie, and multiple stints as a life-size puppeteer. Her work encourages the dancers to imbue the performance with their own unique presence; and while the kinesthetic quality is often athletic, raw-edged, and high energy, the choreography always maintains a vivid and clear use of space.
The performance and master class will take place on Friday, April 6, in Miller 300. The master class runs from 10 a.m. to noon, and is open to all levels of experience; students need only come with dance-appropriate attire and an adventurous spirit. The performance, followed by a question and answer period, will run from 1 to 2:15 p.m.. No tickets or reservations are needed for either of these events.

AU Chorus presents “Out of Africa”
“Sha!” An exclamation of greeting from the Yoruba Greeting “E Oru O” will start off an evening of choral music from Africa and America. The AU Chorus under the direction of Dr. Luanne Crosby will present their spring concert “Out of Africa” in Holmes Theater at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 30. Join us for work songs, songs of praise and celebration from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya, all accompanied by drums, shakere, woodblock and tambourine. The choir then will take you to America for the sounds of Africans exported to our shores as slaves. The chorus will sing the well known and moving spirituals, “Ain a that Good News”, “The Drinking Gourd” and “Oh! Freedom!”. The AU Gospel Choir will perform two selections and then join with the choir for a rousing group number. The concert will conclude with a gospel setting of “This Little Light of Mine”.
The concert is free; all are invited to come share this celebration of African song.

Division of Performing Arts
Spring 2007
January
26 Guest Artist Recital. Tenor JR Fralick with Rebecca Weaver and Luanne Crosby. 7:30 pm, Howell Hall.
February
4 Guest Artist Recital. Matthew Slotkin, classical guitar.
3 pm, Howell Hall.
15-17 Dance Concert. 8 pm nightly, CD Smith III Theatre.
Tickets required.
18 Guest Artist Recital. William Hurley and Lisa Lantz,
violin duo, Laurel Buckwalter, piano. 3 pm, Howell Hall.
23 Guest Artist Recital. Fredonia Percussion Ensemble. 7:30 pm, Holmes Auditorium.
March
16 Guest Artist Recital. Debra Gomez-Tapio, voice and harp, and Kay Stonefelt, percussion and hammered dulcimer, present “La Vita Femina”. 7:30 pm, Howell Hall.
23 Chamber Singers Preview of the Spring Tour. 8 pm, Seventh Day Baptist Church.
30 AU Chorus Out of Africa. 8 pm, Holmes Auditorium.
April
1 Student Recital. 3 pm, Howell Hall.
6 AU Orchestra Concert with David Peter Coppen
playing the Grieg Piano Concerto. 8 pm,
Holmes Auditorium.
11-14 Once on This Island, a musical by Ahrens and Flaherty. 8 pm nightly, CD Smith III Theatre.
Tickets required.
20 Jazz Band. 8 pm, Holmes Auditorium.
27 Concert Band. 8 pm, Holmes Auditorium.

Division of Performing Arts Nonprofit organization
Alfred University U. S. Postage Paid
Miller Performing Arts Center At Alfred, N.Y.
Saxon Drive Permit No. 5
Alfred, NY 14802