Category Archives: conducting

Display highlights ‘Wonderland’ Xtravaganza

The community is invited to a “Wonderland” of the arts at Bowling Green State University on Dec. 6 during the ninth annual ArtsX event, from 6-10 p.m. in The Wolfe Center for the Arts, Kobacker Hall and the Fine Arts Center.

The immersive arts experience will begin even before visitors enter a building, with “Cinema Optique!” Nowhere else in northwest Ohio can visitors enjoy a cinematic experience on a surface nearly as long as a football field.

The 250-foot-wide “screen” is the Wolfe Center’s sloping south wall facing the Fine Arts Center. Throughout the evening 3-D art projections of custom-made films and 3D animations will make the wall appear to come alive in a constantly changing display. Four large projectors producing 14,000 lumens of light will beam live-action and animated films to create a visual spectacle.

“The clean lines and smooth surface of this new building inspired us to develop content custom made for the architecture — over seven million pixels per frame,” said Heather Elliott-Famularo, chair of the digital arts department.

Students of Elliott-Famularo and film instructor Thomas Castillo created the projection-mapped art works in a collaborative class between the School of Art and the Department of Theatre and Film. Their students will also have an exhibition of video installations, “The Wunderkammer,” in the Willard Wankelman Gallery

Corporations such as LG, Nike and Audi have used the projection mapping technique to advertise their products; global cities like Moscow, Quebec, Dubai and Shanghai have lit up the night, transforming their buildings into 3-D works of art. But never before has it been done on such a large scale in this region.

Indoors throughout the evening, the arts and talents of faculty and students will be showcased in performances, exhibits, hands-on activities, a film premiere and a Festival Series concert. Holiday shoppers can find handmade gifts crafted by BGSU art students while being entertained by performers of all types.

Events include the 63rd annual Faculty and Staff Exhibition of mixed media, print, paint, glass and graphics in the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery; dramatic readings, aluminum pours, glass blowing, aerial acts and improvised comedy. Children will enjoy the costumed characters, jugglers and archaeological “digs.”

The 7 p.m. Festival Series concert in Kobacker will feature soprano Kisma Jordan, a BGSU alumna, as soloist, plus 200 students, faculty and community members along with some of BGSU’s top ensembles, including the BG Philharmonia, University Choral Society, BGSU Wind Symphony Brass and BGSU’s Heart and Music musical theater students.

Filled with classics like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” traditional carols and some special holiday medleys, “the concert has evolved into a holiday performance of epic proportions,” said Susan Hoekstra, director of public events for the College of Musical Arts. Hoekstra hinted there would be some surprise soloists in the Haydn “Toy Symphony,” where toys take center stage.

Tickets can be purchased at BGSU.edu/FestivalSeries or by calling the box office at 419-372-8171.

ArtsX visitors can also see the premiere of film faculty member Daniel Eric Williams’ movie “Hacked,” a story set in a world where technology rules, privacy is suspect, and everyone is potentially a terrorist — and where one keystroke will destroy your life. Williams will follow the film with remarks about the process and film. The screening begins at 9 p.m. in the Donnell Theatre at the Wolfe Center.

BGSU will also welcome back Jonathan Van Dyke, an expert in interactive photography experiences. This spring he left an impression with his gallery ARTalk. For a preview, visit his website: http://jonathanvandyke.com.

“It’s hard to believe ArtsX is nine years old,” said Abigail Cloud, ArtsX board member and a graduate student in the Creative Writing program. “ArtsX was created to give students a chance to show and sell their work to the community. It’s been growing treelike; the branches keep growing out and incorporating more arts areas.”

ArtsX comprises contributions from the students and faculty of the College of Musical Arts, School of Art, the Department of Theatre and Film, Creative Writing, Interior Design and Architecture and Environmental Design, as well as numerous student groups and clubs.

Visit the Arts website for more details.

BGSU Festival Series concert celebrates the season

BOWLING GREEN, O.—The holiday Festival Series performance at Bowling Green State University on Dec. 6 will live up to its name, presenting a festival of music, poetry, dance, theater and more.

The 7 p.m. concert in Kobacker Hall will feature soprano Kisma Jordan, a BGSU alumna, as soloist with the BG Philharmonia in Bach/Gounod’s “Ave Maria,” plus 200 students, faculty and community members along with some of BGSU’s top ensembles, including the University Choral Society, BGSU Wind Symphony Brass and BGSU’s Heart and Music musical theater students.

Filled with classics like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” traditional carols and some special holiday medleys, “the concert has evolved into a holiday performance of epic proportions,” said Susan Hoekstra, director of public events for the College of Musical Arts. Hoekstra hinted there would be some surprise soloists in the Haydn “Toy Symphony,” where toys take center stage.

The award-winning Prestige Barbershop Quartet will bring their harmonies to “What Child Is This?” and the bouncy rhythms of “Sleigh Ride” will liven the pace.

Tickets can be purchased at BGSU.edu/FestivalSeries or by calling the box office at 419-372-8171.

The concert is part of a whole evening of entertainment with BGSU’s family-friendly ArtsX events across campus.

Conductor Bob Bernhardt to visit BGSU as artist-in-residence


BOWLING GREEN, O.—Each year the Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts welcomes a special musical artist as a part of the Hansen Musical Arts series, a residency created and supported by BGSU alumni Dorothy E. and DuWayne H. Hansen. From Oct. 28-Nov. 1, the college will host conductor Robert “Bob” Bernhardt.

His visit includes a public lecture entitled: “If They’re Not Looking at You, Why Do They Need You? A Peek into the Role of the Conductor,” at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre at the Wolfe Center for the Arts. The lecture is free and open to the public.

As the Hansen Resident, Bernhardt plans a busy itinerary. “I’m going to be working with, and getting to know, as many aspects of campus/community musical life as I can. I’ll be talking to instrumentalists about the audition process, and answering as many questions as I can about life in the profession,” he said.

His schedule includes conducting a rehearsal with the BG Philharmonia, BGSU Wind Symphony and even the Toledo Youth Symphony, working with student conductors, with singers and accompanists in opera, and “meeting as many people, and hearing as many stories, as I can,” he said.

Bernhardt is not a typical guest; his early career aspirations revolved around baseball rather than music. In fact, he spent four days in spring training with the Kansas City Royals before deciding he was made for music and not the big leagues.

A New York native, Bernhardt earned his master’s degree from the University of Southern California in music, under the tutelage of Daniel Lewis. He began his opera career with the Birmingham Opera, becoming the assistant conductor of the Louisville Orchestra in 1989. He is a frequent guest conductor of the Nashville Opera and owns the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera.

“By the time I arrive at BGSU,” Bernhardt said, “I’ll have guest conducted the Detroit Symphony, Boston Pops, Dallas Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Edmonton Symphony, as well as conducted concerts with the Louisville Orchestra, where I am principal pops conductor, and Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, where I am Music Director Emeritus and conductor of pops. I also am Artist-in-Residence at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee.”

Along with an extensive resume, Bernhardt has worked with Broadway stars and pop rockers, including Ann Hampton Calloway, Patti LaPone and The Beach Boys.

He said he is excited to visit BGSU. “This will be my first time on campus, and I’ve heard marvelous things about BGSU and the arts.”

The Dorothy E. and DuWayne Hansen Musical Arts Series, established in 1996, brings significant representatives of the musical and creative arts to Bowling Green to share their talent and knowledge with students and the community at large. Dorothy Hansen is an alumna of the College of Musical Arts and DuWayne Hansen is a former chair of the college’s music education department.

Previous guests include Branford Marsalis, Nancy Giles, Terence Blanchard, Benjamin Zander, Craig Schulman, Marin Alsop and Bob McGrath.

For more information, visit www.bgsu.edu/music.

A Cappella Choir Spring Tour

Sunday, May 5

11:00 a.m. – Church Service at First United Methodist Church, Bowling Green, OH

1506 East Wooster

Bowling Green, OH 43402

 

7:00 p.m. – Evening Concert at Bay United Methodist Church, Bay Village, OH

29931 Lake Rd

Bay Village, OH  44140

 

Monday, May 6

 

11:00 a.m. – Performance at Manchester Presbyterian Lodge, Erie, PA

6351 West Lake Road

Erie, PA 16505

 

7:00 p.m. – Evening Concert at Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo

695 Elmwood Ave.

Buffalo, NY 14222

 

Wednesday, May 8

 

7:30 p.m. – Evening Concert at Knox Presbyterian Church, Waterloo, ON

50 Erb Street West

Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 1T1