Kariamu and Company: Traditions — A Celebration of African Dance (photo supplied)
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
For the past 15 years, West Michigan audiences have enjoyed a series of six free events every fall at Grand Valley that celebrate the positive impact of the arts. President Thomas J. Haas said these events are offered as gifts to the local community that has supported the evolution of the university.
“Each year, these six diverse and free events provide us with the opportunity to thank the West Michigan community for its continued support of the performing arts at Grand Valley, and the university as a whole,” said Haas. “The arts lift us up, make us think and provide an endless variety of entertainment and enrichment, and we hope others will join us in celebrating the richness of the worlds of poetry, dance, art, music and more this fall.”
Here are the upcoming Fall Arts Celebration events for November and December. For more event details, go here.
Kariamu and Company: Traditions — A Celebration of African Dance
Nov. 12, at 7:30 pm
Location: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Kariamu Welsh is a Guggenheim award–winning dance scholar, choreographer, educator and the founder of the Umfundalai technique. For the past 40 years, Welsh has developed Umfundalai as a contemporary dance technique that seeks to articulate the essence of African-oriented movement while highlighting the cultural and aesthetic continuity found in the rhythm and artistic sensibilities that cover the full range of African dance. As an “artivist,” Welsh feels that one of her responsibilities is to tell the stories, myths, legends and histories of the marginalized, invisible, forgotten and oppressed. Welsh is currently a professor of dance in the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University.
Photo supplied
Celebrating Holiday Splendor: Craig Jessop Conducts “The Many Moods of Christmas”
Dec. 3, at 7:30 pm
Location: Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain Street NE, Grand Rapids
Robert Shaw’s “The Many Moods of Christmas” meshes pieces of 18 of the most traditional carols combined with music from composers such as Handel, Bizet and Bach. Renowned choral conductor Craig Jessop will lead the GVSU Arts Chorale and local high school students for this special holiday celebration concert. Jessop, professor of music and founding dean of the Cain College of the Arts at Utah State University, is the former director of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He led the ensemble as a featured conductor during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
For the past 15 years, West Michigan audiences have enjoyed a series of six free events every fall at Grand Valley that celebrate the positive impact of the arts. President Thomas J. Haas said these events are offered as gifts to the local community that has supported the evolution of the university.
“Each year, these six diverse and free events provide us with the opportunity to thank the West Michigan community for its continued support of the performing arts at Grand Valley, and the university as a whole,” said Haas. “The arts lift us up, make us think and provide an endless variety of entertainment and enrichment, and we hope others will join us in celebrating the richness of the worlds of poetry, dance, art, music and more this fall.”
Here are the upcoming Fall Arts Celebration events for October. For more event details, go here.
What is Art in the 21st Century?
Lecture presented by William Deresiewicz
Oct. 1, at 7:30 pm
Location: L.V. Eberhard Center, 2nd floor, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
In today’s world, creativity is a necessity for successful collaborations in business and to develop and expand vibrant cultures. As business and the arts draw closer together, how are they changing each other? Expanding on his viral essay for The Atlantic, “The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur,” award-winning essayist, critic and best-selling author William Deresiewicz will answer that question by addressing the understanding and practice of creative work and the creative life. Deresiewicz is the author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harper’s, The Nation, The New Republic, The American Scholar and The London Review of Books.
Ada Limon (photo supplied)
An Evening of Poetry and Conversation with Ada Limón and Carl Phillips
Oct. 18, at 7:30 pm
Location: L.V. Eberhard Center, 2nd floor, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Two unique poetic voices will share their work with the West Michigan community during an evening of poetry and conversation. Ada Limón is the author of five books of poetry, including her new book, The Carrying (2018). Her volume Bright Dead Things was named one of the top 10 poetry books of the year by The New York Times. Limón currently serves on the faculty of Queens University of Charlotte’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts program.
Carl Phillips (photo supplied)
Carl Phillips is the author of 14 books of poetry, including his most recent works, Wild Is the Wind (2018) and Reconnaissance (2015). The latter won the PEN USA Award and the Lambda Literary Award. A four-time finalist for the National Book Award, Phillips’ honors include the Los Angeles Times’ Book Prize for Poetry, the Kingsley Tufts Award and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Library of Congress and Academy of American Poets. He is currently a professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
For the past 15 years, West Michigan audiences have enjoyed a series of six free events every fall at Grand Valley that celebrate the positive impact of the arts. President Thomas J. Haas said these events are offered as gifts to the local community that has supported the evolution of the university.
“Each year, these six diverse and free events provide us with the opportunity to thank the West Michigan community for its continued support of the performing arts at Grand Valley, and the university as a whole,” said Haas. “The arts lift us up, make us think and provide an endless variety of entertainment and enrichment, and we hope others will join us in celebrating the richness of the worlds of poetry, dance, art, music and more this fall.”
Here are the upcoming Fall Arts Celebration events for September. For more event details, go here.
Mars: Astronomy and Culture
Exhibition Dates: Aug. 24-Oct. 31
Exhibition Reception: Sept. 13, from 5-7 pm
Location: Art Gallery, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Throughout the years, Mars has been depicted in multiple forms. The “Mars: Astronomy and Culture” exhibit will bring together photographs, drawings, movie posters, book covers and video projections spotlighting the Red Planet, as well as feature a showcase of Martian-themed toys and collectibles from a private collection based in Chicago. During an opening reception on September 13, guests will be able to enjoy a virtual reality simulator for an immersive experience on Mars. Portions of the exhibition will be hosted at both the Center Art Gallery at Calvin College and the Holland Museum. This exhibition was curated by the Pasadena Arts Council for the Williamson Gallery, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California. It is a project of the Pasadena Arts Council’s EMERGE Fiscal Sponsorship Program.
Tesla Quartet (photo supplied)
An Italian Journey: Tesla Quartet performs Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir de Florence”
Sept. 17, at 7:30 pm
Location: Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus
Inspired by numerous pleasurable escapes from harsh Russian winters, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s love of Italy is reflected in his “String Sextet in D Minor, Op. 70 ‘Souvenir de Florence.’” Best known as a master composer of symphonies and ballets, Tchaikovsky crafted this work through a rich blend of well-known Italian street songs and melodies. The internationally acclaimed Tesla Quartet will open this program with “Quartet in B minor, Op. 33, No. 1” by Franz Joseph Haydn, and then be joined by Grand Valley music faculty members Paul Swantek (viola) and Pablo Mahave-Veglia (cello) to perform “Souvenir de Florence.” Formed at The Julliard School in 2008, members of the Tesla String Quartet include Ross Snyder (violin), Michelle Lie (violin), Edwin Kaplan (viola) and Serafim Smigelskiy (cello).
An upcoming lecture at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) will explore the importance of social justice in various religious communities around the world.
The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, general secretary of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, will be the featured speaker during the 2018 Rabbi Phillip Sigal Memorial Lecture. In her role, Henry-Crowe oversees the church’s response to issues including civil and human rights, economic justice, environmental justice, health and wholeness, peace with justice, and women and children.
The free event will take place April 10 from 7-9 pm in the Eberhard Center (room 215), located on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus (401 Fulton St W, Grand Rapids, MI 49504). To register for this event, visit the Kaufman Interfaith Institute website, or call 616.331.5702.
During her presentation, Henry-Crowe will primarily touch on the importance of social justice in the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), but her points will apply to many different religious, secular and spiritual traditions.
“With the rise of activism and an increase of literature on how religious, secular or spiritual traditions impact this activism, this lecture will be a good time to reflect on how social justice is imperative,” said Kevin McIntosh, Campus Interfaith Resources coordinator. “Susan will move from what justice means in these traditions to what social justice means now, and will focus on current issues, such as food, immigration and religious oppression.”
Two additional respondents will also participate in the lecture. Marlene Kowalski-Braun, assistant vice president for inclusion and student affairs at Grand Valley, and Muaz Redzic, Imam at the Bosnian Culture Center in Grand Rapids.
Kowalski-Braun will examine the definitions of the terms “social justice” and “inclusion and equity”, while Redzic will discuss how his Islamic faith pushes him to participate in social justice.
The annual lecture is named for Rabbi Phillip J. Sigal, a pioneer of the interfaith movement in West Michigan until his death in 1995. Aside from his duties at Ahavas Israel Synagogue, Sigal was instrumental in opening the lines of communication among several religions in the area. After his death, a group of local academic and interfaith enthusiasts established the Sigal Memorial Lecture in his honor. Since that time, the event has brought some of the most important voices in religion and social movements to churches, schools and other venues in West Michigan.
This year’s lecture is sponsored by Campus Interfaith Resources and the Kaufman Interfaith Institute.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University Opera Theatre students will bring to life Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration, Oklahoma!, which remains, in many ways, their most innovative work, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theater still being followed today.
Set in the West just after the turn of the century, the high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out their love story. Although the road to true love never runs smoothly with these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, love’s journey is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road. Succeeding in making a new life together and beginning that new life in a brand-new state provides the ultimate climax for these characters in Oklahoma!
What:Oklahoma!
When: Feb. 2, 3, 9, 10, at 7:30 pm; Feb. 4, 11, at 2 pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $14 for adults; $12 seniors and GVSU faculty, staff, alumni; $6 for students, groups — purchase tickets through the Louis Armstrong Theatre box office in-person Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., by calling 616.331.2300, or online at startickets.com
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Yoo Jin Noh made her debut with the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra as a soloist in 2017. She also performed at the United Nation Headquarters in New York City for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2015. Her recent performances include appearances with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Halfner Symphony and a solo recital at Azusa Pacific University.
Noh, who was born blind, pursued her interest in music in early childhood and began her piano study at age 14. Despite her late start, she has received many awards from local competitions. In 2005, she received a grand prize at the U.S. String and Piano Concours of Hymn and played at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York City. In 2008, she received the VSA Young Soloist Award and was invited to play at the National Federation of the Blind Convention.
What: Yoo Jin Noh, piano
When: Jan. 31, at 7:30 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Named after Renaissance artist Pietro Perugino of Grand Rapids’ sister city Perugia, Italy, The Perugino String Quartet has performed across Michigan and at the world-renowned Julliard String Quartet Seminar at the Lincoln Center in New York City. The group is composed of violinists Eric Tanner and Christopher Martin, violinist Barbara Corbato and cellist Stacey Bosman Tanner. Together, the quartet performs classics of the string quartet repertoire, as well as a variety of new chamber works.
The Perugino String Quartet centers its appearances around Michigan, having performed at many arts-based series and events, such as the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck, Art Reach of Mid Michigan and Muskegon’s Feeding the Soul of the City concert series.
Arts at Noon brings nationally and internationally known musicians to Grand Valley State University for 14 performances each academic year. All Arts at Noon concerts will take place in the Cook-DeWitt Center, located on the Allendale Campus. They will begin at noon and last approximately one hour. Every concert is free and open to the public. For more information about Arts at Noon, visit gvsu.edu/artsatnoon or contact Henry Duitman, series coordinator, at duitmanh@gvsu.edu.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
This single actor tour de force reveals the deeply personal and artistic sides of Russia’s most famous playwright, Anton Chekhov. The play begins with the dramatist immediately following the failure of his early masterpiece “The Seagull” (1895) and concludes with the success of “The Cherry Orchard” (1903).
Written by Karen Sunde, this semi-documentary drama skillfully captures the soul and the spirit of this giant of the modern stage struggling with his literary identity, with the opinions of an often-hostile public, and with the challenges of pursuing romance and serving as head of a family.
The one-man show will be performed by Roger Ellis, professor of theater at Grand Valley State University.
What: ‘Anton, Himself: First and Last’
When: Jan. 19 and 20, at 7:30 pm, Jan. 21, at 2 pm
Where: Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $12 for adults; $10 seniors and GVSU faculty, staff, alumni; $6 for students, groups — purchase tickets through the Louis Armstrong Theatre box office in-person Monday-Friday from 10 am-5 pm, by calling 616.331.2300, or online at startickets.com
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Pianist Mika Sasaki has established herself as a sought-after soloist, chamber musician and emerging educator. Since her concerto debut with the Sinfonia of Cambridge in the United Kingdom at the age of 7, she has appeared twice with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and more recently with the 92Y Orchestra in New York City. She has performed at venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Peter J. Sharp Theater, Palazzo Chigi Saracini (Italy), Minato Mirai Hall (Japan) and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Japan). Her solo debut album “Obsidian: Mika Sasaki plays Clara Schumann” was released on Yarlung Records in 2016.
What: Mika Sasaki, piano
When: Jan. 19, at 7:30 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
For more than 40 years, Herbert Murrie had a successful advertising and design career based in Chicago. However, because of his artistic upbringing and drive, he always returned to the studio in pursuit of a more spontaneous and freeing output.
In 1988, Murrie began painting more seriously and by the late 1990s, he was exhibiting regularly. Over the next 15 years, evidence of his freed state leapt off the canvas. Controlled manipulation of paint and color bore witness to his understanding of design, while his process of working intuitively noted elements of the artistic movements he grew up with in the mid-20th Century.
Like many artists, Murrie often steps away from his art and then returns to work on pieces in his studio that he feels are unfinished. This exhibition examines the ebb and flow of his creative process, while looking back at his painting career and forward to a new body of work. It includes 26 pieces that span his career as a painter — from 1995 to the present. They are drawn out of private collections and the Grand Valley State University permanent art collection, which includes 16 works that were donated by Herbert and Lisa Murrie in 2015.
What: ‘Ebb and Flow: Explorations in Painting by Herbert Murrie’ Exhibition
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
In fall 2016, Maya Grant traveled to India on a study abroad scholarship from the GVSU Padnos International Center. Grant, a sociology major, was led to India by a need to escape and explore. She studied at Christ University in Bengaluru, volunteered at a local non-profit and captured her experiences and interactions through photography. On the weekends, Grant joined a group of expats called the Bangalore Wanderlusters, and traveled throughout Karnataka and its neighboring states. This exhibition includes more than 25 photographs documenting her experiences studying abroad, and exploring the landscape and people of India.
What: ‘Traveling with the Bangalore Wanderlusters: Reflections on a Semester in India by Maya Grant’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Blue Wall Gallery (Building B), DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
From 1940-1960, the Australian government forced Aboriginal groups off their lands and into organized communities of the Central Desert region and along the northern coast. Papunya, located about 150 miles northwest of Alice Springs, was the final community established to collect these displaced groups, and where the contemporary Australian Aboriginal art movement began.
This exhibition is drawn out of a recent gift of Australian Aboriginal paintings to Grand Valley State University, created by artists from Papunya and the surrounding region. It features artwork that provides insight into Aboriginal life, retellings of important ancient stories and symbols, and the sacred sites of this vast and arid landscape.
What:‘Drawn from the Desert: Australian Aboriginal Paintings from the Central and Western Deserts’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Kirkhof Center Gallery (main floor), Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Tony Fitzpatrick was born in 1958, and raised in and around Chicago as a member of a large middle-class Irish Catholic family. His father worked as a burial vault salesman, and often took Tony along to appointments around the city when he was suspended from school. Drawing was a pervasive part of his life, and he’d sketch anything that caught his eye. He graduated from Montini Catholic High School in 1977, untrained in the arts. Over the years, Fitzpatrick spent time as boxer, bartender, actor, waiter and tattoo artist. These experiences, coupled with an insatiable appetite for drawing, had a profound effect on his work.
This exhibition features 21 etchings by the artist. They are drawn out of a recent gift to Grand Valley State University’s permanent art collection of more than 120 works on paper. Filled with strange and magical beasts, they draw on his childhood imagination, Catholic upbringing and immersive experience in street culture.
What: ‘Strange & Magical Beasts: Etchings by Tony Fitzpatrick’
When: Exhibit on display through March 2
Where: West Wall Gallery, L. V. Eberhard Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Virginia Jenkins is a professor and former chair of the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Grand Valley State University. Landscape forms and images have been the primary focus of her work for more than two decades, and her areas of specialty are in painting, drawing and mixed media. This exhibition is drawn from a recent series created in response to the landscape of the Northwest coast of the United States.
What: ‘Landscapes, Color & Light: Paintings by Virginia Jenkins’
When: Exhibition on display through March 2
Where: Red Wall Gallery, Lake Ontario Hall (first floor), Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
The German-born American artist Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) is often referred to as the dean of Michigan painters. Working in a traditional representational style, Alten incorporated the aesthetics and techniques of the Impressionist Movement in paintings infused with light and punctuated with deft brushwork. Based in Grand Rapids, Alten created more than 3,800 works over a more than 40-year career, including landscapes, seascapes, portraits and florals.
Grand Valley State University holds the largest public collection of Alten’s work in the world.
What: ‘Mathias J. Alten: An Evolving Legacy’
When: Exhibition dates: ongoing
Where: George and Barbara Gordon Gallery, DeVos Center, Building E, Room 103 and 202, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Hours: Gordon Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 1-5 p.m.; closed on holiday weekends
For more information about Art Gallery exhibitions, visit gvsu.edu/artgallery or call 616.331.3638.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Arts at Noon
Arts at Noon brings nationally and internationally-known musicians to Grand Valley State University for 14 performances each academic year. All Arts at Noon concerts will take place in the Cook-DeWitt Center, located on the Allendale Campus. They will begin at noon and last approximately one hour. Every concert is free and open to the public. For more information about Arts at Noon, visit gvsu.edu/artsatnoon or contact Henry Duitman, series coordinator, at duitmanh@gvsu.edu.
December 6 – GVSU Brass Quintet Holiday Concert
The annual holiday concert featuring the GVSU Brass Quintet is an Arts at Noon tradition. The ensemble is comprised of Grand Valley State University music faculty, including Alex Wilson (trumpet), Richard Britsch (horn), Mark Williams (trombone), Paul Carlson (tuba) and visiting performer Paul Hardaker (trumpet). Each year, the quintet also performs multiple outreach concerts, and facilitates master classes and coaching sessions at high schools throughout Michigan.
Theatre at Grand Valley presents “Cabaret”
When: December 1-2, at 7:30 pm, December 3, at 2 pm
Where: Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 seniors and GVSU alumni, faculty and staff, $6 students and groups “Cabaret” takes place in Berlin, Germany, in 1930. American novelist, Cliff, is searching for inspiration when he finds lodging at Frau Schneider’s residence above the notorious Kit Kat Club. Led by a saucy emcee and Sally Bowles, a sassy showgirl, the free-wheeling performers at the club turn Cliff’s world upside down. Can Cliff and Sally find happiness as anti-Semitism and homophobia are on the rise?
GVSU Early Music Ensemble Concert
When: December 2, at 3 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Grand Valley State University’s Early Music Ensemble performs under the direction of Pablo Mahave-Veglia, professor of cello. This event is free and open to the public.
GVSU Fall Dance Concert
When: December 2, at 7 pm, December 3, at 2 pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
During this fall dance concert at Grand Valley State University, which is free and open to the public, the GVSU Dance Company and Freshman Dance Company will perform a diverse collection of dance works.
GVSU Choral Concert
When: December 5, at 7:30 pm
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus
This concert at Grand Valley State University will feature the vocal expertise of three ensembles: Select Women’s Ensemble, University Singers and Cantate Chamber Ensemble. The Select Women’s Ensemble has earned a reputation for quality performances of challenging choral literature and performing both accompanied and a cappella repertoire that is representative of a variety of musical periods and styles. University Singers is comprised of students from all majors; over 90 percent of its members are non-music majors. The Cantate Chamber Ensemble is dedicated to the artistic performance of distinctive a cappella choral music for a small ensemble.
GVSU Concert Band Concert
When: December 6, at 7 pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
For this concert at Grand Valley State University, which is free and open to the public, the GVSU Concert Band will perform a variety of selections, including “A Feast of Wind Treats,” “An American Fanfare,” “Ave Maria,” “Second Suite in F,” “Chimes of Liberty,” “Song for Lindsay,” and “Vesuvius.”
GVSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concert
When: December 8, at 7:30 pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
The Grand Valley State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform under the direction of Kevin Tutt during this free concert, which is open to the public. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble is widely recognized as one of the elite undergraduate wind ensembles, committed to the performance of the finest band literature. In 2016, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble released its first CD, titled “Under Western Skies,” which is available on iTunes and Amazon.
GVSU Varsity Men’s Glee Club Concert
When: December 9, at 7:30 pm
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus
The Grand Valley State University Varsity Men’s Glee Club is an all-male ensemble comprising young men who represent a variety of musical and academic disciplines. The ensemble’s diverse repertoire includes literature that spans from Gregorian chant to the 21st century music.
GVSU Fall Senior Dance Concert
When: December 9, at 7 pm, December 10, at 2 pm
Where: Dance Studio Theatre, room 1600, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Join GVSU senior dance majors for a showcase of new works created as a part of their capstone projects. This concert will feature the diverse and unique choreographic visions of five students: Sarah Byington, Coral Howard, Mackenzie Matyn, Leigha McDaniel and Hannah Suydam. This event is free and open to the public.
Dan Graser Faculty-Artist Recial: The Solo Saxophone
When: December 10, at 7:30-9 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Dan Graser, saxophonist and assistant professor of saxophone at Grand Valley State University, will present a free recital of the history of solo works for wind instruments in the 20th/21st centuries. This recital is free and open to the public.
For more information about Music, Theatre and Dance Department events, contact 616.331.3484 or visit gvsu.edu/mtd.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
The annual holiday concert featuring the GVSU Brass Quintet is an Arts at Noon tradition. The ensemble comprises Grand Valley State University music faculty, including Alex Wilson (trumpet), Richard Britsch (horn), Mark Williams (trombone), Paul Carlson (tuba) and visiting performing Paul Hardaker (trumpet). Each year, the quintet also performs multiple outreach concerts, and facilitates master classes and coaching sessions at high schools throughout Michigan.
When: December 6 at noon
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center, located on the Allendale Campus
Arts at Noon
Arts at Noon brings nationally and internationally-known musicians to Grand Valley State University for 14 performances each academic year. All Arts at Noon concerts will take place in the Cook-DeWitt Center, located on the Allendale Campus. They will begin at noon and last approximately one hour. Every concert is free and open to the public. For more information about Arts at Noon, visit gvsu.edu/artsatnoon or contact Henry Duitman, series coordinator, at duitmanh@gvsu.edu.
For more information about Music, Theatre and Dance Department events, contact 616.331.3484 or visit gvsu.edu/mtd.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Vu Tran
Vu Tran’s first novel, Dragonfish, was a New York Times Notable Book and one of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Best Books of the Year. His short fiction has appeared in O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Mystery Stories, and many other publications.He is the winner of a Whiting Writers’ Award and has received fellowships from Bread Loaf, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Vermont Studio Center, and the MacDowell Colony.
Born in Vietnam and raised in Oklahoma, Vu received his MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a doctoral degree from the Black Mountain Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is currently an assistant professor of practice in English and creative writing at the University of Chicago.
What: Craft talk
When: November 14, 2:30-3:45 pm
Where: Kirkhof Center, room 2266 (Allendale Campus)
What: Reading and book signing
When: November 14, 6-7:30 pm
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center (Allendale Campus)
Authors from around the world will visit Grand Valley State University’s Allendale Campus as part of the 2017-18 Grand Valley Writers Series. The series has a rich history of bringing distinguished and emerging writers to campus to read work, visit classrooms and interact with students. For more information about the GV Writers Series, visit gvsu.edu/writing.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Cabaret takes place in Berlin, Germany, in 1930. American novelist, Cliff, is searching for inspiration when he finds lodging at Frau Schneider’s residence above the notorious Kit Kat Club. Led by a saucy emcee and Sally Bowles, a sassy showgirl, the free-wheeling performers at the club turn Cliff’s world upside down. Can Cliff and Sally find happiness as anti-Semitism and homophobia are on the rise?
When: November 16, 17, 18, 29, 30, and December 1, 2, at 7:30 pm; November 19 and December 3, at 2 pm.
Where: Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 seniors and GVSU alumni, faculty and staff, $6 students and groups
‘Kunnnby’ – Bush Lolly Dreaming, Michael Nelson Tjakamarra, Acrylic on Canvas
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
From 1940-1960, the Australian government forced Aboriginal groups off their lands and into organized communities of the Central Desert region and along the northern coast. Papunya, located about 150 miles northwest of Alice Springs, was the final community established to collect these displaced groups, and where the contemporary Australian Aboriginal art movement began. This exhibition is drawn out of a recent gift of Australian Aboriginal paintings to Grand Valley State University, created by artists from Papunya and the surrounding region. It features artwork that provides insight into Aboriginal life, retellings of important ancient stories and symbols, and the sacred sites of this vast and arid landscape.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Fall Arts Celebration will transcend the traditional dance floor and fly into the sky when Aerial Dance Chicago (ADC) presents a new world of athleticism coupled with an elegant showcase of dancing in the air.
A pioneer and an international leader in aerial dance, ADC is dedicated to presenting original choreography and performance in the field. The ensemble launches itself into the creative possibilities found in a vertical realm.
During the company’s Fall Arts Celebration performance, ADC will incorporate a variety of apparatus, including suspended fabrics, bungee cords, hoops, swings and ropes.
When: November 6, at 7:30pm
Where: Louis Armstrong Theatre, Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
*Concert will be preceded by a carillon concert at 7:10pm featuring Julianne Vanden Wyngaard, university carilloneur, and followed by a reception.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Enrich your life with these free performances in November at Grand Valley State University!
High School Vocal Day Concert
When: November 3, at 2 pm
Where: Cook-DeWitt Center, Allendale Campus
Now in its 7th year, High School Vocal Day at Grand Valley State University welcomes more than 100 high school students from around Michigan to a day of learning and performing alongside Grand Valley music faculty and students, as well as nationally known guest instructors. This concert will be the capstone performance for High School Vocal Day at Grand Valley. This busy day of workshops and seminars will conclude with a performance by Grand Valley student soloists and a choir consisting of both Vocal Day participants and Grand Valley students. This concert is free and open to the public.
GVSU Faculty-Artist Recital: Sookkyung Cho, piano
When: November 7, at 7:30 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
This free concert will highlight the musical prowess of Sookkyung Cho, assistant professor of piano at Grand Valley State University. This concert is open to the public. Before Grand Valley, Cho served on the piano faculty at New England Conservatory Preparatory School and Continuing Education in Boston. She was also adjunct faculty in theory at Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and served as a Teaching Fellow in the piano minor and music theory departments at The Juilliard School.
Cho has performed throughout North America, Europe, and her native country, Korea, in prestigious venues, including the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Steinway Hall in New York, Chicago Cultural Center, Sarasota Opera House, Beaux concerts de la releve in Quebec, Château de Fontainebleau in France and Zijingang Theater at Zhejiang University in China, among others. She received a bachelor’s of music and doctorate of musical arts degrees from The Juilliard School, and her master’s from Johns Hopkins University.
GVSU presents Amosa Duo
When: November 8, at 7:30 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
Join the Amosa Duo at Grand Valley State University as they present works for clarinet and piano by Schubert, Schumann, Lindberg, and Weinberg. Comprising Gary June on clarinet and Chia-Ying Chan on piano, the Amosa Duo is devoted to bringing the best of the clarinet and piano repertoires to the concert stage, including both well-known masterpieces and contemporary gems. This concert is free and open to the public.
GVSU Laker Marching Band presents Bandorama
When: November 12, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Kelly Family Sports Center, Allendale Campus
Join the 220-member Laker Marching Band at Grand Valley State University as they perform a sampling of their 2017 football season halftime shows. This performance will feature song selections ranging in genre from jazz and top 40 to “music from across the pond.” This concert is free and open to the public.
GVSU Saxophone Studio Recital
When: November 28, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
During this free concert, Grand Valley State University’s Saxophone Studio will perform solo and quartet performances. The Saxophone Studio consists of multiple student ensembles, including the Yavin IV Quartet, GQ Quartet and Jubilee Quartet.
For more information about Music, Theatre and Dance Department events, contact 616. 331.3484 or visit gvsu.edu/mtd.
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Yoo Jin Noh made her debut with the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra as a soloist in 2017. She also performed at the United Nation Headquarters in New York City for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2015. Her recent performances include appearances with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Halfner Symphony and a solo recital at Azusa Pacific University.
Noh, who was born blind, pursued her interest in music in early childhood and began her piano study at age 14. Despite her late start, she has received many awards from local competitions. In 2005, she received a grand prize at the U.S. String and Piano Concours of Hymn and played at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York City. In 2008, she received the VSA Young Soloist Award and was invited to play at the National Federation of the Blind Convention.
What: Yoo Jin Noh, piano
When: Jan. 31, at 7:30 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
By Matthew Makowski, Grand Valley State University
Pianist Mika Sasaki has established herself as a sought-after soloist, chamber musician and emerging educator. Since her concerto debut with the Sinfonia of Cambridge in the United Kingdom at the age of 7, she has appeared twice with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and more recently with the 92Y Orchestra in New York City. She has performed at venues including the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Peter J. Sharp Theater, Palazzo Chigi Saracini (Italy), Minato Mirai Hall (Japan) and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Japan). Her solo debut album “Obsidian: Mika Sasaki plays Clara Schumann” was released on Yarlung Records in 2016.
What: Guest Artist Recital: Mika Sasaki, piano
When: Jan. 19, at 7:30 pm
Where: Sherman Van Solkema Hall (room 1325), Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts, Allendale Campus
