UW News

May 17, 2012

Arts Roundup: Dance, art, combined bands — and the UW Gospel Choir

UW News

The UW Gospel Choir, directed by Phyllis Byrdwell, will perform May 21 in Meany Hall.

The UW Gospel Choir, directed by Phyllis Byrdwell, will perform May 21 in Meany Hall.Gary Louie

It’s a whirlwind of a week for campus arts. Drama and dance team for the continuing Masters of Fine Arts Dance Concert, graduating School of Art students show their talents and the Undergraduate Theater Society opens a musical comedy.

The School of Music offers evenings with the University Chorale, ethnomusicology students and the Voice Division, plus a combined band concert and more — and the powerful UW Gospel Choir, more than a 100 voices strong.

Director Phyllis Byrdwell says, “I try to show my students that gospel didn’t just come out of the cosmos some place — it’s a relationship to a culture. And we talk a little about that culture, so they know how to deliver whatever it is we’re doing.” It’s rousing, swaying, hand-clapping stuff, but Byrdwell says she adds “some very lovely ballads” as well.

To quote Groucho Marx, there are more arts events on campus this week “than you could shake a stick at — if that’s your idea of a good time.”

Jazz Innovations II, 7:30 p.m., May 17. Student ensembles pay homage to the icons of jazz and break new ground with original progressive jazz compositions in Brechemin Auditorium. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door.

The JACK Quartet will perform May 18 in the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse.

The JACK Quartet will perform May 18 in the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse.

The JACK Quartet, 7:30 p.m., May 18. The critically acclaimed Boston group presents works by UW composers Joel-François Durand, Huck Hodge, Richard Karpen and Juan Pampin at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse. Tickets are $12-$20.

Henry Art Gallery, free admission, May 18. Free in honor of Art Museum Day and International Museum Day. Of course the Henry is always free for UW faculty, staff and students, but here’s a day to bring along some guests. Share your experiences on paper or via hashtag #ArtMuseumDay.

“Collaborations,” MFA Dance Concert, through May 20. What’s the difference between performance art and the art of performance? Discover the unique blend that master of fine arts candidates from UW dance and drama design programs create for the annual MFA Dance Concert. It’s a collaborative concoction that melds physical movement and dramatic expression. Watch a video about the performance, too. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$16.

Ethnomusicology Student Association Concert, 7:30 p.m., May 18. The School of Music’s Ethnomusicology Student Association presents its annual concert of music from around the world, in Brechemin Auditorium. The program includes student performances of Bengali and Middle Eastern songs, Irish music from the group Fields under Clover, the Mariachi Quinto Sol de UW, the UW Trinidadian Steel Pan Ensemble, and more. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door.

The School of Music's Voice Division Recital will be May 21 in Brechemin Auditorium.

Voice Division Recital, 7:30 p.m., May 21. The School of Music Voice Division Recital for spring quarter is a performance of Puccini’s one-act opera “Suor Angelica,” in Brechemin Auditorium, directed by Thomas Harper. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door. 206-685-8384.

UW Gospel Choir, 7:30 p.m., May 21. The choir presents songs of praise, jubilation and other expressions of the gospel tradition in Meany Hall. Selections include “In The Holy Place,” “Come Before His Presence With Thanksgiving,” “Total Praise,” “Hallelujah Anyhow” and “Prayer of Jabez.” Tickets are $10-$15.

School of Art exhibits by graduating students:
Painting and drawing MFAs, May 21-26. Work by Caity Berndt, Lyndsey Colburn and Hannah O’Gorman, Sandpoint Gallery. Reception 6-8 p.m., May 21.
Painting and drawing BFAs, May 22-June 1 in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Reception 4-7 p.m., May 22.
Art by Anthony Sonnenberg, May 22-26. From the 3D4M (3-Dimensional Forum) program, in the Ceramic and Metal Arts Building. Reception is 6-8 p.m., May 22.
Alley Art Party, 6-9 p.m. May 24. A one-night installation of work by Interdisciplinary Visual Arts students just outside Cafe Allegro.

GhostWorks Studio presentation, 2:30-5:30 p.m., May 21. A cross-disciplinary undergraduate studio offered to architecture and interaction design students under the direction of Rob Corser, assistant professor of architecture; and Tad Hirsch, assistant professor of art. Students will discuss creating interactive media installations this summer in a former U.S. Forest Service station in Twisp, Wash. Event is in the Gould Hall court.

UW Contemporary Group, 7:30 p.m., May 23. Music students and faculty artists perform new music selections in the Meany Studio Theater. The program includes George Crumb’s “Black Angels” for string quartet and electronics, performed by the Oceana Quartet; John Cage’s “First Construction in Metal” for percussion ensemble; and “Pools of Shadow from an Older Sky,” for bent piano, computer-realized sound, and video projection, composed and performed by Huck Hodge. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

The University Chorale, 7:30 p.m., May 23. The chorale presents “Songs of Mercy and Exaltation,” in Meany Hall, featuring works by Vaughan Williams, Bruckner, Byrd, Barber, Betinis and East. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

The UW Symphonic Band.

The UW Symphonic Band.

Wind Ensemble, symphonic, concert, and campus bands, 7:30 p.m., May 24. The combined bands present works including “Morning Star” by David Maslanka, “Concerto for Cello and Wind Instruments” by Jacques Ibert, “Danzon” by Leonard Bernstein, “Colonial Song” by Percy Grainger, and “Outdoor Overture” by Aaron Copland. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” May 24 to June 3. The Undergraduate Theater Society presents this popular musical comedy about six young people struggling to find their place in the world despite overbearing parents. In the Hutchinson Hall Cabaret Theater. Tickets are $5-$10.

Next week: MFA students show off at the Henry.