April 2005

April 2, Saturday
Annual Music Department Cabaret
8:00 P.M., Centerfor the Arts, Concert Hall
Vocal students perform an array of musical theatre selections from Broadway and beyond. Free

April 5, Tuesday
Behind-the-Scenes Lunch and Discussion:
Necessary Targets
12:30 P.M., Center for the Arts, Seeler Studio Theatre
Director Claudio Medeiros '90 introduces the upcoming play and leads a discussion about the production.  Members of the cast, crew, and design team share insights on their work.  Lunch is provided.  Free

April 6, Wednesday
Master Class with everything smaller
2:35 P.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre
Brooklyn-based dance group everything smaller visits Middlebury for a three-day residency with the dance program. This master class demonstrates a dynamic blend of partnering, lifts, floor work, and improvisation. Free

April 7, Thursday (Through April 14)
Exhibition of Color Photography
Johnson Memorial Building, Pit Space
Students in John Huddleston's color photography course, ART 0328, investigate the breadth of concepts and images in color. Sponsored by the Program in Studio Art. Free

April 7, Thursday
Master Class with everything smaller
9:30 A.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre
The second of two master classes given by this visiting dance company. See April 6 event for description. Free

April 7, Thursday

Performance and Discussion with everything smaller

4:30 P.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre

The ensemble performs work and discusses its process and product with the audience. See associated events on April 6–8. Free

April 7-9, Thursday-Saturday
Necessary Targets
by Eve Ensler '75, directed by Claudio Medeiros '90
8:00 P.M. each evening, plus 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, Center for the Arts, Seeler Studio Theatre
Obie Award-winning playwright Eve Ensler '75 (The Vagina Monologues) tells the story of two American women, a Park Avenue psychiatrist and a human rights worker, who go to Bosnia to help women refugees confront their memories of war. (This production is also a central event in the Feminist Action at Middlebury symposium, "Art as Activism: Exploring the Intersection of Rape, Pornography and Violence," which takes place on the same weekend as the production. Details are forthcoming. For more information, contact Karin Hanta, director of Chellis House, at 802-443-5937.)  Tickets: $5/4/3, on sale March 17.

April 8, Friday (Through April 21)
Exhibition of Drawings and Collages by Artist-in-Residence William Villalongo
Johnson Memorial Building, Johnson Gallery
These works involve linear drawings of imaginary environments populated in many instances by elegantly composed representations of flora and fauna. Sponsored by the Program in Studio Art. Free

April 8, Friday

Open Rehearsal with everything smaller

2:30p.m., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre

Watch new dance works as they develop. See associated events April 6–7. Free

NOW SOLD OUT!
April 8, Friday
Takács Quartet
Edward Dusinberre, violin
Károly Schranz, violin
Roger Tapping, viola
András Fejér, cello
8:00 P.M., Center forthe Arts, Concert Hall
The Takács Quartet has recently been named associate artists of London's South Bank Centre, and they will complete their recordings of the Beethoven quartets in 2005. Their Middlebury program consists of three Beethoven quartets: op. 18, no. 6, the third Razumovsky quartet, and op. 135. Sponsored by the Middlebury College Performing Arts Series. Reserved Seating. Tickets: $12/$10/$5; buy tickets online
Pre-performance dinner: Rehearsals Cafe, 6:30 P.M. Reservations required. Also Sold Out!

April 9, Saturday
Dance Class with Reynaldo Gonzales
11:00 A.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre
Cuban-born and trained musician, dancer, and teacher Reynaldo Gonzales teaches a dance class with drummers in advance of participating in the ALC (Alianza  Latinoamericana y Caribeña) cultural show that evening.  Free

April 9, Saturday
James' Journey to Jerusalem
3:00 and 8:00 P.M., Dana Auditorium
James, a young African Christian, undertakes a pilgrimage to holy Jerusalem, only to experience injustice. First jailed as an illegal immigrant and then forced into bondage, the pilgrim's unpredictable journey becomes a parable about innocence abroad. Screened in conjunction with the Jerusalem Conference, details to be announced. [Israel, 2003, 88 minutes] Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. Free

April 9, Saturday
Bluegrass Gospel Project
8:00 P.M., Mead Chapel
The Chaplain's Office presents this benefit concert to aid Heifer Project international.  Made up of seasoned musicians from across northern New England, the Bluegrass Gospel Project reinvigorates classic Appalachian spiritual music while introducing plenty of original tunes as well. Their populist form of spiritual music is meant for all people and all faiths. This event is generously cosponsored by Addison County Havurah. Tickets: $15 regular; $12 for Middlebury College faculty and staff; $5 for Middlebury College students.

April 10, Sunday
Blues Concert: Bill Sims Jr. and Mark Lavoie
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Don't miss a rare opportunity to hear some real blues right here in Middlebury when legendary guitarist Bill Simms Jr. guitar, joins forces with local harmonica player Mark Lavoie. This concert is sponsored by the Department of Music, the Office for Institutional Diversity, and Wonnacott Commons. Free

April 13, Wednesday
Making Holograms: The McCardell Portrait
4:30 P.M., Bicentennial Hall, Room 216
Lecture by John Perry, in conjunction with the Museum exhibition Art Now: Recent Middlebury College Presidential Portraits.  Free

April 16, Saturday
The Station Agent
3:00 and 8:00 P.M., DanaAuditorium
Finn, a dwarf obsessed with trains, Olivia, a woman grieving a dead child, and a boisterous hot-dog vendor fall in together and struggle with their troubles. Writer-director Tom McCarthy portrays a lyrical, human drama stripped of sentimentality but brimming with emotional resonance. Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival [U.S, 2003, 88 minutes] Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. Free

April 16, Saturday
A Choral Potpourri
Middlebury College Chamber Singers
Jeff Rehbach, director
8:00 P.M., Center forthe Arts, Concert Hall
This annual spring concert includes a delightful mix of sacred and secular a cappella works. Free

April 17, Sunday
Peter Serkin, piano
3:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Brainerd Commons and the Center for the Arts are pleased to announce an exciting late addition to the year's concert schedule: a benefit concert by virtuoso pianist Peter Serkin. The concert program will include a mix of contemporary and classical repertoire; works by Mozart and Bach will be featured alongside 20th century compositions.  Proceeds from this concert will benefit international organizations with interests in tsunami relief, including Doctors without Borders and the Heifer Project. Tickets: $ 20 for the general public; $15 for faculty, staff, emeriti, and alumni; $5 for Middlebury College students.  Buy tickets online or call 802-443-MIDD.
Read the press release

The Da Capo Chamber Players include founding members Patricia Spencer, flute, and André Emelianoff, cello; as well as Meighan Stoops, clarinet, and David Bowlin, violin. "The Da Capo Chamber Players are at the head of their class," says the Los Angeles Times, and American Record Guidecalls their performances "stimulating concerts for a quarter of a century." See associated event at 4:15 P.M.  Free

April 22–23, Friday–Saturday
The Dance Company of Middlebury
featuring Ellen Smith '05
8:00 P.M., Centerfor the Arts, Dance Theatre
A member of the Dance Company for three years, Ellen Smith '05 celebrates her last year at Middlebury by choreographing for and sharing this evening with the Dance Company. The dance and art of Cuba and her recent experiences of life in Mongolia permeate her sumptuous, original choreography. Other members of the company, under the direction of Penny Campbell, contribute dances to the concert. Tickets: $5/$4/$3; on sale April 8.

April 22-24, Friday-Sunday
The Birdhouse Project
12:30 P.M., Centerfor the Arts Pond
Celebrate Earth Day with the Birdhouse Project, a collaborative work including original dance, music, and set design. Directed by Andrea Olsen with alumni and Middlebury dancers, music by David Rothenberg (author of Why Birds Sing), and set by visual artist and birdhouse designer Carl Phelps. (Weather dependent.) Funded in part by an Ada Howe Kent Fellowship. Free

April 23, Saturday
The Return
3:00 and 8:00 P.M., DanaAuditorium
Two teenage Russian boys have their father suddenly return home after being absent for 12 years. A holiday trip to a remote island soon turns into a mythic struggle between father and sons. Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival. [Russia, 2003, 105 minutes] Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. Free

April 23, Saturday
Artemis Quartet
Natascha Prischepenko, violin
Heime Müller, violin
Volker Jacobsen, viola
Eckart Runge, cello
8:00 P.M., Centerfor the Arts, Concert Hall
The Artemis Quartet was formed by music students in Lübeck in 1989. They have won major competitions and have performed to great critical acclaim in major European and American concert halls. Their New York performances have been singled out for praise by critics in the New York Times. Their program at Middlebury consists of quartets by Mendelssohn, Bartok, and Robert Schumann. Sponsored by the Middlebury College Performing Arts Series. Reserved Seating. Tickets: $12/$10/$5; buy tickets online
Pre-performance dinner: Rehearsals Cafe, 6:30 P.M. Reservations required.

April 24, Sunday
Pokrovsky Ensemble
3:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Founded in 1973 in Moscow by Dmitri Pokrovsky (1944-1996), the great musician and ethnomusicologist, the Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble's repertoire encompasses more than 2000 songs, including medieval Russian village music, music of the country's old and new faiths, and modern works of Russian composers. Sponsored by the Department of Russian.  Free

April 26, Tuesday
Behind-the-Scenes Lunch and Discussion:
The Last Night of Ballyhoo
12:30 P.M., Wright Theatre
Director Doug Sprigg introduces the upcoming play and leads a discussion about the production.  Members of the cast, crew, and design team share insights on their work.  Lunch is provided.  Free

April 26, Tuesday
Lecture by Antony Pitts
4:30 P.M., Robert A. Jones House
Acclaimed composer, producer, and director Antony Pitts compares the music Bach and Part, with a focus on their "sacred duty."  Offered as part of the Charles P. Scott Symposium, including the Hilliard Ensemble concert at 7:30 P.M. Free

April 26, Tuesday
The Hilliard Ensemble
7:30 P.M., MeadChapel
The Hilliard Ensemble is one of the finest vocal chamber music groups of our time, noted for the purity of its sound. The group, usually four men's voices, but augmented for this concert by two women's voices, performs some motets by Johann Sebastian Bach and music for voices and organ by the contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. This Middlebury College Performing Arts Series concert is supported by the Charles P. Scott Endowment Fund and the Department of Religion. Free

April 28-30, Thursday-Saturday
The Last Night of Ballyhoo
by Alfred Uhry, directed by Douglas Sprigg
8:00 P.M. each evening, plus 2:00 on Saturday, Wright Theatre
With wry humor and an eye for eccentricity, Alfred Uhry's Tony Award winning play explores the personal and cultural tensions that arise within a Jewish family living in Atlanta, Georgia during the Christmas season of 1939, asGone With the Wind is having its world premiere and Hitler is invading Poland. "Alfred Uhry's achingly beautiful play…is luminous and powerful." --Los AngelesTimes.  Tickets: $5/4/3; on sale April 14.

April 28-30, Thursday-Saturday
The Mercy Seat
8:00 and 11:00 P.M. Thursday; 8:00 P.M. Friday; 8:00 P.M. Saturday; Hepburn Zoo
Play by Neil Labute, directed by Eric Blacher '05. Tickets $1

April 29, Friday
Six Ways to Shake It
4:30 P.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre
Students in Amy Chavasse's class show and discuss their work in this informal Dance Showing. Visitors welcome.  Free

April 29-30, Friday-Saturday
Falsettos
by William Finn, directed by Douglas Anderson
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
The Department of Music presents this landmark American musical.  Marvin (Nick Cloutier '05) leaves his wife and child for the love of another man.  And yet he struggles to keep the affection of his wife and, most importantly, his angry son.  Marvin wants, as he sings in his first number, "a tight-knit family."  His plans are dealt a fatal blow when the lover (Jake Nicholson '05) contracts AIDS.  "More powerful than any other American musical of its day."--Frank Rich,New York Times. Tickets:$5/4/3; on sale April 14.

***this event now cancelled***
April 29–30, Friday–Saturday
Spring Dances
8:00 P.M., Centerfor the Arts, Dance Theatre
Choreographers creating work in the intermediate/advanced dance course, under the direction of Artist-in-Residence Amy Chavasse, perform new work in this last dance concert of the semester. Tickets: $5/$4/$3; on sale April 15

April 30, Saturday
Zatôichi
3:00 and 8:00 P.M., DanaAuditorium
Japan's leading filmmaker, Takeshi Kitano, ditches his cool urban gangster for a period-action fest that mixes sizzling fight scenes with comic turns. Winner of five Japanese Academy Awards. [Japan, 2003, 116'] Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. Free

April 30, Saturday
Burlington Taiko Drummers
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre
Taiko –Japanese for "big drum"—is a modern revival of ancient Japanese drumming traditions.  Taiko features drums of up to five feet in diameter, played with joy, spirit and passion, highlighted by choreography suggestive of ceremony, celebration, theater and the martial arts. Burlington Taiko's 15 year commitment to this marriage between performance art and discipline is evident in their precise arrangements and powerful rhythms that recall elemental forces of nature. Their performance transforms the stage, providing a spellbinding view into the depth and beauty of this form. The group plays throughout the Northeast at schools, colleges, festivals and special events.  They have also performed in California and Japan.  Master drummer Stuart Paton is the group's Artistic Director.  Sponsored y the japanese Club.  Free