April 2007

2009-2010 Events

News and Publications Box Office Performing Arts Series Academic Arts Departments Museum of Art Music Library Committee on Art in Public Places General Information Contact Us

APRIL 3, TUESDAY (THROUGH APRIL 17)
Exhibition of Color Photography
Johnson Memorial Building, Pit Space
Students in John Huddleston’s course Color Photography, ART 0328, exhibit their work—traditional film-based images and digital images—produced in our new darkroom facility in Johnson. Experience the range of thinking and diversity of photographic representation embodied in this work. Sponsored by the Program in Studio Art. Free

APRIL 3, TUESDAY
Behind-the-Scenes Lunch and Discussion:
The Five Hysterical Girls Theorem
12:30 p.m., Wright Memorial Theatre Stage
Director Cheryl Faraone introduces the play and leads a discussion about the upcoming production. The company will present scenes; Middlebury faculty will discuss math and its pleasures. Lunch is provided. Free

APRIL 5, THURSDAY
Lecture/Demonstration by Leonard Cruz
3:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre
Award-winning dancer and choreographerLeonard Cruz shows and discussess recent choreographic work. Sponsored by the Dance Program. Free

***THIS EVENT CANCELLED***
APRIL 5, THURSDAY
Music with Words and Words without Music:
Some Thoughts on Gertrude Stein
4:30 P.M., Center for the Arts, Room 221
The Faculty Lecture Series presents Greg Vitercik, Associate Professor of Music. Refreshments available prior to the lecture. Free
***THIS EVENT CANCELLED***

APRIL 5–7, THURSDAY–SATURDAY
The Five Hysterical Girls Theorem
by Rinne Groff
3:00 and 8:00 P.M. on Friday; 2:00 and 8:00 P.M. on Saturday; Wright Memorial Theatre Stage
Romance, intrigue, deceit, and death are on display in The Five Hysterical Girls Theorem, Rinne Groff’s comeuppance for the fifth-grade teacher who threatened to flunk her in math. “Numbers don’t love you back.”—Rinne Groff. Production directed by Cheryl Faraone; movement by Vanessa Mildenberg; senior work of Jackie Hurwitz '07(acting), Catherine Vigne '07 (costume design); independent work of Aaron Gensler '08 (set design). Sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Dance. Tickets: $5/4/3; on sale March 15. http://go.middlebury.edu/tickets or 802-443-MIDD (6433).

APRIL 7, SATURDAY
Mysterious Skin
3:00 and 8:00 p.m., Dana Auditorium
Gregg Araki (The Doom Generation, The Living End) makes his breakthrough film with this coming-of-age tale that explores the hearts and minds of two teenagers who discover that the key to their future lies in confronting a troubling past. Both Neil, a gay hustler, and the shy, introverted Brian wrestle with a crippled sexuality whose sources emerge from their childhood as they help one another discover a repressed experience. “At once the most harrowing, and strangely, the most touching film I have seen about child abuse.”—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times. “Infused with a remarkable tenderness and beauty. A gorgeous, heartbreaking, utterly convincing work of art.”—The New York Times. Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. (U.S., 2004, 99 minutes) Free

APRIL 8, SUNDAY
Julia Fischer, violin
Milana Chernyavska, piano
3:00 p.m., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
A year ago, the Sunday Times of London wrote of Julia Fischer’s new recording of all of Bach’s works for unaccompanied violin, “It is astonishing violin playing by any standards.” The critic wrote of “the breathtaking intensity of her playing of the great Ciaccona of the D Minor Partita.” It turned out that we heard her play the D Minor Partita here last season, in a duo recital she put together with pianist Milana Chernyavska. We immediately reengaged them for this encore performance, program to be announced. Sponsored by the Middlebury College Performing Arts Series. Reserved Seating: $15/12/5
For more information, please click here.
To read the press release, please click here.

APRIL 9, MONDAY (THROUGH APRIL 20)
Exhibition of Sculpture by Artist in Residence Leah Jacobson
Johnson Memorial Building, Johnson Gallery
The Program in Studio Art welcomes Leah Jacobson as the spring 2007 Christian A. Johnson Artist in Residence. She uses steel as her primary material because she views it as a metaphor for the relationship between humans and nature: it is a mixture of elemental earth materials altered by industry. Her sculptures reflect this intertwined and fragile relationship between humans and the land, often taking the form of mirror images, similar parts of a whole, joined by impossibly tenuous connections. They embody the tension between the mechanical of the present and an intrinsic organic geometry of the past. Free

APRIL 11, WEDNESDAY
Middlebury Wind Ensemble
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Free

APRIL 12, THURSDAY
Movement Symbolism and Communication
12:30 P.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre
Leyya Tawil performs a 9-minute solo work entitled Landmine and discusses her ideas about movement symbolism and the creative process with the audience.  Also included in this event: a short DVD presentation, improvisatory illustrations of concepts, and question-and-answer time. Free

APRIL 12, THURSDAY
Lecture: “The Wild Road to the Far North”
7:00 P.M., Mead Chapel
Barry Lopez, leading essayist and author of Arctic Dreams, talks about the possible extinction of the polar bear. Lopez notes, “a wild road forges a path into new territory—intellectual, emotional, even spiritual territory. The Far North is the abode of eternal truth, of elementary experience and transcendent wisdom. It is also the abode of the polar bear, a creature apparently bound for extinction in our lifetime. If we navigate the road well, improving it, redirecting it where it is errant, perhaps this won’t be the bear’s fate.” Lopez's writing, which is suffused with philosophical and spiritual concerns, also combines a knowledgeable appreciation for indigenous cultures with a commitment to wildlife and sustainable communities. In addition to his magnum opus, Arctic Dreams, Lopez has published collections of essays and stories, a memoir, novels, and books for young readers. Cosponsored by the Program in Environmental Studies and the Middlebury College Museum of Art. Free

APRIL 12, THURSDAY
Sound Investment Jazz Ensemble
8:00 P.M., McCullough Social Space
This combination jazz concert and dance party is presented by the Music Department and the Lindy Hop club. Free

APRIL 12-14, THURSDAY-SATURDAY
On the Verge
8:00 P.M. each evening plus 11:00 P.M. on Friday only; Hepburn Zoo
Play by Eric Overmyer; senior work of Laura Harris '07 (acting) & Lauren Kiel '07 (acting). Three Victorian women adventurers, "sister sojourners," treacherously maneuver their way from their home base through Terra Incognita, the dark depths of Africa, up steep mountains, down magnificent glaciers, and on into the future, finally resting in the 1950’s. Throughout their quest, the women navigate a continuum of time, space, history, geography, feminism, fashion, and men with remarkable intelligence, wit, abandon, and grace. Tickets: $1; on sale March 22.

APRIL 13, FRIDAY
Takács Quartet
Edward Dusinberre, violin
Károly Schranz, violin
Geraldine Walther, viola
András Fejér, cello
8:00 p.m., Mead Memorial Chapel
This concert marks the Takács Quartet’s 19th appearance in Middlebury, having started this remarkable run of performances in April 1994. They have appeared in concert halls all over the world, have made prize-winning recordings of Beethoven’s and Bartók’s quartets, and have premiered new quartets by composers, including Middlebury’s own Su Lian Tan. Their program at Mead Chapel consists of quartets by Debussy, Shostakovich, and Brahms. Sponsored by the Middlebury College Performing Arts Series. Tickets: $15/12/5. http://go.middlebury.edu/tickets or 802-443-MIDD (6433).
For more information, please click here.

APRIL 14, SATURDAY
Kings and Queen
3:00 and 8:00 p.m., Dana Auditorium
As Nora (Emmanuelle Devos) deals with the impending death of her father, she reflects on husbands and lovers, past and present. Meanwhile, Ismaël (Mathieu Amalric), one of the men in her reverie, is being committed to a mental institution against his will. In director Arnaud Desplechin’s (Esther Kahn) skillful parallel narrative, the ex-couple only crosses paths twice; nonetheless their experience is deeply intertwined. “A complex and boldly experimental movie plotted like a thriller and paced like a farce, Kings and Queen is a category-defying film that’s as smart and emotionally resonant as it is entertaining.”—Los Angeles Times. In French and German with English subtitles. Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. (France, 2004, 150 minutes) Free

APRIL 14, SATURDAY
Anne Janson, flute, and Friends
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Flutist Anne Janson, a member of the applied music faculty at Middlebury College, is joined by other music faculty and staff: Dieuwke Davydov, cello; Cynthia Huard, piano; and Dan Frostman, oboe. Works on the program include the Trio Sonata in C Minor by Quantz, the Sonatine for flute and piano by Dutilleux, and the Trio for flute, cello, and piano by Martinu. John Mantegna, a guitarist who is a music faculty colleague of Janson's at the University of Vermont, joins the concert to perform L'Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzolla, for flute and guitar. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

APRIL 15, SUNDAY
Luba Poliak, piano
3:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Born in Russia to a family of musicians, Luba Poliak started studying piano at the age of five and had her first solo performance with an orchestra at the age of eleven. After later immigrating with her family to Israel, she received a Bachelors degree in music from the Tel-Aviv University and a Masters in Music from the New England Conservatory in Boston. She now has established an active performing career throughout Israel, Russia, Western Europe, and the United States. She also frequently participated in master classes led by such musicians as Leon Fleisher, Murray Perahia and Andreas Schiff. Her connection to the Middlebury community includes her past participation in Middlebury College’s “German for Singers and Vocal Coaches” program. Sponsored by Brainerd Commons, the Department of German, and Hillel, this concert takes place on Holocaust remembrance day and includes work by contemporary Israeli composer, Lior Navok. Free

APRIL 15, SUNDAY
New Play Marathon
6:30 P.M., Center for the Arts, Room 232
Readings of brand new, ten-minute wonders by Middlebury College playwriting students. Sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Dance. Free
Act I, 6:30 P.M.:
    Un-kept Vows by Joe Barsalona '07
    Doubles by Ethiopiah Al-Mahdi '09
    Session With Droog by Bill Army '07
    Scissors by Adam R. Levine '09
    Boarding Time by Neil Baron '10
Act II, 7:30 P.M. (approximate):
    Pacifiers by M.A. Guiliano '07
    Three Little Words by Liz Cain '09
    Thank You For Shopping With Us by Lucy Faust '09
    A Desirable Man by Anna Curtis '07
    Complaints by Colin Foss '10
Act III, 8:30 P.M. (approximate):
    Lost and Found by Dawn Loveland '09
    Split by Blair Bowie '09
    At The Hype by Christine Etienne '07
    Keith and Marcus by Knef King '08
    Conveyor Belt by Andrew Ward '09

APRIL 19-21, THURSDAY-SATURDAY
Eleemosynary
8:00 P.M. each evening plus 10:30 P.M. on Friday only; Hepburn Zoo
Play by Lee Blessing; senior work of Myra Palmero '07 (directing). Gliding from one memory to the next, Eleemosynary displays three generations of women’s ambition to succeed that is so driven it is desperate. And after all their sacrifices, their stories leave you to wonder: for what? As heartfelt as it is funny, Eleemosynary reveals the pain and success of ambition, love, and forgiveness. Tickets: $1; on sale April 5.

APRIL 21, SATURDAY
Academy Dances
3:00 P.M., Dancespace Project, St. Mark's Church, New York City
The Middlebury College Dance Program has been invited to be the featured college for Danspace Project's Academy Dances, held at St. Mark's Church in NYC. This free informal hour-long show of Middlebury student, faculty, and alumni work is open to the public and is a wonderful opportunity for Middlebury students to show work in New York and to connect to alumni there. A reception will follow.

APRIL 21, SATURDAY
Darwin’s Nightmare
3:00 and 8:00 P.M., Dana Auditorium
In the 1960s, when Nile perch were released into the Lake Victoria, the voracious predator eliminated the other species of fish and turned the lake into an ecological wasteland within just a few decades. But fishermen, factory workers, and civil servants in the area benefit economically, as perch fillet is Tanzania’s best selling export to Europe. Hubert Sauper’s documentary portrays the agonizing consequences of globalization. In English, Russian and Swahili. Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. (Austria/Belgium/France/Sweden/Finland, 2004, 107 minutes) Free

APRIL 21, SATURDAY
Almeta Speaks Sings Blues, Jazz and Spirituals
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Winner of two Emmy awards, Ms. Speaks is a pianist, composer, writer, singer, musicologist, and lecturer on African heritage. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

APRIL 22, SUNDAY*
Middlebury College Chamber Singers
Jeff Rehbach, conductor
3:00 P.M.*, Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
This spring concert includes a delightful choral potpourri of sacred and secular compositions from the Renaissance to the present day. Free
*please note new date/time!
Click here for more information about the Chamber Singers

APRIL 24, TUESDAY
"Will Our Society Collapse?"
Lecture by Jared Diamond
7:30 P.M., Mead Chapel
Pulitzer Prize winning author Jared Diamond speaks about his recent book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed in conjunction with the exhibition Robert Adams: Turning Back: A Photographic Journal of Re-exploration. Cosponsored by the Middlebury College Museum of Art and the Program in Environmental Studies. Free

APRIL 24, TUESDAY
Women and War
7:30 P.M., Chateau Room 005
The Gensler Family Symposium on Feminism in the Global Arena presents this one-woman theatrical performance by Deborah Lubar, offering a global perspective on all aspects of the impact of war on women’s lives. Lubar portrays women as victims or rescuers, as activists, peace-makers, soldiers and home-makers - some women who succumb to their society’s tribal hatreds, but more who come to resist their culture’s currents of oppression and hatred and, in learning to survive terrible conflict with one’s own soul intact, find within themselves resources of strength, courage, vision, and wisdom. This performance, part of the "Sex & War" Symposium, is sponsored by the Gensler Family Fund, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program – Chellis House, the Office for Institutional Diversity, the Academic Enrichment Fund, the Departments of Geography and History, the Program in American Studies-SpiegelFamily Fund, the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs, and the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life. Free

***THIS EVENT CANCELLED***
APRIL 25, WEDNESDAY
Butch Divas
7:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Fun, all-male a cappella music from gospel to doo-wop and everything in between, featuring Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence Francois Clemmons. Free
***THIS EVENT CANCELLED***

APRIL 26, THURSDAY
Middlebury College Orchestra
Troy Peters, conductor
8:00 p.m., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Featuring soprano Sally Swallow, the winner of the 2007 Alan and Joyce Beucher Concerto Competition, performing "Glitter and Be Gay" from Leonard Bernstein's Candide. Also on the program are Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World". Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

APRIL 27, FRIDAY
Miles Donahue Standards Band
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Featuring Robin McKelle: Songs from the American Song Book, with John Lockwood, bass; Bertram Lehman, drums; Norm Zocher, guitar; Ben Cook, piano; and Miles Donahue, saxophone and trumpet. Ms. McKelle was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk competition and has performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra.Sponsored by the Department of Music and the Academic Enrichment Fund. Free

APRIL 27–28, FRIDAY-SATURDAY
Senior Concert: Louisa Irving'07 and Tatiana Virviescas Mendoza ’07
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre
Senior dance major Louisa Irving ’07 presents her 500-level dance project, drawing inspiration from time spent abroad and from cultural explorations. She is joined in the program by Tatiana Virviescas ’07, in a solo, and by Artist in Residence Tiffany Rhynard and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Lei Liang, in their new collaborative work Green Piece. Tickets: $5/4/3; on sale April 13. http://go.middlebury.edu/tickets or 802-443-MIDD (6433).

APRIL 28, SATURDAY
Sides of Self: Living in Between
A Senior Creative Thesis Multimedia Installation by Piya Kashyap '07
1:00-6:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Room 221
Two years ago Kashyap arrived in India searching for an identity in a country that has for years struggled with its own. From years of British colonization to a bloody independence and from a caste system to a supposedly secular state, India’s history has erupted into a multiplicity of overlapping and often discordant identities. From such a mosaic sparked within Kashyap a discovery of self. A discovery that asks: what dictates the "I?" That which is around us, or within us? It is in the context of this struggle that she presents this work: a series of six, 2-3 minute video poems that draw on visual art, dance, music and written text to explore cultural and spiritual identity. In these multi-media pieces, Kashyap uses the broader themes of selfhood, memory, place, and art to speak to the various perspectives and simultaneous existences of a hyphenated identity. Free

APRIL 28, SATURDAY
Nobody Knows
3:00 and 8:00 P.M., Dana Auditorium
Four siblings live happily in a small apartment in Tokyo until their mother leaves behind a little money and a note, charging her oldest boy to look after the others. Though cruelly abandoned, the four children do their best to survive, devising and following their own set of rules as a makeshift family afloat in the metropolis. Written and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda (After Life), based on a true story. In Japanese with English subtitles. Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series (Japan, 2004, 141 minutes) Free

APRIL 28, SATURDAY
Spring Music Department Student Vocal Concert
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Free

APRIL 29, SUNDAY
Music Department Student Recital
7:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
This concert of solo & chamber group performances includes winners and candidates in the 2007 Chamber Music Competition, held on April 3. Free

April 30, MONDAY
Tristan Axelrod ’08, bass
8:00 P.M., Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Bassist and composer Tristan Axelrod ’08 presents his junior thesis concert. The capstone of a two-semester project on jazz composition and orchestration, this concert features performances of Axelrod’s original arrangements and compositions by the Tristan Axelrod Septet, rock band Mr. Bumby, and several special guests. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

click here to go to next month's events