Shorter College Announces Fall Arts Events

The Shorter College School of the Arts has announced its schedule of events for the fall semester. Tickets for all events, unless otherwise noted, are available through the Shorter College box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

“The legacy of great art, music and theatre continues at Shorter College,” said Dr. Alan Wingard, dean of the School of the Arts. “The college has been sharing the fine arts with our community since its founding in 1873, and this year’s season offers a wide variety of high quality performances.”

The Shorter College Department of Music hosts its inaugural “New Music” Series Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 17, in Brookes Chapel on the Shorter College campus. This series is devoted entirely to works for voice and piano by 20th and 21st century composers, including three Shorter College music faculty members and one student. The event is open to the public at no charge.

The Shorter Chorale will have its fall fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hilltop Café on the Shorter College campus, 315 Shorter Ave., Rome. Titled  Carnivale! The Splendor of Venice, the event is a celebration of the romance and splendor of Venice and includes an outdoor reception at 6 p.m. followed by an Italian feast and a romantic blend of music from the old and new worlds. Tickets are $40 per person.

The Shorter College Theatre presents The Threepenny Opera Sept. 27-29 and Oct. 4-6 at 8 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 7. All performances will be held in the Callaway Theatre on the Shorter College Campus. The Threepenny Opera takes a savage stab at capitalism and modern morality. The  book and lyrics by Bertold Brecht and music by Kurt Weill were inspired by John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students and senior adults.

The Arnold Gallery at Shorter College will host an exhibit of works by Mandy Springer and Joanna Knox from Oct. 4-25. The exhibit, titled “In Between the Dust,” begins with an artists reception at 4 p.m. on Oct. 4. The exhibit and opening reception are open to the public at no charge.

The Shorter Chorus, under the direction of Matthew Hoch, will present its fall concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21, in Brookes Chapel on the Shorter College campus. Joining the chorus will be the men’s a capella group Somethin’ Else. The concert features secular and sacred music from a variety of eras and genres. Highlights include a madrigal by Orazio Vecchi, an oratorio excerpt by Joseph Haydn, an operetta chorus by Jacques Offenbach, a spiritual by Andre Thomas, and Janowski’s Avinu Malkeynu featuring Shorter College voice professor Brian Nedvin as tenor soloist. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students and senior adults.

The Shorter Opera Theatre will present “From Carthage to Rome: Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Robert Ward’s Roman Fever at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 25-27 with a 3 p.m. matinee on Oct. 28. All performances will be held in Callaway Theatre at Shorter College. This performance includes a taste of both 17th century and 20th century opera all sung in English. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students and senior adults.

The Friends of Theatre will host a fall fundraiser for the Shorter College Theatre Department on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Coosa Valley Technical College Conference Center, 1 Maurice Culberson Dr. The event, titled The Next Best Thing to Broadway begins at 7:30 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m. Patrons may bring a picnic dinner to enjoy while watching the fun-filled cabaret performed by musical theatre and theatre majors. The evening includes a table decorating contest and door prizes. Tickets are $25 per person, and corporate tables are available. Call Jim Ford at 706-291-8267 for additional information and reservations.

Baritone Matthew Hoch, assistant professor of voice at Shorter College, will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29, in Brookes Chapel on the Shorter College campus. He will be accompanied by Elizabeth Blood, instructor of music at Shorter College. Joining him for this recital will be soprano Lisa Sain Odom, a voice faculty member at North Greenville University and Western Carolina University. The recital is open to the public at no charge.

Shorter College art majors will present an Art Student Exhibition in the Arnold Gallery Nov. 1-16. An opening reception will be held at 4 p.m. on Nov. 1. The exhibit and opening reception are open to the public at no charge.

An opera theatre fundraiser, Spaghetti and Song: Viva la Venezia!, will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, at First United Methodist Church, 202 E. 3rd Ave., Rome. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Patrons will enjoy a favorite pasta dish while listening to Shorter’s extraordinary voice faculty and students perform operatic favorites and popular hits. The evening includes a silent auction. Tickets are $25 per person.

Uruguayan pianist Enrique Graf opens Shorter College’s 2007-2008 guest artist series with a recital at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, in Brookes Chapel. This critically acclaimed pianist has performed and recorded with the finest symphonies in venues all over the world. The concert is open to the public at no charge.

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Shorter Chorale with a reunion concert at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, in Brookes Chapel on the Shorter College campus. The concert, under the direction of Martha Shaw, will feature chorale members from the past 40 years. Special guest for the day will be Dr. Jerry Warren, conductor of the Chorale during its inaugural year. For more information about the reunion, visit www.shorter.edu/chorale.htm <http://www.shorter.edu/chorale.htm> . Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students and senior adults.

The Shorter College Theatre will present To Kill a Mockingbird Nov. 13-17 at 8 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee scheduled for Nov. 18. All performances will be held in the Callaway Theatre on the Shorter College campus. The play is a stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students and senior adults.

Begin the Christmas season with Shorter College’s Feaste of Caroles at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Rome City Auditorium, 601 Broad St., Rome. The Choral Department of Shorter College presents its traditional Christmas season highlight featuring the Shorter Chorale, the Shorter Chorus and a special guest choir. Choral favorites, audience sing-a-longs, and a festive holiday atmosphere will be featured. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $8 for students and senior adults.

Soprano Regina Zona, assistant professor of voice at Shorter College, will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 in Brookes Chapel. Joining her at this recital will be pianist David Holkeboer. The recital is open to the public at no charge.

The Shorter Chorale performs at Spivey Hall at Clayton State University in Morrow, Ga., at 8:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30. This concert will feature choral compositions by William Mathias, György Ligeti and Morten Lauridsen, as well as lighter Christmas selections. Tickets are required and may be purchased by calling the Spivey Hall box office at 678-466-4200.

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