Shorter University announces 2010-2011 Season of the Arts

September 1, 2010 - The Shorter University School of Fine and Performing Arts has announced its schedule of events for the 2010-2011 academic year.

 “The legacy of great art, music and theatre continues at Shorter University,” said Dr. Alan Wingard, dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts. “Shorter has been sharing the fine arts with our community since its founding in 1873, and this year we are offering a wide variety of high quality performances.”

Works by Jesse Hamrick and Ray Harbour will be featured at Shorter University’s Guest Art Exhibit Sept. 7-30 in the Arnold Art Gallery. Their exhibit, “Two Views Through Abstraction,” will encompass Harbour’s sensory, emotional and visionary art with Hamrick’s devotion to studying human emotions, color theory and how light interacts with color. The exhibit is open to the public at no charge weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. An artists’ reception and lecture will be held Thursday, Sept. 30, at 2:30 p.m. at the gallery.

Pianist Jerico Vasquez, assistant professor of music at Shorter University, will present a faculty recital at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12, in Brookes Chapel. The recital will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the births of Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann. This event is open to the public at no charge.

Shorter University will host saxophonist Ashu in a guest recital on Monday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookes Chapel. Ashu has established an extraordinary ability to communicate with audiences through his charismatic and moving performance style. While his virtuosity continues to thrill listeners, his artistry reaches even farther as he demonstrates a unique personality and musical voice all his own. This event is open to the public at no charge.

Shorter University’s guest artist series continues Monday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m. as the Merling Trio takes the stage in Brookes Chapel. The Merling Trio is recognized as one of today’s premier ensembles. These world-class musicians have been hailed as a brilliantly distinguished group endowed with remarkable gifts of communication, magnificent precision, and impeccable blend of sound. This event is open to the public at no charge.

Join the Shorter Chorale and guest faculty soloists as they present an evening of fun, food, and music foreshadowing their upcoming tour to Spain. Viva Espana! will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, in the Hilltop Café at Shorter University. Tickets are $40, and reservations are required. To order, contact the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

Baritone Matthew Hoch, assistant professor of music at Shorter University, will present a faculty recital on Monday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookes Chapel. Hoch will be assisted by guest Heather Hunnicutt, soprano, and Ben Harris, piano. This event is open to the public at no charge.

The Shorter University Theatre presents The Philadelphia Story Sept. 30–Oct. 3 and Oct. 7-10 in the Callaway Theatre on campus. Thursday through Saturday shows begin at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday shows begin at 2:30 p.m. The Philadelphia Story is a classic sophisticated romantic comedy set in Philadelphia in the early 1940s. The play was later made into a successful film starring Cary Grant, Kathryn Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

Shorter University welcomes Cecily Nall, soprano, for a guest artist series recital in Brookes Chapel on Monday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. As an international leading soprano, Nall has performed in the most prestigious opera houses in the United States and Europe. She first attracted attention as a winner of the Metropolitan Opera and the Baltimore Opera and began her professional career in the Cincinnati Opera Young American Artists Program. This event is open to the public at no charge.

Chuck Chandler, assistant professor of voice at Shorter University, and Rianne Chandler, an instructor of music, will perform in a faculty and guest recital with Paul and Valerie MacPhail in Brookes Chapel. The recital will be held Sunday, Oct. 10, at 3 p.m.  This event is open to the public at no charge.

Shorter University will present a student art exhibit in the Arnold Art Gallery from Oct. 18 through Nov. 5. The exhibit will feature various works by Shorter art students. This event is open to the public at no charge. Gallery hours are Monday- Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Shorter University’s fall opera La canterina by Joseph Haydn and La Davina by Thomas Pasatieri will be presented Oct. 21-24 in the Callaway Theatre. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Shorter opera company will present two delightful one-act operas composed 200 years apart from one another. La canterina (1766) is a jovial farce concerning a demure young maiden and her singing teacher and will be performed in Italian. In La Davina (1966), a past-her-prime operatic star takes her final bow.  This hilarious satire of the “diva” persona will be performed in English. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

Shorter University is excited to host the 15th annual Northwest Georgia Choral Festival on Monday, Oct. 25. The daylong event is for high school students and elementary school students and their directors. The public is invited to attend the final concert featuring the festival choirs and the Shorter Chorale; the concert begins at 7 p.m. in the Winthrop-King Centre. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

The Balkan String Quartet will perform in Shorter University’s Brookes Chapel Thursday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m.  This event is open to the public at no charge.

A Chamber Concert featuring the Balkan String Quartet and the Chamber Players of the South will be held in Brookes Chapel at Shorter University on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. This event is open to the public at no charge.

Shorter University’s Chorus will present its fall concert on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookes Chapel. The concert will begin with a performance featuring choral masterworks by Handel and Vaughn Williams. Commemorating the centennial of his birth, this concert will also include music by celebrated American composer Samuel Barber. Tickets are $15 for general admission or $10 for students and senior citizens and can be purchased by calling the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

The Schumann Celebration part I featuring Shorter University faculty members Jerico Vasquez, piano, and Ben Harris, piano, and the Balkan String Quartet will be held in Brookes Chapel on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 3 p.m. This event is open to the public at no charge.

Shorter University’s fall musical Curtains will run Nov. 11-14 and Nov. 18-21 in the University’s Callaway Theatre. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. This musical who-done-it is written by Rupert Holmes with the music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb. Set in Boston, this musical is a spoof on backstage murder mysteries.  Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order tickets, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

The Shorter Chorale Fall Concert will be held Saturday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookes Chapel. The Chorale will present a variety of works from Robert Shaw and Alice Parker featuring Wondrous Love, Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal, and I Will Arise. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

The Schumann Celebration part II featuring Shorter University music faculty members Matthew Hoch, baritone, Ben Harris, piano, Chuck Chandler, tenor, and Jerico Vasquez, piano, will be held in Brookes Chapel on Monday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. This event is open to the public at no charge.

A popular Rome tradition returns this year at the Rome City Auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 28, as Shorter University brings in the holiday season with the Feaste of Caroles with performances by the Shorter Chorale and Shorter Chorus and a very special guest high school choir. The concert begins at 6 p.m. There will be songs old and new, audience sing-a-longs, and guest faculty soloists. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

Shorter University presents Angel Street, directed by senior Callie Edwards, Wednesday-Friday, Dec. 1-3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Callaway Theatre. Angel Street is a Victorian thriller later made into the classic film Gaslight, staring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and Joseph Cotton. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

Shorter University will host a guest art exhibit by Frank Murphy, who serves as a campus minister at Berry and Georgia Highlands colleges. The exhibit will be held in the Arnold Art Gallery on Jan. 18-Feb. 4. This exhibit is open to the public at no charge weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Much of his art relates to common threads within his ministry (redemption, reconciliation, joy, faith, compassion, mercy and love). His “Seeing is Believing” exhibit will feature recent work of biblical stories, narrative depictions from literature, portraits of unusual holy men and the preparatory work for the commissioned Georgia Baptist Convention murals.

Shorter University’s winter opera The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore will be presented Jan. 21-22 at the Desoto Theatre in downtown Rome at 7:30 p.m. The Ballad of Baby Doe (1956) retells the true story of Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor and her marriage to a rich silver entrepreneur. Set over the course of several decades, the opera reveals tableaus from Baby Doe’s life. This American opera is a landmark work in standard repertory. Performed with full orchestra, this opera will combine the talents of Shorter University’s faculty and students. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

Shorter University Professor of Music Dr. Peter DeWitt will perform a faculty recital of organ music on Monday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookes Chapel. This event is open to the public at no charge.

Shorter University’s guest artist series continues with a performance by pianist Abbey Simon on Monday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookes Chapel. “On the front rank of the younger generation of pianists” has been a frequent comment by music critics in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and the major cities of Europe, when speaking of the brilliant American pianist, Abbey Simon. This event is open to the public at no charge.

Shorter University will host a guest art exhibit by Amalia Amaki, a nationally known, photo-based mixed media artist who is also the professor of art history at the University of Alabama. Amaki has work in collection of the High Museum and the National Museum for Women in the Arts. “Homage” by Amalia Amaki will be on display Feb. 7-March 1 in the Arnold Art Gallery. This event is open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at no charge.

Shorter University’s winter play Trojan Women will run Feb. 17-20 and 24-27 in the Callaway Theatre. This Greek tragedy by Euripides follows the fates of the women on Troy after their city has been sacked, their husbands killed and their families are to be enslaved. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

Shorter University will host a student art exhibit March 8-April 1 in the Arnold Art Gallery. This exhibit will display various works of art by Shorter University students and is open to the public at no charge. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Shorter University Band will present its spring concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 8, at Brookes Chapel. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.

In this year’s spring performance, members of the Shorter University Chorus celebrate the rich diversity and history of the world of choral music. They will conclude their year Saturday, April 9, in Brookes Chapel with a concert of varied textures, languages, and tone colors designed to highlight the beauty of the musical kaleidoscope that is their art. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.  

The loveable characters of Charles Schulz will come alive in the Shorter University spring musical: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, a musical adaptation of the Peanuts comic strip. The show will run April 12 through April 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Callaway Theatre. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.  

The Shorter Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Martha Shaw, will hold its Spring Concert on Saturday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Rome. Written for double choir and soloists, Mass in G Minor of British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams will be the centerpiece of the chorale’s upcoming performances in and around Madrid, Burgos, and Barcelona. Rounding out the program will be American folk song arrangements and spirituals, which were requested by the wonderful people of Spain during the chorale’s recent preparatory visit. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.  

Shorter University will present the Dark Night Series Tuesday, April 19, through Thursday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Callaway Theatre. New plays will be read in a recital format, and audiences will have the opportunity to hear new works before they hit the big time. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. To order, call the Shorter University box office at 706-233-7288 or boxoffice@shorter.edu.  

Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christian college committed to excellence in education. Since 2003, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Shorter among the South’s best baccalaureate colleges. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 48 major areas as well as undergraduate degree programs for working adults, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education and the Master of Arts in Leadership. Online courses are also available. For more information, visit www.shorter.edu.


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