PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 26, No. 10, Nov. 16, 2006

brief notes

John Corigliano
Performance celebrates composer-in-residence
John Corigliano, one of the world’s most widely celebrated contemporary composers, will be in residence at the UI Nov. 28-Dec. 1. During his visit, a number of UI ensembles and performing artists will join to present “The Music of John Corigliano, featuring ‘Circus Maximus,’ ” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Foellinger Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Ticket information is available online at www.krannertcenter.com or 333-6280.

 In Corigliano’s “Circus Maximus,” the forces of the wind symphony are augmented to encompass a concert band on stage, a “surround” band stationed around the audience, and a marching band, which moves through the entire hall and off-stage areas. The work, named for the largest arena of the ancient world, depicts the parallels that exist between the excesses of our “channel-surfing/reality show” society and the high decadence of the Roman empire. This event promises to take the concert hall experience a step forward as the audience experiences multiple music sources in an eight-sectioned, continuous piece.

Performing ensembles will be the UI Wind Symphony, James F. Keene, conductor; Illinois Brass Quintet; and UI Concert Choir, Chet Alwes, conductor. Featured soloists will be Dawn Harris, mezzo-soprano; Stefan Milenkovich, violin; Ani Aznavoorian, cello; Jonathan Keeble, flute; Rochelle Sennet, piano; and Ann Yeung, harp.
While on campus, Corigliano – who has won several Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize for his Second Symphony, and an Academy Award for his score to Francois Giraud’s 1997 film “The Red Violin” – will participate in rehearsals, give master classes and meet individually with students and  faculty members. He also will present a composer’s forum, free and open to the public, at 4 p.m. Nov. 28 in Room 1201 Music Building.

University YMCA
Communiversity instructors needed
The YMCA’s Communiversity Program is looking for new instructors and interesting classes for the spring 2007 semester. If you have a special skill or interest to share with others, you can get paid for your efforts by offering a course through Communiversity. For more information and an application, visit www.universityymca.org/communiversity or call Alicia at 337-1514.

Illini Union
Holiday baked goods available
Illini Union Catering once again will offer baked goods for Thanksgiving. The carry-out menu includes 9-inch pies (apple, pumpkin or Donald’s sweet potato pie for $7.50 and pecan for $10.50), carrot cake ($10.50), banana bread or pumpkin nut bread ($5), dinner rolls ($5 a dozen) and pecan rolls ($12 a dozen).

Orders must be placed by noon Nov. 20, and may be made by calling 244-1515, visiting www.housing.uiuc.edu, or e-mailing brunkowp@uiuc.edu.

Orders will be available for pickup between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Nov. 22 in the Colonial Room of the Illini Union. Free parking will be provided that day in lot D-10, just east of the Illini Union.

College of ACES
Pampered Chef lecture is Dec. 7
The Pampered Chef Family Resiliency Program fall lecture will feature Karen Pittman, executive director of the Forum for Youth Investment and president of Impact Strategies Inc. Pittman will talk about “Improving the Odds for Youth: A Call for Community Leadership” at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 in the Knight Auditorium of the Spurlock Museum. The lecture is free and open to the public.  For more information, visit www.familyresiliency.uiuc.edu.

The Pampered Chef Family Resiliency Program supports innovative research, education and public engagement activities that hold potential for strengthening families’ ability to be resilient in the face of life stressors and to successfully navigate the competing demands of work and family. The program’s new home, Doris Kelley Christopher Hall, was dedicated in September.

I Space
New art exhibitions open in Chicago
Three new exhibitions will be on view Nov. 17 through Dec. 23 at I space, the Chicago gallery of the UI:

• “Hideous Beast: Mini Movie Fest” will feature continuous screenings of one-minute movies from around the world, made using digital still cameras, videophones and PDAs. The I space screening is part of a multiple-venue mini-movie festival taking place simultaneously throughout Chicago. The festival is organized by Hideous Beast, a two-person collaborative advocating participatory art – UI school of art and design alumni Josh Ippel and Charles Roderick.
  
  I space will feature archival movies from past festivals, along with photographic documentation of each event; a “user guide” for the Mini Movie Fest, which includes instructions for creating a “mini cine”; a device for displaying movies on a laptop computer or television; and a station where visitors may submit movies to any of the Chicago events.
  
  A workshop, free and open to the public, will be held from noon-2 p.m. Dec. 23. It will be followed, from 3-5 p.m., by a screening of movies submitted at I space during the festival.
  
  For more information, or to submit a movie to the festival, visit www.hideousbeast.com.
  
  
• “Molly Briggs: Fabula” showcases eight paintings adjoined to form a single, 30-foot panoramic work representing an artificial, yet documentary, urban landscape. Working in flashe, acrylic and tempera paints applied to paper vellum laid over linen, the Chicago-based artist and UI art and design alumna constructed her own condensed interpretation of the city’s North Avenue, from Harlem to the lakefront.
  The artist’s process involved selecting and photographing one tree, tree-like shrub or stand of trees from each block, then using the projected transparencies to paint the source images.
  
• “David Svensson: LightSpace” is a site-specific installation by the Swedish artist, known for his sculptural work using light and color. At I space, Svensson is installing colored films on the gallery’s conference-room windows. The application of the films subtly alters and reshapes the character of the space by modulating the light that enters it.

An opening reception is scheduled to take place from 5-8 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the gallery, 230 W. Superior St., Chicago. I space gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Renovations to improve access to arts
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts recently initiated a series of projects aimed at improving accessibility, technology and community engagement.

The center’s lobby now offers wireless Internet connections to all UI net ID holders. Working with CITES’ Network Design Office, Krannert technical staff members are planning the second phase of the project, which will provide wireless connections to patrons in all public areas, as well as in rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms, classrooms and backstage areas.

To improve patron access, the center also has installed hand railings in two of its indoor theater spaces.

New and improved lighting also was installed in the Studio, Colwell Playhouse and Tryon Festival theaters. More than 500 industry-standard lighting instruments, called “source fours,”  are more energy efficient and cost effective than previously existing ones, some of which were original to the building. They also are designed to provide a clean field of light and will be easier to focus.

Visitors to the center may learn more about the recent upgrades during regularly scheduled tours of the facility. Free tours are conducted daily at 3 p.m. during the school year, and special tours can be arranged by calling 333-9716 at least two weeks in advance. More information can be found at www.krannertcenter.com.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Carol concert, tree lighting is Dec. 3
Gather at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 3 to celebrate the season with traditional holiday music and a tree lighting ceremony.

At 3 p.m., the annual Carol Concert features short groupings of seasonal pieces interspersed with traditional carols and holiday songs. This musical celebration is presented by the UI School of Music Choral Division.

Then at 4:30, the Krannert Center Student Association hosts the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, which includes music, a visit from Santa and an opportunity to make the holidays merry for others by selecting a gift recipient from the Giving Tree.
Both events are free and open to the public.

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