eInside Events

Porthouse Theatre Summer Continues 2013 Season With Working, July 4-20

Members of the Porthouse Theatre 2013 Young Professional
Company make up the cast of Working at Porthouse Theatre.
The Young Professional Company includes undergraduate and
graduate students studying musical theatre at Kent State.

Porthouse Theatre, Kent State University’s outdoor, summer theater on the grounds of Blossom Music Center, continues its 2013 season with Working. The show runs through July 20.

Working is based on the book by Studs Terkel and was adapted for stage by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso. Jim Weaver will direct and choreograph this production, with musical direction by Adam Howard, costume design by Susan Williams and set design by Nolan O’Dell.

“Working is a show about life, respect, acceptance and the ultimate adventure of it all. We each have individual perspectives and experiences that shape our outlook and reactions to what life brings out way,” Weaver says. “In the end, however, it really boils down to having a sense of satisfaction. That is the key to true happiness. Knowing we did things right and someone noticed. That is the central message contained in Working.”

This new 2010 version of Working is a musical exploration of 26 people in a variety of professions, from all walks of life.

“Working is a slice of life set to music. We have funny moments, heartfelt moments, frustrating as well as uplifting moments,” Weaver says. “These are some of the variables life has to offer, and we touch on as many of them as we can in this musical about life — real life — and what we do with it.”

The show explores how people’s relationships to their work reveal key aspects of their humanity, transcending the specifics of any one job.

“We are telling the story of real people peeking into how they feel on the inside,” Weaver says. “Their ultimate truth is revealed through their words and songs.”

This version of the show includes two new songs by In the Heights Tony Award-winning creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with a streamlined book and updated lyrics.

Working runs July 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 at 8 p.m., and July 14, at 2 p.m.

Following Working, Fiddler on the Roof will close the Porthouse Theatre 2013 season, running July 25 through Aug. 11.

Porthouse Theatre is located on the grounds of Blossom Music Center at 1145 W. Steels Corners Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Single tickets are $32-38 for adults, $26-35 for seniors and $17-21 for students. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 330-672-3884 or visit www.porthousetheatre.com.

Porthouse Theatre features free parking and allows patrons to bring in picnics (including alcohol) to its grounds to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which is located next to the theatre grounds. A covered picnic pavilion is available for reservation at $2 per person or free for subscribers, and is based on availability. There also is a concession stand of light snacks and beverages. Many picnic tables are available for everyone’s enjoyment at no cost.

Dr. Harald Blomberg to Hold Rhythmic Movement Training Symposium at Kent State University

Swedish Psychiatrist Harald Blomberg, M.D., will share his work on Rhythmic Movement Training (RMT) on Wednesday, July 17, from 5:30 – 6:45 p.m. in the Read Room (Room 200) at White Hall, located at 150 Terrace Drive on the Kent Campus. Blomberg’s lecture will be followed by a reception.

Rhythmic Movement Training has been successful in improving motor difficulties, reading and writing, and behaviors associated with ADHD and autism. Blomberg’s presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by a reception.

Creator of the Blomberg RMT (BRMT) and author of Movements That Heal, Blomberg has been investigating the link between retained infant reflexes, learning challenges and emotional imbalances since the 1980s and has taught BRMT across Europe, North America, Australia and Asia.

Rhythmic movements, adapted for children and adults, are based on the infant’s sequence of natural developmental movements in utero and the period identified by Piaget as the sensorimotor stage. Two primary principles of the Blomberg model are that these movements are involved in the maturing of the nervous system and the inhibition (integration) of the primitive reflexes. Primitive (first) reflexes are automatic, stereotyped movements controlled from the brain stem; these reflexes serve an important purpose developmentally, but if they remain active, can hinder one’s ability to learn efficiently and function optimally. Blomberg and other practitioners of RMT have seen improvements among the people they have worked with, not only in motor development, but in the areas of attention and focus, emotional development, reading, writing, speech and behaviors associated with ADHD and autism as well.

For more information about the symposium or to reserve your place at this free presentation and reception, contact Lisbeth K. Justice, Ph.D., at 330-673-5839 or lkjusti1@kent.edu. Also contact Justice for more information about Blomberg’s two-day sessions on “RMT and Diet in Autism and ADD/ADHD” and “RMT, Dreams and Inner Healing.”

The RMT Symposium is sponsored by the nonprofit organization, LoveLight Inc., in partnership with the Gerald H. Read Center for International and Intercultural Education.

Kent State’s Piano Institute Presents Its Eighth Annual Gala Concert and Series of Performances

Donna Lee, an associate professor of
music and coordinator of the Piano Division
at Kent State University, instructs a student
at the university’s Piano Institute. The
eight-year-old program is a highly intensive
festival for talented piano students in grades
7-12.

The 2013 Piano Institute, in association with the Piano Division of the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music at Kent State University, will present a series of master classes and recitals from July 14-20 on the university’s campus and culminate with the July 23 gala concert at Severance Hall’s Reinberger Chamber Hall in Cleveland.

The eight-year-old program is a highly intensive festival for talented piano students in grades 7-12. The July 23 gala concert will feature 14 highly gifted pre-collegiate pianists from the United States, China, Russia and the Czech Republic. Except for the July 16 recital, the master classes, recitals and gala concert are free and open to the public.

Instructors of the Piano Institute include Donna Lee, D.M.A., associate professor and coordinator of the Piano Division at Kent State, and Jerry Wong, D.M.A., associate professor of piano at Kent State. Guest artists for this year’s Piano Institute are Alexander Schimpf, concert pianist and the 2011 winner of the Cleveland Piano International Competition, and Joela Jones, principal keyboardist with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Piano Institute participants receive four hours of one-on-one lessons daily; attend master classes; and study sight-reading, technique, practicing and audition/competition preparation. They also will have the unique opportunity to share in the Kent/Blossom Music program, a premiere summer institution for summer collegiate level study of solo, chamber and orchestral literature.

For more information, please call 330-672-1061 or visit www.kent.edu/pianoinstitute.

Piano Institute Activities

Sunday, July 14, 3:30 p.m.
Piano Institute Faculty Recital featuring Donna Lee, Kent State associate professor and coordinator of the Piano Division in the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, and Jerry Wong, Kent State associate professor and co-director of the Piano Institute
Ludwig Recital Hall in Music and Speech Center, Kent State University

Tuesday, July 16, 3:45 p.m.
Master class with Donna Lee, Kent State associate professor and coordinator of the Piano Division in the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, and co-director of the Piano Institute
University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall, Kent State University

Tuesday, July 16, 7:30 p.m.
Recital featuring Alexander Schimpf, concert pianist and the 2011 winner of the Cleveland Piano International Competition
Ludwig Recital Hall in Music and Speech Center, Kent State University
*Admission required. Prices are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and $5 for students. To order tickets, please call 330-672-2613 and leave a message with your name and phone number. Someone will return your call as soon as they can. Tickets also will be available one hour before the performance at the box office outside Ludwig Recital Hall. The box office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, checks and cash.

Wednesday, July 17, 3:45 p.m.
Master class with Alexander Schimpf, concert pianist and the 2011 winner of the Cleveland Piano International Competition
University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall, Kent State University

Thursday, July 18, 3:45 p.m.
Master class with Jerry Wong, Kent State associate professor and co-director of the Piano Institute
University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall, Kent State University

Saturday, July 20, 10 a.m.
Master class with Joela Jones, principal keyboardist with the Cleveland Orchestra
University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall, Kent State University

Tuesday, July 23, 7 p.m.
Gala concert featuring all Piano Institute participants
Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall, Cleveland

Ludwig Recital Hall is located in the Music and Speech Building at 1325 Theatre Drive in Kent. University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall is located on Terrace Drive, off of Main Street, in Kent. Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall is located at 11001 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland.

Joela Jones and Richard Weiss perform in Kent/Blossom Music Festival Faculty Concert, July 17

Cleveland Orchestra keyboardist Joela
Jones will perform in a Kent/Blossom
Music Festival Faculty Concert on
July 17.

(Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni)

Cleveland Orchestra members Joela Jones, keyboardist, and Richard Weiss, cellist, will perform in a Kent/Blossom Music Festival Faculty Concert on Wednesday, July 17. All Kent/Blossom Music Festival Faculty Concerts are held at 7:30 p.m. in Ludwig Recital Hall in the Music and Speech Center, located at 1325 Theatre Drive on the Kent Campus.

Single tickets are on sale, for adults $15; seniors, $13; and students, $5. For more information about the Kent/Blossom Music Festival, visit www.kent.edu/blossom. To purchase tickets, call the Kent/Blossom Music Festival office at 330-672-2613 or visit www.kent.edu/blossom. Subscriptions may be purchased with check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Discover).

Jones and Weiss will perform such works as “Suite Popular Española for Cello and Piano" by Manuel de Falla, "Trio for Oboe and Bassoon and Piano" by Francis Poulenc and "Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 84" by Edward Elgar.

Jones and Weiss will be joined by Danna Sundet, oboe; Barrick Stees, bassoon; Ying Fu and Jeffrey Zehngut, violin; and Stanley Konopka, viola.

Jones, principal keyboard for the Cleveland Orchestra, has performed more than 50 different concertos in 200-plus performances with the Cleveland Orchestra. Jones chairs collaborative piano at Kent/Blossom Music Festival, and also teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in cities including Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Weiss, first assistant principal cellist for the Cleveland Orchestra, joined the Kent/Blossom Music faculty in 1985. Weiss was a Kent/Blossom Music scholarship student in 1972. Weiss is also a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Piano Trio, and he coaches the cello sections of the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestras, the New World Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.

Fu joined the Cleveland Orchestra at the start of the 2011-2012 season. A native of Shanghai, China, Fu has won prizes in competitions in Europe, China and the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Shanghai Conservatory, and a Master of Music degree from Rice University. He is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts degree candidate at Rice University, studying with Cho-Liang Lin and Sergiu Luca.

Zehngut joined the second violin section of the Cleveland Orchestra in August 2011. Zehngut previously served as associate principal second violin of the San Diego Symphony 2005-11 and as principal second of the Canton Symphony Orchestra 2002-05. He holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with William Preucil and Paul Kantor.

Konopka joined the Cleveland Orchestra in 1991 and has been assistant principal viola since 1993. Currently a faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Konopka has taught at the Kent/Blossom Music Festival and has performed at the chamber music festivals of Banff, Taos and Pensacola.

Stees has been assistant principal bassoon of the Cleveland Orchestra since 2001. Stees has concertized extensively in Europe, South America and Asia, including a solo tour of Hong Kong and China. His solo appearances include performances with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra.

Sundet serves as full-time assistant professor of oboe at Kent State University. She is co-artistic coordinator of the Kent/Blossom Music Festival and is now the musical director of the John Mack Legacy Oboe Camp in Little Switzerland, N.C. Sundet specializes in performing in Bach Festivals, where she is a featured soloist on the oboe, oboe d'amore and the English horn.

The Kent/Blossom Music Festival Faculty Concerts feature performances by the high-profile musicians who serve as faculty for the students attending the Kent/Blossom Music Festival summer program, including members of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Kent State University School of Art Gallery Presents A Timeless Community: Photographs by Richard Sweet

The Kent State University School of Art Gallery will present
A Timeless Community: Photographs by Richard Sweet
from June 19 through Aug. 9.

The Kent State University School of Art Gallery will present A Timeless Community: Photographs by Richard Sweet from June 19 through Aug. 9 in the School of Art Gallery. The gallery, located on the second floor of the School of Art building, will host a reception on Thursday, July 25, from 5 to 7 p.m., which is free and open to the public.

This exhibition is the first of two exhibits about Richard Sweet that the School of Art Galleries will host this summer. The second exhibit Time & Town: A Sweet History of Kent runs from July 24 – Aug. 24 at the School of Art Downtown Gallery located at 141 East Main St. in Kent, and will also have a reception on July 25 from 5-7 p.m. Both exhibitions have been curated by Brenton Pahl, assistant to the director of the School of Art Galleries.

“As a photographer for the Record-Courier, Richard Sweet was able to chronicle numerous events in the history of Kent and Portage County,” says curator Brenton Pahl. “While active during the second half of the 20th century, Sweet was able to capture times of change in the town. Changes that include the burning down of the department stores on Main Street next to the mill, facelifts to the Pufferbelly LTD Restaurant and Ray’s Place and the installation of the river’s fountain.

“The vision for these two exhibitions on Sweet was to inform the rotating young adults who call Kent home, and to remind Portage County residents, of how far we have come in the past 40 years,” Pahl continues. “The images of this exhibition exemplify how the region is a living and breathing area with a mindset of its own. In order to find these images, the School of Art Galleries combed through half a dozen boxes filled to the brim of 35mm and 120mm negatives, as well as slides. After retiring in 2004 and passing away the following year, Sweet left behind an unprecedented record of Kent and Portage County.”

For more information, contact Anderson Turner, director of galleries, at haturner@kent.edu or visit http://galleries.kent.edu.

Eells Gallery at Blossom to Feature the Work of Cleveland Artist Dana Depew, July 3-28

The Kent/Blossom Art Festival's Eells Gallery will present
work by Kent State alumna and Cleveland-based artist
Dana Depew through July 28.The Eells Gallery is located
on the grounds of the Blossom Music Center.

The Kent/Blossom Art Festival's Eells Gallery, located on the grounds of the Blossom Music Center, will present work by Dana Depew, from now through July 28. The Eells Gallery, curated by Kent State Gallery Director Anderson Turner, is open two hours prior to and through the intermission of every Cleveland Orchestra performance.

Depew is a Cleveland-based artist working in a variety of media, including found-object sculpture and painting. These found objects can include textiles, water tanks, exit signs and house paints. Depew’s biography states, “[Depew] resurrects thrown-out cast offs and found objects into wholly new and unique objects.”

Depew studied sculpture at Kent State University. In 2013, Depew was named one of the “Most Interesting People” by Cleveland Magazine. For more information about Depew, visit www.danadepew.com.

The Eells Gallery was established through a gift from William H. Eells, one of the founders of the Blossom Music Center and the first chairman of its Board of Governors. The gallery is named in honor of his parents, Hastings and Amy Eells. It is located on the Smith Plaza at the Blossom Music Center between the Frank E. Joseph Garden and the Bandwagon Gift Shop. To learn more about the Eells Gallery, contact the Kent State University School of Art Gallery by calling 330-672-7853 or visit http://galleries.kent.edu.

Quaker Steak & Lube Bike Nite Comes to Kent State

Kent State University and Quaker Steak
& Lube will host a Bike Night on July 13
for the university community.

Kent State University, in partnership with Quaker Steak & Lube, will host a Bike Night on Saturday, July 13, from 6-10 p.m. The event will take place on the Student Green, the new outdoor concert space on the Kent Campus, and will feature live music, food, games and prizes.

Members of the campus and surrounding Kent community are invited to bring their bikes and a blanket, and enjoy a night of free musical entertainment. The bands performing will include Mo’ Mojo, a high-energy, Zydeco-based band, and The Twistoffs, an original rock and folk group.

Stay updated about this event by liking “Quaker Steak & Lube – Kent State University” on Facebook or by visiting https://www.facebook.com/events/425020850938315/.