eInside Events

Annual Performing Arts Center Unveiling Scheduled for July 19 at Kent State Tuscarawas

Pictured is the Kent State University at Tuscarawas
Performing Arts Center.

The annual unveiling for Kent State University at Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center’s new season will be held on July 19 at 6 p.m. Attendees will be the first to see the new 2014-2015 schedule and will be able to buy tickets for the performances. The evening also includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and a drawing for one individual to win two tickets to every production for the season. Season unveiling tickets are $25 for Performing Arts Center members and $35 for non-members.

The new season’s schedule features well-known Broadway musicals, dance, comedy and family programming. Musical performances include country, blues and rock and in addition, there will be two holiday shows, an iconic orchestra and a holiday spectacular.

According to Mike Morelli, Ph.D., general manager for the Performing Arts Center, the evening’s format features entertainment and a refreshed itinerary from previous years.

“We’ve changed the format for the evening to lead with the unveiling presentation followed by hors d’oeuvres and entertainment,” Morelli explains. “Our guests are excited to learn of the upcoming shows and enjoy visiting with each other after the unveiling, so we have accommodated them. During this same time, they can also purchase tickets for the season.”

Proceeds from the evening will go toward the Performing Arts Center Endowment, which is used to underwrite various endeavors, such as facility and equipment upgrades, and the Class Act Series for students in grades K-12. Area students can attend these high-caliber, daytime performances for $1.

Season unveiling tickets can be purchased in person at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at www.tusc.kent.edu/pac or by calling 330-308-6400. The box office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Dr. NE in New Philadelphia.

Sixth Annual Kent Blues Fest is Bigger and Better Than Ever

The Sixth Annual Kent Blues Fest takes place July 18-19
in downtown Kent.

The Sixth Annual Kent Blues Fest takes place July 18-19 in downtown Kent, presented by the nonprofit Crooked River Arts Council. On Friday, enjoy free live blues at 23 Kent venues. Artists include the Juke Hounds, Blue Lunch, Wallace Coleman Band, the Wanda Hunt Band, Colin John, the Numbers Band, Ian Penter, Memphis Cradle and many more.

“With all of the new development in downtown Kent, we were able to expand the blues fest significantly this year,” says Mike Beder, one of the event organizers, co-owner of Tree City Coffee & Pastry, and owner of the Water Street Tavern and the Venice Café. “The community has really embraced this festival and it’s now become one of Kent’s signature events.”

On Saturday, July 19, at 8 p.m., Grammy Award-winning bluesman John Hammond headlines the Kent Stage. Hammond is an inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame and a master performer in concert. The New York Times call him “a blues legend with a voice like Robert Johnson.”

Opening the Saturday concert will be Rory Block. The Blues Foundation says “she is widely regarded as the top female interpreter and authority on traditional country blues worldwide."

For tickets and details, visit www.kentbluesfest.com.

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

Pictured are participants in the 2013 Piano Institute at Kent
State University with co-directors Donna Lee (far right)
and Jerry Wong (far left), both associate professors in
Kent State's School of Music.

The 2014 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 15-19 on the Kent Campus and culminate with the July 22 gala concert at Severance Hall’s Reinberger Chamber Hall in Cleveland. The nine-year-old program is a highly intensive festival for talented piano students in grades 7-12. The July 22 gala concert will feature 14 highly gifted, pre-collegiate pianists from the United States, China, Russia and Mongolia. 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 Pierre van der Westhuizen, director of the Cleveland International Piano 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, call 330-672-1061 or visit www.kent.edu/pianoinstitute.

Piano Institute Activities

Tuesday, July 15, 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 Campus

Wednesday, July 16, 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 Campus

Thursday, July 17, 3:45 p.m.
Master class with Pierre van der Westhuizen, director of the Cleveland International Piano Competition
University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall, Kent Campus

Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m.
Master class with Joela Jones, principal keyboardist with the Cleveland Orchestra
Ludwig Recital Hall in the Center for the Performing Arts (formerly Music and Speech Building), Kent Campus

Tuesday, July 22, 7 p.m.
Gala concert featuring all Piano Institute participants
Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall, Cleveland

Ludwig Recital Hall is located in the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive in Kent. University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall is located on Terrace Drive, off Main Street in Kent. Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall is located at 11001 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland.

Brown Bag Lunches Offer Tips on Research Funding

A series of brown bag (bring your own) lunches this summer in Kent State University’s Division of Research and Sponsored Programs will offer tips and updates to faculty seeking federal research funding. Lunches will be held in Cartwright Hall Room 141.

The topics and schedule:

July 23: The New NIH Resubmission Policy. Find out about the new policy and how to prepare resubmissions of proposals or new proposals by the October deadlines.

Aug. 21: R15 (Academic Research Enhancement Awards) Applications. Issues related to submitting or resubmitting NIH R15 proposals will be discussed. R15 grants support small-scale research projects.

To participate in a lunch, please contact Douglas Delahanty, director of the Initiative for Clinical and Translational Research in the Division of Research and Sponsored Programs, at 330-672-2395 or ddelahan@kent.edu.

Porthouse Theatre Continues 2014 Season With Starmites

Critically acclaimed production features strong female leads and high-energy entertainment

Kent State University’s Porthouse Theatre, located on the
grounds of Blossom Music Center, continues its 46th
season with Starmites.

Porthouse Theatre, Kent State University’s outdoor, summer theatre located on the grounds of Blossom Music Center, continues its 46th season with Starmites. Performances run through July 19.

Directed by Michael McIntosh, Starmites is a high-energy adventure fantasy in which humans and heroes discover love, loyalty, inner strength and a great doo-wop beat as they conquer the sinister inhabitants of Innerspace. Follow teenager Eleanor as she escapes into the world of her beloved comic books and discovers that the stories she loves may not just be stories after all. Critically acclaimed and nominated for six Tony Awards when it debuted on Broadway in 1989, Starmites was written by Barry Keating and Stuart Ross. Performances are July 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 at 8 p.m.

The production stars Actors Equity Association member Colleen Longshaw as Diva/Eleanor’s Mother. The cast is comprised of Porthouse Theatre’s Young Professional Company: Lucy Anders, Jessica Nicole Benson, Mackenzie Duan, Grace Falasco, Miriam Henkel-Moellmann, Daniel Lindenberger, Elliott Litherland, Darian Lunsford, Dylan Ratell, and Christopher D. Tuck.

Starmites is choreographed by Amy Fritsche and music directed by Jennifer Korecki. Costume design is by Susan Williams, lighting design is by Carly Shiner, scene design is by Steve Pauna, sound design is by Brian Chismar and technical direction is by Ryan T. Patterson. Stage manager is Joshua Brown. Actors Equity Production stage manager is Derric Nolte.

For subscriptions and tickets, call 330-672-3884; purchase online at www.porthousetheatre.com; or in person at the Porthouse Box Office located in the Roe Green Center lobby of the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive in Kent. The box office is open Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The box office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, checks and cash.

Note: Gold Center tickets refer to the best seats, senior pricing applies to individuals age 60+ and student pricing applies to those 18 and under or with valid college ID. Flex Tix subscriptions, which allow guests to select one ticket per show for any performance to fit any schedule, are $90; Gift Flex Tix gift cards are $93.

Thursday Preview Performance Series prices are as follows: Gold Center $63, Left and Right Center $57. Opening Night performances (includes a free reception): Gold Center $90, adults and seniors $81, students $60. Saturday Weekend Series (choose one of three sets of Saturday show dates): Gold Center $87, adults $78, seniors $72 and students $51.

Sunday Weekend Series (choose one of two sets of Sunday show dates): Gold Center $75, adults $66, seniors $60, and students $48. Weekday Series (choose one of two sets of show dates on either Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday): Gold Center $78, adults $69, seniors $63 and students $48.

Special rates for groups of 20 or more are available, as are student rates. Single tickets, ranging from $28 - $37 for adults and seniors and $16 - $24 for students, are on sale now.