eInside Events

Kent State University Bookstore to Host Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event, Dec. 4 and 5

Join the Kent State University Bookstore for this year’s Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event on Dec. 4 and 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kent State faculty and staff can enjoy book-signing events, refreshments and 25 percent off apparel with a valid Kent State I.D.

On Thursday, Dec. 4, from noon to 1 p.m., relive the magic of Cleveland sports with Terry Pluto, sports columnist for The Plain Dealer, and Tom Hamilton, chief radio announcer for the Cleveland Indians. The Cleveland sports veterans will be signing their book Glory Days in Tribe Town.

On Friday, Dec. 5, from noon to 2 p.m., guests can enjoy the Cleveland Christmas experience with author Gail Ghetia Bellamy. Bellamy will sign copies of her book Cleveland Christmas Memories.

For more information about the University Bookstore, visit http://www.kent.bkstr.com.

Kent State Gospel Choir’s Fall Concert is Dec. 4

The Kent State University Gospel Choir performs during
a concert. The choir will present its fall concert on
Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Auditorium
at Cartwright Hall.

The Kent State University Gospel Choir is proud to present its upcoming fall concert on Thursday, Dec. 4. The concert, which is free and open to students and other members of the community, will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. in the University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall.

This year, the Kent State Gospel Choir is made up of 30 strong and talented individuals who will give the audience a spectacular experience. This concert also will feature performances by many other groups, such as the Kent State Step Team, who are thrilled to show the audience their new moves and will get the crowd roaring and moving in their seats. There also will be special performances by Davey Elementary School and St. Sava Cathedral.

The Kent State Gospel Choir is directed by the talented Linda Walker, Ph.D., Kent State professor of music. Walker has performed in her church’s gospel choir and in other bands. Walker has been at Kent State since 1990 and formed the Kent State Gospel Choir in 1996. As choir director, Walker has done a wonderful job at molding talents of individuals into one sound, which has made the Kent State Gospel Choir one to reckon with both locally and internationally.

The Kent State Gospel Choir has been invited to perform across the U.S., and this year, was invited to perform at the African Choral Festival in Ghana, West Africa.

For more information about the concert and the Kent State Gospel Choir, contact Walker at 330-672-2431.

Kent State School of Art Announces 2014 Holiday Sale

The Kent State University School of Art will hold its annual
holiday sale at the Downtown Gallery from Dec. 2-7.

The Kent State University School of Art will hold its annual holiday sale at the Downtown Gallery from Tuesday, Dec. 2, to Sunday, Dec. 7. There also will be a reception at the gallery on Thursday, Dec. 4, from 5–7 p.m. Both the reception and the Downtown Gallery are free and open to the public.

During the holiday sale, local and regional artists — including Kent State faculty, students and alumni — showcase and sell original work in the gallery space. Gallery visitors can browse and purchase any of the works on display. The sale is a popular seasonal haunt for shoppers seeking unique holiday gifts.

The Downtown Gallery is located at 141 East Main St. in Kent. Gallery hours during the holiday sale will be 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Thursday, 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday and noon – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, contact Lesley Sickle at lsickle1@kent.edu or 330-676-1549.

Kent Chorus Presents Its Annual December Concert

The Kent State University Hugh A. Glauser School of Music
will present a performance by the Kent Chorus on Sunday,
Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m., in the University Auditorium at Cartwright
Hall.

The Kent State University Hugh A. Glauser School of Music presents a performance by the Kent Chorus on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. Cartwright Hall is located at 650 Hilltop Drive, with free parking located off Terrace Drive.

The Kent Chorus concert will feature the Christmas Oratorio, Op. 12 for string orchestra, harp and chorus by Camille Saint-Säens, Three Nativity Carols for harp, oboe and chorus by Stephen Paulus, and other seasonal carols and Hanukkah songs, as well as audience sing-alongs. The Kent Chorus will be joined by Danna Sundet, Kent State faculty oboe professor, and Jody Guinn harpist and guest artist. The Kent State Women’s Chorus also will perform holiday-themed music.

Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and Kent State faculty and staff, $10 for groups of 10 or more patrons, $8 for non-Kent State students, $5 for children and free for full-time Kent Campus undergraduate students.

Tickets are available weekdays, noon to 5 p.m. at the Performing Arts Box Office, located in the lobby of the Roe Green Center in the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive on the Kent Campus. The Performing Arts Box Office accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover, in addition to cash and checks.

The Cartwright Hall box office will open one hour prior to the performance for walk-up sales, and will accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover. Tickets and more information are available by calling 330-672-ARTS (2787) or visiting www.kent.edu/music.

City of Kent’s Festival of Lights is Dec. 6

Santa Claus will arrive by train during the city of Kent's
Festival of Lights on Dec. 6.

(Photo credit:Chriscoville.com)

Santa Claus will be arriving via train – that is so Kent! Mark your calendar, bundle up the kids (of all ages) and plan to be in downtown Kent for the arrival of the big guy in the red suit during the annual Festival of Lights on Saturday, Dec. 6. Once again this year, in addition to Hometown Bank Plaza, Kent’s winter wonderland will include the Main Street bridge and gazebo. The Dickens Carolers from The Light Church will entertain the crowd by singing holiday favorites and getting everyone ready for the big moment starting at 5:30 p.m. Santa will arrive at approximately 6 p.m.

New this year are horse-drawn wagon rides throughout downtown starting and ending at Hometown Bank Plaza, compliments of College Town Kent!

Back by popular demand, the Kent Free Library, in collaboration with the Kent State University Library, will be handing out age-appropriate books to the children after they see Santa.

This ever-popular event is sponsored by the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, with help from Tree City Coffee & Pastry, Kent Junior Mothers, Kent Lions, American Red Cross, Kent Kiwanis Club and Kent Parks and Recreation.

Kent State University Chorale Presents Carols and Confections

Guests can enjoy refreshments following Kent State
University School of Music's Carols and Confections. The
event will take place Dec. 6.

Kent State University Hugh A. Glauser School of Music presents Carols and Confections under the baton of Scott MacPherson, Kent State associate professor of music, on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. at the University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall. Cartwright Hall is located at 650 Hilltop Drive on the Kent Campus. Guests can enjoy refreshments following the performance.

The Kent State Chorale will put audience members in the holiday spirit with songs of the season. The group rehearses four days a week to master five centuries of choral literature. As the flagship choral ensemble of the university, the Kent State Chorale performs on campus and throughout the region and state, touring each spring semester.

Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (60+) and $5 for students with a valid ID or for children under 18 years old. Tickets are available for purchase at the door, cash or check only.

Apollo’s Fire Presents Its Billboard Bestseller at Kent State

Apollo’s Fire will perform its Sacred Mystery: A Celtic
Christmas Vespers on Dec. 3 from 7:30 p.m. at
Cartwright Hall on the Kent Campus.

Apollo’s Fire will perform its Sacred Mystery: A Celtic Christmas Vespers on Dec. 3 from 7:30 p.m. at Cartwright Hall located at 650 Hilltop Drive on the Kent Campus. A pre-concert talk will be given one hour prior to the concert, led by a musician.

Tickets range from $20-$68, with special rates for students, seniors (65+) and young adults (under 30). Tickets are available through Apollo’s Fire by phone at 216-320-0012 or 800-314-2535 or online at www.apollosfire.org.

Created in 2011 by Jeannette Sorrell and Montréal-based lutenist Sylvain Bergeron, performances of this Billboard-Hit program have sold out the past three seasons. In December 2012, the program was chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of the “Top 20 Live Events in North America.” Also that year, the program was released internationally on CD under British label AVIE and debuted at #11 on the Billboard Classical Charts.

The program is a celebration of Celtic artistic traditions – interweaving excerpts from the 13th century Vespers of St. Kentigern (patron saint of Glasgow, Scotland) with ancient pagan carols, renaissance choral music, traditional Celtic fiddle tunes and joyous dances – creating a rich tapestry that evokes Christmas both inside Glasgow Cathedral and outside its walls. The evening of haunting Gregorian chant, lively carols and driving folk dances is launched with a dramatic procession in Gaelic.

Featured soloist is Canadian soprano Meredith Hall, who has long been immersed in Scottish/Gaelic repertoire. She is joined on stage by legendary Scottish baroque guitarist/dancer Steve Player. Baritone Jesse Blumberg serves as cantor for the St. Kentigern Vespers selections. Members of Sylain Bergeron’s Montréal-based ensemble Ensemble La Nef also join Apollo’s Fire as guests in this international collaboration. The instrumental ensemble includes bagpipes, harp, wooden flutes, archlute, baroque guitar, hammered dulcimer, strings and percussion. The program also features the acclaimed 16-voice baroque choir, Apollo’s Singers, “one of the finest choirs of its kind in the country” (according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer).

Sorrell originally conceived the idea for this program in 2009, following a visit to Montréal where she met Bergeron and heard his ensemble perform live.

“Meredith and Sylvain had already done a beautiful Scottish Christmas CD with the Gaelic title Oikan ains Bethlehem,” Sorrell says. “I took that CD home after hearing their lovely concert in Montréal. The opening track seemed to be calling to me, wanting to be a procession in a cathedral. And from there, my imagination took over and a program blending a Scottish medieval Vespers service with pagan/folk elements came into my head immediately. So I called up Sylvain and Meredith and convinced them to plan this with me.”

Sorrell says the biggest challenge in bringing her idea to reality was the lack of surviving sacred renaissance and baroque music from Ireland and Scotland.

“Because of the Reformation, what we would call artistic church music was banned in the Scottish and Irish churches during the 17th century,” she says. “And it appears that many sacred works that had been composed in the generation before the Reformation were destroyed. So, I went back further, to the 13th century Vespers of St. Kentigern, which is one of the few surviving major sacred works of Scotland prior to the 18th century. St. Kentigern was the patron saint of Glasgow, and this Vespers was sung at Glasgow Cathedral.”

For more information about the performance, visit http://apollosfire.org/concerts/sacrum-mysterium1415/.

Kent State University Planetarium Presents “The Skies of Winter”

The Kent State University Planetarium’s traditional holiday presentation “The Skies of Winter: Holidays in the Planetarium” has been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 4, Friday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. each night in Room 108 at Smith Hall on the Kent Campus.

The program continues this year with an exploration of the skies of winter and their connection to religious and cultural observances throughout the world. Join the planetarium to explore what you can see in the lovely clear skies of winter and how the people of the world structure their lives around the heavens.

This hourlong program is free and open to all, but is not recommended for children under age 6.

Although there is no admission charge, reservations are necessary as seating capacity is limited. Reservations can be made by calling 330-672-2246 to indicate your interest. Individuals in need of special accommodations for the event are encouraged to call at least one week in advance of the show.