eInside Events

Kent State Chorale Offers Kent State Community Special Ticket Offer to Kick Off Holiday Season

Carols and Confectionsfeatures seasonal melodies followed by desserts and coffee

Refreshments that include coffee and desserts will be
served following the Kent State University Chorale's
performance of seasonal melodies in the annual Carols
and Confections event.

The Kent State University Chorale will perform a variety of seasonal melodies as part of Carols and Confections on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3 p.m. in the University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. Cartwright Hall is located at 650 Hilltop Drive, with free parking located off Terrace Drive. Following the performance, guests can enjoy refreshments including coffee and desserts in the lobby.

In its third year, Carols and Confections serves as the fundraiser for the Kent State Chorale. The performance will feature songs that will put audience members in the holiday spirit with works by Antoine Busnois, Josquin Desprez, Steven Sametz, Dwight Bigler, John Rutter, and a unique arrangement of Jingle Bells by J. David Moore. Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in various carol sing-alongs throughout the performance. The chorale will be conducted by Kent State Associate Professor of Music Scott MacPherson and Doug Beery, and accompanied by graduate student Keying An at the piano.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students with valid ID or those under 18. A special buy one, get one ticket free offer is available to Kent State employees. Simply show your Kent State ID at the door. The offer is unlimited. For more information, call 330-672-2909. Tickets are available for purchase at the door, cash or check only.

The Kent State Chorale features 30 student vocalists from diverse areas of study, including both music majors and nonmusic majors. 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.

Kent State University Bookstore Holds Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event

Pictured are staff members of the Kent State University
Bookstore. The bookstore will hold a faculty and staff
appreciation event from Dec. 4-6, with a special 25 percent
discount on select merchandise for faculty and staff.

The Kent State University Bookstore will celebrate Kent State faculty and staff members during its annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation event on Dec. 4, 5 and 6, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the University Bookstore in the Kent Student Center.

The bookstore is extending faculty and staff members a 25 percent discount on select merchandise during the three-day celebration.

There will be a book signing on Dec. 5 from noon-2 p.m. of Brimfield Police Chief David Oliver’s No Mopes Allowed. On Dec. 6, from noon-2 p.m., Kent State professor and author Patrick O’Connor, and Charlie Thomas, owner of Ray’s Place in Kent, will be available for a book signing of Meet Me at Ray’s, a celebration of Ray’s Place. Signed books make a wonderful holiday gift.

For more information, call 330-672-2762.

Kent Chorus to Perform Sunday, Dec. 8, in Cartwright Hall

The Kent Chorus will perform Sunday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. Cartwright Hall is located at 650 Hilltop Drive, with free parking located off Terrace Drive.

The Kent Chorus will be joined by the Men’s and Women’s choruses, as well as the Revere High School Symphonic Choir. Audience members will be able to hear holiday selections, such as David Willcock’s arrangement of The First Nowell, Bev Sellers arrangement of Jingle Bells, Franz Biebl’s Ave Maria and Hans Leo Hassler’s Verbum caro factum est among other pieces. The Kent Chorus and Revere High School Symphonic Choir will close the evening with a performance of John Rutter’s Gloria.

Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and Kent State University faculty and staff members, $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 (formerly known as the Music and Speech Building) 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 also will accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover. Tickets and more information are also available by calling 330-672-ARTS (2787).

Kent State Gospel Choir Concert Takes Place Dec. 6

The Kent State University Gospel Choir's concert will take
place Dec. 6 at the University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall.

The Kent State University Gospel Choir concert will take place Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. The entire community is invited to attend this inspirational evening of diverse music performed by this group of talented singers and hip-hop praise dancers.

George Bachmann, who plays classical guitar, is the special guest artist. A frequent performer around Northeast Ohio, Bachmann also has performed in different places such as the Juvenile Detention Center in Akron.

The Kent State Gospel Choir is a class in the university’s School of Music and is offered each fall and spring semester. Come out to support, praise and be entertained. The concert is free, and doors open at 7 p.m.

For more information, text 202-422-6935 or email lwalker@kent.edu.

School of Art Foundations Faculty Exhibit Artwork at Downtown Gallery

The Kent State University School of Art will exhibit the work of numerous faculty members beginning Dec. 4 at the Downtown Gallery in Kent. The faculty members to be included in the show are active, professional artists who also teach the Foundations classes required for all undergraduates students.

The Foundations Faculty Show opens Wednesday, Dec. 4, and runs through Friday, Jan. 10. There will be a reception, which is free and open to the public, on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. The Downtown Gallery is located at 141 East Main St.

“Since its inception, the Foundations program has increased coordination of pedagogy and content amongst colleagues,” says Christine Havice, director of Kent State’s School of Art. “We are excited to show off the impressive accomplishments of these faculty members who are the first point of contact our students have at the School of Art.”

The four Foundations courses — all of which are mandatory for undergraduate students enrolled in the school — are 2D Composition, 3D Composition, Drawing I, and Digital Media.

The Foundations Faculty Show features a diverse array of work produced by faculty members Julie Friedman, Charles Basham, Kortney Niewierski, Jennifer Omaitz-Collier, Sarah Jane, Kelly Dietrick, Emily Sullivan, Don King and Taryn McMahon, as well as Assistant Professor Mark Schatz, who coordinates the foundations program.

City of Kent Plans Festival of Lights for Dec. 7

Downtown Kent is pictured at night. The city of Kent will
hold its annual Festival of Lights event on Dec. 7.

The annual Festival of Lights event will take place Dec. 7 from 5:30-8 p.m. in downtown Kent. The event is an opportunity for kids and adults to celebrate Santa’s arrival by train at 6 p.m. There will be holiday music and refreshments.

The Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, Kent Free Library and Kent State University Libraries have come together to make free books available for kids. A representative from both libraries will hand out age-appropriate books to each family as they exit Santa’s gazebo.

For more information, call 330-673-9855.

Kent State University Planetarium Presents “The Skies of Winter”

Kent State University's Planetarium will
present “The Skies of Winter: Holidays
in the Planetarium” from Dec. 5-7.

The Kent State University Planetarium’s traditional holiday presentation “The Skies of Winter: Holidays in the Planetarium” has been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5, Friday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m. each night in room 108, 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 open to all, but is not recommended for children under age 6. As always, there is no admission charge.

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.

For more information, visit http://planetarium.kent.edu.

Free Performance at Kent State University by Country’s Foremost Modern Dance Group, Limón Dance Company

67-year-old company is renowned for its technical mastery and dramatic expression

Dancers with the Limón Dance Company of New York City
choreograph a psalm by José Limón. The dance company
will perform a free concert at Kent State University on
Dec. 6.

(Photo credit: Douglas Cody)

Kent State University’s Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series proudly presents a concert by one of the country’s foremost modern dance performance groups, the Limón Dance Company of New York City, on Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. The performance will take place in E. Turner Stump Theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts (formerly Music and Speech Building), 1325 Theatre Drive in Kent. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets must be reserved by calling 330-672-ARTS (2787) or online at www.kent.edu/artscollege. A complimentary dessert reception will immediately follow the concert in the Roe Green Center lobby, adjacent to E. Turner Stump Theatre.

Under the artistic direction of Carla Maxwell, the Limón Dance Company is hailed as one of the world’s greatest dance companies. The Limón Dance Company has been at the vanguard of American modern dance since its inception in 1946. The company is the living legacy of the dance theater developed by José Limón and his mentors, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, whose innovative works revolutionized the American dance. After Limón’s death in 1972, the company pioneered the idea that it was possible to survive the death of its founder, setting an example for the entire dance field. Now in its 67th year, the company is renowned for its technical mastery and dramatic expression, and demonstrates both the timelessness of Limón’s works and the humanistic vision that guides the repertory choices.

“I am most especially thrilled that Kent State is able to present a free performance to the public by the Limón Dance Company,” says John R. Crawford, dean of Kent State's College of the Arts and dancer by trade. “Years ago, I studied the José Limón technique, later performed and then eventually taught the Limón principles of style. The company has such a rich dance history and impressive reputation. I encourage everyone to attend the concert to experience firsthand this expressive and passionate form of dance.”

Current Artistic Director Carla Maxwell worked closely with Limón before becoming artistic director in 1978. The company has been committed to producing and presenting programs that balance classic works of American modern dance with commissions and acquisitions from contemporary choreographers, resulting in a repertory of unparalleled breadth. In its first half-century, the company achieved many important milestones: It was the first group to tour under the auspices of the American Cultural Exchange Program (1954), the first dance troupe to perform at Lincoln Center (1963) and has had the honor of appearing twice at the White House (1967 and 1995). More recently, the José Limón Dance Foundation was awarded a 2008 National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series has presented guest artists respected in the field of theatre, dance, visual arts, music and architecture. Now in its 11th year, the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series has brought such noted artists as Tony Award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz and Next to Normal actress Alice Ripley; GRAMMY-winning Emerson String Quartet; postmodern minimalist artist Richard Tuttle; artists and fashion designers Ruben and Isabel Toledo; and internationally acclaimed dance company Ballet Florida; and actor, dancer and arts advocate Ben Vereen, just to name a few.

The Schroth series was established in 2002 by the late Max and Cil Draime of Warren, Ohio, to honor their dear friend, Tom Schroth (1922-1997). A noted regional architect, Schroth designed the Butler Institute of Art’s Trumbull museum in Howland, Ohio, as well as numerous other award-winning projects. Schroth spent his life in Niles, Ohio, as a prominent architect and inveterate collaborator in the artistic life of the Mahoning Valley and Northeast Ohio. A world traveler, he saw human creativity as a window that frames human experience. The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series brings diverse views through that window to the Kent Campus and community. The events are always free and open to the public.