2012 College of Charleston Young Artists Series (Piccolo Spoleto)

The School of the Arts at the College of Charleston is excited to announce this year’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival Young Artists Series. Tickets are $11 and available at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Box Office (1-866-811-4111) or online. All concerts take place at 12:00 noon in the College’s Recital Hall in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip Street, except for May 28 at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul at 126 Coming St.

The series will feature some of the College’s most accomplished music students and alumni such as guitarist Marco Sartor, a Grammy award nominee and first prize winner in numerous international competitions; Charleston piano sensation, 17-year-old Micah McLaurin, also an international competition winner who has already appeared with orchestras on three continents; the College of Charleston Concert Choir, one of the nation’s finest collegiate choral ensembles; baritone Nathan Matticks and soprano Ashley Fabian, prize winners of the National Association of the Teachers of Singing Competitions; and the Tan and See Piano Duo, finalists in the International Web Concert Hall Competition who have performed from the United States to South East Asia and Europe.

The performers hail from the United States, Uruguay, Singapore, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, China and Slovakia.

Guest artists will include pianist Matthew Griswold, an Oberlin Conservatory graduate and winner of the Arthur Dann Piano Competition and the Southeastern Festival Concerto Competition, and pianist Luis Hernandez, a winner of the Carnegie Mellon University Concerto Competition.

SCHEDULE:

Saturday, May 26 - Tangos, Spanish and Latin Music for Piano and Strings
The trio of Yuhong Tu on violin, Lujza Durisova on cello and pianist Pedro Uceda perform Astor Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires,” the Tan and See Piano Duo perform Anton Marquez’s “Danzon,” Micah McLaurin plays the 1st Book of Isaac Albeniz’s “Iberia Suite” and pianist Emmanuel Houston plays a piece by Alberto Ginastera.

Monday, May 28College of Charleston Concert Choir
Conducted by Robert Taylor, the nationally recognized chorus performs a program of sacred music. This concert takes place at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, 126 Coming St.

Tuesday, May 29 - Prize-winning Guitarist Marco Sartor, plus Music for Cello and Piano
Latin American and Italian Music with Marco Sartor, and cellists Lujza Durisova, Diego Villena, and Unusdian Errandonea perform works by Bruch, Khudoyan and Faure, with Pedro Uceda and Chee-Hang See at the piano.

Wednesday, May 30 - Gershwin, Paganini Variations and Other Showpieces for One and Two Pianos
Performers include the Tan and See Piano Duo and solo pianists Emmanuel Houston, Diego Suarez, and Emily Tran. Works by Liszt, Gershwin, Kapustin, Scriabin, Muczynski and Lutoslawski.

Thursday, May 31All Rachmaninoff Recital
Pedro Uceda plays Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, plus Preludes, Etudes, and transcriptions with pianists Micah McLaurin, Chee-Hang See, Matthew Griswold and Emily Tran.

Friday, June 1 - The Art of the Song: Prize Winning Singers perform Songs from around the World
Nathan Matticks, Ashley Fabian, Jordon Boyd, Kori Miller and friends perform Art Songs by Strauss, Liszt, Debussy, Schubert and Schumann.

Saturday, June 2 - Rhapsody in Blue, Petrouchka Suite, and other Piano Blockbusters
Matthew Griswold performs “Rhapsody in Blue,” Luis Hernandez plays Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka Suite,” the Tan and See Piano Duo performs Liszt’s transcription of “Bellini’s Norma” on two pianos.

Monday, June 4Virtuoso Violin Recital – Students of Lee-Chin Siow perform masterworks and showpieces
Yuhong Tu, Meghan Henson and friends perform works by Brahms, Wieniawski and more.

Tuesday, June 5 - Opera and Oratorio Arias – Familiar Classics for the Stage and Concert Hall
Arias and Duets from operas performed by Johnathan White, Nathan Matticks, Ashley Fabian, Joe Ford and others.

Wednesday, June 6 - Singers go Baroque! – Vocal Music from the Time of Bach and Handel
Arias by Bach, Handel and Mozart performed by Nathan Matticks, Savannah Shelby, Jordan Boyd and more.

Thursday, June 7Favorite Piano Concertos by Mozart, Grieg and Tchaikovsky
Tan and See Piano Duo performs Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos, Emily Tran plays Grieg’s Concerto and Irwin Jiang performs Tchaikovsky’s popular Piano Concerto No. 1 with Luis Hernandez playing the orchestra.

Friday, June 8 - Mozart’s First Opera! – Bastien and Bastienne – a Pastoral Comedy
Sung in English and directed by David Templeton and Deanna McBroom, the opera stars Johnathan White as Bastien, Ashley Fabian as Bastienne, and Nathan Matticks as Cola.

Saturday, June 9Concertos and Solo works by Chopin and Prokofieff  
Micah McLaurin plays Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, Irwin Jiang plays Prokofieff’s Sonata No. 7, and Diego Suarez performs Prokofieff’s Concerto No. 2.


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Sixth Annual Spoleto Sneak Preview

The College of Charleston Friends of the School of the Arts and Friends of the Library will present a sneak preview of the Spoleto Festivual USA and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. This hour-long event will be presented by music professors Edward Hart and Robert Taylor, theatre professor Todd McNerney, and director of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art Mark Sloan. The lecture will highlight various, must-see arts events, as well as give a brief history of both Festivals. The presentation will take place on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 6 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip Street. Admission is free.

A reception and book signing in the Hill Exhibition Gallery will follow the event and will include a peek at the preparatory stages of “Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamato” in the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. This traveling exhibit will premiere in Charleston as part of the Spoleto Festival USA on May 24. Yamamato will create a site-specific installation entirely out of salt during his residency at the Halsey Institute. For more information, visit http://halsey.cofc.edu. Copies of the stunning, 163-page exhibition catalogue will be available for autograph and purchase at the reception.

Both the School of the Arts and the College of Charleston Library have a long-standing relationship with the Spoleto USA and Piccolo Spoleto Festivals. For more than 20 years, School of the Arts faculty have taught specialized Spoleto classes at the College of Charleston, introducing the arts to students in conjunction with the Festivals’ performances. Hart and Taylor have performed, or had their original compositions performed, for Piccolo Spoleto on numerous occasions. McNerney has served as Theatre Coordinator for Piccolo Spoleto for over a decade and currently coordinates the Stelle di Domani Series. The Halsey Institute has coordinated exhibitions with both Festivals.

Additionally, School of the Arts faculty, students and alumni perform in Festival concerts and productions every year, including the Department of Music’s own Young Artists Series and the Department of Theatre’s Stelle di Domani Series, both of which involve award-winning students performing alongside well-established guests and alumni.

The College of Charleston Library serves as the repository for the Spoleto Festival USA archives. Performance programs, records and financial documents, as well as audio and videotapes of actual performances, of the Festival since its inception in 1977 are housed in Special Collections at the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library.

Special Collections also facilitates the ongoing Spoleto Festival USA Oral History Project, bringing valuable collections into the library and recording narratives and points of view that would otherwise be lost. The project, which includes interviews with artists long associated with Spoleto, new artists just participating in Spoleto, political figures, board leaders, volunteers and production staff members, will be stored in Special Collections and used as research material for generations to come.
The Friends of the School of the Arts promotes and supports the School of the Arts’ departments and programs, and also strengthens the relationships amongst the School, the College, the community, and other academic and cultural groups.

The Friends of the Library at the College of Charleston supports and advances the interests of the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library as the leading intellectual and cultural force in the community.  

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2011-12 School of the Arts Awards

The School of the Arts celebrates the accomplishments of all of its graduates. The School will honor the achievements of a select group of students who have demonstrated excellence in their respective disciplines. The Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 11 will recognize those who have set a standard for their peers as well as those who will follow in their footsteps. The event will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Simons Center for the Arts, followed by the ceremony at 9 a.m. in the Recital Hall. (54 St. Philip Street)

The School will also recognize alumni who have made significant professional and personal contributions to their communities since graduating from the College of Charleston. These alumni are leaders in the arts, business, philanthropy and other areas who honed their skills through the study of the arts at the College and now share their talents and their resources with others.

ALUMNI AWARDS

Alumni Award of Achievement

Erick Avari, ’76

Allison Munn, ’96

Alumni Award for Service

C. Michael Phillips, ’77

Liz Vaughan, ’09

Young Alumni Award

José Lemos, ’01

 

Awards granted as of May 1, 2012 are listed below.

Departmental Honors: The criterion for Departmental Honors is based on a student’s overall grade point average. Students must have an average of 3.7 or higher to receive this award.

Outstanding Student Award: The criteria for the Outstanding Student Award are based on a student’s artistic/scholarly contributions as determined by the department or program

ART HISTORY

Departmental Honors

Milena Rebecca Berman

Leah Faith Bush

Jourdan DeVies

Lauren Duxbury

John Carl Epperson

Margaret F. Jordan

Jessica Elizabeth Steele

Outstanding Student Award

Leah Faith Bush

 

ARTS MANAGEMENT

Departmental Honors

Harriet Caroline Abbot

Megan Elizabeth Alder

Kaitlyn Marie Bayag

Craig A. Budde

Sytske Rosanne Hillenius

Jessica Krust

Claire Long

Sarah-Kate Magee

Samuel Adam Morgan

Outstanding Student Award

Megan Elizabeth Alder

William Robert Hastings

Sytske Rosanne Hillenius

Lauren Ann Hollek

Margaret Lindsey Jarvis

Sarah-Kate Magee

Samuel Adam Morgan

Julie Jett Arts Management Citizenship Award

Megan Elizabeth Alder

HISTORIC PRESERVATION & COMMUNITY PLANNING

Departmental Honors

Rachel Barkley

Kyle James

Cameron Moon

Johanna Sztokman

Outstanding Student Award

Kyle James

 

MUSIC

Departmental Honors

Craig Budde

Phillip Justin Hendrix

Sytske Rosanne Hillenius

Sean Monahan

Chee-Hang See

Amy Tan

Fernando Troche

Outstanding Student Award

Craig Budde

Phillip Justin Hendrix

Irwin Jiang

Nathan Matticks

Chee-Hang See

Amy Tan

Fernando Troche

Mary Stewart Allan Award for Violin

Meghan Henson

Marguerite Elfe Erckman Vocal Award

Nathan Matticks

Edwin Davis Peacock Award for Excellence in Piano

Irwin Jiang

The Melvin H. & Virginia Peacock Goodwin Award for Instrumental Performance

Fernando Troche

Sue Simons Wallace Award for Excellence in Music

Jessica Kori Miller

Siobhan Rodriguez

Julian Hayes and Clifford Milton Award for Excellence in Strings

Stephen Ferguson

John Zeigler Award for Piano

Chee-Hang See

Amy Tan

Artist Certificate Recipient

Edberto Pop

 

STUDIO ART

Departmental Honors

Zachary E. Adkins

Elizabeth Budd

Allison Evans

Kathleen E. Hansen

Ansley M. Jones

Chelsea S. Michael

Kristen Papen

Helen L. Phan

Erin M. Skinner

Mark Sundstrom

Lauren L. Stegeman

Outstanding Student Award

Michelle D. Brooksbank

Rachel C. Ekdahl

Kevin J. Mclean

Anastasia S. Timina

Sophie M. Treppendahl

The Artists and Craftsman Award 

Andrew S. Gorence

Laura M. Bragg Memorial Award 

James M. Wine

The Corrie McCallum Award for Printmaking 

Matthew S. Zaccari

The Tyzack Prize 

Erin D. Hoskins

 

THEATRE

Departmental Honors

Rebecca Bressler

Melissa Hulett

Alex Kosbab

George Metropolis

Nicholas Piccola

Allison Wilde

Outstanding Student Award

Melissa Hulett

Alex Kosbab

George Metropolis

Nicholas Piccola

Hannah Strickland

Maria Alicia Elfe Award for Theatre

Haley Barfield

Faculty Award of Merit

Haley Barfield

David Beckett

Meg Fannin-Buckner

Brenna McNamara

Anna Stephenson

Hannah Strickland

Future Professional Award – Performance

George Metropolis

Nicholas Piccola

Future Professional Award – Production

Melissa Hulett

Arthur McDonald Award for Theatre

Alex Kosbab

Franklin B. Ashley Playwrighting Award

Cara Beth Heath

Future Teacher Award

Sara Kate Calcutt

Allison Wilde

Center Stage Award

Ryan Gunning

The Stelle Award

McKenna Dubose

Todd McNerney Playwrighting Award

Steven Moskos

Valerie Morris Award for an Outstanding Performance by an Actor or an Actress in a Play

Haley Barfield

The John Olbrych Award for Excellence in Design

Hannah Strickland

 

Awards Outside the School of the Arts

College of Charleston Awards

Alexander Chambliss Connelley Award – The College presents this awardto a student of the senior class who has made the most unselfish contribution(s) to the student body and the College of Charleston. It is awarded to a student of the graduating class for special achievement.

Sarah-Kate Magee (double major in Arts Management and Economics)

 

Cistern Award – This award recognizes senior students who have been motivated and engaged workers or members of an organization. These individuals are not necessarily the ones who hold executive roles (president, executive member or other officer), but they are leaders because of what they do for the organization and the College community.

Sarah Kate Calcutt (Theatre with a Dance minor)

Lynsey Cichon (Arts Management with a Film Studies minor)

 

ExCEL Awards (Excellence in Collegiate Education and Leadership Awards)

Student of the Year, School of the Arts

Irwin Jiang (Music)

Student of the Year, School of Sciences and Mathematics

Stephen A. Ferguson (double major in Music and Biochemistry)

 

Hall of Leaders – The Hall of Leaders recognizes leaders of student organizations that have specific governing responsibilities at the College of Charleston. Through this award, a member of each organization is recognized for his or her continuous contribution to the campus community.

Sarah Kate Calcutt (Theatre with a Dance minor)

Lynsey Cichon (Arts Management with a Film Studies minor)

 

Ted Stern Cup – This award honors a member of the senior class of the College of Charleston who has most faithfully served the interests and ideals of the College and who by character and influence has best exemplified the ideals and qualities of Theodore S. Stern, sixteenth President of the College of Charleston and an Emeritus member of the School of the Arts Council, both in the College and the community.

Sarah-Kate Magee (double major in Arts Management and Economics)

Regional and National Awards

Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region IV National Partners American Theatre Classical Acting Award

Young Stowe (Theatre)

 

National Association of Teachers of Singing, Mid-Atlantic Regional Student Auditions

Outstanding College Woman and College Junior-Women, First Place

Ashley Fabian (Music)

Outstanding College Man and College Junior-Men, First Place

Jordan Boyd (Music)

College Freshman-Women, Second Place

Tatiana Hoover (Music)

College Sophomore-Women, Honors

Lauren A. Geddings (Music with a Communications minor)

 

Samuel Fordis Young Artists Concerto Competition, Competition Laureate and Guest Artist for the Georgia Philharmonic’s closing concert on April 28, 2012

Yuhong Tu (Artist Certificate Candidate)

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Arts Management Student to Participate in Newly Established Fellowship at Sotheby’s Institute of Art

The Arts Management program in the College of Charleston School of the Arts has partnered with Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York to establish a competitive Summer Study Fellowship for one of its qualified junior or senior students. The 2012 inaugural recipient, Chelsea Michael, will take two courses (tuition free) during the Institute’s summer session. A senior in the Honors College program, Michael is pursuing a double major in arts management and studio art.

Lori Kornegay, Program Manager for Online Education and N.Y. Public Programs at the Institute, worked with Scott Shanklin-Peterson, director of the College’s Arts Management program, to formulate the summer study fellowship. Kornegay expounds, “Our summer study program provides a unique opportunity for study in the vibrant and dynamic city of New York, and we are delighted that Chelsea will join us as the first College of Charleston Summer Study Fellow. With students coming from over 30 countries around the world, summer study is a global networking experience and a place to learn about the business of art in one of the world’s great art capitals.”

The courses at the Institute will allow students to develop professional expertise and critical thinking skills and also will enhance knowledge of art and the international art market. These classes will offer interesting and compelling insights into the art world and will incorporate lectures, guest speaker interviews, and site visits led by the Institute’s faculty, international experts, and leading practitioners in the field. Some of the courses offered this summer will include “Being a Curator in the 21st Century,” “Emerging Markets in the Global Art World,” “Contemporary Art: Market Theory & Practice,” and many more from which to choose.

Hailing from Atlanta, G.A., Chelsea Michael grew up with a passion for the arts, particularly the visual arts. She elaborates, “I quickly realized that it was a natural extension of my artistic ardor to pursue a career in the art world. Not only do I love to create art, but I also love the process of bringing art to its audience and seeing how it impacts people. Although I am not certain where my career will lead me, I aspire to work within an established museum, auction house, or other visual arts organization, and I would absolutely love to own an art gallery one day.”

Concerning the Summer Study Fellowship, Michael excitedly reveals, “I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to study at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art this summer. It is such a dynamic organization with an amazing breadth of programs, and I know that I will have so many opportunities to learn while I am there. And, I am definitely looking forward to being in New York City and experiencing its bustling art world firsthand!”

Originally established by the Sotheby’s auction house, the Sotheby’s Institute of Art currently is a division of the Cambridge Information Group, with campuses in both New York and London. The Institute prepares students for careers in the international art world and continues to work closely with the Sotheby’s auction house, as well as galleries and museums in New York and London, and private collections. For more information visit http://www.sothebysinstitute.com/.

The College of Charleston School of the Arts is one of the few schools in the Southeast and the only school in South Carolina to offer undergraduate study with a major and a minor in Arts Management and Administration. The program is for those who are interested in supporting the work of performing, visual, and media artists. The curriculum includes studies in strategic planning, fund raising, grantwriting, programming, special event planning, audience development, board development, financial management and arts policy. For more information about the Arts Management program or the fellowship with the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, call 843.953.6301 or visit http://artsmgmt.cofc.edu/.

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New Barnet Courtyard Offers Space for Art and Respite

Rebecca, Valerie and Bill BarnetThe Barnet Courtyard at the College of Charleston officially opened with a celebration on April 15, 2012. The Courtyard is located near the Simons Center for the Arts near the corner of St. Philip and George Streets, with entrances on both. The garden is named for Bill and Valerie Barnet, strong supporters of the arts and the College of Charleston.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Barnets, we have this beautifully enhanced ‘greenspace’ to enjoy,” says School of the Arts Dean Valerie Morris. “The stage and sculpture areas are wonderful additions that will allow the School of the Arts faculty, staff, students and alumni to present intimate performances and exhibits, transforming this area of the campus into a true ‘arts corridor’.”

The Barnet Courtyard includes a stained concrete performance pad, sculpture garden, benches, and a large lawn. The courtyard was designed as a venue for small events and performances, like strings or jazz concerts, as well as a place for faculty to hold classes outside.

“Bill and I are passionate about supporting the arts and arts education,” says Valerie Barnet. “We hope that our donation will be an extension of the Marion and Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Center for the Arts – a place for everything from quiet relaxation and reflection to artistic creation and expression.”

Bill and Valerie Barnet are longtime friends of the College of Charleston. Valerie graduated from the College in 1984. She is an avid horticulturist and volunteer serving on many boards, including Spoleto Festival USA.

Bill Barnet is the CEO of The Barnet Company and Barnet Development Company, as well as the former mayor of Spartanburg, S.C.  Prior to being elected President and CEO of William Barnet & Son, Inc. in 1976, Mr. Barnet served as 1st Lieutenant, US Army and Adjutant General’s Corps. Mr. Barnet has served on civic boards such as the Education Oversight Committee (Chairman), Leadership Spartanburg (Chairman), South Carolina Textile

Manufacturers Association (President) and The Spartanburg County Foundation (Trustee). His current board involvement includes the Palmetto Business Forum, ETV Communications Endowment, Palmetto Institute, The Duke Endowment, and Duke Energy.

The Barnets have three children: Mary Rebecca, Will and John.

For more information, contact Ashley Jones Smith at 843.953.5348.

 

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Student Violinist Wins Georgia Philharmonic Concerto Competition

Yuhong TuThe College of Charleston School of the Arts is pleased to announce that student violinist Yuhong Tu recently won the Samuel Fordis Young Artists Concerto Competition hosted by the Georgia Philharmonic. The achievement was especially rewarding as this was the first U.S. competition in which the 22-year-old, artist certificate student participated.

Named in honor of former Georgia Philharmonic concertmaster Sam Fordis, the annual competition helps the next generation of great musicians to establish their place in musical history. In a congratulatory letter to Tu, Megan Hallam, President of the Georgia Philharmonic wrote, “Based on your outstanding performance of the Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 1, we would like to offer you a more prominent opportunity than to perform as a Competition Laureate. Instead, we would like to invite you to appear as featured Guest Artist with the Georgia Philharmonic at our closing concert of the season.” During the Philharmonic’s concert of Slavic Tributes, held last Saturday, April 28, 2012, Tu performed Polish composer Henri Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a piece dedicated to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.

Speaking proudly of her student’s achievement, violin professor Lee-Chin Siow says, “Yuhong chose to study in Charleston, and he has already made a mark for himself and the College. Our artist certificate program opens the door to hone his musicianship further. It is a joy to mentor this rising young virtuoso.”

Before coming to Charleston, Tu was the top student at the conservatory in Wuhan, a thriving metropolis of 9 million known as the “Chicago of China.” He consistently swept first prizes in violin competitions at the state and national levels. After hearing Siow perform as soloist with the Wuhan Philharmonic last summer, he immediately wrote and expressed his wish to study with her in Charleston.

“As a student who loves classical music, I know I have to study with teachers in the West to reach a higher level of performance,” explains Tu. “I was so moved when I first heard Professor Siow perform. Words cannot describe how beautiful her music is,” he adds.

Since joining the College, Tu has contributed actively to Charleston’s cultural life. He has been invited to perform in concerts with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, in chamber music concerts in the community, and leads the College’s Orchestra as concertmaster. Single-minded about his passion for classical music, the hardworking student lives by the motto: “Studying, thinking, practicing and never giving up. This is the only way to understand classical music,” he says.

The artist certificate program at the College’s department of music is a two-year, advanced program of study that addresses the needs of musicians who have completed their music training at the undergraduate level but desire to continue their studies while preparing for professional performance careers. For more information, visit music.cofc.edu or call 843.953.5927.

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College of Charleston Wind Ensemble Concert

Don’t miss a FREE concert by the College of Charleston Wind Ensemble this Sunday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place in room 234 of The Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts, 161 Calhoun Street. The hour-long program will feature the music of George Gershwin, Danny Elfman, Robert Sheldon, Jay Bocook and Tom Wallace, including a moving tribute to the war in Vietnam and its veterans by Robert W. Smith.

Choreography – Robert Sheldon
Grand Finale from Edward Scissorhands – Danny Elfman
Into the Storm – Robert W. Smith
Ascensions – Jay Bocook
Divinum Mysterium – Tom Wallace
Mekong – Robert W. Smith

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Concert Cancellation: Charleston Music Fest

The Charleston Music Fest concert on Friday, April 20, 2012 has been cancelled. For more information, please leave a message at 843.953.0935, and a staff member will return your call as soon as possible. Stay tuned for an exciting fall season planned for Charleston Music Fest!

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Computing in the Arts Exhibition: Visual Soundscapes

The collection of projects, entitled “Visual Soundscapes,” is an exploration and synthesis of 21st-century media: the merging of the visual, the aural, and the algorithmic.  

The free exhibition opens Friday, April 6 and closes Monday, May 7, in the rotunda of the College of Charleston Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library, 205 Calhoun St. These works are sonifications of digital images through computer programming. Students enrolled in two Computing in the Arts (CITA) courses selected beautiful or compelling images and then designed a set of musical parameters through which these images could be realized in sound. Musical parameters included pitch and scale, dynamics, timbre, and instrumentation. Inspiration and models were drawn from musical traditions such as Minimalism, Jazz, Rock, Serialism, and Aleatory Music. Students were free to select different parts of the image for specific musical functions.  Not all parts of the images were necessarily sonified, yet most of the sound comes from numeric data (pixels) inside these images. Changes in sound reflect a scanning of the image from left-to-right, up-to-down, center-to-corners, or diagonally. Sometimes sound comes from averaged regions of the image, and at other times complex sequencing rules are used, like those found in Living Systems.

In the end, visual, musical, and algorithmic processes become intimately intertwined.  None is subservient to another. Through these works, the visual, aural, and algorithmic become one.

Student artists were part of the Fall 2011 “Computer Music and the Quest for Beauty” Freshman Learning Community.

Students:
Caroline Bowman
Daniel Anderson
Marissa Croop
Jordan Freeman
Sam McCants
Forrest Hammond
Kenneth Hanson
Hudson Jones
Elizabeth Koury
Katherine May
Stephen Rainey
John Thevos
Dylan Walsh

Faculty:
Bill Manaris, Computer Science
Blake Stevens, Music
Jarod Charzewski, Studio Art (Exhibition Coordinator)

Thanks To:
Claire Fund, Administrative Coordinator, Addlestone Library
Susan Kattwinkel, Director of the First-Year-Experience (Fall 2011)
James Williams, Associate Dean, Addlestone Library

Credits:
This work has been funded in part by the National Science Foundation (DUE #1044861)

Computing in the Arts (CITA): Computing in the Arts (CITA) is an integrated program in the sciences and the arts at the College of Charleston. The program is an inter-disciplinary B.A. degree offered by the Department of Computer Science in the School of Science and Mathematics along with the Departments of Art History, Music, Studio Art, and Theatre in the School of the Arts.

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CofC Theatre Presents True Holocaust Survival Story

The Department of Theatre in the College of Charleston School of the Arts is excited to present its final production of the season, “Letters to Sala” by Arlene Hutton. This new play, based on the book “Sala’s Gift” by Ann Kirschner, is based on a true story. For nearly fifty years, Sala Garncarz Kirschner kept a secret. On the eve of heart surgery she suddenly presents her daughter, Ann Kirschner, with a priceless collection of 350 letters and photographs — heart wrenching expressions of longing, love, and hope that Sala risked her life to preserve during five brutal years as a prisoner in seven different Nazi forced-labor camps. Revealing a secret she has kept hidden from her family for nearly fifty years eventually forces Sala to realize she must fully acknowledge her own past in order to heal the present. “Letters to Sala” is a testament to the human spirit and the power of words to give and sustain life, even in the face of monstrosity.

The play will open on Saturday, April 14 and close on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Thursday, April 19. The production will take place in the Emmett Robinson Theatre in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St. Curtain times will be 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, 3 p.m. on Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or by calling (843) 953-5604. Tickets are $15 for the general population and $10 for College of Charleston students, faculty, staff, and senior citizens 60 and older. There will be a Talkback and reception with the cast and crew on opening night, April 14, following the performance.

In addition, The REMEMBER Program of the Charleston Jewish Federation will cosponsor a  special program entitled, Whose Story Is It: How an Archive Was Transformed into an Exhibition, a Book, a Play, and a Documentary Film.  Join curator Jill Vexler, playwright Arlene Hutton, and Ann Kirschner on Sunday, April 15 at 11:30 a.m., in the Recital Hall of the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St. as they discuss the genesis of this amazing project. The special program is free to the public.

Hutton, an award-winning playwright based in New York City who teaches playwriting at the College of Charleston, has been developing “Letters to Sala” for several years with her longtime collaborator Eric Nightengale, who as guest director is collaborating with the College’s faculty designers Janine McCabe (costumes), Charlie Calvert (sets) and Paul Collins (lighting).

The cast includes nearly 30 student actors, many of whom are theatre majors and minors at the College of Charleston, and all of whom are enjoying working on a new play with an evolving script. Playwright Arlene Hutton, who received a Drama League nomination for “Last Train to Nibroc,” is delighted to be able to develop the play on a larger stage than the off-Broadway ones she usually writes for.

In addition to the play, there will be an exhibit about Sala and her letters on view to the public in the lobby of the Simons Center, beginning April 10th. The exhibit is generously funded by the College of Charleston School of the Arts’ Quattlebaum Artist in Residence Endowment. (A larger version of the exhibit was presented in the College of Charleston Addlestone Library earlier this year.) Hutton shares, “I’m grateful to the theatre department and the Quattlebaum Foundation for supporting Ann Kirschner’s visit and the lobby exhibition from the New York Public Library.”

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