UNO musical "Winds" sweeps across
Europe
What's
The citizens of Omaha's newest sister city gave an enthusiastic welcome to the
first musical group from Omaha to visit since the "twinning" agreement was
formalized.
The UNO
Symphonic Wind Ensemble (SWE), conducted by Dr. James Saker, chair of the
department of music, began its fourth international tour with a visit to Naas,
Ireland. The travel party was comprised of 46 student musicians, Associate
Conductor Dr. Erica Neidlinger, flute soloist Dr. Christine Beard and six
family members.
The
ensemble's first performance on the tour was presented to the students and
faculty at the Killashee National School, followed by another concert at Holy
Child School. In addition to the school students and faculty, a number of
parents attended the performances. As a portion of the concert presentation,
small groups from the SWE prepared special selections to introduce their
specific instruments to the students.
The
following day included sightseeing in nearby Dublin and a walking tour and
history lesson in Naas led by Mayor Conway. SWE performed later that evening in
the newly renovated Moat Theatre.
From the
moment the students arrived, everyone in the town from the local barber to the
pharmacist seemed to not only know about the group's visit, but also mentioned
how much they were looking forward to the concert. A standing-room-only crowd
greeted the SWE. Two different newspapers reviewed the concert. The Leader News
described the performance as "a stunning success and the capacity crowd gave
the (SWE) three standing ovations. The reason for visiting Naas was the fact
that Omaha is twinned with Naas, and it certainly was a cultural milestone in
the twinning arrangement." The Times referred to the twinned association and to
SWE as a "first-class ensemble."
The
London portion of the tour included a visit to Trafalgar Square, followed by a
Royal Stroll down Whitehall Street towards the River Thames and Big Ben led by
Dr. Saker. Many of the students took advantage of their two nights in London to
attend concerts, musicals or theater productions. A midday concert at the Band
Shell in Regents Park was well received by the group's London audience.
On June
5, the SWE departed London for Dover to meet the ferry for the transfer across
the English Channel to Calais, France. Although the official D-Day
commemorative events were scheduled to be held on the beaches near Caen, the
closest accommodations available were in the city of Rennes, about two hours
south of Omaha Beach. Consequently, an early wake-up was necessary on June 6 to
ensure an on-time arrival at the Pointe du Hoc 60th Anniversary Commemoration
of the D-Day Landings.
Of the
225 Army Rangers who attempted to scale the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, only 75
survived their D-Day assignment. Among the dignitaries, military officials,
veterans, and other guests were nine of the surviving Rangers. The Wind
Ensemble performance took place both as the rangers were escorted to the 60th
Anniversary Commemoration and again at the conclusion of the program.
The
repertoire programmed for this performance included a special composition
commissioned by the SWE, the "Pointe du Hoc Commemorative Fanfare" by Master
Sgt. Larry MacTaggart, arranger and composer for the United States Air Force
Band in Washington, D.C.
After a final evening in Normandy, it was off to Paris
for the final concert of the tour. A beautiful, cloudless day helped attract a
large crowd for the Wind Ensemble's midday concert at the Gazebo in Luxembourg
Gardens. A Parisian audience estimated to number near 1,000 greeted each
musical selection with enthusiasm. Several encores were called for and joyfully
presented.
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Wanda Ewing, an Omaha native,
joined the art and art history faculty as an assistant professor this fall.
Ewing earned her bachelor of fine arts degree in printmaking at San Francisco
Art Institute in 1997, her MA in printmaking from the University of Iowa School
of Art and Art History in 2001, and her MFA in 2002 with a thesis entitled,
"The Voyage an Artist of Color Makes and All the Baggage That Is Carried With."
After graduation Ewing taught art at Metropolitan Community College and, most
recently, was the residency coordinator for the Bemis Center for Contemporary
Arts.
In the
past year Ewing has participated in Omahome, a collaborative show at the Hot
Shops Studio where she has studio space of her own, and the MidAmerica Print
Conference open portfolios night in Lincoln, Neb. She currently has a
printmaking piece in the Roots and Crown—UNL Printmakers Exhibition, where she
received a Recognition Award.
Though
printmaking is Ewing's primary art form, she also enjoys making woodcuts,
painting and doing collage work. When Ewing is not teaching or making art, she
enjoys traveling, listening to music and collecting shoes.
Barry Ford earned his bachelor of
music degree in 1987 at the Northwestern University School of Music, where he
studied trumpet. While at Northwestern he began studies in conducting,
arranging and composition. After
teaching for several years in the public school system, Ford began studies of
composition and orchestral conducting at the University of Missouri in
Columbia, where he earned a master of music degree in orchestral conducting in
1995.
Active as
a trumpeter, composer, clinician and conductor in nearly every type of music, Ford
currently is an instructor of music at UNO. Before coming to Omaha he served as
professor of trumpet at the State University of Pará and the Carlos Gomes
Conservatory, as well as conductor of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Theatro da Paz
and the Amazônia Jazz Band in Belém, Brazil. In addition, Ford has dedicated
himself to the composition of symphonic and chamber works.
D. Scott Glasser joined the UNO Theatre faculty in 2004 as head of
the theatre directing program. Previously at UNO, he directed "Marat/Sade,"
"Top Girls" and "Into The Woods." As
director, actor and teacher, Glasser has worked with such theatres as The
Guthrie Theatre, Boston University Opera Institute, Minnesota Opera, The Children's
Theater Company (Minneapolis) and the Utah and Nebraska Shakespeare Festivals.
For NSF he directed "Julius Caesar," "The Winter's Tale," "Hamlet," "The
Tempest," and, in 2004, "King Richard III."
Originally
from Brooklyn, N.Y., Scott received a bachelor's degree from the State
University of New York at Geneseo and an MFA from Cornell University. From 1975
to 1979 he was on the faculty and helped create the theatre program at
Willamette University in Salem, Ore.
Glasser
was a founding member of the Dakota Theatre Caravan, a theatre collective that
created plays about and for the people of the rural Plains. He also was a
resident actor, director and education director at Actors Theatre in St. Paul.
Between 1980 and 1993 Glasser was associated with the Playwright's Center in
Minneapolis, where he worked on the development of original scripts as
director, dramaturg and actor. He also served as the artistic director of
Madison Repertory Theatre from 1993 to 2002.
Paul Eric Pape received his MFA
from the University of California San Diego with an emphasis in scenic and
costume design in 2002. A UNO alum (BADA, 1999), he now is the current scenic
design professor and technical director.
Paul has designed for The Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, Ash-Lawn
Highland Opera Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Spirit Marketing and Meadows
Basement Productions, to name a few.
In 2001,
Paul was awarded the Princess Grace Foundation Award for Excellence in Scenic
Design, as well as the Fabergé Award for Design Excellence for his work on Neil
LaBute's "bash; latter-day plays." His
work also has been recognized by the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre
Festival (KC/ACTF) for excellence in scenic design. In 2002, Paul designed the
set for the world premiere of Doug
Wright's
Pulitzer Prize-winning play "I Am My Own Wife."
Paul also
invented and started a business around true-to-scale, laser die-cut paper
furniture called Pop-Out Furniture. Only 2 years old, the business now has four
product lines which are carried by BMI Supply and Rose Brand, two of the
nation's largest theatrical supply distributors, as well as Dee's Delights, the
nation's largest distributor of miniatures and miniature supplies.
A
professional hobbyist, Paul also creates stop-motion animat-ed shorts, works on
commercials, industrials and sculpts. Paul just finished designing the set for
Mary Zimmerman's "Metamorphoses" at UNO and currently is working on
"Rosmerholm" for UNO and "Dead Monkey" for Kitchen Dog Theatre in Dallas.
D. Anthony Trecek-King, conductor,
cellist, and technologist, is an assistant professor of music at UNO, where he
teaches music appreciation and audio recording techniques, and directs the
University Chorus. As the conductor of University Chorus and the assistant
conductor of Concert Choir, Trecek-King has conducted in Lithuania, Latvia,
Estonia, Russia and Finland. He currently is the assistant artistic director of
the Nebraska Choral Arts Society, where he conducts the Masterworks Chorus.
Trecek-King has served as the music director of Heartland Harmony Summer Music
Festival, which he founded, and Elkhorn Hills United Methodist Church.
As a
conductor, he also has performed with the Florida State Symphony, Del Mar
College Summer Youth Orchestra, and the UNO Media Colloquium. Trecek-King
serves as the director of the Media Laboratory and the Coordinator of Recording
Services at UNO. He has taught at Peter Keiwit Institute's Academy of
Excellence and UNO's Cyber-Kids Camp.
Along
with his digital recording and editing, Trecek-King has written many computer
compositions for websites and digital videos.
Trecek-King
holds a master of music degree from Florida State University, where he studied
conducting. He currently is pursuing a doctorate from the University of
Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music.
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European
vacation for UNO Concert Choir
Europe
welcomed the University of Nebraska at Omaha Concert Choir to a variety of
cities this summer, the list of stops during its two-week visit including
Berlin, Leipzig, Prague, and Vienna. The Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Z.
Randall Stroope, performed in churches and universities. Braunschweig, an Omaha
sister city since 1992, was the choir's first stop with a performance at the
Carolo-Wilhelmina Technical University, one of UNO's sister universities. Above
is the Concert Choir at Goslar, Germany.
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Art & Art History
Shows held in UNO Art Gallery, 1st Floor,
Weber Fine Arts Building. Opening receptions begin 6:30 p.m. Gallery closed
Jan. 17 and March 13-20. Dates and events subject to change. Call 554-2796 for
information.
Jan. 18 - Feb. 18: Frogman Prints: Frogman
Collects, Opening Reception, Jan. 4
Jan. 18 - Feb. 18: Heart & Hands:
Concept and Construction in Student-Artist's Books, Opening Reception, Jan. 4
March 6 - 25: Spring 2005 UNO Art Student
Exhibition, Opening Reception, March 4
Masters & Music Series
Sunday
evenings at 5 p.m. in the UNO Art Gallery, 1st Floor, Weber Fine Arts Building.
Reception with artists follow lectures/performances. Call 554-2402 for ticket
information.
Jan. 30: The Art and Science of
Preservation Julie A. Reilly, Head of the Nebraska State Historical Society's
Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center,
Dr. Christine Beard & Members of the
Heartland Flute Choir.
Music
Performances start 7:30 p.m. in Strauss
Performing Arts Center Recital Hall unless otherwise noted. Doors open 30
minutes prior to concerts; seating non-reserved. Call 554-2335 for Resonate
tickets.
Dec. 3: Prevailing Winds IV - Symphonic
Wind Ensemble, University Concert Band, & UNO Jazz Ensemble
Dec. 4: UNO Concert Choir and University
Chorus Holiday Concert, 4pm & 7:30pm
Dec. 5: Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra:
Variations
Dec. 9: UNO Chamber Orchestra
Jan. 16: Sundays at Strauss Organ Concert,
TBA
Jan. 23: Ecoutez!, Robert Belinic, guitar
Jan. 30: Nebraska Wind Symphony Concert, 3
p.m.
Jan. 31: Heartland Philharmonic Concert, 7
p.m.
Feb. 6: Nebraska Brass Concert, 3 pm
Feb. 19: Ecoutez!, Bobby Shew, jazz
trumpet
Feb. 27: Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra:
Immortal Beloved, with UNO Concert Choir
Mar. 3: University Chorus / Nebraska
Choral Arts Society Concert TBA
Mar. 8: Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra:
Sweatin' to the Oldies University Chorus Concert
Mar. 10: University Band Concert
Mar. 11: Resonate, Tomm Roland, percussion
*
Resonate concert tickets $5 for adults/$4 for students. Ecoutez! season tickets
$55 per person (includes reserved parking adjacent to Strauss). General
admission $15. Students admitted free with I.D. Call 554-3427 for tickets and
information.
Theatre
Performances start 7:30 p.m. in UNO
Theatre, Weber Fine Arts Building, unless otherwise noted. For tickets, call
UNO Theatre Box Office, 554-2335.
Nov. 18-20, Dec. 1-4: Playboy of the
Western World
Feb. 24-26, Mar. 2-5: Rosmersholm
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