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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1991
4
-- /way r-reoerick/un
Susan Wilson, cellist for the Aidan String Quartet, is pursing a master’s degree in cello performance. See story on page 9.
Music committee airs women’s perspectives
By Cinnamon Dokken
Staff Reporter
Women’s Words and Music, a
University Program Council com
mittee, serves as an avenue for
women’s contributions and per
spectives to be aired, the commit
tee’s chairperson said.
“Women make up 51 percent of
the population, but at the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln, only 16
percent of the faculty members are
women,’’ Tina Pilonetti said.
"Women’s Words and Music serves
to represent women whose voices
go unheard.”
The committee is made up of a
few “hardworking individuals who
really care about what they are
doing,” member Robyn Larsen said.
“Performers want to come to Lin
coln, and they have an audience.
W hat we try to do is provide them
with a stage."
Much work goes into prepanng
for an event, Larsen said.
Among other duties, committee
members decide the date, time and
place of the event, handle con
tracts and publicity and bring in
and set up lighting and sound
equipment.
Variety and diversity are priori
ties for the committee, which brings
a wide range of women poets, mu
sicians and speakers to campus.
#
In the past, Women’s Words and
Music has presented performers such
as Phranc, a well-known Jewish,
lesbian folk singer. Last March, the
committee brought in Dance Bri
gade, a modern dance troupe based
Oakland, Calif.
From Harlem came Hattie Gos
sett, an African-American poet.
Nationally known speaker Andrea
Parrot traveled from New York to
speak to UNL students about ac
quaintance rape.
Last fall, the committee hosted
Altazor, a quartet formed by four
women of diverse backgrounds who
found common ground in Latin
American New Song.
More recently, Women’s Words
and Music organized a concert by
The Washington Sisters with Melanie
Monsur and Edie Herrold. The
African-American duo sang jazz,
blues, a cappella, gospel and reg
gae. The concert site, The Com
monplace, was packed with an
audience of more than 100 people.
Committee members said tney
hope this enthusiasm will carry
through the semester.
At 8 p.m. on Nov. 16, bell hooks
will present a free speech on “Gen
der, Race and Representation’’ in
the Centennial Room of the Ne
braska Union. A professor of Eng
lish and women’s studies at Ober
lin College, hooks is the author of
several doors including Ain i i
Woman: Black Women and Femi
nism."
Women’s Words and Music also
will co-sponsor a talk by Linda
Coombs and Ramona Peters this
semester. The two Wampanoag
women will speak about “What
Thanksgiving Means to Native
Americans” at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21 at
the Culture Center.
Cindy Douglas, assistant’to the
coordinator of the Women’s Re
source Center, said Women's Words
and Music functions closely in
conjunction with the center but is
recognized as a separate entity and
funded by UPC.
The committee meets at 12:30
p.m. Thursdays in room 117 of the
Nebraska Union. Anyone interested
is welcome to attend — even men,
Pilonetti said.
“We are seeking to empower
women, not alienate men.”
-—-J...
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THIS WEEK:
Making Music
HI: Women’s
Words and
Music
Page 5
Women’s Words
and Music
Committee
Page 6
Linden Looks at
the Lab
i Wimmin’s
I Radio
Page 8
Arbor Moon
Bookstore
Page 9
Aidan String
Quartet
Page 11
Abridged Jim
Page 12
Upcoming
Events
NEXT WEEK:
Theater
