Arts^entertainment
Nebraskan
Friday, March 18, 1994
Living room makes ideal venue for a concert
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter_
Set up a couch and a few chairs,
throw a few pillows here and there,
and you have the perfect concert
venue right in a living room.
This “have concert, will travel” ‘
concept is the theme of the Home
Concert Association as it turns ordi
nary homes into concert halls.
The privately funded Home Con
cert Association sets up performers
with hosts in a cozy setting in the liv
ing room, dining room or patio of
almost any type of house around the
Lincoln area.
Ken Hoppmann, the association’s
artistic director, said this style of
musical performance was unique.
“To my knowledge, nothing like
this exists anywhere else,” he said.
“Whereas a lot of organizations will
have their artistic niche, we have a
location, or atmosphere type of a
niche.”
Hoppmann, a pianist himself, said
the idea for the Home Concert Asso
ciation came to him after he was in
vited to perform in a private home.
“The music became much more
accessible to everybody. There wasn’t
that terrible distance,” Hoppmann
said. “It was much more intimate.”
After that, he said he felt an orga
nization devoted to concerts in pri
vate homes should be started.
“Music somehow speaks much
more clearly to the individual person
if there are fewer individuals there,”
he said.
Although the Home Concert As
sociation is a fairly new concept in
the ’90s, Hoppmann said, it has a
historical precedent.
Most musical concerts prior to and
in the 19th century were in smaller
places like the king’s chambers, he
said. In the 19th century, when large
concert halls were the rage, Frederick
Chopin still decided to perform in
private home settings.
While trying to bring this tradi
tion into the 20th century, the asso
ciation has played host to only two
concerts.
The performers love the intimate
home setting, he said. They can be
more at ease with the ambiance and
atmosphere of an informal setting.
“It’s a much more relaxed atmo
sphere, and you don’t have all that
unnecessary pressure,” he said.
He said the hosts could benefit
from the concert as much as the per
former could.
“If they’re a real apprcciator of
music, maybe they just want to pro
vide an opportunity for a concert,”
he said. “I think it’s a purely aesthetic
experience. Some people just love to
have that kind of event in their
home.”
Hoppmann said a home concert
could be an artistic way to showcase
a new or newly remodeled home.
Both indoor and outdoor private con
certs can be arranged. They can ei
ther have an invited audience or be
open to the public.
Hoppmann said home concerts
could be used to feature homes that
weren’t even built yet. Through a
realtor who sits on the association’s
board of directors, concerts can even
be performed on construction sites,
he said.
Some homes are more conducive
than others for performances,
Hoppmann said, but there are no elite
requirements.
“As long as everybody can sit
down and be reasonably comfortable,
that would be it,” he said. “Of course,
if we had a pianist, we’d have to have
a suitable piano.”
The concert must also become a
social function while still being a
concert, he said.
Anything from hors d’oeuvres to
a full banquet can be provided by the
hosts to accompany the concert.
Hoppmann said an English Tea could
even be arranged.
Playing host to a concert is free,
but Hoppmann said there was a sug
gested minimum donation that could
be paid by the hosts or the guests.
Hosts and performers arc often
found by word of mouth or through
UkU U \ < i—
James Mehsling/DN
other organizations, he said.
Hoppmann said he encouraged local
and university artists to take part in
the association’s program. Future
plans include taking local perform
ers and exchanging them with per
formers in other states.
Spielberg will get his due with best picture, director
The stars will again descend en
masse for the Academy Award pre
sentation Monday. Front-runners for
Oscar wins this year include
“Schindler’s List,” “The Piano” and
“In the Name of the Father.”
Some exceptional films were
shafted in nominations, and although
that is a yearly occurrence, we
thought some films deserved at least
a small mention. Among them:
“Much Ado About Nothing,” “The
Age of Innocence,” “Heaven and
Earth” and “Carlito’s Way.”
Last year, staff predictions were
nearly dead on (with the exception
of Marisa Tomci’s win for Best Sup
porting Actress, and no one could be
faulted for that), so here are the Daily
Nebraskan movie reviewers’ best
picks for Oscar winners.
Best Picture:
Gerry: “The Fugitive” has as much
of a chance of winning Best Pic
ture as “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”
has of playing at the Ross Film
Theater. If “Schindler’s List”
doesn’t walk away with this one, I
predict that Munich, Rome, Los
Angeles and New York will be
burning by midnight.
Anne: Absolutely “Schindler’s List.”
Joel: “Schindler’s List.” Finally
Steven Spielberg gets some recog
nition.
Best Director:
G: Spielberg. See my “Best Picture”
comments if he doesn’t win. Cam
pion is the only other choice here.
A: Spielberg. All of the nominees are
brilliant directors, but Spielberg
took a personal journey on
“Schindler’s List” and successfully
translated his powerful emotions to
the screen.
J: Big Steve’s taking this one home,
too.
Best Actor:
G: Too soon for repeats for Day
Lewis and Hopkins, and loo few
saw Fishbumc. Hanks will get this
one to acknowledge his jump from
successful comedy to successful
drama.
A: The Oscar will go to Hanks, al
though Hopkins gave the perfor
mance of his career and Day-Lewis
was astounding as always. I missed
“What’s Love Got to Do With It,”
so I can’t comment on powerhouse
Fishbumc. No way Necson.
J: I’d like to see Liam Nccson walk
away with this, but I think it will
go to Tom Hanks — they can’t
bunch up the awards loo much.
Best Actress:
G: Too soon for Emma, too lew saw
Bassett, Winger is a joke, and “Six
Degrees of Separation” hasn’t been
seen enough. I’ll go with Hunter
with the hope that an Oscar will
push her toward more roles in
which she isn’t allowed to speak.
A: Holly Hunter. Bassett is the only
other actress who stands a chance.
J: Holly Hunter.
Best Supporting Actor:
G: Malkovich was hypnotic, but his
role was too dark for the Academy
to like him. DiCaprio would win
in a perfect world, but since the
Academy is still run by old, bald
men who don’t respect young tal
ent, they’ll give it to Jones.
A: This is always the hardest category
to predict. I’d give it to DiCaprio
or Fiennes, but the Oscar will prob
ably go — erroneously — to Hol
lywood hotshot Jones.
J: This is a really tough one. It will
probably go to Jones, but my per
sonal choice is cither Malkovich or
DiCaprio. Malkovich was intensely
threatening in an Anthony
Hopkins sort of way, and DiCaprio
was ama/.ingly captivating, but
Jones is kind of a fave down at the
Oscars.
Best Supporting Actress:
G: No way for Hunter, Perez is too
annoying, and Emma shouldn’t
have even been nominated. Paquin
deserves it, but Kit Culkin threat
ened to allow Macaulay to go
through puberty if Anna won.
They’ll give it to Ryder, not because
she deserves it but in a lame at
tempt to make up for screwing over
DiCaprio.
A: Ryder will take the little gold man
home, much to my dismay, even
though the kid (Paquin) was much
better.
J: 1 can’t believe that Thompson is
even in this one; she wasn’t in the
show long enough to support a
cured alcoholic. I pick Perez.
— Gerry Beltz, Anne Steyer,
Joel Strauch
Academy Award Nominees
Best Picture
The Fugitive
In The Name of the Father
The Piano
The Remains of the Day
Schindler’s List
Best Director
Robert Altman (“Short
Cuts")
Jane Campion ("The Pi
James Ivory ("The Rem
of the Day")
Jim Sheridan ("In the N
of the Father")
Steven Spielberg
("Schindler’s List")
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis (“In the
Name of the Father*)
Laurence Fishburne
(“What’s Love Got to Do
With It")
Tom Hanks (“Philadelphia")
Anthony Hopkins (*The
Remains of the Day")
Liam Neeson (“Scmndler's
List")
■
Best
Angela
(“What’s
Love Got to Do With It")
Stockard Channing (“Six
Degrees of Separation")
Holly Hunter (“The Piano")
Thompson (“The
ns of the Day")
Winger
ihadowlands")
est Supporting
ctor
mardo DiCaprio
hat’s Eating Gilbert
’ape")
Iph Fiennes
(“Schindler’s List")
ommy Lee Jones (“The
igitive")
bhn Malkovich (“In the
Une of Fire")
Peter Postlethwaite (“In
the Name of the Father")
Best Supporting
Actress
Holly Hunter (“The Firm")
Anna Paquin (“The Piano")
Rosie Perez (“Fearless")
Winona Ryder (“The Age of
a Thompson (“In the
of the Father")
DN Graphic
Music to explore black culture
By Paula Lavigne
Senior Reporter _
From African tribal music to
Negro spiritual songs, African
American cul lure has rcl ied heavily
on the music experience.
“The History of Gut Bucket Mu
sic," an informal lecture demon
stration by musical artist Tiyc
Giraud, examines this transforma
tion in tradition. It features Giraud
exploring the relation of African
traditional music to the southern
black experience in the United
States.
Giraud, a vocalist, percussion
ist and composer, uses a variety of
traditional instruments and vocal
styles to take the audience on an
international tour of different mu
sical cultures.
“The History of Gut Bucket Mu
sic” will be held in cooperation
with the Home Concert Associa
tion and The Wagon Train Project
at the home of Jeff and Michelle
Griffith, 1149 S. 17th St., at 7:30
p.m.
A suggested minimum donation
is $10 per person and $3 for stu
dents and seniors.
Weekend of romance to occur in Omaha
By Jill O’Brien
Staff Reporter
Spring break offers the opportu
nity to learn firsthand from publish
ers, writers and scholars about writ
ing a romance novel.
The second annual Romance
Writers & Readers Conference in
Omaha, March 25-27, will feature
discussion about the publishing and
marketing aspects of romance writ
ing, plus tips on writing.
Registration begins at 6 p.m.
March 25. Following that, there will
be a keynote address featuring ro
mance author Sandra Brown.
The March 26 session opens at
8:30 a.m. with Kathym Falk of Ro
mantic Times magazine sharing her
insight into‘The Explosive Romance
Market.”
Throughout the day, a wide range
of workshops and seminars arc of
fered. Topics include “Rape in the
Romance,” “The Romance: Patriar
chyor Feminism?”, “Rejection Proof
ing Your Manuscript,” “The New
Hero” and “Alternative Romance.”
Two sessions on “Paperback Publish
ing Business” will be conducted by
Ann LaFarge, executive editor of Ze
bra Books.
Participants also can visit with lit
erary agents and discuss manuscript
ideas.
On March 26 at 7 p.m., a special
$25-a-plate dinner features Zebra’s
spokesperson and cover model, Tye
Damon, who also is a romance nov
elist.
The conference concludes March
27 with breakfast at the Garden Cafe
and a chance to hear author Anita
Mills speak.
The conference will be held at the
Peter Kicwit Conference Center in
Omaha.
Full-time students pay $35 for
general registration, while nonstu
dents pay SI 19. For more informa
tion, contact the College of Continu
ing Studies in Omaha.