Jonathan Houghton/DN
PROFESSOR ROD CHESNUTT conducts the UNL Symphonic Band through a
selection during its Monday afternoon practice. The Symphonic Band, an
audition-only ensemble, is composed of both music and nonmusic majors.
i -i____ _ —j— __ ___i__*■
DDneecenn nnn , . JONATHAN HOUGHTON/DN
PROFESSOR ROD CHESNUTT conducts the UNL Symphonic Band through a selection during its Monday afternoon practice. The Symponic Band, an audi
tion-only ensemble, is composed of both music and non-music majors.
14 Oscar
nods for
‘Titanic’
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -
A year after “Titanic” had all but run
aground and appeared headed for
one of the most spectacular disasters
in Hollywood history, the movie
received 14 Oscar nominations
Tuesday, more than any picture in
nearly half a century.
The three-hour epic about a fic
tional love affair on the doomed ship
was nominated for best picture, best
actress for Kate Winslet, best direc
tor for James Cameron and best sup
porting actress for Gloria Stuart - at
87, the oldest performer ever nomi
nated for an acting Oscar.
Hollywood’s most expensive
movie ever at $200 million,
“Titanic” was so mired in delays it
missed its release date by nearly half
a year. Cameron’s obsession with
authenticity drove the cast and crew
tn hrpul'inrr nmnt o n H etiirlin
executives began laying odds over
whose heads would roll.
Instead, “Titanic” has earned
$337 million and is steaming toward
the all-time box-office record.
“Titanic” tied with 1950’s “All
About Eve” for the most nomina
tions in the 70-year history of the
Academy Awards.
“Anchors aweigh!” Stuart said
from her home in Los Angeles. Of
the film’s doubters, she said: “They
were dissing it all around. That hap
pens in Hollywood.”
“L.A. Confidential” and “Good
Will Hunting” each received nine
nominations, including best picture.
The other best picture nominees
were “As Good as It Gets” and the
crowd-pleasing British stripper
comedy “The Full Monty.”
“I don’t know (how I'll cele
brate), but it’s not going to involve
taking any clothes off,” said Mark
Please see OSCAR on 13
Band readies for state tour
By Barb Churchill
Assignment Reporter
The University of Nebraska
Lincoln Symphonic Band is prepar
ing both for a one-day tour of
Nebraska and a weekend concert.
Rod Chesnutt, director of the
Symphonic Band and assistant pro
fessor of music, couldn’t be happier.
The Symphonic Band one-day tour
is Thursday from 5:20 a.m. until 11:30
p.m., which means it’s a big undertak
ing for the entire Symphonic Band.
This challenge is magnified
because of the age of both the group
and its members. The ensemble in
only 2 years old, and most of its mem
bers are freshmen and sophomores.
Symphonic Band is mostly a
music major ensemble, although
there is a healthy minority (about 20
percent) of other majors represented.
Symphonic Band is an audition-only
ensemble.
This contrasts with the UNL
Campus Band, which does not
require an audition and is comprised
mainly of non-music majors.
“Campus Band performs a differ
ent function for the University than
Symphonic Band. Symphonic Band
gives the students more structure than
an open, non-audition ensemble.
Auditioned ensembles (such as
Symphonic Band) work at a higher
level and allow the students to devel
op their playing at a higher level by
being introduced both to new pieces
and the “standard war-horse pieces,”
Chesnutt said.
The Symphonic Band’s first concert
is Sunday at 3 p.m. in Kimball Recital
Hall. The performance features clarinet
soloist Erin Hill, a junior clarinet perfor
mance major, playing the Carl Maria
von Weber “Concertino for Clarinet.”
Chesnutt said the Weber selection “is a
great band piece. It shows off the clar
inet nicely, and is readily accessible for
high school players. It also shows that
our undergrads accomplish quite a bit
while they're here.”
Chesnutt was very enthused about
the Symphonic Band's one-dav tour,
because this is a first for both the
Symphonic Band and UNL
Professor Kloecker (Wind Ensemble
director) was approached at the
National Music Educators
Association convention by Norfolk
(high school band) director Jack
Fisher, and was asked when a per
forming group from UNL could go
there and perform for the students.
Kloecker said the Wind Ensemble
was doing the Music Educators
U
The tour is a good thing for UNL, because
it gives the potential students a chance to
hear (marching band students) playing a
more serious art music.”
Rod Chesnutt
director of the Symphonic Band
National Convention in Phoenix this
year and couldn't possibly do a tour, but
suggested that Symphonic Band could.
Kloecker suggested that Fisher talk to
Chesnutt about Symphonic Band."
"At this point," Chesnutt said,
"things started to fall into place."
Chesnutt enjoys the idea of a tour,
because it helps recruit more music
students to UNL. By showing poten
tial students there is more to UNL
than just the marching band, the
Symphonic Band is performing a
valuable public service, he said.
One unusual thing about the
Symphonic Band is that more than 80
percent of the students are present or
former members of the UNL marching
band, a fact that isn’t lost on Chesnutt.
“The tour is a good thing for
UNL, because it gives the potential
students a chance to hear (marching
band students) playing a more serious
art music.” Chesnutt said.
The Symphonic Band one-day tour
will go to Norfolk High School. Blair !
High School, and Wayne State College. ^
One of the good things about this
tour. Chesnutt said, is that it will allow
students to focus more on their music.
“A one-day tour doesn’t disrupt
too many classes, and it helps (UNL)
maintain a presence within the state,”
he said. “By putting a series of per
formances close together, especially
considering our concert on (Sunday),
it raises the group's performance
level. It aids in focus.”
‘Dance’ taps |
out intimate I
look at Japan I
_
By Todd Munson
Film, Critic
It's amazing how truly great cin
ema can cure what ails you.
I pried myself from my deathbed
to see the latest offering from the
director who, in 1992. brought the
world the critically acclaimed
“Sumo Do, Sumo Don't.” By the
closing credits. 1 was walking out of
the theater with a fresh outlook on
life and newfound health.
Wait a second. “Sumo Do. Sumo
Don't” probably doesn’t ring a bell
does it?
That’s because the film's director
Masayuki Suo is Japanese and
makes Japanese films.
Distributed in the United States
by those wily Wienstien brothers at
Miramax Films, “Shall we Dance?”
Please see DANCE on 13
