Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1998)
Ensemble to perform at convention By Barb Churchill Assignment Reporter For most people, a bus trip that begins at 4:15 a.m. would be an undesirable opportunity. For the University of Nebraska Lincoln Wind Ensemble, it’s an honor. The Wind Ensemble has been chosen to play at the Music Educators National Convention in Phoenix today and Friday, and they will leave for the airport in the wee hours of this morning. Wind Ensemble conductor John H. “Jay” Kloecker, associate profes sor of music and director of bands at UNL, said this trip is meaningful because of the length of time it has been since the Wind Ensemble played at the national convention. “It’s been over 10 years since we last were cho - I *m shocked and flattered - very honored. Its quite a show of faith in our group ” Jay Kloecker UNL bands director sen to play at the national MENU,” Kloecher said. “It was before my time at UNL." Although it has been a long time since the UNL Wind Ensemble has played at the national con vention, the Wind Ensemble has been no stranger to performing at the regional and local versions of the MENC conventions, Kloecker said. Just last year, the UNL Wind Ensemble performed at the regional version of the MENC in Peoria, 111., Kloecker said. Kloecker estimated between 40 and 50 bands around the country auditioned to play for the 1998 MENC convention. Only eight or nine bands were chosen to play, and the UNL Wind Ensemble was the only band this year chosen to play twice. Bands were chosen during a blind taped audition, and tapes had to be submitted for the 1998 convention by March of last year, Kloecker said. “I'm shocked and flattered - very honored.” Kloecker said. "It’s quite a show of faith in our group. (Being chosen to play twice) means we made quite an impression on the selection committee.” The last group invited to play two performances was the famed Eastman Conservatory Wind Ensemble of Rochester, New York, Kloecker said. The Thursday concert features four diff icult wind band pieces. The Wind Ensemble is playing the Vivo movement from Philip Sparks’ “Music for a Festival,” David Gillingham’s “Apocalyptic Dreams,” Scott McAllister’s “Dylan’s Door” and Frank Ticheli’s “Blue Shades.” “Dylan's Dreams" is a world pre miere and refers to the music of Bob Dylan, not to Dylan Thomas the poet, Kloecker said. Kloecker is especially pleased with the playing of Scott Anderson, an assistant professor of trombone who is also a featured soloist. “He’s fabulous. Scott is one of the real rising stars in the trombone world, and it's been a lot of fun to put (“Dylan's Door") together," Please see ENSEMBLE on 13 r.--&-Smk.---.. Sr ' Dawn Dietrich/DN VALENTINE COVERLY, played by Ryan Johnston, examines his turtle during a Wednesday night rehearsal of “Arcadia.” The Tom Stoppard play will open tonight at Howell Theatre at 8. Play links love, art, science By Cliff Hicks Staff Reporter It’s a love story about mathematics, art, history, literature, research, life, death, sex and gardening. That’s how director Shirley Mason describes Tom Stoppard’s recent play “Arcadia.” The University of Nebraska Lincoln’s theatre department will premiere its production of “Arcadia” Friday night. Stoppard is best known for his play “Rosencranz & Guildenstem Are Dead” but received wide-spread praise for “Arcadia” when it opened in London in 1993. Many crit ics have hailed “Arcadia” as Stoppard’s best play to date. “Arcadia” takes place in two time periods. The play opens with a scene of a 13-year-old girl getting a lesson from her tutor. The tutor gives her a 200-year-old equation to solve. And even though the tutor believes the equa tion cannot be solved the girl does so using a law of thermodynamics — a law that had yet to be developed. Through this she gains an understanding of fractal theory. The year is 1809. The second portion of the play takes place much later as a group of modem researchers try to understand the period in which the pre vious events took place almost 200 years ago. Part mystery, part philosophy, “Arcadia” spans not only a good length of time, but a var ied collection of ideas. The mathematics ele ment is woven quite thoroughly into the play. According to Mason, Stoppard claims the inclusion of new mathematics, especially chaos theory, is purely incidental. However, she says, these theories form a key part of the structure of the play. The play's cast includes Amy Rouffer, Steven Shields, Jude Hickey, Amy Jaifer, Cathy Dudley and Ryan Johnston. Mason described “Arcadia” as a “wonder ful play - very rich, very funny, very moving; people who are discussing their ideas are pas sionately involved with the development of those ideas.” Stoppard’s plays are renowned for their sharp dialogue and “Arcadia” is no exception, covering a wide range of interests and experi ences. Where else do chaos theory and gar dening go hand in hand? “Arcadia” runs Friday and Saturday, as well as April 22-25. There will be a special student preview tonight. All showings are at 8 p.m. in the Howell Theatre on the first floor of the Temple Building. Tickets are $6. * h e Maestro Concert to present Indian culture Courtesy Photo PUNDIT SHIVKUMAR SHARMA, one of the world’s pre mier performers of classical Indian music, will play at Westbrook Music Hall Saturday evening. The event is sponsored and organized by Raag, a UNL student organization. By Jason Hardy Senior Reporter This weekend Lincoln will get a taste of Indian music and culture. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, one of the world's most famous musicians of classi cal Indian music, will perform the ancient songs of his culture at Westbrook Music Hall Saturday. The songs, or ragas, are performed on a santoor, the oldest known stringed instrument in India. The santoor is a 60 string instrument shaped to sit on the musician’s lap and is played with many different techniques. Sharma is famous for having devel oped a revolutionary playing technique known as hammering. This technique enabled Sharma to create music that some have described as the most interesting development in Indian music in the past 20 years. Dipanjan Nag, a member of Raag, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student organization promoting the culture and music of India, said that Sharma, or Maestro as he’s called, went hand-in-hand with classical Indian music. “Basically he is the best, and we call the people who are the leading musicians ‘maestros,’” Nag said. “He has trans formed this instrument into a solo per forming instrument. He is basically syn onymous with the instrument.” He said classical Indian music, like what Sharma played, was very emotional and spiritual. “Indian classical music fs different from any other type of music because it gives you a very strong sense of time of the day and transforms your mood based on the time of day and a seasonal feeling,” Nag said. “You can feel yourself drift away with the mood.” Piyush Srivastav, also a member of Raag, agreed with Nag about classical Indian music. “It’s very relaxing." Srivastav said. “Basically you close your eyes and listen to it and get lost in the music.” Nag said the music was totally instru mental, and Sharma’s performance would Please see RAAG on 13