Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- Aerial acrobats, oboists, flautists, tap dancers and even native stone cellars highlight February at Kansas State University.

The following events, sponsored by the university's McCain Performance Series, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, are being offered on campus. Most events are free, unless otherwise noted, and the public is welcome. Events include:

* The Family Valentines Workshop at the Beach Museum of Art will be 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2. Make valentines for all the special people in your life. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $5 per participant, $3 for members. Call 785-532-7718 for more information.

* The early release workshop, "Mosaics," will be 2-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, at the Beach Museum. Children will create mosaics from a variety of materials, using artist Tom Parish's stone cellars for inspiration. The workshop is for kids ages 5 and up. The cost is $5 per participant, $3 for members. Call 785-532-7718 for more information.

* The opening reception for the new exhibition "Take Shelter: An Installation by Tom Parish" will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Beach Museum of Art.

* The annual Wildcat Oboe Day will be Saturday, Feb. 8. It will feature students from across Kansas participating in rehearsals and giving a final performance in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall at 5 p.m. The event is coordinated by Nora Lewis, associate professor of oboe.

* K-State Theatre will present the triple Tony Award-winning comedy "God of Carnage" by Yasmina Reza in the Mark A. Chapman Theatre in Nichols Hall. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6-8 and Feb. 13-15, with a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 16. Tickets are $9-$14, plus applicable taxes and fees, and can be purchased online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain or by calling 785-532-6428.

* Richard Ross, a photographer, researcher and professor of art from Santa Barbara, Calif., will present a lecture on his work from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at the Beach Museum of Art. His talk will include his recent project, "Juvenile Justice," which documents the placement and treatment of incarcerated American juveniles. The lecture is sponsored by the Richard Coleman Beach Museum of Art Lecture Series fund.

* Kansas City-based Quixotic, which offers a hypnotic infusion of dance, live music, aerial acrobatics, visual effects and high fashion, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at McCain Auditorium. Tickets to this McCain Performance Series event are available by calling 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* The fourth annual McCain Student Showcase, at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, in McCain Auditorium, will feature a fast-paced collage of several juried performances by students from the university's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Tickets are available by calling 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* Guest organist Brett Valliant will perform accompaniment to the silent film "Safety Last!" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, in All Faiths Chapel.

* The K-State Faculty Brass Quintet will present a recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, in All Faiths Chapel. Quintet members include trumpeter Craig Parker, associate professor of music; trumpeter Becki Walenz, instructor of music; French hornist Jacqueline Fassler-Kerstetter, associate professor of music; trombonist Paul Hunt, professor of music; and tubist Steven Maxwell, assistant professor of music.

* The USD 383 Early Expressions Art Show will be on display at the Beach Museum of Art's UMB Theater from Feb. 12-16. Join the museum in celebrating art by the district's students. A public reception will be 2-4 p.m. Feb. 15.

* The General Student Recital, for students in the music program's keyboard, wind, brass, percussion, string and vocal divisions, will be 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb 13, in all Faiths Chapel.

* "Celebrating New Music" will be performed by faculty artists at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in All Faiths Chapel.

* The university's Tap Dance Ensemble is offering tap-a-grams for Valentine's Day, Friday, Feb. 14. Reservations are requested by Wednesday, Feb. 12. Contact Julie Pentz at 785-532-5411 or jpentz@k-state.edu.

* Celebrate Valentine's Day by meeting the family — "The Addams Family." The musical comedy will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, at McCain Auditorium. Tickets for this McCain Performance Series event are available by calling 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* On Monday, Feb. 17, trombonist Paul Hunt, professor of music, will present a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall.

* Guest pianist Daniel Masterson will present a recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, in All Faiths Chapel. Masterson is an associate professor of music at Bethany College, where he has been the Billue-Burnett distinguished professor of music since 2003.

* The Voice Studio of Amy Rosine, associate professor of music, will perform a recital at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall.

* On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the university's Organ Studio and David Pickering, assistant professor of music, will present "Organ Music for a Wednesday Morning" at 11:30 a.m. in All Faiths Chapel.

* Compagnia T.P.O will present the visual, emotional and highly interactive "Bleu! The Mediterranean Sea" children's theatre at 7 p.m. Feb. 19-21, 4 and 7 p.m. Feb. 22 and 2 p.m. Feb. 23. "Bleu" is recommended for children age 4 and older, as well as for teens, parents and grandparents. The audience will be seated onstage, so seating is limited. Tickets for this McCain Performance Series event are available by calling 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* Faculty artists will present "Chamber Music by Craig Weston" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, in All Faiths Chapel. Weston is a composer and professor of music at the university.

* Ebony Theatre will present "The Story" by playwright Tracey Scott Wilson at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20-22 and at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in East Stadium's Purple Masque Theatre. The drama is inspired by real-life events involving an ambitious reporter who goes against her editor to investigate a murder. Tickets are $5-$8 and can be purchased by calling 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain. Tickets also will be sold at the door, if available.

* Flautists from across the region will be on campus Saturday, Feb. 22, for K-State Flute Day, coordinated by Karen Large, assistant professor of flute. The final concert will take place at 4 p.m. in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall.

* The Oboe Studio of Nora Lewis, associate professor of music, will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall.

* Laura Kuykendall will present the lecture "John Steuart Curry: Regionalism at War" at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at the Beach Museum of Art. Kuykendall, an assistant professor of art history at Ball State University, will discuss Curry's lesser-known World War II art, including war bond posters and military training imagery.

* The Lily Cai Dance Company will present "Dynasties and Beyond," a blend of traditional and contemporary Chinese dance, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, in McCain Auditorium. Tickets for this McCain Performance Series event are available by calling 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

For more information on all Beach Museum events, call 785-532-7718; for School of Music, Theatre, and Dance events, call 785-532-5740; and for McCain Performance Series events, call 785-532-6428.