Sources: Todd Holmberg, 785-532-6425, trholm@k-state.edu;
Martha Scott, 785-532-7718, marthas@k-state.edu;
and Kristin Mortenson, 785-532-5740, kmortens@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-2535, bbohn@k-state.edu
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011
Make a cultural resolution: January time to enjoy music, art, Frankenstein and more at K-State
MANHATTAN -- A new year brings new opportunities to enjoy the arts at Kansas State University. January events include art exhibitions, music and dance performances, and two presentations in the McCain Performance Series.
January cultural events, all free unless otherwise indicated, include:
* Art Faculty Biennial, an exhibition of the creative work of the university's department of art faculty, will be on display through March 16, 2012, at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art.
* The department of music's 39th annual String Fling will be Jan. 14-15, 2012, in McCain Auditorium. More than 600 young string players in grades 5-9 from all over Kansas will rehearse in seven different orchestras. Local conductors this year include Shelley Manges and Blair Williams. String Fling director is David Littrell, university distinguished professor of music. The orchestras will present their final concerts starting at 10 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, in McCain.
* The Martin Luther King Day On Event at the Beach Museum of Art will feature an open house from 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The event will be highlighted by the premier of the "Tallgrass TV" exhibition, which is a video installation by Sam Easterson, as well as projects based on celebrating, investigating and preserving the prairie environment. The open house is free and reservations are not required. The day's donations will be sent to the Nature Conservancy to support Kansas prairie projects.
* "Tallgrass TV: Sam Easterson's Tribute to the Konza Prairie" formally opens Jan. 17, 2012, and runs through May 10, 2012, at the Beach Museum of Art. Created by noted video naturalist Easterson, the exhibition includes a variety of animal-borne imaging videos, from a gray wolf to bison, to show their perspective on the world. Six monitors will have videos running on a continuous loop, with each monitor featuring a different video. Along with still photos, the exhibition features three taxidermy displays of a quail, fungi and Luna moth.
* The McCain Performance Series will kick off the new year with the Mel Brooks musical "Young Frankenstein" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, in McCain Auditorium. The musical was the winner of the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award and the Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Musical. Tickets cost $24 to $48, with a variety of discounts available for university students, faculty and staff; military members; and youth 18 and under. Drop by the McCain Auditorium box office to get tickets or call 785-532-6428. Tickets also can be purchased online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.
* The K-State Concert Band Clinic, serving more than 600 students from across the Midwest, will be Jan. 20-22, 2012. The clinic includes six large ensembles, percussion ensembles, sectional rehearsals and master classes with the K-State department of music studio faculty. The weekend concludes with performances by all six honor bands and their percussion ensembles beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, in McCain Auditorium.
* The K-State Tap Dance Ensemble, offered through the university's dance program, will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, at Meadow Lark Hills Retirement Community, Manhattan.
* Guest organist Jack Ergo will present a solo recital in All Faiths Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Ergo is the music department coordinator and associate professor of piano/harpsichord/orchestral studies at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.
* Pianist Simone Dinnerstein will perform as part of the McCain Performance Series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Dinnerstein gained international recognition with the success of her recording of Bach's "Goldberg Variations." She then recorded "Bach: A Strange Beauty," which reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard classical chart and made the Billboard Top 200. Tickets cost $12 to $35, with a variety of discounts available for university students, faculty and staff; military members; and youth 18 and under. Drop by the McCain Auditorium box office to get tickets or call 785-532-6428. Tickets also can be purchased online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.
* K-State Vocal Arts Day, one of the largest choral events in the state of Kansas, will be Satuday, Jan. 28, 2012. Since its founding three years ago, 1,000 students and teachers have participated in this daylong event, which promotes a positive choral experience, camaraderie with peers and continued development of the choral art form. In addition to the full day of instruction for student attendees, teacher interest sessions, performances and master classes with the university voice faculty will be offered. The final concert for the event will be at 6:15 p.m. in McCain Auditorium.
* K-State faculty pianist Slawomir Dobrzanski, assistant professor of music, will perform a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012, in All Faiths Chapel.
For more information on all Beach Museum events, call 785-532-7718; for music department events, call 785-532-5740 or check out the department's calendar in front of 109 McCain; and to get tickets to McCain events call 785-532-6428.
