Month: October 2020

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts and the Quincy Mine Hoist Association announce a spooky Halloween collaboration, “A Haunted Drive-Thru at the Mine”. It’s taking place Thursday, October 29 through Saturday October 31 at the Quincy Mine Ruins.

Scheduled times are 7 to 10 p.m. each evening. The cost is a donation that can be made at the entrance to the drive-through at the mine.

According to Kent Cyr (VPA), “We’ve got a multi-layered project in the works, with built and lit scenic elements out in the mine ruins, and original scary podcast/stories produced by the Tech Theatre Company. The sounds will play on a long loop broadcast over a low-power FM transmitter. As people drive the ruins along the path marked out, they can tune their radios to the ‘Haunted Mine Drive-Thru’ Halloween broadcast.”

 Proceeds benefit the Quincy Mine Hoist Association.

The Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra (KSO) under the direction of conductor Joel Neves, presents “Trolls and Cowboys” in a special streamed concert on Halloween, Saturday, October 31, at 7:30 pm. Spooky troll music is featured in Grieg’s fantasy horror masterpiece, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”. Aaron Copland’s film music for the 1949 Hollywood western, “The Red Pony”, celebrates cowboys, circuses, and the American frontier.  Access the video stream by clicking on the “View/Stream” button in the Trolls and Cowboys event listing, or for a more interactive experience, visit the Rozsa Facebook page and look for the Trolls and Cowboys Livestream at the start of the event.

This video concert is free and open to the public.

According to Neves, “I feel excited and blessed to make music again with this wonderful orchestra during the worldwide pandemic. Sublime music inspires the soul and binds communities together – it changes lives. Join us online for some beautiful music as the KSO approaches its historic 50th anniversary!”

Founded in 1970, the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra is the Upper Peninsula’s oldest orchestra. The KSO is a college-community ensemble comprising Michigan Tech students, faculty and staff, and community musicians. Most of the musicians pursue something other than music as a career, with engineers, scientists, mathematicians, educators, and retirees filling the roster. Students occupy about 60 percent of the orchestra; none are music majors.

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts, the Rozsa Center and Pavlis Honors College announce the fall gallery exhibition, Hero City: Documentary Photography by Meghan Kirkwood. The exhibit features a collection of silver gelatin and inkjet photographs of modern Mongolia.

The images capture the unique and storied history of Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar, its transition through economic and cultural change – and the rich and thriving culture that animates this young Asian nation.

This exhibit is presented in collaboration with Michigan Tech’s Pavlis Honors College and the D80 Conference, where Kirkwood will give the keynote address.

The title “Hero City,” refers to the chosen name for this urban center before pressure from soviet activists led to its renaming, Ulaanbaatar (city of the Red Hero). Mongolia’s history is long and complex, and most recently marked by its transition from communism to democracy following the fall of the Soviet Union. This transition was guided by international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Fund, but the nation’s swift entry into a market economy has brought many challenges for its citizens, in spite of optimism from outside economists who view the country as a “global growth generating” nation. Mongolia offers a prescient look at the disconnect between prescriptive policies and the cultural and political realities that limit their success. Kirkwood’s images seek to capture these tensions, and to draw attention to Mongolia’s vibrant culture.

Kirkwood is an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Her photography has been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, and South Africa. She holds an MFA in Photography from Tulane University, and a PhD in Art History from the University of Kansas. w ww.meghankirkwood.com.

The exhibit will run from Monday, Sept. 28 through Saturday, Nov. 14. Works of art are also hung in several campus buildings and can be seen through a self- guided walking tour.

Gallery hours:

• Monday – Friday — 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturday — 1 to 8 p.m.

Walking tour hours:

• Monday – Friday — 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kirkwood will give her online D80 keynote address at noon on Friday, Oct. 2, and an online gallery talk on at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. A tour map, Zoom links, and more details to all related Hero City and D80 Conference events can be found on the Rozsa Center website.

This program is partially funded/sponsored by the Visiting Professor Program which is funded by a grant to the Office of the Provost from the State of Michigan’s King- Chavez-Parks Initiative. 

For the latest news and events, please join our Rozsa newsletter, check our website and Facebook page frequently, and stay informed as we announce new events each week.

The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, in partnership with the Quincy Mine Hoist Association, present a virtual streamed concert titled “Music in the Mine” at 6 p.m. Friday (Oct. 9). 

Incredible acoustics, exciting performances and contemporary music come together live in the beautiful setting of the historic Quincy Mine Hoist building.

The concert features performances by Pat Booth on saxophone, Adam Meckler (VPA) on trumpet, Adam Hall on cello and the conScience Chamber Singers under the direction of Jared Anderson (VPA) premiering a new composition by Stephen Rush. 

Other works on the program are by Pat Booth, Sofia Gubaidulina, and John Cage. There will also be an interactive piece titled “Tuning Meditation,” by Paulina Oliveros. 

This concert is free and can be streamed live at mtu.edu/rozsa.