Visual and Performing Arts News

Libby Meyer at Heikinpäivä 2014

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Libby MeyerHeikinpaiva to Feature Several Michigan Tech Faculty

Join several faculty members, including Pasi Lautala and Libby Meyer, at Heikinpaiva 2014 Saturday in Hancock. There will be music, dance, food, games, a parade, and the ever-popular Polar Bear Dive. Be sure to remind students that the Polar Bear Dive is back after a one-year hiatus, and they’re all welcome to show their UP mettle!

From Tech Today.

Saturday, January 25

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. — Tori Market, Finnish American Heritage Center & First United Methodist Church.
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Family Fun Day — Vipukelkka (Whipsled), kicksleds, World’s Largest Kicksled, Finlandia’s Quincy Green.
11 a.m. – Parade, downtown Hancock. Line up at BRIDGE School at 10:30 a.m. Prizes.
Immediately following parade — Wife-carrying contest and kicksled races, Finlandia’sQuincy Green.

1 p.m— Finnish card making class, Finnish American Heritage Center, Hancock.
3 p.m. — Polar Bear Dive, Hancock waterfront.
Note: Official site TBD
6 p.m. — Seisovapöytä (Finnish buffet), Zion Lutheran Church, Hancock. Tickets $18.
Silent auction during the banquet.
8 p.m. — Heikinpäivä dance, Finnish American Heritage Center

From the Heikinpäivä 2014 schedule page.

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KCACTF III Festival Award Recipients from Michigan Tech

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Mason Pew
Mason Pew at KCACTF III Regional Festival 2014

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Region III (Illinois, Indian, Michigan, Wisconsin) held their regional festival at Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw, MI, from January 7-11, 2014.

There were several award recipients from Michigan Tech this year.

The Gold Medallion For Excellence in Theatre Education:
M.C. Friedrich

Regional Design Projects, Sound Design
Recipient
DANIEL GRAYVOLD
Royal Hunt of the Sun

The Games of the Technological Olympiad, Team Event
Second Place
ERIK DOERING and STEVE GREEN

The Games of the Technological Olympiad, Team Event
First Place
KELVIN ROBESSON and DEVIN MILLER

Allied Design and Technologies Award
Recipient
AUSTIN ROY
Southern Nights

KCACTF Award for Theatrical Design Excellence, Lighting Design
Recipient
MASON PEW
Southern Nights: Unsung Songs of the Southern Nightingale

Get more festival details at the KCACTF III website and Michigan Tech Visual and Performing Arts on Facebook. Learn more about theatre at Michigan Tech.

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Plummer Publishes Review and Collaborative Paper

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Associate Professor Christopher Plummer (VPA) has had two works accepted for publication. One of them is co-authored by Assistant Professor Myounghoon Jeon (CLS). Plummer’s book review of Phillip Giddings’ text titled “Audio Systems Design and Installation” will be published in the January issue of the journal Theatre Design & Technology. A collaborative paper with Jeon and Jason Sterkenburg titled “Auditory Emoticons: Iterative Design and Acoustic Characteristics of Emotional Auditory Icons and Earcons” has been accepted for presentation at HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) International 2014 and for publication in the conference proceedings.

From Tech Today.

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Blended Learning Grant for Jared Anderson

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Jackson Blended Learning Winners

In early November, the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning invited faculty to submit proposals to support blended learning course innovations. Proposals were accepted at three levels ($1,000, $5,000 and $10,000), and a total of $50,000 was originally planned to be awarded during this cycle.

In the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Jared Anderson was awarded $10,000 for “Video Arts in Blended Learning (VIABLE).”

Read more at Tech Today.

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Loar Honored as Live Sound Engineer of the Year

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Josh Loar ClassroomMulti-talented Graduate of SAE Institute Wins Award for Outstanding Achievement in Live Sound
Josh Loar, a 2007 graduate of SAE Institute, was honored as the Live Sound Engineer of the Year at SAE’s 2013 alumni awards in New York City.

“It means a lot to me to be recognized for my work, particularly in a field like sound consulting and design, which isn’t typically the focus of many awards,” says Loar. “I always say that one of my goals in life is to make the world sound better, one room at a time, and I’m deeply appreciative of SAE’s recognition of my work towards that objective.”

“While I always found that I could make the projects or shows that I was working on sound great, I had no idea how I was doing it – I just operated on instinct, says Loar, who is currently a Professor of Practice in Sound Design, Visual and Performing Arts at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan

Read more at PRWeb.

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Ensembles United on December 4, 2013

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United NationsEnsembles United: Free Rozsa Lobby Superior Wind Symphony Chamber Performance

Members of the Superior Wind Symphony present “Ensembles United,” with ensembles from different wind families coming together in brother and sisterhood to create a more wonderful array of free music. In honor of the 68th anniversary of the United States’ decision on December 4, 1945 to join the United Nations, the Superior Wind Symphony will perform next Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., in the Rozsa Lobby. This performance is free.

Several self-started small ensembles of the saxophone, woodwind and brass varieties have materialized with music prepared, needing an excuse to perform! In addition, some of these ensembles have worked with Michigan Tech student composers from Libby Meyers’ class, creating a Dec. 4 concert that will feature music by great composers of many eras, plus recently created music by Michigan Tech students!

From Tech Today.

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Swan Lake Ballet Auditions

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Swan Lake Ballet Auditions

We call on all student and community ballet dancers to audition for a role in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake ballet.  Auditions will take place at the following days/times in Rozsa 120 (choir room) on Michigan Tech’s campus:

Friday, December 6, at 6:00 pm
Saturday, December 7, at 2:00 pm
Friday, December 13, at 6:00 pm
Saturday, December 14, at 2:00 pm

The Visual and Performing Arts department presents Tchaikovsky’s enchanting Swan Lake ballet, with professional, community, and student dancers and live orchestral music provided by the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra.  The ballet runs Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 (2014) in the Rozsa Center.  Rehearsals will begin in early January.

Auditions will include a short barre, centre work and sample combinations from classical and character repertoire used in the ballet.  Men and women are requested to wear appropriate dance clothing and ballet or jazz shoes; women, please bring pointe shoes if applicable.

Please email Dr. Joel Neves (jbneves@mtu.edu) to sign-up for an audition slot.

(For ballet-related questions, please contact Donna Armistead dlarmist@mtu.edu or Mary Muncil memuncil@mtu.edu.)

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