Augustana College

The Augustana Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Daniel Culver, will open its season with the inventive Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 and Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 104, called the "London Symphony." The concert will take place on Saturday, October 15, at 8 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave). The Rachmaninoff concerto will feature Dr. Mary Neil, professor of music at Augustana, on piano. The Augustana Symphony Orchestra is a full-size orchestra of approximately 75 members. From your area this includes:

The Augustana Department of Theatre Arts invites audiences to consider the contemporary struggle over issues of body image, sexual ethics, popularity and social media as portrayed in Merri Biechler's Real Girls Can't Win. Performances will run Friday, October 14 and 21, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 15 and 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, October 16 and 23, at 1:30 p.m., at the Potter Theatre in Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts (3701 7th Ave). Local students acting in the play are:

More than six months have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the people of Japan are still trying to rebuild their lives. To reverently remember and show sympathy for the Japanese people, members of the Augustana College Symphonic Band performed a disaster relief concert on Saturday, September 24. Free will donations were collected at the concert. Donations totaled $1,550, and funds raised will be distributed through the American Red Cross for relief efforts in Japan. "It is easy to forget about such disasters, yet much of Japan is still uninhabitableaEUR"much remains to be done," said Augustana's Director of Bands James Lambrecht, who has programmed select musical works related to Japan in order to expose the students and Augustana community to Japanese musical culture. From your area, the students involved included:

The Augustana Choir will draw on tradition this Memorial Day weekend when it performs in the prestigious Carnegie Hall on Sunday, May 29, at 1 p.m. The 65-member choir received a special invitation to perform at the hall this season after organizers heard and recognized the high quality performances of the choir. From your area this includes:

Eight graduating studio artists will present their artwork on Tuesday, May 10, at 10:30 a.m. in the Augustana Art Museum in the lobby of Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.) The free and public 50-minute program will include a "walking tour" of the exhibition, conversation with the artists and a reception. All studio art majors complete a final senior project that is displayed in the Augustana Art Museum. This year, the students' work will be on display from May 7-16 and May 20-21. The museum is free and open to the public from noon-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The exhibit this year features several local students.

Opera@Augustana will perform The Magic Flute on Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. in Wallenberg Hall at Denkmann Memorial Hall (3520 7th Ave.). Since the opera's premier in 1791, its expressive music and colorful characters have made it among the most popular operas in North America. Mozart's Die Zauberfloete (The Magic Flute) was first performed in Vienna and tells a classic story of love threatened by evil. To make the opera engaging for all audiences, Augustana will perform a shortened version in English. Performers from your area include:

The Augustana Department of Theatre Arts, which includes several students from the local area, will end its 2010-11 theater season with a performance of Thorton Wilder's classic American play, Our Town. The play will run two consecutive weekends beginning Friday, April 29 and ending Sunday, May 8. All performances are in the Potter Theatre at the Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts (3701 7th Ave.) Our Town is set in the fictional town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, in the early 1900s and follows the everyday joys and trials of the town's citizens. The main character of the stage manager, who serves as the narrator, makes comments on the action and plays roles as needed within the town. The play was first performed in 1938 and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama that year. Jacqui Schmidt, a theatre arts and English writing major, is excited to play the role of the stage manager. The character is interesting because heaEUR"or she, in the case of Augustana's productionaEUR"directly interacts with the audience and the characters onstage. "I sometimes have to present a male character," Schmidt said. "This allows a contemporary take on what the gender roles would have been during the early 1900s in a small town like Grover's Corners." Students from the local area who will perform in the play include:

The Augustana College Symphonic Band will travel to Italy to perform four concerts in mid-February. The nine-day tour includes stops in Venice, Florence, Pisa and Rome, in addition to other cities. The concerts will feature both American and Italian music and will be performed for a variety of audiences, ranging from townspeople to college students. This is the first time the Symphonic Band has traveled to Italy to perform.

The Augustana Concert Band will give their final concert of the year on Saturday, February 12, at 2 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). Under the direction of Dr. Frederick Jaeschke, the band will perform four lively pieces that were chosen by the students. The concert is free and open to the public. Jaeschke, associate professor of music and music education coordinator, explains how the students select the music for the concert. "The members of the band listen and rehearse various pieces, and then vote for their favorites," he said. "This selection system makes the concert enjoyable for the students and the audience." The concert will feature "The Willows of Winter" by B.J. Brooks, "For All the Wyle Eternal" by Ralph Ford, "Silverado" by Bruce Broughton, and "Chorale and Shaker Dance" by John Zdechlik. The four pieces are very different from each other. Broughton's "Silverado" was composed as the soundtrack for a western adventure story and is marked by an enjoyable melody and fun syncopated rhythms. "Chorale and Shaker Dance" is one of today's most widely-recognized pieces of band literature and is based on the well-known Shaker tune, Simple Gifts. Marcus Julian, a sophomore oboist from Itasca, Ill., says that "Chorale and Shaker Dance" is his favorite piece in their concert because of the song's catchy, memorable melody. "I enjoy concert band because it gives me exposure to so many different types of music," he said."I think the audience will really like the different styles and genres." Students performing in the concert from your area include:

Several local students involved in Augustana's Department of Theatre Arts will meld tradition with the avant-garde in their upcoming performances of Metamorphoses, written by Mary Zimmerman. Performances will run Jan. 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 30 at 1:30 p.m., Feb. 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 6 at 1:30 p.m. in Potter Theatre, located in Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts (3701 7th Ave.). This show is appropriate for older youth and adults. Metamorphoses is a contemporary retelling of Ovid's classic tales. The show made its debut in Chicago in 1998 with the famous Lookingglass Theatre Company. Rather than telling one story, the play is divided into short segments, each of which portrays a different classic Greek myth. Because of the segmented structure, the actors play multiple roles throughout the show. One of the play's most striking features is the scenery it requires. The separate vignettes all focus on human change, which is illustrated symbolically through frequent references to water. To convey this central theme, the majority of the stage is occupied by a large reflecting pool, which serves as everything from a wash basin to the River Styx during the production. In addition to the pool, the myths are mostly conveyed through "ensemble movement" rather than with physical props. Director Saffron Henke explains, "[With ensemble movement,] instead of putting an actual tree onstage, the actors themselves create a tree." Although this technique is difficult, Henke says the students have risen to the challenge. "The cast has come a long way in terms of working together and creating an ensemble. They have been very willing to try new things." Veronica Smith, a senior from Plano, Ill., has enjoyed the new challenge of using ensemble movement on the stage. "The most challenging part of this production for me has been the extreme physicalityaEUR"we are acting with our whole bodies, in many cases literally translating the text to dance. As an ensemble actor, you must be closely attuned to the other actors and the physical space in which you are working." Students from the local area who will perform in Metamorphoses include:

Augustana presents its third annual "Christmas at Augustana" holiday concertaEUR"which has sold out in previous yearsaEUR"on Friday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). More than 300 students in the college's choirs, brass ensemble and orchestra will share their musical talents in what promises to be a memorable concert, especially for the Augustana seniors on stage. From your area this includes:

Augustana's opera singers will present a touching and poignant new opera, "Truce of Carols," at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 22, in Wallenberg Hall at Denkmann Memorial Building (3520 7th Ave.). The opera takes place in the Belgian trenches of World War I and is based on true accounts of the 1914 Christmas ceasefire between German and English troops. From your area this includes:

The Augustana Symphonic Band will explore the grand themes and everyday moments of American life during its annual fall concert on Saturday, October 30, at 8 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). The free public concert will feature music from five contemporary American composers, including several new compositions. The students participating in the fall concert from your area includes:

The Augustana Choir will showcase pieces from diverse musical traditions at its annual fall concert on Friday, October 29, at 8 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public and will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport (2136 Brady St.). Choir members from your area include:

Celebration, the Augustana gospel choir, will present its inaugural concert on Sunday, October 24, at 4 p.m. in Wallenberg Hall inside Denkmann Memorial Building (3520 7th Ave.). The director is Dr. Keith Hampton, a nationally recognized gospel musician and composer. The concert is free and open to the public. The concert is the first for the newly created choir and will present gospel and traditional spiritual works by Hampton, Ysaye M. Barnwell (of Sweet Honey and the Rock), Kurt Carr, Israel Hougton, V. Michael McKay, Verolga Nix and Rosephanye Powell. "The concert will be the most fun you have ever had at a choir concert," said Larry Peterson, campus ministries director of music and organ instructor. "Even if gospel music is not your music of choice, there is no way you will leave the concert unaffected by what you have just experienced." Choir members from your area include:

Music enthusiasts are invited to join the Augustana Symphony Orchestra for their free fall concert on Saturday, October 16, at 8 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). The concert will feature the debut performance of contemporary composer James Romig's "Percussion Concerto," as well as classical pieces by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Maurice Ravel. The orchestra's first piece, "Symphony in aEUR~Italian' Op. 90," was inspired by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's trip to Italy in the early 1830s. Today, it is considered one of Mendelssohn's most famous and fascinating works. Culver says, "This piece is perfect for the orchestra because the complexity requires such musical discipline." For their second piece, the Symphony Orchestra will debut James Romig's newly composed "Percussion Concerto." The piece features a highly intricate percussion solo, which will be performed by professional percussionist and Augustana music faculty member Tony Oliver. Romig, who is an associate professor at Western Illinois University, will attend the concert to celebrate the official launching of his new piece. The final piece of the concert will be the colorful "Ma MA?re L'Oye," composed by nineteenth century French musician Maurice Ravel. The piece's title, which translates to "Mother Goose," gives a hint at its style and theme; each of the five movements is based on a different children's fairy tale. Ravel originally composed the piece as a piano duet for his children and developed it into a full orchestra piece several years after. Symphony Orchestra members participating in the fall concert from your area include:

The Augustana Department of Theatre Arts, including several students from the local area, will wrestle with hot-button issues like race, politics, gender and religion as they explore the meaning of democracy in the original production, Wrestling with Angels and Demons. Performances will run Friday, October 15 and 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 16 and 23 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, October 17 and 24 at 1:30 p.m. at the Potter Theatre in Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts (3701 7th Ave, Rock Island, Ill.). Wrestling with Angels and Demons is unique because it was inspired, written and produced entirely by Augustana students and faculty members. Rather than playing characters, the students onstage will present their own honest answers to questions like, "What does the aEUR~American dream' mean to you?" and "Is it possible that Rod Blagojevich is blacker than Barack Obama?" The show's multimedia format and insightful social commentary promise to engage audience members of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Students from the local area who are performing in the production include:

Augustana's 2009-2010 theatre season concludes with The Seagull by Anton Chekhov on the weekends of April 30-May 2 and May 7-9. Tickets are $10 ($8 for senior citizens, full-time students and children) and can be purchased by calling (309) 794-7306. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on April 30, May 1, May 7 and May 8 and 1:30 p.m. on May 2 and May 9 in Potter Hall within Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts (3701 7th Ave.). The Seagull tells the story of an actress, a writer and a playwright and their complicated love interests. One common experience unites all the characters in the storyaEUR"each falls in love with the "wrong" person. The Augustana production is set in contemporary California, adding a new twist to the warmth and humor of Chekhov's original script, which was set in 19th century Russia. Jennifer Altenbernd, a senior theatre arts major who plays Masha, enjoys the complexities in the script. "Chekhov is no piece of cake to perform," she said. "His writing has a very unique quality so that it evokes the emotions out of the actors just through the words he writes." Rolf Koos, a junior anthropology major playing Trigorin, is glad to be part of this cast of The Seagull. "There really are no specific main characters, which gives everyone a chance to shine. The cast is really talented and enjoyable, and everyone is given their opportunity to really showcase their personality and heart in these characters." Mark Hurty, director, has been working on the concept for this production of The Seagull since he first acted in the play in 1982. "Chekov's works offer rich portraits of human experience. The relationships depicted in his plays and stories are vividly realistic," he said. Hurty is a graduate of the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has acted and directed professionally for 30 years. Past productions at Augustana include An American Daughter, Children of Eden, Black Comedy and The Fantasticks. Hurty is particularly excited to be working with his older son, Justin, on this production. Justin, who graduated from Augustana in 2005 and recently graduated from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, joined the cast for rehearsals and shared some of his artistic techniques for the performance. From your area, the cast includes:

Augustana's top choir, symphonic band and orchestra will perform in the renowned Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center in Chicago on Sunday, April 18 at 3 p.m. Augustana musicians made their first appearance at Orchestra Hall in 1926. This return concert will be in honor of the college's sesquicentennial anniversary. For ticket information, please visit www.cso.org or call (312) 294-3000. The concert will include David Manslanka's Symphony No. 8 performed by the Augustana Symphonic Band, BA(C)la BartA?k's Dance Suite performed by the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, and Eric Whitacre's Cloudburst performed by the Augustana Choir. Student performers from your area include the following:

A talented collection of student and faculty musicians from Augustana College's music department will lead worship at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville, Ill., on Sunday, April 11 at 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. More than 40 students from Augustana, including several from the local area, will share their talents as a part of these worship services. The Ascension Singers, an audition-based choir directed by Dr. Michael Zemek, will lead the vocal component of the worship music. They will collaborate with a four-person brass ensemble and organist to perform several festive Easter anthems during the services. Zemek sees the choir's trip to Good Shepherd as a valuable opportunity to use their musical gifts in a new, meaningful setting. "One of the primary goals of Ascension Singers as an ensemble is to provide musical leadership in worship settings. Our trip to Good Shepherd allows us to expand our service beyond the Augustana community, where we regularly sing in chapel services and other events, and to share our musical offerings with a congregation that has many close ties with our college." Students who will be performing at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church from your area include:

Ascension Ringers, Augustana's handbell choir, will share their musical talents will Lutheran churches across Minnesota and Iowa in the Ascension Ringer's second annual handbell tour this March. From your area this inlcludes:

The Augustana College Department of Theatre Arts is proud to recognize students Rachel Stearns and Liz Riordan and alumna Katie Wyant '09 for receiving honorable mention in the Student Dramaturgy category at the Region III Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in January. Dramaturgs study the social and historical context of a play to decide how their theatre company will choose to interpret it onstage. Stearns, Riordan and Wyant served as the dramaturgs for the international college premiere of Tim Carlson's Omniscience at Augustana last spring. The futuristic play, which incorporates video projections and interactive media directly into the plot, explores issues of privacy, language and media that are all too familiar in a post-9/11 world. Wyant, the lead dramaturg for the production, says the play's futuristic tone but timely themes presented some unique challenges to the team. "We were really in foreign territory with this project. As the play was placed in the not-so-distant future, we had to draw heavily on our own experience, along with influential works like 1984 and current events in order to create a unique historical, cultural and social framework for the production." Students from your area who received this honor are:

The 2010 Augustana Choir will perform throughout the Midwest and east coast from February 21-28. From your area, this includes:

The 2010 Augustana Symphonic Band will perform throughout the Midwest from February 19-28. From your area, this includes:

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The Augustana Symphonic Band will be performing at

The artistic and musical talents of Augustana students will be the focus of the third annual Augustana Sights and Sounds at Bucktown Center for the Arts (225 E. 2nd St., Davenport) on Friday, January 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. The free event will feature distinctive student photography from both Augustana and Quad-City area high school students and a raffle fundraiser for the Fistula Foundation. Augustana Photo Bureau students will display a series of photographs that highlight student life on the Rock Island campus, experiences in the Quad Cities or the world through international study programs. The event will incorporate the photography on display with several existing galleries and music. Three pieces of artwork will be raffled off by the Augustana Artisans to benefit the Fistula Foundation. These include two paintings from Augustana student Maria Ford and a photograph by Hunt Harris, a local businessman. High school photographers who would like to be featured can submit their work in the categories of music, dreams, urban wilderness and portraits by January 18. Members of the Photo Bureau will judge the entries, and winners will receive scholarships to Augustana College. Photo Bureau students featured in the show are Veronica Smith, Corynn Hanson, Dana Gustafson, Maren Mathisen, Mark Marogil, Matthew Peters, John Cairns and Grace Drenth. Smith, who serves as the Photo Bureau manager, assisted with planning the event. To view a students' work, click on each name to access a high-resolution photograph. From your area this includes:

The Augustana Theatre Arts and Music Departments are collaborating to bring the beloved family musical The Secret Garden to life in the Quad Cities. Performances will be held at the Potter Theatre in Bergendoff Hall (3701 7th Ave) on January 29, 30 and 31 at 7:30 p.m.; February 5 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. and February 6 at 1:30 p.m. These shows will be the first in ten years to reflect collaboration between the Theatre Arts department and Augustana's opera company, Opera@Augustana. The Secret Garden follows the story of a young girl, Mary Lennox, who is suddenly orphaned and sent to live with her wealthy but deeply unhappy uncle. Despite her gloomy, oppressive surroundings, Mary maintains her natural spirit and is able to bring new life both to her uncle's household and a special, secret garden she finds dormant on his property. The musical was written in 1991 by Marsha Norman with music by Lucy Simon. Robin Quinn, a first year student who plays the role of Mary, loves the show's family-friendly storyline. "This show is really special in that it appeals to all different ages and tastes. There's romance, tragedy, adventure and humor throughout the musical. Everyone can find something in it that they enjoy." The Theatre Arts Department performs a musical every other year. However, this year's production is especially exciting because of the department's collaboration with Opera@Augustana. Jeffrey Coussens, the director of the musical, says the result of their joint efforts promises to be a show of very high caliber. "Musical theatre presents a host of challenges that are different from non-musical productions. You need to cast actors who can sing, singers who can act and dancers who can sing and act. However, meeting these challenges produces great rewardsaEUR"the students have a tremendous learning and training experience and audiences love them." Coussens has been a professor of theatre for over 25 years and serves as the current theatre department chair. He also has experience as a professional actor and director. For this production, he will be assisted by musical director John Pfautz, who is the program director of Opera@Augustana. Students from your area who are performing in The Secret Garden include:

The Augustana Chamber Singers and Office of Campus Ministries will present the beautiful Christmas service Lessons and Carols on Thursday, December 17, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. in Ascension Chapel (820 38th St.). The Quad-City community is invited to share in this free gathering, which honors Christ's birth through songs and Scripture readings. Lessons and Carols is a tradition that began over 25 years ago. This year's service will include music by the Augustana Chamber Singers, the Augustana Handbell Choir and a small number of percussionists. The music will be interspersed with Bible readings by senior students in the campus ministries program. At the end of the service, the audience will be invited to sing "Silent Night" by candlelight, an annual part of Lessons and Carols and a long-standing tradition throughout the Christian world.

The Handel Oratorio Society will share a special Christmas tradition with families throughout the Quad-City community with its performances of Handel's Messiah on Saturday, December 12, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 13, at 2 p.m. The performances will be held in Augustana's Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). Community members young and old are invited to build this longtime Quad Cities' tradition into their own holiday celebrations. This Christmas season marks the 129th consecutive year the Handel Oratorio Society will perform Messiah for the Quad-City community. However, Dr. Jon Hurty, director of the performance for the past 13 years, says the music is just as vibrant and meaningful today as when the Oratorio Society performed it for the first time in 1881. "It is an enduring story because it follows the prophecy, birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Handel's music is filled with glorious arias, choruses and instrumental sections that have become familiar and beloved by listeners." One of the most distinctive aspects of the Handel Oratorio Society is the variety of performers it brings together. This year the choir features 62 Augustana Choir singers and approximately 200 others from the Quad-City community. They will be joined onstage by the 37-member Handel Oratorio Society Chamber Orchestra and four professional soloists. The result, Hurty says, is a show that is impressive not only to hear, but also to see. "The visual appeal of 300 people on stage and the way in which they reflect the music is an important part of the performance experience," Hurty says. "You can listen to Messiah as a recording or even watch a DVD, but there is nothing quite like seeing your friends, colleagues, students and neighbors perform the piece." This year's performance is especially noteworthy because two of the soloists, tenor Brent Wilson and baritone Mark Walters, live in the Quad Cities. They will be joined by soprano Sarah Hibbard and mezzo soprano Jessye Wright. Wilson, a '01 Augustana alumnus and current Augustana professor, has sung Messiah in numerous venues around the nation. However, he says performing Messiah with the Handel Oratorio Society will be especially meaningful for him. "I was a four-year Messiah participant when I was at Augie. I feel very honored to come back and be able to participate in this event. I know how much it means to the community." Like Hurty, Wilson also values Messiah for its timelessness. "Messiah is a piece that gets born again every time you hear it," Wilson says. "Every time I'm sitting up front listening to another soloist, the choir or the orchestra, I hear something I've never heard before. That's what keeps the piece alive for me." From your area, this year's performers include: