spring 2015
Dear Friend of the Arts, I would like to share with you all the exciting performing and fine art events we have planned for the spring season here at Rhode Island College. Our rich variety of traditional and contemporary music, theatre, dance and art will provide memorable experiences for everyone. The Performing Arts Series at RIC, which has been pleasing audiences for more than 50 years, continues to offer a roster of stellar professional shows this spring. Noted visual artists regularly exhibit at Bannister Gallery, and acclaimed performing artists visit campus through the Wednesday Masterworks Concerts and RIC Dance Company-sponsored events. Other noted guests perform as soloists with some of our student ensembles. Once again, we take pride in offering presentations that spotlight our students, many of whom will go on to earn widespread acclaim in their areas of artistic endeavor. Rhode Island College has long been known as a cultural leader, and the arts are one of the most vivid examples of how we serve the surrounding community. In a time when staying within a budget is important to many, our affordable ticket prices are especially attractive – whether you reserve seats for an individual performance or order a season subscription. I invite you to look through this publication and see what events might interest you, your family and your friends. I think you’ll agree that we have some excellent entertainment in store for the spring. I look forward to seeing you on campus. Best wishes, Dr. Nancy Carriuolo President of Rhode Island College Founded in 1854, Rhode Island’s first public institution of higher education
V I S UA L A RT S AT
RIC B A N NISTE R GALLERY
Hours: Tues.–Fri., noon to 8 p.m., or by appointment with the gallery director. Bannister Gallery is located in Roberts Hall. (401) 456-9765
Jan. 22-Feb. 20
New Works by Roger Tibbetts March 3-28
Perspectives/National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts: Emily Duke, Brian Kakas, Yiu-Keung Lee, Sarah Lindley, Blake Williams April 2-23
Transformations: Sook Jin Jo April 30-May 15
Student Shows: Undergraduate and Graduate May 19-June 19
Wordsmith/Metalsmith
Brian Kakas, Architectonics
Roger Tibbetts, Final Circulo Negro
Blake Williams, Thinking of Summer in February
For more information, see the calendar section and visit www.ric.edu/bannister.
RIC 2 0 1 5 C A LE N DAR OF EVENTS JANUARY Jan. 22-Feb. 20 Art: New Works by Roger Tibbetts Artist’s Reception Thursday, Feb. 19 5 p.m. Curated by James Montford Bannister Gallery, Roberts Hall Admission Free Wednesday, Jan. 28 Music: Faculty Recital: Joseph Foley Department of Music, Theatre and Dance 7:30 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Admission Free Friday, Jan. 30 Music: Young Men’s Choral Festival Department of Music, Theatre and Dance 7 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Admission Free
FEBRUARY
Monday, Feb. 2 Music: The Muir String Quartet The Performing Arts Series 7:30 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Reserved Seating $35 Feb. 13-15 Dance: Spring Dance Concert RIC Dance Company Feb. 13-14, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15, 2 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center General Admission $15 Tuesday, Feb. 17 Dance: Tango Buenos Aires – Song of Eva Perón The Performing Arts Series 7:30 p.m. Auditorium in Roberts Hall Reserved Seating $35
Wednesday, Feb. 18 Music: On Wings of Song Wednesday Masterworks Concerts Diana McVey, Soprano; and Judith Lynn Stillman, Piano 1 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Suggested Donation $10 Feb. 18-22 Theatre: Our Town by Thornton Wilder Directed by Linda Sutherland RIC Mainstage Theatre Feb. 18-21, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21-22, 2 p.m. Forman Theatre General Admission $15
Wednesday, March 4 Theatre: TIMBER! A Production of Cirque Alfonse The Performing Arts Series 7:30 p.m. Auditorium in Roberts Hall Reserved Seating $35
Sunday, Feb. 22 Music: RIC Chamber Orchestra and Small Ensembles John Sumerlin, Conductor 7:30 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Admission Free Friday, Feb. 27 Music: High School Band Invitational Concert RIC Wind Ensemble Robert Franzblau, Conductor 8 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center General Admission $10
MARCH March 3-28 Art: Perspectives/National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Opening Reception Tuesday, March 3 5 p.m. Curated by Diana Pancioli Bannister Gallery, Roberts Hall Admission Free
TIMBER! A Production of Cirque Alfonse Friday, March 6 Music: Spring Choral Concert RIC Chorus, Chamber Singers and Women’s Chorus Teresa Coffman, Conductor 8 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center General Admission $10 Wednesday, March 11 Dance: KEIGWIN + COMPANY The Performing Arts Series 7:30 p.m. Auditorium in Roberts Hall Reserved Seating $35
Yiu-Keung Lee, Flow-view
Tango Buenos Aires
Tuesday, March 3 Music: 20th Annual Samuel and Esther Chester Performance Award Concert Tribute to J.S. Bach RIC Symphony Orchestra Alexey Shabalin, Conductor 8 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Admission Free
March 11-14 Dance: American College Dance Association New England Conference Department of Music, Theatre and Dance Call (401) 456-9791 for information
www.ric.edu/pfa Wednesday, March 18 Music: Repertoire and Repartee Wednesday Masterworks Concerts Ian Greitzer, Clarinet; and Mary Ellen Kregler, Flute 1 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Suggested Donation $10
AP R IL April 2-23 Art: Transformations: Sook Jin Jo Reception TBA Curated by Lisa Russell with Heemong Kim Bannister Gallery, Roberts Hall Admission Free Monday, April 6 Music: The Muir String Quartet The Performing Arts Series 7:30 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Reserved Seating $35
Student painting: Nick Gebhart (left); Josh Harriman (right) Wednesday, April 22 Music: Armenia 100 A Tribute to Armenian Cultural Arts on the 100th Anniversary of the 1915 Genocide Wednesday Masterworks Concerts 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center Suggested Donation $10 Friday, April 24 Music: Senior Concerto Concert RIC Wind Ensemble Robert Franzblau, Conductor 8 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center General Admission $10
The Muir String Quartet Sunday, April 12 Music: RIC Chamber Orchestra and Small Ensembles John Sumerlin, Conductor 7:30 p.m. Forman Theatre Admission Free
Tuesday, April 28, and Friday, May 1 Music: Bicho Family Memorial Scholarship Concert RIC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Alexey Shabalin, Conductor (April 28) Teresa Coffman, Conductor (May 1) 8 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center General Admission $10
Wednesday, April 15 Music: RIC Jazz Combos Concert Greg Abate, Director 7 p.m. Forman Theatre Admission Free
April 16-19 Godspell
April 16-19 Theatre: Godspell Book by John Tebelak Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz Directed by Bill Wilson Choreography by Angelica Vessella RIC Mainstage Theatre April 16-18, 7:30 p.m. April 18-19, 2 p.m. Auditorium in Roberts Hall Reserved Seating $20
April 30-May 15 Art: Student Shows: Undergraduate and Graduate Reception TBA Curated by the Studio Committee Bannister Gallery, Roberts Hall Admission Free April 30-May 1 Dance: Student Choreography Showcase RIC Dance Company 7:30 p.m. Forman Theatre General Admission $15
M AY Monday, May 4 Music: Spring Concert RIC Concert Jazz Band Joseph Foley, Director 8 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center General Admission $10 Sunday, May 10 Music: RIC Opera Workshop and Symphony Orchestra RenÊ de la Garza and Susan Rodgers, Co-directors 7 p.m. Forman Theatre Admission Free May 19-June 19 Art: Wordsmith/Metalsmith Artists’ Reception Tuesday, May 19 5 p.m. Curated by Sara Picard Bannister Gallery, Roberts Hall Admission Free
www.ric.edu/pfa
RIC MUSIC Under the artistic direction of Professor of Music Judith Lynn Stillman, the Wednesday Masterworks Concerts will present three concerts this spring, with a special April event. On Wednesday, April 22, “Armenia 100” will mark the 100th anniversary of the 1915 genocide and will feature the world premiere of When the Music Stopped, based upon Armenian texts and poetry, with music by Stillman. Trinity Rep’s Curt Columbus will direct the production.
Soprano Diana McVey and pianist Judith Lynn Stillman join together in “On Wings of Song” Wednesday, Feb. 18. A former RIC student, McVey is a consummate singer and actress who performs in leading opera roles across the country. On Wednesday, March 18, the program “Repertoire and Repartee” will showcase the acclaimed Rhode Island College faculty duo of Ian Greitzer, clarinet, and Mary Ellen Kregler, flute. On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Professor of Music Joseph Foley will join pianist Bonnie Anderson for a recital celebrating the release of his new CD Nightsongs, which includes works by Strauss and Ewazen, among others. Spring choral music events commence on Friday, Jan. 30, when the Young Men’s Choral Festival will feature an afternoon of music making with young men from local high schools and the men of the RIC Chorus. The program culminates with an evening concert. The annual Spring Choral Concert, on Friday, March 6, will showcase a variety of musical styles, including Renaissance, classical and contemporary. Professor of Music Teresa Coffman, accompanied by Assistant Director Christina Breindel, will conduct the RIC Chorus, Chamber Singers and Women’s Chorus. On Friday, Feb. 27, the Rhode Island College Wind Ensemble will be joined by two of the Ocean State’s finest high school bands: Ponaganset High School, directed by Daniel Coyne, and North Smithfield High School, directed by Fritz Benz.
The RIC Wind Ensemble will celebrate its graduating seniors on Friday, April 24. The concert will feature the winner of the 2015 Senior Concerto Competition, performing a full-length solo concerto. Leading both events will be Professor of Music Robert Franzblau. On Tuesday, March 3, the Rhode Island College Symphony Orchestra will dedicate its spring concert to J.S. Bach’s 330th birthday anniversary. As composer and author Jan Swafford notes, “Our sense of music history begins with Bach.” Assistant Professor of Music Alexey Shabalin will lead the orchestra in Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 and two Bach transcriptions by Leopold Stokowski.
The RIC Symphony Orchestra and the RIC Chorus will combine forces to present W.A. Mozart’s Requiem on Tuesday, April 28, and Friday, May 1. Arguably Mozart’s most beloved choral-orchestral work, the composition was unfinished at his death. Shabalin will conduct the Tuesday performance and RIC Choral Conductor Teresa Coffman will lead the one on Friday. Mozart will again be the focus on Sunday, May 10, when the RIC Opera Workshop and Symphony Orchestra present scenes from the great composer’s operas, with costumes by Kathryn Whitesel and staging by co-directors and adjunct music instructors René de la Garza and Susan Rodgers. Christina Breindel is the pianist and coach; Alexey Shabalin conducts. On Sunday, Feb. 22, the RIC Chamber Orchestra and Small Ensembles will play music by Mendelssohn and Debussy, featuring RIC alumna Molly McCaffrey as soloist. These groups will again take the stage on Sunday, April 12, with music by Hayden, Mozart, and Shostakovich. RIC jazz students will showcase their talents on Wednesday, April 15, in the Jazz Combos Concert, under the direction of adjunct instructor Greg Abate. Then, on Monday, May 4, Professor of Music Joseph Foley will lead the Rhode Island College Concert Jazz Band in its annual spring concert.
RIC THEATRE RIC Mainstage kicks off its spring season with a modern American classic – Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Our Town. Performed Feb 18 - 22 with minimal props and sets, the 1938 play follows the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry and encounter deep sadness in fictional Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Noted American playwright Edward Albee said of the work, “It is probably the finest play ever written by an American.” Guest artist Linda Sutherland will direct.
This year’s spring musical, Godspell, was the first major musical theatre offering from three-time Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Children of Eden), and it took the world by storm. Schwartz fashioned an eclectic blend of songs ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, including the international hit “Day By Day,” to narrate the life of Jesus. Dissolving hauntingly into the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, Jesus’s messages of kindness, tolerance and love come vibrantly to life. The play will be on the RIC stage from April 16 - 19, under the direction of Professor of Theatre Bill Wilson.
RIC DANCE A long-standing college tradition continues when the Annual Spring Dance Concert takes place from Feb. 13 - 15. The concert will feature the RIC Dance Company performing choreographic works by Jennifer Archibald, Kellie Ann Lynch, Deb Meunier, Jessica Pearson, Marta Renzi and Jenny Rocha. From March 11 - 14, Rhode Island College will be the focal point for collegiate dance in the region when it hosts the American College Dance Association New England Conference. The four-day event consists of classes, presentations, lectures and performances. For more information, contact Angelica Vessella at (401) 456-9791 or acardente1@ric.edu. The opening performance of the conference will be by the celebrated contemporary dance company KEIGWIN + COMPANY, sponsored by the Rhode Island College Performing Arts Series. Finally, the Student Choreography Showcase will give the college’s student choreographers an opportunity to have their work performed in a professional setting. This event, on April 30 and May 1, culminates a yearlong exploration of discovery through choreography classes and teacher-mentored rehearsals.
On Monday, Feb. 2, the Muir String Quartet will open the Performing Arts Series with Mozart’s String Quartet in C Major, Dissonant, K. 465; Janáček’s String Quartet No. 1, Kreutzer Sonata; and Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 11 in C Major, Op. 61. Then, on Monday, April 6, the Muir is scheduled to perform Dvořák’s Cypresses, B. 152; Barber’s Dover Beach, Op. 3, featuring guest vocalist James Demler; and Smetana’s Quartet No. 1 in E Minor. Tango Buenos Aires returns to RIC on Tuesday, Feb. 17 in a new show inspired by Eva Perón, Argentina’s former first lady. Song of Eva Perón traces her epic life from her rise to fame in the 1930s to her early death in 1952. Direct from Argentina, the group is known around the world as the most authentic and uncompromising representative of the tango. TIMBER! A Production of Cirque Alfonse arrives at RIC on Wednesday, March 4. This charming troupe from Quebec performs incredible acrobatic feats that are directly inspired by the natural raw materials of the forest and the equipment used on the farm. Talented acrobats and musicians create a colorful, energetic scene inspired by the exploits of the first North American lumberjacks, loggers and farmers. On Wednesday, March 11, KEIGWIN + COMPANY will kick off the 2015 American College Dance Festival, which is being hosted by Rhode Island College. Founded in 2003 by Artistic Director Larry Keigwin and Associate Director Nicole Wolcott, this contemporary dance company invigorates with a refreshing vision that embodies a theatrical sensibility of wit, style and heart.
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Providence, RI Permit No. 966
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE 600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue Providence, RI 02908-1996
FOR INFORMATION Box Office: (401) 456-8144 Department of Music, Theatre and Dance: (401) 456-9883 Bannister Gallery: (401) 456-9765 Performing and Fine Arts Website: www.ric.edu/pfa Performing Arts Series: (401) 456-8144 DIRECTIONS From North: Route 95 South, Exit 21 (Atwells Ave.). Right onto Atwells, continue for 1.5 miles. Right onto Mt. Pleasant Ave. Continue for 1.1 miles. Left onto College Rd. From South: Route 95 North, Exit 21 (Broadway). Left at second traffic light (Atwells Ave.). Follow from North (above).
Some programs are sponsored in part by funds from the Rhode Island College Performing and Fine Arts Commission, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities and the Rhode Island College Lectures and Films Committee, with support from the New England Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and Rhode Island Foundation. Accommodations for persons with disabilities available upon request. Call (401) 456-8144 for assistance. TTY/TDD: 711.
From East: Route 195 West to Route 95 North. Follow from South (above). From West: Route 295 to Route 6 East to Killingly St. Exit. Left onto Killingly St. and follow to end. Right onto Greenville Ave. and follow to second traffic light. Left onto Fruit Hill Ave. Bear right at fork. Right onto College Rd.