Colby College is pleased to announce the following events in March and at the end of February. All are free (except where noted) and open to the public.
Convivencia: Why Can't We All Get Along?
There was a period of co-existence and cooperation between Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Muslim Spain for a few centuries from about 800 to 1050. The lecture will begin with a discussion of this period by Marc Cohen of Princeton University. A discussion of why the three major religions have such conflict in the modern world will follow. Also featuring Colby history faculty members John Turner, Howard Lupovitch, and Larissa Taylor.
We already know what China has become: the world's largest communist state and fastest growing economy. But what is it becoming? John Pomfret, former Beijing bureau chief for "The Washington Post" and author of "Chinese Lessons," says China is becoming "a nation consumed by the fast buck and the quick fix — from the boardroom to the bedroom." This award-winning journalist will talk about the dizzying changes taking place in China today.
Sigh/Omelas is a poignant drama about children who are affected by and afflicted with HIV and AIDS. This powerful play is based upon Kidd's experiences working with these children in a summer camp. He portrays four characters and the narrator. His original dramatic text is interwoven with Ursula LeGuin's haunting and provocative story of the fictional utopian city of Omelas, where people live in perpetual happiness and joy . . . but at what cost? (Mature teens and adults. Approximately one hour and 15 minutes.) Tickets: $2 students and seniors, $3 general admission.
Over the last two decades Professor Jonathan Hallstrom has become a significant force in the world of electro-acoustic music-music that seeks to integrate computers with live performers. His explorations have increasingly focused on intermedia, in which the efforts of multiple artistic disciplines are merged into a single composite art form with the computer functioning as moderator/facilitator. Hallstrom's concert will feature pieces composed since 1992, including works for traditional acoustic instruments, works for live instruments with fixed computer-generated sounds, and works in which the performer and computer interact in real time. Recent video/music compositions and the premiere of a new interactive work for dancer and live video/electronics will also be included.
Sunday, March 4, 2:30 p.m.
While working in New York during the late 1950s and early '60s, Maine-born artist Bernard Langlais (1921-1977) began to explore wood relief as a medium. Using found wooden objects and scraps, Langlais developed a unique style of "painting with wood," creating complex works that are as viscerally stirring as they are familiar and mundane. The Colby College Museum of Art will present 24 of these evocative, early wood reliefs.
Baron Wormser is the author of six books of poetry and one chapbook. He is the co-author of two books about teaching poetry. Wormser has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. From 2000 to 2005 he served as poet laureate of Maine. His memoir, The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet's Memoir of Living off the Grid, was released in the fall of 2006.
Wednesday, March 7, 7 p.m.
Deborah E. Lipstadt directs the Institute for Jewish Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, where she is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies. In her book History on Trial: My Day in Court with David Irving she tells the story of her libel trial in London against David Irving, who sued her for calling him a Holocaust denier and right-wing extremist. Lipstadt stands at the front of the fight against Holocaust deniers. She was also an historical consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and helped design a section of the museum.
Rivka Solomon, author of That Takes Ovaries: Bold Females and their Brazen Acts, will kick off an open mic night for women and girls to share whatever inspires them. Donations will support Waterville's Hardy Girls Healthy Women and Madre, an organization that benefits women and children in Darfur.
Comedian Monica Palacios offers an evening of wholesome "lesbo raunch" and righteous rants of nationality, sexuality, and middle age flab.
A benefit concert featuring various Colby musical ensembles and musicians. Proceeds benefit the Sierra Leone Project, a student initiative to help fight malaria in the African country. Sponsored by Amnesty International. Admission is $3.
The Colby Sinfonietta is a group of players drawn from the full orchestra for the purpose of playing music specifically written for chamber orchestra. This concert will include Gubaidulina's Concordanza, Stravinsky's concertino for 12 instruments, and Ibert's Capriccio and Haydn: Symphony #84 (la Reine).
Tuesday, March 13, 7 p.m.
In 1982 David Blittersdorf founded NRG Systems, a company that serves wind farm developers, utilities, government agencies, and wind turbine manufacturers around the world. Now Blittersdorf is turning his attention to the world of small wind with the start up of Earth Turbines. Blittersdorf is past president for the American Wind Energy Association, and a founding member and past chair of Renewable Energy Vermont, among many other boards and committees.
Professor Emeritus of History at American University, recipient of the 2003 Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities, a scholar and artist in African-American cultural history and music, and recipient of an honorary doctorate from Colby in 2004, Reagon will give a lecture and sing. Free tickets are required.
The Boston Globe has described William Hite as "a breathtaking communicator." His warm tone and vivid portrayals with early music groups, symphony orchestras, and opera companies have garnered critical acclaim throughout North America. He has appeared as operatic and oratorio soloist with groups including the American Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Washington Bach Consort, New York City Ballet, Handel and Haydn Society, and Boston Baroque. Funded in part by the Freda M. Charles Music Fund.
March 21, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The session will feature a keynote address by David Ott, President/CEO of TD Banknorth in Maine, followed by two concurrent panel discussions to engage the audience in discussion on how to make these important civic connections. A printed program will recognize the winners of the Governor's Awards for Business Excellence, presented during the luncheon at Colby since their inception in 1991.
The third annual Knock on Wood Guitarfest will feature some of the world's most innovative and accomplished guitar players in performance and workshop settings.
Tickets can be purchased at the Waterville Opera House or by calling 873-7000.
Ticket required for admission to concert.
Organized by students in the Asian Museum Workshop, this exhibition explores Japan's struggle to achieve its own identity during the 19th and 20th centuries. The prints in this exhibition illustrate Japanese artists' willingness to infuse their aesthetic sensibilities with those of the West to find a balance between tradition and modernity.
In honor of Black History Month, the museum brings together from the permanent collection a selection of works by important African-American artists such as Henry Ossawa Tanner, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, and Kara Walker. The documentary Against the Odds: The Artists of the Harlem Renaissance, which tells the story of this 1920s and '30s movement and its impact on American art and society, will be played on a loop.
The Colby College Museum of Art is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free and the museum is accessible to people with disabilities. For more information call 207-859-5600 or visit http://www.colby.edu/museum/.