First play of the seasons starts tomorrow Friday, September 30th! Mary Zimmerman’s Secret in the Wings will play this weekend September 30th, October 1st and next weekend October 7th, 8th, and a matinee October 9th at 2:00p.m. All the shows are at 8:00p.m. at the University Theater in Xavier Hall. The play is described by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts as

This quirky and edgy contemporary look at classic fairy tales includes an ogre (with a tail?), princes turned into swans, and a mirthless girl who insists that seekers after her hand lose their heads if they can’t coax a smile from her. The Secret In The Wings’ intertwining stories transport the audience to unexpected lands where the impossible is probable and nothing is safe. A riveting work of danger and beauty in a category all its own.

For SLU student the cost is $7, and for SLU faculty and staff only $9. For more information contact John Lamb at 314-977-2998 or lambjc@slu.edu.

The Secret in the Wings
Sept. 30, Oct. 1,7,8,9: 8:00p.m. (Oct. 9th 2:00p.m.)
University Theater, Xavier Hall
SLU Students $7, SLU Faculty and Staff $9

The Ability Exhibit is an interactive multimedia exhibit to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities through respect for others, comfort during interactions and awareness of disability issues.

Using a multi-media approach to demonstrate respect, comfort and awareness, the exhibit offers suggestions for becoming disability allies and educators. The Ability Exhibit was created by SLU graduate students in the disability in higher education and Society course under the direction of their instructor, Karen Myers, Ph.D. The exhibit travels nationally to educate on inclusion of people with disabilities.

When it comes to interacting with individuals with disabilities, people ask, “What should I do?” “How should I respond?” “Is it okay to say that?” “How can I become an ally?” Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit will attempt to answer some of these questions.

Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit
Sept. 12, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Busch Student Center, Room 253
Free

This exhibit is sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action, Student Development, the President’s Diversity Council and Human Resources.

Do you spontaneously break out into song while walking to class? Do your friends ask you to turn the car radio down so they can hear your melodies? Does your hairbrush give you a standing ovation? Beyond All Reason wants to hear from you!

Beyond All Reason, SLU’s only all-female a cappella group, is looking for new members. A cappella is a special genre of music in which singers perform songs using only their voices–no instruments!

Auditions are open to all female students who are interested in pursuing their love of music. They also welcome females who are gifted in the art of beatboxing to try out.

Sign-up for a Beyond All Reason audition time outside of Xavier 174. Auditions will be held on September 12th and 14th from 7-10 p.m. There is also an information night September 7 at 7 p.m. in Ritter Hall, 3rd floor.

For more information, contact Beyond All Reason.

The SLU String Orchestra (SLUSO) is beginning its Fall 2011 season and is in search of string players!

Sponsored by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, SLUSO is open to all undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff and alumni at SLU. All violinists, violists, cellists and bassists that have played for at least three years are welcome and no audition is required. They meet every Thursday from 7 – 9:30 p.m. at the Saint Francis Xavier College Church.

For more information, come to a rehearsal or contact Chris Wintrode at chris.wintrode@gmail.com or Marc Thayer at mthayer2@slu.edu. You can also call 314-977-3030. SLU String Orchestra is on Facebook at SLU String Orchestra (SLUSO).

Come join Una at the Clocktower on Thursday, April 18 from 7PM-10PM to celebrate the SLU community and to speak out against sexual violence!

Lots of stuff will be going down, including a capella music by Decadence and Beyond All Reason, slam poetry by Wuslam, street theatre by 40 Corners, and live performances by Lauren Segelhorst, Steve Siegner, and John Donovan. There will also be free food (SLU Connection loves free food), a community art piece, a candle-light vigil, and information about local anti-violence groups.

The SLU community is welcome to stay for the whole time or to just stop by.

I could give you 13 reasons to check out The Sip & Serenade on Sunday, March 27 from 12PM-1:30PM.

Come to the Saint Louis University Museum of Art this Sunday to see Beyond All Reason, the all-female a capella group, consisting of 13 members of the University’s fine and performing arts program!

Founded in 2002 by two SLU students, Beyond All Reason is now comprised of 13 members. The group performs a variety of contemporary arrangements in pop, rock, indie, R&B, and country.

For more information, check out www.beyondallreason.org.

Wine and light appetizers will be served. Admission is $5.

Saint Louis University has a very talented student body.

In fact, one might even say that SLU has got it.

Talent, I mean. SLU’s got talent.

And to celebrate this fact, the Class Legacy Program is hosting SLU’s Got Talent–a spectacle showcasing the most sensational acts from this university–on Thursday, March 24 in BSC Wool Ballroom 173 from 7PM-10PM. Admission is $5, and includes a ballot to vote for your favorite performer. You can even rig the voting, with additional ballots being sold for $1!

It’s all for a good cause, of course. The proceeds from the show will go toward the Emergency Scholarship Fund. This critical fund provides aid to returning SLU students who are experiencing financial difficulty in continuing their studies.

Beyond All Reason, Elevation, Xquizit, SLU Step, and Bare Naked Statues are just a few of the performers that have agreed to battle it out for this worthwhile cause.

For more info, contact the Class Legacy Program at clp@slu.edu.

Department of Fine And Performing Arts – Music faculty member, Dr. Jeral B. Becker, will present a concert on Friday, February 25th, at 7:30pm, at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church. Dr. Becker will be assisted by Marguerite Corey on piano and Wanda Becker on violin.

The concert will feature songs rarely heard by Maude Valery White and Arthur Somervell, both turn of the century composers from England.  Also, a newly composed set of songs by Max von Schlehenried (SLU 2010 graduate) for tenor, violin and piano will be premiered.  These two songs, “Saint Judas” and “A Blessing” are set to poems by the American poet, James Wright (1927-1980). The concert is free and open to the public.

If you’re looking for more opportunities to see free live music this finals week, you’re in luck. This Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 8 PM, the Xavier theatre will host the Music of the Hollywood Saxophone Quartet as performed by the 4 City Saxes:

For years, saxophone quartets have performed arrangements of The Hollywood Saxophone Quartet without the original bass and drum parts. In this concert, The 4 City Saxes, Mike Kapowicz-Soprano, Aaron Lehde-Alto, Hugh Jones-Tenor, and Rob Hughes, Baritone, join with special guests Jeremy Pfeffer-Bass, and Joe Weber-Drums, to perform these famous arrangements by Marty Paich, Lennie Niehaus, and Jack Montrose as they were originally conceived.

For more information, contact Robert Hughes at 314-977-2408. This event is free and open to the public.

Image by akahodag – Licensed under Creative Commons

On December 5, the Department of Fine and Performing Arts – Music will be holding a choral concert in College Church. The program starts at 6:30 PM and features Concert Choir, Mastersingers, Fleur de Lis, SLU Women’s Quartet. The concert is free and open to the public.

The featured work of this program is “Ode on the Intimations of Immortality for Chorus, Baritone Solo and Piano”  (1907) by Arthur Somervell  (1863-1937).  This is the first known performance of this oratorio in the USA.

Below is a more detailed program of the evening’s performances.

Carol Fest  (Concert Choir)            James H. Laster

There is no Rose (Fleur de Lis)                        Gary Garcia

Ashley Brownlee, soprano

A Joyful Alleluia  (Fleur de Lis)            Linda Steen Spevacek

Five minute intermission

Ode on the Intimations of Immortality            Arthur Somervell

Martin Dressler, Baritone            (Words, William Wordsworth)

Overture

There was a Time            Baritone Solo

Now, while the Birds thus sing            Women’s Chorus

Ye Blessed Creatures            Baritone Solo

Our Birth is but a Sleep            Choir

The Thought of our Past Years            Baritone Solo

Truths that Wake            Men’s Chorus

Hence in a Season of Calm            Choir

What tho’ the Radiance            Baritone Solo

We will Grieve Not            Choir

And O Ye Fountains            Baritone Solo

The Clouds that Gather Round            Choir & Baritone Solo

Following a very successful run for the first show of the season, Almost, Maine, Saint Louis University Theatre continues the 2010 season with a classic of American musical theatre, Cabaret. Based on Christopher Isherwood’s book Goodbye to Berlin, this daring musical uses the cabaret as a mirror image of a decadent and vulgar German society sliding toward the Nazis. This exciting intertwining of entertainment with social history includes such musical standards as “Life is a Cabaret”, “Welcome”, and “Money, Money, Money”.

The production opens Friday, November 12, and plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM through November 20, plus a Sunday matinee at 2PM on November 21. Tickets are $10, $9 for senior citizens, $9 for SLU faculty and staff, and $7 for all students. Additional information is available through the box office, 314.977.3327.

Starting September 24, the Saint Louis University Studio Art Faculty Exhibition will feature the latest pieces from SLU’s studio art faculty. John Lamb, with the Department of Fine and Performing Arts has more:

SLU studio art faculty will present their latest work in a group exhibition at Boileau Hall, 38 Vandeventer, (End of West Pine Mall at Vandeventer), with an opening reception on Friday, September 24, 4:30PM-7:00PM. The exhibition continues until November 19th. Gallery Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 12PM-4PM or by appointment. The faculty with work in the exhibit are Nila Petty, Amy Bautz, Martin Brief, Becky Grass, Sharron Pollack, Terri Shay, Peg Fetter, David Johnson, Theodore Wood, Stephen Hoskins, and Deborah Douglas. The variety media in the exhibit includes fibers, drawing, sculpture, painting, photography, and printmaking.

For more information, contact Julia at 314-977-2410.

For two weekends, the University Theatre will be showing their production of Machinal right here on campus in Xavier Hall. Here’s John Lamb in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts with more:

Based loosely on a 1920’s criminal trial, MACHINAL explores an era in which a woman’s role is confined to wife, mother, housekeeper, and sexual partner. When love is considered unnecessary, marriage may lead to murder. This powerful drama is considered a classic of American Expressionism.

The play will run on Fridays and Saturdays, April 23, 24, 30, and May 1 at 8 PM; and May 2 at 2 PM. The cost is $7 for students and $9 for faculty and staff.

For more information or tickets, contact John Lamb at 314-977-2998 or lambjc@slu.edu.

Looking to take your belly dancing skills to the next level? I know I am. Carrie Bross of SLU Belly Dancing Club sent us information on their weekly meetings:

Whether you’re looking to learn more about the art of belly dance, pick up some new moves, or just get in shape, SLU Belly Dance Club is for you! Belly dance has been around for centuries, but this traditional dance is making a comeback and is popular with everyone from Shakira to Suhaila. All styles welcome. No previous experience required!

The SLU Belly Dancing Club meets Tuesdays and Fridays from 4-5:30 PM in the Simon Rec Center Multipurpose Room 3. For more information, contact Carrie Bross at cbross@slu.edu or check out the Facebook group.

Image by brododaktula – Licensed under Creative Commons

Powell Hall

Tomorrow, March 24, at 7 PM the SLU String Orchestra will be performing at Powell Symphony Hall as part of our On Stage at Powell Series. The concert is free of charge, with no tickets or reservations required. John Lamb of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts describes the String Orchestra in more detail:

The String Orchestra was formed last year by Marc C. Thayer, Vice President for Education and Community Partnerships, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and an adjunct faculty member at Saint Louis University in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts – Music. The Saint Louis String Orchestra is open to any faculty, physician, staff or students from SLU who has played violin, viola, cello or bass for at least three years. No audition is required. The Orchestra rehearses at 7 pm every Thursday in the Refectory in DuBourg Hall. The Saint Louis University String Orchestra is a collaborative project between SLU’s music program, the School of Medicine, Saint Louis University Cancer Center and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

For more information, contact Chris Wintrode at cwintrod@slu.edu.

Image by mastahanky – Licensed under Creative Commons

This weekend is you last chance to see Cole Porter’s classic musical, Anything Goes t the U Theatre. Show times are Friday and Saturday, February  26 and 27, at 8 pm and Sunday, February 28 at 2 pm.

Performances are at the University Theatre in Xavier Hall, 3733 West Pine Mall. Tickets are $10 for general adults, $9 for senior citizens, $9 for faculty and staff of Saint Louis University and $7 for all students.

Reservations and more information are available by calling the box office at 314-977-3327.

Students, from left to right: Erin Almand, Billy Bommarito, Mark Holzum, and Marcy Wiegert.

The University Mastersingers will be holding a Haiti Benefit Concert on Sunday, February 28, at 6:30 pm in St. Francis Xavier College Church.

Joining the choir will be Samuel Prophet, a singer from Haiti, and Wanda Becker, a violinist formerly of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. The concert will feature both songs of mourning and songs of hope. Contributions will be collected to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

The concert is open to the public. For more information, contact Julia Sewall at 977-2410.

The Saint Louis University Museum of Art is featuring another installment in their Sip & Serenade series next month.

On Sunday, February 14 from noon – 2 pm (that’s Valentines Day for the unsentimental), SLUMA will present a serenade performed by the University’s Fine and Performing Arts Department. Wine, light appetizers, and chocolate dipped confections will be served.

This event is sponsored by SLUMA and is free of charge.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Play Powell Hall first.

The Saint Louis University String Orchestra has been confirmed to perform at Powell Hall on Wednesday, March 24, at 7:00 pm, as part of their On Stage at Powell Series. It will be a free concert, with no tickets or reservations needed.

The SLU String Orchestra is open to any faculty, physician, staff or students from SLU who has played violin, viola, cello or bass for at least three years. No audition is required. Rehearsals are at 7 pm every Thursday in the Refectory in DuBourg Hall. The SLU String Orchestra is a collaborative project between SLU’s music program, the School of Medicine, Saint Louis University Cancer Center and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

For information, contact Chris Wintrode at cwintrod@slu.edu.

Image by mastahanky – Licensed under Creative Commons

This exhibit of Saint Louis University student work done in 200-level Studio Art classes will run from December 4–January 23 in the gallery at Boileau Hall, 38 Vandeventer, Fridays and Saturdays from 12 –4 pm. The opening reception on Friday, December 4 from 4:30–7 pm will feature a live musical performance by the Saint Louis University Student Guitar Ensemble. Refreshments will be served.

The reception is free and open to the public. The show will feature student art work done in drawing, painting, ceramics, fibers, printmaking, metalsmithing, photography, computer art and graphic design.