University of Arkansas at Little Rock

UALR’s Community Chorus and Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Bevan Keating, will ring in the holiday season with performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria in D at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in UALR’s Fine Arts Building.

The concert will feature solo performances by soprano Kathy Kilgo and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Boccarossa, and will debut UALR’s newest vocal ensemble, the UALR Chamber Choir. The 10-voice group, which includes the most accomplished voiced in UALR’s vocal program, will perform Harold Darke’s In the Bleak Midwinter and J.P. Sweelinck’s Hodie Christus Natus Est.

 “Vivaldi’s Gloria is a majestic and energetic piece, one that demands both a high level of musicianship and an emotional connection to the material from its singers,” Keating said. “Audience members will see and hear that commitment in our choir.  It’s inspiring when so many people, representing a wide range of ages and community roles, come together for a single musical purpose.” 

Tickets are $10 for general admission, which UALR faculty, students, and staff are admitted free with UALR ID.  To guarantee seating, pick up tickets prior to the performance at Department of Music in the Fine Arts Building. For more information, call (501) 569-3294.

Free parking near the Fine Arts Building is available for campus visitors in Lot 13, located east of Jack Stephens Arena on 28st Street and University Avenue.  For a map of the UALR campus, visit http://ualr.edu/www/features/map/. 

Founded by Keating in 2004, UALR’s Community Chorus is comprised of over 90 members drawn from UALR students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the greater Little Rock community.  The chorus is open to singers at all levels of musical ability who wish to participate in choral masterpieces accompanied by professional musicians.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to be involved in a large singing group, to sing great works that are only possible with a chorus of our size,” said UALR Community Chorus president Tracy Johnson.

In March 2009, the chorus will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at Second Presbyterian Church in west Little Rock.

Multiple UALR departments are taking part in a forum on global reactions to the US Presidential Elections, to be held 12:00 noon, Wednesday, Nov. 19 in the Leadership Lounge of the student government offices, located upstairs in the Donaghey Student Center.

The panelists include Joe Giammo, Andy Drummond, and Jacek Lubecki, all of Political Science; David Brice from the College of Business; and Terry Richard, of Sociology & Anthropology.

This forum is free and open to the public.

Award-winning playwright Sheila Callaghan, featured in the October edition of American Theatre, will judge the 2008 Fringe Festival, a 10-minute playwriting contest in the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance, to be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Nov. 12, 13, and 14.

Callaghan, recipient of numerous awards, grants, and fellowships for her plays that have been produced internationally, will conduct a talk back immediately following the opening night performance. Callaghan’s involvement in the festival is made possible by the Kerry Kennedy Development Fund, honoring the life and work of Kerry Kennedy by providing assistance in the development of playwriting opportunities for UALR students.

Tickets are $7 for the general public, $5 for students and seniors. For more information and reservations call (501) 569–3456. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 5.

This year, the Fringe process involves a 10-minute play-writing contest. Six plays have been chosen for production from 18 submissions. Callaghan will select 3 winners from the productions and the authors will receive cash prizes. The works are entirely produced by students and mentored by UALR faculty.

Callaghan’s full-length plays include We Are Not These Hands, Dead City, Lascivious Something, and Fever/Dream. Callaghan is currently on the faculty at Spalding University’s MFA program in creative writing.

The 2000 winner of the Princess Grace award for emerging artists, Callaghan received a 2003 MacDowell residency, a 2004 New York Foundation for the Arts  grant, was a 2005 Cherry Lane Mentorship Fellow, and received a 2007 Whiting Award. Her plays have been produced in New Zealand, Norway, Germany, and the Czech Republic. She has been commissioned by Playwright’s Horizons, South Coast Repertory, and EST/Sloan.

Plays, playwrights, directors, and faculty mentors for this year’s Fringe Festival are:

Ending/Beginning?
Playwright: Jessica Deloach
Director: Natasha Mason
Faculty Mentor: Wayne Chapman

Holland’s Cell
Playwright: Andrea Gilbert
Director: Tyler Whiteside
Faculty Mentor: Stacy Pendergraft

Le Café De Plume
Playwright: Allison Kemp
Director: Brian Chambers
Faculty Mentor: Jay Raphael

How Are You
Playwright: Natasha Mason
Director: Brian Chambers
Faculty Mentor: Jay Raphael

Greek To Me
Playwright: Jeremiah Smith
Director; Jessica Deloach
Faculty Mentor: Bill Marshall

SEED OF EVIL
Playwright: Jeff Wright
Director: Ashley Middleton
Faculty Mentor: Yslan Hicks

From fairy tale to ballet to animated movie, the legend of Sleeping Beauty has constantly been updated for succeeding generations. The new UALR Opera Theatre production takes a “fable in music” written in 1922 by Ottorino Respighi and enhances it using the latest computer-generated motion graphic techniques.  Director Edward Crafts explained that an Emmy award-winning design team is creating these images specifically for the UALR production. “It’s a very cinematic approach, and at Wildwood we have enough space to combine these images with the stage action. Blending traditional lighting with motion graphics allows us to create scenic effects that would have been impossible just a few years ago.”

Respighi’s original concept was also a blend of technologies – he wrote the opera for a famous Italian puppet theater, with singers and instruments in the orchestra pit. A few years later, he adapted the work for live performers onstage. Dr. Bevan Keating, Music Director of the UALR Opera Theatre, noted that although the story is familiar, the music is sophisticated. “Respighi is famous for his lush symphonic scores, such as The Pines of Rome. His operas are less well known, but they also demonstrate his Italianate melodic gifts and his skill at orchestration. This is an opera that will delight audience members of any age.”

The UALR production features thirty singers in solo roles, chorus and orchestra. The ballet segments of the opera will be performed by dancers from the Arkansas Festival Ballet, Rebecca Miller Stalcup, Artistic Director. The new English translation is by Edward Crafts.

The performance at Wildwood Park for the Arts on Friday, November 7 will be at 7:30 pm, and the Sunday matinee performance on November 9 will be at 3 pm. Children’s and student tickets are $5, general admission is $15, and preferential seating including a champagne reception is $25. UALR students are admitted free, but must make reservations in advance. For ticket information, please call (501) 569-8993.

Which issues did the candidates discuss most often with their supporters during the primaries and caucuses?

• Click to view a table of comparison: Table 1

How did the nominees and their campaigns describe their candidates most often to their supporters during the primaries and caucuses?

• Click to view a table of comparison: Table 2

What do these tables mean? Read this article by Dr. Joe Giammo, of the UALR Political Science Departent, to get his interpretation.

• Click to view the article: Analysis.pdf