Brevard College Unveils Highlights of 2009-2010 Artist Series at the Porter Center for Performing Arts;Upcoming Season to Focus on “Rediscovery”

Rediscovering the musical threads of tradition and diversity that have been the hallmarks of its first decade, Brevard College’s upcoming Artist Series will include a chart-topping Celtic band, a Medieval vocal quartet and a mini series showcasing tomorrow’s rising stars, among others.


The 2009-2010 season at Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts is about “rediscovery,” explains Technical Director Rick Nelson.


“Planning our 12th year entailed doing some soul-searching,” says Nelson. “We visited what worked for the series – and what had not – and decided that in order to continue to bring excitement to our audience, we needed to ‘rediscover’ our commitment as a Performing Arts Center. This season, we hope our patrons will discover an amazing artist just emerging on the national scene or rediscover an old friend or a brand new favorite.”


Performers for this season’s Artist Series range from the traditional toe-tapping Celtic tunes of Gaelic Storm on October 8 to the return of award-winning virtuosic vocals of Anonymous 4 on April 10, 2010. One of the finest boy choirs in the world, the Atlanta Boy Choir, will perform on November 21 as part of this season’s Discovery Series. This new series is designed to promote young and upcoming artists and encourage youth to pursue careers in music.


A complete listing of the 2009-2010 Artist Series/Discovery Series performances will be unveiled this summer during the Porter Center’s annual Season Preview Party for prior and new season subscribers.


Inaugurated in 1998, the Porter Center for Performing Arts on the campus of Brevard College in Brevard, NC has earned a reputation as one of the finest performance halls in the South. Named for North Carolina businessman and Brevard College Life Trustee Paul Porter, the Porter Center hosts the Artist Series at Brevard College – which has brought in some of the world’s most talented musicians in a dizzying array of styles – all performing in a pristine acoustical setting.


The Porter Center’s Scott Concert Hall has seating for 700, terrific acoustics and unobstructed sight lines. The large stage can house a full symphony, yet it can be intimate enough for a solo guitar recital.


The Porter Center is also a performance and academic space for Brevard College students from the Music Department and Theatre Department, a campus meeting space, and a performance venue for some of the groups that populate Transylvania County’s amazingly rich cultural scene – the Brevard Philharmonic, Brevard Community Band, Transylvania Choral Society and more.


The Porter Center's visual centerpiece is the glorious $1.2-million Kirkpatrick-Coleman Pipe Organ, a world-class instrument designed by master organ-builder Daniel Jaeckel, featuring three manual divisions, 69 ranks and 3,539 pipes.


For more information about the 2009-2010 Porter Center series or the Season Preview Party, contact the Porter Center box office at 828-884-8330.


The Porter Center can be found online at http://www.theportercenter.org/.

Brevard College Juried Student Art Show Opens April 3

The Brevard College Art Department will present a juried student art exhibition from April 3 to April 17 at Spiers Gallery.

An opening reception will be held Friday, April 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the gallery, which is located in Sims Art Center. The presentation of awards will begin at 6 p.m.

Paintings, photography and sculpture are just a few of the different types of artwork that will be on display. The show, which is open to all Brevard College students, will be juried by Asheville Art Museum Adult Programs Manager Nancy Sokolove. Awards will be given for Best of Show, President’s Choice and Students’ Choice as well as first, second and third places. Six honorable mentions will also be awarded.

The reception and exhibit visitations are free to the public. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. weekdays when the College is in session. The exhibit will be on display until April 17.

Spiers Gallery is a contemporary 1,500 square foot gallery located within the Sims Art Center on the Brevard College campus. Exhibitions in Spiers Gallery are ongoing throughout the year and include shows by Brevard College students and faculty members as well as visiting artists from Western North Carolina and around the country.

For more information about this exhibition, contact Diane Pomphrey at 828-884-8188.

Opera Meets Broadway: Brevard College Music Department Hosts Opera Scenes

Voice and Theatre students at Brevard College will present an evening of scenes from opera and musical theatre on Tuesday, April 7 in the Porter Center for Performing Arts.

The 7:30 p.m. program, which is free and open to the public, will include excerpts from Hansel and Gretel, Così fan Tutte, The Gondoliers, Brigadoon, Carousel, and Guys and Dolls. The scenes will be performed with light staging and costumes, accompanied by Janice Murray on piano.

For more information, please contact Kathryn Gresham, Brevard College assistant professor of music and director of voice studies, at 884.8110.

Grammy-nominated Group to Perform at Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts

Norwegian vocal ensemble Trio Mediaeval will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 29 at the Brevard College Porter Center for Performing Arts.

The 2009 Grammy-nominated trio – Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth and Torunn Ostrem Ossum – will present a program entitled “Lova Line,” songs and ballads from Norway and England, including three Marian songs written for the trio by Andrew Smith.

Founded in Oslo in 1997, Trio Mediaeval has developed three distinct strands of repertoire: polyphonic medieval music from England and France, contemporary works and Norwegian medieval ballads and songs. The group's initial phase was inspired by intense periods of work at the Hilliard Summer Festival in England and Germany and subsequently with Linda Hirst and John Potter. The trio has had the pleasure of performing in more than 25 states around the country.

To date, the trio has released four albums: Soir, dit-elle; Words of the Angels; Stella Maris; and Folk Songs. Folk Songs received a 2009 Grammy nomination as “best chamber music performance.”

Performance tickets are now available at the price of $20 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Porter Center Box Office. For more information on tickets, please contact the Porter Center Box Office at 884-8330 or visit www.theportercenter.org.

Brevard College Purgason Lecture Features Jim Winkler on “The Upside of the Downturn”

Jim Winkler, general secretary for the United Methodist Church’s General Board on Church and Society, will deliver this year’s Brevard College Purgason Family Life Lecture on Monday, April 6.

Winkler’s lecture will focus on the country’s current economic crisis, providing hope for individuals and families who are anxious about their future.

The 7:30 p.m. lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Porter Center for the Performing Arts. Winkler will remain in the concert hall for questions following the lecture.

Winkler’s work with the General Board for Church and Society involves advocacy and education regarding peace and social justice for the country and the world as a whole. He has led delegations to the Middle East, Germany and the Democratic Republic of Congo, seeking peaceful solutions to global conflict. In the U.S., Winkler works closely with Congress to advance the Church’s mission of social justice; he also is on the steering committee of Health Care Now, an advocacy group and is a board member for the Faith and Politics Institute.

Winkler’s residency on campus will also include a dinner discussion with faculty and students.

The Brevard College Purgason Family Life Lecture is intended to emphasize the importance of the family in American society and to encourage the development of Christian values in that context.

For more information, please contact Kathryn Gresham, Campus Theme Coordinator at 884-8110.

Brevard College holds Open Campus Day March 28

Brevard College will hold an Open Campus Day for prospective students on Saturday, March 28.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. at Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts and will conclude after lunch. There is also an opportunity to meet with coaches and other members of the Athletic Department from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Designed to introduce potential students to college life at Brevard College, the Open Campus Day schedule features a guided campus tour; expert advice about financial aid and scholarships; information about the college’s academic programs; as well as opportunities for prospective students to meet current Brevard College students and to participate in campus-life events and activities. A complete Open Campus Schedule is available at www.brevard.edu/visit.

Prospective students who would like to attend the Open Campus Day should contact the Office of Admissions at 828.884-8300 or toll free at 800.527.9090. To reserve a spot online, simply register at www.brevard.edu/visit.

Brevard College Percussion and Brass to Perform March 24

The Brevard College Percussion Ensemble and the Brevard College Brass Quintet will perform their spring concert on Tuesday, March 24 at the Porter Center for the Performing Arts on the Brevard College campus.

The 7:30 p.m. concert is free and open to the public.

The Brevard College Brass Quintet, directed by Assistant Professor of Music Steve Wilson, will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Pierre Max Dubois, Ian MacDonald and Victor Ewald. The group features Larry Black on trumpet and Jennifer Merrill on horn, in addition to Brevard College students.

The Brevard College Percussion Ensemble, directed by Associate Professor of Music Laura Franklin, will perform contemporary percussion ensemble works by Nathan Daughtrey, David Long, Stanley Leonard and Michael Aukofer. A wide range of musical styles will be presented, from the hard driving rhythms of “Shock Factor,” by Nathan Daughtrey, to the beautiful melodies of David Long’s “Aria.”

The Brevard College Percussion Ensemble has been nationally recognized for excellence in performance through invitations to the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy and the North Carolina Day of Percussion. The group has also performed at the invitation of the North Carolina Symphony in Raleigh.

Box Office Hours Extended for Banff Mountain Film Festival at Brevard College

Box office hours for the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour at the Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts this weekend have been extended.

Tickets for the March 20-21 shows may now be purchased through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Porter Center Box Office or by calling (828) 884-8330. The box office will also be open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday and from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Tickets are $10 each showing or $15 for both nights.

The film festival doors will now open at 6 p.m. each night to give patrons an opportunity to interact with this year’s sponsors. The film showing will begin at 7:30 p.m. both nights and will feature a performance by The Mason Jar Drinkers.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is produced by Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre and features award-winning films and audience favorites from hundreds of films entered in the annual festival in Banff Alberta, Canada.

A complete listing of the festival’s lineup and brief description of each film being shown at Brevard College is available online at www.brevard.edu/banff.

Sponsoring this year’s event at Brevard College are Nali Outdoor Wear, Mast General Store, Diamond Brand Outdoors, WNCW 88.7, Green River Adventures, REI Asheville, Landmark Learning, Blue Ridge Outdoors, Mountain Xpress, Bracken Mountain Bakery, Image 420, Brevard Rock Gym and Looking Glass Outfitters.

For more information about the Banff Mountain Film Festival at Brevard College, contact Jason A Djuren, Assistant Director of Student Life, Outdoor Recreation, at (828) 883-8292, ext. 2232

Banff Mountain Film Festival Lineup Announced; Tickets on Sale Now

The world’s best mountain film festival will deliver big screen adventure to audiences when the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts March 20-21.

From exploration of remote landscapes and cultures to adrenaline-fueled action sports, films in this year’s world tour are sure to captivate and amaze the explorer within us all. The tentative movie schedule includes showings of “Journey to the Center,” featuring three world-renowned BASE jumpers as they travel 10,000 miles to confront Tian Keng, the Heavenly Pit; “The Fine Line,” a cinematic journey that combines the cutting edge of winter action sports with education about responsible backcountry usage; “Seasons,” a mountain biking film that follows the personal challenges, victories and adventures of some of the world's best mountain bikers; and “The Last Nomads,” a film about the struggles of the nomadic Penan people of Borneo.

A complete listing of the festival’s lineup and brief description of each film being shown at Brevard College is available online at www.brevard.edu/banff.

Tickets are $10 each showing or $15 for both nights. They may be purchased from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday from the Porter Center Box Office by calling (828) 884-8330 or by visiting the Box Office in person.

The film festival doors will open on Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m. to give patrons an opportunity to interact with this year’s sponsors. The film showing will begin at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, March 21, the doors will open at 7 p.m. and the film showing will begin at 7:30 p.m. Each night will also feature a performance by The Mason Jar Drinkers.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is produced by Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre and features award-winning films and audience favorites from hundreds of films entered in the annual festival in Banff Alberta, Canada.

Sponsoring this year’s event at Brevard College are Nali Outdoor Wear, Mast General Store, Diamond Brand Outdoors, WNCW 88.7, Green River Adventures, REI Asheville, Landmark Learning, and Blue Ridge Outdoors, Mountain Xpress, Bracken Mountain Bakery, Image 420, Brevard Rock Gym and Looking Glass Outfitters.

For more information about the Banff Mountain Film Festival at Brevard College, contact Jason A Djuren, Assistant Director of Student Life, Outdoor Recreation, at (828) 883-8292, ext. 2232

BC Alum Bobby Fish Returns to Porter Center for Performing Arts for March 22 Concert

Brevard College alumnus Bobby Fish will return to the College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts to perform his master’s thesis concert on Sunday, March 22.

Fish, a 2003 graduate of Brevard College, is now an Appalachian State University (ASU) Chancellor’s Fellow studying percussion performance for his master’s degree in music.

His solo mallet instrument performance at the Porter Center will feature the marimba and vibraphone and include works by composers from Denmark, France, Japan, Brazil and the United States. The concert will also include Japanese drums called Taiko. Fish, who founded the Davidson River Taiko for high-risk youth at Davidson River School in Brevard, is writing his Master’s Thesis on American Taiko.

Joining Fish on stage will be pianist Melissa Lesbines, ASU graduate percussionist Tommy Smith and ASU undergraduates Tim Cockerill and Diana Loomer.

The 3 p.m. concert is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted for the Blue Ridge Center for Integrative Musical Arts, a new Western North Carolina-based music education nonprofit corporation that Fish recently founded.

Fish, who studied concert percussion at Brevard College with Associate Professor of Music Laura Franklin, recently performed as a marimba soloist with the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra after being selected as a winner of the 2008 ASU Concerto Competition. With the help of an ASU International Student Research Grant award, he traveled to Japan last summer to study under master Taiko artist Art Lee.

Fish plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Education once he graduates from ASU in May.

Internationally Acclaimed Amsterdam Cello Octet to Perform at Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts; Discounted Tickets Now On Sale

The internationally acclaimed Amsterdam Cello Octet (formerly Conjunto Ibérico), the only full-time cello octet in the world, will perform at Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts on Tuesday, March 17.

Amsterdam Cello Octet is a unique ensemble in the world of classical music. According to cellist Yo-Yo Ma, “This ensemble is a treasure indeed, a fine example to the world of music…Wherever I play – Brazil, Japan, the USA – people talk to me about Cello Octet.”

The 7:30 p.m. performance is described as both eclectic and captivating, leaning on Spanish and Latin American music. The program will feature works from Joaquin Nin, Manuel de Falla, Alberto Ginastera, David Popper, Fant de Kanter, Philip Glass and Astor Piazzolla/Jorge Luis Borges.

The octet will be joined onstage by Spanish mezzo-soprano Elena Gragera, who enchants audiences with her flair and rhythmic élan. Gragera is considered by many to be one of the most serious and interesting talents on the Spanish musical scene today.

The Dutch chamber music ensemble was founded in 1989 by Elias Arizcuren, who was formerly their main conductor. The special composition of the group, which now performs without a conductor, demands specially written music and the octet has inspired many great contemporary composers to write pieces for them. Among these are Arvo Pärt, Terry Riley, Mauricio Kagel, Theo Loevendie, Franco Donatoni and Luciano Berio. At present, Amsterdam Cello Octet has more than 70 original works in its repertoire.

Amsterdam Cello Octet has performed on stages in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Germany, England, France, Italy, Poland and Croatia, among others.

Performance tickets are now available at the price of $25 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Porter Center Box Office. For more information on tickets, please contact the Porter Center Box Office at 884-8330.

April 17 Luciana Souza Concert Cancelled at Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts

Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts sadly announces the cancellation of the scheduled performance of Luciana Souza due to unforeseen circumstances.

Patrons with tickets to the April 17 performance will receive mail notification of the cancellation with a check refund.

Brevard College sincerely regrets the disappointment and inconvenience that this may cause. Patrons with further questions may contact the Porter Center Box Office at 884-8330. For any additional information visit the Web site at www.theportercenter.org.

Brevard College Professor Receives Distinguished Theatre Studies Award

Brevard College Coordinator of Theatre Studies Dr. Kelly Carolyn Gordon recently received the Robert A. Schanke Research Award for excellence in theatre scholarship at the Mid-America Theatre Conference in Chicago.

Gordon, who has taught acting, directing, and script analysis as well as directed at Brevard College since 2008, was recognized for her article, “Class Act(resses): How Depression-Era Stage Actresses Utilized Conflicting Cultural Ideals for Women to Fight Economic Crisis in Their Community,” which she presented as part of the conference's Theatre History Symposium. The article discusses how actresses utilized elements of the conflicting “true” and “new” ideals for women to create a number of ingenious projects to aid unemployed theatre workers during this period. In particular, the paper focuses on Selena Royle’s founding of the Actor’s Dinner Club in New York City.

Gordon earned a Ph.D in theatre history, with a certificate in women’s studies, from the University of Georgia, and a master’s degree in directing from Emerson College. She completed her undergraduate work at Ohio Wesleyan University and the City of London Polytechnic. Gordon has also studied at Piven Theatre Workshop and La Mama's International Symposium for Directors in Umbria, Italy. Her writing has appeared in Lighting Dimensions, The Encyclopedia of Modern Drama and The Dallas Morning News. Last summer, Gordon was a Fellow of the Leadership Institute of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. She is the granddaughter of actor Eddie Bracken.

The Robert A. Schanke Research Award is given annually to an untenured faculty presenter of the Theatre History Symposium and carries a cash award of $500 as well as subsequent publication of the paper in Theatre History Studies, the journal of the Mid-America Theatre Conference. Established in 2005, the award is named for Robert A. Schanke, a noted theatre educator and scholar for more than 40 years.

Brevard College’s Library Recognizes Women’s History Month

Brevard College’s J.A. Jones Library is recognizing Women’s History Month and its theme “Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet” by offering a wide range of materials that honor women who have taken the lead in the environmental or “green” movement.

The Brevard College Library collection includes books, encyclopedias, journals and e-books representing women as scientists, adventurers, writers, politicians, teachers, naturalists, feminists, heroines, leaders and other women of achievement. Sample resources include Academic Search Premier (online); “A Companion to American Women’s History; Britannica Online”; “Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor”; “The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement”; “Journal of Women's History” (online); “See Jane Lead”; “Such News of the Land: U.S. Women Nature Writers”; “Verve: Western North Carolina’s Smartest Magazine for Women”; “Women and Leadership”; “Women in World History: a biographical history; Women, Power, and Politics”; and “Women Pioneers for the Environment”.

National Women’s History Month honorees for 2009 were chosen as having shown leadership in preserving the natural environment and reversing ecological destruction. To learn more about the nominees and women’s historic accomplishments, visit the National Women’s History Project Web page at www.nwhp.org. A Women’s History Resource Catalog and other pertinent resources on women’s history are available through the Brevard College Library during regular library hours. The library is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and Sunday 3 p.m. - 10 p.m. For more information about the library and its resources, contact Mike McCabe, director of the library, at 884-8248 or library@brevard.edu.

Brevard College Professor Invited to Attend Oxford Round Table On Ethics

Brevard College Associate Professor of Business & Organizational Leadership Barbara Boerner will travel to England this month to participate in an upcoming Oxford Round Table on ethics.

Boerner, who has taught at Brevard College since 1998, is one of 30 academic, business and government leaders from around the world who received an invitation to discuss “Ethics: The Convolution of Contemporary Values.” The Round Table will be held March 22-27 at Lincoln College in the University of Oxford. During the Round Table, Boerner will present her paper on “Organizational Responsibility for Ethical Behavior: How a Learning Organization Instills Ethical Culture.” Papers presented at the Round Table may be subsequently submitted for publication in the Forum on Public Policy, a journal of the Oxford Round Table. The Forum is published in both hard copy and online formats. Papers considered for publication in the Forum are evaluated by peer reviewers as to technical and substantive quality and for potential to make a significant contribution to new knowledge in the field.

The Oxford Round Table celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It was founded as a colloquium for small groups of governmental leaders and academics to engage in discussions of contemporary public policy issues that affect states and nations. Alumni of the Round Table include professors, university presidents and vice-chancellors, lawyers, physicians and ministers of education from many countries and institutions throughout the world.

Round Table participants are selected after a screening process. They can be nominated by previous participants or directors, from recognized presentations and awards from state and national organizations or be a representative of a successful university or school district.

Boerner, who has presented papers at international conferences in Rome, Italy and Athens, Greece, is a Doctor of Business Administration candidate in International Business at Argosy University; and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University; a master’s degree in education from The American University; and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.