Arts center tunes up for new jazz series

The Lawrence Arts Center will be swinging Friday when it launches its inaugural “Jazz at the Arts Center” series.

On the 2004-2005 schedule are:

• Kevin Mahogany Trio, Friday
• Dave Pietro’s Banda Brazil, Nov. 18
• Cyrus Chestnut and Wycliffe Gordon, Feb. 3
• Jane Ira Bloom Quartet, “Chasing Paint,” March 3
• Phil Woods with an all-star big band directed by Kansas University’s director of jazz studies Dan Gailey, April 30

All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Season tickets are $135, and single event tickets are $30.

For more information, call 843-2787 or visit www.lawrenceartscenter.com.

‘Kansas Nutcracker’ auditions set for today

Auditions for the 2004 production of “A Kansas Nutcracker,” which will require community dancers and actors ages 5 and up, will be 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. today in the theater at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

Auditions are scheduled by age groups : 1 p.m.-2 p.m. for ages 5-6; 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. for ages 7-10; and 3 p.m.-5 p.m. for ages 11-18. Adults may audition during any of the times.

Rehearsals will begin in October, and the show will run Dec. 10-12 and 17-19.

There is a participation fee. Enrollment will take place at auditions. For more information and to sign up for auditions, call the arts center at 843-2787.

Charity group to sell rare audio-visual products

Audio-Reader is putting on its For Your Ears Only benefit sale 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, Buildings 1 and 2.

New and used audio-visual products will be sold at the annual event to raise money for Audio-Reader, a radio service for the blind and print-disabled.

Some of this year’s featured items include 4-track reel-to-reel tapes from the Beatles and other artists, the entire “Twilight Zone” series on VHS and an oak card catalog.

Last year the event raised more than $10,000. Admission is free on Saturday, but guests at the sneak preview on Friday will be charged $5.

17 area artists displaying works today at farm show

Rock Bottom Farm will have its annual Art Show in the Country from noon to 5:30 p.m. today at S.E. 61st and Stubbs Road in Tecumseh.

Seventeen area artists will display their works, which include everything from watercolors to woodworking.

In addition to playing host to an art show, Rock Bottom Farm sells clothing, herbal soap and live goats. Owners Shirley and Charles Linn will provide refreshments. For more information, visit www.rockbottomfarm.com.

KU art, design students recognized in biennial show

Kansas University art and design students recently had a strong showing at the Kansas Collegiate Aesthetics competition.

The biennial juried show, featuring two- and three-dimensional art by Kansas college and university students, included 65 pieces selected from more than 300 entries. Warren Taylor, a nationally recognized painter and educator from Midland, Tex., served as juror for the exhibition, which will be on view through Oct. 24 at the Birger Sandzen Gallery in Lindsborg.

Six KU students won awards: Shana Rossi, Caleb Kruckenberg, Rachel Carey, Derek Larsen, Rebecca L. Sedwick and Katie Burt. An awards presentation and closing reception will be at 2 p.m. Oct. 24 at the gallery, 401 N. First St., Lindsborg. Gallery hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Admission is free; donations are welcome.

Piano concert features KU alumna

A celebrated pianist is returning to her alma mater to perform a visiting recital.

Jeongwon Ham, who received a doctor of musical arts degree from Kansas University, will play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Swarthout Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Ham studied with Sequeira Costa, KU distinguished professor of piano, and has gone on to win numerous international piano competitions. In 2001, she toured in France and Germany, and in 2002 she performed a guest artist recital in Seoul, Korea.

Ham’s program will include works by F. Busoni, Bach, F. Martin and Chopin.

For more information, call 864-3436.

KU grad’s composition selected by symphony

A Kansas University graduate has been selected by the Dallas Wind Symphony to have his fanfare performed during the 2004-2005 season.

Joseph Eidson, a former composition and theory major from Jefferson City, Mo., won one of eight spots from a pool of 79 submitted fanfares.

Fifteen minutes before each concert, a small ensemble of the symphony musicians perform one of the selected fanfares in the lobby of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

Eidson’s fanfare will be played before the concert on March 22, the final performance of the season.

Art guild founder to speak at meeting

The Lawrence Art Guild kicks off its regular monthly meetings 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday in the auditorium at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.

Joyce Schild will speak at 7 p.m. about the history and founding of the guild and Art in the Park. Schild, a painter and former art teacher, helped found the guild in 1962.

Artists and art lovers are invited to join the guild and can apply for membership at www.lawrenceartguild.org.

Baldwin arts center slates BBW fund-raiser

Baldwin — A project to turn an old Baldwin lumberyard into an arts center the entire community can use is looking for a boost from an upcoming fund-raiser.

The Lumberyard Arts Center Project is sponsoring “Blues & BBQ,” a night of food and music, Saturday evening at the future arts center, 718 High St., in downtown Baldwin.

Featured bands will be Free Lunch, Glenn Stansberry, Alonzo Beardshear and The Reluctants. Hickory Creek BBQ will cater the event. Food will be served from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with live music from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 10. All proceeds benefit the Lumberyard Arts Center Project.

Local painter selected for El Dorado exhibit

Lawrence artist Karen Wiley had an acrylic painting accepted into the 2004 National Juried Art Exhibit.

The exhibit will be on display Oct. 4-30 at the Erman B. White Gallery, Butler Community College, 901 S. Haverhill Road, El Dorado. Juror for the show was Warren Rosser, Kansas City Art Institute.

Symphony hires musical director, ends long search

Kansas City, Mo. — The Kansas City Symphony has hired Michael Stern as music director.

Stern, a conductor from Ann Arbor, Mich., will serve as music director designate through the 2004-2005 season and will officially become the symphony’s fourth music director beginning in the 2005-2006 season. Stern’s contract is good through the 2008-2009 season.

The symphony decided to hire Stern after a successful trial performance in June, during which Stern competed against two other conductors for the job.

“It’s wonderful to find a place such as Kansas City,” Stern said. “The unusually inclusive search process demonstrated in remarkable fashion Kansas City’s enthusiasm for the future of its orchestra.”

Baker releases lineup for artist and lecture series

Baldwin — Jazz music, classical piano, singing and dancing will highlight Baker University’s Artist & Lecture Series this season. Performers will include:

• Sept. 21: Guitarist Tommy Emmanuel
• Oct. 21: Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson
• Oct. 29: Concert pianist Arthur Greene
• Nov. 17: Lecturer Margaret Rausch
• Feb. 15: Jitro, the Czech Girls’ Choir
• March 10: Tony Waag’s Tap

Season tickets can be purchased for $35 for adults and $25 for youth at Baker’s business office or at any of the three banks in Baldwin. All events are general admission, and tickets are available at the door. Performances are free for Baker students with their Baker ID.

For event information, call (785) 594-8421.