Seattle Groups Headline Hip Hop Show

Conscious Overdose 2007, Oregon’s second annual hip hop show, will be held Saturday, April 14, in Cone Field House at Willamette University. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 at the door, with no pre-sale tickets available.

Two Seattle-based groups, Blue Scholars and Common Market, will headline. Garden Entertainment, a local hip hop group; the Goonies, a student dance group; and the Tokyo International University of America break dancers will perform between acts.

The show is produced by the Willamette University Chapter of the Hip Hop Congress, formed in 2005 as the first chapter in the Pacific Northwest. The national congress utilizes hip hop culture to inspire young people to get involved in social action, civic service and cultural creativity. There are more than 40 chapters worldwide.

“The congress is the product of a merger between artists and students,” said event organizer Andrew Gibbs. “It pulls together music and community.”

Blue Scholars has performed more than 100 shows in the last two years and has produced one self-released LP. Geologic, an emcee and poet, and Sabzi, a former punk/ska drummer and jazz-trained pianist, formed the duo in 2002. Their rhymes are both political and personal.

“Blue Scholars has emerged as one of the torchbearers for the greater Pacific Northwest hip-hop scene,” Gibbs said.

Common Market’s debut album has garnered praise in Seattle Weekly, which named the duo the 2006 Best New Artist. They have performed throughout the Northwest.

Garden Entertainment is a Salem hip hop crew featuring the Kid Espi, Hot in Pursuit, Cool Table and Cross the MC. They have shared the stage with national acts and will soon open for E-40 and Twista.

For information contact Gibbs at (503) 602-9171 or casper999@gmail.com.

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Willamette University Theatre Presents Willa Cather Pioneer Story

Willamette University Theatre presents “O Pioneers!” April 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 at 8 p.m. and April 15 and 22 at 2 p.m., with a preview April 12 at 8 p.m. The performance will be in the Kresge Theatre at Willamette University.

“O Pioneers!” is based on a novel by Willa Cather and tells the story of Alexandra Bergson, who takes charge of her father’s Nebraska homestead after his death. She holds her farm and family together through harvest, drought and poverty, until her three brothers are ready to stand on their own.

“Cather wasn’t the first writer to feminize the Western landscape, but she remains one of the most enduring because Alexandra’s story still has meaning,” said Director Tom Butler. “She neglects part of her emotional life while taming the land, and only just before it’s too late does Alexandra allow herself to respond to the man she loves.” Lyrical songs and stories reflect on the pioneer experience, from crossing the Atlantic to homesteading and surmounting tragedies.

Cather’s novel was adapted by Darrah Cloud, with music by Kim Sherman.

Theatre Department Chair Christopher Harris designed the sets, including the prairie landscape, Bobby Brewer-Wallin created period costumes, and Vikki McGuire oversees lighting. Portland-based Jen Reynak is a guest designer.

The company features students Sarah Hamilton, Charlie Owen, Anthony Harvey, Amanda Washko, Stephen Cole, Ben Weyerhauser, Andrew Theis, Matt Romein, Aaron Smith, Lesli Okorn, Eliza Leoni, Cory Goble, Joshua Lee, Kelsey Scott, Kirsten Maki, Olivia Saccomanno and Kristine Janssen.

To purchase tickets, contact the Willamette University Box Office at (503) 370-6221 or reserve tickets by email at thtr-tix@willamette.edu. Opening night is $12 for general admission and $8 for students and seniors. Most other evening performances are $10 for general admission and $6 for students and seniors. Contact the box office for specific pricing and details. The Willamette campus is at 900 State Street in Salem. For more information contact the Theatre Department at (503) 370-6222 or visit www.willamette.edu/cla/theatre.

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Senior Art Majors Featured at Hallie Ford Museum of Art

An exhibition featuring the work of Willamette University senior art and art history majors opens April 14 and is on display until May 13 in the Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.

The Senior Art Majors exhibition is presented every spring at the museum. Characterized by a wide variety of styles and approaches, the exhibition features work in a variety of media, including painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, ceramics and mixed media. In addition, it features a section devoted to senior theses in art history. The artists will give free gallery talks on Tuesdays, April 17 to May 8, at 12:30 p.m.

These seniors from Oregon will be featured: Caitlyn Hix, Milwaukie; Sheelah Hyslop, Scotts Mills; Trisha Kilgus, Silverton; Marcie Kriebel, Forest Grove; Sean Rawls, Portland; Joe Spinrad, Portland; Shoki Tanabe, Salem; and Erin West, Keizer.

From Washington, these seniors will be featured: Graham Bell, Eatonville; Meg Gilbert, Yakima; Molly Heinisch, Richland; Keone Jay, Tacoma; Maya Karp, Bothell; Christina Retailliau, Tacoma; Christine Riippi, Puyallup; Andrew Steers, Seattle; Jonathan Waltner, Woodinville; and Naomi Zeitlin, Seattle.

The exhibition also features these seniors from other states: Sally Bullock, Sacramento, Calif.; Josh Butler, Wilder, Idaho; Laura Crisp, Encino, Calif.; Elizabeth Doughty, Lafayette, Calif.; Elizabeth Helliesen, Berkeley, Calif.; Nathan Jones, Tucson, Ariz.; Alyssa Ramp, Carmel Valley, Calif.; Kimi Sato, Honolulu; Katy Scowcroft, Santa Cruz, Calif.; and Brianna White, Kinsley, Kan.

The exhibition has been supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax and the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the campus of Willamette University. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855.

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Acclaimed Flutist Promises Musical Adventure

Flutist Molly Alicia Barth is the featured artist of “New Music at Willamette” Saturday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. at Hudson Hall at Willamette University. The free concert will also feature Daniel Rouslin, violin; Elise Yun, piano; Stan Bock, trombone; and Phillip Patti, percussion. An informal question-and-answer session will follow the performance.

Before her move to Oregon, Barth was a founding member of the highly acclaimed sextet eighth blackbird, a Chicago-based group that toured internationally and won numerous awards. The group was profiled in The New York Times and on NPR’s All Things Considered, and was featured on CBS’s Sunday Morning, St. Paul Sunday and Weekend America. The sextet was praised for their efforts to make new music more accessible.

Barth, who draws from both classical and jazz influences, is described as “ferociously talented“ by The Oregonian. Her repertoire is ambitious, witty, poignant and occasionally humorous. “Barth gave an electric performance ... effortlessly leaping across registers and conveying a sense of intense dialogue,” The Oregonian wrote about a recent performance.

The Willamette performance includes two world premieres written for Barth, “Mollitude” by Frederic Rzewski and “Little Suite” by Kotoka Suzuki. It also includes “Studio 2b" for alto flute and electronics, “Elegy for J.J.” for solo trombone, several pieces for amplified solo flute, and a piece for alto flute and percussion.

A specialist in contemporary music, Barth is adjunct professor of flute at Willamette University. She performs solo and with chamber music ensembles throughout the country.

Hudson Hall is located in the Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center. The Willamette campus is across the street from the State Capitol, on 900 State Street in Salem. For information call the Willamette University Music Department at (503) 370-6255.

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Willamette Professors Receive National Mathematics Grant

Two Willamette University math professors have received a $491,400 grant from the National Science Foundation to provide an eight-week summer research experience for math students and teachers.

The grant was recently awarded to Willamette assistant math professors Inga Johnson and Colin Starr, who are the leaders of the Willamette Valley Consortium for Mathematics Research. The consortium comprises four Oregon schools: Willamette University, Linfield College, Lewis & Clark College and the University of Portland.

Each of the four schools will host a summer research team of four undergraduates, two faculty members and one teacher from the K-12 or community college level. Each team will focus on a project from faculty research interests in number theory, probability and statistics, geometry, computer science or applied analysis. All four teams will gather once a week for talks about their projects, presentations by invited speakers and social activities.

Participants at Willamette will work with Johnson and Starr to study the Frobenius Problem, also known as the “postage stamp problem,” a topic in number theory.

The summer program is open to teachers and students nationwide. The final application deadline is April 6, although preference will be given to applications received by March 30. To apply or learn more about the consortium, go to www.willamette.edu/cla/math/REU-RET.

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Collector of Ancient Glass to Speak at Museum

Richard Brockway, director of Ancient Art International and one of the foremost collectors of ancient glass in the U.S., will present a lecture and slide show April 12 at 7 p.m. at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University.

Brockway will speak about the history of ancient glass and the development of his collection. The event is free and will be held in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall.

Brockway received his bachelor of arts degree from Willamette University, his bachelor of science and master of science degrees from Stanford University, and did further graduate study at Harvard University. For nearly 30 years he worked as an engineer for GTE telephone company, and during that time he began to assemble his collection of antiquities, which includes ceramics, sculpture, mosaics, coins, glass and lamps from Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, China and Japan. His ancient glass collection is one of the finest private collections of its kind in the country.

Brockway’s lecture is in conjunction with Ancient Glass: Selections from the Richard Brockway Collection, an exhibition on display until May 20 at the museum. Organized by Director John Olbrantz, the exhibition features a range of ancient glass from 1500 BCE to the 6th century CE. Included in the exhibition are drinking vessels, tableware, toiletry vessels and other glass items from Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome.

Ancient Glass: Selections from the Richard Brockway Collection has been supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax and the Oregon Arts Commission.

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located at 700 State St. (corner of State and Cottage streets) in downtown Salem near the campus of Willamette University. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed Monday. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and students. Children younger than 12 are admitted free, and Tuesday is an admission-free day. For more information, call (503) 370-6855.

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Gallery Show and Lecture Feature Artist from Scotland

Beverley Hood, an Edinburgh, Scotland–based artist who works with digital and interactive media, will participate in several free public events during a weeklong residency April 1–7 at Willamette University.

The week’s events will include a free gallery show, “First Person,” open April 3–6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the gallery space of the Art Building, located at the corner of State and Winter streets. An artist’s reception will be held April 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the gallery.

On Wednesday, April 4, Hood will present a free public lecture titled “Beverley Hood: The Digital Portrait.” The lecture is at 7:30 p.m. in the Roger Hull Lecture Hall at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, 700 State St.

Much of Hood’s work stems from her interest in ways to negotiate, identify and interpret transitions between real and virtual space and in the ever-increasing use of technology as a means of communication and interaction. She works with hardware and software at the outer limits of intended uses, teasing and tugging at the edges to explore the implications of imposed boundaries.

Hood’s residency is sponsored by the W. M. Keck Foundation Arts and Technology Grant and Willamette University. For more information, call Cheryl Cramer at (503) 370-6122.

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Pacific Northwest Sustainability Conference to Create Synergies

The Center for Sustainable Communities at Willamette University will host a sustainability conference April 20 and 21 in Salem, Ore.

“Creating Synergies: Community, University and Business” will provide a forum for business leaders, professionals, scholars, students and activists from throughout the Northwest to share experiences, network and explore opportunities for collaboration. All are welcome.

Sustainability advocates are invited to offer individual or group presentations, discussion panels, information tables, vendor booths or poster projects that address the “four E's” of sustainability: environment, equity, economics and education.

Organizers are particularly interested in presentations that highlight curricular reform, dialogue between educators and business leaders, sustainability research, social justice and sustainable communities, student activism, green building, launching and managing sustainable businesses, the green ecumenical movement, alternative energy and sustainable agriculture. Please complete the online submission form by March 21.

Saturday field trips will include visits to businesses and communities that are guided by sustainable principles, including LifeSource Natural Foods, a wind-powered store that sells 100 percent organic produce; Pringle Creek Community, a neighborhood guided by principles of community-oriented planning, earth-friendly construction and energy efficient practices; Kettle Chips, a natural snack food manufacturer; and the Oregon Garden, which offers more than 20 specialty gardens on 80 acres in historic Silverton. A guided hike in the Cascade Mountains will also be available.

A free Earth Day celebration Sunday, April 22, at Salem’s Riverfront Park will feature food, music, information booths and activities for children. There will be opportunities to buy plants, browse children’s books with sustainability themes, and learn about sustainable lifestyles.

Online conference registration begins March 20. Registration is $30, and free for all students. A limited number of student scholarships are available to defray the cost of travel and lodging. To apply for a scholarship, note interest on the registration form.

Conference partners offer hotel accommodations within walking distance of Willamette University. Salem is served by shuttle service from Portland International Airport, Amtrak and Greyhound Bus Lines. Attendees are encouraged to help make the conference a carbon neutral event by purchasing carbon credits at TerraPass, www.terrapass.com/. (Carbon credits fund renewable energy projects that reduce greenhouse gases, offsetting carbon dioxide emitted when people drive or fly.) Directions and campus maps are available online.

Visit www.willamette.edu/events/sustainability/ or contact Joe Bowersox at (503) 370-6220 for information.

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Willamette Students Win Ethics Debate Competition

A team of students from Willamette University won the second annual Oregon Independent College Foundation Ethics Bowl competition held March 9–10 at Reed College in Portland.

The Ethics Bowl brings together student teams from the 10 private liberal arts colleges in Oregon to debate real-world ethics cases. Teams of three to five students competed in head-to-head matches judged by panels of distinguished leaders from across Oregon and Washington.

The students grappled with real-world ethical questions that challenged their thinking on issues such as the war in Iraq, ship breaking and the environment, journalist confidentiality, Internet privacy and reproductive rights. The Willamette team won all five matches and compiled a record score of 530 out of 600 possible points.

Members of the Willamette team are MaryAnn Almeida, a sophomore politics and Spanish major from Spokane, Wash.; Brett Dahlberg, a freshman undeclared major from Bremerton, Wash.; Elizabeth Humphrey, a senior history major from Dallas, Ore.; Jade Olson, a sophomore rhetoric and media studies major from Hillsboro, Ore.; and Nic Robinson, a sophomore politics major from Norman, Okla.

The team will receive a trophy and plaque for the university and each student will receive a $1,000 cash award and individual plaque.

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Salem Teacher to Research with Willamette Professors Through Grant

Two Willamette University chemistry professors were recently awarded a major regional grant that will allow a Sprague High School teacher to work with them on cutting-edge research for the next two summers.

Sarah Kirk and Andrew Duncan, both assistant professors of chemistry, received a $15,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust through the Partners in Science Program. The program provides opportunities for high school science teachers to work with investigators in academic research labs for two summers. Kirk and Duncan have invited Megan Rivera, a science teacher at Sprague, to participate in their summer research program in 2007 and 2008.

The projects Rivera will work on involve the chemical modification of naturally occurring sugar molecules. She will work with Kirk in 2007 to develop novel antibiotics and with Duncan in 2008 to develop new methods for synthetic organic chemistry.

A primary goal of the Partners in Science program is to help high school teachers revitalize their teaching and appreciate the use of inquiry-based methods in the teaching of science.

For more information on the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, visit www.murdock-trust.org.

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Willamette Choirs Perform Handel’s Messiah

The Willamette Master Chorus and Willamette University Chamber Choir and Master Chorus Orchestra will perform Handel’s Messiah Saturday, March 17, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 18, at 3 p.m. in Hudson Hall in the Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center at Willamette University.

The performance will be conducted by Wallace Long, Willamette choral music director, with soloists Christine Welch, Lisa Actor, Les Green and Kevin Helppie.

“The Messiah, composed in just three weeks in 1742, is one of the greatest musical masterpieces of all time,” Wallace said. “Written as one man’s inspired expression of faith, the piece has transcended religion and culture to become the most performed oratorio in history.”

One of the great traditions of Messiah performances began in 1743. George Frideric Handel’s patron, King George II, stood in respect to the Almighty when the Hallelujah chorus began. The audience respectfully followed the monarch’s lead, and the tradition of standing during the Hallelujah chorus continues to this day.

Typically, the oratorio is performed during the Christmas season. For this performance focus will be placed on the second and third parts of the work that speak to themes more relevant to the Lenten and Easter season.

“The performance will feature four of the Northwest’s most accomplished soloists,” Wallace said.

Mezzo-soprano Lisa Actor teaches at Oregon State University and Pacific University. A versatile performer in opera, oratorio, concert and recital music, Actor has performed numerous works in the Northwest and across the nation.

Tenor Leslie Green is in high demand throughout the Northwest. Praised for his expressive, seemingly effortless singing, Green performs a wide variety of literature ranging from Bach arias to contemporary art songs. Green maintains a private voice studio in Vancouver, Wash., and teaches at the Oregon Episcopal School.

Baritone Kevin Helppie maintains an active performing career, including recitals, oratorios, operas and popular music concerts. Helppie’s operatic repertoire encompasses more than 20 roles, including the title characters in Le Nozze di Figaro, Falstaff and Don Pasquale. Helppie teaches at Western Oregon University and serves as director of music at Our Saviors Lutheran Church.

Soprano Christine Welch is on the music faculty at Willamette University, where she directs Voce Femminile and teaches studio voice. She is an active soloist and composer.

The Willamette Master Chorus got its start in 1985 with a performance of the Messiah.

“Now this performance has become a timeless Salem tradition,” Wallace said. “We hope to heighten the Lenten and Easter season for our family and friends.”

Adult tickets are $15, and student and senior tickets are $12. Discounted tickets are available for Willamette students and staff. To purchase tickets, visit www.willamettemasterchorus.org, call TicketsWest at 1-800-992-TIXX or visit any Safeway TicketsWest Center. Purchases through TicketsWest include a handling fee. Tickets may be available at the door. Call (503) 370-6255 or visit www.willamettemasterchorus.org for information.

This event is sponsored in part by the City of Salem’s Transit Occupancy Tax Fund, with media sponsors the Statesman Journal and KGAL Radio 1580.

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