Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
News & Events for March 2008
Up Close and Personal with the Philadelphia Orchestra
The next concert in our series with the Philadelphia Orchestra's finest musicians will feature Nitzan Haroz, the orchestra's principal trombonist. The concert is on Tuesday, March 4 at 8pm in the Van Rensselaer Ballroom. Our first two concerts, presented by the Westphal College and the Pennoni Honors College, have been well attended so RSVP early to insure your seats. Nitzan Haroz joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as Principal Trombone in September 1995. From 1993 to 1995, he served as Assistant Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic and he is the former Principal Trombone of the Juilliard Symphony Orchestra while he was a student there. He has also served as First Trombone of the Israel Defence Forces Orchestra and performed in the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. He won First Prize at the Francois Shapira Competition and has received several America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships.
Mr. Haroz has also been active as a chamber musician. In particular, he has performed frequently with his mother, harpist Adina Haroz. Together they have commissioned and premiered several works for trombone and harp, and have given numerous recitals in such venues as the Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C.,and at the 1990 International Harp Congress in France.
The trombone is an amazingly lyrical and expressive instrument with a nearly endless range of qualities, tones and techniques and Mr. Hartoz's concert promises to be a special.
DETAILS
- Campus Concert Series: Nitzan Haroz of the Philadelphia Orchestra
- Presented by Pennoni Honors College and Westphal College
- Tuesday, March 4th @ 8:00pm
- Van Rensselaer Ballroom (3320 Powelton Avenue)
- FREE and Open to the Public
- RSVP Required: 215-895-1267
SCORE ONE FOR THE MUSIC
A great soundtrack can make an OK movie or television show seem to be far better. A wonderful movie score or television theme can become forever memorable. The art of building suspense and drama, humor or romance through the use of musical scoring is an art form and will be the focus of the next Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies' event. These Grammy and Emmy award winning composers will explore how music makes the movie. This event, presented by the Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies, will take place on Tuesday, March 4th at 7:30 PM in Stein Auditorium and is free and open to the public.
Our speakers include Grammy winning composer Steve Horowitz who wrote the music for Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me and currently scores numerous animation sequences for Nickelodeon, Emmy award winning Music Industry Professor Jim Klein, and the prolific composer and Westphal faculty member John Avarese, who has composed for the NFL Today and United Airlines.
DETAILS:
- Rudman Institute presents: Learn How to Score: the Art of Scoring Film Tuesday, March 4, 7:30 PM
- Stein Auditorium (111 Nesbitt Hall, 3215 Market St.)
- FREE and Open to the Public
- For info and registration: www.drexel.edu/westphal or 215.895.2629
Marketing: How to Move the World
Westphal College alumna and public relations powerhouse Nicole Cashman will return to Nesbitt Hall on March 5th. Ms. Cashman is President and CEO of public relations and promotion agency Cashman & Associates. After earning her degree in Design & Merchandising, Nicole opened her firm and quickly went to work planning a bevy of events surrounding the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. Her clients have included Le Bec Fin, The Starr Restaurant Organization, the Borgata Hotel, CN8, Clear Channel Communications, Anheuser Busch, Hugo Boss, Bailey, Banks & Biddle, and W Hotels. Cashman & Associates has offices in Philadelphia and New York, with a network that extends to Los Angeles, DC, Boston and Las Vegas. Prior to opening Cashman & Associates, Ms. Cashman held high level marketing positions at Bloomingdale's and Strawbridge's.
If anybody knows what's hot and what's not in the world of marketing today, it's Nicole Cashman, so don't miss this opportunity to learn how to 'move the world' through PR, events, marketing and promotion.
DETAILS
- Marketing: How to Move the World with Nicole Cashman
- Presented by Entertainment and Arts Management and Design & Merchandising
- Wednesday, March 5th
- Stein Auditorium, 111 Nesbitt Hall
- Free Pizza at 6:30pm, Lecture begins at 7:00pm
- FREE and Open to the Public
- Info: 215-895-1623
The Mandell Theater Becomes a Jumping Joint:
Jazz up your evening with the 9th Annual Jazz Extravaganza featuring the Drexel Jazz Orchestra and Jazztet in concert with the nationally-renowned all female Spelman College Jazz Ensemble. Join us on Thursday, March 13th at 8 PM in the Mandell Theater.
Under the direction of Prof. Joseph Jennings, the Spelman ensemble has extensively toured the United States and has shared stages with jazz greats Wynton Marsalis and Consuela Lee. The Drexel University Jazz Orchestra and Jazztet, directed by Dr. George Starks, will perform the sounds of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Billy Strayhorn, Charles Mingus and more. This free concert always packs the house so be sure to get there early for this swinging show.
DETAILS:
- Ninth Annual Jazz Extravaganza
- Thursday, March 13, 8:00 PM
- Mandell Theater, (33rd and Chestnut Sts.)
- FREE Admission
- Information: 215-895-ARTS
Gospel Choir 'Still Standing' After 30 Years
The Gospel Choir celebrates a milestone on Saturday, March 8th at 7:30 PM in the Mandell Theater with its 30th anniversary concert, 'Still Standing.' Current choir members, alumni and their children will all share the stage with the praise dancers. Formed by then-freshman Vashti 'Tina' Gorham in 1978, the group has grown to include nearly 60 members today.
Under the direction of Rev. Gregory Ross for the past 20 years, the choir has performed extensively across the country. The choir's recent Philadelphia performances include an on-campus appearance during the recent Drexel hosted Democratic Presidential Debate, at the inaugurations of the last three Presidents, numerous convocations and graduations at Drexel, and on 6ABC's coverage of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
DETAILS:
- Gospel Choir's 30th Anniversary Concert
- Saturday, March 8, 7:30 PM
- Main Auditorium, (32nd and Chestnut Sts.)
- FREE Admission
- Information: 215-895-ARTS
MADKO Concerts Features Local Hip-Hop Artists
On Friday March 7th, Madko Concerts, the concert arm of MAD Dragon Records, will present a Hip-Hop concert at the Rotunda 4014 Walnut St. The show will feature Philadelphia rising hip-hop performers Reef The Lost Cauze, Scanz, The KNomadz, Witness, and Unsung.
Mitchell & Ness, a local sports nostalgia boutique, will be there offering a $100 gift certificate to one lucky fan and there will be plenty of local artwork to check out between acts. Doors open at 7 PM, tickets are $6 in advance and $8 day-of-show. For more information, e-mail madkoconcerts@gmail.com.
DETAILS:
- MadKo Concerts Hip-Hop Concert
- Friday, March 7, 7 PM
- Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.)
- Tickets: $6/$8
- Information: madkoconcerts@gmail.com
Be a Goonie
Entertainment & Arts Management students have created a special offer to drive college student attendance for the latest production at the Wilma Theater, Ying Tong - A Walk With the Goons. Get free popcorn being given out at the Drexel bookstore on March 6th and you may be lucky enough to find two free tickets hidden inside the bag. Don't despair if you don't score free tickets; Drexel students will be able to buy $20 student rush tickets for the performance plus attend a reception with cast members on Thursday, March 13th, 7:30 PM.
Ying Tong - A Walk With the Goons chronicles the story of the famous BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show and its rise from cult status to raving success, resulting from the series' trademark, profound silliness. With Ying Tong, UK playwright Roy Smiles delves into the mind of Goon writer and 'godfather of alternative comedy' Spike Milligan who goes gaga from the strain of creating brilliant comedy and his fierce competition with Goonie cast-mate Peter Sellers.
DETAILS:
- Ying-Tong-A Walk With the Goons
- Drexel Student Rush Performance
- Thursday, March 13, 2008, 7:30 PM
- Ticket: $20, www.wilmatheater.org
- Wilma Theater: 215-546-7824 (265 S. Broad St.) 2Ss
- Student Rush Ticket Info: 609-451-5420
Westphal College Connects Online
In our college it's all too easy to become silo-ized within our given fields never making connections with the hundreds of other talented students and faculty working in different disciplines. Creative endeavors in design, media and performing arts require talented people with diverse skills to come together to work on a project. To facilitate such collaborations, especially among students, we have created a simple tool to connect those in need of skills and talents beyond their own expertise. Say you're a fashion designer needing a photographer to document your collection, a filmmaker or animator looking for an original musical score, or a director looking for a production designer, this site allows you to reach out to other Westphal students for the skills and talents to take your project to the next level. We asked Digital Media students Aaron Grando and Daniel Letarte to create an easy to use bulletin board with listings that are viewable and searchable, sorted by disciplines. The site is only available to the Westphal community as it is password protected and we hope you'll make good use of it. All we ask is that you use it with a modicum of good taste and respect for others. This new Collaboration site.
Giant Puppets to Conquer Drexel this April
Provocative, unique, wildly entertaining. These are just a few of the ways to describe the Vermont-based Bread & Puppet Theater Company. These subversive puppeteers will conduct a three-day residency on campus in April teaching us how to change the world with their unique masked characters and giant papier-m‰chŽ puppets.
From the spectacle of their larger-than-life puppets at Vietnam War protests to the pageantry of their long-running annual event, "Our Domestic Resurrection Circus," the iconic Bread & Puppet has performed continuously for over forty years.
It will be hard to miss B&P's outrageous puppets on campus during their residency from April 17th - 19th, as they conduct a week's worth of workshops open to all students. Their visit will culminate with a production of the Dive Reality Comedy Circus on the University's Quad.
But first Bread and Puppet needs your talents! We need students to work on the production, to craft puppets, and we need musicians to perform in the Bread & Puppet Band ("The Circus Brass Band"). If you are interested in participating on a volunteer basis, be subversive and contact Zeek Weil: zw36@drexel.edu.
MAD Dragon Heads South at SXSW
MAD Dragon recording artists The Redwalls, Hoots & Hellmouth and The Swimmers will perform at various South by Southwest Music (SXSW) conference showcases later this month. For over 20 years, musicians from around the globe and thousands of fans have descended upon Austin, TX for SXSW. Cutting edge music is presented on over 50 stages each night, and during the day conference attendees do business at the SXSW Trade Show. Our MAD Dragon artists were chosen from over 8,000 applicants to showcase their music and MAD Dragon is among a select group of indie labels contributing to The Indie Village.
The Indie Village is a hub where independent labels hold meetings, promote showcases, and network with indie musicians, members of the press, and industry reps. Our music industry Professor Terry Tompkins will speak on an A&R panel at SXSW this year on Friday, March 14th, 2008. For more info about SXSW, visit: www.sxsw.com/
Winter Music Festival
From March 7-16th, the best of all music worlds come together in the Winter Music Festival, a week-long concert series featuring performances by Drexel's numerous vocal and instrumental ensembles. Each ensemble is composed of students drawn from across all Drexel's schools and colleges.
Drexel's Concert Band performs music that 'moves' us - physically and emotionally - from the irresistible rhythms of a jazz conga to the tragic music of Reed's Othello. Relive your favorite movie moments with the String Ensemble's 'Night at the Movies' concert, featuring work by Richard Rodgers, of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame, and John Williams, composer for films such as Memoirs of Geisha and the Star Wars trilogy. Hear familiar tunes in new arrangements: a Beatles' Medley by the Keyboard Ensemble, and 'Secret Agent Man' by the Guitar Ensemble. Join the Fusion Band, Percussion and Mediterranean Ensembles for an eclectic selection of tunes.
DETAILS:
- These concerts have no admission charge and are open to the public.
- Fri. March 7, String Ensemble, 7:30 PM Mandell Theater
- Sun. March 9, Concert Band, 7:00 PM Mandell Theater
- Tues. March 11, Fusion Band, 7:30 PM Mandell Theater
- Wed. March 12, Mediterranean & Percussion, 8:00 PM Mandell Theater
- Fri. March 14, Keyboard Ensemble, 7:30 PM Mandell Theater
University Chorus Performs Rossini's Final Masterpiece
The University Chorus and the Fairmount Chamber Orchestra will perform Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, his final masterpiece in a concert at the Main Auditorium on Sunday, March 16th at 3 PM. This mass, Rossini's last work, is a masterpiece composed in 1863 that is only rarely performed with a large chorus and orchestra. Our University Chorus performance will feature the Fairmount Chamber Orchestra and guest soloists: soprano Sara Jane Duffey, mezzo-soprano K. Rebecca Oehlers, tenor Paul Vetrano, and James Kirk, bass.
Petite Messe Solennelle was first performed with twelve singers, two pianos and harmonium. At the request of his publisher, Rossini later orchestrated the work and this performance will use that seldom heard version for large Chorus and Orchestra. The University Chorus is a 60-voice student ensemble directed by Dr. Steven Powell.
DETAILS:
- University Chorus performs Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle
- Sunday, March 16, 3 PM
- Main Auditorium, Main Building, (32nd and Chestnut Sts.)
- $6 General Admission/$3 Students
- Information: 215-895-ARTS
Jeffrey Blondes, Painter and Filmmaker
The Pearlstein Gallery welcomes painter and filmmaker Jeffrey Blondes for an exhibit of his extraordinary pastoral scenes inspired by his home in rural France entitled Periodicity: In the Presence of Nature. Periodicity features the artist's hallmark landscapes, transitional sea paintings, and his most recent Optics Paintings. Blondes' 24-hour and 52-hour films highlight the artist's new focus on bringing his observations and experience as an 'en plein air' painter.
DETAILS:
- Pearlstein Gallery, ground floor Nesbitt Hall, (3215 Market St.)
- Now - March 21
- Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday, 11 AM-5 PM
- Info: 215-895-2548 or gallery@drexel.edu
The Drexel Players Present: 'The Vagina Monologues'
In support of V-Day, a national campaign to raise money and awareness to stop violence against women, the Drexel Players present The Vagina Monologues on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 18th and 19th at 8 PM in the Mandell Theater. This special student produced benefit performance will raise money for the Lutheran Settlement House Bilingual Domestic Violence Project, an organization that provides important services to women in our community.
Produced by Senior Danielle Kindt and directed by Olivia Johnson '07 the Drexel Players performance is one of 3100 productions of The Vagina Monologues to be staged this year in conjunction with the national V-Day Campaign. Now in its 10th year, the V-Day campaign has raised over $50 million for national and international aid.
DETAILS:
- The Drexel Players Present: The Vagina Monologues
- Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut Sts.)
- Tuesday and Wednesday, March 18 & 19 at 8 PM
- Tickets: $10
- 215-895-ARTS
See What You're Missing on DUTV
If it's been a busy term for you or you've been spending your free time on facebook, DUTV will give you the chance to see what you've really been missing. Noted novelist and filmmaker Paul Auster recently filmed an interview with Film Professor Zheyna Kiperman following our presentation of the Philadelphia premiere of his new film 'The Inner Life of Martin Frost.' DUTV was also on location when the Rudman Institute welcomed fundraising guru Morrie Warshawski who spoke to 'Where's the Money: How to Find Funding for Your Independent Film.'
In the weeks ahead we'll broadcast the MAD Dragon Concert featuring The Redwalls, The Swimmers, Matt Duke and others. And don't miss 'The Daily Digest' which keeps you up to date on all things Drexel while 'The Bruiser Flint Show' will be reporting on the men's basketball team's preparation for the CAA tournament.
These programs air on DUTV, channel 33 on campus and 54 or 62 throughout the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Morrie Warshawski's lecture airs this weekend March 7th, 8th and 9th at 8 PM, and Paul Auster's interview can be seen March 14th, 15th and 16th at 8 PM. For a complete schedule of DUTV programming, please visit h >>>>>>> .r347