More than 200 Students, Faculty to Participate in Fundraiser for Scholarships
04/09/2015
Media contacts: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – Actors, artists, musicians and writers. More than 200 UMass Lowell students and faculty will showcase their talents to raise money for scholarships on Thursday, April 23 at the first-ever Chancellor’s Celebration of the Arts.
The program will bring together visual arts, creative writing, music and theater across two venues on UMass Lowell’s South Campus. The idea, say organizers, is to celebrate excellence in creativity and those who support it, and to do so with an event for the campus and the public.
“We see this as an opportunity to really show off what we do,” said Julie Nash, associate dean of undergraduate studies for UMass Lowell’s 4,000-student College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, which is home to the university’s art, music, writing and theater programs.
The celebration begins at the historic Allen House, where students will display their artwork and read their original poetry. Other readings will include bestselling author Andre Dubus III, a faculty member in UMass Lowell’s English Department, will who will offer selections from his memoir, “Townie.” A reception will be held during this portion of the program, which runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
At 7:15 p.m., the event continues with musical and theatrical performances at Durgin Hall, located a short distance across Solomont Way from Allen House. The program begins with the UMass Lowell Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Jeff Fischer of Waltham, a Music Department faculty member who is also the principal timpanist with the Boston Ballet Orchestra and the Boston Lyric Opera Company.
The percussion ensemble will be followed by the Sassabrass Quintet, a dramatic solo for snare drum by Kyle Johnson, a student from Woburn, and the five-member Moody Street Sound’s rendition of Thelonious Monk’s “Straight No Chaser.” Then, the UMass Lowell Wind Ensemble will perform “Dichotomy…Impressions of Kerouac,” an original composition by the ensemble’s conductor, Daniel Lutz of Dracut, that was commissioned in honor of the 50th anniversary of Lowell native Jack Kerouac’s most famous work, “On the Road.”
After the instrumental performances, four honors will be presented by UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan: Outstanding Student in the Arts Awards, which will go to three students, and the university’s Champion of the Arts Award. This recognition will be given to alumna Bonnie Comley ’81 and her husband, Stewart Lane, Tony Award-winning Broadway producers who have also successfully branched out into film and TV. Comley, a native of Bedford who was the 2010 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, and Lane have been generous supporters of the arts at UMass Lowell. The campus’ Comley-Lane Theatre is named in their honor, as is the Comley-Lane Artist-in-Residence program. In addition to being presented with the award, Lane will sign copies of his book, “Black Broadway: African Americans on the Great White Way.”
The current Comley-Lane Artist in Residence, actress Paula Plum, will be among the troupe of actors representing UMass Lowell’s Theatre Arts program performing scenes from “Lady Windemere’s Fan” on the Durgin Concert Hall stage. In addition to the selections offered at the arts celebration, the comedy by Oscar Wilde will be staged in full on campus earlier in the month.
After the theater presentation, the celebration will continue with vocal performances of selections from “Carmina Burana,” including a solo by Hallie Grose, a music major from Merrimack, N.H., and ensembles representing choral and other student groups under the direction of Brian O’Connell of Lexington and accompanied by pianist Meg Ruby, both Music Department faculty members.
The concert portion of the Celebration of the Arts is being produced by Debra-Nicole Huber, a Lowell resident and UMass Lowell graduate whose current roles include serving as the director of instrumental outreach and associate director of university bands.
“The Chancellor’s Celebration of the Arts is the premier showcase for the various fine arts programs in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. We’ve carefully curated an evening featuring our most talented students presenting music and theater performances, art exhibits and poetry readings. This event is a snapshot into the world of artistic excellence that exists every day on the UMass Lowell campus,” said Huber.
Tickets for all of the events are $75 per couple, $45 for individuals and $25 for veterans and recent UMass Lowell alumni (Classes of 2004 through 2014). Current UMass Lowell students may attend the concert at Durgin Hall for free. Tickets and additional information are available at http://alumni.uml.edu/artscelebration, or by calling 978-934-4798 or e-mailing Anita_Pastor@uml.edu. Event sponsorship information is available by contacting Patrick_Demers@uml.edu.
Free event parking will be available in UMass Lowell’s Wilder Lot, located at the intersection of Wilder and Broadway streets. Handicapped-accessible parking will be offered on Solomont Way. For directions, visit www.uml.edu/maps.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu