News

LAKELAND, Fla. (Aug. 21, 2009) &8212; Florida Southern College this fall will present the 50th season of its Festival of Fine Arts series, celebrating art, music, dance, and theater. The season will include such world-renowned performers as classical pianist André Watts, seven-time Grammy Award nominee Jennifer Larmore, the Moscow Festival Ballet, and Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company.

The schedule of events is listed below. FSC students are admitted free of charge and non-FSC students pay half price. Concert tickets are available at the Branscomb Auditorium ticket office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 863.680.4296, or e-mail branscombboxoffice@flsouthern.edu. Theatre tickets are available through the Buckner Theatre box office from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 863.680.3089, or e-mail bucknerboxoffice@flsouthern.edu.

The Melvin Art Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and during intermissions of selected Festival of Fine Arts events. Opening receptions are at 7 p.m. on the first night of each exhibition unless otherwise noted. The Burks Gallery exhibits student work on rotation unless otherwise noted. Admission to the gallery is free. The college community and the public are invited to all exhibit openings.

Festival Schedule
Season tickets: $165-$225. Single ticket prices are listed with each event. Festival events are held in Branscomb Auditorium unless otherwise noted.

Oct. 1-4; Oct. 8-10 — "The Mousetrap" — FSC Theatre Department, Buckner Theatre. The Theatre Arts Department opens its 2009-2010 season with Agatha Christie's world-renowned murder mystery about a young couple who open a new hotel and are snowed in with four guests and a motorist who gets stuck in a nearby snowdrift. A detective arrives on skis to warn the group that he believes a murderer may be on the way, but when one of the guests is found dead, it becomes apparent that the murderer may already be among them. The play, known for its numerous plot twists and surprises, has been performed more than 20,000 times since its 1952 debut. Directed by Paul Báwek. Show times are 7:30 p.m. for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances, and 2:30 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Single admission ticket: $15

Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m. — FSC Music Department Opening Gala — Showcasing the ensembles of the FSC Music Department, this annual event kicks off the Festival's golden anniversary season with musical selections from a variety of genres. From vocal to instrumental works, concertgoers will enjoy the talents of our outstanding students under the direction of our acclaimed faculty directors. Single admission ticket: $15

Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. — Music Under the Stars — Enjoy a concert-in-the-park experience with FSC's Symphony Band Wind Ensemble under the direction of Jo Jossim and Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Paul Butcher. The annual outdoor performance takes place in the College's 1930s-era Pipkin Bandshell. Admission is free, with open seating. (Rain cover: Branscomb Auditorium)

Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. — Teresa Walters, pianist — Considered one of the world's most significant pianists, Teresa Walters has performed in recent years as a recitalist and orchestral soloist on six continents and in most of the 50 states. With a vast repertoire, she has performed at Vienna's Beethoven Festival and is the first American pianist invited to perform at Hungary's Anniversary Concert in honor of Franz Liszts birthday. Single admission ticket: $35

Nov. 19-22; Dec. 3-6 — "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" — Ed Graczyk's 1982 play is about a group of women in a James Dean fan club who meet on the anniversary of his death in the small Texas town where Dean filmed "Giant" and experience a day full of secrets and revelations. Directed by Mary T. Albright. Show times are 7:30 p.m. for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances, and 2:30 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Single admission ticket: $15

Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. — Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company — Well known for its bright colors and unity of content and form, this internationally renowned dance troupe pays homage to the very best of Ukrainian folk dancing traditions in an evening bursting with passion, humor, and delightful surprises. Single admission ticket: $35

Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. — Christmas Gala — Each year, FSC's talented musicians present a wonderful gift to our community: the best of the seasons sacred and secular music. Begin your holiday celebration with The Christmas Gala, a Festival of Fine Arts tradition and a perennial favorite of our patrons. Single admission ticket: $15

Feb. 2, 7:30 p.m. — Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra, with Pianist and Violin — Founded in 1978, the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra began performing 18th, 19th, and 20th century works on Russian radio. The orchestra quickly expanded to television, and in 1980 created a major subscription series in Moscow's Tchaikovsky Hall and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. Since then, the orchestra has toured the United States and the world, even as it continues to faithfully record the best of Russian and European classical music.
Single admission ticket: $35

Feb. 11-14; Feb. 18-21 — "Batboy" This musical horror spoof is about a half-boy/half-bat creature rescued from a cave and taken in by the wife of the local veterinarian. The creature learns to speak and act in civilized ways, but danger lurks as a dark secret is revealed. Fast-paced and funny, the off-kilter satire offers clever musical numbers, a hilarious plot, surprising twists and a lesson in the agony of being different and accepting your inner beast. Directed by James F. Beck. Show times are 7:30 p.m. for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances, and 2:30 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Single admission tickets: $15

Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m. — Jennifer Larmore, mezzo soprano — Outstanding American mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore is known for excelling in the coloratura roles of the Baroque and bel canto, and now she has added romantic and contemporary pieces to her repertoire. The most-recorded mezzo of all time with more than 70 CDs to her credit, she has earned seven Grammy nominations. Miss Larmore has performed lead roles in Europe's major opera houses and is a regular attraction at the Metropolitan Opera. Single admission ticket: $35

Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m. — Moscow Festival Ballet: "Coppélia" — The highly acclaimed Moscow Festival Ballet unites the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies in a delightful presentation of "Coppélia." Talented dancers perform the story of a foolish doctor who builds a life-sized doll and then becomes so infatuated with her that he ignores his true love, who pretends to be the doll come to life. Single admission ticket: $35

Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m. — FSC Jazz Ensemble & Combo with Marvin Stamm — Celebrated jazz trumpeter Marvin Stamm, who has toured and recorded with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones, Lena Horne and George Benson, joins the FSC Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo as a guest artist for what promises to be a most memorable evening for all music lovers, and especially jazz aficionados. Single admission ticket: $15

March 11, 7:30 p.m. — André Watts, pianist — André Watts burst upon the music world at the age of 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic. More than 45 years later, André Watts remains one of the world's most admired and popular classical pianists. He is a perennial favorite with the world's great orchestras, a regular guest at the major summer music festivals, and a television favorite with numerous appearances on PBS, the BBC, and the Arts & Entertainment Network. Single admission ticket: $35

March 19, 7:30 p.m. — Florida Southern College Opera Theatre — The FSC Opera Theatre presents a fully staged opera, featuring student and faculty soloists and accompanied by the FSC Symphony Orchestra. Join us in celebrating the operatic talent of our outstanding vocal students. Single admission ticket: $15

March 30, 7:30 p.m. — Florida Southern College Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble — Last season's performance by the FSC Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble received rave reviews from our audience. Join us for another exciting evening of great music written to suit the unique timbres of winds, brass, and percussion under the talented direction of Dr. Jo Jossim. Single admission ticket: $15

April 1-4; April 8-11 — "Twelfth Night, Or What You Will" — William Shakespeare's jovial comedy centers on the aristocrats on the Island of Illyria. Confusion reigns as mistaken identities and comic circumstances baffle the characters, but romance rules at the end of the day. Directed by Paul Báwek. Show times are 7:30 p.m. for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances, and 2:30 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Single admission ticket: $15

April 9, 7:30 p.m. — Florida Southern College Concert Chorales — Dr. Carol Krueger leads the Florida Southern College Chorales in "A Choral Tapestry," weaving a magical evening of beautiful choral works performed by the Colleges most talented student vocalists. Single admission ticket: $15

April 18, 7:30 p.m. — Florida Southern College Symphony Orchestra — Our season concludes as the College's talented orchestra presents "A History of the Symphony," a musical journey that will take the audience chronologically through symphony movements from the proto-Classical works of the Mannheim school to the present day. Single admission ticket: $15

Melvin Art Gallery Schedule

Aug. 28-Sept. 21 — Northern Europe — Photographs from the 2009 Study Abroad Trip — During the month of May, Florida Southern students and faculty toured Northern Europe on a study abroad trip. Thousands of photos were taken by students in Eric Blackmore's Advanced Digital Photography class. The photographs in this exhibition document their travels. The selected images were edited, refined, and printed by the students.

Oct. 9-Nov. 10 — Félix de la Concha — "Fallingwater en Perspectiva" — Contemporary Spanish realist painter Félix de la Concha was awarded the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1989 and has been exhibited in museums around the world. "Fallingwater en Perspectiva" is composed of Conchas interpretations of one of Frank Lloyd Wrights most celebrated buildings, Fallingwater. His paintings document a time and place, reflecting a particular moment while mirroring, in spirit, the driving energy of the house. He combines virtuoso technique with a deeply sensitive approach to the subject matter, recording subtle fluctuations of light and color that raise questions about perception.

Nov. 27-Dec. 10 — Freshman, Sophomore and Junior Show — Join us for the exhibition of current work from Florida Southern freshman, sophomore and junior art majors. See why our Department of Art and Art History has gained the reputation as one of the strongest in the Southeast. The highly anticipated Florida Art Award from the Maris Ozolins Fund is awarded to a junior each year at this show.

Jan. 8-27 — Folk Art from the Collection of George Lowe — Local art collector and radio personality George Lowe shares his beloved folk art collection with the Florida Southern College community. Highlights of the exhibition include work from Howard Finster, Jimmy Lee Suddth, R.A. Miller, Charles Lucas and others. A solo exhibition of Lowe's own mixed media drawings runs simultaneously in the Burks Gallery. Inspired in part by the work he collects, George Lowe is an impressive artist himself. One of Lowe's drawings was recently added to the collection of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Feb. 2-26 — Sacred Visions — "Masterworks from the Museum of Russian Icons" — Assembled by industrialist Gordon Lankton, these paintings of Russian icons, spanning almost four centuries, are on loan from the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Mass. The Russian-Byzantine tradition of icon painting incorporates ancient traditions in symbolism and composition to achieve reverent imagery. Reception takes place Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m., with a gallery talk at 6 p.m.

March 5-17 — Norman Rubington — Norman Rubington belonged to a group of young American artists who, in the early post-war years, began their painting careers abroad, influenced by expressionism and abstraction. He was awarded prestigious awards such as the Prix de Rome and Guggenheim Fellowship. Mostly representational, his work is akin to Surrealism and American expressionism, of which he was an early supporter. Rubington was represented through much of his career by Philadelphia art dealer and FSC alumna Ann May Greene, who will speak at the reception. Reception takes place March 12 from 6-8 p.m.

Feb. 21-March 16 — Dave Harmon's Equine Photography — On display in Burks Gallery. Florida Southern alumnus Dave Harmon '75 is the official photographer for the richest race in the world, the Dubai World Cup. He has also covered every race of the 36-day meets at Saratoga Race Course, the nation's oldest thoroughbred track, as well as the Triple Crown races and the Breeder's Cup. Reception takes place March 12 from 6-8 p.m.

March 26-April 9 — Senior Studio Show — Each year, several of our seniors go on to top graduate programs. We believe you will be delighted both by the creative freshness and the polish of their work. The John R. Reuter award for the outstanding studio artist will be announced at the opening reception.

April 16-29 — Senior Graphic Design Show — Come see the creativity and professionalism Florida Southern's senior graphic designers bring to their work in both print and digital media. The senior graphic design awards will be announced at the opening reception.

May 7-June 2 — Lakeland Art Guild Spring Exhibition — For more than 30 years, the Melvin Art Gallery has been pleased to host the Annual Spring Exhibition of The Lakeland Art Guild. Founded in 1952, the Guild is Lakeland's oldest community arts organization. Please join us at the opening for the announcement of awards.