Artifacts 11/22

Bears and bears and bears, oh my

Chaffee, Mo., artist Aaron Horrell and his daughter, Annette, both spent part of the fall painting bears.

They were among 27 artists whose designs were accepted for a Springfield, Mo., promotion called Bears on Parade. Each artist painted one of the fiberglass bears. Aaron Horrell called his the "Show Me Trophy Bear." He makes trophy panels for taxidermy mounts and spray-painted an outdoor theme incorporating leaves and small animals.

Annette, a senior at Notre Dame Regional High School, painted a landscape on her bear, titled "Roamer."

Once completed, the bears were placed on display in various locations throughout Springfield. On Saturday they will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to Southwest Missouri State University athletic scholarships and to the Jane A. Meyer Carillon Fund.

Southeast faculty art on display at museum

A reception will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. today for the Art Faculty Annual Exhibit at the University Museum.

The show will be on display through Jan. 26.

Jazz concert tonight at Southeast

The Southeast Jazz Lab Band and the Studio Jazz Ensemble, both directed by Barry Bernhardt, will present a concert at 8 tonight at the University Center Ballroom.

Selections will include "Who's Sorry Now," "Back in the Sack," "Slave Labor, "Spain," "Festival," "88 Basie Street," "The First Circle," "Here's That Rainy Day" and "Sing, Sang, Sung."

Soloists include John Moore of Bloomfield, Mo., Steve Stenzhorn of Affton, Mo., Erich Luhmann of Sappington, Mo., Ryan House of Benton, Ill., Bradley Long of Affton, Mo., Robert Redmond of St. Louis, Ryan Bollinger of Sedgewickville, Mo., Bryan Davidson of Wildwood, Mo., Shelley Layton of St. Louis and Matt Martin of Jackson.

Tickets are $6 general, $5 seniors and $4 students. University faculty and students will be admitted free.

Jackson student in SMSU dance

Bridgett Birk, a junior dance performance major from Jackson, is a choreographer and dancer in the Southwest Missouri State University dance concert "Impulse." The show is being presented this weekend at Coger Theatre.

Birk is the daughter of Sam and Brenda Birk of Jackson and graduated from Jackson High School in 2000.

Holiday show at Pink Palace

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- "Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees," a magical winter wonderland of animated characters and dazzling lights, opens Monday at the Pink Palace Museum.

Phone (901) 320-6362 for information.

'An American Celebration' presented Dec. 3

The Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra and the Southeast Choral Union and University Choir will present "An American Celebration" Dec. 3 at Academic Auditorium.

The concert will present the title overture, a work by Bill Holcombe that reflects American popular music and jazz. "Frostiana" is a choral work based on the poems of Robert Frost. Howard Hanson's "Song of Democracy" is based on the writing of Walt Whitman, and Mack Wilberg's "Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends" is a setting of a traditional folk hymn.

The orchestra is directed by Dr. Sara Edgerton. Dr. John Egbert directs the choral groups.

Tickets are $6 adults, $5 seniors and university faculty and staff, and $4 for all students. Preferred seating is available for $10. Phone 651-2265 for more information.

Book signing at Stinson Library

ANNA, Ill. -- A book signing for "In Search of Large Trees," will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 30 at Stinson Memorial Library, 409 S. Main St.

The book, written by Larry P. Mahan, includes 100 color pictures of notable tree specimens from Central and Southern Illinois.

Wind ensemble to play Dec. 5

Austrian composer Alois Wimmer will be in Cape Girardeau for the Dec. 5 premiere of his composition "Venedig," a three-movement work based on his impressions of Venice, Italy.

The work will be performed by the Southeast Symphonic Wind Ensemble directed by Dr. Robert Gifford.

Wimmer also will work with students at Southeast Missouri State University and will present a workshop for area musicians during his stay from Dec. 2-6.

Also on the program will be a new fanfare dedicated to former Missouri Secretary of State James C. Kirkpatrick, "Fantasies on a Theme of Haydn" by American composer Normal Dello Joio, and Sousa's "Free Lance March."

Senior music major and conducting student Tyson Wunderlich of Altenburg, Mo., will be the guest conductor on Mozart's "Serenade in C Minor.'

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at Academic Auditorium.

Tickets are $6 general, $5 for seniors, university faculty and students, and $4 for other students.

'Zaum: Beyond Significance' Dec. 5-8

"Zaum: Beyond Significance," an original contemporary ballet, will be presented Dec. 5-8 at Rose Theatre on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

The work is directed and choreographed by Josephine Zmolek and Paul Zmolek with original music composed by Dr. Robert Fruehwald. All are professors at Southeast Missouri State University.

All concerts are at 8 p.m. Admission is $8 general public, $7 faculty, staff and senior citizens and $6 students. Student tickets Dec. 5 will be $5.

For ticket information, phone 651-2265.

Narvel Felts to play in Malden

MALDEN, Mo. -- Narvel Felts, one of the original Sun Records artists, will perform Dec. 7 at the American Legion Post 293 in Malden.

Felts, who grew up in Bernie, Mo., is known for the hits "Drift Away," Mountain of Love" and 1975 song of the year "Reconsider Me."

Also appearing will be the Bill Barnett Band with special guest Larry Swift.

Auditions for Southeast plays Sunday

Open auditions for the University Theatre spring 2003 shows "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "The Diviners" will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at Rose Theatre.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Those interested in auditioning should come prepared with a one-minute monologue selection (comedic if not auditioning for "The Diviners") and a 32-bar musical excerpt (ballad or uptempo). Additional scenes for cold reading will be provided. The movement audition will require comfortable clothing and shoes.

Parts are available for 11 men and 8 women. Performance dates are Feb. 25 through March 2.

"The Diviners," winner of the American College Theatre Festival, is a story of a disturbed young man and his friendship with a disenchanted preacher in Indiana in the early 1930s. Those interested in auditioning should come with a one-minute dramatic monologue. Parts are available for six men and five women. Scripts are on 24-hour reserve at Kent Library.

Show dates are April 30 through May 4.

Community members are encouraged to try out for both shows. For more information, phone the Department of Theatre & Dance at 651-2149.

Stroughmatt releases CD with Creole band

A 1993 Southeast Missouri State University graduate, Dennis Stroughmatt, and his new band Creole Stomp will hold a CD release party tonight at Broussard's in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The CD is titled "Enfin" (At Last) and presents the band's style of zydeco, Creole blues and New Orleans dance music. Stroughmatt formerly performed with the Southern Illinois-based Brown Baggers, a Cajun band in which he was the lead singer and fiddler. Under the name Bon Temps Roulez, they performed on "A Prairie Home Companion" in New York City in 2000.

Stroughmatt has been featured on PBS twice this year, most recently on an NPR story about French Creole music and language in Old Mines, Mo. He also continues to perform with the Louisiana-based The Ardoin Family Band, who just returned from a tour of Italy.

The show will begin at 9 p.m.

-- From staff reports