"The List"     "The List" Archives

Southwestern University alumni and faculty are accomplishing great things on a daily basis. Now The Association Web site has a special page that provides details on news like upcoming performances, speaking engagements, television appearances and much more – we’re calling it “The List.” Below are archived items posted on “The List” in 2008.

If you would like to include an item on “The List,” please e-mail the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations.

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Alumnus Produces Modern Dance Performance
Cheles Rhynes ’92 announces a modern dance performance produced by Mason/Rhynes Productions as part of the Black Arts Movement 2008 festival season. Austin Ventures Studio will perform “No Boundaries: Dancing the Visions of Contemporary Black Choreographers” Wednesday, October 08, 2008 at 8 p.m. at Ballet Austin, 501 W. Third Street . “No Boundaries” celebrates the depth and diversity of style and vision in the field of modern dance. Several of the nation’s leading contemporary African-American choreographers, including Bebe Miller, Donald McKayle, Reggie Wilson, Andrea Woods, David Roussève and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar set original and historical works on soloist Gesel Mason, for the purposes of this unique project. These artists demonstrate the diversity of work by, for and about African-Americans; their visions push Black Dance in America beyond stereotypes and color boundaries. Tickets may be purchased through The Long Center for the Performing Arts Box Office, www.thelongcenter.org or 512-474-5664. Tickets are $15 advance purchase $20 at the door. For more information about the Black Arts Movement, visit www.bamaustin.org. BAM festival passes are available for $60.

Alumnus' Film to Screen at South by Southwest Film Festival
Nerdcore Rising, a documentary film about Nerdcore hip hop, will be premiering at the South by Southwest film festival. Andrew Mendelson '92 produced and edited the film. Screenings are Tuesday, March 11, at 10:30 p.m. at at the Alamo Drafthouse on Lamar (1120 South Lamar, Austin, Texas) and Friday, March 14, at 1 p.m. at the Austin Convention Center (500 East Cesar Chavez, Austin, Texas). Nerdcore hip hop is a sociological phenomenon born out of the internet and made possible by computer-obsessed geeks. Nerdcore Rising follows MC Frontalot the "Godfather of Nerdcore" on his first national tour to reveal the roots of the genre, the dorky complexities of its artists, and one MC's fight for nerd stardom. Featuring Weird Al Yankovic, Prince Paul, Jello Biafra, Tycho & Gabe, Brian Posehn, MC Frontalot, MC Chris, MC Lars and a slew of other nerdcore artists and commentators. View the trailer at http://nerdcorerisingthemovie.com.

Southwestern and Chorus Austin
Directed by Southwestern University professor of music, Kenny Sheppard, and accompanied by David Utterback, instructor of music at The Sarofim School of Fine Arts, Chorus Austin is the musical home for many Southwestern alumni, faculty and staff. Chorus Austin is comprised of three groups - Austin Civic Chorus, Austin Vocal Arts Ensemble (AVAE) and Chorus Austin Consort - which perform several times year, presenting vocal music from a variety of genres and eras. At rehearsals, you'll regularly find Nettie Ruth Brucks Bratton '48, professor emeritus Bob Horick, Eve Porter Fariss '60, associate professor of music Bruce Cain,  Katie Gleason Lewis '01, and many more members of the Southwestern community. Check out these 2008 season highlights:

Saturday, March 29, 2008, at 8 p.m. at Northwest Hills United Methodist Church, Austin Civic Chorus will present the world premiere of the new edition of Mendelssohn's St. Paul by Southwestern Professor of Music John Michael Cooper. This edition features the original English, written by Mendelssohn, that had been lost over the years. Virginia Hyde Dupuy '71 and Bruce Cain, associate professor of music, will be among the soloists for this performance.

Thursday, April 3, 2008, at 8 p.m. at Hope Presbyterian Church, come hear AVAE perform a "tapestry" of music that makes up the choral literature of America, featuring works by Billings, Thompson, Lauridsen, a motet by Barber, American folk tunes, and spirituals sure to energize the spirit!

Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 8 p.m., Austin Civic Chorus will perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Austin Symphony Chorus to celebrate the opening of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation Hall at the new Long Center for the Performing Arts. For tickets and more information, visit http://austinsymphony.com/.

Friday, June 6, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. in the Lois Perkins Chapel, AVAE will perform choral music by Felix Mendelssohn, edited by professor of music J. Michael Cooper, for a Choral Evensong officiated by Bishop Joe Wilson ’59. This performance is free and open to the public. It is part of the Georgetown Festival of the Arts, under the artistic direction of Ellsworth Peterson ’55, professor emeritus of music.

Sunday, June 8 at 4 p.m. at the Klett Center for the Performing Arts at Georgetown High School, Austin Civic Chorus will combine with the San Gabriel Chorale and the Mendelssohn Festival Orchestra for an encore performance of Mendelssohn's "St. Paul," edited by J. Michael Cooper. Virginia Hyde Dupuy ’71 and Bruce Cain, associate professor of music, will be among the soloists for this performance, which is the finale of the Georgetown Festival of the Arts. For tickets and more information, visit http://www.gtownfestival.org/georgetown.html.

Alumna to Perform at Austin Church
Natalie Goodnow '07 performed her one-woman show "The Trees of my Hometown" on Sunday, March 30 at 1 p.m. at the Austin church Vox Veniae. It is about development, diversity, stereotypes, and perspective. About balance, celebration, and reverence. About thinking globally, acting locally. About slowing down. But mostly, it's about a young woman and the trees of her hometown.

NATIONWIDE

Alumnus Appears in Chicago Premiere
Niall McGinty '00 performed in the Chicago premiere of "Scenes from the Big Picture" by Owen McCafferty with the Seanachai Theatre Company. The production ran August 28 - October 5. For more information, visit http://www.seanachai.org/.

Four Houston Area Alumni Featured in Oklahoma!
July 11-26, 2008, Christine Carlisle Cutler ’97, Brandon Hobratschk ’02, Bobby Linhart ’92 and Nicole Cowan Morgan ’91 were involved in the performance of Oklahoma! at the Country Playhouse, 12802 Queensbury Lane. For more information about the production, visit http://www.countryplayhouse.org/.

Alumna Performs with Gilbert & Sullivan Society
Erin Bales ’04 performed in "Yeomen of the Guard" with the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston at the Cullen Theatre at the Wortham Center, July 18-27, 2008. The performance received a favorable review in the Houston Chronicle (July 21).  Show times and ticket information can be found at www.gilbertandsullivan.net.

Alumna Manages World Premiere Production
Leia Crawford ’07 was stage manager for a world premiere musical  production, American Tales, presented by Antaeus (www.antaeus.org).

Music by Jan Powell, Book and Lyrics by Ken Stone.
Directed by: Kay Cole and Thor Steingraber.
With: Daniel Blinkoff, John Wallace Combs, Paul Eiding, Melanie Lora, richard Miro, Philip Proctor, Raphael Sbarge, Devon Sorvari and Peter Van Norden.
Musical Directors: Steven Jones and Billy Thompson.
Scenic: Laura Fine Hawkes.
Costumes: A. Jeffery Schoenberg.
Lights: Jose Lopez.

American Tales previewed June 19-26 and opens Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28. The production ru]an through August 10 at Antaeus' new interim home, Deaf West Theatre, 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA.

Two tales of folie a deux by two great American writers....of connections made and tragically missed. American Tales take us on a musical journey through Mark Twain's The Loves of Alonzo Fitz Clarence and Rosannah Ethelton, and Herman Melville's Bartleby The Scrivener. Twin's prophetic tale, written two years after the telephone was invented, imagines a time when people would fall in love across thousands of miles. Near-misses, mistaken identities and the wit of Mark Twain make this a love story for the ages. In Bartleby we visit a Wall Street law office in an American quickly becoming industrialized and impersonal. Bartleby answers a job posting and stays long past his welcome, as Melville ponders the great question of compassion and man's responsibility to his fellow man.

The world premiere production of American Tales was the kickoff event for Antaeus' ClassicsFest 2008, a biennial festival running from June 27 through August 17. For the full Festival schedule, visit www.antaeus.org.

Alumnus to Run Boston Marathon
On April 21, Charlie Stern ’04 ran the Boston Marathon to raise money for the Jett Foundation, a Pembroke, Massachusetts-based organization dedicated to raising awareness and money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). As part of its fundraising efforts, the Jett Foundation often has runners participate in the Boston Marathon, raising funds and awareness for the foundation. This year, a Southwestern alumnus has stepped forward. A resident of Washington D.C., Charlie Stern has always had a love for distance running, and recently translated his interest into competing in marathons. After running in the 2005 and 2006 Houston Marathons, Charlie set a goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2008.

Alumna Interview Aired on Fox News Channel
Farhana Mahmood Ali ’96, policy analyst with the RAND Corporation, was interviewed as part of a segment titled, "Despicable Tactic" on the Brit Hume broadcast. Ali's interview addresses the recent female suicide bomber attacks in Iraq. Click here to view the news segment. 

Alumna Provides Organizational Advice
Lorie Kling Marrero ’90, CEO of LivingOrder and creator of The Clutter Diet, will be chatting live, hosted by Sarah Lindner of the Austin American Statesman. Click here to leave a question ahead of time in the comments. To participate live, go to The Life Guide Blog at 11:30 a.m. Central time on Tuesday, May 6, 2008.