Flooding causes Health and Wellness Center
to close temporarily
The Health and Wellness Center, located in Blanton Hall, was
forced to close Jan. 12 due to a burst pipe causing severe flooding and
damage. Technical equipment was lost including telephones, computers and
fax machines in the front desk area. A second flood has delayed the reopening
of the center. Students with urgent concerns are being referred to a local
medical practice. The Health Center's main number, 973-655-4361, is in
service.
University productions presented
at Kennedy Center festival
Montclair State's productions of the musical "Bat Boy," performed
in November, and "The Shape of Things," performed in October,
were chosen to participate in the regional competition of the Kennedy
Center American College Theatre Festival held earlier this month at Muhlenberg
College in Allentown, Pa. "Bat Boy" was selected for a fully
staged production and "The Shape of Things" was selected for
a workshop production.
The University's production of "Balm in Gilead" was selected to participate last year. "It is extremely rare for any school to be invited two years in a row," said Michael Allen of Theatre and Dance. "And it is virtually unheard of for a school to have two shows selected. This speaks to the outstanding work our students are presenting."
Students Michael Murphy, Marly Bewighouse and Dave Aresenault, who performed in "The Shape of Things;" David Murgittroyd, Malachy Orozco and Gia McClone, who performed in "Bat Boy;" and Julie Crisante and Dana Giampiccolo, who appeared in "The Crucible," were chosen as contestants in the National Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition.
Also at the competition, Murphy received a summer acting scholarship from Talent Ventures, Inc., junior Lisa Fidanza received a Stage Management Award and Charles Bender received a Technical Craft Award.
Library offers classes for students
Sprague Library's Reference Department is offering library
instruction classes for all students, Monday through Saturday, day and
evening.
Classes will familiarize students with the library and help them with
specific reference and research assignments. Classes will include the
location of materials, the use of the Sprague
Library Catalog, use of appropriate print and electronic resources, how
to access these electronic resources from off campus, the evaluation and
use of Internet sources and any other topics faculty would like to include.
All College Writing I classes will be taught in the new McKenzie Online
Classroom on the second floor, where students will have hands-on experience
searching the Catalog, electronic resources and other information available
from the library's home page.
To schedule a class and to discuss students' needs, faculty should call
Patricia Sanders, head of Reference and Information Services, at 973-655-7144
Newband performance Jan. 25
Newband, the internationally renowned music ensemble in residence, will
perform Sunday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. in McEachern Recital Hall. Tickets
are $15 and are available by calling the Box Office at 973-655-5112.
The concert will feature three compositions by 20th-century masters of
microtonal music--music that splits the octave into more than the traditional
12 divisions. The concert will feature one composition each by Lasse Thoresen,
Dean Drummond and Harry Partch.
Thoresen, a professor at the State University of Norway, was commissioned
to create a new work for Newband by the government of Norway in 1991.
Newband premiered "Thus" at World Music Days in Oslo, Norway
during the same year. "Thus" exploits microtonal possibilities
and centuries-old Norwegian melodies that are quite microtonal. Flutist
and clarinetist both must tune to the microtones played on the zoomoozophone,
a 31-tones-per-octave percussion instrument. The work also exploits challenging
rhythms, rapidly moving in and out of different time signatures and beat
divisions. Newband recorded "Thus" on the Norwegian label Aurora.
Drummond, co-director of Newband and a professor at Montclair State, composed
"Dance of the Seven Veils" in 1992, commissioned by the Serge
Koussevitzky Music Foundation of the Library of Congress. The work was
premiered by Newband at the Miller Theater at Columbia University during
the same year. Newband's performances of the work have taken place in
many venues, including San Francisco, the U.S. Library of Congress, London
and Berlin. They recorded the work on the Music and Arts label. As with
"Thus," the flutist and cellist for "Dance of the Seven
Veils" tune to the microtonal instruments. The other players in the
work perform upon a large setup of instruments that includes Drummond's
inventions, instruments invented by Partch and electronics.
Partch was the leading pioneer of microtonal music during the 20th century.
He invented many instruments and composed massive works of music theater
and dance plus many chamber works. "Daphne of the Dunes" is
one of his most popular chamber works and features most of his instruments
in a work based on the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo.
The Jan. 25 performance is part of Music At Montclair, a new concert series
by internationally acclaimed artists and groups that is sponsored by the
Department of Music.