{"id":12150,"date":"2013-11-21T11:19:40","date_gmt":"2013-11-21T16:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/news\/article.php?ArticleID=12150"},"modified":"2013-11-21T11:19:40","modified_gmt":"2013-11-21T16:19:40","slug":"12150_curtains-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/arts\/2013\/11\/21\/12150_curtains-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Curtains Up!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even as the semester winds down, the curtain is going up on a packed schedule of concerts, dance and theatrical performances by talented Montclair State students.
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\u201cWe have so many terrific opportunities right here on campus for our student performers \u2013 whether they are appearing on stage as musicians, dancers or actors,\u201d says College of the Arts Dean Daniel Gurskis. \u201cBecause we are so close to New York City, our students can learn from the celebrated performers and artists who regularly visit our programs.\u201d
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Hitting the high notes<\/span><\/strong>
A case in point: a nearly weeklong visit by leading American composer Morten Lauridsen. The National Medal of Arts recipient and University composer-in-residence is working extensively with John J. Cali School of Music students in the week before the choral ensembles\u2019 winter concert on Saturday, November 23.
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\u201cWe have him working with individual student composers and interacting with our four major ensembles \u2013 Chorale, University Singers, Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band,\u201d says music professor and Director of Choral Activities Heather Buchanan.
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The Vocal Accord choral group, as well as five student finalists in the inaugural Cali Choral Composition Competition, also are scheduled for time with the National Endowment of the Arts \u201cAmerican Choral Master.\u201d
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In addition to the winter concert, a concert of Lauridsen\u2019s solo and chamber music was presented on November 20. \u201cDuring the course of his visit, Lauridsen will be in contact with the vast majority of Cali School faculty and students,\u201d Buchanan notes.
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C.J. Harden, a countertenor who is pursuing a master\u2019s degree in Performance: Voice will be singing with both the ÌÇÐÄvlog Chorale and ÌÇÐÄvlog Singers at the winter concert. \u201cDr. Lauridsen has written some of the greatest choral works I have had the pleasure of performing,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m excited to perform Dr. Lauridsen\u2019s Lux Aeterna<\/em> and Nocturnes at <\/em>the winter concert with him in the audience!\u201d
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\u201cI never could have imagined that I would one day get to meet Dr. Lauridsen and work with him so intimately,\u201d says senior Christina McCall. \u201cTo get to work with the composer and feel his intention is an experience beyond words. And we get to do that here at Montclair State!\u201d
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Performance opportunities for Cali School students are almost limitless. This semester alone, Harden has performed in seven concerts as a member of the Chorale, Singers and Vocal Accord. \u201cI\u2019ve also enjoyed the opportunities we\u2019ve had to perform outside of the University. Most recently, we were invited to sing selections of music from Nintendo\u2019s Legend of Zelda<\/em> video games at the Theater at Madison Square Garden,\u201d Harden says.
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McCall agrees. \u201cAt the Cali School, I am amazed that every year there are countless new opportunities,\u201d she says. \u201cLast year alone, I toured Europe with the Vocal Accord group and it was by far the best experience of my life.\u201d
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Harden relishes the opportunities available to him as a solo performer. \u201cIn December, I\u2019ll perform the roll of Ariodante from Handel\u2019s opera Ariodante<\/em> in a program of opera scenes directed by Professor Jeffrey Gall.\u201d On Saturday, December 7, the Opera Workshop will present \u201cOpera\u2019s Dysfunctional Families,\u201d a program of staged opera scenes featuring families in strained relationships.
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An invitation to the dance<\/span><\/strong>
For more than 20 years, University dancers have performed in Works-A-Foot programs. Running from December 4-8, Works-A-Foot will showcase dance works by such choreographers as Andrea Miller, Claire Porter and faculty Earl Mosley, Kathleen Kelley, Tyler Gilstrap, Maxine Steinman and Jessica DiMauro.
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\u201cThis year, we have all 100 plus dance majors performing in the show. We double cast a lot of the dances so more students can have an opportunity to work with these wonderful choreographers,\u201d explains Professor Lori Katterhenry, who is the director of dance for the University\u2019s Division of Dance as well as the artistic director for the ÌÇÐÄvlog Repertory Dance Company.
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\u201cAs a dancer in today\u2019s world, where performance opportunities can be few and far between, having the opportunity to perform works by world-renowned choreographers in concerts like Works-A-Foot is truly a blessing,\u201d says senior Tracy Dunbar. \u201cDancers learn most about themselves while onstage in performance. Having these opportunities lets us grow exponentially as artists.\u201d
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For Dunbar, the opportunity to work with leading choreographers like Bill T. Jones, who most recently visited campus on November 9 to coach students who will be performing his Spent Days Out Yonder<\/em> in an April Danceworks concert, is what stands out most about his college career. \u201cThey have given me tools that I will take with me wherever I go and that will help me build a successful career in any field of my choosing,\u201d he says.
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Julie Cullen, who hopes to pursue a career as a concert modern dancer after graduation, agrees: \u201cThe choreographers and company members that come to Montclair State create a professional environment for the dancers, which teaches us the value of a mental and physical commitment to the movement and art form.\u201d
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This year\u2019s Works-A-Foot concert will be Dunbar\u2019s last performance as a dance major. \u201cI look forward to performing with all of my fellow dancers one last time and hope to end my time here on a high note,\u201d he says.
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There\u2019s no business like show business<\/span><\/strong>
December 6 is opening night at the L. Howard Fox Theatre for Falsettos,<\/em> which will run through December 11. Falsettos<\/em> is an award-winning, through-sung musical by William Finn, author of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.<\/em>
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\u201cStudents benefit from Falsettos <\/em>in two ways,\u201d says Musical Theatre Professor Joe Joyce, who is the show\u2019s director. \u201cFinn\u2019s music is incredibly detailed and complex, requiring that all student cast members be at the top of their game musically and vocally.\u201d
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Students have also learned about HIV and AIDS, because Falsettos<\/em> is about the early years of the epidemic. \u201cMy cast and our student designers and crew have been inspired to take direct responsibility for their own well-being and that of their family, friends and community,\u201d Joyce adds. A section of the famous AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display at the University\u2019s Memorial Auditorium beginning December 5.
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Between 60 and 70 students are working on the production. \u201cWe have six students in the cast, four in the orchestra, 10 student designers, two student stage managers and 10-15 in the running crew. Almost 40 students have worked on the scene painting of the set design by student, Tim DiGregorio\u201d Joyce says.
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According to Joyce, DiGregorio\u2019s design pays homage to the artist Keith Haring, who died in 1990 of AIDS-related complications. \u201cTim was able to get a wealth of information and inspiration about Haring from his good friend, Bill T. Jones.\u201d
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Theatre students have ample exposure to working professionals. Montclair State alumnus Rob McClure, who received a Tony nod for his performance in Broadway\u2019s Chaplin,<\/em> recently gave a master class on campus for musical theatre and acting majors.
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Joyce fully expects all six of the Montclair State student cast members in Falsettos<\/em> to pursue careers in musical theatre. \u201cOur seventh cast member, twelve-year-old Jacob Tall is an excellent young actor who is already interested in majoring in musical theatre at Montclair State. I believe he, too, will pursue a professional career.\u201d
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Montclair State is clearly preparing tomorrow\u2019s stars today. \u201cAt Montclair State, we truly get to do it all,\u201d concludes McCall. \u201cThe way I get to experience it all here is a tremendous honor that I plan on making the most of.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

For a full schedule of upcoming music, dance and theater performances, visit Arts Calendar<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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