The following is a roundup of cultural events taking place at Wayne State College in April. Each of the events is free and open to the public.
Music Mirrors “Endless Light” at An Evening of
Choirs Concert
Music mirrors “Endless Light” at An Evening of Choirs concert on Monday, April 17 at Wayne State College. The 7:30 p.m. performance in Ley Theatre is free and open to the public. It will also be livestreamed. To view the livestream, go to www.wsc.edu/watch-live. The program is accessible by selecting the event from the Music Events list at www.wsc.edu/music.
Dr. Matthew Armstrong conducts the concert with Shelly Armstrong as collaborative pianist. The concert includes performances by the Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, Lyrica, and Fortis.
The Chamber Choir articulates deep gratitude for music with “Sing Me to Heaven” by Daniel Gawthrop. The Concert Choir juxtaposes requiem movements by composers Victoria, Beethoven, Mozart, and Dvorak with a spirited George Gershwin medley. Lyrica presents a setting of Psalm 113 by Patti Drennan and Audrey Snyder’s inspirational folk song “Pretty Saro.”
Fortis extols love for singing with “When I Have Sung My Songs to You” arranged by Timothy Seelig, followed by an a cappella version of “I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. The concert concludes with a Fortis/Lyrica barbershop-style collaboration of “No Other Love,” based on Frédéric Chopin’s “Etude in E Major, Op. 10, No. 3.”
For information, contact the WSC Department of Music at 402-375-7359.
WSC Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble
Welcome Spring with Uplifting Concert
The Wayne State College Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble welcome spring with an evening of uplifting repertoire on Tuesday, April 18 in the newly renovated Ramsey Theatre. The 7:30 p.m. concert is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed. To view the livestream, go to www.wsc.edu/watch-live. The program is accessible by selecting the event from the Music Events list at www.wsc.edu/music.
Compositions from the 21st century dominate the Symphonic Band performance. Selections include the engaging “Brighton Beach” by William P. Latham, the stirring “Spring Sketches” by Satoshi Yagisawa, and the colorfully orchestrated “Simple Gifts: Four Shaker Songs” by Frank Ticheli. The Symphonic Band is conducted by Michael Genslinger.
“Celebrations” is the title of the Wind Ensemble’s program. Repertoire features the dramatic “Midnight on Main Street” by Brian Balmages, the stirring and powerful “Gloriosa” by Yasuhide Ito, the humble and heroic “With Quiet Courage” by Larry Daehn, and the familar “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa. The Wind Ensemble is conducted by Dr. Josh Calkin.
For information, contact the WSC Department of Music at 402-375-7359.
WSC Chamber Choir Reflects
“A Musical Kaleidoscope”
Experience “A Musical Kaleidoscope” with the Wayne State College Chamber Choir on Thursday, April 20 in Ley Theatre. The 7:30 p.m. performance is free and open to the public. It will also be livestreamed. To view the livestream, go to www.wsc.edu/watch-live. The program is accessible by selecting the event from the Music Events list at www.wsc.edu/music.
Directed by Dr. Matthew Armstrong with Shelly Armstrong as collaborative pianist, the Chamber Choir reflects three distinct musical genres. The choir leads with traditional choral repertoire, such as the Italian madrigal “O belle fusa” by Orlando di Lasso and “Sing Me to Heaven” by Daniel Gawthrop. Vocal jazz follows, incorporating swing, bossa nova, a cappella, and Kerry Marsh’s reharmonization of “Uninvited” by Alanis Morisette. Musical theatre completes the evening, including “Louder Than Words” from “tick, tick…Boom!” and “With One Look” from “Sunset Boulevard.”
WSC Brass and Percussion Ensembles Perform a Musical Montage
A musical montage emerges at the Brass and Percussion Ensembles concert Monday, April 24 at the Wayne State College. The 7:30 p.m. performance in the newly renovated Ramsey Theatre is free and open to the public. It will also be livestreamed.
To view the livestream, go to www.wsc.edu/watch-live. The program is accessible by selecting the event from the Music Events list at www.wsc.edu/music.
The Trumpet Ensemble, Brass Choir, and Brass Knuckles Quintet are directed by Michael Genslinger. Repertoire incorporates music memorialized in theatre and opera, including “Nocturne” from “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Prize Song” from “Die Meistersinger.” Other selections include the ragtime “Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin, and the patriotic “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland.
Directed by Brad Weber, repertoire for the Percussion Ensemble ranges from the uniquely creative “Guiro Hero” by John R. Hearnes to the clever and familiar “Chopsticks” by Charles Owen. Percussion solos include Kole Fiala, guiro, of Aurora, and Tresten Schwarz, xylophone, of Grand Island.
For information, contact the WSC Department of Music at 402-375-7359.
Wildcat Spirit Film Festival
Celebrates Film Excellence
Wayne State College celebrates excellence in film during the Fifth Annual Wildcat Spirit Film Festival on Tuesday, April 25. The festival, hosted by the WSC Film Production and Theory Program, is free and open to the public.
A red-carpet event opens the festivities at 5:30 p.m. at the Majestic Theatre in downtown Wayne. Hot Attic Film School encore presentations begin at 6 p.m. followed by film premieres at 7 p.m. The films are written, produced, and directed by WSC students.
During the day, participating students tour the WSC media studios and engage in workshops. Prior to the festival, high schools and colleges from Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota submit films for review. Categories include shorts of five minutes or less, narrative, comedy, documentary, and science fiction/fantasy. Officially selected films show at 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the Ramsey Theatre on the WSC Campus.
For information: Dr. Mike White, associate professor of Communication Arts, at 402-375-7595.
2023 Juried Art Show
Opens April 26 at Wayne State
The Wayne State College Juried Art Show opens at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 in the Nordstrand Visual Arts Gallery, Conn Library. This event is free and open to the public. The exhibit will remain on display throughout the summer.
The Juried Art Show includes original artwork submitted by WSC Department of Art and Design students. Pieces are judged and selected by Russ Nordman, professor of media arts at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
The gallery is open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 3 to 7 p.m. It is closed Saturday. Shows end at noon on closing day. For more information on this exhibit or upcoming shows, visit www.wsc.edu/art-gallery or contact Gallery Director Dr. Andy Haslit, associate professor of Art History, at anhasli1@wsc.edu.
Celebrate Musical Excellence at the Wayne State College Spring 2023 Honors Recital
The Wayne State College Spring 2023 Honors Recital celebrates musical excellence on April 27. The 1 p.m. performance takes place in the newly renovated Ramsey Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed. To view the livestream, go to www.wsc.edu/watch-live. The program is accessible by selecting the event from the Music Events list at www.wsc.edu/music.
The Honors Recital recognizes students demonstrating the highest performance level in selected voice or instrument. Faculty members nominate students who have made significant progress in private study lessons.
For information, contact the WSC Department of Music at 402-375-7359.
WSC Jazz Ensemble
Concert Celebrates the
Music of Jazz Legends
The urge to tap your feet or dance a jitterbug may be irresistible at the Wayne State College Jazz Ensemble concert on April 27. The 7:30 p.m. performance in the newly renovated Ramsey Theatre is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed. To view the livestream, go to www.wsc.edu/watch-live. The program is accessible by selecting the event from the Music Events list at www.wsc.edu/music.
Repertoire celebrates jazz legends, including the romantic ballad “Blue and Sentimental” by Count Basie; the musical dialog of “Don't Get Around Much Anymore” by Duke Ellington” the chart-topping “Stompin' at the Savoy” by Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, and Edgar Sampson; and the Billboard hit “Feels So Good” by Chuck Mangione. Finally, the robust and recognizable “Star Wars Medley” by John Williams may just bring down the house. The Jazz Ensemble is directed by Michael Genslinger.
For information, contact the WSC Department of Music at 402-375-7359.
Plains Writers
Series & Fiction Slam
Wayne State College’s Language and Literature Department, the School of Arts and Humanities, and the WSC Press are pleased to hold this Spring’s Plains Writers Series on April 27. The Plains Writers Series is held several times a year to bring attention to the prose and poetry of Great Plains writers through reading and interacting with area audiences.
This Plains Writers Series will feature Chris Harding Thornton. The reading will begin at 2 p.m. in the lounge on the second floor of the Humanities Building at Wayne State College. This event will be live-streamed on the Plains Writers Series Facebook page.
Following the Plains Writers Series will be the Fiction Slam. The slam will be held at the Max Bar and Grill in downtown Wayne starting at 7 p.m., with registration starting at 6 p.m. Slam participants need two original stories and $5 registration fee. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, please go to www.wscpress.com.
CHRIS HARDING THORNTON, a seventh-generation Nebraskan, holds an MFA from the University of Washington and a PhD from the University of Nebraska, where she taught courses in writing and literature. She has also worked as a quality assurance overseer at a condom factory, a jar-lid screwer at a plastics plant, a closer at Burger King, a record store clerk, an all-ages club manager, and a PR writer. Pickard County Atlas is her first novel.
