Fortune tellers, wanderers, hobbits and mermaids … meet them all through music when Kalamazoo College presents two public winter concerts this Friday and Saturday in Dalton Theater at Light Fine Arts.
Music Professor Thomas Evans will lead the Academy Street Winds in one of two winter concerts scheduled for this weekend.
The Academy Street Winds will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, March 1, featuring a theme of “Rogues and Vagabonds.”
The Academy Street Winds is a wind ensemble providing a performance outlet for woodwind, brass and percussion students. Community musicians joined the ensemble in winter 2016 to expand the group’s sound and capabilities. Conducted by Music Professor Thomas Evans, the group performs one concert each term, playing exciting arrays of challenging band music. The ensemble is a favorite of audiences as the programs are coordinated around diverse themes, which allow for performances of much-loved pieces, both classic and contemporary. Admission is free.
The Kalamazoo Philharmonia, directed by Kalamazoo College Associate Professor of Music Andrew Koehler, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 2. Tickets to this concert are $5 each for the public, $2 for students and free for Kalamazoo College students who present their College IDs.
This orchestra unites professional and amateur musicians, including Kalamazoo College students and faculty, along with many from the community. The concert is titled “A Tale of Two Cities” and will compare works from Johannes Brahms’ “Symphony No. 1” and Alexander Zemlinsky’s “The Mermaid.” Both composers had ties to Vienna, Austria.
The Kalamazoo Philharmonia won the 2014 American Prize Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award for Orchestral Programming and has produced several CDs. It also has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, and collaborated with the Bach Festival Chorus, as well as many renowned soloists. Listen to some of its recorded concerts at our website.
For questions about either of the winter concerts, call 269.337.7070 or email susan.lawrence@kzoo.edu.
The Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse’s 55th season, featuring the theme of Assumption and Confusion, continues this week with the powerful play Student Body.
Kalamazoo College students rehearse for Student Body, which runs Thursday, Feb. 21-Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Nelda K. Balch Festival Playhouse.
Written by Frank Winters and directed by Visiting Theatre Arts Assistant Professor Bianca Washington, the play approaches complicated ethical questions when a college student wakes up after a party in her parents’ house and finds a video on her camera of a sexual encounter. The woman in the video might or might not be unconscious as others watch, leading the 10 characters, consisting of seven women and three men, to debate whether a sexual assault has occurred and who they should tell about it.
“The setting is written to be a university in the middle of nowhere, but the director made a bold decision to place it at K,” said Ynika Yuag ’21, who noted that some of the characters will wear Kalamazoo College apparel.
In her role as a dramaturg, Yuag is responsible for working with the director on background research and how current events and perspectives might inform or shape the production. “K isn’t exactly the middle of nowhere,” she said, “but the campus is small enough that we all get to know each other, which really makes [the production] personal. The more I work on it, the more I realize how it fits the theme of Assumption and Confusion.”
The performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 through Saturday, Feb. 23, with a 2 p.m. showing on Sunday, Feb. 24. Yuag said a lobby display with interactive elements will allow audience members to engage with ideas related to the play through proxy stations before and after the show. Plus, there will be talkback sessions featuring facilitators and cast members after each show. The scheduled facilitators include:
Thursday: Ellen Lassiter Collier, K’s Title IX coordinator and director of gender equity
Friday: Dramaturg Ynika Yuag and Assistant Director Karishma Singh ’19; American College Theatre Festival adjudicator Derik McNish of Michigan State University will also provide a critique of the show after the talkback
Be advised, there is strong language and a graphic discussion of sexual violence in the show.
Tickets for all four shows at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse are available by visiting festivalplayhouse.ludus.com or by calling 269.337.7333. Adults are $15, seniors are $10 and students are $5 with an ID. Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their College IDs.
Declaration of Major Day is a festive gathering where sophomores designate their majors, minors and concentrations at Kalamazoo College.
There are two camps of students who come to college: those who know exactly what they want to study — or are pretty sure they know — and those who don’t. Kalamazoo College takes a different approach to helping students decide their major. Through the K-Plan, students explore and discover academic fields for a year and a half before choosing a major. Best of all, the curriculum is designed to give students this freedom while keeping them on track to graduate in four years. This past Wednesday’s Declaration of Major Day, the midpoint of their sophomore year, was a festive gathering where students formally designated their majors, minors and concentrations.
The banquet hall at Hicks Student Center was packed as each department set up a booth. Students went from table to table, committing to their fields of study and getting stickers declaring their choices. They celebrated the big moment with one another and the rest of campus with a piece of cake baked for the event by Dining Services.
“Declaration of Major Day is a 15-year tradition at Kalamazoo College,” Associate Dean of Students Dana Jansma said. “College students everywhere are required to declare a major, but here at K we make it a special event and celebration.”
Jansma also said it’s a way to celebrate students finding their academic home.
“It is a real rite-of-passage for sophomores,” she said.
K senior Emma Eisenbeis, a political science and German double major, recalled the excitement of her Declaration of Major Day. “This event gives you the opportunity to situate yourself in your academic community with your fellow peers and faculty. It really hits you that this is the start of your career path,” Eisenbeis said.
This event typically merges the two camps of students into one, where they all have a sense of where their paths are headed. And if something changes, no worries. Thanks to the flexibility of the K-Plan, the College will work with students to make a switch of major or majors as seamless as possible.
Sophié and Pierre Westhuizen, also known as the Westhuizen Duo, will perform in a free concert Friday, Feb. 1, at Dalton Theater in the Light Fine Arts Building at Kalamazoo College.
An international piano duo known for playing at major festivals and venues throughout the U.S., will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, at Dalton Theater in the Light Fine Arts Center. South Africans Pierre and Sophié Westhuizen, acclaimed as the Westhuizen Duo, will perform works from Schubert, Brahms, Debussy, Poulenc and Corigliano.
Since completing their educations at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, the pianists have settled in the Kalamazoo area, where Pierre has recently been appointed the director of the International Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Sophié has joined the applied faculty at Kalamazoo College, where she is teaching collaborative piano.
In summer 2007, the Westhuizens were the first duo to be featured as Shouse Artists at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Michigan, where they shared the stage with artists such as Ann Schein, Jeremy Denk and James Tocco.
The concert is free and open to the public. For more information on this concert and other Music Department events, contact Susan Lawrence at 269-337-7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu.
Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff will take part in events Friday, Jan. 18, and Monday, Jan. 21, to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The events are open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Friday
11 a.m., Community Reflection, Stetson Chapel
Tasleem Jamila, an international poet, vocalist, author, speaker, educator and holistic health advocate, will be a guest performer at the Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation Monday, Jan. 21, at Dalton Theatre.
The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Reflection is an opportunity for Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff to speak from their experiences and hearts on this year’s theme, “Kneeling for Justice, Then and Now.”
Monday
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Black History 101 Mobile Museum Exhibit, Light Fine Arts lobby
This exhibit is an award-winning collection of more than 7,000 original artifacts of Black memorabilia dating from the trans-Atlantic slave trade era to hip-hop culture. The Black History 101 Mobile Museum has traveled to 32 states, visiting more than 300 institutions including colleges, K-12 schools, corporations, conferences, libraries, museums, festivals, religious institutions and cultural events. Community members are invited to stop by throughout the day to view the exhibit.
10:50 a.m., Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation at Dalton Theatre, Light Fine Arts
Speaker Khalid El-Hakim will deliver the keynote, “The Truth Hurts: Black History, Honesty and Healing the Racial Divide.”
Khalid El-Hakim is the founder and curator of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum. He has received national and international attention for his innovative work of exhibiting Black history outside of traditional museum spaces. Most recently he was named one of the 100 Men of Distinction for 2017 by the highly respected business magazine, Black Enterprise. He holds a master’s degree in socio-cultural studies of education from Western Michigan University and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Dylan Milton ’21 will be the student speaker. Tasleem Jamila, an international poet, vocalist, author, speaker, educator and holistic health advocate, will be a guest performer. She is the CEO of My Soul Speaks, a company that creates interactive workshops, presentations and performances across the world. Her work focuses on social action, community healing and revitalization through art and expression.
12:30 to 2 p.m., Coffee and Conversations with Khalid El-Hakim, Black History 101 Museum Curator, in the Light Fine Arts lobby
Khalid will be available at the museum exhibit for questions and one-on-one dialogue about the Black History 101 Museum and the exhibit at K. Tea, coffee and lemonade will be available.
12:45 to 3 p.m., MLK Day Brunch and Workshop, “Writing Your Own Freedom Song” with Tasleem Jamila, Intercultural Center at Hicks Student Center
Brunch will be served at 12:45 p.m. followed by a 70- to 80-minute workshop. Attendance is limited to 40 students. RSVP to Natalia T. Carvalho-Pinto at ncarvalh@kzoo.edu to attend. This event is open only to students from Kalamazoo College, Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
3:40 p.m., annual Commemorative Walk
Kalamazoo College participants will ride buses from Red Square to MLK Park in Kalamazoo. After the MLK Park event, participants may take buses back to K. One bus will take participants to a celebration at the State Theatre, after which a 6 p.m. bus will return participants to K.
5 to 6 p.m., Community Celebration, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick, Kalamazoo
Immediately after the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Walk, Bronson Healthcare and Ascension Borgess Hospital invite the public to a community celebration. For accommodations and further information, contact Mikka Dryer at 269.341.8323 or Sister Sue McCrery at 269.226.5937.
7 p.m., Movie Night and Discussion, Intercultural Center at Hicks Student Center.
Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff are welcome to watch the movie “Selma” with popcorn and pizza provided.
Students enjoyed tables full of delectable Thanksgiving treats during Cafsgiving on Thursday. You can see more pictures from the event on our Facebook page.
Kalamazoo College students flocked Thursday to the Hicks Student Center to participate in an annual tradition that makes preparing for fall-term finals a little more palatable.
Cafsgiving, a Thanksgiving-style meal served by faculty and staff through Kalamazoo College Dining Services, presented students with delectable delights including ham and turkey, a multitude of breads, mashed potatoes and gravy, and an array of pies and desserts that could satisfy any student’s hunger.
Long lines formed early outside the cafeteria, as they always do for Cafsgiving. But professors and staffers, including Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez, served appetizers and hors d’oeuvres as students waited their turns.
The meal is served each year on the last Thursday of the fall term with students anticipating winter break. The mood was complete this year with a turkey-shaped ice sculpture at the punch table proclaiming “Happy Cafsgiving,” dimmed lights and snow gently falling outside.
Join the Film and Communities Living-Learning House at 2 p.m. Saturday in Dewing Hall Room 103 for a screening and discussion of the New York Times Critics Pick documentary “Praying with Lior.”
“Praying with Lior” publicity photo
The film, directed by Ilana Trachtman, is about a Jewish boy who has Down syndrome and is preparing for his bar mitzvah after losing his mother at age 6. Many in Lior’s family and community believe Lior is close to God, although he’s also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration and an embarrassment, depending on who is asked and when. According to the film’s website, “Praying with Lior” is the centerpiece of an ambitious outreach campaign to change the way people with disabilities are perceived and received by faith communities.
“Praying with Lior” won audience awards at the Boston, Washington, San Diego and Vancouver Jewish film festivals as well as 2008 media awards from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the National Down Syndrome Congress.
The discussion will include submitted commentary from the director. For more information, email Ellie Hughes of the Film and Communities Living-Learning House.
Kalamazoo College’s Jazz Band will conduct its fall concert, titled “Aurora,” at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at the Dalton Theater at Light Fine Arts.
The Kalamazoo College Jazz Band will perform its fall concert Friday at Light Fine Arts.
Directed by Thomas G. Evans, K’s Jazz Band pulls together an eclectic collection of contemporary and classic jazz arrangements to provide the students participating and the audience an electric experience. Hear past performances through the Music Department’s Jazz Band website.
the Kalamazoo Philharmonia fall concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, in the Dalton Theater. The Philharmonia will collaborate with the West Michigan Opera Project to present another concert featuring “Susannah,” an opera from American composer Carlisle Floyd; and
the College Singers, a 32-voice choral ensemble, will perform a program featuring the music of pop artists such as Carole King and Stevie Wonder in three cities. The concerts will include a Sunday, Nov. 11, performance at Light Fine Arts.
Prospective students visiting for this weekend’s open house or these concerts can find information related to the music scholarships available to performers in these groups at our website.
Kalamazoo College Family Weekend served as the backdrop for the Honors Day 2018 convocation. More than 250 students were recognized Friday, Nov. 2, for excellence in academics and leadership in six divisions: Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.
Interim Provost Laura Lowe Furge applauds students receiving awards in the Fine Arts Division during the Honors Day 2018 convocation at Stetson Chapel.
FINE ARTS DIVISION
The Brian Gougeon Prize in Art
Isabel McLaughlin
Angela Pastor
The Margaret Upton Prize in Music
Dylan Beight
Cooper Award
Alysia Homminga
Megan Wilson
Sherwood Prize
Christina Diaz
Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award
Christina Diaz
Ynika Yuag
FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION
LeGrand Copley Prize in French
Avani Ashtekar
Jessica Gougeon
Hardy Fuchs Award
Emily Eringaard
Margo Light Award
Grace Stier
Romance Languages Department Prize in Spanish
Sophia Goebel
Samantha Vasquez
Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin
Madeline Ward
Zhi Nee Wee
Provost’s Prize in Classics
Mara Hazen
HUMANITIES DIVISION
O.M. Allen Prize in English Avani Ashtekar
Ynika Yuag
John B. Wickstrom Prize in History
CJ Martonchik
Department of Philosophy Prize
Johanna Jeung
Rosella LoChirco
Merrick Richardson
L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy
Max Fitzell
Daniel Qin
NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION
Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology Alexa Dulmage
Department of Chemistry Prize
Joseph Keller
Priya Pokorzynski
First-Year Chemistry Award
Lillian Baumann
Camden Gardner
Lemuel F. Smith Award
Sean Walsh
Computer Science Prize
Josephine Hosner
Ian Nostrant
First-Year Mathematics Award Samuel Ratliff
Minh Dang
Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics
Austin Cramer
Ethan Cuka
Michael Orwin
William Tait
Madeline Ward
Cooper Prize in Physics
Andrew Backer
Adam Decker
Emily Eringaard
Daniel Qin
Eleri Watkins
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology
Julia Bachmann
Nyima Coleman
Vivian Enriquez
Marcos Ferguson Morales
Yasamin Shaker
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics
Jade Jiang
Zachary Ray
William G. Howard Memorial Prize
Shayaan Dar
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business
Georgie Andrews
Valentina Cordero
Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize
Nick Klepser
William G. Howard Memorial Prize in Political Science
Alaq Zghayer
Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize
Cavan Bonner
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION
Division of Physical Education Prize
Alex Dupree
Hannah Wolfe
Maggie Wardle Prize
Sophia Goebel
COLLEGE AWARDS
Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award
Anthony Diep
Malak Ghazal
Henry and Inez Brown Prize
Alex Cadigan
Sarah George
Nicholas Ludka
Amanda Moss
Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award
Sara Lonsberry
Heyl Scholars – Class of 2022
Evelyn Bartley
Eva DeYoung
Thomas Fales
Madeline Guimond
Alina Offerman
Molly Ratliff
Syeda Tooba
Tatianna Tyler
Posse Scholars – Class of 2022
Sonia Arreguin
Nicholas Davis
Nathan Garcia
Zy’ere Hollis
Tytiana Jones
Aaron Martinez
Udochi Okorie
Joshua Pamintuan
Anthony Peraza
Samantha Rodriguez
Fiorina Talaba
National Merit Scholar – Class of 2022
Carter Wade
Voynovich Scholars
Haley Harris
Kathryn Martin
Alpha Lambda Delta – Class of 2019
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year.
Nicole Bailey
Angel Banuelos
Catherine Carlberg
Justin Christopher-Moody
Nyima Coleman
Karli Crouch
Alexandro Cruz
Sela Damer-Daigle
Shayaan Dar
Adam Decker
Julia Dobry
Talea Fournier
Anna Gambetta
Camden Gardner
Sophia Goebel
Stanton Greenstone
Emily Hamel
Kelly Hansen
Kaylee Henderson
Amelia Hensler
Audrey Honig
Samantha Jacobsen
Madeline Jump
Liza Kahn
Joseph Keller
Hannah Kerns
Lu Liu
Rachel Madar
Natalie Markech
CJ Martonchik
Daniel Mota-Villegas
Kelly Nickelson
Nikoli Nickson
Abigail O’Keefe
Daniel Qin
Sage Ringsmuth
Maelle Rouquet
Kimberly Schmidt
Lily Shearer
Hannah Shiner
Caitlin Tremewan
Carter Vespi
Claire Ward
Maija Weaver
Ehren White
ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Performing Arts: Music
Robert Barnard
Irie Browne
Rebecca Chan
Nolan Devine
Daniel Fahle
Grace Hancock
Julia Leet
Thomas Saxton
Lia Schroeder
Matthew Swarthout
Jonathan Townley
Ethan Tuck
Andrew Wright
MICHIGAN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (MIAA) AWARDS
The following Hornet teams earned the 2017-2018 MIAA Team GPA Award. Team members achieved a 3.3 or better grade point average for the entire academic year.
The MIAA each year honors students at member colleges who achieve distinction in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winner in a varsity sport and maintain at minimum a 3.5 grade-point average for the entire school year.
Alexandrea Ambs
Georgie Andrews
Ryan Andrusz
Hunter Angileri
Lauren Arquette
Julia Bachmann
Nicole Bailey
Zoe Barnes
Lillian Baumann
Jacob Bonifacio
Thomas Bryant
Jane Bunch
Alexander Cadigan
Charles Carson
Claire Cebelak
Joshua Claassens
Noah Coplan
Chase Coselman
Christina Dandar
Elan Dantus
Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
Anders Finholt
Matthew Flotermersch
Benjamin Forhan
Maria Franco
Alex Fultz
Andre Gard
Sarah George
Jacob Gilhaus
Anthony Giovanni
Rachel Girard
Beau Godkin
Sophia Goebel
Connor Grant
Keenan Grant
Preston Grossling
Rebekah Halley
Griffin Hamel
Kaiya Herman-Hilker
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Matthew Howrey
Briana Huisken
Shannon Irvine
Samantha Jacobsen
Tim Jeske
Benjamin Johanski
Katherine Johnson
Lisa Johnston
Jackson Jones
Madeline Jump
Claire Kalina
Grace Karrip
Maria Katrantzi
Donald Kearns
Sai Klein
Emily Kozal
Matthew Krinock
Rosella LoChirco
Molly Logsdon
Nicholas Ludka
Rachel Madar
Cydney Martell
Eliza McCall
Courtney McGinnis
Clayton Meldrum
Tytus Metzler
Nathan Micallef
Madison Moote
Amanda Moss
Elizabeth Munoz
Kelly Nickelson
Nikoli Nickson
Jonathan Nord
Skyler Norgaard
Ian Nostrant
Abigail O’Keefe
Ryan Orr
Michael Orwin
Alexandria Oswalt
James Paprocki
Cayla Patterson
Caleb Patton
Zachary Prystash
Erika Pueblo
Daniel Qin
Erin Radermacher
Zachary Ray
Joshua Reuter
Julia Riddle
Scott Roberts
Anna Roodbergen
Justin Roop
Peter Rossi
Matthew Ryder
Claire Schertzing
Nicholas Schneider
Eleanor Schodowski
Justin Seablom
Sharif Shaker
Reagan Shapton
Danielle Simon
Jordan Skidmore
Adam Snider
Grant Stille
Shelby Suseland
Jack Tagget
Liam Tait
Kathryn Thamann
Alayna Tomlinson
Madison Vallan
David Vanderkloot
Zachary VanFaussien
Travis Veenhuis
Maija Weaver
Alex White
Jessica Wile
Jordan Wiley
Clayton Wilkey
Hannah Wolfe
Madeline Woods
The Kalamazoo Philharmonia will collaborate with the West Michigan Opera Project to present another concert featuring “Susannah,” an opera from American composer Carlisle Floyd.
The Kalamazoo Philharmonia will collaborate with the West Michigan Opera Project to present two concerts which will feature “Susannah,” an opera from American composer Carlisle Floyd.
The opera is set in the mid-20th Century in the rural south amidst a small, tightly-knit religious community. Susannah does something she sees as harmless that scandalizes her peers. The charges against her grow into lies, yet the more she tries to defend herself, the more convinced everyone is of her guilt. “Susannah” asks important questions that resonated in the McCarthy Trial era involving how we condemn others, the righteousness of accusers and what we recognize as truth.
The concert takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, in Dalton Theater, Light Fine Arts Building. Tickets for the Kalamazoo performance are available at the door, and cost $5 for adults and seniors and $2 for students. Kalamazoo College students will be admitted free with a College ID.
The Philharmonia, directed by Kalamazoo College Associate Professor of Music Andrew Koehler, is an orchestra of Kalamazoo College and the community. The group brings together students, faculty and amateur and professional musicians. The group won the 2014 American Prize Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award for Orchestral Programming and has produced several CDs. It also has appeared on “CBS Sunday Morning,” and collaborated with the Bach Festival Chorus, as well as many renowned soloists. Listen to some of its recorded concerts at our website or listen to Koehler’s interview with WMUK regarding these concerts.
The West Michigan Opera Project of Grand Rapids is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing unprecedented workshop and performance opportunities to singers of all ages and is dedicated to educational outreach, as well as community enrichment. For more information about this organization, visit its website.
