2019-2020 School of the Arts Season Preview
Live performance thrills the soul and connects our community, but did you know it could help you live longer? Recent research from the California Institute of Technology finds that social isolation and small screen use can cause a build-up of deadly toxins in the brain. But, have no fear, the School of the Arts at Converse College is here to help, with an original season of performances and exhibitions in 2019-2020 that will inspire and connect Spartanburg audiences. “Our students and faculty are pushing the boundaries of performance and exhibition,” observes Boone Hopkins, Dean of the School of the Arts, “and we want our community to be there for these exciting new experiences.”
Our students and faculty are pushing the boundaries of performance and exhibition.
Converse College will host more than 200 arts and cultural events this academic year and most have free admission. A full listing of events is online at the School of the Arts’ cultural events website where you can also join the culture blast list to receive monthly updates. “We look forward to an exhilarating season where audiences will be moved and engaged by our innovative work,” Hopkins says, “and we hope that the Spartanburg community will join us for the fun!” Here is a sampling of the events for the 2019-2020 season at Converse College: Ballads, Moments, and Journeys by Glen Miller (Sep. 5-26) the Milliken Art Gallery will feature the Greenville artist’s latest collection of paintings that reflect on his experiences with nature and thought.
Miller’s interest with much of the work is to create images that evoke and perhaps celebrate quiet places and times, still moments that allow us to hear from greater depths, and images that suggest an individual search. Pi Kappa Lambda Music Faculty Showcase (Sep. 12) Join the faculty of the Petrie School of Music for our 2018-19 Season Opener! Always an audience favorite, the PKL Faculty Showcase highlights the extraordinary talents of the School of Music Faculty. Part of our offerings for the Petrie Preview weekend, the Faculty Showcase is a fantastic way to discover all that the Petrie School has to offer! The Carlos Moseley Chamber Music Series brings world-renowned musicians to Spartanburg featuring: Petrie at the Piedmont with violinist, Courtney LeBauer (Oct. 7), the Vienna Boys Choir (Nov. 4), the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (Feb. 17), and the Spektral Quartet (Apr. 27). These four concerts are by subscription only and are followed by a champagne reception that offers guests the opportunity to meet the performers. The Dragon by Lady Gregory, adapted by Theatre Converse (Oct. 10-12) What happens when an elementary school drama club puts on the old Irish fairytale The Dragon? Will this tale of old satisfy the savvy young children or might they decide to add some new ideas of their own? Join Theatre Converse for this 50 minute, family-friendly show and find out! A fantastical tale based on Irish legend in which a King…actually, forget the King, in which a Princess must to save herself from being eaten by a Dragon. *Appropriate for all ages* Exhibition: The Art & Design Faculty Show (Nov. 7-30) The Converse College Art and Design faculty will showcase their talents in the 42nd presentation of this exhibition. Previous exhibitions included such diverse media as printmaking, photography, sculpture, painting, drawing and ceramics. The art faculty comprises of individuals with backgrounds in studio art, interior design, art education and art therapy producing an exhibition that reflects a broad range of creative expression. With a free gallery talk and reception on Nov. 14th at 6:30 pm. Converse Opera Theatre presents Speed Dating Tonight! by Michael Ching (Jan. 24-26) A new American opera that tells the story of a single hour in the lives of a group of people experiencing speed dating for the first time. It takes place in a local restaurant and includes colorful characters like a car salesman, origami designer, realtor, Tech addicts, and an over-the-top cat lover. Love at first sight, as well as two exes running into each other, are just two of the comical and romantic moments. Speed Dating Tonight! is a new opera written by Michael Ching and conceived by Dean Anthony. This production will debut arrangements composed by Ching especially for the students of the Petrie School of Music.
Danse Macabre (Feb. 21-23) An evening of evocative new choreography set by our dance faculty and featuring the members of the Converse College Dance Ensemble. These new works will showcase tap, jazz, modern, and lyrical arranged around the theme of the terror of death and the fight to keep living, boldly and fully, in the wake of our fears. Young Women in Art (Mar. 1-7) A juried exhibition that provides a venue to recognize exemplary art works of young women in high school, this event will feature aspiring artists from across the state in the Milliken Gallery. Featuring the talents of up-and-coming artists, the faculty of the Department of Art & Design will curate this exhibition to feature new works in photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, and ceramics. Join us to see the artists that will be redefining the visual arts in our state. Little Shop of Horrors by Alan Menken and book by Howard Ashman (April 23-26) This horror-comedy/rock musical follows a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. Based on the low-budget 1960s black comedy film of the same name, the music, composed by Menken in the style of doo-wop and early Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, “Skid Row (Downtown)”, “Somewhere That’s Green”, and “Suddenly, Seymour” among other well-loved numbers Arts on TAP (the first Wednesday of each month @ 8pm) Come have a pint and watch the fresh, fabulous work of the next generation of art, music, and theatre artists at the Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery downtown!