Past projects
The UAF Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Karen Gustafson, will be presenting a concert featuring a world premiere of "Alaskan Prints" by Dr. James Bicigo on April 24 at 4:00 pm at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center. The work will include several movements that are representative of several historical photographs from the UAF library archives that represent musical groups from the interior. The work will also feature the UAF Alaskan Native dancing group "Inu-Yupiaq" which is lead by faculty advisor Joel Forbes. Original native music by Joel "Ataat" Forbes will also be incorporated into the composition. One movement will feature UAF faculty Dr. Kathleen Butler Hopkins performing on the violin. This is a true mix of tradition wind band literature and Alaskan Native music and dance and is perhaps the first of it's kind to be written and performed. The concert will also present wind band music by other Alaskan composers as well as George Gershwin's "Cuban Overture." This event is sponsored by the UAFCollege of Liberal Arts Collaborative Arts Council and the UAF Wind Symphony. Tickets are $5 and are available at the music department (907-474-7555) or at the door. For further information contact Karen Gustafson, 907-474-5004 or kagustafson2@alaska.edu
Craig Coray
March 2010
The UAF College of Liberal Arts’ Collaborative Arts Council is pleased to present an evening program celebrating traditional Alaska Native music and its influence in the music of two contemporary Alaskan composers, Craig Coray and John Luther Adams. This event, Alaskan Voices: A Confluence of Cultures, will be held in the Charles Davis Concert Hall on Wednesday, March 24 beginning at 8:15pm. Admission is free. The program represents a collaborative effort involving UAF students and faculty from Departments of Alaska Native Studies, Art, English, Music, and Theatre. The program includes John Luther Adams’ “…and dust rising,” a work for percussionists performed by the Music Department’s Ensemble 64.8. The evening’s featured guest is Anchorage composer Craig Coray, who incorporates Alaska Native songs as thematic material in his own compositions, reflecting the influence of his childhood in bush Alaska . Craig Coray will present traditional Alaska Native songs and discuss how he has incorporated these songs into his composition, Silam Inua for solo piano. Performances of the traditional songs will include singing, drumming and dancing by UAF Alaska Native Studies students, and the selections from Coray’s Silam Inua will be performed by pianist Paul Krejci. The event Alaskan Voices: A Confluence of Cultures was funded through a grant from the College of Liberal Arts and organized by the College’s Committee on Collaboration in the Arts.
Contact information:
Craig Coray, composer
chigmit@acsalaska.net 907-338-8278
Dr. William Post, Music Dept.; event coordinator
wdpost@alaska.edu 907-474-5827
Dr. Morris Palter, Music Dept.; artistic director Ensemble 64.8
mspalter@alaska.edu 907-474-1873
Paul Krejci, instructor Alaska Native Music; pianist
prkrejci@alaska.edu
November 2009 saw artist Shawn Brixey lecture on campus
In collaboration with the UAF Art Department, the Collaborative Arts Council brought artist Shawn Brixey to campus. He gave a lecture on "Frontiers of Digital and Experimental Art in the 21st Century." at 7 P.M. on Thursday 12th November, 2009 in Schaible Auditorium.
Shawn Brixey is the Floyd and Delores Jones Endowed Chair for the Arts, and is Co-Founder and the former Director of the University of Washington's research center and Ph.D. program in Digital Arts and Experimental Media. For more information about Shawn Brixey's work, click here
In Spring 2009, Los Angeles-based composer Ryan Raddatz met with two groups of art, music and theater students
In Spring 2009, Los Angeles-based composer Ryan Raddatz met with two groups of art, music and theater students to discuss composing music for film and television and the collaborative nature of working on projects with writers, directors, producers and technicians. Mr. Raddatz shared some of his experiences in composing music for the film Chronic Town, and presented video clips featuring his music in a pilot episode for NBC.
In February 2009, guest lecturer Dr. Michael Cherlin conducted a roundtable discussion for arts faculty and offered a public lecture
In February 2009, guest lecturer Dr. Michael Cherlin conducted a roundtable discussion for arts faculty and offered a public lecture on interdisciplinary studies and collaboration in the arts. Dr. Cherlin is the Founding Director of the Interdisciplinary Program on Collaborative Arts at the University of Minnesota, where a number of successful courses and programs have featured collaborative studies involving arts, literature and sciences. Dr. Cherlin provided insight on how to design and implement interdisciplinary courses and possible degree programs for both undergraduate and graduate students.