Silver Center for the Arts

Eagle Pond: Sharon McDermott

October 25 @ 7:00 pm
Smith Recital Hall

Sharon Fagan McDermott is a poet, musician, and a teacher of literature at a private school in Pittsburgh. Her full-length poetry collection, Life Without Furniture (Jacar Press, 2018), has been hailed by Nancy Reddy as “remarkable for the generosity of its attention and the precision with which it renders the objects of that attention.” McDermott is also the author of three chapbooks, Voluptuous, Alley Scatting (Parallel Press, 2005), and most recently, Bitter Acoustic, winner of the 2011 Jacar Press Chapbook competition. Her poems have appeared in several anthologies and in literary journals such as Prairie Schooner, Poet Lore, and Seneca Review. McDermott has also been a recipient of both a Pittsburgh Foundation Award and a PA Council on the Arts grant.  

Generous support from the Follett Higher Education Group at the PSU Bookstore helps keep this series free and open to the public. A book signing and reception will follow the reading. Free tickets are available in advance to ensure admission. 

NH Klaviertrio

October 28 @ 4:00 pm
Smith Recital Hall

October 28, 4:00pm

Solo works for violin, cello, piano and music for piano trio – The trio includes Bozena O’Brien, violin; Gary Hodges, cello; Carleen Graff, piano. 

Bożena O’Brien was born in Poland and, at age 10, came to the United States. She trained at Tanglewood, Boston University and was coached by Marylou Speaker Churchill of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She holds a certificate for Suzuki pedagogy, Suzuki Book 1, and is in her 28th year of teaching at Concord Community Music School, where she is string department chair. O’Brien has taught at St. Paul’s School (20 years), String Class at Plymouth State University, and at Holderness Preparatory School and Kimball Union Academy. She performs with the New Hampshire Music Festival, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, CCMS Musicians of Wall Street, Brinkler Piano Trio, Handel Society of Dartmouth and various other choral and orchestral ensembles. O’Brien maintains a home studio and continues to perform as a freelance violinist throughout New England.

Gary Hodges holds bachelor and master degrees from the University of New Hampshire. He is a member of the Artful Noise String Quartet, the Kelsh Trio, the Brinkler Piano Trio, and served as principal cellist with the New Hampshire Philharmonic. His teachers have included Larry Veal, Sato Knudsen, Andres Diaz and David Wells. In addition to the cello, Gary also plays the viola da gamba. He is involved with string music education, teaching violin, viola, cello and chamber music. He has taught strings at the Pine Hill Waldorf School in Wilton, New Hampshire, and directs the Philips Exeter Summer School Orchestra. In addition, he maintains private teaching studios in Concord, Wilton and Amherst. Gary and his family live in Amherst, New Hampshire.

Carleen Graff is Professor of Music at Plymouth State University where she teaches piano performance, class piano and piano pedagogy. Dr. Graff has received the Master Teacher Certificate from the Music Teachers National Association; the New Hampshire Music Teachers Association’s Teacher-Member of the Year award; in March 2015, was named an MTNA Fellow for Distinguished Teaching; and in September 2017 was nominated for a Steinway & Sons Top Teacher Award. She has served as National Coordinator of the MTNA Collegiate Artist Performance Competitions and as National Chair of the MTNA Composition and Performance Competitions. As past-president of MTNA Eastern Division, she completed a two-year term on the national Board of Directors in March 2004 and served as Chair of several forums. She also served two two-year terms on the national nominating committee. Her most recent national position was as Eastern Division Commissioner for the MTNA Certification program. She recently served the NHMTA as President and Treasurer. Dr. Graff is the founder of the Contemporary Piano Festival and the Piano Monster Festivals at PSU. A frequent adjudicator for competitions and evaluations throughout the United States and Canada, she has performed solo and chamber recitals in New England, the Mid-West, and Germany. Her students have received numerous awards for their performances and studies.

Symphonic Band and Percussion Ensemble: Seniors Take Over!

October 29 @ 7:00 pm
Hanaway Theatre

Join the Plymouth State University Symphonic Band and Percussion Ensembles in concert together. This performance will feature senior music education majors conducting the PSU Symphonic Band, and John Mackey’s suite “The Soul Has Many Motions.”

PRICE: $15 PREMIUM / $10 ADULT / $8 SENIOR / FREE PSU EMPLOYEE /
$6 YOUTH-COLLEGE / FREE PSU STUDENT

Dracula’s Decadent Dinner Party

October 31 @ 6:00 pm
Heritage Common

Oct 31, Nov 3 and Nov 4 at PSU’s Heritage Common

Coming Right in Time for Halloween

Dracula’s Decadent Dinner Party by Katherine Pereira and John Rumore

You’re invited to feast with some of the most famous characters from literature and to solve a murder mystery at the same time. Dracula’s Decadent Dinner Party is a comedy murder mystery dinner theatre that brings to life a hilarious combination of characters, including Sherlock Holmes, Little Red Riding Hood, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Gretel (without Hansel), Victor Frankenstein, Mina Harker-Murray, Dorian Grey, and Renfield. They, along with you, have been invited by Count Dracula to his very special dinner party. The night includes a wonderful dinner, hilarious comedy, and master sleuthing by those in attendance.

Dracula’s Decadent Dinner Party

October 31 @ 6:00 pm
Heritage Common

October 31, at 6:00pm

November 3, at 6:00pm

November 4, at 1:00pm & 6:00pm

Dracula’s Decadent Dinner Party by Katherine Pereira and John Rumore

You’re invited to feast with some of the most famous characters from literature and to solve a murder mystery at the same time. Dracula’s Decadent Dinner Party is a comedy murder mystery dinner theatre that brings to life a hilarious combination of characters, including Sherlock Holmes, Little Red Riding Hood, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Gretel (without Hansel), Victor Frankenstein, Mina Harker-Murray, Dorian Grey, and Renfield. They, along with you, have been invited by Count Dracula to his very special dinner party. The night includes a wonderful dinner, hilarious comedy, and master sleuthing by those in attendance.

All New England Choral Festival Concert

November 1 @ 7:00 pm
Hanaway Theatre

Dan Perkins conducts the PSU choirs and 200 high school students from throughout New England. The theme this year is inspired by the 20th anniversary of Mathew Shepard’s death. Craig Hella Johnson’s “All of Us” from his oratorio “Considering Matthew Shepard” is the centerpiece of the program. 

PRICE: $20 PREMIUM / $15 ADULT / $12 SENIOR / $12 PSU EMPLOYEE / $10 GROUP MIN 10 / $10 YOUTH-COLLEGE / FREE PSU STUDENT 

Emily Lombardo, Senior Recital, Alto Saxophone

November 3 @ 3:00 pm
Smith Recital Hall

Emily Lombardo, alto saxophone

Constance Chesebrough, piano

 An afternoon including Classical and jazz literature for alto saxophone and piano. 

Hannah Grady, Senior Recital, Soprano

November 3 @ 5:00 pm
Smith Recital Hall

Free, No tickets needed.

My name is Hannah Grady and I am a senior Music Education student. My recital will be twelve classical vocal selections that I have worked on throughout my time at Plymouth State. I have a set of songs by women composers such as Clara Schumann and Amy Beach, because I feel that they are underrepresented in music. My recital is November 3rd at 5pm in the Smith Recital in the Silver Center for the Arts.

Thank You

-Hannah Grady

PSU Theatre Presents: Game Night

November 14 @ 7:00 pm
Studio Theatre

In the contemporary comedy Game Night four friends get together for an evening of relaxation and fun, as they usually do each week, to play Scrabble, Monopoly, Clue, and other favorites. This night might be like any other game night, but for the fact that in this foursome of friends, comprised of Brian, Miranda, Austin, and Jesse, one of the group is about to drop the big question to another. But taking the huge step into marriage is never simple, especially when messages become confused, intentions are misread, and emotions are high. Game Night, which was developed in PSU’s Playlab, is a fun, insightful, and witty comedy by PSU graduate Katherine Pereira. If you’ve ever been in love, played board games, or had a friend, then Game Night is your ticket for a great night of entertainment.  

PRICE:
$13PSU FACULTY AND STAFF / $16 PUBLIC / $9 PSU STUDENTS
Note: Free tickets MTD Fac/Staff, MTD Majors, Minors, and Interdisc within MTD

DATES:
Wednesday, November 14, Thursday, November 15, and Friday, November 16, 2018, 7 pm
Saturday, November 17, 1 pm 

All New England Band Festival

November 19 @ 7:00 pm

The All New England Band Festival is made up of over 200 high school musicians from all six New England state. They will be performing in two bands conducted by James Colonna, Director of Bands at Messiah College (PA); and Mark Stickney, Director of Bands at Plymouth State University. The PSU Symphonic Band will kick off the performance! 

PRICE:
$TBD PREMIUM / $12 ADULT / $8 SENIOR / FREE PSU EMPLOYEE / $8 GROUP MIN # / $6 YOUTH-COLLEGE / FREE PSU STUDENT 

Sidore Lecture – Looking back, peering ahead — from the middle of colliding, imperceptible events: climate change and mass extinction

November 27 @ 7:00 pm
Smith Recital Hall

The linkages between climate change and species extinctions seem obvious; yet climate change in the Anthropocene may not be what we think it is, and the relevant changes may be imperceptible to us. Attributing past and present shifts in flora and fauna to climate change is problematic, because its effects are predominantly indirect. At present, a 6^th great extinction event is likely in progress, but it is very difficult to quantify due to the constraints of documenting extinction, and even more difficult to attribute extinctions to climate change. The path to extinction is typically long and begins with declining abundance and spatial distribution. Evidence of such change is pervasive. Whether species can adapt and whether communities will be resilient to climate change is largely unknown. Dr. Rodenhouse will explore how the concepts of climate and extinction shape and constrain how we relate climate change to mass extinction, and he will use local data to address whether climate change is driving some species along the path to extinction.

Rodenhouse is professor emeritus of Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, where he taught ecology and conservation biology from 1988 – 2017. His primary research focus is on how weather and climate affect forest songbirds; however, his research activities range more broadly than this.  He became interested in climate change in 1987 when doing a postdoc in sustainable agriculture at Miami University, Ohio and contributed to the first US EPA sponsored assessment of the potential effects of climate change on Midwestern agriculture. He has been conducting research on climate change since then, including work with the Union of Concerned Scientists on the New England Climate Impact Assessment. He re-joined the avian ecology research group at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest as a principal investigator in 1996 with a specific focus on the processes and drivers of population regulation. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and Wellesley College.

Fall Chamber Players Concert

November 28 @ 7:00 pm
Smith Recital Hall

Join the PSU Chamber Players for a night of music. Ensembles will include; The Flute Choir, Clarinet Choir, Saxophone Quartet, Brass Ensemble, Piano Ensemble, and more!

PRICE:
$TBD PREMIUM / $15 ADULT / $12 SENIOR / FREE PSU EMPLOYEE / $12 GROUP MIN # /
$8 YOUTH-COLLEGE / FREE PSU STUDENT

Fall Jazz Ensembles Concert

November 30 @ 7:00 pm
Hanaway Theatre

The Plymouth State University Big Band and Jazz Workshops perform standard and contemporary works from large groups and small combos!

PRICE:

$TBD PREMIUM / $15 ADULT / $12 SENIOR / FREE PSU EMPLOYEE / $12 GROUP MIN# /
$8 YOUTH-COLLEGE / FREE PSU STUDENT

PSU Choirs Holiday Family Pops

December 2 @ 1:00 pm
Hanaway Theatre

From “Up on the Housetop” and “Jingle Bells” to selections from the “Nutcracker” and “White Christmas,” this fun event will appeal to holiday revelers of all ages. Bring the whole family and sing-a-long. Enjoy holiday cookies in the lobby following the concert where Santa may make a surprise visit!

PRICE:
$15 PREMIUM / $10 ADULT / $8 SENIOR / PSU EMPLOYEE FREE / $8 GROUP MIN# /
$6 YOUTH-COLLEGE / FREE PSU STUDENT

A Christmas Carol

December 6 @ 7:00 pm
Hanaway Theatre

Thursday December 6th  at 7:00pm

Friday December 7th at 7:00pm

Saturday December 8th at 1:00pm & 7:00pm

It is the classic holiday tale by Charles Dickens, but with a bit of a twist. In this new stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is dead to begin with, as it takes place 10 years after his conversion. Nephew Fred, Bob Cratchit and his family, Charlotte Fezziwig, and others gather to remember the formerly cold-hearted man who learned to embrace the true spirit of Christmas. All are present but Tiny Tim, who is now known as the benevolent benefactor Tim Cratchit. As the group of friends and family retell and relive the story of Scrooge’s Christmas conversion, and the spirit of Ebenezer joins them, Tim is putting himself at risk as he helps a destitute family in the dangerous area of London known as Whitechaple.

With direction by PSU Teaching Lecturer Fan Page, music by PSU alumni Andrew Morrissey, and lyrics and adaptation by Professor of Theatre Paul Mroczka, this stage play captures the story and spirit of Dickens’ original story, while offering audiences a new angle on the effect Scrooge had on those who came to love him. A Christmas Carol features Scott Sweatt as Ebenezer Scrooge and a cast of PSU students and community members.  A Christmas Carol is a perfect holiday show for the entire family.

PRICE:

$19 PREMIUM / $12 FACULTY AND STAFF / $9 PSU STUDENTS / $14 PUBLIC EVENING / $11 MATINEES
Note: Complimentary tickets: MTD Fac/Staff, MTD Majors, Minors, and Interdisc within MTD, and any non-PSU people in the show

ETC Presents: Disneys THE LITTLE MERMAID

January 23, 2019 @ 7:00 pm
Smith Recital Hall

Wednesday January 23rd at 7:00pm

Thursday January 24th at 7:00pm

Friday January 25th at 7:00pm

Saturday January 26th at 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sunday January 27th at 1:00pm

Join us this January in a magical kingdom beneath the sea for Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the timeless tale of Ariel, the beautiful young mermaid who longs to leave her ocean home to be part of the world above. Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. With music by eight-time Academy Award winner, Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater and a compelling book by Doug Wright, this fishy fable will capture your heart with its irresistible songs, including “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” and “Part of Your World.” We welcome you to join us for another magical ETC journey, in celebration of our Silver Jubilee 25th Anniversary, this time, under the sea.

Tickets:

$39 PREMIUM / $29 ADULT / $25 SENIORS & PSU EMPLOYEE / $20 YOUTH-COLLEGE / $10 PSU STUDENT