Events

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University music professor Larry Barnes has received an ASCAP award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers for his professional activities. The award was established to recognize composers who have made significant contributions to American music. Barnes, who holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a doctor of musical arts degree in composition from the Eastman School, has been involved in numerous musical projects this year. His “Toccata: Act of War,” won an international competition, was released on two record labels and has received favorable reviews from music critics. Kathy Parsons of Amazon.com wrote, “Barnes’s ‘Toccata: Act of War’ was completed after the events of 9/11/01. Overflowing with passion and anger, it is interspersed with brief moments of lyricism—an exceptionally powerful work.” Mike Brownell of All Music Guide said that the rhythmic drive and intensity of fellow Transylvania professor Greg Partain’s performance of “Toccata” on MSR Records left “listeners wishing the piece were longer than its mere six minutes, or that Partain included more works by his colleague.” In addition to “Toccata,” Barnes composed a musical score for the award-winning film Euphoria and is now working on additional music and sound for the film, which is scheduled to be re-released in 2008. Barnes’s pieces for guitar trio, “Incantation” and “Dervish,” premiered at Transylvania last year, and the Lexington Guitar Trio will encore these compositions in a Transylvania faculty recital

Read “Transy music professor receives composer’s award; Lexington Guitar Trio to perform his compositions at Transylvania faculty recital on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Carrick Theater”

LEXINGTON, Ky.—The Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet will give the inaugural performance in Transylvania’s Dorothy J. and Fred K. Smith Concert Series Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium. For more than 30 years, the Kronos Quartet has pursued the artistic vision of combining fearless exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential ensembles of today, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 40 recordings, collaborating with many of the world’s most eclectic composers and performers and commissioning hundreds of works and arrangements for string quartet. Their work has received numerous awards, including a 2004 Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance and being named 2003 Musicians of the Year by Musical America. Kronos has built a diverse repertoire for string quartet, performing and recording works by twentieth century masters (Bartok, Shostakovich, Webern), contemporary composers (Sofia Gubaidulina, Arvo Part, Alfred Schnittke), jazz legends (Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk), and such varied artists as rock guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, Indian vocal master Pandit Pran Nath and avant-garde saxophonist John Zorn. The quartet has collaborated with many of the world’s foremost composers and artists, and its work has been featured prominently in films and dance. The Smith Concert Series was created in February 2007 by Dorothy J. Smith, a 1942 Transylvania graduate, to bring high quality musical performances to Transylvania’s campus.

Read “Transylvania’s Smith Concert Series open with performance by Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m.”

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Mary Robinson, chair of the Council of Women World Leaders and president of the Ethical Globalization Initiative, believes that rights are weapons the weak can use against the strong. An outspoken human rights advocate, she is a world leader who puts humanity at the forefront of politics. Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland, will bring her message to Transylvania University on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium, when she delivers the fall Kenan Lecture. The event is free and open to the public. While serving as the president of the Republic of Ireland from 1990-97, Robinson placed an emphasis on the needs of developing countries. From 1997-2002 she served as United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights and gained a reputation for her willingness to stand up to powerful governments. Credited by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan with “putting human rights on the map,” Robinson was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in 2002. She was the first head of state to visit Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide there, and the first to visit Somalia following the 1992 crisis there. The Kenan Lecture Series is made possible by a grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust. Transylvania, founded in 1780, is the nation’s sixteenth oldest institution of higher learning and is consistently ranked in national publications as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Musician Carrie Newcomer will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12, in Transylvania’s Carrick Theater, located in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. The concert, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Transylvania’s Lilly Project and the Collegium of Religious Organizations. The Village Voice said of Newcomer that she “has a warm spirit, heated intelligence, burning intellect. Her voice will power through the room…glinting with musical brightness and emotional layers.” Newcomer has garnered critical acclaim in recent years from the music media (Rolling Stone, USA Today, Acoustic Guitar) and by sharing the stage with a variety of performers, including Alison Krauss, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Newcomer’s album titled “Regulars and Refugees,” is a follow-up to “Betty’s Diner: the Best of Carrie Newcomer.” In “Regulars and Refugees,” 13 songs take the listener into Betty’s Diner, to learn the stories behind the different people who frequent the establishment. Her studio album “The Geography of Light” is scheduled for release February 1. Newcomer has donated proceeds from album sales and benefit concerts to a multitude of charities including The Nature Conservancy, The American Friends Service Committee and Habitat for Humanity. A portion of the proceeds from “Regulars and Refugees” album sales went to Second Harvest, a national food bank network. For more information, contact the Transylvania public relations office at (859) 233-8120.