Events

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania’s winter drama production is a play adapted by director and drama professor Tim Soulis. “The Earthrock of Argos” is based on the Greek tragedy “The Oresteia” by Aeschylus. A cast of three men and 11 women act out a powerful story about Greeks returning from the Trojan War and coming to an understanding about identity, social responsibility and the humane treatment of others. “Essentially, the impression in the original as well as the current adaptation is of a world initially ruled by self-interest, from which evolves a more civilized society based on mutually-acceptable agreement,” said Soulis. “Given the recent extremist fragmentation of our own American society into red states and blue states, conservatives and liberals, religious zealots and agnostics, and most disturbingly, our divided views on resolving the quagmire of our war in Iraq, perhaps another look at a 2500-year-old tragedy about the need for reconciliation is not such a bad idea.” The play runs in the Lucille C. Little Theater Feb. 22-24 and March 1-3 at 7:30 p.m., as well as Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information, call the public relations office at (859) 233-8120 or Tim Soulis at (859) 233-8163. To order tickets, call the box office at (859) 233-8601.

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania music professor Larry Barnes spent the past summer composing a score for “Euphoria,” a full-length film that had already won the Gold Medal at the Houston Film Festival in 2005. “Filmmaker Lee Boot had heard me perform my music in Baltimore years back and he called me last spring and asked if I would review his film with the possibility of my adding a complete musical score,” said Barnes. “I was elated. I had wanted to compose for film for years and here was a work that had already won a Gold Medal in its original form.” After viewing the film, Barnes met Boot in Baltimore to discuss the scenes he would score. He then spent the summer and early fall composing the music and sending it to Boot as electronic e-mail attachments. Boot would respond after placing the music behind the film. The electronic dialogue continued until October when Barnes went back to Baltimore to meet with Boot, hire musicians and mix the music into the film. “Imagine your work being one-dimensional and suddenly being given another meaning—another life,” said Barnes. “In one high pressured week, my music was transformed.” Barnes said the film’s visuals are so striking that he was challenged from the beginning to write music with enough character to enhance but not overpower. “It was a bit intimidating, but a thrill from beginning to end,” he said. The feature-length documentary is an out-of-the-box art

Read “Transylvania professor produces music score for award-winning film; filmmaker and director to give guest lecture Wednesday, Feb. 22, and film to be shown Feb. 21 and 22; all events free and open to the public”

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University will host an Iraq Teach-in Saturday, February 10, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the William T. Young Campus Center. This non-partisan event is free and open to the public. Schedule of events and topics: 9 a.m. Opening Remarks 9:30 a.m. Erin Sisson, Transylvania sophomore (legality of the war) 10 a.m. Jeffrey Freyman, Transylvania political science professor (historical context and the U.S. perspective) 10:45 a.m. Rebecca Glasscock, KCTCS geography professor (environmental impacts of the war) 11:30 a.m. Ihsan Bagby, UK Islamic students professor (differences between sunni and Shiite and religion’s role in the conflict) 12:15 p.m. Lunch and performance from Mecca Dance Studio 1 p.m. Nayef Samhat, Centre international studies and government professor (perspectives of the international and Middle East state communities) 1:45 p.m. Robert Olson, UK history professor (the Kurdish question) 2:30 p.m. Student debate focusing on the proposed troop increase and how and when the United States should withdraw. The event is co-sponsored by the Bluegrass Chapter of the United Nations Association, Transylvania’s office of community service and civic engagement and the social science program. For more information or to schedule to cover the event, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120.

LEXINGTON, Ky.—The 36-member Transylvania University Choir will perform at Transylvania at the conclusion of their winter tour. The performance, which is free and open to the public, is Friday, January 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Carrick Theater.   The choir will perform in six cities in six days on their winter tour, including Louisville; Pensacola, Florida; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Griffin, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.   Selections for the performance will include Bright Morning Star, a Kentucky Appalachian folksong, Deep River, a traditional spiritual, as well as classic pieces Ave Maria and Gloria tibi, Domine.   Under the direction of Gary Anderson, Transylvania professor of music and director of choral ensembles, the choir toured Austria, Hungary and the Transylvania region of Romania this past May as part of Transylvania’s innovative May term. They gave concerts in Vienna and Krems, Austria, Budapest and Szentendre, Hungary and Sibiu, Romania, in the Transylvania region. In 2003, the choir toured Russia, Finland and Sweden. Continental tours are scheduled during the years when the choir does not travel abroad.   For more information, contact Gary Anderson at (859) 281-3546 or the public relations office at (859) 233-8120.