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LEXINGTON, Ky.—You might think the United States has a wide variety of surpluses: fast food restaurants, ineffective politicians, talentless celebrities, overpaid athletes, insipid tweets. But chimpanzees? You bet, says April Truitt, executive director of the Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville. She will give a talk titled “The Chimpanzee Paradox: Too Few in the Wild, Too Many in the U.S.” at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, in Transylvania University’s Cowgill Center, room 102. Truitt will discuss what the future holds for the more than 800 captive chimpanzees in U.S. research facilities and why there are so many here. Plus, she’ll address the question of who is responsible for the future care of these long-lived creatures. The United States and the tiny African nation of Gabon are the only two countries still using chimpanzees in biomedical research. More than 100,000 non-human primates are in U.S. laboratories, whether for breeding or experimentation, according to Truitt’s website. “Those apes and monkeys kept for [experiments] are subjected to everything from psychological deprivation to repeated surgeries and other invasive procedures.” Truitt’s center is home to more than 50 primates, including 11 chimpanzees. Some came from research facilities, and some were pets: “Individuals pay dealers hefty fees for cute, cuddly, and easy-to-handle babies, only to find they’ve made a terrible mistake when their aging pets become stronger, wilder, and potentially dangerous,” according to the center. The 30-acre facility, which is funded by private donations, is meant

Read “What to do with all these chimps?”

LEXINGTON, Ky.—On Sunday, Nov. 17, gifted pianist David Viscoli will perform works of two musical giants, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff, presenting a program that demands passion and virtuosity. The concert begins at 3 p.m. in Carrick Theater and is free and open to the public. The first half of the recital features two Beethoven sonatas. Both works reveal the composer’s more lyrical side. In the second half, listeners will hear a collection of works that, because of their difficulty, are rarely performed publicly: the nine Etudes-Tableaux, op. 39, of Rachmaninoff.  Transylvania music professor Greg Partain, a recognized pianist himself, encourages people to “come and hear the piano explode.” Partain knew of Viscoli’s work when they were students together at The University of Texas at Austin, where Partain considered Viscoli to be one of the most gifted young pianists in attendance. Viscoli is currently professor of piano at Minnesota State University in Mankato. American Record Guide, America’s oldest classical music review magazine, said of Viscoli: “… [he] relishes punishing virtuosic repertoire; but he’s capable of tender, understated lyricism as well.” Parking is available in the Mitchell Fine Arts parking lot adjacent to the building. For more information, please call Gretchen Shoot, fine arts administrative assistant, at 859-233-8141 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.