Lougheed Festival of the Arts Returns to SUNY Potsdam for Third Season

The North Country's Most Comprehensive Arts Festival Returns to SUNY Potsdam, from April 25 to May 4

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FuturPointe Dance will open the 2014 Lougheed Festival of the Arts at SUNY Potsdam, with shows in the new Performing Arts Center Dance Theater.

POTSDAM, NY (04/11/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam will celebrate its culture of creativity with the third annual Lougheed Festival of the Arts from April 25 to May 4. Both campus and community are welcome to experience a variety of cross-disciplinary art experiences.

The North Country's most comprehensive arts festival, the Lougheed Festival of the Arts includes a wide array of events, including author readings, theatre productions, multimedia presentations, art openings, special exhibitions, public lectures, masterclasses and concerts.

Kathryn (Kofoed) '54 and Donald Lougheed, Hon. '54, founded the Lougheed Festival of the Arts in 2012, to bring the campus festival tradition back to Kathy's alma mater.

"Exposure to the arts helps individuals develop new ways of thinking and new ways of interacting. We couldn't be happier to provide this experience to Potsdam students and professors," the Lougheeds wrote. "Experiencing the arts can be life-changing. Our hope is to bring the arts out of the classroom, so each and every student has the chance to experience the arts in some meaningful way."

The full jam-packed schedule of events can be found at www.potsdam.edu/artsfestival. Printed schedules are also available in kiosks on campus.

All events are free and open to the public. Due to limited seating, free tickets are required for the FuturPointe Dance performances on April 25 and 26, and for the Crane School of Music concert on May 3.

The 2014 Lougheed Festival of the Arts will welcome a number of visiting artists to campus for its third season.

The celebrated artist Lars-Erik Fisk will offer a lecture on the future of sculpture on Monday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. in Kellas Hall Room 101, and will unveil a permanent outdoor campus sculpture on Friday, May 2 near the Performing Arts Center. The art director for the band Phish, Fisk is known for his unique spherical designs of manmade and contemporary items. FuturPointe Dance will bring energy and enthusiasm to the festival with the ensemble's innovative, modern style, with performances on April 25 and 26. An Emerging Writers Series and Writer's Craft Series will feature upcoming authors and poets, including W.P. Osborn, Katherine Riegel, Resha Cardone, Nathan Oates, Alden Jones, Laurie Filipelli and Sylvia Watanabe. Actor and teacher Paul Ricciardi will stage his latest solo show, "Angry and Other Stories," on May 1 and 2, in addition to presenting workshops about LGBTQ theatre and the Linklater vocal technique.

The Crane School of Music will welcome the 2014 Dorothy Albrecht Gregory Visiting Conductor, Maestro Larry Rachleff, as well as visiting vocal artist, Anton Belov, baritone. Rachleff and Belov will join the Crane Symphony Orchestra and Crane Chorus, along with the visiting Boys Choir of the Ottawa Cathedral and faculty soloists Donald George and Jill Pearon for a performance of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" on Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall. The orchestra will also present Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8, otherwise known as the composer's famous "Unfinished Symphony."

New this year is an Art and Fine Crafts Market sponsored by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council, featuring local and regional artisans, on Friday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Barrington Student Union.

Several innovative SUNY Potsdam students will also be in the spotlight during the festival. Senior theatre major Susan Rosello will host an interactive demonstration about creating zombie and horror special effects makeup on Saturday, April 26 at 3 p.m. in the Crane School of Music costume shop. The student comedy group, 18 and Up Improv, will offer both a workshop and performance on Monday, April 28 in Dunn Theater. ChaRon Brabham, the senior theatre major who presented Oscars at last year's Academy Awards after winning a national contest, will screen her short film on Tuesday, April 29 at 5:30 p.m. in the Barrington Student Union Fireside Lounge. Graduate student Trevor Dugan will present a lecture about the programming challenges and game design behind his popular iOS and Android game, "Puzzletopple" on Wednesday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m. in Dunn Hall Room 210.

Other highlights of the 2014 Lougheed Festival of the Arts include:

  • Theatre: The annual One Act Plays, including 10 different works produced and presented by students, will be offered from April 21 to April 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center's Black Box Theater. Children in grades K to 4 who participate in the Creative Arts Afterschool Program will perform an original work on Friday, May 2 at 4:30 p.m. in the PAC Black Box Theater. There will be a performance of Aaron Moore's play "Color in Motion" on Sunday, May 4 at 7 p.m. in Dunn Theater.
  • Dance: The College's annual Student Choreography Concert, featuring the works of six graduating dance majors, will be offered on Friday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 3 at 5 p.m., and Sunday, May 4 at 2 p.m., all in the PAC Dance Theater.
  • Creative writing: Graduating seniors will offer readings of their works on Monday, April 28 at 6 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge.
  • Fine arts: The annual Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition will be on display in the Roland Gibson Gallery throughout the festival. There will be a showcase of works by SUNY Potsdam art alumni throughout the festival in the Hosmer Gallery. The artists include Sue Burdick Young '81, ceramics; Mark Dye '95, photojournalism; Katsitsionni Fox '95, prints; Tanya Gadbaw '08, painting, and Isaac Snell '09, ceramics. There will be a reception with the alumni artists on Tuesday, April 29 at 5 p.m. in the gallery. Art students will create an illuminated sculpture garden for the Festival of Light in the Academic Quad, on Wednesday, April 30 at 7 p.m., with a rain date of May 1. Dr. Nancy Ramage will offer a lecture entitled "Matisse, Picasso and the Cone Sisters" on Thursday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Raymond Hall Eighth Floor Dining Room. Bruce Rodgers '71 of the Hermitage Artist Retreat will present a lecture on "The Nature of Art" on Friday, May 2 at 2 p.m. in Brainerd Hall Room 202.
  • Music: On Friday, April 25, the Repertoire Percussion Ensemble will perform at 3 p.m., and the Crane Latin Ensemble will offer a concert at 7:30 p.m., both in Snell Theater. The West African Dance and Drum Ensemble will perform on Sunday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m., also in Snell. There will be open rehearsals of the Crane Symphony Orchestra and the Crane Chorus. Baritone Anton Belov will offer a voice masterclass on Wednesday, April 30 at 1 p.m., followed by an orchestral excerpt masterclass with Maestro Larry Rachleff at 3 p.m., both in Snell Theater. Gary Galo will offer a presentation on Crane Chorus in the 20th century on Thursday, May 1 at 4 p.m. in the Ralph Wakefield Recital Hall. On Friday, May 2, Rachleff will lead a panel discussion at noon in Snell Theater, and Belov will perform his "Pushkin in Exile" lecture/recital at 3 p.m., also in Snell.

All Crane School of Music concerts will be broadcast live on the SUNY Potsdam website at the performance times throughout the Lougheed Festival of the Arts. To view the programs and see other upcoming streaming performances, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/streaming.

For more information about the 2014 Lougheed Festival of the Arts, visit www.potsdam.edu/artsfestival.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of only three arts campuses in the entire SUNY system. SUNY Potsdam's arts curriculum offers the full palette: music, theatre, dance, fine arts and creative writing. No matter the discipline, people from all backgrounds can find their creative compass at Potsdam, with myriad arts immersion experiences available for both campus and community.

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