Seniors display art through May 10

Sam Pflughoeft and his work

The Saint Mary’s Senior Art Exhibition titled “9 Artistas” will run through Commencement Day Saturday, May 10 in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries.

Graduating seniors include Kaitlyn Bryant, Andrea Hillesheim, LeiLani Oas, Carla Olivares, Abi Osborne, Sam Pflughoeft, Angie Powell, Chelsea Pumper, and Tommy Robaczewski.

A variety of media is on display, including graphic design, photography, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, paintings and multimedia installations.

The Singers to premiere work by Dr. O’Shea

The Twin Cities-based choral ensemble, “The Singers,” will perform in Winona as part of its 10th anniversary legacy tour.

The group will perform music by Mortin Lauridsen and Benjamin Britten, as well as beloved American folk songs and spirituals. The event will also include the premiere of a work by Dr. Patrick O’Shea (Music Department) commemorating the lives lost in the tragic school shooting in Connecticut.

Under the direction of Matthew Culloton, The Singers will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, at Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels, 1155 W. Wabasha St. The concert is free and is funded, in part, by Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2008.

Tickets are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, Monday through Friday or at the door.

Jazz Ensemble to perform jazzy twist on ‘The Nutcracker’

The jazz musicians of Saint Mary’s will bring a modern classic to town as they perform the amazing Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in SMU’s Page Theatre.

Recorded in 1960 by Duke Ellington and his orchestra, this interpretation takes the classic ballet settings and turns them inside out. Noted jazz educator and historian Gunther Schuller wrote, “There are leaps of high imagination on every page. In Ellington’s ‘Nutcracker,’ they seem to come in just about every measure. I consider this one of the great American scores, and you'll probably never hear it at your local symphony!”

The modern arrangement of Duke Ellington’s original scores includes transcriptions of many of the original solos – most notably those of legendary clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton. Regional woodwind virtuoso David Townsend will be featured as guest clarinetist for this performance.

In addition to the Ellington masterpiece, Jazz Combo 1 will perform two arrangements by SMU jazz director A. Eric Heukeshoven that also take familiar holiday themes and infuse them with a healthy dose of jazz.

Rounding out the evening will be vocal performances of seasonal favorites by SMU students Keotta House and Gabriel Verges.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available by calling the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

For more information contact A. Eric Heukeshoven at Ext. 7292 or eheukesh@smumn.edu.

Chamber Orchestra to perform Dec. 8

The Saint Mary’s University Chamber Orchestra will perform a special birthday tribute concert, “Britten’s Centennial,” at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the SMU Performance Center.

The English composer Benjamin Britten was born on Nov. 22, 1913. In celebration of this centenary, this concert will include two of his most famous works, “Simple Symphony for Strings” and “Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.”

The orchestra is composed of Saint Mary’s students and faculty, along with Winona community members, under the direction of Dr. David Leung. The concert will feature the talents of Dr. Mark Mowry, a tenor from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire; and Regina Barbosa, a senior public relations major, on French horn.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, Monday through Friday from 10 am. to 6 p.m. or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Conservatory news

River North Dance to host ballet master class 

On Nov. 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will host the River North Dance Company for a ballet master class. This talented company will perform Nov. 20 as part of the Page Series.

Admission is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Register by e-mailing mca@smumn.edu, or call 453-5500.

Fall music concert Nov. 15

On Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m., the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will hold its fall Music Division Concert at the Figliulo Recital Hall. The concert will showcase the jazz combos and a variety of private-lesson students. The community is invited to come and support these talented young musicians. Admission is a freewill donation, with all proceeds supporting the conservatory.

For more information, visit www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org, e-mail mca@smumn.edu, “like” them on Facebook, or call 453-5500.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Halloween Fun Night draws more than 800

Students assisted trick-or-treaters in playing games.

Dan Bucknam and his family were dressed for the occasion

Pint-sized ghouls, princesses and superheros covered the campus Monday night as more than 800 people participated in Saint Mary’s Halloween Fun Night. This free, safe and fun event was sponsored by the Office of Residence life. Thanks go to the many volunteers who made the event such a success. For more photos, go to www.smumn.edu/photos.

Alumnus returns to SMU for exhibit titled ‘Excessibility’

Las Vegas artist and 1994 Saint Mary’s alumnus Todd VonBastiaans — along with friend and colleague Bryan McCarthy — are curating the Saint Mary’s University exhibit, “Excessibility.”

The show, which depicts luxury and celebrity accessibility is subtitled, “Access 2 Excess” and features works from 1939 to 2013, including Banksy, Ed Ruscha, Sol Lewitt and Andy Warhol. VonBastiaans and McCarthy are also displaying their new pancake pillows.

“Excessibility” will run through Nov. 10 in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries, located in the Toner Student Center.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and the show is free and open to the public.

SMU hosts Theatreworks USA with ‘Peter Pan’ Nov. 14

Audience members of all ages will enjoy a unique retelling of the classic tale “Peter Pan” as Theatreworks USA takes the Page Theatre stage Thursday, Nov. 14, at Saint Mary’s.

This Page Series offering will begin at 6:30 p.m.

A story within a story, this version of “Peter Pan” is an adapted version of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale created by John Caird and Trevor Nunn. The performance begins with a group of children in turn-of-the-century London who use their imaginations — and some props from their room — to reenact the story of Peter Pan. This story empowers children to create their own world of make-believe. As the children fly to Neverland and escape the evil Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, they recognize the importance of friendship as well as the value of being part of a family.

Theatreworks USA often visits the Page stage; last season they performed “Bunnicula.” Since their founding in 1961, they have presented more than 90 million children and their families with opportunities to enjoy their theatrical productions in 49 states and Canada.

Tickets are $14 for adults, $6 for seniors and students and are available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Winona National Bank is also sponsoring this performance.

Alumnus returns to SMU for exhibit titled ‘Excessibility’

Las Vegas artist and 1994 Saint Mary’s alumnus Todd VonBastiaans — along with friend and colleague Bryan McCarthy — are curating the Saint Mary’s University exhibit, “Excessibility.”

The show, which depicts luxury and celebrity accessibility is subtitled, “Access 2 Excess” and features works from 1939 to 2013, including Banksy, Ed Ruscha, Sol Lewitt and Andy Warhol. VonBastiaans and McCarthy are also displaying their new pancake pillows.

“Excessibility” will run through Nov. 10 in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries, located in the Toner Student Center.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and the show is free and open to the public.

Get set to scream at annual Saint Mary’s Walk of Horror

This year’s Walk of Horror is again guaranteed to give you goosebumps. New scares are planned around every corner.

The 17th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the SMU Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 25-26 and 30-31 in the SMU bluffs. Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the SMU baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs surrounding the SMU campus for approximately 20 minutes.
The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate.

Proceeds from this event will be used for the softball team’s travel expenses.

SMU head fastpitch softball coach Jen Miller said the event is fun for all ages. The scare level is toned down for younger children and turned up for groups bold enough to face their fears. Last year more than 1,100 brave souls took SMU’s Walk of Horror.

For more information, contact Miller at Ext. 6923.

SMU hosts Caravan du Nord Minnesota musicians Oct. 18

Night Moves

Saint Mary’s Off the Page Series will host an impressive lineup of talented Minnesota musicians as part of the “Caravan du Nord 2013” concert series today, Friday, Oct. 18.

In its third year, the Caravan du Nord concert tour starts Oct. 11 in Austin, with stops in Winona, St. Cloud and Detroit Lakes before ending in Red Wing on Nov. 16. Each event features live performances by artists in a wide range of genres.

The Winona lineup includes some of the most talked about up-and-coming artists — Night Moves, Southwire and Mike Munson — converging on the SMU Page Theatre stage, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Night Moves is based out of Minneapolis and has been receiving airtime on MPR’s The Current; they have been described by Spin magazine as “cosmically expansive and yet twangily intimate.” Southwire, from Duluth, has been praised by City Pages as providing “haunting melodies that sound like they have been carried on the winds of the past.” Winona’s own Mike Munson was recently on the nationally broadcast WPR show “Whad' Ya Know” and is regularly heard around town performing his blues-influenced solo guitar.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The SMU Student Activity Committee is co-hosting this event.

Members of Night Moves and Minnesota’s top music industry professionals will provide insider insight about marketing, songwriting and more at a workshop Friday, Oct. 18, from noon to 3 p.m. at Sum Some Studios, 168 E. 3rd St. The event is free and open to the public.

Alumnus returns to SMU for exhibit titled ‘Excessibility’

Las Vegas artist and 1994 Saint Mary’s alumnus Todd VonBastiaans — along with friend and colleague Bryan McCarthy — are curating the Saint Mary’s University exhibit, “Excessibility.”

The show, which depicts luxury and celebrity accessibility is subtitled, “Access 2 Excess” and features works from 1939 to 2013, including Banksy, Ed Ruscha, Sol Lewitt and Andy Warhol. VonBastiaans and McCarthy are also displaying their new pancake pillows.

“Excessibility” will run through Nov. 10 in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries, located in the Toner Student Center.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and the show is free and open to the public.

Halloween Fun Night is Oct. 28

Elementary and preschool children from the Winona area are invited to attend the 13th annual Saint Mary’s University Halloween Fun Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28.

Participants should stop at the guard booth at the main entrance of the Winona campus for directions on where to park. 

Young trick-or-treaters should start out the evening at the Hall of Fame Room, located in the Toner Student Center, where tattoos and stickers, a coloring station, and other fun games will be offered, and the Cardinal mascot will greet pint-sized ghosts and goblins.

From there, SMU students will lead groups of trick-or-treaters through the residence halls of the university, where they can go door to door for candy.

Last year more than 750 youth participated in this free, safe and fun event, sponsored by the Office of Residence Life.

Get set to scream at annual Saint Mary’s Walk of Horror

This year’s Walk of Horror is again guaranteed to give you goosebumps. New scares are planned around every corner.

The 17th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the SMU Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 25-26 and 30-31 in the SMU bluffs. Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the SMU baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs surrounding the SMU campus for approximately 20 minutes.

The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate.

Proceeds from this event will be used for the softball team’s travel expenses.

SMU head fastpitch softball coach Jen Miller said the event is fun for all ages. The scare level is toned down for younger children and turned up for groups bold enough to face their fears. Last year more than 1,100 brave souls took SMU’s Walk of Horror.

For more information, contact Miller at Ext. 6923.

SMU hosts Caravan du Nord Minnesota musicians Oct. 18

Saint Mary’s Off the Page Series will host an impressive lineup of talented Minnesota musicians as part of the “Caravan du Nord 2013” concert series Friday, Oct. 18.

In its third year, the Caravan du Nord concert tour starts Oct. 11 in Austin, with stops in Winona, St. Cloud and Detroit Lakes before ending in Red Wing on Nov. 16. Each event features live performances by artists in a wide range of genres.

The Winona lineup includes some of the most talked about up-and-coming artists — Night Moves, Southwire and Mike Munson — converging on the SMU Page Theatre stage, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Night Moves is based out of Minneapolis and has been receiving airtime on MPR’s The Current; they have been described by Spin magazine as “cosmically expansive and yet twangily intimate.” Southwire, from Duluth, has been praised by City Pages as providing “haunting melodies that sound like they have been carried on the winds of the past.” Winona’s own (and SMU alum) Mike Munson was recently on the nationally broadcast WPR show “Whad' Ya Know” and is regularly heard around town performing his blues-influenced solo guitar.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The SMU Student Activity Committee is co-hosting this event.

Members of Night Moves and Minnesota’s top music industry professionals will provide insider insight about marketing, songwriting and more at a workshop Friday, Oct. 18, from noon to 3 p.m. at Sum Some Studios, 168 E. 3rd St. The event is free and open to the public.

SMU Page Series to feature folk singer Susan Werner

The next Page Series will feature some sweet songs about sustainability by folk singer Susan Werner.

Werner will present work from her “Hayseed” project at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in  Page Theatre.

Born in Manchester, Iowa, Werner grew up on her family’s hog farm, but she took to singing rather than farming. She began making a name for herself in the folk scene of the early 1990s in Philadelphia, New York and Boston. She recorded five albums from 1993 to 2001 in the folk genre. Her next recording in 2004, “I Can't Be New,” was a departure encompassing Tin Pan Alley, early torch, and jazz standards. Now based in Chicago, Warner’s most recent music is infused with the rustic roots of American folk, blues and country music. Her 11th recording “Kicking the Beehive” includes guest appearances by Vince Gill, Mo’Keb and Paul Franklin.

Werner’s newest project, “Hayseed,” contains 12 songs on the subject of farming, rural America, locavores, food safety, and the comic potential of herbicides. With this work, she returns to the language and characters she knows best.

Tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for students and seniors and are available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

SMU hosts Caravan du Nord Minnesota musicians Oct. 18

Night Moves

Saint Mary’s Off the Page Series will host an impressive lineup of talented Minnesota musicians as part of the “Caravan du Nord 2013” concert series Friday, Oct. 18.

In its third year, the Caravan du Nord concert tour starts Oct. 11 in Austin, with stops in Winona, St. Cloud and Detroit Lakes before ending in Red Wing on Nov. 16. Each event features live performances by artists in a wide range of genres.

The Winona lineup includes some of the most talked about up-and-coming artists — Night Moves, Southwire and Mike Munson — converging on the SMU Page Theatre stage, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Night Moves is based out of Minneapolis and has been receiving airtime on MPR’s The Current; they have been described by Spin magazine as “cosmically expansive and yet twangily intimate.” Southwire, from Duluth, has been praised by City Pages as providing “haunting melodies that sound like they have been carried on the winds of the past.” Winona’s own Mike Munson was recently on the nationally broadcast WPR show “Whad' Ya Know” and is regularly heard around town performing his blues-influenced solo guitar.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The SMU Student Activity Committee is co-hosting this event.

Members of Night Moves and Minnesota’s top music industry professionals will provide insider insight about marketing, songwriting and more at a workshop Friday, Oct. 18, from noon to 3 p.m. at Sum Some Studios, 168 E. 3rd St. The event is free and open to the public.

Family Weekend Fall Frolic is Sept. 28

The public is invited to participate in the 26th Fall Frolic 5K fun run/walk at Saint Mary’s University Saturday, Sept. 28.

Registration will run from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in SMU’s Toner Student Center with the race beginning at 10 a.m. The $8 cost includes a T-shirt.

The annual event is free to SMU students, faculty and staff, but is open to the community as well. Typically close to 300 people participate; competitors of all levels (including walkers) are welcome.

Participants will enjoy the beautiful bluff trails of SMU’s Winona campus. The online registration form is available at www.smumn.edu/fallfrolic, and a complete weekend schedule is available online at www.smumn.edu/familyweekend.

Family Weekend runs Sept. 27-29 and includes a full slate of activities for families of students and the SMU community. In previous years, as many as 1,000 visitors have come onto campus for Family Weekend music and theatre events, sporting events, the Fall Frolic, and other games and activities.

Poet Sarah Certa to give reading

A reading by poet Sarah Certa, author of the chapbook, “Red Paper Heart,” will be held 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the President’s Room.

Her poems focus on the many shades of love. In 2010, Sarah graduated from Winona State with a B.A. in English and in 2013 from the Vermont College of Fine Arts with an M.F.A. in creative writing.

The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor dociety. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Carolyn Ayers, cayers@smumn.edu or Ext. 1523.

SMU Page Series to feature folk singer Susan Werner

The next Page Series will feature some sweet songs about sustainability by folk singer Susan Werner.

Werner will present work from her “Hayseed” project at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in  Page Theatre.

Born in Manchester, Iowa, Werner grew up on her family's hog farm, but she took to singing rather than farming. She began making a name for herself in the folk scene of the early 1990s in Philadelphia, New York and Boston. She recorded five albums from 1993 to 2001 in the folk genre. Her next recording in 2004, “I Can't Be New,” was a departure encompassing Tin Pan Alley, early torch, and jazz standards. Now based in Chicago, Warner's most recent music is infused with the rustic roots of American folk, blues and country music. Her 11th recording “Kicking the Beehive” includes guest appearances by Vince Gill, Mo'Keb and Paul Franklin.

Werner’s newest project, “Hayseed,” contains 12 songs on the subject of farming, rural America, locavores, food safety, and the comic potential of herbicides. With this work, she returns to the language and characters she knows best.

Tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for students and seniors and are available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A Page in History event is planned for noon Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Winona County History Center. Come and celebrate local food and food growers, along with Werner. Folks from the Winona Farmer’s Market, Bluff Country Co-op and local food growers will be attending. Meet your local farmers and hear a preview of Werner’s evening performance. She is supporting three organizations: Practical Farmers of Iowa, Ames’ Midwest Organic Sustainability Education Service of Spring Valley, Wis.; and the Land Institute, Salina, Kan.