center for the performing arts at penn state onstage
TRANSCRIPT
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT PENN STATE
ONSTAGE
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This performance is made possible, in part, through the generous support of
Nancy VanLandingham, chairLam Hood, vice chair
Judy Albrecht William Asbury
Lynn Sidehamer BrownPhilip Burlingame
Deb LattaEileen Leibowitz
Ellie LewisChristine Lichtig
Mary Ellen Litzinger
Bonnie MarshallPieter OuwehandMelinda StearnsLillian UpcraftPat WilliamsNina Woskob
student representativesBrittany BanikStephanie CorcinoJesse Scott
Community Advisory CounCilThe Community Advisory Council is dedicated to strengthening
the relationship between the Center for the Performing Arts and the community. Council members participate in a range
of activities in support of this objective.
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT PENN STATEpresents
the nile Project7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, 2015
Eisenhower Auditorium
Tonight’s program will be announced from the stage.
The concert includes one intermission.
sponsor
Days Inn Penn State
support provided by
Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment
This project is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Tour Direction: SRO Artists, Inc.6629 University Ave. # 206
Middleton, WI 53562608-664-8160
The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state
agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
ArtistsMOHAMED ABOUZEKRY: Despite his tender years, this oud player has a stunning com-mand of his instrument, as well as an open ear for other forms. They’re skills that got him a recent album deal with Harmo-nia Mundi.
ALSARAH: Based in Brooklyn, this soulful Sudanese singer and ethnomusicologist’s songs have won high praise from roots-music tastemakers such as Songlines magazine.
MICHAEL BAZIBU: A member of Ndere, Uganda’s leading traditional music and dance company, for the past seven-teen years, Bazibu plays several traditional Ugandan stringed and percussion instruments with virtuosic grace.
HANY BEDEIR: When the big-gest stars in the Middle East need daff (hand drum) or riq (traditional tambourine), they call Bedeir, whose percussion skills have also earned him a teaching position at several respected Cairo institutions.
NADER ELSHAER: Born in the culturally rich town of Port Said, Egypt, Elshaer taught himself accordion and ney, only to fall in love with the tones of the kawala (end-blown cane flute) and its role in Arabic classical music.
DINA EL WEDIDI: With experi-ence that spans Arabic clas-
sical music, edgy theatre, and street protest, this young singer recently worked on her debut album with Brazilian heavy-weight Gilberto Gil.
MEKLIT HADERO (select appearances only): Co-founder of The Nile Project, this Ameri-can-based Ethiopian singer fre-quently digs deep into soul and hip-hop but never loses sight of her roots.
JORGA MESFIN: This self-taught saxophone player meshes jazz with Ethiopia’s wealth of musical forms and ideas, both as a respected band leader and as a favorite side-man for greats such as Mulatu Astatke.
KASIVA MUTUA: Kenyan per-cussionist and singer Mutua learned drumming from her grandmother, but she has devel-oped her own knack for power-ful Afropop beats. Her expres-sive playing can tell a story by itself or keep a band perfectly in the pocket.
SOPHIE NZAYISENGA: The first female master of inanga, the Rwandan traditional zither, Nzayisenga learned at her inter-nationally acclaimed father’s knee before setting out to make the instrument her own.
STEVEN SOGO: Burundi’s lead-ing bassist, this multilingual multi-instrumentalist can play anything with strings, including
ProduCErs
MINA GIRGIS (President and Chief Executive Officer): An Egyptian ethnomusicologist
the umiduri, Burundi’s answer to the birembau. Add to that Sogo’s wonderful voice, and it’s easy to see why he was named a World Bank musical ambas-sador.
nilE BACKGroundThe Nile, one of the world’s most iconic rivers, has captivated the imagination of millions throughout time. Originating at two sources—Lake Victoria in East Africa and Lake Tana in the Ethio-pian highlands—the 4,144-mile river flows northward through a diversity of climates, landscapes, and cultures before passing through Egypt and emptying into the Mediterranean Sea.
The region’s population of 437 million people is projected to more than double within forty years, placing an ever-increasing demand for Nile water. The water is tied to all aspects of life—from the food on tables to the electricity that powers homes to
with a background in hospital-ity experience design, Girgis explores new ways to cultivate environments conducive to learning, making, and experi-encing music. He specializes in curating and producing inno-vative musical collaborations across diverse styles.
MILES JAY (Musical Director): A contrabassist, composer, and arranger, Jay has worked with the likes of Youssou N’Dour, Ziad Rahbani, Fathy Salama, Ross Daly, Naseer Shamma, Niyaz, Mashrou3 Leila, and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
SELAMNESH ZEMENE: Hail-ing from a long line of unique culture bearers in northern Ethiopia, this young singer has brought her traditions to collab-orations with indie darlings such as Debo Band and The Ex.
people’s health. Even now, people living along the Nile are vul-nerable to water-related hardships. At least five nations in the Nile Basin are facing water stress. Seven of the eleven Nile coun-tries suffer from undernourishment rates higher than 30 percent. Fewer than one in ten basin residents have access to electricity. The core issue at hand is how to peacefully allocate Nile Basin water among eleven nations, each with different needs and pri-orities, whose populations are skyrocketing.
This mounting resource scarcity has contributed to a geopoliti-cal conflict between upstream and downstream riparian states. Tremendous political capital has been expended to draft the Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement, an international treaty to govern water distribution and infrastructure projects differ-ently from the existing 1959 Egyptian-Sudanese treaty that gives Egypt the majority water right annually. While the agreement has yet to win con-sensus, the arduous negotiation process has exposed the deep-seated mis-trust between coun-tries, the absence of opportunities for citi-zen-led dialogue, and the lack of a unified identity and vision for the development of a shared Nile eco-system.
The Nile Basin is wrought with politi-cal, environmental, economic, and social challenges requiring a new approach to better address the myriad challenges it faces. As regional tensions flare, The Nile Project offers a unique grassroots strategy to effectively mobilize thousands of people across the Nile Basin and beyond in constructive cross-cultural dialogue and collaboration.
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tHE nilE ProJECtThe Nile Project is transforming the Nile conflict by inspiring, educating, and empowering an international network of university students to culti-vate the sustainability of their ecosystem. The project’s model integrates programs in music, education, dialogue, leadership, and innovation to engage students across disciplines and geographies.
Musical Collaborations: The Nile Project brings together artists from the eleven Nile countries to make music that combines the region’s diverse instruments, languages, and traditions. The concert experience aims to inspire cultural curiosity, highlight regional connections, and showcase the potential for trans-boundary cooperation.
Dialogue and Education Programs: Participatory workshops and cross-cultural dialogues provide university students with unique intellectual experiences, deepening their understanding of the Nile ecosystem while stimulating new ways of thinking, communicating, and doing.
Leadership and Innovation Programs: The Nile Fellowship and Nile Prize programs incentivize university students to apply their education and training toward mobilizing their peers and pioneering innovative solu-tions to the Nile Basin’s complex and interrelated challenges.
For more information: nileproject.orgfacebook.com/nileprojecttwitter.com/nileproject
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Nancy L. HerronLam and Lina HoodCindy and Al JonesChick KingJames and Bonnie KnappJames and Barbara KornerJohn and Michelle MasonPatrick W. and Susan N. MorseMarcia and Bill NewtonSteve and Anne PfeiffenbergerJack and Sue PorembaPatricia Hawbaker QuinlivanAndy and Kelly RenfrewShirley SacksSally L. SchaadtRussell and Jeanne SchleidenPaul and K. C. SheelerVaughn and Kay ShirkSusan and Lewis SteinbergMarilynne W. StoutKenton StuckMark and Anne ToniattiElizabeth TrudeauGeorge and Debbie TrudeauMark and JoAnne WesterhausMary Jane and William WildCharlotte Zmyslo
PARTNER
$250 TO $499
Steve and Chris AdamsWilliam W. AsburyDr. Deborah F. AtwaterSven and Carmen BilénAlan BrownRoger and Corinne CoplanLee and Joan CoraorStephanie Corcino
MeMbersThe Center for the Performing Arts recognizes the following members for their support. For information on the membership program or how you may contribute to the Center for the Performing Arts, please contact Dave Shaffer at 814-863-1167 or [email protected].
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE
$3,000 AND MORE
Lynn Sidehamer BrownMimi U. Barash CoppersmithMarty and Joan DuffBlake and Linda GallRobert and Helen HarveyBob and Sonia HufnagelRichard and Sally KalinDan and Peggy Hall LeKanderBarbara PalmerDotty and Paul RigbyLouis P. Silverman and Veronica A. SamborskyGeorge and Nina Woskob
DIRECTOR’SCIRCLE
$2,000 TO $2,999
Patricia Best and Thomas RayLynn Donald BreonJanet Fowler Dargitz and
Karl George StoedefalkeRod and Shari EricksonEdward R. GalusArnold and Marty GascheDonald W. Hamer and Marie BednarBeverly HickeyHoney and Bill JaffeKay F. KustanbauterEileen W. LeibowitzTom and Mary Ellen LitzingerPieter W. and Lida OuwehandWilliam RabinowitzRobert Schmalz
ENCORECIRCLE
$1,000 TO $1,999
Pamela M. AikeyGrace M. Bardine Mary and Hu BarnesPhilip and Susan BurlingameEdda and Francis G. GentryRichard B. GidezJudith Albrecht and Denny GioiaDavid and Margaret GrayMichael P. Johnson and
Maureen MulderigStan and Debra LattaBenson and Christine LichtigKenneth and Irene McllvriedKaren and Scott ShearerJackson and Diane SpielvogelCarol and Rex WarlandTerry and Pat WilliamsDavid and Diane Wisniewski
ADVOCATE
$500 TO $999
Ned and Inga BookJack and Diana BrenizerSandra Zaremba and Richard Brown Richard Carlson and Lori ForlizziJoseph and Annie DoncseczMichael T. and Ann F. DotseySteve and Sandy ElbinMark A. FalvoNancy S. GambleJohn and Carol GrahamBill and Connie HayesSteven L. Herb and
Sara Willoughby-Herb
Bold listings represent members who increased their donations by 10 percent or more this season. Be Bold! Contact Dave Shaffer, assistant director for special programs, at 814-863-1167.
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Jo DixonMargaret DudaHeather F. FleckPamela FrancisPeg and Joe FrenchCatherine GreenhamAndrea HarringtonSue HaugDawn E. HawkinsDale T. HoffmanAnne HummerChristopher and Gail HurleyJohn and Gina IkenberryAllen and Nancy JacobsonLaurene Keck and Dave SweetlandJohn and Gretchen LeathersDebra LeithauserFran E. LevinJack and Ellie LewisDorothy and Kenneth LutzRichard and Juanita LysleJodi Hakes McWhirterSusan and Brian McWhirterJim and Sharon MortensenJoe and Sandy NiebelEva and Ira PellMartena RogersMike and Joan RoseberryRobert and Peggy SchlegelTom and Carolyn SchwartzDave Shaffer and Eve EvansJohn and Sherry SymonsShawn and Amy VashawGary and Tammy VratarichBarbara R. and Joel A. WeissSue WhiteheadDavid and Betsy WillSharon and Carl WinterCraig and Diane ZabelDr. Theodore ZiffCal and Pam Zimmerman
FRIEND
$150 TO $249
Lynn and Ellis AbramsonShirley AllanAnne and Art AndersonScott and Sandy BalboniDr. Henry and Elaine BrzyckiJohn Collins and Mary BrownJohn M. Carroll and Mary Beth RossonGeorge and Bunny DohnSteven P. Draskoczy, M.D.Terry and Janice EngelderBarry and Patti FisherFrank and Vicki ForniBob and Ellen FrederickAndris and Dace FreivaldsDavid and Kay GreenBethlyn and Scott GriffinCharlie and Laura HackettElizabeth Hanley and
Patrick KolivoskiJohn Lloyd HansonBetty Harper and Scott SheederIn Memory of Bob HarveyAnn and Tom HettmanspergerJackie and John HookJim and Susan HouserSteven and Shirley HsiDaniel and Kathleen JonesEd and Deb KlevansJohn F. KneppHarry B. Kropp and
Edward J. LegutkoThomas Kurtz and Grace Mullingan-KurtzMark and Theresa LaferFred and Louise LeoniakSharon and David LiebBob and Janice LindsayHerb and Trudy LipowskyJane and Edward LiszkaNancy and John LoweSandy and Betty MacdonaldHelen ManfullDeborah Marron Betty McBride-ThueringSherren and Harold McKenzie
Tom Caldwell Memorial FundDon MillerJune MillerGary and Judy MitchellBetty and John MooreChris and Bobbie MuscarellaRobert F. and Donna C. NicelyClaire M. PaquinGuy and Grace PilatoProforma LLH Promos, LLCAndrew and Jean Landa PytelEd and Georgia ReutzelPhil and Judy RobertsSusan J. ScheetzThe Shondeck FamilyDonald Smith and Merrill BudlongAllan and Sherrill SonstebyCarol Sosnowski and
Rosemary WeberBarry and Ellen SteinJoLaine TeyssierJames and Deena UltmanStephen and Jennifer Van HookNancy and Wade VanLandinghamAlice Wilson and FriendsDavid L. and Connie Yocum
THE JAZZ TRAIN
$250 AND MORE
Help us continue to present world-class jazz artists by becoming a member ofThe Jazz Train. For details, contact Dave Shaffer at [email protected] or 814-863-1167.
William W. AsburyPatricia Best and Thomas RayDavid and Susan BeyerleLynn Donald BreonPhilip and Susan BurlingameDavid and Lisa CogginsGordon and Caroline DeJongJim and Polly DunnEdward R. GalusArnold and Marty GascheCharlene and Frank Gaus
PARTNER (CONT’D)
$250 TO $499
endowMenT ConTribuTors$150 AND MORE
We recognize the following donors who have contributed to endow-ments at the Center for the Performing Arts in the past year. For more information about how to contribute to existing endowments, contact Dave Shaffer at 814-863-1167 or [email protected].
John L. Brown Jr. and Marlynn Steele Sidehamer Endowment
The Sturtz-Davis Family
Nina C. Brown EndowmentPamela M. Aikey
Richard Robert Brown Program EndowmentRichard Brown and Sandra Zaremba
Norma and Ralph Condee Chamber Music EndowmentRobert and Dorothy CecilWilliam F. and Kathleen Dierkes Condee
Honey and Bill Jaffe EndowmentHoney and Bill Jaffe
McQuaide Blasko EndowmentMr. and Mrs. James Horne
Penn State International Dance Ensemble EndowmentElizabeth Hanley and Patrick Kolivoski
John and Michelle GroenveldLee Grover and Anita BearSteven L. Herb and
Sara Willoughby-HerbAnne and Lynn HutchesonHoney and Bill JaffeBrian and Christina JohnsonMichael P. Johnson and
Maureen MulderigCindy and Al JonesRobert Martin and Kathy WeaverKathleen D. Matason and
Richard M. SmithRandi and Peter MenardDr. Marla L. MoonWilson and Maureen MosesWilliam and Annemarie MountzLarry and Kelly MrozJack and Sue PorembaSally L. SchaadtDavid and Ann Shallcross-WolfgangDan and Melinda StearnsDennis W. and Joan S. ThomsonDan and Linda TreviñoBarbara R. and Joel A. WeissCharlotte Zmyslo
visionEnriching lives through inspiring experiences
missionThe Center for the Performing Arts provides a context, through artistic connections, to the human experience. By bringing artists and audiences together we spark discovery of passion, inspira-tion, and inner truths. We are a motivator for creative thinking and examination of our relationship with the world.
Front cover photos: 1. Diavolo Kenneth Mucke 2. Antibalas Marina Abadjieff 3. Imago Theatre’s Frogz Jerry Mouawad 4. SISTER ACT © 2014 Joan Marcus 5. Cyrille Aimée 6. The King’s Singers Axel Nickolaus 7. Time for Three Sherry Ferrante 8. THE CHIEFTAINS Kevin Kelly 9. Brussels Jazz Orchestra’s Graphicology Philip Paquet 10. eighth blackbird Luke Ratray 11. Rosanne Cash © Clay Patrick McBride 12. Theatreworks USA’s The Lightning Thief Jeremy Daniel 13. Brooklyn Rider Sarah Small 14. CAMELOT 15. The Nile Project Matjaz Kacicnik
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George Trudeau, director
Lea Asbell-Swanger, assistant director
Annie Doncsecz, finance director
Tracy Noll, sales and development services director
Laura Sullivan, marketing and communications director
Amy Dupain Vashaw, audience and program development director
Shannon Arney, assistant ticket manager
Erik Baxter, multimedia specialist
Shannon Bishop, downtown ticket center manager
Len Codispot, sales and development accounting coordinator
Gary Collins, production supervisor
Aimee Crihfield, contracts/logistics coordinator
Medora Ebersole, education and community programs manager
Lisa Faust, audience services manager
Deanna Heichel, assistant finance director
Tom Hesketh, events manager
Wanda Hockenberry, assistant to the director
Christine Igoe, ticket manager
Urszula Kulakowski, art director
Heather Mannion, advertising associate
Sherren McKenzie, group sales coordinator
John Mark Rafacz, editorial manager
Dave Shaffer, assistant director for special programs
Chad Swires, production supervisor
Mark Tinik, production supervisor
CEntEr for tHE PErforminG Arts stAff
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT PENN STATE
MEMBERS BUY FIRSTafter we announce our 2015 –2016 season.
cpa.psu.edu/support • 814-863-1167 • [email protected]