Things to Do, Sept. 19-26
By Daniel Aloi
Jazz quartet
Bassist-pianist-composer John Funkhouser ’89 brings his jazz quartet to campus for a concert Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall Auditorium. Free and open to the public; presented by the Department of Music.
Funkhouser is an associate professor at Berklee College of Music; he followed his Cornell B.A. in music with a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. He has played on more than 60 recordings and performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Birdland and the Blue Note in New York City.
The John Funkhouser Quartet is Funkhouser on piano and keyboards, guitarist Phil Sargent, bassist Greg Loughman and drummer Mike Connors.
Late Night Series
The Department of Performing and Media Arts (PMA) launches its Late Night Series, showcasing short performances, Saturday, Sept. 20, at 9 p.m. in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts’ Black Box Theatre.
Tickets are $5, available at SchwartzTickets.com, by calling 607-254-2787 or at the box office, 430 College Ave., open noon-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and one hour before performances.
The student-driven works range from “the silly to the sublime,” says PMA acting professor Carolyn Goelzer, who co-curates the series with graduate students Maayan Wayn and Honey Crawford. Expect to see singing, dancing, stand-up, drumming and more. “Many of the pieces are quite finished, and others are works-in-progress,” Goelzer says.
The Late Night Series is part of #150events, PMA’s contribution to the yearlong celebration of Cornell University’s sesquicentennial.
Critical thinking
Former New York Magazine drama critic, playwright and screenwriter Scott Brown comes to Cornell Sept. 22 to present “The Promiscuous Critic: Mating Criticism and Creation in the Age of Instantaneity.”
His talk, at 4:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center Film Forum, is free and open to the public. Presented by the Department of Performing and Media Arts and co-sponsored by the Department of English.
Brown is the 2012-13 winner of the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism, a national honor of distinction awarded since 1963 by the English departments at Cornell, Princeton and Yale. He co-wrote the off-Broadway hit “Gutenberg! The Musical!” and has written for the WGN America television drama “Manhattan” and developed scripts for CBS, HBO and A&E.
Fab Four film turns 50
Cornell Cinema will screen “A Hard Day’s Night,” Richard Lester’s frenetic 1964 movie musical starring The Beatles, in a 50th anniversary digital restoration, Sept. 26 at 9:45 p.m. and Sept. 27 at 7:15 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre.
The Sept. 27 screening will be followed by a Beatles-themed dance party at 9:15 p.m. Admission prices: Film only, $8 general admission, $6 students; film and dance party, $12 general, $10 students; dance party only, $5 for all.
Cornell Cinema also presents the Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour,a diverse program of eight short fiction and documentary films from the 2014 festival, Sept. 19-21; and the Sundance Film Festival Animated Short Film Tour,Oct. 3 and 5.
Economics book talks
In his new book, “The Dollar Trap: How the U.S. Dollar Tightened Its Grip on Global Finance,” Cornell economist Eswar S. Prasad argues that the global financial crisis has actually strengthened the dollar’s prominence globally and made it a most sought-after currency.
Prasad, the Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell, gives a Chats in the Stacks book talk Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. in the Stern Seminar Room, 160 Mann Library. He will discuss contemporary issues in international finance including the influence of emerging markets, currency wars, the complexities of China’s relationship with the U.S. and the role of institutions like the International Monetary Fund.
Steven A. Wolf, associate professor of natural resources, discusses the limits of policies shaping food production and consumption in a global economy in his new book, “The Neoliberal Regime in the Agri-Food Sector: Crisis, Resilience and Restructuring.” He will give a book talk Oct. 1 at 4 p.m. in 160 Mann Library.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Real-life tales
The Department of English Program in Creative Writing’s Fall 2014 Barbara and David Zalaznick Reading Series presents poet, fiction and nonfiction writer Luis Urrea, Sept. 25 at 4:30 p.m. in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium. Free and open to the public.
Urrea plans to read from several works, including his historical novels “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” and “Queen of America,” and Pulitzer Prize nonfiction finalist “The Devil’s Highway,” about a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert.
The author of 14 books, including the American Book Award winning “Nobody’s Son: Notes From an American Life,” Urrea is known for using his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph.
‘Civil Warriors’ screening
Cinemapolis hosts a prerelease screening of “Civil Warriors” Sept. 26 at 7 p.m., as part of Tompkins County Public Library’s 150th Anniversary celebration. Tickets are $5.
Produced by Ithaca company PhotoSynthesis Productions, the film tells the true story of 26 black men from Ithaca who enlisted in the U.S. Colored Troops and fought in the Civil War. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Africana Library Director Eric Acree, with filmmakers Deborah C. Hoard and Che Broadnax and narrator Sean Eversley Bradwell of Ithaca College.
The screenplay, by local writer Ben Porter Lewis, was inspired by historian and senior lecturer Carol Kammen’s play “I Am a Man Too.” The film is in postproduction and is being screened with audience feedback opportunities. An educational DVD for 11th grade classrooms is also planned.
Dawn Upshaw concert
American soprano Dawn Upshaw gives a rare chamber performance Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall Auditorium with pianist Gilbert Kalish. The opening concert of the 2014-15 Cornell Concert Series will feature a program of songs by Bela Bartok, William Bolcom, Charles Ives, Maurice Ravel and Franz Schubert.
Single tickets are limited and priced at $45 for general admission seating; $28 for students. Cornell rates: $40 for employees and $23 for students, with netID. All concert series tickets purchased by Sept. 21 at www.baileytickets.com receive a $2 discount per ticket.
The artists will also lead master classes while on campus, with Judith Kellock’s vocal students Sept. 26 and piano and chamber music students of Xak Bjerken Sept. 28.
The season includes (in Bailey Hall unless noted): Sō Percussion, Oct. 24, with original and Cornell composers’ works; Prague Philharmonic Choir, Nov. 2; Tafelmusik’s “The Galileo Project,” Nov. 15; Nrityagram Dance Ensemble’s “Samyoga,” Feb. 4 in Barnes Hall; L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Feb. 19; pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Tamara Stefanovich, March 8 in Barnes Hall; Ravi Coltrane Quartet, March 20; and Jordi Savall and Concert des Nations Ensemble, April 15 in Barnes Hall. Information: 607-255-5144.
Media Contact
Get Cornell news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe