Spring has settled upon us just in time for the last month of classes at Fort Lewis College. The end of the semester brings a lot of exciting presentations. April will be no exception.
The 53rd Annual Student Juried Exhibition will take place in the Department of Art & Design. This presentation will feature work submitted by students. The juror for this year will be Jen Pack, visual artist and Center of Southwest Studies librarian. The display will be up from Friday to April 14. An opening reception will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. Friday.
The Theatre Department will present the music production Avenue Q. This hilarious show has puppets and people living together on Avenue Q. The main character, Princeton, has recently graduated from college and finds a place to live on the avenue while trying to find his purpose in life. The show features such funny songs as “The Internet is for Porn” and “Everyone is a Little Bit Racist.” The production is intended for adults and includes adult language and puppet sex. Dates for the performances are: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, April 9-12 and 3 p.m. Sunday and April 13.
The Community Concert Hall will feature many exciting performances throughout the month of April. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Masters of Tradition will perform a variety of Celtic music traditions. Comic talent Kathleen Madigan will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Madigan has been seen on talk shows David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno and continues to be one of the most successful comics on the scene. At 7:30 p.m. April 16, the California Guitar Trio will perform. With a whirlwind of instrumental styles fusing classical, rock, blues, jazz, world music, progressive as well as the quintessential California “surf” music, the California Guitar Trio offers stunning virtuosity and a sly sense of humor earning the trio an enthusiastic following and wide notoriety spanning a variety of musical scenes.
The Music Department will finish up the year with some exciting concerts. At 7 p.m. April 15, the Percussion Ensembles will perform at the Community Concert Hall. This concert will feature two world premieres as well as works performed by the World Groove Ensemble and the Mallet Keyboard Ensemble. At 7 p.m. April 18 at the Community Concert Hall, the Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble will perform the Spring Band Concert. The Concert Band will perform works in a Latin American style. The second half of the concert will feature the Jazz Ensemble in a blend of new and traditional jazz music. The month finishes with the FLC Choirs in concert at 7 p.m. April 22 in the Community Concert Hall. Then, at 7:30 p.m. April 26, string students will join the San Juan Symphony in concert for “Symphony in Blue.”
Many presentations occur at the end of the school year as students, faculty and staff look to show off all the hard work done during the past year.
At the end of the year, Fort Lewis College continues to be a rewarding place to celebrate arts around the rim.
Latta_J@fortlewis.edu. Jonathan Latta is an assistant professor of music and Director of Percussion Studies at Fort Lewis College.
