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Plenty to do as Fort Lewis College gets back to business

Blaylock

The students have arrived and Jones Hall is alive with music! The excitement of a new school year and seeing all the new and returning students does wonders to ease the end-of-summer blues.

The Fort Lewis College Art Gallery’s first exhibition of the fall will feature work from faculty and staff within the Department of Art & Communication Design. The exhibit is open from Sept. 7-29, beginning with a reception from 4:30-6 p.m. Wednesday.

The Community Concert Hall at FLC has a lively September planned, beginning Sept. 9 with Dancing Earth’s “... seeds: REdGENERATION.” With a devotion for the development of the innovative field of indigenous contemporary dance, Rulan Tangen brings her unique program in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Parks – Living Legacy: Mesa Verde in Motion, an Imagine Your Parks Project. Tangen is the director/choreographer of the indigenous dance collective Dancing Earth, which embodies an elemental language of bone and blood memory in motion, rooted in the spirit and energy of the first peoples and the land. Dance Magazine named Dancing Earth “One of the Top 25 to Watch.” Tangen believes this form of dance continues the link of culture from ancient to futuristic.

Born in the streets of Los Angeles, Las Cafeteras formed as a band in 2008 with the purpose of documenting the histories of their neighborhoods through music. The musicians were students when they launched their mission at the Eastside Café, a Zapatista-inspired community space in East Los Angeles. There, the band members were influenced by the culture, storytelling and poetic music of Son Jarocho, a traditional music from Veracruz, Mexico. Las Cafeteras has taken the music scene by storm with its infectious live performances, crossing genres and musical borders. The dance floor will be open for this show hitting the hall on the 15th.

Durango favorite Joyce Lyons and her Jazz Ensemble will be here for a fundraiser for the Russ & Bette Serzen Endowment Fund for Concert Hall operations on Sept. 17. Jazz on the Hill features an evening of fine food and music in support of the Community Concert Hall. Guests dine on the Concert Hall stage, and are treated to a performance from Lyons. Lyons’ rich alto has been compared to Dianne Reeves and Oleta Adams as she digs into the lyrics and meaning of a song, whether it’s classic Broadway, the Great American Songbook or hard-swinging Jazz. Lyons will be backed by Graydon Peterson (bass), Jay Epstein (drums) and Phil Aaron (keyboards). Seating is limited. Lyons will be in Roshong Recital hall at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 15 to give the music students a master class. Come on by and watch her work with our voice students!

The music faculty present their annual scholarship fundraising concert at 3 p.m. Sept. 18 in Roshong Recital Hall. They’ll perform short works in small groups. Cost, at the door, is just $15 for adults and $5 for children. All proceeds go directly into our music scholarship fund. Come out and support our scholarship mission while enjoying our talented musician professors. Get to know them at the reception afterwards.

I highly encourage you to come to a special inaugural concert, “The Four Seasons” presented by Quadrivium. The group was formed in 2016 with the goal of bringing world-class vocal chamber music to Durango and the surrounding region. The group performs fine small-ensemble vocal music to enrich our community, showcasing infrequently performed vocal repertoire at the highest level of artistry. Consisting of four to five voices, Quadrivium provides audiences a uniquely intimate ensemble experience.

At 1 p.m. Sept. 25, you’ll experience the sounds of the four seasons through intimate four-voice works by Brahms, Holst, Hindemith, Poulenc and other masters of song. This concert is presented with support from the Fort Lewis College Artist in Residence program and the Fort Lewis College Foundation and is free of charge.

The Concert Hall dance floor will be open on Sept. 28 for “Get the Led Out - The American Led Zeppelin.” From the bombastic and epic, to the folksy and mystical, Get the Led Out has captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin. The band’s accomplished musicians re-create Zeppelin’s songs in all their depth, including the studio overdubs that Zeppelin never performed live. Whether it’s the passion and fury with which GTLO delivers the blues-soaked, groove-driven rock anthems, or the delicate nature of the band’s intimate, sit-down acoustic set, GTLO’s attention to detail and nuance makes a Get The Led Out performance a truly awe-inspiring experience.

The Artists in Residence program will bring us pianist Nancy Breth for a three-day stay beginning with a master class at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 30; a teaching lecture at 11 a.m. Oct. 1; and finishing with a recital at 3 p.m. Oct. 2. Breth is an accomplished pianist, author, lecturer and teacher. Visit http://brethstudio.net to learn more about her.

Purchase tickets for Concert Hall events at www.durangoconcerts.com, 247-7657 or at the Durango Welcome Center, on the corner of Eighth Street and Main Avenue.

blaylock_sl@fortlewis.edu Shauna Blaylock is the publicist/event coordinator for the Fort Lewis College Music Department.



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