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PAS Wine Tasting — a Great Idea at the End of February
PAS Wine Tasting 2011 committee
Whether you are a first time wine taster (don't worry about that "blanc" look on your face) or a seasoned wine connoisseur, the Performing Arts Society's (PAS) 13th Annual Wine Tasting will offer something for everyone.
The event, which will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. in the University Union Heritage Room on the Western Illinois University Macomb campus, will feature an evening of music from the President's String Quartet, the sampling of more than 60 wines, an array of appetizers and a wine-themed silent auction.
According to Mick Cumbie, College of Fine Arts and Communication development director, the wine tasting will feature wines from California, Oregon, Illinois, France, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Chile. Varieties include classic reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Chardonnay, light whites, fruit-forward whites and dessert wines. Wines prices vary from $10 to more than $100 per bottle. Wine featured at the event may be ordered on site for delivery within one week to the event's participating distributors, Hy-Vee Liquors and West Pierce Liquors. The wine program is available at
http://www.wiu.edu/pas.
Read more.
COFAC Announces 2011 Awards
DJ Alstadt, COFAC Distinguished Alum 2011
Western Illinois University's College of Fine Arts and Communication has announced its 2011 alumnus and distinguished friends awards.
Naperville Central High School Band Director DJ Alstadt is being honored with the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award, and Al and Andrea Boyer have been named recipients of the 2011 COFAC Distinguished Friends Award.
Alstadt, a 1999 music education graduate, received the first WIU School of Music Distinguished Alumnus Award.
He was nominated for the COFAC award by WIU School of Music Professor Bruce Briney. Alstadt said he credits Briney and the education he received at WIU for his success.
At Naperville Central, Alstadt conducts and oversees the teaching of four concert bands, a marching band, three jazz bands and three jazz combos. He also teaches music theory and music appreciation. . . .
Andrea and Al Boyer, COFAC Distinguished Friends 2011
Al and Andrea Boyer are well known around Western.
Most people associate Al with the baseball stadium, which was named for him, and with the lights on Hanson Field. What many might not know is that Al and Andrea are supporters of the arts at WIU.
The Boyers have supported the Bureau of Cultural Affairs (BCA) by underwriting shows like "Annie" and "Sweeney Todd," and the receptions that followed many of the shows. They have also supported WIU's Summer Music Theatre and are long-time members and honorary directors of the Performing Arts Society (PAS).
The couple has supported PAS fundraising initiatives by donating the use of their homes in Hermosa Beach (CA) and Nauvoo (IL) for the PAS Gala Silent Auction, and they have made contributions to support the purchase of a theatre trip to Chicago for the Gala's auction.
The Boyers are also active PAS participants, traveling to Macomb for fundraising events and performances.
Read more.
Alum Hampton's Play is Winner in National Competition
Drew Hampton, MFA 2009
From Drew Hampton, MFA acting, 2009, Arlington, TX.
In 2009 as a final project for J. Conner's Playwriting II class, WIU MFA grad Drew Hampton wrote a 10-minute play called The Seesaw. It was selected that year to be part of WIU's Bring Your Own Play-BYOP-event. 2009 was also the first year the play was entered into national competition, making the semi-finalist top 100 cut for the Source Festival in Washington DC.
The play has undergone a number of revisions and was submitted to the Source Festival again this past October. Source Festival received over 650 10-minute play submissions, which were read by DC area theatre-goers, actors, directors, and even playwrights of national fame, including Adam Rapp, Red Light Winter and Moises Kaufman, The Laramie Project and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.
The committee narrowed down their choices to the top 18 plays, each receiving a cash prize and professional production this summer in Washington, DC. The Seesaw is one of those 18!
Read more.
Romig Selected as Artist-In-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park
James Romig,
Associate Professor,
School of Music,
Western Illinois University
Following up his prestigious Aaron Copland House residency in summer 2011, James Romig, Associate Professor School of Music, will be visiting the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as an artist-in-residence for three weeks in June, 2012. Congratulations James!
Romig was selected from among 100 highly qualified artists. Artists include photographers, visual artists, composers, filmmakers, musicians and more.
Read more.
Nominees for College Art Association Board 2012, Charles Wright bottom, center.
Charles Wright Nominated to CAA Board
From University Relations:
MACOMB, IL - Charles A. Wright, chair of Western Illinois University's Department of Art, has been named a candidate for the College Art Association's (CAA) Board of Directors. He is joined on the ballot by a small contingency of academics from institutions including Harvard and the Art Institute of Chicago.
A position on the organization's Board of Directors provides an opportunity to enhance the group's inner workings from its financial stability to its strategic direction. The board is also responsible for setting the policy which governs all CAA activities, including publishing, the annual conference, awards and fellowships, advocacy and committee procedures.
Wright first joined the CAA as a graduate student working toward his MFA in sculpture from Washington University in St. Louis (MO). He describes the organization as "a priceless resource."
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