ArtsQuest hosts professional artists Posted on 4/8/2011
Warren St. John
Bismarck State College packs April with guest artists for the 14th annual ArtsQuest, a month-long celebration of the performing, visual and literary arts and BSC student talent.
Mid-month holds a blitz of activities with authors David Pelzer April 12 and New York Times feature writer Warren St. John April 19.
BSC's popular Collage Concert of music, art and student readings takes place April 14. The BSC Wind Ensemble performs April 18 and graphic art students showcase their work April 18-21 at Kirkwood Mall. For details, see the ArtsQuest schedule.
Headlining this year's array of talent is Chris Brubeck's Triple Play, a dynamic ensemble that performs everything from jazz to folk and blues to classics. BSC hosts Brubeck and his Triple Play partners, Peter "Madcat" Ruth and Joel Brown, for a concert Saturday, April 16, starting at 7:30 p.m. in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. Admission requires a free ticket available at the BSC Bookstore or Eckroth Music.
Chris Brubeck first distinguished himself as a jazz musician performing and recording with his father, the legendary Dave Brubeck. In the past few decades, he has earned international acclaim as composer, musician and recording artist. He has toured the world, performed to acclaim on its greatest stages and created genre-bending symphonic works, including two commissioned and performed by the Boston Pops.
Brubeck's current group, Triple Play, combines a roster of virtuoso instrumentation and vocals that relentlessly propels audiences to their feet. Brubeck plays four instruments: fretless bass, trombone, piano and guitar. Brown shines on acoustic, classical and slide guitar. Ruth adds harmonica, jaw harp, ukulele, kalimba, hi hat and tambourine.
Triple Play conducts a group master class Saturday, April 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the BSC Leach Music Center 177. For information, contact Dr. John Darling, 224-5444 or John.Darling@bismarckstate.edu.
Warren St. John has written for The New Yorker, Slate, Wired and The New York Observer, in addition to his work at the New York Times. He is author of "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania" (2004). His latest book, "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" (2009) was released to rave reviews. The book was BSC's Campus Read selection last fall.
St. John will discuss how a real life soccer team of refugees and its female coach transform themselves and a resistant Georgia town into a community. His talk about life lessons and social change begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium.
ArtsQuest features the graphic arts Wednesday, April 20, with a presentation by illustrative designer Von Glitschka on "Creating 5ive-Alarm Concepts" at 7 p.m. in the National Energy Center of Excellence 304. Glitschka has earned numerous awards and is principal of Glitschka Studios, a multi-disciplinary creative firm in Salem, Ore.
A series of concerts featuring BSC's music students are scheduled in late April and early May, along with a student art exhibit and reception, outdoor raku firing, readings from the student "Figments of Imagination" literary/art journal, and a festival of short plays.
ArtsQuest began in 1998 as a project of the Arts and Communication Department. For more information, contact ArtsQuest coordinator Barbara Jirges at 224-5601.
Warren St. John has written for The New Yorker, Slate, Wired and The New York Observer, in addition to his work at the New York Times. He is author of "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania" (2004). His latest book, "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" (2009) was released to rave reviews. The book was BSC's Campus Read selection last fall.
