November Newsletter

For some reason, it appears that the November e-newsletter hasn't gone out as I thought it would. I will check on that Thursday morning, when the Alumni Association Office re-opens. For now, here are the parts of the newsletter that haven't already appeared on the blog!

As a quick reminder, don't forget about the Fall Potluck on Saturday, November 14th at 7pm. Click here for more information and to RSVP. Or scroll down the blog to the Fall Potluck posting!

Ultimate Brownies, mentioned before on this blog, was named Best of Cleveland by the Cleveland Magazine! Ultimate Brownies is run by Diana Dumitru '90. She is still campaigning to win on the Fox8 Hotlist as Best of Cleveland. Go here to vote. The contest ends November 13, 2009.

An event with the Cleveland Orchestra is in the works for Friday, December 18th. We are hoping to have a reception before the concert and be joined by some of the alumni who are members of the orchestra. Please stay tuned for more information!

As usual, much is happening on-campus. The following is just a very small selection of events - check out the Events Calendar for complete listings.

On Friday, November 6 at 8pm in Finney Chapel, concerto competition winner and Oberlin senior pianist Siyuan Li will perform Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Oberlin Orchestra, conducted by Bridget-Michaele Reischl, Music Director of the Oberlin Orchestras. The program also includes three ballet works: Beethoven's Overture to Prometheus, a suite from Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, and Georges Auric's Phèdre.

On Saturday, November 7 at 3pm in Hallock Auditorium at the Adam Joseph Lewis Center, Josh Neufeld OC '89 will be discussing his just published book "AD: New Orleans after the Deluge," a graphic memoir that grew from his experiences as a Red Cross volunteer in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Josh will introduce the book in relation to his other work, touching on his background as an alternative cartoonist, including his work with Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor. Then he'll talk about how the A.D. project evolved from his volunteer experience, his conception of A.D., its use of multimedia elements, and particularly the artistic/visual decisions he made when creating it. After this presentation, Josh will be joined by Kwame Webster, a current Oberlin student who is in the book, and Caroline Jackson Smith, Associate Professor of Theater and African American Studies, who will moderate a discussion between Josh and Kwame about their perspectives on the issues raised by the the book. The presentation will also give the audience a chance to ask questions, and will end with a book-signing.

The fall Oberlin Opera Theater production of Così fan tutte by W. A. Mozart opens on November 18 at 8pm in Hall Auditorium, with additional performances on November 20, 21 and 22. The opera is conducted by Meastra Reischl and directed by Jonathon Field. The Oberlin Chamber Orchestra will be playing in the pit. Hall Auditorium is located at 67 North Main Street. Tickets range from $5 to $12 and are available from the Central Ticket Service, at 800.371.0178 or at the box office in the auditorium lobby.

On Thursday, December 3 at 5pm, Erik Inglis, Professor of Art, will present a lecture entitled “The Stars above Paris: Monuments to François Arago, the greatest astronomer in 19th-century France.” In conjunction with the “Starry Dome” exhibition, Professor Inglis will lecture on monuments to Francois Arago, a renowned astronomer in France in the 19th century and the subject of a major 1994 Parisian monument by the Dutch conceptual artist Jan Dibbets.

This lecture will take place in Classroom 1 of the Allen Memorial Art Building, which is located at 87 North Main Street, Oberlin, OH.

The Oberlin Orchestra returns to the Finney Chapel stage on Sunday, December 6 at 8pm to present Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") in partnership with the Musical Union Chorus, directed by Associate Professor of Choral Conducting Hugh Floyd. The 80- to 90-minute work, with its inspiring choral finale, is the only piece on the program.

The fall season concludes with a concert on Tuesday, December 8 at 8pm, in Finney Chapel, by the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra. The program includes a performance by concerto competition winner and Oberlin violinist Chingis Khannanov. Khannanov, an artist diploma student, will perform Paganini's virtuosic Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6. The concert also features Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Schumann's Symphony No. 2.