CONWAY, Ark. (September 28,
2017) – Hendrix College’s involvement in the 11th annual ArtsFest,
presented by Conway Alliance for the Arts (CAFTA), includes a variety of
contributions by members of the Hendrix community. All events are free and open
to the public.
The Hendrix College Chamber
Orchestra will be performing works by Hendrix student composer Danielle Rosson ’18
and faculty composer Dr. Karen Griebling at the Conway ArtsFest concert set for
3 p.m. Saturday, October 7 at First United Methodist Church of Conway, 1610
Prince Street.
Rosson’s composition, “Echo,”
is a work for a small chamber ensemble. It was created with the intent of being
choreographed by a member of the Hendrix Dance Ensemble. “The piece is largely
quiet and introspective,” she says. “It, along with the unfinished
choreography, aims to depict coping with individual stress, grief, and other
factors while carrying on with our everyday lives.”
Griebling’s piece, “Middleham
Triptych,” was inspired by events that occurred during her research trip to the
United Kingdom last July. “Middleham Castle is a ruin that once was the primary
Yorkshire residence of Richard III, about whom I wrote my third opera in 2014,”
she said. “While I was conducting some follow-up research in Yorkshire, I was
inspired by the beauty of the landscape and evocative ruins and, in particular,
in the second movement a solar mirage known as a parhelion that appeared over
the castle on the evening of July 18.”
Alumna Sydney Hickok ’17
will also have a new scene from her opera, “Abelard and Heloise,” premiered by
Hendrix students Bridget Yelk ’17, mezzo soprano, and Joshua Beggs ’19, tenor,
as part of the same program.
The Hendrix Dance Ensemble will
lead off a day of outdoor performances featuring various music and community
theatre groups at the Kris Allen Stage in Downtown Simon Park. Their 10 a.m.
performance will include The Right to
Bear Regrets, choreographed by Brian Earles ’18, which premiered at the ensemble’s
2017 Spring Concert; and Individuals
Strengthened by Community, choreographed by Kathryn Bolt ’18, which
premiered in the 2017 American College Dance Association conference adjudicated
concert series at Auburn University.
Dance Ensemble members
appearing at ArtsFest are Bolt, Earles, Elaina Heikes ’20, Erika Levy ’18,
Yasmin Newman ’18, Jennifer Norman ’19, and Rosie Ronca ’20.
In addition to the
involvement in performances by Hendrix community members, Hendrix Dean of
Students Jim Wiltgen serves as the chair of ArtsFest 2017.
About
Conway ArtsFest
ArtsFest is planned and
presented by the Conway Alliance for the Arts (CAFTA), its board of directors
and community volunteers. Learn more about ArtsFest on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ConwayArtsFest, or at www.artsinconway.org.
About
Hendrix College
A private liberal arts
college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as
one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That
Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.