Education

REVIEW: Contemporary Dance Oklahoma brings music to life in ‘electric’ Carmina Burana; Norman Phil & OMTA Up Next

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By Glenda Rice Collins

Norman, Okla., USA — Powered by  a 160-voice chorus, 40 exuberant members of Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, a chamber orchestra with two concert grand pianos, and University of Oklahoma School of Music distinguished faculty soloists:
Lori Ernest, soprano, Joel Burcham, tenor and Leslie Flanagan, bass-baritone, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana spectacular soared to new heights with extraordinary synergy at the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall at OU’s Catlett Music Center April 28. Bravo!!!

UP NEXT, June 1, the Norman Philharmonic presents a concert of “sublime music” by Beethoven and Mozart, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association (OMTA) State Conference, June 2 – 3, 2023: “Music for Life,” at Catlett Music Center in the OU Arts District. Pre-registration deadline is May 24. Details follow later in this Review.

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The Frida Effect: Final Days at Philbrook for Kahlo-Rivera Mexican Modernism exhibits

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*Community Dialogue Opportunity Scheduled for September 10:

How Frida Taught us to Paint Our Realities — Details follow.

By Glenda Rice Collins (Updated September 2, 2022)

Tulsa, Okla., USA — Last call: FRIDA KAHLO, DIEGO RIVERA, AND MEXICAN MODERNISM continues through September 11, 2022 at Philbrook Museum of Art, featuring: exemplary originals of iconic Frida’s paintings, videos of her beloved Casa Azul residence, and garden (as shown in banner image above), examples of her authentic, heritage-inspired attire, wall-sized reproductions of Rivera’s famed murals, and the couple’s unique Mexican garden-inspired influences visible throughout Philbrook’s vast gardens this summer.

The Philbrook gardens currently bloom with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera-inspired plantings, and quotes. Photo by Glenda Rice Collins.

Born into a privileged Mexican lifestyle, the well-educated Frida Kahlo studied to be a doctor, but suffered severe injuries and life-long pain from a traffic accident in her youth, becoming broken, at times bedridden, and yet determined to express herself through her groundbreaking paintings, activism and political involvements. (See also: https://glendaricecollins.com/2019/10/11/the-art-of-recovery-part-ii-inspiration-from-frida-kahlos-garden-path/).

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OU theatre scene illuminates a “Mad Forest”

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By Glenda Rice Collins

Norman, Okla.–Written by Caryl Churchill, Mad Forest is a gripping account of the Romanian Revolution of 1989 as told by the young and the old, the wealthy and the working class, and by humans, animals and spirits in a mesmerizing play that illuminates the complexities of human nature during troubled times. We do indeed live in a mad, mad world, it seems, as the story unfolds with some intense surreal accounts, both subtle and overt.

Inspired performances continue tonight at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. in the A. Max Weitzenhoffer Theatre of the University of Oklahoma.

Live Stream is available for select performances at a single view price of $10.

Visit theatre.ou.edu for more information.

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Children’s Musical Theatre of Bartlesville celebrates 20th Year

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By Glenda Rice Collins, For Bartlesville Magazine, Winter 2020.*  Updated 3-18-20.

Bartlesville, Okla., USA– “Part of the worldwide availability of service that comes with being a diplomat is being able to adapt to new scenarios, to quickly learn new skills, and to work with all kinds of people. These are all things I first learned from CMT.” —Clint Shoemake, foreign service officer at U. S. Department of State. Continue reading →

Proposed budget cuts call for elimination of National Endowment for the Humanities

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Oklahoma City, Okla. — State budgets for diverse cultural programs could suffer if President Trump’s proposed budget cuts receive Congressional support. The stated mission of Oklahoma Humanities, for example, is to strengthen communities by helping Oklahomans learn about the human experience, understand new perspectives, and participate knowledgeably in civic life.    Continue reading →

Last Call: Bruce Goff Shin’enKan exhibit ends Sunday at Price Tower Arts Center

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By Glenda Rice Collins

BARTLESVILLE, Okla., USA — This week I felt a vital, revived connection, when I toured the ongoing Price Tower Arts Center exhibition, Shin’enKan: House of the Far Away Heart, which ends March 26.  Bruce Goff’s  spirited and somewhat spiritual, avant-garde Oklahoma masterpiece was engulfed in flames some 20 years ago.   Continue reading →

News Alert RE: Proposed Arts Funding Cuts & Elimination of NEA

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Statement from Amber Sharples, Executive Director, Oklahoma Arts Council

Oklahoma City, Okla., USA–“On March 16, the White House released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2018, calling for reductions to a range of government programs and the elimination of federal support for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.   
“In light of the president’s proposal, it is important to remember that Congress ultimately decides how to allocate federal funds. The proposal is the beginning of a conversation, one in which Oklahomans can actively participate.
“As a state agency, the Oklahoma Arts Council does not design or coordinate advocacy efforts. However, part of our mandate is to educate Oklahomans about the impact of the arts in communities and schools across our state. So, as always, we invite you to use us as a resource for information, and allow us to serve you as a connector.
“Should you be interested in advocacy efforts at the state and national level, we suggest you connect with our friends at Oklahomans for the Arts and Americans for the Arts.
Further, we invite you to embrace this moment as an opportunity: to express your passion for the arts, articulate the impact the arts have had on your life and in your community, and actively engage in this process by which our nation proclaims its values and vision.
“In the meantime, we will be here, as we have been for more than 50 years, working to ensure that all Oklahomans can experience the benefits of the arts and arts education. 
Thank you for all you do to serve your community through the arts.”

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‘The Garden’ ballet premieres at OU to music by professor Michael Lee

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News from the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts

NORMAN, Okla., USA–The University of Oklahoma Schools of Dance and Music will present, in collaboration,  the world premiere of The Garden, at 8 p.m. March 9 in Sharp Concert Hall of Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd St., on the OU Norman campus. This special event is complimentary to the public.   Continue reading →

Crystal Bridges museum celebrates Fifth Anniversary as live ‘Art of American Dance’ events continue

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By Glenda Rice Collins, Arts Columnist

Bentonville, Ark., USA–Today marks the fifth anniversary of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, as live performances and special events continue to also reflect the current exhibition, The Art of American Dance, which continues through January 16, 2017.    Continue reading →