Author: Liam Otten

Artillery shells crash, sewage pipes thump, a stack of vintage oil cans booms across the stage. Welcome to the world of ScrapArtsMusic, the outrageously kinetic percussion ensemble, which performs on hand-made instruments built entirely of salvaged and recycled materials. On Saturday, Jan. 23, ScrapArtsMusic will bring its unforgettable “action percussion” to Edison Theatre as part of the 2009-10 OVATIONS Series.

Jamie Adkins can walk on wire, stand atop unsupported ladders, do handstands off the back of a chair and juggle just about anything. But in Circus INcognitus, this internationally acclaimed clown, balancing artist and acrobat — a featured soloist with Cirque du Soleil and Montreal’s Cirque Éloize — must attempt the one thing he fears most: public speaking.

Photo by Mary ButkusEight women printmakers, all faculty or alumni from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, installed a series of artworks in the School of Law’s Anheuser-Busch Hall.

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was one of the great self-made men of 18th-century Europe. Trained as a watchmaker, he rose through the ranks of French nobility to become a successful inventor, businessman, publisher and diplomat, even supplying weapons and provisions to American revolutionaries. Yet Beaumarchais probably is best remembered for his semi-autobiographical Figaro plays, two […]

Washington University’s Department of Music in Arts & Sciences will present its annual sing-along of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in Graham Chapel. John Stewart, director of vocal activities, directs the program.

Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-99) was one of the great self-made men of 18th century Europe, a watchmaker who rose through the ranks of French nobility. Yet Beaumarchais is probably best remembered for his semi-autobiographical Figaro plays, two of which — The Marriage of Figaro (1778) and The Barber of Seville (1773) — would form the basis for celebrated operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91) and Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868), respectively.

Washington University’s Department of Music in Arts & Sciences will present its annual sing-along of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in Graham Chapel. John Stewart, director of vocal activities, directs the program.

Washington University Dance Theatre (WUDT), the annual showcase of professionally choreographed works performed by student dancers, will present Transmotion, its 2009 concert, Dec. 4 to 6 in Edison Theatre. Performances — sponsored by the Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences — will feature more than three dozen student dancers, selected by audition, in seven original works by faculty and guest choreographers. Pieces range from ballet and contemporary dance to works drawing on Chinese and Native American traditions.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, the Washington University Symphony Orchestra will highlight a series of rarely heard works originally composed for Sarah Bernhardt, who commissioned and revived dozens of musical scores to accompany her plays.

The Center for the Humanities and Program in Film & Media Studies, both in Arts & Sciences, will host the Sixth Annual Children’s Film Symposium Saturday, Nov. 21. Titled “An Exploration of Children’s Films and Their Audiences,” the symposium is presented in conjunction with Cinema St. Louis.