Campus groups put Arts First

W​hether it’s Edgar Degas sketching ballerinas or Lou Reed singing about “Romeo and Juliette,” the arts don’t exist in a vacuum. Lines get blurred, influences get shared, inspirations get gloriously tangled. This fall, four WUSTL areas have banded together to create Arts First, a multidisciplinary, campus-wide subscription package.

Q&A: Sung Ho Kim and Heather Woofter

With its saw-tooth façade and 9,000-square-feet of windows, the $12 million UMSL at Grand Center building is at once dramatic and nimble, a light-filled and light-footed new home for St. Louis Public Radio. We sat down with architects Sung Ho Kim and Heather Woofter, both associate professors in the Sam Fox School, to discuss the project, St. Louis and the role of technology in architecture today.

Ian Greenlaw presents Liederabend Sept. 29

In 1840, finally free to marry the love of his life, composer Robert Schumann was inspired to a creative frenzy, writing 168 songs. On Sept. 29, baritone Ian Greenlaw will perform 16 of them—from the celebrated Dichterliebe cycle—as part of WUSTL’s annual Liederabend concert.

Tribute to Oliver Nelson Sept. 12

The Blues and the Abstract Truth by St. Louis saxophonist Oliver Nelson (1932-1975) is among the most influential jazz albums of the 1960s, a masterpiece of blues structure, modern arrangement and post-bop cool. On Thursday, Sept. 12, Washington University will pay tribute to this distinguished alumnus with a free concert at 8 p.m. in Holmes Lounge as part of the Jazz at Holmes series.

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer

The seas have risen and covered the earth. A few soaked survivors cling to mountaintops and tall buildings. So begin The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer, an inventive, heartwarming and visually spectacular tale by Australia’s Tim Watts. On Oct. 5, this acclaimed one-man-show, part environmental parable, part Orpheus and Eurydice, will launch Edison’s ovations for young people series.

Freecell Architecture wins PXSTL Competition

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts have selected the collaborative firm Freecell Architecture as winner of PXSTL. The $50,000 urban design competition winner will create a temporary space for outdoor performances in Grand Center beginning in spring 2014.

DUC Chamber Music Series Sept. 16

Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) was drawn to the itinerant musicians known as chorões, whose improvised concerts filled the streets and cafes. On Sept. 16, the Danforth University Center will launch its fall Chamber Music Series with Villa-Lobos’ Choros No. 2, as well as works by Emmanuel, Debussy, Schmitt and Saint-Saëns.
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