Opera performance cancelled due to weather

Sun Jan 31 2010

The final performance of “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” originally scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 31 has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

Sign up now for Kids in College

Fri Jan 15 2010

Applications are now being accepted for Kids in College, the Lenoir-Rhyne University summer enrichment program for students completing kindergarten through fifth grade this spring.

This program is designed for academically gifted or teacher-recommended students with high academic qualifications. The following criteria will be considered:
• Identified as academically gifted
• Achieved a Level 4 on the End of Grade test.
• Maintained an “A” average in math or reading.
• Recommended by your current teacher.

This year, the program will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students will eat lunch in the university cafeteria. There will be two sessions: June 21-25, and June 28-July 2. Students may attend one or both of these sessions.

This year, the theme for the program will be “Investigations of the Mind.” Experienced and licensed teachers will be chosen to facilitate the program. The classes will be held in the Rhyne Building on campus. Parents will be responsible for dropping off and picking up their children.

The cost of the program is $325 per week. Kids in College typically fills up fast, so parents are encouraged to act now. (more…)

Free Chinese New Year seminars

Fri Jan 15 2010

Lenoir-Rhyne University and the L-R Office of International Education will feature visiting professor Cui Ping, instructor of Chinese language, culture, and history, in a special seminar series in conjunction with the Chinese New Year, which occurs in February.

The series will be offered in the Quiet Room of the Rudisill Library at 7-8 p.m. Feb. 9, 16, and 23. The series is free and open to the public.

On Feb. 9, participants will explore the topic The Chinese New Year – Discovering its Origins and Myths. Participants will discover the history and myths behind the New Year Festivals, the Chinese calendar, Zodiac signs and their meanings, and modern day popular traditions.

On Feb. 16, the topic will be New Year’s Cuisine. Participants will be shown various popular foods served at festivals, and how to prepare some of them.

On Feb. 23, the topic will be New Year’s Art and Music. In this final program, participants will view calligraphy, ink painting and other examples of art that are often seen during the New Year Festivals, and listen to popular folk music that can be heard during festival periods.
Seating for the series is limited. Call 828-328-7028 to leave a message with your name and the number of seats you would like to reserve for each session; or email duane.kirkman@lr.edu.

Professor Cui Ping currently teaches at Lenoir-Rhyne University and Catawba Valley Community College as part of an innovative partnership between the two institutions.

Four Nations Ensemble to perform at L-R

Mon Jan 11 2010

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Concert Series will present the Four Nations Ensemble at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22.

This concert will be held in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium, located at 775 Sixth St. NE in Hickory. It is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

The program will include Paris Conservatory: Revolution’s Generation, as well as the music of Breval, Méhul, Devienne, Kreutzer, Jadin, Rode and Reicha.

Founded in 1986, The Four Nations Ensemble brings together soloists who are leading exponents of period instrument and vocal performance to present great music from the Renaissance through the Viennese Classical masterpieces of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. For two decades, Four Nations has developed a leading presence on the early music scene in New York and across the country.

The ensemble includes Charles Brink, traverso; Krista Bennion Feeney, violin; Loretta O’Sullivan, cello; and Andrew Appel, fortepiano. (more…)

L-R to present ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’

Fri Jan 8 2010

NOTE: The final performance of “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” originally scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 31 has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Music Program will present “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at several area churches in January. The opera is directed by Judith Burbank, Lenoir-Rhyne Artist-in-Residence in Applied Voice.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church of Hickory; 4 p.m. Jan. 24 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Cherryville; 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at St. Aloysius Catholic Church of Hickory; and 4 p.m. Jan. 31 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church of Hickory. All performances are free and open to the public. An offering will be taken to help defray expenses.

The opera by Gian Carlo Menotti was commissioned by NBC and first presented on Dec. 24, 1951, as a live telecast. It was the debut production of “The Hallmark Hall of Fame” and the first opera composed specifically for television. It has since become a popular Christmas classic. It tells the story of Amahl, a poor boy, and his encounter with the three wise men of the Christmas story. The one-act opera is approximately one hour long.

In the Lenoir-Rhyne production, the role of Amahl will be sung by James Maxson, a sixth-grader at Northview Middle School who has sung with the Lenoir-Rhyne Youth Chorus under the direction of Florence Jowers since January 2009. Maxson also plays clarinet for the Northview Band. In 2007, he was one of the finalists in Rick Cline’s Real Deal Talent Search. In 2009, he advanced to the district level for original songwriting with “Almost December” in the PTA’s Annual Reflection Contest. Maxson also plays guitar and piano. This will be his first opera.

Lenoir-Rhyne music majors will perform the other roles in the opera. Chelsie Propst of Hickory, soprano, will sing Amahl’s mother; Cody Jones of Taylorsville, baritone, will sing King Melchior; Scott Curtis of Hickory, bass-baritone, will sing King Balthazar; James Huskey of Lincolnton, tenor, will sing King Kaspar; and Bradley Daniel of Ramseur will sing the part of the Page. The chorus consists of various L-R students who are members of the A Cappella Choir.

Accompanist for the performances is Jeana Neal Borman, L-R staff accompanist and coach. Cody Jones is the chorus director. (more…)

LRU plans Martin Luther King Jr. Day events

Thu Jan 7 2010

Lenoir-Rhyne University, in collaboration with other community organizations, will celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with several events in January.

Steve Hunt, executive director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Catawba Valley Community College, will speak at 10 a.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 18, in the P.E. Monroe Auditorium, located at 775 Sixth St. NE. The Lenoir-Rhyne Gospel Choir will also perform during the program.

Immediately after the presentation, the Hickory NAACP annual march will take place, from the university to the Brown-Penn Recreation Center, located at 735 Third St. SW, Hickory. All of the day’s events are free and open to the public. (more…)

Thomas A. Mott Jr. leaves $2.5 million to Lenoir-Rhyne

Tue Jan 5 2010

Thomas A. Mott Jr., a former Hickory resident, has left an estate gift of approximately $2.5 million to Lenoir-Rhyne University.
This gift will provide approximately $112,000 each year in scholarship aid to Lenoir-Rhyne students. The scholarships will be awarded to students of any academic major who have demonstrated outstanding academic and leadership skills.

Approximately 92 percent of Lenoir-Rhyne University students receive some form of financial aid. The average financial package is about 50 percent of the total tuition bill, making it possible for students from all backgrounds to attend. Because of several years of careful financial management, and gifts from alumni and friends, the university was in a better position than many to weather the current economic downturn.

Unlike many universities, Lenoir-Rhyne has not reduced the amount of financial aid it awards. Instead, Enrollment Management staff members have worked with students and their parents to make an LRU education affordable. As a result of this individual attention, Lenoir-Rhyne set an enrollment record this fall, with a total of 1,682 students.

This fall’s enrollment increased by 117 students (7.5 percent) compared to last year, when 1,565 students registered for classes. More than 600 new students led to the record-breaking year. The university attributes this growth to its outstanding academic reputation as well as its sound financial position.

As a Hickory native, Mott grew up with Lenoir-Rhyne. He could see the value added to the community by L-R and wanted to extend that influence through this bequest. A member of one of Hickory’s most prominent families, he wanted to ensure that outstanding students from any background could attend Lenoir-Rhyne.

Mott died on March 22, 2009, in Duck Key, Fla., at the age of 99. His gift has been added to scholarships he established in memory of his parents, Major T. A. and Mildred Ellis Mott of Hickory; his aunt and uncle, Robert E. and Annie Ellis Simpson of Hickory; and his friends, Ike and Gertrude Jones of Camden, S.C.

Mott’s maternal grandfather, W.H. Ellis, established the first successful store in Hickory. Mott’s paternal grandfather, Dr. John James Mott, was a local physician and community leader who served in the state Legislature. Mott’s father, Major Thomas Mott Sr., was a stockbroker, investor and Hickory alderman.

Thomas Mott Jr. attended Lenoir-Rhyne and earned a master’s degree in textile chemistry from N.C. State University in 1929. He was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves who served in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, he returned to Hickory, where he invested in several companies. In 1969, he retired to the Florida Keys, where he spent his remaining years.

New Italian language and culture club

Mon Jan 4 2010

An Italian Language and Culture Group is being formed on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University.

The group will discuss all things Italian, including the language, art and politics of Italy. Discussions will be held in Italian. Italian speakers of all levels are invited to participate. Individuals who have traveled to Italy will discuss their adventures with pictures and stories.

The first meeting of the Italian Language and Culture Group will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17 in Room 162 of the Rhyne Building on the LRU campus. Participants will view Italian cartoons and short videos as an introduction to Italian culture.

Future meetings will include viewing of Italian films (with English subtitles for those with limited Italian-language skills), sharing of modern Italian music (classical, pop and rock), and exploration of modern Italian cuisine beyond spaghetti, pizza and red sauces.

Students and other interested persons may participate by attending a meeting, or by contacting Gordon Cappelletty, an adjunct faculty member in counseling and clinical director of Family Net, at gordon.cappelletty@lr.edu.