September 18, 2007
Bowling
Green, Ky. - The 2007-08 Cultural Enhancement Series at Western Kentucky University will feature appearances by an African musician, an Emmy-winning TV host, a noted feminist leader and a vocal ensemble.
The series’ 11th season begins with a performance by Mamadou Diabaté on Oct. 16 and continues with a lecture by Jeff Corwin on Oct. 30, a lecture by Gloria Steinem on April 1 and a performance by Cantus on April 8. All events are free and open to students, faculty and community members.
This year, the Cultural Enhancement Committee is offering an additional incentive for WKU students to attend with a drawing for two $500 book awards. Students will use their WKU ID to record their attendance and accumulate electronic raffle tickets. By attending more events, students will increase their probability of winning next spring’s drawing.
Details on the 2007-08 Cultural Enhancement Series (http://www.wku.edu/pcal/cultural/artscalender.html) follow:
Mamadou Diabaté performance at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at Van Meter Auditorium. Diabaté is an internationally acclaimed master of the kora, a 21-string harp-lute played in the West African countries of Gambia, Senegal and Mali.
Diabaté is a member of a Mandinka jeli (musician caste) family that traces its musical heritage back seven centuries. Originally from Kita in Mali, Diabaté resides in the United States where he performs solo and with his own ensembles. Although rooted in the traditions of the Manding kora and his griot heritage, Diabaté has played with jazz and other contemporary artists, including world-music superstar Angelique Kidjo and jamband favorite Donna the Buffalo. In 2006, he was named “World Music Artist Of The Year” by the American Folk Alliance. Diabaté has released several recordings, including “Behmanka” which received a Grammy nomination.
Jeff Corwin lecture at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at Van Meter Auditorium. Emmy winner Corwin has been working for the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems around the world since he was a teenager. He is perhaps best known as the host of “The Jeff Corwin Experience” on the Animal Planet. Corwin has been a strong and vocal advocate for ecosystem protection, addressing a 1993 session of the United Nations General Assembly on the need to conserve neotropical rain forests.
Corwin has been collaborating on the production of an upcoming documentary exploring threats facing our planet. Corwin will talk about species loss, human overpopulation, deforestation and global warming, and the implications of those factors for the future of the earth. The show will air on CNN and the Discovery Channel in October.
Corwin’s lecture is co-sponsored by the Campus Activities Board.
Gloria Steinem lecture at 7:30 p.m. April 1 at Van Meter Auditorium. A writer, activist and architect of the women’s movement, Steinem began her investigative work as a journalist when she took a job for three weeks as a Playboy bunny and wrote an expose of the women’s working conditions. Soon after, she helped establish the Women’s Action Alliance, and in 1972 founded and became the first editor of Ms. magazine. For almost 40 years, Steinem has been one of the country’s most committed advocates for equality and social justice.
Steinem’s lecture is co-sponsored by the Women's Studies Program’s Catherine Coogan Ward Visiting Professorship.
Cantus performance at 7:30 p.m. April 8 at First Baptist Church. Cantus was founded in the fall of 1995 when a few college friends gathered on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Since then, Cantus has created a programming style that is unlike any other ensemble performing today. The group’s repertoire spans many periods and genres, including Gregorian chant, Renaissance motets, contemporary works, art songs, folk music, spirituals, and pop. By combining poetry, song, and theatre, Cantus has changed the face of American vocal music and blurred the division among chamber music, choral music, art and entertainment.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Mina Doerner at (270) 745-5204.
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