Saint Mary’s Concert Band to present ‘Sounds of the Season’

WINONA, Minn. — Celebrate the music of the Christmas season with the Saint Mary’s University Concert Band 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, at SMU’s Page Theatre.

The concert will feature four student guest conductors: Tyler Ringiesen, Ashley Buhr, Jessica Giers and Jessica Bouska. Dr. Janet Heukeshoven will direct the rest of the hour-long performance, which includes Alfred Reed’s “Russian Christmas Music” and familiar seasonal favorites.

The band will be performing the “Coventry Carol,” a lovely setting of “Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring,” “Greensleeves Fantasia,” and the beautiful Huron Canadian Indian carol, “Twas in the Moon of Wintertime.” On the lighter side, audience members of all ages will enjoy “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and the big band jazz inspired “A Most Wonderful Christmas.”

The concert will be followed by the traditional Christmas lobby party, which will feature a selection of holiday treats. Smaller ensembles — the brass choir, flute quartet, saxophone ensemble, jazz combo, bassoon trio and more — will perform throughout the reception.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available by calling the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

SMU jazz, percussion groups to join talents for Dec. 9 concert

Winona, Minn. — The 18-piece Saint Mary’s University Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo I and World Drum Ensemble will combine for an evening of hot jazz to melt away the chill of the season at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, in SMU’s Page Theatre.

Both jazz groups are directed by Dr. John Paulson, and the World Drum Ensemble is directed by Denny McGuire.

Vocalist Jessica Ingvalson will be featured on jazzy arrangements of the Christmas classics “Christmas Time is Here” from Charlie Brown and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” arranged by Dave Wolpe.

The World Drum Ensemble will join Jazz Combo I on the great samba “Brazil,” arranged for the nine-piece group by Michael Philip Moussman. They’ll also perform a boss nova version of “White Christmas,” arranged by Mark Taylor. The Jazz Ensemble will pull out all the stops with a wild arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by Gordon Goodwin, as well as other great jazz standards like “Ladybird.” Audiences will also enjoy a premiere performance of Dr. Paulson’s “Four PM Blues.”

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available by calling the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Saint Mary’s ‘Lessons and Carols’ Christmas service is Dec. 10

WINONA, Minn. — The joyous and uplifting Christmas service of “Lessons and Carols” will be presented by the Saint Mary’s University Department of Music at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10.

The beautiful service, held in the majestic Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels, features the Saint Mary’s Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Patrick O’Shea, and the Chamber Orchestra.

“Lessons and Carols” reflects on the Christmas story through several short readings, hymns and Christmas carols sung by the choirs and audience. Music includes familiar carols and selections by composers from the Renaissance to the present.

The Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels is located at Wabasha and Vila streets in Winona.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available by calling the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at http://www.pagetheatre.org.

Giving trees go up this week for Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona giving trees will be going up before Thanksgiving. This communitywide program — in its tenth year — is providing gifts to area children and seniors in need this holiday season.

Tags, each labeled with a different person’s holiday gift wishes, will be placed on area giving trees this week. Gifts for Winona’s main priority is to provide gifts to children 18 years of age and younger and individuals 60 years of age and older.

Trees will be located at: the three Severson-Sinclair locations, Walmart, the Winona Public Library, the Winona Post, as well as Security State Bank of Lewiston. Additionally, grocery cards can be purchased for families.

Individuals who want to help make someone’s season a little merrier should visit one of these locations, take as many tags off the trees as they wish, and return the gifts by Dec. 14 to the tree where they obtained the tags. The recommended amount for holiday gifts is approximately $30 per person. Tags should be securely taped to the outside of the presents.

As the gift distribution is early this year — mid December — the community is asked to begin their season of giving early as well. The success of this program depends on the generosity of the Winona-area community.

For more information, call the Gifts for Winona line at (507) 457-8719. Other community partners that join SMU to help make this program possible are the Winona Post, Winona Radio, Wells Fargo and Winona Volunteer Services.

Saint Mary’s University to Collect Donations for Toys for Tots

Toy donations welcome at Minneapolis, Apple Valley,
Minnetonka, Oakdale, and Rochester locations

MINNEAPOLIS – Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus and Apple Valley, Minnetonka, and Oakdale centers will be drop-off sites for the Toys for Tots program this holiday season.

Headed by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for 64 years, Toys for Tots has provided more than 435 million toys to more than 202 million underprivileged children. In 2010 alone, the Marines distributed more than 16 million toys to 7.2 million children in more than 700 communities nationwide.

Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be accepted between November 28 and December 18. Donations should be placed in the designated boxes inside the entrances to any of the following locations:
• Twin Cities campus (2500 Park Avenue, Minneapolis)
• Apple Valley Center (14200 Cedar Avenue)
• Minnetonka Center (12450 Wayzata Boulevard)
• Oakdale Center (7200 Hudson Boulevard N., Suite 200)
• Rochester Center (1926 Collegeview Drive SE)

Saint Mary’s is placing a particular focus on the age categories that in years past have received the fewest toys: ages 0 to 2 and 15 to 17. The university is also encouraging donors to contribute toys that spur creativity and thought, including:
• Ages 0-2: Blocks, rhythm instruments, wooden puzzles, picture books, push-pull toys, nesting toys
• Ages 15-17: Legos, complex models, hobby kits (such as jewelry-making), board games, small electronic games, puzzles, magnetic poetry, journals

“By encouraging toy donations that support youth educational development, Saint Mary’s partnership with Toys for Tots has played a key role in helping build strong communities for the future. We are thrilled to continue supporting this initiative,” said Don St. Dennis, associate vice president for university relations for the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs.

For more information about Saint Mary’s participation in Toys for Tots, contact Julia Jenson at 612-728-5119 or follow Saint Mary’s on Twitter at @SMUGradPrograms.

MCA students to perform at upcoming community events

WINONA, Minn. — In celebration of the holiday season, adult and youth students from Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts music and dance divisions will perform throughout the community Nov. 20 through Dec. 17.

Events include:
• Sunday, Nov. 20 — MCA’s Winona Area Youth Singers and the MCA Flute Choir will perform at the Winona Health Auxiliary Fantasy of the Trees, Watkins Manor, 175 East Wabasha St. from 1 to 2 p.m.

• Monday, Nov. 28 — MCA cloggers will perform at Callista Court, 1455 W. Broadway, at 5:30 p.m.

• Saturday, Dec. 3 — The MCA Flute Choir will perform at Quilted Christmas, Ecker’s Apple Farm, W27062 St. Rd. 54/35, 
Trempealeau, Wis., from 11 a.m. to noon.

• Monday, Dec. 12 — MCA’s Winona Area Youth Singers will perform at Watkins Manor, 175 E. Wabasha St., at 5:30 p.m.

• Friday, Dec. 16 — MCA’s Dance Repertory Company II and the MCA Flute Choir will perform at the Women in Business luncheon, Jefferson Pub and Grill, 58 Center St., at noon.

• Friday, Dec. 16 — MCA’s Flute Choir will perform at Merchant’s Bank, 102 E. 3rd St., at 2 p.m.

• Saturday, Dec. 17, Music division private lesson students will perform at Callista Court, 1455 W. Broadway, at 1 p.m.

“Community outreach is a core part of the mission for the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts,” said Christine Martin, managing director. “It is a true pleasure to share the arts with our community through our talented student ensembles.”

Additionally, The Dance Repertory Company II and Young Choreographer’s Winter Showcase will be Friday, Dec. 2, at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 3, at 3 p.m. And the music division winter concert is Monday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. Both events will be at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 W. 10th St. Admission is free for students ages 2-21 and $10 for adults at the door.

For more information about MCA programs or upcoming performances, visit www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org, e-mail mca@smumn.edu or call (507) 453-5500.

Good Lovelies to usher in holidays Dec. 1 at Saint Mary’s University

Winona, Minn. — Funny and upbeat, with just a pinch of sass, the Good Lovelies will take the stage at Saint Mary’s University on Thursday, Dec. 1.

The Page Series will welcome this award-winning Canadian trio at 7:30 p.m. in Page Theatre, located in the SMU Performance Center.

Part folk-roots, part Western Swing, this Toronto-based trio relies on unerring three-part vocal harmonies, clever songs, and convulsively funny repartee drawn from a seemingly endless succession of comedic adventures on the road. The Good Lovelies released a 12-track Christmas album, “Under The Mistletoe,” in November 2009.

These lovely ladies will usher in the holidays with old-fashioned melodies and impressive vocals. Their Christmas repertoire features a new take on familiar classics, a nostalgic treatment to more current songs, and original tunes that are sure to usher in the season in style.

In conjunction with this old-fashioned holiday theme, patrons are invited to dress in their best vintage outfits. Prizes will be awarded for “best female,” “best male,” “best couple,” and “best use of accessories.” Don your best classic clothing and antique attire!

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students and are available at www.pagetheatre.org or call the box office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Saint Mary’s is a fiscal year 2011 recipient of an Institutional Presenter Support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is funded, in part, by the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2008.

Oberton to share ‘The Fastenal Story’ Nov. 17 at Saint Mary’s University

Will Oberton, CEO of Fastenal (an international provider of industrial and construction supplies based in Winona), will present “The Fastenal Story” at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at Saint Mary’s University. The public is invited to Salvi Lecture Hall, located on the third floor of Saint Mary’s Hall.

Oberton joined Fastenal in 1980 as a part-time warehouse worker. Since then he has served in various sales, operational, and, ultimately, management roles, including chief operating officer, vice president, and executive vice president. He was named president of the company in July 2001 and has served as CEO since December 2002.

The event is sponsored by the SMU Business Office.

Gifts for Winona application deadline is Thursday, Nov. 17

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University Gifts for Winona — in its 10th year — is providing gifts to area children and seniors in need this holiday season.

Families looking for help obtaining gifts this year must apply by Thursday, Nov. 17. Families may pick up an application form through one of the human service agencies that they work with (Habitat for Humanity, Project FINE, Winona County Community Services, Winona Senior Advocacy Program, Winona Volunteer Services, or Women’s Resource Center). Families must apply for the program through a referral agency.

Once again this year, Gifts for Winona’s main priority is to provide gifts to children 18 years of age and younger and individuals 60 years of age and older.

This program exists through the generosity of the Winona community, as well as the work of other community partners including: Winona Volunteer Services, Winona Radio, the Winona Post and Wells Fargo Bank.

Saint Mary’s students to display art Nov. 19-Dec. 14

By Brianna Nelson

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University students will display a variety of art in “Ideas that Spark,” the all-campus student art exhibit on display Nov. 19 through Dec. 14 in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries.

The show features 2011 SMU December art graduates Danielle Cossetta, Sarah Kraft, Brianna Nelson and Charlie Williams. An opening reception for the artists will be held 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the galleries.

The Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries — located in the Toner Student Center — are open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and are free and open to the public.

Saint Mary’s to stage tragic tale in ‘Machinal’ Nov. 16-20

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Department of Theatre and Dance will present the tragic story of a woman driven to murder after being dominated by men, marriage, motherhood and machines in the 1928 expressionist play “Machinal” Nov. 16-20.

The story revolves around the predestined main character, Helen, who lives a life that has been dictated to her. She follows the rituals that society expects of a woman, however resistant she may feel about them, and subsequently marries her boss, whom she finds repulsive. After having a baby with him, followed by an affair with a younger man who fuels her lust for life, she is driven to murder her husband. She is found guilty of the crime and meets her end, ironically, in a machine — the electric chair.

“Machinal” is inspired by the real-life case of convicted and executed murderess Ruth Snyder — the first woman ever to be executed in the electric chair in New York State after she, along with her lover, murdered her husband. The play’s author, Sophie Treadwell, covered Snyder’s murder trial as a reporter.

Under the direction of Judy Myers, “Machinal” will take to the stage at the Valéncia Arts Center, 10th and Vila streets, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, Nov. 16-19, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available online at www.pagetheatre.org at the Performance Center Box Office, (507) 457-1715 Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saint Mary’s to host panel discussion on food insecurity

Nationally recognized journalist Fred de Sam Lazaro to report on trip to East Africa

WINONA, Minn. — The public is invited to experience a real and emotional taste of the dire conditions of East Africa during a discussion on “From the Famine Frontline: The Complex Issue of Food Security” Thursday, Nov. 17, at Saint Mary’s University.

Fred de Sam Lazaro, director of the “Undertold Stories Project” and a correspondent for PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and his team will have recently returned from the famine frontlines of East Africa. Joined by other panelists, de Sam Lazaro invites the public to participate in a discussion about how to feed a complex world whose population will climb to 9 billion by mid-century.

“East Africa’s crisis demands our immediate attention but the famine’s causes are a deep and complex web of economics, politics, conflict, climate uncertainty and social indifference — a threat that could persist well into the future,” he said.

The event will be moderated by Jon Sawyer, executive director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Other panelists will include Dr. David Lynch, chair of the SMU Department of Social Science, and Sharon Schmickle, foreign affairs and science correspondent for MinnPost.com.

SMU will host two of these critical discussions. The first will be on its Twin Cities campus, and the second is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, on the Winona campus. The event will be held in Salvi Lecture Hall, located on the third floor of Saint Mary’s Hall.

For more information and to reserve a seat, go to www.smumn.edu/foodinsecurityforum.

The event is sponsored by Saint Mary’s University, the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership and the Under-Told Stories Project, in conjunction with the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.

The “Under-Told Stories Project,” produced by and in partnership with Saint Mary’s University, shares stories from some of the world’s most remote locations through PBS NewsHour and other media organizations. The partnership brings de Sam Lazaro to the university’s Minneapolis campus, provides new learning opportunities to Saint Mary’s students, and is intended to raise awareness for the local ramifications of global issues.