Conservatory registration open house is Sept. 9

WINONA, Minn. — The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will conduct a semester I registration open house from 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 West 10th St.

Registration for semester I dance classes and MCA’s tuition-free youth choir – the Winona Area Youth Singers — will be accepted at the open house. Tours of the facility will be available, refreshments will be served, and students will have the opportunity to meet new and returning faculty and staff. Additionally, students can be fitted for dance attire at the open house. MCA’s dance attire boutique offers quality basics, including leotards, tights, ballet slippers, jazz shoes and tap shoes.

Classes begin Sept. 14. Dance class offerings — available for children age 3 through adults — include beginning through advanced levels in classical ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, Pilates, and a special tuition-free boys program which offers a Dance Technique for Boys class and performance opportunities. Semester I also provides programming in partnership with Winona County Community Education for teens and adults including: Teen and Adult Ballet, Clogging I, Clogging II, Dance Fitness, and Piyo.

MCA’s music division offers a youth choir – Winona Area Youth Singers, for students in grades four through eight. In response to the current economic climate, MCA is waiving WAYS tuition for any and all students who desire to participate for the 2009-2010 academic year. This tuition waiver is made possible by a grant from the Saint Mary’s University Friends of the School of the Arts.

Now in its second year, WAYS seeks to take young people who have been introduced to choir/music in their elementary, middle schools, or junior highs and further encourage and nurture their talent. WAYS members will participate in weekly sessions, a winter and spring concert, a special mentorship program with SMU Choirs, and in community outreach by performing at nursing homes, malls, charitable events and holiday caroling.

Academic credit is available through Cotter High School and Saint Mary’s dance minor program for a variety of MCA dance classes.

Semester I classes will provide 10 weeks of instruction, concluding with a demonstration week, Nov. 16-21.

Dance students ages 5 to 13 are also invited to audition for MCA’s Dance Repertory Company II Winter Showcase. Auditions are 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Valéncia Arts Center. The Winter Dance Showcases will be Dec. 4-5 at Valéncia Arts Center Academy Theatre.
Winona Area Youth Singers will conclude Semester I following their winter concert, Dec, 6, at the Valéncia Arts Center Recital Hall.

Tuition for MCA classes varies depending on course length and level. Discounts and scholarships are available.

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

MinnPost founder to discuss newspaper industry Sept. 15 at Saint Mary’s

WINONA, Minn. — Joel Kramer, founder, editor and CEO of MinnPost.com, will discuss the changes taking place in today’s newspaper industry on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Saint Mary’s University.

Kramer founded an online newspaper seen by some observers as a model that might succeed while traditional print newspapers fall by the wayside. His presentation, “The collapsing business model for journalism: What's next?” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the SMU Performance Center.

Kramer served as the editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune from 1983 to 1991 and as publisher and president from 1992 to 1998. In summer 2007, Kramer launched MinnPost.com, a nonprofit online newspaper with a mission “to provide high-quality journalism for news-intense people who care about Minnesota.” The site features high-quality video and audio, as well as written stories and commentary pieces.

As Matt Snyders of City Pages said in a March 2, 2009 article, “the ink-stained community went abuzz.” Snyders continued, “For an industry wracked by massive layoffs and plummeting ad revenue, any news not involving job loss was a good thing.”

MinnPost has garnered quite a bit of attention as both critics and supporters have questioned whether this type of nonprofit journalism — one that aims to eventually break even with the support of corporate sponsors, advertisers and donations from members — can thrive in today’s struggling newspaper climate.

In a report for the Nieman Journalism Lab, Kramer wrote, “A lot of pixels are being spilled these days reflecting on the future of newspapers, news, journalists, and journalism. I spent my career in newspapers, first as a journalist and later as a publisher, and I left when the business was financially near its peak. With the for-profit model now shriveling, I’ve spent the past 16 months trying to build one example of what might be coming next—a not-for-profit enterprise providing high-quality regional journalism on the web.”

A question-and-answer period will follow Kramer’s presentation. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Steve Schild, at (507) 457-1753 or sschild@smumn.edu.

Area schools invited to Page Series matinees

WINONA, Minn. — Schools are invited to bring student groups to matinees of Saint Mary’s University Page Series performances — featuring a full season of music, dance, theatre and even giant puppets.

Admission is $2 per person, including both students and chaperones, and payment is due upon arrival. Schools are asked to limit chaperones to one adult per 10 students when possible.

Two matinee shows are available this fall. Buckets and Tap Shoes, a lively performance that features tap dance with European and African influences, will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre will perform Beneath the Surface, which explores water issues through performance, music and video, at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23.

Teachers or school administrators can contact Jennifer Fanello at (507) 457-1716 to make reservations for their school groups.

The Page Series matinee programming is supported in part by Target. The visit of In the Heart of the Beast is supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board grant “Arts Across Minnesota.”

More information about all the events is available online at www.pagetheatre.org. Click “School Matinee” on the left side to find the complete list of matinee performances and their descriptions, as well as links to artists’ websites and study guides.

Saint Mary’s hosts fiddling poet Ken Waldman Sept. 8

WINONA, Minn. — In a unique fusion of music and verse, Ken Waldman, “Alaska’s Fiddling Poet,” will perform 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Saint Mary’s University.

This event, free and open to the public, will be held in the President’s Room, located in the Toner Student Center.

Waldman combines old-time Appalachian-style fiddling, original poetry, and Alaska-set storytelling for a performance uniquely his own. Waldman has published six full-length poetry collections, a memoir about his life as a touring artist (“Are You Famous?”), and seven CDs. Since 1994, he’s worked full-time as “Alaska’s Fiddling Poet,” performing at some of the nation’s leading universities, festivals, art centers and clubs — including Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Event sponsors include Saint Mary’s Academic Affairs and Student Activities Offices, and the English Department.

For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Ayers at cayers@smumn.edu or (507) 457-1523.

Season tickets for Saint Mary’s Page Series on sale until Sept. 18

WINONA, Minn. — Individual tickets for the 2009-2010 Saint Mary’s University Page Series — now in its 23rd season — are now on sale. A full season of performing arts from around the world begins Oct. 2.

New this year: you may still purchase season tickets for the Page Series through Sept. 18 online, by phone, or in person. Purchase tickets for just three events and receive 10 percent off your total ticket cost. Returning subscribers are eligible for a 25 percent discount.

Whether you enjoy classical ballet, Irish music, family-friendly theatre, tap, swing or Canadian folk, the Page Series delivers again this year. Order online at www.pagetheatre.org, by phone at (507) 457-1715, or at the box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Saint Mary’s listed in U.S. News ‘Best National Universities’ category

WINONA, Minn. — U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Colleges has ranked Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in its “Best National Universities” survey for 2010. The annual listing of more than 1,400 schools is available online at www.usnews.com. Rankings were announced today, Aug. 20.

Saint Mary’s is ranked in the third tier of the 262-school U.S. News “National Universities” category. Last year, U.S. News listed Saint Mary’s in the fourth tier of this category. The third tier includes schools ranked 134 through 190 and is not ranked numerically. A sampling of other universities in the third tier includes De Paul University, George Mason University, Seton Hall University, the University of St. Thomas and St. John’s University in New York.

Taking top honors in the “National Universities” category are Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University and the California Institute of Technology. Saint Mary’s, St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota are the only Minnesota schools represented in this category.

The “National Universities” category includes 164 public and 98 private institutions from across the U.S. that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees.

U.S. News & World Report ranks “National Universities” in a top tier, third tier and fourth tier. Its other institutional categories include: “Liberal Arts Colleges,” “Universities-Master’s” and “Baccalaureate Colleges.”

In 2006, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching reclassified SMU from a master’s comprehensive to a doctoral institution. This change in Carnegie basic classification for SMU placed it in the “National Universities” category for the U.S. News & World Report starting with the 2008 report. In 2007, SMU was in the first tier of U.S. News’ “Midwestern Colleges and Universities with Master Degree Programs” category.

The method that U.S. News uses to rank colleges and universities consists of three basic steps. The schools are categorized primarily by mission and region, and data is gathered from each institution on indicators of academic excellence. The indicators used to measure academic excellence fall into seven categories: assessment by administrators at peer institutions, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and (for national universities and liberal arts colleges) graduation rate performance. The indicators include input measures that reflect a school’s student body, its faculty, and its financial resources, along with outcome measures that signal how well the institution does its job of educating students.

Area musicians invited to join Saint Mary’s Concert Band

Community member Eric Johnsrud rehearses with the SMU Concert Band. Area musicians are invited to the first rehearsal Wednesday, Aug. 26. Brass players are especially needed.


WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Concert Band, founded in 1990 as a college-community partnership ensemble, will hold its first rehearsal of the 2009-10 season from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. Dr. Janet Heukeshoven, associate professor of music, directs both the Concert Band and the select Wind Ensemble.

The rehearsal will be held in Room 158 of Saint Yon’s Hall. All interested musicians are welcome to attend the first sight-reading informational rehearsal of the season. Advanced-level high school students and adult community musicians are welcome to join the SMU collegiate musicians to perform a wide variety of wind band music.

Auditions will be individually scheduled shortly after the first rehearsal; audition music will be provided to all players on Aug. 26. If you are interested in the ensemble but are not able to attend the first info-rehearsal, please contact Dr. Heukeshoven to make other arrangements. The Concert Band rehearses 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays and 6:45 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. The Wind Ensemble rehearses 8 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

The band’s first performance this year will be for Family Weekend, Sept. 26. The second planned concert will be a traditional Christmas concert with small ensembles performing for the lobby party on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 6.

Detailed information regarding band membership auditions (held Aug. 28-Sept. 2) will be available at the first rehearsal. There are openings in most sections; brass players are especially needed this fall!

Contact Dr. Heukeshoven at (507) 457-1675 or jheukesh@smumn.edu for additional information. Please call or e-mail if you plan to attend the Aug. 26 informational rehearsal so music folders and audition materials will be available for everyone.

Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts offers tuition-free youth choir

Kate Dulak and Alexa Akre participated last year in WAYS (the Winona Area Youth Singers) — a tuition-free youth choir for students in grades four through eight, offered by the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts.

WINONA, Minn. — The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts is beginning its 2009-2010 season of WAYS (Winona Area Youth Singers), a new youth choir for students in grades four through eight.

In response to the current economic climate, MCA is waiving WAYS tuition for any and all students who desire to participate this year. This tuition waiver is made possible by a grant from the Saint Mary’s University Friends of the School of the Arts.

Now in its second year, WAYS provides quality, artistic, and educational programs for all young people. WAYS seeks to nurture the talent of students who have been introduced to choir/music in their elementary, middle, or junior high schools and who seek additional educational and performance opportunities in vocal music. The repertoire and focus of WAYS will be more intensive by nature, as it is meant to complement a student’s training in their school choirs. WAYS members will participate in two concerts per year, a winter concert on Dec. 6 and a spring concert yet to be announced. Additionally, WAYS members will also participate in a special mentorship program with SMU choirs, and will perform at nursing homes, malls, and charitable events, as well as go holiday caroling.

WAYS is directed by Lindsy O’Shea, who holds a Masters of Arts in Instruction and a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Music Performance from Saint Mary’s University. She has been involved with choral music — as a singer or director — for more than 15 years. O’Shea previously taught choral and general music in the Rochester and Faribault Public Schools. She is currently adjunct faculty with SMU, where she directs the women’s choir and teaches private voice lessons. She also sings with the La Crosse Chamber Chorale.

“After 36 years of offering quality dance education and performance opportunities to Winona area youth, we are thrilled to be moving forward with our music curriculum through the WAYS program,” said Christine Martin, MCA managing director. “Integrating various performing arts genres has always been a goal for MCA. Now with our summer theatre camps, year-long dance programming, and the Winona Area Youth Singers, we are excited about the full spectrum of the performing arts at MCA.”

Registration for WAYS will be accepted at the MCA registration open house, Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 West 10th St. WAYS will meet weekly on Mondays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. throughout the MCA first semester (Sept. 14 – Dec. 7). Placement auditions will be held on the first Monday session on Sept. 14.

For more information about WAYS or MCA’s other performing arts programming, visit: www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org, e-mail mca@smumn.edu, or call (507) 453-5500.

Saint Mary’s University names two new trustees

WINONA, Minn. —Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has announced two new members of its board of trustees.

Bill Herzog ’70 of Apple Valley, Minn., is a founder and managing partner of Course Charters, LLC. Course Charters provides a variety of management consulting services to small and mid-sized organizations. He is past president of the SMU Alumni Board and served on the most recent presidential search committee.

Linda Kuczma ’78, J.D., of Park Ridge, Ill., has more than 25 years experience in the practice of intellectual property law. She practices in the Chicago offices of Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.

Additionally Mary Ann Remick of Rochester was appointed to an additional five-year term. Remick has served on the board since 2004, and chaired the most recent presidential search committee.

Brother Michael Collins ’59, FSC, Saint Paul; Lyle Delwiche, Minneapolis; and Oscar Straub ’52, St. Louis, completed 20 years of service on the board. Delwiche and Straub were named Trustees Emeriti by the board in recognition of their service. John Ehlert ’67, Wayzata, completed his 10-year term on the board, and Timothy Horan ’70, Plymouth, completed his five-year term on the Board.

Saint Mary’s awarded grant for women in mathematics series

WINONA, Minn. — The National Science Foundation has awarded Saint Mary’s University a $10,890 grant for a Women in Mathematics Colloquium Series, to be held over the next two years.

The support from this grant provides the funds for the Saint Mary’s Mathematics and Statistics Department to continue an annual colloquium highlighting successful women mathematicians and to support undergraduate travel to national conferences.

Organizers hope that through these events, high school and college-aged students will become engaged and inspired by the opportunities and challenges presented to women in the ever-progressing field of mathematics.

“This series encourages the recent upward trend of women in mathematics at Saint Mary’s and introduces undergraduate and high school women to role models who are not only successful in their mathematical profession, but also in their lives,” said Kevin Dennis, department chair of the Mathematics and Statistics Department. “This project intends to keep inspiring women to pursue terminal degrees in mathematics and also to enhance the SMU mathematics community.”