Annual GuitarFest Brings International Players to APSU
February 14, 2011
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University will once again hold its annual GuitarFest, February 28th-March 3rd, bringing an exciting line-up of international guitar virtuosi to the campus. The performance line-up this year includes Croatian guitarist Ana Vidovic, Chilean guitarist Carlos Perez and the Douglas James-Pasquale Rucco guitar duo.
Vidovic, already a widely travelled international performer, recording artist and recipient of multiple international awards, will perform a program of classics by Bach, Tarrega, Albeniz, Lauro, Barrios and Castelnuovo-Tedseco at 7.30pm on Monday, February 28th in the Music/Mass Communication Building Concert Hall. Tickets for this performance, which is co-sponsored by the Clarksville Concert Artists Association and APSU’s Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, may be purchased online at www.clarksvillemusic.org or by calling the APSU Music Office at 931-221-7818. [Read more]
Singer Williams to Share Gospel Music for APSU Winter Salon Series
February 8, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts will present its February Winter Salon featuring singer Velma Jo Williams, at 6:00pm on February 17th in the campus’ Clement Auditorium.
Williams is a national speaker, licensed minister and recording artist who was born and raised in Louisville, KY. For more than 18 years, she has been involved in the Clarksville community, where she is a member and elder of Faith Outreach Church. [Read more]
APSU Downtown Exhibit Features Innovative Collages by Billy Renkl
January 27, 2011
Clarksville, TN – Legal documents, such as old, notarized deeds of trust, aren’t usually considered poetic or offer much in the way of aesthetics. The crinkled, yellow pages provide straightforward information about who owns what and where.
But artist and Austin Peay State University drawing professor Billy Renkl views these old papers differently. He sees an entire world of deep, contradictory meanings arising when he uses the documents as a canvas for his pen and ink. [Read more]
The Fisk Jubilee Singers to perform their first concert in Clarksville TN
January 15, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The Fisk Jubilee Singers will be performing as part of the Clarksville Community Concert Association’s Community Concert Series on Saturday January 29th at 7:30pm.
This concert will be the Fisk Jubilee Singers first performance in Clarksville, TN during their 140 year history.The historic group has been touring the world since 1871 singing slave songs (what is now known as Negro spirituals). They have consistently broken racial barriers in the United states and Europe.
Generous donation gives APSU three famed William Edmondson Sculptures
January 13, 2011
Clarksville, TN – William Edmondson, a humble stone carver and the son of slaves, died quietly after years of declining health. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Nashville.
It was an ironic fate, given that Edmondson spent years carving elaborate headstones for cemeteries around middle Tennessee. The eccentric artist believed that God commanded him to sculpt the shapes out of limestone, and after a few years, he began adding statues of biblical characters, people and animals to his body of work. His sculptures caught the eyes of several prominent art critics and in 1937, Edmondson became the first African-American artist to have a solo show of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
William Edmondson Sculpture "The Critter".
Classical composer Schoenfield visits APSU as Acuff Chair of Excellence
January 12, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The classical composer Paul Schoenfield is known for his daring combinations of musical forms. It isn’t unusual for works to be infused with jazz or ragtime, alongside more cultivated and conventional elements. It’s what causes his compositions to be considered so wildly original and accessible, and has lead Schoenfield to be called one of the finest American composers working today.
On January 18th, Schoenfield will come to Austin Peay State University for a weeklong visit as one of this year’s Acuff Chairs of Excellence for the APSU Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts. His visit will culminate in a free concert of his work, “The Music of Paul Schoenfield,” at 7:30pm on January 24th, in the Music/Mass Communication Building’s Concert Hall. The event will be part of APSU’s Dimension’s Concert Series. [Read more]
Winter Salon Series Begins January 27th with Reading by Amy Wright
January 8, 2011
Clarksville, TN – The Winter Salon Series, presented by the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, kicks off this month with a reading by the multitalented Dr. Amy Wright – poet, nonfiction and flash fiction writer – at 5:30pm on January 27th in the meeting room in the Montgomery County Public Library. [Read more]
APSU’s Gateway Chamber Ensemble Recognized on Grammy Nomination List
December 15, 2010
Clarksville, TN – Last week, the Grammy Award nominations were announced, and some of the expected names – Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Eminem – were at the top of the list. But the Grammys recognize more than simply pop music, and if you were to scroll down that list, you would see the category for “Producer of the Year, Classical,” and the name Blanton Alspaugh.
Alspaugh’s name might not carry the weight in some circles as say a Lady Gaga, but in the classical music world, he’s a respected and revered producer. And, according to the Grammy website, one of the reasons he was nominated this year for a coveted Grammy Award stems from his work producing the first album for a chamber ensemble founded by several Austin Peay State University music faculty members. That group, the Gateway Chamber Ensemble, was also considered for nominations in three other categories, including “Best Small Ensemble Performance.”
Gateway Chamber Ensemble
APSU Center of Excellence Seeking Ovation Award Nominees
December 1, 2010
Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts is looking for nominees from the Clarksville-Montgomery County community to receive this year’s coveted Ovation Awards. Since 1996, the Center has honored individuals who made significant contributions to the artistic and cultural life of the Clarksville community.
Last year’s winners included F&M Bank, represented by Fred Landiss, as recipient of the Corporate Award; Charlotte Oliver Marshall, recipient of the Individual Artist Award; The Downtown Clarksville Association, represented by Paige King, recipient of the Community Organization Award; and Frank Lott, recipient of the George Mabry Award (Photo by APSU).
APSU Autumn Salon Series to Feature Glee-Inspired Choral Concert
November 21, 2010
Clarksville, TN – At 7:00pm on November 22nd, a group of local high school students will sing and dance to contemporary songs and classic show tunes, just like the cast of a certain Fox television show.
The “Glee”-inspired choral concert, which is free and open to the public, will be performed at the Madison Street United Methodist Church by the Austin Peay State University Community School for the Arts Teen Choir. The event is part of the Autumn Salon Series, hosted by the APSU Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts.
The Cast of the hit Fox TV Show Glee. ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. (Joe Viles/FOX)
