Posted on Jan 28, 2009

It’s a well-known fact Louisiana has suffered, and suffered badly, at the hands of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and Ike and Gustav in 2008. But after spending two weeks in the Bayou State in December for their Community Service mini term, 19 Union students learned a few Louisiana facts most people don’t know.

“Barely anyone knows about the Houma Indian Nation, a 17,000-member, state-recognized tribe,” said James Sedlak ’12. “Until 1963, they weren’t allowed to integrate into public schools.”

Sedlak was among those students who shared their new knowledge with the campus community through poster presentations, Cajun food and a little line dancing at an informal symposium at the Nott Memorial Tuesday.

Taught by Janet Grigsby, the mini term, SOC 387, is a one-credit course that combines community service with the academic study of New Orleans and the hurricane disasters. The students’ posters summarized research projects conducted in the cities of Dulac and New Orleans on topics ranging from wetland restoration and health care to indigenous peoples.

While the Houma Indians now have the right to attend public schools, Sedlak said, there’s still much they don’t have. In the 1980s, the tribe filed a petition, still pending, for federal recognition from the U.S. government. Today, the tribe struggles to preserve its culture and home on the Southern Louisiana coast.

“They’ve experienced severe cultural erosion, coupled with environmental degradation,” Sedlak said. “The Houmas’ land is vital as a buffer against hurricanes, and if we don’t do anything to save the wetlands, the coast line will just keep moving north. The Houmas don’t have the resources to preserve it, but we can try to help them. That’s why I chose to do this, to tell people here about them.”

Katie Ferrara ’11 and Lauren Guidi ’11 also hope to cultivate local support for people who live in and around Dulac, which was heavily damaged by Gustav and Ike.

“They lost everything, even their community center,” said Guidi. “The kids don’t really have anywhere to go after school now, so we want to continue to help them even though we aren’t there anymore.”

Guidi and Ferrara are working with the Louisiana community to generate a list of children and their birthdays. They hope to compile a second list of people from Union or from their hometowns to create a pen pal program and birthday gift exchange.

Guidi and her classmates were part of the second wave of Union students to complete the mini term.

“The course is such a great way for the students to have an experience that’s so obviously valuable to them,” said Prof. Grigsby.

To learn more, click here.

Posted on Jan 28, 2009

With just a drum and her voice, Chan E. Park will offer an intimate glimpse of ancient, Korean culture Tuesday, Feb. 3,  at 7 p.m. in Emerson Hall in the Taylor Music Center.

Park, an associate professor of Korean language, literature and performance studies at Ohio State University, will present a demonstration of p’ansori. This distinctive type of solo storytelling surfaced about three centuries ago in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula.

“I really wanted to bring in someone who does p’ansori because it’s an incredibly interesting East Asian narrative form,” said Jennifer Matsue, an assistant professor of music, Asian Studies and anthropology. “Performers come on stage with percussion and they tell these vibrant stories.”

Much of the vibrancy of p’ansori comes from the way in which it is conventionally performed. In most cases, the storyteller alternates between stylized speaking and singing. Often, the storyteller sings detailed descriptions of each scene, including the thoughts and actions of the characters. Plot summaries and commentaries are spoken.

During her visit, Park will also give a p’ansori workshop to students in Matsue’s East Asian Music Cultures class.

In addition to her performance, which is free and open to the public, Park will give a lecture on p’ansori. Matsue said the lecture will be in English, though she believes much of the actual p’ansori demonstration will be in Korean.

The event is sponsored by The Korea Society, Thurston House, Music and Culture House, and the Departments of Music, East Asian Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies. For more information, contact Matsue at matsuej@union.edu or 388-8075.

Posted on Jan 27, 2009

With only a drum and her voice, Chan E. Park will offer an intimate glimpse of ancient, Korean culture Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. in Emerson Hall in the Taylor Music Center.

Park, an associate professor of Korean language, literature and performance studies at The Ohio State University, will present a demonstration of p’ansori. This distinctive type of solo storytelling surfaced about three centuries ago in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula.

“I wanted to bring in someone who does p’ansori because it’s an incredibly interesting East Asian narrative form,” said Jennifer Matsue, assistant professor of music, Asian studies and anthropology. “Performers come on stage with percussion and they tell these vibrant stories.”

Much of the vibrancy of p’ansori comes from the way in which it is conventionally performed. In most cases, the storyteller alternates between stylized speaking and singing. Often, the storyteller sings detailed descriptions of each scene, including the thoughts and actions of the characters. Plot summaries and commentaries are spoken.

During her visit, Park will also give a p’ansori workshop to students in Matsue’s East Asian Music Cultures class.

Park’s program, which is free and open to the public, will run about 90 minutes. Park will give a lecture on p’ansori, in addition to her performance. Matsue said the lecture will be in English, though she believes much of the actual p’ansori demonstration will be in Korean.

The event is sponsored by the Korea Society, Thurston House, Music and Culture House, and the departments of Music, East Asian Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies. For more information, contact Matsue at matsuej@union.edu or 388-8075.

Posted on Jan 27, 2009

Posted on Jan 27, 2009

Four phenomenal musicians. Eight Grammy awards. Three decades of acclaimed music-making. Twenty-five performances at Union.

The famed Emerson String Quartet returns to campus Sunday, Feb. 1, giving its 26th Chamber Concert Series performance at 3 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. The program includes Dvorak’s “Cypresses” and Haydn’s Op. 74, No. 1 in C, No. 2 in F, and No. 3 in G minor.

Formed in 1976, the group consists of violinists and co-founding members Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer; violist Lawrence Dutton, who joined a year later; and cellist David Finckel, a member since 1979. The four have achieved unparalleled recognition for their performing, touring and recordings.

Named after American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, the group is lauded as a string quartet that approaches both classical and contemporary repertoire with equal mastery and enthusiasm. It was the first chamber ensemble to win the coveted Avery Fisher Prize from Lincoln Center in 2004, and in addition to its many Grammys, has garnered three Gramophone awards.

The group’s current season includes more than 80 engagements around the world, from Boston and San Francisco to Italy and Denmark.

The concert is free for the Union College community, $25 for general admission and $10 for area students. For tickets, call (518) 388-6080; for more information on the Series, call (518) 372-3651 or click here.