During this special Thursday-night edition of Tuesday Night Record Club, host Ken Womack and guest Bob Santelli, GRAMMY Museum Founding Executive Director, and Monmouth ’73, mark the twentieth-anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that inspired one of Bruce’s most moving albums.
When you register you will be provided the ZOOM meeting link to join the conversation. Click here for more information on how to use zoom
Entering its 2nd year on the virtual stage, this year’s Monmouth University Music & Arts Festival will feature members of the Garden State Philharmonic performing music from Civil War era Marches through Ragtime, Dixieland, and Jazz featuring music by composers George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, C.W. Handy, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong. The festival will also highlight selections and solos from The Monmouth University Chamber Choir, a performance by the Blue Hawk House Band and a special reading by former United States Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Tretheway. The festival will premiere at 7:00 PM on July 1st and be available to view through July 31st. To receive the streaming link for the festival you will need to register.
The Monmouth University Music & Arts Festival is designed to provide Monmouth County communities and beyond, along with the students, faculty, and staff at Monmouth University, with the opportunity to enjoy a top-flight music and arts event each summer.
In 2022, we are looking forward to presenting a robust program of offerings as the festival will host its inaugural in-person event. Our university is the year-round home for working musicians and artists, not to mention scores of students honing their talents as instrumental and theatrical performers, visual artists, and arts administrators. With the Music and Arts Festival becoming a yearly tradition, we hope to attract nationally and internationally acclaimed musicians and other fine artists to our campus. Not only will they supplement our students’ arts education, they will be on site each summer to provide visitors with opportunities to experience premiere concerts and exhibitions right here on the Shore.
PROGRAM:
The Garden State Philharmonic – Brass Quintet and Percussion
STRIKE UP THE BAND!
Strike up the Band – George Gershwin, arr. Holcombe
Signal March – G.W.E. Friederich
The Entertainer – Scott Joplin arr. Arthur Frackenpohl
High Society – Cole Porter, arr. Luther Henderson
Beale Street Blues – C.W Handy, arr. Luther Henderson
Sweet Georgia Brown – Ben Bernie & Maceo Pinkard, arr. Luther Henderson
It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing – Duke Ellington, arr. David Kosmyna
Sousa Stars and Stripes – John Philip Sousa – Holcombe
The Monmouth University Chamber Choir
Steal Away – American Spiritual, arr. Gwyneth Walker
A Gershwin Jazz Trio – Words and music by Ira and George Gershwin, arr. Jay Althouse
Seasons of Love – Words and music Jonathan Larson, arr. Steve Zegree
Soloists: Brynn Coy, Jordan Dilone, Tyler Oden, Kailey Rouse, David Wilderotter
Vocal Solos by Members of the Monmouth University Chamber and Concert Choirs
Shenandoah – American Folk Song, arr. Jay Althouse
Brynn Coy – soprano
Desperado – Eagles –
Samantha Jordan, mezzo soprano
She Used to Be Mine – from the Broadway musical “Waitress,” Sarah Barellies
Rachel Wilson, soprano
Wayfaring Stranger – American Spiritual, arr. Nick Garrett
Nick Garrett, guitar and voice
Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday
Jenae Louis-Jacques, mezzo soprano
Run Away with Me – Words and music Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk
David Wilderotter, baritone
Cry Me a River – Arthur Hamilton
Georgette Abinader, mezzo soprano
Who I’d Be – from “Shrek the Musical,” Words and music David Lindsay- Abaire and Jeanine Tesori
Mitchell Hendricks, baritone, Mia Heim, mezzo soprano Jordan Dilone, tenor
Summertime – from the Opera “Porgy and Bess,” George Gershwin
Jenae Louis-Jacques, mezzo soprano
Somewhere Over a Rainbow – Words and music by Edgar Harburg and Harold Arlen, arr. Murray Cutter.
Kristen Wilczewski, soprano
Blue Hawk House Band
Cover version of “Freedom,” composed by John Lomax, Jonny Coffer, Alan Lomax, Frank Tirado, Dean McIntosh, Kendrick Lamar, Carla Marie & Beyoncé
Performance Groups:
Garden State Philharmonic – Brass Quintet and Percussion:
Diane Wittry – Music Director and Conductor
Michael Baker (Trumpet 1), Olivia Pidi (Trumpet 2), Karl Kramer-Johansen (Horn), Roger Verdi (Trombone), Wes Krygsman (Tuba), Gregory Landes (Percussion), Michael Avagliano (Score Reader)
For more information on the program and performers click here
Monmouth University Chamber Choir:
Dr. David Tripold, director, Maggie Tripold, accompanist
Georgette Abinader; Kendall Brighton; Brynn Coy; Jordan Dilone; Mia Heim; Mitchell Hendricks; Arina Martin; Erin McGinniss; Tyler Oden; Lindsay Ploskonka; Delaney Rivera; Kailey Rouse; Nicholas Sewell; David Wilderotter; Rachel Wilson
Blue Hawk House Band
George Wurzbach, Director
Mani Kissling (vocals), Mark Rodriguez (Guitars/Keyboards,) Dee DiMeola (Drums), Max Adolf (Guitar), Michael Rabbits (Rap) Dillon Schindler (Keyboards) Sara Wojciehowski (Bass/producer), B. J. Biedebach (engineer)
Class Schedule: Thursdays – Dec. 2, Dec. 9, and Dec. 16 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
The History of Simon & Garfunkel…Together and Apart – If you took the sweet harmonies of the Everly Brothers and matched them with the lyricism of Bob Dylan the result might be Simon & Garfunkel. Often considered the thinking person’s rock ‘n’ rollers they were also one of the most successful musical acts of the 1960’s.
This three-session virtual course taught by Gary Wenstrup, uses audio and visual content to trace the arc of Simon & Garfunkel’s career from their surprise teenybopper hit “Hey Schoolgirl” …to the folk-rock classic “Sound of Silence” to the ever popular “Mrs. Robinson” …to the majesty of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” It will also cover their careers post-breakup with special attention paid to Paul’s world-wide smash “Graceland.”
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
Class Schedule: Thursdays – Oct. 21, Oct. 28, and Nov. 4 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
In this three-session virtual course taught by Robert Rodriguez, students will learn how to produce a podcast from the planning stage to the final upload. From developing a concept to basic recording technology, post-production and finally launching onto Apple and Spotify the course will provide step-by-step instruction to producing your own podcast! No previous podcasting experience is required.
Robert Rodriguez, host of the podcast Something About the Beatles podcast, is an award-winning author; penning or contributing to a dozen books. He’s written extensively about The Beatles: five books so far, including the latest Solo in the 70s and 2012’s acclaimed Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘N’ Roll. He’s also contributed numerous articles to Beatlefan magazine, and has been a regular interviewee on radio and TV about the group.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
Class Schedule: Thursdays – Sept. 9, Sept. 16 and Sept. 23 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
This three-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole, traces the history of Philadelphia or “Philly” Soul, which greatly impacted not only the sound of 70s soul but the development of disco. Its lush string arrangements, horns, seductive vocals, and varied lyrical content added an element of sophistication to funk and soul, paving the way for disco and the 1990s neo-soul movement.
The class will begin with influences such as Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” production, Motown’s pop/soul gloss, and James Brown’s “on the one” funk. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the chief architects of the Philly Soul sound, will be explored in depth, as their compositions and productions resulted in classics by the O’Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and Billy Paul. The duo would also form the Philadelphia International label, whose legendary house band MFSB helped craft the sound. Along the way, the sound helped create disco and influenced acts as diverse as David Bowie, Hall and Oates, and Jill Scott. In addition to multimedia presentations, group discussions will further enhance understanding of this greatly influential genre.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion!
This month’s novel is Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run.
In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Super Bowl’s halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that Bruce decided to write about it. That’s how this extraordinary autobiography began. Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to these pages the same honesty, humour and originality found in his songs.
Born to Run will be revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, but this book is much more than a legendary rock star’s memoir. This is a book for workers and dreamers, parents and children, lovers and loners, artists, freaks or anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in the holy river of rock and roll. Rarely has a performer told his own story with such force and sweep. Like many of his songs (‘Thunder Road’, ‘Badlands’, ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’, ‘The River’, ‘Born in the U.S.A.’, ‘The Rising’, and ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’, to name just a few), Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography is written with the lyricism of a singular songwriter and the wisdom of a man who has thought deeply about his experiences.
We are still waiting for more information about whether we will be able to hold this event in person. However, we are also committed to continuing offering access virtually to Tuesday Night Book Club for all our new audiences! You can register now for Zoom access to the event. When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation.
Please stay tuned for more details about an in-person location for this event when more information becomes available.
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack and Michael Thomas, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion!
This month’s novel is Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.
This acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from an award-winning author “pairs well with 1984 or The Handmaid’s Tale” and includes a foreword by N. K. Jemisin (John Green, New York Times).
When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others’ emotions.
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.
We are still waiting for more information about whether we will be able to hold this event in person. However, we are also committed to continuing offering access virtually to Tuesday Night Book Club for all our new audiences! You can register now for Zoom access to the event. When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation.
Please stay tuned for more details about an in-person location for this event when more information becomes available.
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack and Michael Thomas, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion!
This month’s novel is Charles Yu’s Interior Chinatown.
Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as a protagonist even in his own life: He’s merely Generic Asian man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but he is always relegated to a prop. Yet every day he leaves his tiny room and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. At least that’s what he has been told, time and time again. Except by one person, his mother. Who says to him: Be more.
Playful but heartfelt, a send-up of Hollywood tropes and Asian stereotypes, Interior Chinatown is Charles Yu’s most moving, daring, and masterly novel yet.
We are still waiting for more information about whether we will be able to hold this event in person. However, we are also committed to continuing offering access virtually to Tuesday Night Book Club for all our new audiences! You can register now for Zoom access to the event. When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation.
Please stay tuned for more details about an in-person location for this event when more information becomes available.
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack and Michael Thomas, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion!
This month’s novel is A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.
Jennifer Egan’s spellbinding novel circles the lives of Bennie Salazar, an ageing former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Although Bennie and Sasha never discover each other’s pasts, the reader does, in intimate detail, along with the secret lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs, over many years, in locales as varied as New York, San Francisco, Naples, and Africa.
A Visit from the Goon Squad is a book about the interplay of time and music, about survival, about the stirrings and transformations set inexorably in motion by even the most passing conjunction of our fates. In a breathtaking array of styles and tones ranging from tragedy to satire to PowerPoint, Egan captures the undertow of self-destruction that we all must either master or succumb to; the basic human hunger for redemption; and the universal tendency to reach for both—and escape the merciless progress of time—in the transporting realms of art and music. Sly, startling, exhilarating work from one of our boldest writers.
When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation. GET MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO USE ZOOM
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack and Michael Thomas, each month we’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion!
This month’s novel is David Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars.
San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man’s guilt. For on San Pedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries—memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo’s wife; memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbors watched. Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense— one that leaves us shaken and changed.
“Haunting…. A whodunit complete with courtroom maneuvering and surprising turns of evidence and at the same time a mystery, something altogether richer and deeper.”—Los Angeles Times
“Compelling…heartstopping. Finely wrought, flawlessly written.”—The New York Times Book Review
When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation. GET MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO USE ZOOM
