All That He Was 1993 - Articles Page 29

Rundgren, IU's ninth Wells Professor, will teach the middle two weeks of a four-week, one-credit hour honors course designed for a maximum of 25 Wells Scholars and Hutton Honors Scholars. The class commences in late October and finishes in mid-November. Co-teaching the class will be IU Professor of Music Glenn Gass -- whose relationship with Rundgren helped make the professorship possible -- and IU Distinguished Professor of Sociology Bernice Pescosolido, who was instrumental in helping to plan the course. Gass, a professor at IU's world-class Jacobs School of Music, said he sees Rundgren's engagement at IU as the start of a trend in which legendary rock stars share their knowledge with a new generation. Rundgren, who performs frequently, gave a concert at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University in Indianapolis on Sept. 11. 'Todd is a treasure trove of memories, knowledge, stories . . .,' Gass said. 'This class is a way for him to celebrate what he's done and allows him to share his experiences with students who really want to hear what he has to say.' In addition to learning about the culture, politics and economics of the music business, from the 1970s through today, students will visit Professor of Anthropology Nicholas Toth at IU's Stone Age Institute to view some of the earliest tools used for making music. 'I think the students will love it. For us, the appeal of the class is really both Todd and Glenn,' said Professor of Physics Tim Londergan, director of the Wells Scholars Program. Londergan is a self-professed rock 'n' roll fan who has audited three of Gass' courses. The Rundgren course is currently full with a waiting list, and course auditors/visitors, including IU students not registered for the class, cannot be accommodated. During his stay in Bloomington, Rundgren will give a public lecture titled 'LONGHAIR: Todd Rundgren on the Beatles Effect' at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 in Ballantine Hall 013. He will also present a Halloween-night recital titled 'CLUSTER: The Birth of the T Chord' at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 in Auer Hall. Both are free and open to the public. Gass said he asked Rundgren to talk about the Beatles both because of Rundgren's collaborations with various members of the band and because of the window it will provide into his own music. 'If it was going to be 'Todd talks about Todd,' he may have felt awkward,' Gass said. 'By asking him to talk about the Beatles, we can get more insight into his music, too.' Rundgren's unique associations with the Beatles include a number of covers, participation in the Ringo All-Star Band and co-producing the power pop band Badfinger with George Harrison. When Harrison died, Rundgren did a highly acclaimed version of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' for a tribute album. In 1980, Rundgren and his then-band Utopia, did a loving sendup of the Beatles (Deface the Music) that Gass calls 'just genius.' Rundgren is also a longtime Beatles fan who credits Harrison with inventing the 'lead guitar' player, Gass said. 'When Todd was in the band Nazz, he wasn't the lead singer -- he was the lead guitar player -- which in the 50s meant one of the backup musicians. Because of George, lead guitar now means you're one of the band's leaders.' Glenn Gass Print-Quality Photo Gass initially met Rundgren in Hawaii, when Gass and his wife were on sabbatical for a year (and where they spent the past two summers). 'The kids start taking the bus together and the next thing you know, you're going to cookouts at Todd's,' Gass said. 'I quickly learned that everything they said about him was true. He's brilliant, articulate, really interesting -- and interested in things far beyond his own work and even his music. He's just a really engaged human being.' Rundgren is also known for staying true to his artistic muse. 'He refused to take the easy way out,' Gass said. 'The easy way would have been to do five more songs like 'Hello, It's Me.' He paid a price for that, but in the long run, in 50 years, I think that's why he'll matter more than starts who may have had more hits.' Rundgren was the highest paid producer of the 1970s, producing bands that ranged from the New York Dolls, The Band and Patti Smith to Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates and Cheap Trick. On Aug. 1, 1981 -- the evening MTV debuted with 'Video Kills the Radio Star' by the Buggles -- Rundgren was ready with his music video for 'Time Heals,' which premiered on MTV the same evening. Always a fan of technology, Rundgren made his music available through online downloads about 10 years before iTunes ('Everyone had dial-up connections then,' Gass commented. 'His fate is always to be just a few years ahead of his time.'). Gass said after the Beatles broke up, he was personally attracted to singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Neil Young, Carole King, Joni Mitchell -- and Todd Rundgren. 'Todd was always one of the best and most interesting performers. Even in those early albums, it was clear he wasn't just a singer-songwriter,' Gass said. At turns, Rundgren played with electric guitar or classical riffs, producing his own double album in 1972, on which he also played all of the instruments. From the time he met Rundgren in Hawaii, Gass starting thinking of ways to bring the performer to IU. A confluence of events sparked by a Rundgren speaking engagement at DePauw University led to the IU professorship. DePauw's executive director of media relations, Ken Owen, is 'a huge Todd scholar -- Todd to him is like the Beatles to me,' Gass said. 'All of a sudden it went from being a day dream to being a real possibility, and now it's actually happening,' Gass said. 'He really can call himself Professor Rundgren. This is not a gimmick: He is the Wells Professor.' About the Wells Professorships The Wells professorships are made possible by gifts from the IU classes of 1941, 1942 and 1963. Previous Wells professors have included the Honorable Helen Suzman, a South African political leader (Class of 1941 Wells Professor in 1993), Sir Malcolm Bradbury, a novelist-screenwriter-critic (Class of 1942 Wells Professor in 1997), and Holocaust scholar Christopher Browning (Class of 1943 Wells Professor in 2003). The most recently appointed Wells Professors were Sir (now Lord) Timothy Garden (Class of 1941 Wells Professor) and artist Robert Colescott (Class of 1943 Wells Professor), both of whom taught at IU in 2004.

Highline Ballroom is located at 431 West 16th Street between 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue. Tickets may be purchased through Ticketweb, online at ticketweb.com or at the Highline Box Office from noon until doors close at 866-468-7619. We are a full-scale restaurant. Our menu is American Continental with a Southern flair. We also have a full bar with all premier liquors and domestic and international cold beer, and we serve a full menu at all of our concerts. A $10 food and/or beverage minimum is standard for table seating during shows.

Despite the success of Fame on both the big and small screens, David De Silva's heart was on the stage. Instead of doing something else after Fame, David embarked on a completely new version of the project (with composer Steve Margoshes and lyricist Jacques Levy) that would take him eight years to bring to completion.

Despite the success of Fame on both the big and small screens, David De Silva's heart was on the stage. Instead of doing something else after Fame, David embarked on a completely new version of the project (with composer Steve Margoshes and lyricist Jacques Levy) that would take him eight years to bring to completion.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced today that it would extend GATZ, the critically acclaimed theatrical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, by two weeks due to extraordinary demand.

Former Stratford Shakespeare Festival artistic director David William has died at the age of eighty-four, CBC News reports. The Stratford Festival stated that he died of a head injury from a fall.

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem announces its August 2010 Schedule. This month of public programs presented by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem features retrospectives (Louis Armstrong and Hank Jones), discussions with two of the most prominent and influential contemporary saxophonists (Joe Lovano and Steve Coleman) as well as a talk with top jazz journalist Bill Milkowski, and live performances that riff on the connection between visual art and jazz, by trumpeter Marcus Printup and trombonist Ryan Keberle at the Rubin Museum of Art, and the NJMH All Stars at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Whether your taste leans toward the historical and traditional, or to the futuristic and cutting edge, you'll find it this month. Mark your calendar and bring some friends!

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem announces its August 2010 Schedule. This month of public programs presented by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem features retrospectives (Louis Armstrong and Hank Jones), discussions with two of the most prominent and influential contemporary saxophonists (Joe Lovano and Steve Coleman) as well as a talk with top jazz journalist Bill Milkowski, and live performances that riff on the connection between visual art and jazz, by trumpeter Marcus Printup and trombonist Ryan Keberle at the Rubin Museum of Art, and the NJMH All Stars at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Whether your taste leans toward the historical and traditional, or to the futuristic and cutting edge, you'll find it this month. Mark your calendar and bring some friends!

John A. Willis, who as editor of the Theatre World and Screen World annual series for over 45 years was often considered one of the most important theatre and film historians in America, died June 25, 2010, at his home in Manhattan, of complications from lung cancer. He was ninety-three years old. Willis was also the longtime producer of the Theatre World Awards, given to actors for outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway debut performances. It is one of the oldest awards bestowed on New York stage actors and helped launch the careers of Alan Alda, Bernadette Peters, and John Leguizamo among many others.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, continues its Nutmeg Summer Series with the David Ives' comedy, All in the Timing, playing June 10 through 20, 2010 in the Nafe Katter Theatre.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, continues its Nutmeg Summer Series with the David Ives' comedy, All in the Timing, playing June 10 through 20, 2010 in the Nafe Katter Theatre. The preview performance takes place on June 10 at 7:30 p.m. , and Opening Night is June 11 at 8 p.m.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, continues its Nutmeg Summer Series with the David Ives' comedy, All in the Timing, playing June 10 through 20, 2010 in the Nafe Katter Theatre.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, continues its Nutmeg Summer Series with the David Ives' comedy, All in the Timing, playing June 10 through 20, 2010 in the Nafe Katter Theatre.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, continues its Nutmeg Summer Series with the David Ives' comedy, All in the Timing, playing June 10 through 20, 2010 in the Nafe Katter Theatre.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, continues its Nutmeg Summer Series with the David Ives' comedy, All in the Timing, playing June 10 through 20, 2010 in the Nafe Katter Theatre.

The Metropolitan Opera Guild has today elected attorney Richard J. Miller, Jr. as its new President. Mr. Miller joined the board of the Guild in 2005 and has been Treasurer for the last two years. He replaces Susan S. Braddock, who served for eleven years as the tenth president of the Guild.

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops present the orchestra's 125th anniversary season, May 4-June 20, 2010, outlining programs that celebrate the orchestra's rich tradition of performing the great music of this country's past and present, for which the Boston Pops is so well known.

Today, Friday, February 19, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops announced details of the orchestra's 125th anniversary season, May 4-June 20, 2010, outlining programs that celebrate the orchestra's rich tradition of performing the great music of this country's past and present, for which the Boston Pops is so well known.

I met up with Hans in between his Matinee and Evening shows of "An Iliad" on Saturday. In the short time since he arrived here in 1993 to go to school at Cornish College of the Arts (where he graduated in 1996) this 39 year old from Detroit, Michigan has become one of the hot tickets in the Seattle theater scene. But beyond that, he's also a really great guy.

Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential, and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. He is the winner of an Academy Award, numerous Tony Award, multiple Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Some of his other accolades include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors (1993), the National Medal of Arts (1996), the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal for Music (2006) and a special Tony Awardâfor Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2008).

As previously reported, Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna have decided to collaborate on their upcoming show efforts and will jointly star in All About Me. The New York Times has reported today that All About Me shall run at the Golden Theater. Previews will begin on February 19 with an official opening night of March 18.

Today, Friday, February 19, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops announced details of the orchestra's 125th anniversary season, May 4-June 20, 2010, outlining programs that celebrate the orchestra's rich tradition of performing the great music of this country's past and present, for which the Boston Pops is so well known.

Dame Edna Everage and Michael Feinstein have welcomed Gregory Butler, Jodi Capeless, and Jon-Paul Mateo to their upcoming extravagant Broadway musical entertainment ALL ABOUT ME, directed by three time Tony Award-nominee Casey Nicholaw.

The Philadelphia Orchestra today announced that Sting will appear as its special guest for the Academy of Music 153rd Anniversary Concert on Saturday, January 30, 2010. Sting, world-renowned singer/composer, will perform some of his best-known works with the Orchestra, continuing the Academy's long history of presenting popular music.

Signature Theatre Company announced today that ANGELS IN AMERICA: A GAY FANTASIA ON NATIONAL THEMES, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning epic work by Tony Kushner, will begin performances on Tuesday, September 14, 2010, launching the theatre's 20th anniversary season. The first New York revival of ANGELS IN AMERICA will be directed by Michael Greif. The production will open in late October on a date to be announced.