Spend the Cheyenne weekend with Jalan Crossland and his band

Jalan Crossland on the songwriters' stage at the 2011 French Quarter Festival in New Orleans.

Ten Sleep's Jalan Crossland will receive a 2012 Governor's Arts Award Friday, Feb. 8, at the annual GAA Awards Gala at Little America in Cheyenne. He'll be performing a few of his trademark songs to wrap up the night's festivities. If you want more, and you probably will, catch Jalan and his band the next night in concert.

The Jalan Crossland Band will perform in concert on Saturday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., at the Terry Bison Ranch just off of the Terry Ranch Rd. exit on I-25 South, just before you get to to the Colorado border. Doors open at 6 p.m.

PRESALE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ERNIE NOVEMBER RECORD STORE in downtown Cheyenne. Tickets are $12 or $15 day of show.

If you've never experienced Jalan Crossland, you're in for a jaw-dropping experience. He has won many prestigious awards, including second in the National Fingerstyle Guitar Competion and first place in the state Flatpicking Contest. He has toured multiple times with Robert Earl Keen, and toured in Europe and Australia. He has been often showcased on NPR, made multiple TV appearances and been in the New York Times. Jalan is featured in a cover story in the winter issue of Wyoming Artscapes, the quarterly magazine of the Wyoming Arts Council. 

The complexities of his combination of edgy, alt-country and traditional guitar and banjo picking seem effortless as he weaves tales of heartbreak, the sometimes-dark crevices of small town America, and most of all the joy, humor and love that can be found in every rusty-lining.

Hell froze over and his band is back together. The massively talented duo of Shaun Kelley, who plays upright and electric bass and Andy Phreaner plays trapset, wackadoo, harmonica and percussion. You want a show? Well, folks, here's something you'll never forget.

Tickets are still available for the Governor's Arts Awards Gala Feb. 8, 6 p.m., at Little America. Call the Wyoming Arts Council at 307-777-7742. 

AVA, Jalan Crossland and Lynn Munns are 2012 Governor's Arts Awards honorees

Announcing the 2012 Wyoming Governor's Arts Awards recipients: Advocacy for Visual Arts (AVA) Center of Gillette, musician Jalan Crossland of Ten Sleep and artist and educator Lynn Munns of Casper. Congratulations! See you all at the awards gala Feb. 8 in Cheyenne. More details soon !

BYU Chamber Orchestra in concert Jan. 11 at SLTEC in Kemmerer

At the South Lincoln Training and Event Center in Kemmerer. Go here for tickets.

Beth McIntosh and Friends in concert Dec. 22 in Jackson

At the Center for the Arts In Jackson. Get tickets here. 

Made in Wyoming Chamber Music announces composition contest

Made in Wyoming Chamber Music is pleased to announce a composition contest for residents of Cheyenne and Laramie County. The contest has two divisions: student and adult. The student category includes junior and senior high students. The adult division includes college students and other adults.

There will be two winners in each division, and a fifty dollar prize will be awarded to each of the four winning composers. The winning compositions will be performed at the open rehearsal for the Made in Wyoming concert, Saturday, May 11, 2013 as well as the concert on Sunday, May 12, 2013.

Compositions submitted are to be between four and six minutes in length, and are to be for woodwind quintet (flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, French horn). Compositions must have been never performed, recorded, or distributed in public. Made in Wyoming reserves the right for first public performance, but copyright remains with the composers. Decisions of the judges will be final.

Compositions must be typeset with a program such as Finale or Sibelius. Submissions include a copy of the score and parts identified by title only, and without the name of the composer appearing on any of the music, as well as an mp3 digital recording of the composition identified only by the title of the composition.

Composers should include the following information on a separate piece of paper: their name, the title of their composition and its length, which division they are entering (and where they attend school, with their music teacher’s name if they are entering the student division), and contact information (address, contact telephone, email address).

Submissions may be mailed to: P.O. Box 15776, Cheyenne WY 82003, or emailed to: WyomingChamberMusic@yahoo.com. For more information, please write to the email address.

Deadline for receipt of entries is Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. In the case of mailed entries, this is a postmark deadline.

Lone Wyoming audition for Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps this weekend in Cheyenne

From the Casper Star-Tribune:

The only Wyoming audition for the 2013 Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps — brass, percussion and color guard — will be held Friday evening through Sunday at Cheyenne’s Storey Gym.

“Anyone interested still has time to register on our website,” corps director Fred Morris said. Other camps are being held this month in Texas, Las Vegas and Daytona Beach, Fla.

The elite 150 people chosen will represent Wyoming’s 55-year tradition of participation in the world class drum and bugle corps activity.

Selection at audition camps is based on musical ability, positive attitude, time commitment and the ability to meet financial requirements.

Even if summer participation is uncertain at this point, students who are interested are encouraged to attend a camp. Each member receives an evaluation at the end of the weekend with suggestions for improvement and an assessment of placement within the corps.

The nonrefundable fee to audition is $75, and the camp fee is $50 for meals, facilities and miscellaneous expenses. Tuition for the 2013 season is $2,550, payable on a monthly schedule January through August.

For information, visit troopersdrumcorps.org.

Trail End Historic Site Holiday Open House Dec. 7-9 in Sheridan

Our State Parks and Cultural Resources colleagues at Trail End Historic Site in Sheridan sent us this announcement:

 

Kick off the holiday season right this year and make plans to attend the Trail End Holiday Open House in Sheridan. This three-day event celebrates the season with live music and tasty treats served up in a historically elegant atmosphere complete with all the traditional trappings of the holidays.

An annual tradition for over twenty-five years, the Open House is scheduled for December 7-9, at the Trail End State Historic Site. Sponsored by the Trail End Guilds, Inc., the event features live entertainment and holiday decorations throughout the spectacular 1913 mansion. Open House hours are 4-7 p.m. each day. Admission is $2 for adults. Children are admitted at no charge, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Trail End – a 14,000 square foot brick mansion overlooking Sheridan’s Kendrick Park – is decorated from Thanksgiving through mid-December (open daily from 1-4 p.m. for self-guided tours). Seven ornately decorated trees stand throughout the house, from the Drawing Room to the Ballroom. Windows and staircases are draped with garlands and ribbons, while potted poinsettias enhance nearly every horizontal surface.

 

One major attraction of the Open House is the live music, with a different act featured each hour. This year’s schedule is as follows (subject to last-minute changes):

Friday, December 7

4:00 p.m. – Barbara Campbell (piano)

5:00 p.m. – Cathy Storm (pump organ)

6:00 p.m. – Micah & Julie (guitar & vocal duet)

Saturday, December 8

4:00 p.m. – Canary Joe (jazz vocal/instrumental)

5:00 p.m. – Juliet’s Muse (instrumental ensemble)

6:00 p.m. – Methodist Handbell Choir (instrumental ensemble)

Sunday, December 9

4:00 p.m. – Sheridanaires (vocal ensemble)

5:00 p.m. – Patchwork Singers (vocal ensemble)

6:00 p.m. – Just Harmony (vocal ensemble)

 

Guided tours of the mansion, home of former Wyoming Governor and United States Senator John B. Kendrick, are also offered during the Open House. Conducted by Trail End staff and volunteers, the tours feature the history of the house and grounds, plus a look at what the holidays were like earlier in the Twentieth Century.

In the mansion’s historic kitchen, Trail End staff and volunteers will serve up tasty seasonal treats. This year, hot, spiced cider is paired with delicious homemade Figgy Pudding – a holiday tradition at Trail End.

In addition to Trail End’s regularly displayed furnishings – nearly all original to the house – many additional Kendrick family items are included in the annual holiday exhibit. Visitors have an opportunity to see toys, sleds, skates, dishes, and Christmas cards from the 1910s, 20s and 30s, as well as a nativity scene made in Germany prior to World War Two, and an old-fashioned “feather” tree.

This year’s focus exhibit is “The Ad Made Me Buy It: The Power of Advertising in the Early Twentieth Century.” The whole-house panel exhibit explores the art and science of advertising, and how potential consumers were influenced by the ads placed in their reading material.

The Holiday Open House is nearly the last opportunity for visitors to enjoy the historic site this year. Trail End is closed during the winter months, from December 15, through March 31.

Over the winter, staff will be busy updating the site’s interpretive panels. The current exhibit will be replaced by a special exhibit celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Trail End’s occupation by the Kendrick family (John, Eula, Manville and Rosa-Maye Kendrick moved into the house on July 27, 1913). Keep an eye open for more information on upcoming centennial activities.

The Trail End State Historic Site is located at 400 Clarendon Avenue in Sheridan (exit 23 off Interstate 90; turn onto Fifth Street; then left onto Clarendon). Parking for the Open House is available on Delphi, Clarendon and Victoria Streets. Limited handicapped parking is available in the circular drive between the Kendrick Mansion and the Carriage House Theater. An elevator provides access to the upper and lower floors for the mobility challenged.

Trail End is operated by the State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails Division of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. For more information on the Trail End State Historic Site, the Holiday Open House or the Trail End Guilds, phone307-674-4589, or visit their website at www.trailend.org.

Casper College Percussion Ensemble stages "soundscapes" Nov. 15 to celebrate John Cage's centennial

As part of John Cage’s worldwide centennial celebration the Casper College Percussion Ensemble will present works by the American composer on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Aley Fine Arts Center on campus.

“The audience will have the freedom to wander through the space of the Aley Fine Arts Center and experience performances of Cage’s works in a unique and multi-layered soundscape. The works will be performed at different points during the evening, often overlapping,” said Neeraj Mehta, DMA, percussion instructor and director of the percussion ensemble.

In addition to the percussion ensemble, the event will also feature Jerome Fleg, woodwind instructor on clarinet; Kristen Lenth, vocal instructor, vocals; Holly Wendt, English instructor, spoken word; and the students of Larry Burger, sound design instructor, electronic music.

Works to be performed include “Double Music,” Living Room Music,” “A Flower,” “In a Landscape,” “Dream,” “Radio Music,” “4’33”,” “Sonata for Clarinet,” and “A Lecture on Nothing.”

The performance is free and open to the public. The Aley Fine Arts Center is located on the Casper College campus.

Students can expand their horizons at UW International Night

From a UW press release:

Students can experience cultures from around the world during International Night Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. the University of Wyoming Union lower level.

International Night will educate students through culturally diverse games, performances and information booths. Activities begin in the Skylight Lounge and will continue to the Union Gardens at 8:30 p.m. for an International Game PlayStation competition.  At 9 p.m., song and dance performances will start in the Skylight Lounge. Pizza will be served after the performances.

Additionally, the movie “The Bourne Legacy,” starring Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton, will be shown in the Wyoming Union Family Room at 6:30, 9, and 11:30 p.m.

Friday Night Fever and the International Student Association sponsor this event. For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/cac. Individuals needing assistance to attend should call the Campus Activities Center at (307) 766-6340.

Gary Small & the Coyote Brothers howlin' at the Riverton library on Saturday

Promo poster of Saturday's concert shot at the Fremont County Public Library by Michael Lange during a break in Thursday's WAC quarterly board meeting.  FMI: 307-856-3556

John Kirlin and the High Plains Drifters announce upcoming performances

John Kirlin and the High Plains Drifters announced its schedule for the rest of the year. First up is a gig on Saturday, Nov. 10, 9 p.m., at Dorn's Firesuide in Casper. For full schedule, including dates for a summer 2013 tour with stops in MT, WA, ID, OR and WY, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Kirlin-and-the-High-Plains-Drifters/283512231863?sk=events

"What Can I Do?" Multimedia Environmental Concert Saturday in Laramie

"What Can I Do?" Multimedia Environmental Concert
8 pm Saturday, November 3
Coal Creek Coffee Company
110 E. Grand Ave, Laramie

This is a 60-75-minute educational keynote presentation featuring the photography of renowned John Fielder, Karl Snyder and Laurie Dameron, video, information and live music. Special guest speaker Erik Molvar, Wildlife Biologist, City Council member in Laramie and Executive Director for Biodiversity Conservation Alliance. 

FMI: www.facebook.com/WhatCanIDoSpaceshipEarth and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml4gzZthi5o

Jersey boys Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi head line-up for tonight's "Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together" benefit concert

From the New York Daily News:

Forty years ago, Bruce Springsteen serenaded a loving girl named Sandy in “Fourth of July, Asbury Park."

Now he’s joining forces with other artists to raise money for the victims of a vicious storm with the same name. 

Christina Aguilera, Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel and Sting will join the Boss in a benefit concert Friday at 8 p.m. at the NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Center. 

Jimmy Fallon and Brain Williams will emcee the event.

The show, titled “Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together,” will be shown across the entire NBC Universal Network, viewable on NBC, Bravo, CNBC, E!, G4, MSNBC, Style, Syfy and USA. 

Money raised will be donated to the American Red Cross to provide shelter, food, emotional support, and other assistance to the millions affected by the disaster. 

The personal connection among stars like Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Sting and Joel to the storm-ravaged areas couldn’t be more obvious. Both the Boss and Bon Jovi hail from New Jersey, which has endured some of the greatest hardships in the catastrophe.

And Springsteen has always chronicled disaster, from decline ("Atlantic City") to terror (the post-9/11 song, "My City of Ruins").

Joel grew up on Long Island, also hard hit by the storm, which is something of a coda to his song, "The Downeaster Alexa" about the hard life on Long Island's waterfront.

To donate, visit www.redcross.org or call 800-RED-CROSS.

Donations of $10 will also be added to your cellphone bill by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. 

Q&A session follows "Evita" performance Nov. 7 at Casper College

A special question and answer session will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 7 following the performance of the fall Casper College musical “Evita.”

The Q & A session will feature the cast and artistic staff  “who will cover questions about the show, its history, and even specific questions to our New York guest artist, actress Lindsie Van Winkle, who is playing the starring role of Eva Peron,” said James Olm, musical theatre coordinator at Casper College.

Tickets for “Evita” will be available to the general public beginning Monday, Oct. 29. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students ages 5 to 18. Tickets can be purchased at the Krampert Theatre Complex box office between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday or by phone at 268-2500.

Oct. 25 banquet in Laramie raises funds for women's education in Tanzania

October 19, 2012 — A University of Wyoming cross-cultural communication class will host a banquet to raise money and general awareness for the women of Tanzania Thursday, Oct. 25, from 7-10 p.m. at the Laramie train depot.

Women’s Education and Economic Centre (WEECE) Director Valeria Mrema will lead the discussion on gender equality and the economic stability of Tanzanian women. WEECE, a nonprofit organization that supports marginalized women and their families in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, joins the UW students to raise money.

“It is common in the Kilimanjaro region for girls to be uneducated or only educated through primary school,” Mrema says. “This limited education undermines women in their ability to be economically self-reliant; in their having the knowledge, skills and ability to exercise their rights; and in their ability to foster a healthy future for themselves and their children.”

Proceeds collected from the event will go toward expanding existing girls’ schools. Contributions purchase educational materials such as books, paper and writing utensils for the future education of Tanzanian women and children.

Catered appetizers and refreshments will be provided. The Wyoming African Students Association (WASA) and the UW Belly Dance Club will provide entertainment for the evening.

Tickets cost $15 for students, $25 for non-students and $40 for couples. Five tickets can be purchased together for $100. Children 12 and under are admitted for free. To purchase tickets and for more information, call Sierra Johnson at (307) 760-5440 or email teamingupfortanzania@gmail.com. Tickets also will be sold at the door.

The UW cross-cultural communication class also has held benefits for a water spigot in Botswana during 2011 and a silent auction for Kenyan orphans in 2010.

The UW African American & Diaspora Studies department sponsors this event. For more information, contact Tracey Patton at (307)766-3857 or teamingupfortanzania@gmail.com.

Photo: It is common in the Kilimanjaro region for girls to be uneducated or only educated through primary school.

Latin Jam features Cheyenne's own Grupo Folklorico Sabor Latino

Casper College music lecture to explore George Harrison's India involvement

A guest music lecturer will examine musician George Harrison’s life-long ties with Indian classical music and culture on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Casper College.

Kathyrn Cox’s lecture, “Not Quite ‘The Quiet One,’” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Durham Hall, located in the Aley Fine Arts Center. It is free and open to the public.

Cox notes that during his career with the Beatles, George Harrison became known as “The Quiet One” when compared to the vociferous John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and this nickname stuck with him throughout his solo career.

“For someone who acted as a musical and cultural ambassador for Western counterculture, however, this appellation seems hardly appropriate, especially considering his life-long dialogue with Indian classical music, and indeed, India itself,” she says. “This talk examines Harrison’s fascination with India and the myriad of issues that arose from it—including ethnic representation and exoticism, globalization, and political involvement—showing how Harrison’s musical gestures and musical activism spoke louder than words.”

Cox is currently a doctoral candidate in historical musicology at the University of Michigan after receiving her B.A. in music from the University of Chicago in 2007. Her research and teaching interests focus primarily on popular music; late-19th/early 20th-century Austro-Hungarian music; music and globalization; and music, text, and language.

Piatigorsky tour weekend stops include Dubois and Rawlins

The Piatigorsky Foundation tour of Wyoming continues this weekend:

Friday, Oct. 12, Dubois: 6 p.m., Headwaters Arts & Conference Center, 20 Stalnaker Street,, Dubois. Contact: Tammy Lucas, headwaters@wyoming.com, 307-455-2687

Saturday, Oct. 13, Rawlins: 7 p.m., Rawlins Music Academy, 307-321-4681.

FMI: For more info about the tour, contact the Wyoming Arts Council, 307-777-7742.

Casper's Dang Ol' Boys rock Laramie on Border War Weekend

The Andy Hackbarth Band will play six tour dates in Wyoming

The Andy Hackbarth Band has announced its fall touring schedule, which includes a number of Wyoming dates. Andy's from La Veta, Colo., and is a one-time resident of Torrington, Wyo. View a video of the band playing a new song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6nq9R3vWFY. Here are the upcoming dates on the tour:

10/12/12 - Bend, OR

10/13/12 - Boise, ID

10/18/12 - Montpelier, ID

10/20/12 - Kemmerer, WY

10/21/12 - Rock Springs, WY

10/23/12 - Thermopolis, WY

10/24/12 - Casper, WY

10/30/12 - Albuquerque, NM

10/31/12 - Phoenix, NM

11/1/12 - Green Valley, AZ

11/2/12 - San Diego, CA

11/9/12 - Hollywood, CA

11/10/12 - Ojai, CA

11/12/12 - Santa Clarita, CA

11/13/12 - TBA

11/14/12 - Lake Tahoe, CA

11/16/12 - Nampa, ID

11/17/12 - Torrington, WY

11/18/12 - Laramie, WY

1/11/13 - Aspen, CO

2/23/12 - Denver, CO