The beat goes on

Contemporary Music Festival 2003 features Lou Harrison

By Susan Wittstock, onCAMPUS staff

Lou Harrison is looking forward to traveling by train for most of the trip when he journeys from California to Columbus to be the featured composer for Ohio State's Contemporary Music Festival in February. The mode of transportation may be slower than that of an airplane, but he plans to savor the experience in a way that those being whisked through the clouds above him can't possibly.

Harrison has made a career out of the unusual, finding new and innovative ways to create music since he first began composing in San Francisco in the 1930s.

Lou Harrison has been composing music since the 1930s. Courtesy of College of the Arts

Columbus audiences will have the chance to hear a number of Harrison's compositions performed by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and School of Music ensembles Feb. 6-9. For the second year in a row, Ohio State is collaborating with CSO to present the work of a leading composer. Last year, Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki was featured.

"I am eager to come. I must say I don't think I've been to Ohio," Harrison said recently by telephone, from his home in the Monterey Bay region of California.

While at Ohio State, Harrison will have the chance to meet and work with music students, but he does not consider himself a mentor.

"I don't mentor. I just either encourage them or like what they do. If someone approaches me for advice, the best I can do is give them some sort of help, a band or record aligned with their interest," Harrison said. "I never impose an idea -- I sometimes suggest things that can be done. Composition is a very personal thing."

Harrison's musical career has been varied. He has written percussion pieces for "found" instruments, compositions for choreographers -- such as Merce Cunningham and Mark Morris, and for the Indonesian gamelan. A gamelan is an ensemble of various instruments.

"I fell in love with gamelan music from Henry Cowell. I first heard it when I was studying with him," Harrison said.

Eventually, Harrison began composing gamelan music, and found that the Javanese appreciate what his Western ear brings to the music.

"In Java, it would be very hard for you to think up anything new on the gamelan, but they are just as interested in creative expression as we are," he said. "It was a Java master who asked me to compose for gamelan. They're really interested in what we do. It means their tradition is gaining a new facet."

He teaches a Javanese gamelan course from the comforts of his own home to students from a college in his neighborhood, using a gamelan that he built with his late partner, Bill Colvig. "Bill and I built a very large studio for a music room, big enough to house a large gamelan," Harrison said.

Finding and building instruments has always been of interest to Harrison.

"Let me put in a word for percussionists. They're usually people who do like to build things. They like to experiment. There's a whole raft of new things that percussionists bring to music that other instrumentalists do not," he said. "I once wanted the sound of the stars coming out. Finally, it occurred to me to take steel pipes and balance them delicately on a redwood box."

He has won many accolades for his innovations, including receiving Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, the Twentieth Century Masterpiece Award, and grants from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the Fromm Foundation and Betty Freeman.

Over the years, Harrison has had success as a calligrapher, a poet, a music critic, a florist and an animal nurse. He is showing no signs of slowing down. Poems and Pieces, a book he edited of 23 pieces of his own composition and poetry written by him since 1992, will be published soon, printed in a font he designed. He also is still composing new works and writing new arrangements for previous ones.

"I think there's very little chance of my retiring," he said.

Weekend will offer a wide cross-section of compositions

By Victoria Ellwood, College of the Arts Communications

The Contemporary Music Festival 2003 will focus on several aspects of composer Lou Harrison's work, specifically his percussion music (think subtle, not loud), his music for gamelan and his Third Symphony, the latest version of which will be premiered by the CSO during the festival.

"Lou, who is in his 80s, is truly an American icon," said Donald Harris, festival organizer and professor of music. "He is of the generation that forged this particular brand of American music that some call ‘West Coast' music or music that's influenced by the East. The festival showcases a broad cross-section of Lou Harrison's compositions, from his music for large symphonic orchestra to his work for percussion ensembles and gamelan ensembles."

In addition to OSU faculty and CSO musicians, the festival will welcome a visiting composer from Croatia, Sanja Draculic, and famed Bali choreographer and composer I Gusti Agung Ngurah Supartha and his gamelan.

For Ohio State students performing in the school's Percussion Ensemble, the experience will be a treat -- and a challenge, said Susan Powell, assistant professor of percussion.

"The whole opening concert features Harrison's percussion works," Powell said. "He uses a lot of ‘found' instruments in the pieces, from brake drums from cars to flower pots and clock springs. He's very specific on how we create these instruments so I figure I'll be doing some junkyard and flea market shopping in preparation for the festival."

She added the concert also features more-traditional percussion instruments, such as drums, bells and wood blocks, too.

"Harrison was at the forefront of creating the whole percussion ensemble genre," she said. "I think audiences will be surprised and pleased at how melodic his percussion music is, even though no melodic instruments are used."

For more information about the Contemporary Music Festival 2003, contact the School of Music at 292-2870 or visit www.arts.ohio-state.edu/Music, or the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at 228-9600 or visit www.columbussymphony.com.

Snow ballet

By Jo McCulty Art students take advantage of Columbus' recent stretch of snowy weather to have an impromptu snow fight in front of Hayes Hall.

United Black World Month 2003

Unity is theme for celebration, events

Ohio State's United Black World Month calendar features discussions with local and nationally-known speakers, cultural dance and food events, and a scholarship contest. The theme for this year's observance is "Umoja," Swahili for unity, and the principle for the first day of Kwanzaa. Among the keynote speakers for the month are former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney; historian and motivational speaker Carl Mack; and veteran news and radio talk show host Tom Pope. Creative expressions by photographer Kojo Kamau and the Academy of African American Achievement Chorus also will be featured. The observance, through February, will conclude with a downtown celebration. For more information, contact the Office of African American Student Services at 688-8449.

Jan. 30

Kickoff: Speaker, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, 7:30 p.m., Ohio Union Main Lounge. McKinney was Georgia's first woman to serve congress. Sponsored by the Office of African American Student Services, The Multicultural Center, The Frank W. Hale Jr. Cultural Center and Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc.

Feb. 1

Graduate and Professional School Preparation Workshop, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Hale Center. Sponsored by the Black Graduate and Professional Student Caucus.

Feb. 4

Exhibition of Photographs by Kojo Kamua, Bricker Hall, second floor lobby.

Kujichagulai, 6-9 p.m., Hale Center. Featuring Carl Mack, historian and motivational speaker, who through this workshop inspires African Americans to achieve freedom through knowledge of history and self definition. Sponsored by the National Society of Black Engineers.

Feb. 5

President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series: "Demography, Diversity and Dollars," 10 a.m., Ohio Union Conference Theater. Featuring Alfredo de los Santos, research professor at the University of Arizona and adviser to the National Science Foundation Directorate on Education and Human Resources.

African Dance, noon-1:30 p.m., Ohio Union. Learn with professional dancers and celebrate UBWM through this lively art form.

Feb. 6

The Academy of African American Male Achievement Chorus, noon-1 p.m., Ohio Union food court.

Feb. 7

Hip Hop on Ice with PHC, 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., OSU Ice Rink. A night of music with DJ Stephan and skating. Space is limited; e-mail bergquist.3@osu.edu for reservations. Admission is $1; skate rental $2. Sponsored by the Ohio Union and the Pan-Hellenic Council.

Feb. 10

Sister Series, 7-9 p.m., Hale Center. A forum for college women and men to openly discuss issues that affect their lives. Sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Epsilon Chapter, the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center and Women Student Services.

Feb. 13

President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series: "The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass," 2 p.m., Ohio Union Conference Theater. Featuring Frederick Douglass IV (FDIV), the great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist, orator, editor, statesman, author, suffragist and publisher.

Wellness Thursday Health Fair, 4-8 p.m., Hale Center. HIV counseling and testing, body fat analysis, blood pressure screening, financial planning and assistance as well as interactive activities and information about alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and sexual health. A Party Smart, Moonlight Madness: Student Affairs' Late Night Initiative. Sponsored by the OSU Student Wellness Center.

Are We Moving Forward or Backward as a People?, 7-9 p.m., Multicultural Center. A discussion of how the struggles those before us went through to get us where we are today are taken for granted. Sponsored by the three black student organizations, BANCS, OBSA and SABSA.

Feb. 14

Open Mic, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Hale Center. Featuring fun, food and poetry with the men of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. Sign up to perform at the Hale Center.

Feb. 17

Bad Niggers versus Good Negroes: The Black Athlete and the American Mainstream, 7-9 p.m., Multicultural Center. Featuring Jessica A. Johnson giving an overview of historical representations of the black male athlete, images of sports' present bad niggers and comparing past and present racial stereotyping.

Feb. 18

Shadow-a-Student Day, Ohio Union. College students will host younger students to show them what the college experience is all about. Contact Jen Bossard at bossard.5@osu.edu to participate.

Feb. 19

President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series: "The Little Rock Nine," 10 a.m., Ohio Union Conference Theater. Featuring Terrance Roberts, psychologist, social worker and one of the students who integrated Central High School in 1957.

Annual Male/Female Essay Scholarship Contest, 7-9 p.m., Hale Center. A program designed to aid college students in broadening their knowledge and ideas on various world issues that affect everyday life. Cash prizes to winners. Sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Epsilon chapter.

Forum on Black Male Student Issues, 7-9 p.m., Ohio Union. Featuring a discussion that attempts to target, analyze and alleviate the critical issues that concern black male students at Ohio State. Sponsored by the Black Graduate and Professional Student Caucus.

Feb. 21

Fourth Annual Party Step Invitational/Black Greek Mixer, 7-9:30 p.m., Hale Center. This event will include the crowning of a king and queen. Victory Mixer follows at Woody's in the Ohio Union. Sponsored by the Hale Center.

Feb. 24

Facts, Folklore, and Food, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1183 Postle Hall. Celebrates the African American culture by learning about minority health issues, folklore and food of the African American culture. Sponsored by the College of Dentistry Office of Admissions.

Feb. 26

Business Etiquette Dinner, 6-8 p.m., Ohio Union. Presentation features the fine skills of dining and conversation. Admission is $10, with limited tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. For reservations, contact bergquist.3@osu.edu. Sponsored by OSU Campus Events and Activities.

A.B.L.E. Business Expo, 4:30-7:30 p.m., Hale Center. Featuring successful business owners in the Columbus community. Sponsored by the Association of Black Leaders for Entrepreneurship.

Facts, Folklore, and Food, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1183 Postle Hall. Celebrate the African American culture by learning about minority health issues, folklore and food of the African American culture. Sponsored by the Ohio State University College of Dentistry Office of Admissions.

Feb. 27

United Black World Month Closing Event, 7-9 p.m., Ohio Union Ballrooms. Featuring Tom Pope, veteran news and radio talk show host. Sponsored by the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center and African American Student Services, Multicultural Center.

Feb. 28

Mahogany Moment: An Elegant Evening of Celebration, 10 p.m.­2 a.m., Columbus Hyatt Regency, 350 N. High St. Featuring dancing to music by DJ Stephan. Semi formal attire. Sponsored by African American Student Services.