Upcoming Events @ Carolina

Carolina hosts opera series, garden events, lectures in June

CHAPEL HILL – Following is a sampling of June events at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Please use this information for calendar listings and postings and in planning your event-oriented coverage. Activities are free to the public unless otherwise noted.

June 2
Botanical Expedition to Sandhills Game Land, Hoffman, N.C.
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Meet in parking lot outside North Carolina Botanical Garden
Take a day-trip to the southern region of North Carolina where longleaf pine forests still reign. Long-time Sandhills resident and taxonomy expert Bruce Sorrie will lead the hike and point out the vast flora of this region. Moderate hiking ability is required as all day will be spent off trail. $45; $40 for garden members.  For more information, call (919) 962-0522 or e-mail ncbg@unc.edu.

June 9
Plant Propagation and Rooted Stem Cuttings
1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Totten Center Classroom, North Carolina Botanical Garden
Learn how to collect seed and grow a variety of vegetation, including woody plants and trees. NCSU forestry professor Matt Gocke will cover the fundamentals, protocol, equipment and supplies necessary for successful rooted cutting propagation.  $15; $10 for garden members. For more information, call (919) 962-0522 or e-mail ncbg@unc.edu.

June 10
Landscaping with Nature
2 p.m.
Totten Center Classroom, North Carolina Botanical Garden
Learn how to apply ecological principles like energy flow, plant communities and diversity to residential landscaping projects.  Landscape designer Matthew Arnsberger will provide lessons such as soil conditioning, mulching, dealing with pests and attracting pollinators. $15; $10 for garden members. For more information, call (919) 962-0522 or e-mail ncbg@unc.edu.

June 11
Ginseng, the Divine Root
7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Totten Center Classroom, North Carolina Botanical Garden
Book reading and discussion with the author of “Ginseng, the Divine Root.” This book tracks the path of ginseng through subcultures from western North Carolina to the bustling streets of Hong Kong, and finds a world full of wheelers, dealers, diggers and stealers.   Author David Taylor has uncovered a story of ancient tradition, international crime, botany, herbal medicine, forest conservation and the vagaries of human nature. Call (919) 962-0522 to reserve a seat.

June 15, 17
Long Leaf Opera Festival’s “Strange Fruit”
8 p.m. Friday
2 p.m. Sunday
Memorial Hall
The world premiere of a story of racism, passion and violence in the American South adapted from the controversial novel by Lillian Smith and inspired from the Billie Holiday song of the same title.  “Strange Fruit” recounts a secret, forbidden, interracial love affair that struggles to survive in a small Georgia town in 1920.  North Carolina composer Chandler Carter creates a jazz and blues-infused score. $35 reserved; $20 general; $10 students and children. For more information, visit www.longleafopera.org.

June 16
Tours of Coker Arboretum
11 a.m.-noon
Stone gathering circle next to wisteria arbor along Cameron Avenue
Tours depart at 11 a.m. the third Saturday of every month. Call the North Carolina Botanical Garden at (919) 962-0522 or e-mail ncbg@unc.edu for more information.

Long Leaf Opera Festival’s “Around the Festival”
8 p.m.
Paul Green Theater, Center for Dramatic Art
From the composer of “Strange Fruit,” comes a selection several works featuring poetry by Dorothy Parker and Walt Whitman and a cycle of songs from James Joyce’s work.  Also includes a performance of “Bow Songs,” a string quartet based on traditional South African protest songs. $15 general; $10 students and children. For more information, visit www.longleafopera.org.

June 19
“Nora the Nonapus,” an original children’s opera
7 p.m.                                           
Paul Green Theater, Center for Dramatic Art
Based on an award-winning book, “Nora the Nonapus” is about an octopus who doesn’t quite fit in until she proves to the world that it’s what we have inside that counts.  Presented by students of Estes Hills Elementary School in Chapel Hill, this project benefits the school through the Long Leaf Opera’s outreach program. $10 adults; children free. For more information, visit www.longleafopera.org.

June 22, 24
Long Leaf Opera Festival’s “Acts of Love, A Bill of One Act Operas”
8 p.m. Friday
2 p.m. Sunday
Memorial Hall
Experience music from “Venus and Adonis” and “The Bear.”  “Venus and Adonis” brings Shakespeare’s erotic love poem to the stage through a combination of lyric singing, ballet and blues-like orchestration.  Based on the play by Anton Chekhov, “The Bear” is a comedy full of wit and intrigue.  $35 reserved; $20 general; $10 students and children. For more information, visit www.longleafopera.org.

June 23
An Evening with Christine Weidinger, Soprano with David Heid, Piano
8 p.m.
Paul Green Theater, Center for Dramatic Art
From the Metropolitan Opera to La Scala, the Vienna State Opera to Santiago de Chile, Christine Weidinger presents a recital of American songs.  $15 general; $10 students and children. For more information, visit www.longleafopera.org.

June 25
Does Racism Make Us Sick?
13th Annual Summer Public Health Research Institute
2 p.m.-4 p.m.
Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History
The implications of racism for health and wellness will be addressed in a panel discussion.  Speakers are: Dr. Luisa N. Borrell, Columbia University; Gilbert C. Gee, Ph.D., University of Michigan; Karina Walters, Ph.D., University of Washington; and David R. Williams, Ph.D., Harvard University. Pre-registration is requested; live internet and satellite broadcast are available.  For more information, visit http://www.minority.unc.edu/institute/2007/.

June 29-30, July 1
Long Leaf Opera Festival’s “A Grand Night for Singing”
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
2 p.m. Sunday
Memorial Hall
This fresh take on the Rodgers & Hammerstein canon conceived by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie features musical arrangements including: “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-a My Hair,” “Honeybun,” and “Kansas City.”  Donna Shannon directs and Julie Bradley conducts. $35 reserved; $20 general; $10 students and children. For more information, visit www.longleafopera.org.

June 30
Long Leaf Opera Festival’s “At the Statue of Venus”
2 p.m.
Memorial Hall
Inspired by the opera scenes of Hadyn, Mozart, and Beethoven, a woman waits in a museum by the Goddess of Love to meet a man she has never seen.  This performance will feature a special appearance by Elizabeth Grayson. Composer Jake Heggie will also present a master class for finalists of Long Leaf’s 2006 National Vocal Competition. For more information, visit www.longleafopera.org.

Ongoing Events

June 2 – 23
Bryophytes: Ancient Plants in Our Modern Landscape
9 a.m. Saturdays
Totten Center Classroom, North Carolina Botanical Garden
For four Saturdays, Duke University botanist Christine Davis will lead classes about bryophytes, the oldest living group of plants on earth. Mosses, liverworts and hornworts comprise these miniature members of the plant kingdom. Students in this class will learn about bryophyte biology and taxonomy both in the field and under the microscope. $125; $100 for garden members. For more information, call (919) 962-0522 or e-mail ncbg@unc.edu.

June 2 – 30
Tour of the Garden
10 a.m. Saturdays
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Meet at the stone gathering circle in front of the Totten Center for one-hour tour of the garden guided by staff and curators. For more information, call (919) 962-0522 or e-mail ncbg@unc.edu.

June 7 – 28
Nature Tales: Storytime at the Garden
10 a.m. Thursdays
Every Thursday throughout the summer, staff at the garden welcome pre-school aged children (2-5 years) and their guardians for nature stories about plants and animals, followed by fun activities that take children out into the garden to experience nature firsthand. $5 per family.  For more information, visit http://ncbg.unc.edu or call (919) 962-0522.

June 14 – July 1
“Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress”
8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays
3 p.m. Sundays
Kenan Theatre, Center for Dramatic Art
Set against the backdrop of Mao’s “cultural revolution,” two young men sent into the remote mountains of Sichuan for reeducation discover a cache of forbidden Western literature and attempt to reeducate a beautiful seamstress on their own.  Based on the novel by Dai Sijie, this performance incorporates live music, multi-media, masks and puppets.  $10 adults ($8 Thursday, Sunday); $5 students ($4 Thursday, Sunday).  Call (919) 843-3333 for tickets/reservations.  Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.

June 15 – July 1
Long Leaf Opera Festival
8 p.m. Fridays
2 p.m. Sundays
Memorial Hall
Experience a full program of opera written and performed in English. Long Leaf Opera highlights American composers, but also features productions from around the world.  June’s repertoire includes: three world premieres; the southern premiere of “At the Statue of Venus;” original children’s opera “Nora the Nonapus;” and Rogers and Hammerstein’s “A Grand Night for Singing.” $35 reserved; $20 general; $10 students and children. For more information, visit www.longleafopera.org.

UNC-Chapel Hill calendars: http://www.unc.edu/events/

News Services contact: Staff at (919) 962-2091 or news@unc.edu