Upcoming Events @ Carolina

Seasonal performances, events
highlight December at Carolina

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

Dec. 1
Gallery Talk
Ackland Art Museum
6:30 p.m.
Emily Kass, the Ackland Are Museum's new director, will discuss the impact of music on modern art as seen in Rose Piper's "Slow Down Freight Train" oil painting. The talk will be followed by a light reception. Call (919) 843-3676 or e-mail acklandprograms@unc.edu for more information.

Dec. 1-3
Carolina Ballet: "Nutcracker"
8 p.m. (Dec. 1)
2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Dec. 2)
2 p.m. (Dec. 3)
Beasley-Curtis Auditorium, Memorial Hall
A holiday season staple, "Nutcracker" is a fantasy classic, capturing the irrepressible imagination of a child's world in which all things are possible. Based on E.T.A. Hoffman's more macabre book, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," the ballet tells the story of Clara, a young German girl, who dreams of a nutcracker prince. This was Tchaikovsky's third and last major ballet. Call the Memorial Hall Box Office at (919) 843-3333 or visit www.carolinaperformingarts.org for tickets: $30-$60 for the general public, $18 for children younger than 12 and $10 for UNC students. Sponsored by Carolina Performing Arts.

Dec. 2
Garden tour
10 a.m.
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Meet at the stone gathering circle in front of the Totten Center, located on just off the U.S. 15-501 Bypass at Old Mason Farm Road, for this free tour of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Contact Mary Beth Phillips at (919) 962-0522 or mbphil@email.unc.edu for more information.

Handel arias
2 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
UNC music department alumnus and countertenor Jonas Laughlin will perform Handel arias written for Farinelli, the famed 18-century Italian soprano castrato singer, in celebration of "Witnesses to an Age in Transformation," a mini exhibition that explores three 18th-century paintings. Registration required. For more information, call (919) 966-5736 or visit www.ackland.org.

Dec. 3
Handel arias
2 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
UNC music department alumnus Jonas Laughlin will perform Handel arias written for Farinelli, the famed 18-century Italian soprano castrato singer, in celebration of "Witnesses to an Age in Transformation," a mini exhibition that explores three 18th-century paintings. Registration required. For more information, call (919) 966-5736 or visit www.ackland.org.

Dramatic reading
7 p.m.
Paul Green Theatre, Center for Dramatic Art
The department of dramatic art and PlayMakers Repertory Company will present a reading in honor of the 80th Anniversary of Paul Green's Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play, "In Abraham's Bosom." A reception will follow. To reserve a seat, call the box office at (919) 962-7529 or e-mail prcboxoffice@unc.edu.

Dec. 6
General Alumni Association holiday concert
7 p.m.
Beasley-Curtis Auditorium, Memorial Hall
Celebrate the winter season with the General Alumni Association's annual holiday concert, featuring several student a cappella groups. Admission is free for GAA members with a suggested $5 donation, and tickets for the public are $5. All proceeds will be donated to UNC Relay for Life. Call the Memorial Hall Box Office at (919) 843-3333 or visit www.carolinaperformingarts.org for more information.

Dec. 7
Winter stories, music for children of all ages
5 p.m. lobby reception
5:30 p.m. program
Pleasants Family Assembly Room, Wilson Library
Brian Sturm, assistant professor of information and library science, and master's students Megan Hendershot and Elizabeth Matson will continue a cherished tradition of storytelling and music about the coldest season of the year. University Library employees Kate Barnhart and Kris Walz and master's student Laurie Neuerburg will provide music of the season. Sponsored by Friends of the Library. Free to the public. For information, call Liza Terll at (919) 962-4207 or liza_terll@unc.edu.

Technology discussion
2 p.m.
116 Murphey Hall
Dr. David Weinberger, co-author of the best-selling book "The Cluetrain Manifesto" (Perseus Books, 2000), will discuss the digital revolution and how it has eliminated the restrictions of physicality. His talk, titled "Everything is Miscellaneous," will be this year's Henderson lecture in the UNC School of Information and Library Science. For more information, visit http://sils.unc.edu/news/releases/2006/10_hendersonlecture.htm or contact Wanda Monroe at (919) 843-8337 or wmonroe@unc.edu.

Dec. 8
Art after dark pajama party
5 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
Parents are invited to bring their children in pajamas for story reading in the galleries (ages 0-5 and 6-10).Visitors of all ages will enjoy evening art viewing, complimentary refreshments and live music. Registration for the free event is required. For more information, call (919) 966-5736 or visit www.ackland.org.

Winter Owl Prowl
7 p.m.
Mason Farm Biological Preserve
Mason Farm Biological Preserve will host an owl-watching event. Attendees are invited to listen to and look for signs of screech, barred and great horned owls. Contact Mary Beth Phillips at (919) 962-0522 or mbphil@email.unc.edu for more information.

Holiday Pops
8 p.m.
Beasley-Curtis Auditorium, Memorial Hall
The North Carolina Symphony will perform a selection of holiday carols and sing-alongs. Tickets for the public, $23-$40, are available at the North Carolina Symphony box office in Raleigh, by phone at (919) 733-2750 or online at www.ncsymphony.org. UNC student tickets, $10, are available at the Memorial Hall Box Office on Cameron Avenue, online at www.carolinaperformingarts.org or by phone at (919) 843-3333.

Dec. 9
Garden tour
10 a.m.
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Meet at the stone gathering circle in front of the Totten Center, located just off U.S. 15-501 Bypass at Old Mason Farm Road, for this free tour of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Contact Mary Beth Phillips at (919) 962-0522 or mbphil@email.unc.edu for more information.

Open drawing session
10 a.m.
Ackland Art Museum
Community members are invited to draw in the galleries on the second Saturday of every month. The session opens with a brief consideration of a single work of art followed by time to draw in a pre-selected gallery. Participants provide the dry media (pencil, crayon, charcoal and paper). Stools and drop cloths are available. For more information, call (919) 966-5736 or visit www.ackland.org.

North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra: Holiday Jazz Blizzard
8 p.m.
Beasley-Curtis Auditorium, Memorial Hall
The orchestra welcomes the holiday season with a swinging jazz concert featuring the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn adaptation of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite," along with favorites from the bands of Glenn Miller, Stan Kenton and others. Call the Memorial Hall Box Office at (919) 843-3333 or visit www.carolinaperformingarts.org for tickets: $15 to $20 for the general public, $12 and $15 for seniors, and $10 for UNC students, faculty and staff. Sponsored by Carolina Performing Arts.

Dec. 10
Renaissance holiday concert
2 p.m.
North Carolina Collection Gallery, Wilson Library
The UNC Consort of Viols will perform a concert of Elizabethan music that might have been heard in an English manor house around the year 1600. Members of the ensemble play period instruments such as the viola da gamba, a string instrument that was popular in Renaissance Europe. They will be joined by singers doing both serious and light music that might have been performed by a family and their guests during the holiday season. For information about the concert, contact Glenn McDonald at (919) 962-1039 or gmcdonal@email.unc.edu. For information about the North Carolina Collection Gallery, contact Neil Fulghum at (919) 962-1172 or rfulghum@email.unc.edu.

Ray LaMontagne in concert
8 p.m.
Beasley-Curtis Auditorium, Memorial Hall
Carrboro music venue Cat's Cradle will present a performance by folk artist Ray LaMontagne at Carolina's Memorial Hall. Tickets are $25 and available at the Memorial Hall Box Office on Cameron Avenue, by phone at (919) 843-3333 or at the Cat's Cradle box office in Carrboro. Visit www.catscradle.com for more information.

Dec. 13
An artist's perspective, a teen gallery talk
6:30 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
In this series, teens meet local artists, see examples of their work and hear ideas about works of art in the Ackland's collection. Mixed media artist Izel Vargas is featured in December. For more information, call (919) 966-5736 or visit www.ackland.org.

Dec. 14
One expert, one work of art, one hour
1 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
UNC art professor Dr. Carol Magee will lead a discussion on African masquerades in connection with the "Window to the Humanities" exhibition. Participants are invited to bring a bag lunch. Registration required. For more information, call (919) 966-5736 or visit www.ackland.org.

Dec. 16
Garden tour
10 a.m.
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Meet at the stone gathering circle in front of the Totten Center, located just off U.S. 15-501 Bypass at Old Mason Farm Road, for this free tour of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Contact Mary Beth Phillips at (919) 962-0522 or mbphil@email.unc.edu for more information.

Dec. 17
Carolina's December Commencement
2 p.m.
Dean E. Smith Center
Dr. Holden Thorp, a chemistry professor with a passion for music and a history of service, will deliver the December commencement address. Chancellor James Moeser will preside. Contact Leigh Ann Hartwell at (919) 962-1996 or visit www.unc.edu/commencement for more information.

Music in the Galleries
2 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
Musicians will play pieces inspired by the time period or content of the artwork on display in select galleries of the Museum. For more information, call (919) 843-3676 or e-mail acklandprograms@unc.edu.

Dec. 19
Yoga in the galleries
12:10 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
A yoga session will be held in the galleries. Learn and practice gentle yoga poses on chair or mat along with breathing techniques to focus the mind and increase strength and flexibility. Registration is required, and a $5 donation is suggested. For more information, call (919) 966-5736 or visit www.ackland.org.

Recurring Events

Adventures in Ideas seminars
Locations vary by seminar
The Program in the Humanities and Human Values, a unit of the College of Arts and Sciences, sponsors public seminars that draw on the humanities to nurture a deeper understanding of history and culture. The series began Sept. 15. Registration and fee is required for the weekend seminars, which include topics such as "Music, Love and Marriage 18th-Century Style" (Dec. 8-9). Visit www.adventuresinideas.unc.edu for more information or to register.

"Inbetween Spaces: Textured Imaginings of African-American Lives"
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays; closed university holidays
Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum
The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History
Through the traditional art of quilting, Dr. Heather Williams, a UNC assistant professor of history, uses vibrant colors, textures, fabrics and poignant images to chronicle the lives of African-Americans. The gallery of quilts, which opened Sept. 21, will be open to the public through Dec. 6. Contact Olympia Friday at (919) 962-7265 or ofriday@email.unc.edu for more information.

Nobel Times Four: Yeats, Shaw, Beckett, Heaney
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
Closed university holidays
Melba Remig Saltarelli Room, Wilson Library
The exhibition presents a selection of the works of the four Irish Nobel Laureates. Contact Libby Chenault at chenault@email.unc.edu or (919) 962-1143 for more information.

Art at the Garden
Daily
Totten Center, North Carolina Botanical Garden
Five graduates of the N.C. Botanical Garden's certificate program in botanical illustration will exhibit their work Dec. 10 through Dec. 31. Call ahead for viewing availability as the gallery space also is used for classes and meetings. Contact Mary Beth Phillips at (919) 962-0522 or mbphil@email.unc.edu for more information.

"Tuesdays With Morrie"
Show times vary
Paul Green Theatre, Center for Dramatic Art
"Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie" opened Nov. 15 and runs through Dec. 10. Based on Albom's bestselling 1997 book, the play is the sportswriter's first-person story of visits with his former college professor Morrie Schwartz. Morrie's final lesson teaches Albom about the value of life. Tickets are $10 to $40. Call (919) 962-7529 for tickets. Visit http://www.playmakersrep.org for more information.

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Note: Ticket availability for Memorial Hall and other events is subject to change; call the Box Office at (919) 843-3333 to confirm before listing.

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