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Grinnell Singers to perform "Messiah" with Chicago's Baroque Band

Grinnell, IA -

The Grinnell Singers, a 50-voice choral ensemble from Grinnell College, will combine talents with Chicago’s celebrated Baroque Band, to perform Handel’s “Messiah,” Dec. 3 in Des Moines and Dec. 4 on the Grinnell campus.

The Baroque Band period-instrument orchestra has established itself as an important part of Chicago’s classical music community. The combined concert with the Grinnell Singers will feature the “Dublin Messiah,” Handel’s rarely heard original of the iconic masterpiece which premiered in Ireland in 1742. The Baroque Band’s rendition of the Dublin version was recognized in 2009 as one of the “top five classical concerts.”

The Grinnell Singers, known for innovative and adventurous choral programming, have premiered more than 20 choral works in the past five years, directed by Professor of Music John Rommereim. Rommereim is active as a composer, singer, and scholar whose work is centered in the areas of Russian choral music and early music performance. Each year the choir presents concerts across the U.S. and has traveled to Estonia, Finland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey.

The free public concerts will be held Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 600 6th St., Des Moines, and Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. in Sebring-Lewis Hall, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, Grinnell. Freewill donations will be accepted at the Des Moines concert; contact St. John's Lutheran Church, 515-243-7691, for ticket information.

Grinnell College is a nationally recognized, private, four year, liberal arts college located in Grinnell, Iowa. Founded in 1846, Grinnell enrolls 1,600 students from all 50 states and from as many international countries in more than 26 major fields, interdisciplinary concentrations, and pre-professional programs.

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Briefly: Fine Arts events

Grinnell, IA - >

tRADitions + enCOUNTers

The Department of Theatre and Dance presents the Grinnell College Dance Ensemble in tRADitions + enCOUNTers, Dec. 2-4, in Flanagan Arena Theatre of Bucksbaum Center for the Arts. The performance will explore dance traditions on campus as well as traditions of family, communities, and food. Dance Ensemble members will draw from their own ballet and modern dance traditions, featured artist Val Vetter will share Javanese dance, with guest appearances in hip-hop, Bollywood, and belly dancing form. Celeste Miller, lecturer in theatre and dance, will choreograph the performances in collaboration with Dance Ensemble members Athena Carlson '15, Diane Lenertz '15, Kristen Moreland '12, DeShaun Peters '14, Alexander Rich-Shea '12, and Adelle Yin '13. The performances are scheduled for Dec. 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Dec. 4.

'Tis the Season for Organ Music

College Organist Linda Bryant and student organists Peter Aldrich '15 and Christopher Squier '13 will present a varied program of carol-based music on Thurs., Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. in Herrick Chapel. The selections range from Bach and Daquin to jazz-influenced settings by Johannes Michel. The organists will play the restored 1949 Aeolian-Skinner instrument of 59 ranks. The program is free and open to the public.

Nov. symposium celebrates Liberal Arts in Prison Program

Grinnell, IA -

Grinnell College’s Liberal Arts in Prison Program will celebrate its First Year of College Program offering at the Newton Correctional Facility during a Nov. campus symposium with national speakers on the benefits of education for incarcerated individuals.

Since 2003, Grinnell students and faculty have taught courses at Iowa correctional facilities, and in 2009, the college began a pilot program at the Newton facility to offer courses for Grinnell credit. Last summer, the Grinnell Liberal Arts in Prison Program admitted the first class to its new First Year of College Program, which enrolls incarcerated students in a rigorous course of study equivalent to a first year at Grinnell.

Grinnell program coordinator Emily Guenther credits Grinnell students' and faculty commitment to academic rigor and social justice for the success of the program. “Education is one of the most effective ways to prevent repeat offenses and help the incarcerated leave prison better able to lead constructive lives,” Guenther said. “The November symposium celebrates Grinnell’s commitment to the Liberal Arts in Prison Program and offers opportunities to engage with experts in criminal justice and education.”

The following events are free and open to the public:

• Nov. 3, 4:15 p.m.: Marc Mauer, one of the nation’s leading experts on criminal justice policy, will present “America’s Race to Incarcerate” about the rise in mass incarceration. Mauer’s reports and publications on sentencing policy, race, and the criminal justice system are among the most widely-cited in the field.

• Nov. 16, 8 p.m.: Max Kenner, founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative in New York, will present about the role of liberal arts colleges in prisons. The Grinnell program, which is supported by the Lilly Endowment, a gift from a Grinnell trustee, and Bard College, was among the first members of the Consortium for the Liberal Arts at Bard College.

• Nov. 17, 4:15 p.m.: Grinnell alumni Katie Jares and Noga Ashkenazi, who have done extensive prison-related work since graduation, will join a former inmate and student in a panel discussion about the college’s Liberal Arts in Prison Program. Jares and Ashkenazi volunteered in the program while Grinnell students.

• Nov. 17 at 8 p.m.: Noga Ashkenazi, a 2009 Grinnell graduate, will present clips from a documentary she is producing based on her teaching experiences at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. Ashkenazi will be joined in the discussion by a former inmate and student who is featured in the film. The screening will be held in Alumni Recitation Hall, Room 302.

More than 50 Grinnell students volunteer regularly at the Newton and Mitchellville correctional facilities, tutoring and facilitating a variety of classes that have earned the respect of the Iowa Department of Corrections. Grinnell students also tutor at the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo.

All events will be held in Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center, Room 101, located at 1115 8th Ave. in Grinnell. For more information about the Grinnell Liberal Arts in Prison Program or the Nov. symposium, contact Emily Guenther, coordinator, at grinnellinprison@grinnell.edu.

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Grinnell College Libraries honored by American Library Association

Grinnell, IA -

The Grinnell College Libraries have been recognized by the American Library Association (ALA) with the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award for 2011. The award, presented by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), acknowledged the “outstanding services, programs and leadership” provided to Grinnell College students, faculty and community.

The Grinnell College Libraries—with collections of more than 800,000 volumes—include Burling Library, the main campus library nationally recognized for its creative study spaces; the Kistle Science Library, constructed in 2007 in the Robert N. Noyce ’49 Science Center; and the curriculum library, located in Steiner Hall.

The award cited the Grinnell libraries’ student mentoring and information literacy programs, connecting the library with students and faculty and demonstrating “continuous effort to improve, adapt, reshape and respond to new expectations.”

“As libraries continue to evolve, our commitment to the college’s liberal-arts mission and program helps to ensure our effectiveness,” said Richard Fyffe, Samuel R. & Marie-Louise Rosenthal Librarian of the College at Grinnell. “The Libraries are delighted to be recognized with this national award, which is testimony to the hard work, creativity and dedication of the library staff and to the ongoing support of the campus community. We have worked especially hard to ensure that our programs and service remain deeply integrated with campus learning, teaching and research.”

Grinnell was the winner in the college category for the annual ACRL awards. ACRL, a division of the American Library Association, represents more than 12,000 academic and research librarians offering initiatives to advance teaching, learning and research.

More information about Grinnell College library services is available from the Grinnell website athttp://www.grinnell.edu/library, where the ALA application is also available.

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Messiah Sing-along Sunday in Herrick Chapel

Grinnell, IA -

Grinnell College will host a sing-along of selections from George Frideric Handel’s classic "Messiah" on Sun., Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. in Herrick Chapel on the Grinnell College campus.

The Second Annual Handel’s "Messiah" Sing is open to all who wish to participate, and will feature several selections from the work, including the well-known "Hallelujah!" chorus. No previous experience is necessary, but an optional rehearsal will take place at 1 p.m. in Herrick Chapel. Scores are available to borrow or feel free to bring your own.

Professor of Music John Rommereim will conduct the performance. The sing will feature soloists Lisa Henderson, soprano, and Rommereim, bass, accompanied by college organist Linda Bryant and string quartet.

The "Messiah" group sing is sponsored by the Grinnell College Chaplain’s Office. Herrick Chapel is located at 1128 Park St. on the Grinnell campus. Grinnell welcomes the participation of people with disabilities. If accommodations are needed, please contact the event’s sponsoring organization as soon as possible to make a request.

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'Tis the Season for Organ Music

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