Articles by Matthew Makowski
Dancers to perform in the 'vertical realm' during Fall Arts Celebration
Fall Arts Celebration at Grand Valley will transcend the traditional dance floor and fly into the sky when Aerial Dance Chicago presents a new world of athleticism coupled with an elegant showcase of dancing in the air. "Celebrating Originality: Defying Gravity with Aerial Dance Chicago" will take place November 6, at 7:30 p.m., in Louis Armstrong Theatre. A pioneer and an international leader in aerial dance, ADC is dedicated to presenting original choreography and performance in the field. The ensemble launches itself into
Oct 27, 2017
Music festival to spotlight 20th/21st-century piano compositions
Sixty grade school musicians from across Michigan, as well as Grand Valley faculty and students, will celebrate 20th- and 21st-Century piano music with a day of recitals during the 20th/21st-Century Piano Music Festival. The festival will include multiple 50-minute recitals on October 28 featuring solos performed by students ranging in grade level from first grade through high school. Grand Valley's award-winning New Music Ensemble will also perform during the festival.
Oct 26, 2017
CLAS alumni to visit campus for presentations and events
Alumni from 13 departments within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will visit the Allendale Campus to share their post-graduation Laker Effects during multiple events and presentations October 26-27.
Oct 23, 2017
New Music Ensemble to release new CD, "Return"
Grand Valley's award-winning New Music Ensemble has released a new CD that was composed by three alumni of the program. The release of the ensemble's fourth commercial CD, "Return," will be celebrated on October 27 with a concert from 7:30-9 p.m. in Louis Armstrong Theatre. The album's three composers, Adam Cuthbért, '10, Matthew Finch, '15, and Daniel Rhodé, '12, will be in attendance, and Cuthbért will open the show with a special performance. An opportunity to meet the composers and the members of the New Music Ensemble w
Oct 19, 2017
The extraordinary in the ordinary to be explored during Fall Arts Celebration poetry night
One of the wonders of poetry is the potential for the intricacies of ordinary life to be described in extraordinary ways. Patricia Clark, event coordinator and professor of writing, said this is exactly what audiences can expect to hear during this year's Fall Arts Celebration poetry night with acclaimed authors Jane Hirshfield and Dan Gerber. "An Evening of Poetry and Conversation with Jane Hirshfield and Dan Gerber" will take place October 26. The reading will be followed by a reception and book signing.
Oct 18, 2017
GVSU dedicates new black box theater in honor of renowned vocalist
The Grand Valley community celebrated the formal dedication of the Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre on October 17. To honor Linn's memory, the Keller family established the Linn Maxwell Keller Professional Vocalist Experience Endowment at Grand Valley in 2017. The fund provides enrichment opportunities for committed vocal performance students and will aim to encourage them in their professional career development. The Keller Theatre was named in appreciation for their generosity.
Oct 17, 2017
GVSU Opera Theatre to honor legacy of composer Kurt Weill during cabaret performances
The legacy of composer Kurt Weill can still be heard today by audiences in concert halls and theaters, and students will honor that legacy when GVSU Opera Theatre performs a selection of Weill's greatest hits. "A Kurt Weill Cabaret" will focus on the music of Weill (1900-1950), and the many lyricists who collaborated with him during his life and career. During the performances, taking place October 20- October 22, each of the 14 students in the ensemble will be featured in both solos and small group numbers.
Oct 13, 2017
GVSU students win multiple Grand Awards for "Sweeney Todd"
Multiple Grand Valley students received recognitions during the annual Grand Awards October 8 for their participation in the GVSU Opera Theatre production of "Sweeney Todd" in February. The cast, crew and production won awards in all six of the categories in which they received nominations. The annual Grand Awards celebrates Grand Rapids area college and community theater performers and performances.
Oct 10, 2017
Grand Valley community will bring Homer's "Iliad" to life during 24-hour event
Students, faculty and staff will perform one of the oldest poems in the western world, Homer's "Iliad," all within a 24-hour period during the HOMERathon. The sixth installation of the bi-annual event, themed "Game of Heroes," will begin Tuesday, October 10, at 4 p.m. when Provost Maria Cimitile reads the opening of the "Iliad" in Greek. All events will take place on the Allendale Campus, either in the Mary Idema Pew Library, Cook-DeWitt Center or near Zumberge Pond.
Oct 9, 2017
Grand Valley student organization connects young students to animation profession through community project
Grand Valley students and faculty members are spreading the wonders of animation to local middle school students while solving the needs of local community partners. Members of Animator�s Guild, a student organization at Grand Valley, mentored 20 seventh- and eighth-grade students from North Park Montessori Academy in Grand Rapids as they created multiple stop-motion animation videos for Kent County Friend of the Court. The animations will help educate the community about the organization and its services.
Oct 9, 2017
