Esbenshade Series
Established through a generous gift in 1980, the series is endowed by the Frederica G. Esbenshade Memorial Fund to bring lectures, performing artists, and programs in the humanities to the Marietta community.
All Esbenshade Series performances start at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Alma McDonough Auditorium. All performances are free and open to the public.
Esbenshade 2011-2012
"The Spirit calls me, and I must go:"
An Evening with Sojourner Truth
November 2, 2011
Kathryn Wood's dramatically re-creates the life and words of this most remarkable woman. The program joins Sojourner Truth at the end of her life. She recalls her early days as a slave, details her relationship with God, and shares poignant stories of her days walking through this land. Ms. Woods uses Sojourner's own words and the spiritual music she may have sung to recreate this inspiring woman.
An Evening with Alexandra Fuller, author
November 9, 2011
The author of Marietta College's 2011 Common Reading text, The Legend of Colton H. Bryant, speaks on her work as a non-fiction author and the writing of the book. The Legend of Colton H. Bryant is an unforgettable true story of a boy who comes of age in the oil-fields and open plains of Wyoming; a heartrending account of the human spirit that lays bare where it is that wisdom truly resides. The moving, tough, and in many ways quintessentially American story of Colton H. Bryant's life could not be told without also telling of the land that grew him, the beautiful and somehow tragic Wyoming.
Wind Soloists of New York
February 1, 2012
The Wind Soloists of New York brings together the leading wind players from New York City to perform the major works for winds from 4 to 15 players. The repertoire for the ensemble includes piano and wind works by Mozart, Poulenc and Beethoven, the wind serenades and divertimenti by Mozart and Beethoven as well as larger scale works such as Dvorak's Serenade for Winds, Mozart's Gran Partita and Strauss's Serenade for Wind Instruments.
Sweet Basil
February 8, 2012
Sweet Basil, a jazz nonet, is not just a small big band or a band that plays only standard jazz classics. From Carole King's "Tapestry" and the Beatle's "With A Little Help From My Friend" to Freddie Hubbardʼs "Red Clay" and the New Orleans influenced Scofield composition "Peculiar", Sweet Basil offers the listener a broad range of colors and jazz settings that range from straight ahead to funk to the blues.
For the Love of Clara
Delores Zeigler, mezzo-soprano & Rita Sloan, piano
February 29, 2012
One of the great love stories to have captured the imagination of music-lovers, Clara and Robert Schumann's romance and marriage have been the stuff of fairy tales since their initial meeting when she was nine and he was eighteen. Featuring acclaimed American mezzo-soprano, Delores Zeigler, and pianist, Rita Sloan this program tells the tragic story of their romance through letters, diaries, but most of all their music.
Simple Gifts
March 7, 2012
Three women plus twelve instruments equals one good time when Simple Gifts takes the stage. Drawing on an impressive variety of ethnic folk styles, this award-winning trio plays everything from lively Irish jigs and down-home American reels to hard-driving Klezmer frailachs and haunting Gypsy melodies, spicing the mix with the distinctive rhythms of Balkan dance music, the lush sounds of Scandinavian twin fiddling, and original compositions written in a traditional style. An evening not to be missed!
Scott Wilson & the Electric Jazz Quartet
March 21, 2012
Featuring Gerhard Baier Trumpet Artist, Scott Wilson this jazz quartet will guarantee an exciting evening of music. Currently the Director of the Jazz Studies program at the University of Florida, Scott Wilson has served as Musical Director for Universal Studios Japan, and as an Artistic Director for Caleb Chapmans Super Band in Utah (multiple Downbeat winners). He now serves as Artistic Director for the LakeShore Music jazz series at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Arizona.