Office for the Arts announces its spring 2009 grants

More than 800 students will participate in 40 projects in dance, music, theater, and multidisciplinary genres at Harvard University this spring, sponsored in part by the Office for the Arts (OfA) grant program. Grants are designed to foster creative and innovative artistic initiatives among Harvard undergraduates.

The projects, selected by the Council on the Arts at Harvard, include music concerts, literary publications, cultural events, theater productions, art exhibits, and dance performances. Funded projects combine artistic merit, artistic experimentation, and educational benefit to undergraduates. They must also provoke a ripple effect within the University, involving the undergraduate population and providing visibility for their artistic efforts.

Council on the Arts members at the time of selection were Jack Megan (chair), director, OfA; Elizabeth Bergmann, director, OfA dance program; S. Allen Counter, director, Harvard Foundation; Deborah Foster, senior lecturer in folklore and mythology; Jorie Graham, Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory; Cathleen McCormick, director of programs, OfA; Nancy Mitchnick, Rudolf Arnheim Lecturer on Studio Arts, Visual, and Environmental Studies; Robert J. Orchard, managing director, Loeb Drama Center and the American Repertory Theatre; Alex Rehding, professor of music theory, graduate advisor in theory; and Marcus Stern, associate director, Loeb Drama Center.

The OfA, which administers the grants, also offers grants for projects taking place during Arts First, Harvard’s annual celebration of the arts. For further information, visit http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ofa.

Spring 2009 grants

Dance

Across Africa!, Katherine Sengoba ’10, Pan African Dance and Music Ensemble: Esther Kahn Grant to support dance workshops that will teach and showcase dances from throughout the African diaspora, including Nigerian and Rwandan dances.

Crimson Dance Team in Concert 2009, Kristen Calandrelli ’10, Crimson Dance Team: Esther Kahn Grant for a concert showcasing a wide range of dance talent, from ballet to tap, lyrical, cultural, and modern, in addition to the group’s standard jazz, funk, and pom routines.

Eastbound, Anna Zhang ’10, Asian American Dance Troupe: Esther Kahn Grant for a cultural showcase that features primarily traditional and modern Asian dance and includes guest performances by the Harvard Vietnamese Association and the Harvard Wushu Club.

Harvard-Radcliffe Modern Dance Company (HRMDC) Spring Performance, Claire Eccles ’11, HRMDC: Esther Kahn Grant for a concert featuring student-choreographed works as well as professionally commissioned pieces and improvisation.

Harvard Ballet Company spring performance, Kristin Smith ’11, Harvard Ballet Company: Esther Kahn Grant for a performance featuring a mix of ballet and modern dance.

TAPS: Spring 2009 Show, Elizabeth Krane ’11, TAPS: Esther Kahn Grant for a show of various tap art forms such as Broadway, Irish, and hip-hop styles performed and choreographed by students.

Literature

Harvard Book Review: Winter and Spring issues, David Rice ’10, Harvard Book Review: OfA Grant for the publication of a wide-ranging student literary review as well as feature research articles focusing on literary and historical topics.Standard Operating Procedure, Sabrina Chou ’09: OfA Grant for a quarterly publication of art and architecture that serves as a space for discussion, experimentation, and proposition and includes essays, interviews, treatises, projects, and solicited work from the Harvard community as well as from practicing artists and designers.

The Gamut: Annual Issue, Liza Flum ’10, The Gamut: OfA Grant for a student publication devoted entirely to poetry.

The Warble, Louisa Denison ’11, The Warble: OfA Grant for the Currier House-based arts publication (available in print and online) that offers a continuous display space for student art as well as provides a home for unprintable art.

Tuesday Magazine: Spring 2009 Issue, Caroline Bleeke ’10, Tuesday Magazine: OfA Grant for a publication providing a forum for short stories, essays, photographs, poems, opinions, paintings, psychology studies, and manifestos, among other genres.

Multidisciplinary

Wake-Up, Kia McLeod ’10, Eleganza: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for a student-choreographed production in one of the largest student productions on campus that attracts approximately 2,000 people.

Music

Spring semester concerts, Charles Nathanson ’09, Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra: OfA Grant for the last concerts of Dr. James Yannatos’ 45-year tenure with the largest orchestra on campus and the oldest orchestra in the U.S.

Mozart Society Orchestra (MSO) Spring Concert, Julia Ye ’10, MSO: OfA Grant for MSO’s annual spring concert.

Harvard College American Music Association (HCAMA), Elijah O’Connor ’10: OfA Grant in support of spring programming of HCAMA dedicated to educate and expose members of the Harvard community to different American music genres.

Harvard Festival of Women’s Choruses, Stacey Hanson ’10, Radcliffe Choral Society (RCS): OfA Grant for a festival inviting youth, high school, and college choirs from New England to participate in a weekend of discussions and musical exchange.

Harvard-Radcliffe Contemporary Music Ensemble (HrCME) Spring ’09 Concerts, Oliver Strand ’11, HrCME: OfA Grant for a collaborative concert of new art songs composed to texts by the staff writers of Tuesday Magazine.

Spring Concert, Nicholas Bodnar ’11, Brattle Street Chamber Players: OfA Grant for a concert featuring a performance of the Walton Sonata for String Orchestra as well as the world premiere of a piece written by student composer Christopher Lim ’10.

Senior Sing, Samantha DeGennaro ’09, RCS: OfA Grant for a performance of pop and jazz selections by the ‘Cliffe Notes, RCS’s a cappella subset with solos reserved for senior members of the group.

Spring Concert 2008, Claire Shepro ’10, Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum Chamber Singers: OfA Grant for a concert of music drawn from the Middle Ages through the early Baroque period.

Spring concerts, Jennifer Chen ’11, Bach Society Orchestra: OfA Grant for the orchestra’s spring season performances, including the concerto and composition competition winners as well as Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony and Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony.

Spring A Cappella Jam, Divanny Lamas ’10, Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum: OfA Grant for a concert exploring the richness of a cappella composition featuring selections from modern pop music, jazz standards, and instrumental.

The Dean Archie C. Epps Spring Concert, Jeremiah Cross ’11, Kuumba Singers of Harvard College: OfA Grant for the annual spring concert that features African folk songs, Negro spirituals, traditional and contemporary gospel songs, original compositions, interpretive dance, poetry, and other forms of spoken word.

“The Fiery Furnace,” Sarah Eggleston ’07: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for an original opera with text from the biblical book of Daniel composed by Robin Reinert ’10.

“The Rake’s Progress,” Clara Kim ’09, Dunster House Opera: Solomon Grant for an all-student production of Stravinsky’s neoclassical masterpiece with libretto by W.H. Auden.

“Pops Gets Animated,” Nora Ali ’09, Harvard Pops Orchestra: OfA Grant for a performance of popular modern music, including music from “An American in Paris,” “Star Wars,” and “Romeo and Juliet.”

“Winds of Change,” Veronika Bordas ’10, Harvard Wind Ensemble: OfA Grant for a concert investigating the unique compositions for woodwinds/brass/percussion by Australian composer Percy Grainger.

Spring Concert, Diego Renteria ’11, Mariachi Veritas de Harvard: OfA Grant for a concert also featuring a number of guest singers from the Harvard community.

“Otello,” Sarah Eggleston ’07, Lowell House Opera: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for the 71st annual Lowell House Opera production of Verdi’s “Otello,” fully staged and costumed with orchestra, along with a symposium during the week before the show.

Theater

“Lysistrata,” Veronica Koven-Matasy ’10, Harvard Classical Club: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for a brand-new English translation and production of Aristophanes’ comedy “Lysistrata.”

Quartett, Maria-Ilinca Radulian ’10: Timothy S. Mayer Grant for a production of the Heiner Mueller play.

Story-Time Players Production Spring 2009, Qi Yu ’11, Harvard Story-Time Players: Herbert T. Cobey Grant for the production of interactive theater performances for children in hospital inpatient units around the Boston and eastern Massachusetts area.

“Recall!” Katherine McNicol ’12, the Freshman Musical: Herbert T. Cobey Grant for the annual freshman production.

Transitional cultural arts

Chunsa Korean Fan Dance, Suk Young Kang ’10, Harvard College Korean Association: OfA Grant for performances and open educational rehearsals of Korean fan dance.

Korean Association Annual Culture Show, Monica Lee, Harvard College Korean Association: OfA Grant for the annual production showcasing the talent of students within the Korean community, including displays of Korean tradition, history, folklore, and contemporary fashion and culture.

Traditional Korean Drumming, Suk Young Kang ’10, Han Ma-Eum Korean Drum Troupe: OfA Grant for performances of Korean traditional drumming at various venues throughout the year.

Visual arts

“Decoding the Textile,”Amy Lien ’09: Solomon Grant for an art exhibit focusing on the position of textiles within a contemporary art context.

“Found Faces,” Timothy Reckart ’09: Solomon Grant for a campuswide exhibition of scattered graffiti as unexpected intrusions on the environment that serve to defamiliarize ordinary objects.

“On Harvard Time,” Luis Martinez ’12, On Harvard Time: Lear Grant for Harvard’s student-run television production featuring lampoons of Harvard news as well as national/international news from a Harvard perspective.

“Residents’ Response,” John Alexander ’11: Solomon Grant for a monthlong exhibition of student artwork in Mather House’s Three Columns Gallery.

OfA supports student engagement in the arts and serves the University in its commitment to the arts. Through its programs and services, the OfA fosters student art-making, connects students to accomplished artists, integrates the arts into University life, and partners with local, national, and international constituencies. By supporting the development of students as artists and cultural stewards, the OfA works to enrich society and shape communities in which the arts are a vital part of life. For more information about the OfA, call (617) 495-8676, or visit http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ofa.