December 1st, 2008

FARMINGTON, ME (December 1, 2008)--University of Maine at Farmington's
Department of Visual and Performing Arts and the Ministry of Experimental
Arts will present a series of arts events during their Winter Arts Week,
Sunday, Dec. 7 through Sunday, Dec. 14.

UMF Community Orchestra
3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 7, UMF Nordica Auditorium
This concert will feature two master works, the Beethoven Violin Concerto
and the Dvorak Ninth Symphony, "The New World." Trond Saeverud will conduct
the concert and also perform as soloist in the violin concerto. The concert
is open to the public. Tickets are available at the door the night of the
performance and are priced at $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and are free to
UMF students with University I.D.

Showings of Video/Music and Selected Shorts
6-8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 9, Room M220 UMF Merrill Hall
This presentation will feature a video/music installation by Sean Chase and
Matthew Hernandez, and "Selected Shorts from UMF Media Makers," a short
program of highlights from recent accomplishments in video at UMF. These
shorts range in content from mockumentary to moving studies of fear and
release. This event is free and open to the public.

Original Student Plays
8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 9, UMF Nordica Auditorium
Two new original UMF student plays will be presented immediately following
the video showings. The first play "Well, There's a Train, There's Got to
be a Murder," by Benjamin Gray is about an author who creates characters
who turn out to have their own motives, a murderer who has a crush on the
author's muse and an incompetent detective who is to solve the case. In the
second play, "Exercises," Angela Hooper explores a complicated love affair
gone awry. In the words of the author, there are "miscommunications,
unrequited love, and an affection hidden beneath the sheets" in "a tale of
two lovers who find themselves at a breaking point." This program is free
and open to public, but due to mature content and language, it is not
suitable for children.

Original Student Musical Compositions
7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, UMF Nordica Auditorium
A concert featuring new works of UMF student composers will include
"Kaspar's Suite Day Dream" for flute, clarinet, bass trombone, violin,
viola, cello, electric guitar, electric bass, and surround sound effects by
Nathaniel Burns; "Dunce" for flute, clarinet, bass trombone, xylorimba,
violin, viola and cello by Elliot Lyons; "For Tesla" for violin, cello and
laptop by Seth Fogg; "Two Movements for Piano" by Joshua Case; and "Ex Unus
Nota" by Andrew Thompson, also for solo piano. This concert is free and
open to public.

Jetfighter and Electro-Acoustic Music
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 11, Piazza-fourth floor conference
room in UMF Merrill Hall
Jetfighter, an experimental rock group and electro-acoustic musicians
Patrick Howell and Vincent Leonetti will perform with Joanna Wilbur on tap
dance/music. This event is free and open to public.

Sole Expression and Electro-Acoustic Music
7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 11, UMF Nordica Auditorium
A musical program featuring a capella group Sole Expression and
electro-acoustic and improvisatory performances by Ashlee Page, Andrew
Bellmore and David Kerchner. This program is free and open to public.

UMF Community Chorus
7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 13 and 3 p.m., Sunday Dec. 14, Farmington's Old
South Church
Two performances will be featured by the UMF Community Chorus, conducted by
Bruce McInnes. These performances will include Vivaldi's "Gloria" and Marc
Antoine Charpentier's "Messe de Minuit pour No?l." This concert is open to
the public. Tickets are available at the door the night of the performance
and are priced at $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and are free to UMF
students with University I.D.

UMF Student Art Exhibit
12-4 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 9 through Sunday, Dec. 14, UMF Art Gallery
Throughout the week, the UMF Art Gallery will host a student exhibit by
members of Katrazyna Randall's Contemporary Theory and Practice class.
Curated by Kristen Bisson, the show includes works by Emily Baer, Timothy
Berry, Kristen Bisson, Joshua Demello, Meagaan Irish, Logan Leland, William
Mosenfelder, Giselle Scherle, Matthew St. John, Elliott Vogel and Joanna
Wilbur. Additional student art will also be exhibited throughout Merrill
Hall, curated by Sarah Levensalor.

More about UMF's Visual and Performing Arts Department

The UMF Visual and Performing Arts Department offers courses in art, dance,
music, and theater, as well as interdisciplinary courses which integrate
the arts with other fields. The department investigates ways in which
faculty and students can consistently interact as an intellectual
community, sharing and engaging ideas, while staying connected to the
contemporary world. Some examples of this collaboration are Arts Week,
Ministry of Experimental Arts, Sketch Box, UMF Dancers, and Art Renegades.
VAPA's performing organizations--the orchestra, band, chorus, chamber choir,
Theatre UMF, and the UMF Dancers--present multiple productions and concerts
each year. The Art Gallery mounts a wide range of exhibitions, including
the eagerly-anticipated show in the spring for graduating art majors. VAPA
frequently collaborates with the broader western Maine arts community. The
VAPA department website can be found at: http://vapa.umf.maine.edu/index.php.

For more information about these events, please contact the UMF Department
of Visual and Performing Arts at 207-778-7072.

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