Anonymous 4, an internationally acclaimed vocal quartet specializing in medieval music, will perform a guest recital and lecture at the University of Evansville next weekend.

The group will perform at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, February 5 in Wheeler Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Renowned for their unearthly vocal blend and virtuosic ensemble singing, the members of Anonymous 4 (Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer, and Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek) combine historical scholarship with contemporary performance intuition to create their magical sound. Celebrating their 25th anniversary during the 2011-12 season, the ensemble has performed on major concert series and at festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

“The winning qualities of this perennially popular a cappella group … are still strong,” wrote New York Times music reviewer Vivien Schweitzer after seeing the group perform last October. “Their impressive vocal blend, purity of tone, and distinctive individual voices, which have helped them sell almost two million copies of their albums on the Harmonia Mundi label, were beautifully highlighted.”

Anonymous 4 has appeared on a wide range of radio and television programs, including NPR’s All Things Considered, Performance Today, and Weekend Edition; MPR’s St. Paul Sunday; WETA’s Millennium of Music; Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion; and ZDF’s Ersteklassich! (Germany). The ensemble has also been featured on A&E’s Breakfast with the Arts, CBS’ Sunday Morning, and Australian ABC’s Access All Areas.

Anonymous 4’s newest album, released in late 2011, is titled Secret Voices: Chant and Polyphony from The Las Huelgas Codex, c. 1300. This varied repertoire of 13th-century polyphony and sacred Latin song originated at a Spanish convent where the nuns sang this music, despite the rules of their order that forbade the performance of music with more than one part.

Source: Evansville.edu

For chocolate lovers, indulge in the city’s best chocolate from vendors such as Piece of Cake, Just Rennie’s, Stephen Libs Finer Chocolates and many more. This chocolate overload is paired with hors d’oeuvres, champagne, a silent auction and dancing to local musicians who know how to boogie. All proceeds benefit the work of the Lampion Center, a nonprofit organization with a range of services such as family counseling, adoption programs and crisis help. 7-10 p.m.

Click here for more information

USI students in the sport management program are busy planning the second annual USI Hearts on Fire 5K on Saturday, February 11, and the Tri-State Athletic Club March Madness 10K on Saturday, March 3.

The two road races will be held on USI’s campus beginning at 9 a.m. at the Recreation, Fitness, and Wellness Center. Registration is $25 and is available online or the day of the race. Both events include exciting activities surrounding the races including costume contests, children’s fun runs, and a post-race funfest.

Sport management students are excited to present the Tri-State Athletic Club March Madness 10K, a pre-qualifier for the Boston Marathon, for the first time. Dr. Glenna Bower, chair and associate professor of physical education, said, “This is a huge opportunity for us. Our classes are really busy, but the hands-on experience is worth it.”

Planning the races is part of the curriculum for students in the sport management program and allows them to gain real-world experiences in sport event planning.

Robyn Scott, junior PR and Advertising major with a sport management minor, said, “While you can read about all of this in a textbook, it’s so much more meaningful first-hand. The hands-on experience puts us ahead of many others because it usually takes an internship to get this kind of experience on your resume. We get it by completing our bachelor’s degrees.”

Source: USI.edu

Letter to the Editor
In my role as Health Officer for Vanderburgh County it would be derelict of duty if I failed to comment on the proposed No-Smoking Ban Ordinance. The Vanderburgh County Board of Health unanimously supports a comprehensive ordinance to ban smoking in all public places, including all restaurants, bars, private clubs and gaming facilities.

We can talk about how smoking affects the body and how second-hand smoke has a significant role as well, but this information is well known and has established evidence to support the facts. Obviously, some operators of bars, etc. choose to ignore the evidence even though they place themselves, their employees and their patrons at risk. Their claims are made in the name of “freedom of choice,” when it is, in fact, perceived financial gain.

The reality of the situation is that this problem is now of epidemic proportions. More people die every year from the effects of smoking than any epidemic the world has ever seen. If the Health Department and the entire health systems allowed any other epidemic of this magnitude to get out of hand, we would all be fired! The fatality numbers are staggering. It is regrettable that our federal government continues to subsidize the tobacco industry at the same time health departments are suffering from budget cuts.

One of my favorite restaurants recently closed its doors after many years of serving the public. They had chosen to be a smoking establishment and advertised so. One day my family and I went in about 2:00 p.m. to eat a late lunch. Nearly every chair was taken by people drinking coffee and smoking. We sat down but couldn’t stand the polluted air and left. Seventy-seven percent of our population doesn’t smoke now. Twenty-three percent do–and the percentage is falling. Simple math should tell the owners of these establishments that a no-smoking ban will eventually help them economically.

We are concerned about the health of the citizens of our county. We are working on the challenges of obesity, lack of exercise, drug usage, alcoholism, homicide and suicide. These are all behaviors that account for many deaths and/or suffering. Yet, smoking continues to be the Number #1 cause of preventable death in the U.S.

Join me in urging our elected officials to do the right thing for all of our citizens–and not to give in to special interest groups.

Ray Nicholson, MD
Health Officer, Vanderburgh County

Yesterday, a number of posts were removed from the comment section of the City County Observer for the reason that they were unnecessarily personal and derogatory of nature. We included our policy on such things in an IS IT TRUE a few weeks ago but would like to remind our readers that personal attacks that have nothing to do with the substance of an article will be removed or partially removed.

For example, if a comment writer disagrees with a conclusion or an action taken it is perfectly acceptable to take issue with them in any way that one wants to without using profanity or getting personal. By getting personal what we mean is making reference to anatomical parts, using grade school name calling, or drawing family members into the discussion.

We thank and appreciate our comment writers and will further appreciate adhering to this request. You can fight with gloves off here but you can’t fight dirty.

The man whose standup concerts rule the comedy world, Jeff Dunham, announces a full slate of shows through March 2012 that offers his millions of fans brand new laughs and hilarious additions to his famed troupe of sidekicks. In the coming months, concertgoers will meet two new Dunham characters: Achmed Junior, the not-as-equally skeletal son of Achmed the Dead Terrorist, and Little Jeff, a mini-version of the ringmaster himself. The fresh show from the arena-packing comedian will also have its global debut on September 25th as his fourth Comedy Central one-hour TV special, “Controlled Chaos,” bows in North America and makes an unprecedented simultaneous premiere in over a dozen territories worldwide. Dunham’s sidesplitting performances have made him the top grossing live comedian in North America for three consecutive years as well as the last two worldwide. Now his ever-growing legion of devoted fans that flock to his shows year after year will meet the newest additions to his suitcase posse. Achmed the Dead Terrorist has to now contend with his rebellious offspring, Achmed Junior, aka A.J. Meanwhile, Peanut has decided that he’s tired of being Jeff’s sidekick and has taken up ventriloquism with his own character: Little Jeff. More hilarity than ever ensues as the never-before-seen characters unleash their own havoc on stage. “Controlled Chaos” also hits the home entertainment market on DVD on September 27th, and preorders are now open at Amazon.com, where it hit #2 in comedy sales two months out from its release. Dunham followers anxious for a taste of his all-new live show can catch a teaser and see clips at www.jeffdunham.com/controlled chaos. The comic has taken his craft to unequalled heights of success in recent years. He currently boasts 7 million DVDs sold of his three previous specials and Comedy Central series, a New York Times Book Review bestseller list autobiography (“All By My Selves”), ratings records for his past TV shows, a briskly selling line of more than 100 items of merchandise, and a live show that fills top venues in North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia to rapturous receptions and standing ovations nightly. Further information on Jeff Dunham is at: www.jeffdunham.com. His upcoming special has its own dedicated page at: www.jeffdunham.com/controlled chaos.

Source: http://www.thefordcenter.com/events/view/665

On Tuesday, February 7, the University of Evansville Department of Music’s First Tuesday Concert Series will present “Inspired by Opera,” an evening of overtures, arias, and selections from the grand theatrical stage. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Wheeler Concert Hall and is free and open to the public.

The performance, featuring more than a dozen UE faculty members, will include music from W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Georges Bizet’s Carmen, Philip Glass’ Endgame, and Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll.

First Tuesday Concerts, presented the first Tuesday of each month, showcase the talent of the University of Evansville music faculty as they perform works from seldom-heard masterpieces to beloved standards.

For more information, please contact the University of Evansville Department of Music at 812-488-2754.

Source: Evansville.edu