<link>/</link> <description/> <language>en</language> <item> <title>سԹ's Apollo Theatre to Show Performance Anxiety Film Nov. 30 /news/oberlins-apollo-theatre-show-performance-anxiety-film-nov-30 <span>سԹ's Apollo Theatre to Show Performance Anxiety Film Nov. 30</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-01-31T15:25:42-05:00" title="Tuesday, January 31, 2017 - 15:25">Tue, 01/31/2017 - 15:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>John Beder knows well the joys of being a musician, and he knows the sometimes debilitating fears.</p> <p>A percussionist since childhood, Beder took part in youth orchestras and attended a performing arts high school, then continued his studies at Boston University.</p> <p>And like many of his fellow musicians, Beder became accustomed to popping an occasional pill to calm his nerves at audition time. Beta blockers—commonly prescribed for the treatment of hypertension—have long been used by anxious musicians, though few dare to admit it. For many, it seems, use of the drug is viewed as a sign of weakness, or as a means of gaining an unfair advantage.</p> <p>Intrigued by the murky subject, Beder pursued it for his first feature film, a new documentary called <i>Composed</i>. In it, dozens of classical musicians—many of them from major American orchestras—share their passion for music and their sometimes crippling fears of performing and auditioning. Among those interviewed are سԹ Conservatory faculty members <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/strings/faculty_detail.dot?id=21193">Peter Slowik</a> (viola) and <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/departments/woodwinds-brass-and-percussion/faculty_detail.dot?id=27131">Robert Walters</a> (oboe and English horn), who performs with The Cleveland Orchestra. Filmed over a nine-month period in 2015, <i>Composed</i> also includes the insight of mental-health professionals who help artists overcome their anxiety.</p> <p>Released last month in New York, the film will be shown at سԹ’s <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/apollo/">Apollo Theatre</a> at 8 p.m. Wednesday, November 30. Presented by سԹ Conservatory, the exclusive screening is free and open to the public. It will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Beder, Slowik, سԹ Professor of Singing <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20627">Salvatore Champagne</a>, Associate Dean for Academic Support <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/dean/dean-detail.dot?id=12568ec2-1e52-48f1-a0f2-c7f2a9c0439f">Chris Jenkins</a>, and a representative from the <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/office/counseling-center/">سԹ College Counseling Center</a>.</p> <p>“I was fascinated by the discussion surrounding beta blockers,” Beder says of his inspiration. “It started that way, and it started with the fascination with how I used them and talked about them with my percussion friends—but otherwise didn’t have open conversations about something that everybody seemingly was using.”</p> <p>The project soon widened in scope to focus on the phenomenon of performance anxiety and the multitude of ways—healthy and otherwise—musicians cope with it, from alcohol to meditation, and from hypnosis to yoga.</p> <p>“I made this film specifically for musicians, hoping that others who experience stress in their lives can find something to relate to and something that might help them in their own moment of high stress,” says Beder, 30, who made <i>Composed</i> with only the help of his wife and numerous friends who assisted with filming.</p> <p>Early returns have been encouraging. At screenings in recent weeks, Beder has been touched by an outpouring of gratitude—even tears—from viewers, many of whom are shocked to learn that they are far from alone in their anxiety. (In fact, the film notes, 98 percent of musicians admit to feeling performance anxiety at some time or another.)</p> <p>“Any musician who has spent any time preparing something for an audience knows that feeling of hoping that it will be received well,” Beder says. “At one point, I just hoped that someone—at least one person—would watch the movie and say that it was good. If that person was my mom, that would be enough.</p> <p>“Then you keep adding on these hopes and dreams and expectations for it. Eventually, I hoped that someone would say, ‘Thank you. You’ve helped me in some way. You’ve shown me something that makes me feel better. That makes me a better person. That makes me feel empowered.’”</p> <p>Learn more about <i>Composed</i> at <a href="http://composeddocumentary.com/">composeddocumentary.com</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-11-15T12:00:00Z">Tue, 11/15/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2361">Apollo Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2362">Health and Wellness</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_760/public/content/news/image/banner2.jpg?itok=HSV2khY5" width="600" height="397" alt="Composed movie graphic"> </div> Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:25:42 +0000 eburnett 29576 at Black Tie Optional /news/black-tie-optional <span>Black Tie Optional</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:03:18-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:03">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:03</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>On Saturday, January 31, the Apollo Theatre will broadcast the live performance of Jacques Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) beginning at 12:55 p.m. The viewing is open to the public with the cost of admission.</p> <p>The opera is presented as part of <a href="https://www.metopera.org//season/in-cinemas/?src=1415hdib&amp;INSTITUTION_LOGOUT=true" target="_blank">The Met: Live in HD</a> program. The program was developed as a way to reach existing audiences and introduce new audiences to opera through the latest technology. The 2014-15 series features 10 live performances transmitted in movie theaters around the world. The selected productions represent a variety of styles and the full range of the Met repertoire and artists.</p> <p>In addition to the live performances, Live in HD events are enhanced by specially produced features that offer audiences a look behind the scenes. These include live interviews with singers, directors, designers, and stage technicians, as well as documentaries and other short features. In past seasons, the intermission features have been hosted by Met stars such as Natalie Dessay, Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Patricia Racette, and Deborah Voigt.</p> <p>Saturday’s viewing marks the Apollo’s inaugural broadcast. The Live in HD program is an invaluable resource for students and faculty because it makes the experience accessible, says Salvatore Champagne, associate professor of singing. “With busy schedules, it was usually impossible to travel to participating theaters—the closest of which were a half-hour away—to see these broadcasts. There should be a built-in audience in سԹ.”</p> <p>In Les Contes d'Hoffmann, tenor Vittorio Grigolo takes on the tortured poet and unwitting adventurer of the title of Offenbach’s operatic masterpiece. Hibla Gerzmava, Erin Morley, and Christine Rice sing the three heroines—each an idealized embodiment of some aspect of Hoffmann’s desire. Thomas Hampson portrays the shadowy Four Villains, and Yves Abel conducts the sparkling score.</p> <p>Tickets are $20 for adults, $12 for students, $15 for seniors, and $12 for children.</p> <p>Hosted by Deborah Voigt, the approximate run time is 3 hours and 45 minutes.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-01-26T12:00:00Z">Mon, 01/26/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2361">Apollo Theater</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A scene from Les Contes d’Hoffmann performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 2009.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Ralph Daily/Wikimedia Commons</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_760/public/content/news/image/met_opera_0.jpg?itok=Q0TjzZka" width="760" height="570" alt="opera scene on stage"> </div> Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:03:18 +0000 Anonymous 10706 at Preserving a Historic Theater /news/preserving-historic-theater <span>Preserving a Historic Theater</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:04:59-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:04">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:04</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>سԹ’s Apollo Theatre has received the Award for Theater Restoration from the <a href="http://www.clevelandrestoration.org/">Cleveland Restoration Society </a>and the American Institute of Architects-Cleveland. The honor will be presented Thursday, May 30, in a ceremony at the Allen Theatre in Cleveland. The awards program recognizes exemplary projects and individuals who have made significant investments in the revitalization of northeast Ohio.<br> <br> A $6 million, yearlong renovation project transformed the century-old building into a theater complex with a modern film and performance space on the first floor and a media education center with state-of-the-art postproduction facilities on the second floor. The theater has been restored according to National Park Service Historic Preservation standards.<br> <br> Centered in the heart of downtown سԹ, the Apollo has been an important fixture in the community for 100 years, with entertainment evolving from live vaudeville acts to cinema. College Properties of سԹ, a wholly-owned subsidiary of سԹ College, purchased the theater from twin brothers William and Sandy Steele in 2009. The theater is owned by Apollo Theatre LLC and is managed by Cleveland Cinemas.<br> <br> At the beginning of the project, the State of Ohio Preservation Office (SHPO) identified the last major renovation of the theater in the 1950s as the period of historical significance, which would guide structural and aesthetic decisions for the entire restoration, says Steve Varelmann, سԹ College architect. However, some unexpected finds changed the scope of the project.<br> <br> “When a colorful chevron pattern of fiberboard panels from the 1930s emerged from beneath the acoustic fabric on the walls of the auditorium during demolition, we contacted SHPO. After careful consideration of the historical significance of the panels, the previous renovation of the Art Deco style became the guiding aesthetic,” Varelmann says. “The existing fiberboard panels were water damaged and did not meet current building codes and therefore had to be removed. Over 800 new individual acoustic panels were designed, fabricated, and installed without an extension to the schedule.”<br> <br> Varelmann credits the project partners for making the renovation a success. Architecture firm Westlake Reed Leskosky “brought invaluable expertise in the design and preservation of historic theaters, and Panzica Construction installed an experienced team of construction managers that delivered the project in time for the reopening.” &nbsp;<br> <br> The theater reopened to the public in September 2012. Funding for the purchase and renovation of the Apollo complex was provided by generous support from سԹ alumni, friends of the college, and local community members. Donors include the Steele family; famed television director James Burrows ’62 and his wife, Debbie Burrows; actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman; the Goldring Family Foundation; former سԹ College trustee Robert Lemle ’75; the Nord Family Foundation; and an anonymous سԹ High School graduate.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2013-05-28T12:00:00Z">Tue, 05/28/2013 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2361">Apollo Theater</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The Apollo’s renovated main theater hosted graduating seniors, their family members, and reunioning alumni when سԹ’s cinema studies program screened student films during Commencement/Reunion Weekend 2013.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/width_760/public/content/news/image/13.05.24_apollo_main_theater_dpreston_0.jpg?itok=Zl8UhpGP" width="760" height="570" alt="Audience watching a movie in the Apollo Theater"> </div> Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:04:59 +0000 anagy 12496 at