Presidential Lecture & Performance Series
Upcoming Events
2008-2009 Events Coming Soon
Past 2007/2008 Events
Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar
September 20, 2007, 7:30 pm, 169 Human Sciences
Dr. Pamela Soltis has been named a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar for 2007-2008 and will visit Texas Tech University September 19-21. Among her activities on our campus will be a lecture, free and open to the public, on Thursday, September 20, at 7:30 pm in 169 Human Sciences. A public reception will follow the lecture.
Dr. Soltis is curator of the Laboratory of Molecular Systematics and Evolutionary Genetics at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. Her research interests are angiosperm phylogeny, the evolution of the flower, conservation genetics of rare plant species, phylogeography and polyploidy.
A Night of Music with the Emerson String Quartet
October 9, 2007, 8 pm, Hemmle Recital Hall
The Emerson String Quartet will be playing in Lubbock for one night only on Tuesday, October 9, at 8 pm in Hemmle Recital Hall.
Heavily discounted tickets for the Emerson String Quartet are available through Select-a-Seat. Reserved seat tickets are $17 each (price includes Select-a-Seat surcharge). Texas Tech students may obtain free tickets upon presentation of a student ID at the SUB ticket booth (1 ticket per student ID). A public reception will follow the performance.
This highly acclaimed group consists of Eugene Drucker, Philip Setzer, Lawrence Dutton and David Finckel, who have been playing together for over 30 years.
The quartet plans to perform (among others):
- Mozart: String Quartet in C Major, K. 465, "Dissonant"
- Bartok: String Quartet No. 3
- Brahms: String Quartet in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1
"America's greatest quartet." -Time Magazine
The Quartet has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, USA Today, Elle, Bon Appetit, Gramophone, The Strad, and Strings. Television appearances include PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer, WNET's City Arts, WLIW's Metroguide and A&E's Biography of Beethoven and Breakfast with the Arts.
Presidential Book Award Winners to Speak in Panel
October 30, 2007, 3:30 pm, Merket Center
The three most recent recipients of the Presidential Book Award will talk about their work and about their award winning books in a panel discussion on Tuesday, October 30, at 3:30 pm in the Merket Center. Both the panel and the reception to follow are free and open to the public.
Gary Forsythe
Gary Forsythe is the author of "A Critical History of Early Rome." For his unique and impartial look at early Imperial Rome, the associate professor of history at Texas Tech won first place in the President’s Book Awards. He is the author of four books, numerous articles and book reviews, and has presented many papers at conferences. His scholarly interests primarily involve ancient historiography and religion, Roman law, and the study of Latin inscriptions. His current major project is a collection of six essays concerning various aspects and problems of Roman religious history ranging from early times to late antiquity.
Hafid Gafaïti
Hafid Gafaïti tied for second place for his book, "La Diasporisation De La Littérature Postcoloniale." Gafaïti is Horn Professor and Qualia Professor in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures. He graduated from the University of Oran, Algeria, and the University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Paris XIII. He has taught at a number of universities around the world and in the United States, including the University of Sidi-Bel-Abbès, the University of Oran, Paris IV-Sorbonne, Penn State, UC Berkeley, the University of Michigan, MIT, Oberlin and Princeton. In 1995, he accepted the Qualia Chair of French and Francophone Studies at Texas Tech University. Dr. Gafaïti has received numerous awards for his teaching and research. An internationally acclaimed scholar, Professor Gafaïti has written widely on French and Francophone Literatures, postcolonial and transnational cultural issues, feminism, and Islam. He has published a dozen or more books, including two bilingual collections of poetry. Professor Gafaïti is also known as an editor of journals and contributor to numerous conferences in Africa, Europe and North America. He is on the review board of several international journals and director of the book series Etudes Transnationales, Francophones et Comparées / Transnational, Francophone and Comparative Studies.
Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones tied for second place with "Bleed Into Me: A Book of Stories." Jones, associate professor of English and graduate of Texas Tech, is the award-winning author of four full-length novels and a short story collection. His short story collection was a finalist for the Violet Crown Award, sponsored by the Writers League of Texas, and it earned the Texas Institute of Letters’ 2005 Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction. Past awards include the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He is currently finishing a fantasy novel about American Indians.
Free Screening of "Dancemaker"
November 28, 2007, 6 pm, Human Sciences 169
Looking forward to the January 11th & 12th performances by the Paul Taylor Dance Company of New York?
Join us for a free screening of "Dancemaker," the Academy Award-nominated documentary about legendary choreographer Paul Taylor and his company. The film will be shown Wednesday, November 28, in Human Sciences 169 starting at 6 pm. After the film, a panel discussion about the documentary will feature Professors Genevieve Durham, head of the dance program; Shawn Bible, dance faculty member; and Christina Ashby-Martin, an Honors College faculty member who is also a trained dancer.
All are welcome to join the free viewing and discussion of this fascinating film about the world of professional dance.
Paul Taylor Dance Company
January 11-12, 2008, 7:30 pm, Allen Theatre
For Spring 2008, the Paul Taylor Dance Company of New York will perform on January 11 and January 12, with a different program planned for each night.
Lubbock audiences loved Taylor 2 in 2006, and the Taylor Dance Company (the larger, more renowned troupe) promises even more spectacular performances in January 2008.
Choreography
Friday: Diggity, Musical Offering, and Black Tuesday
Saturday: Equinox, Fiends Angelical, and Piazzollo Caldera
Reserved seat tickets are $10 each. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5 through Select-a-Seat (price includes Select-a-Seat surcharge.) Texas Tech students may obtain free tickets upon presentation of a student ID at the SUB ticket booth (2 tickets per student ID).
These performances are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpiece: Dance initiative, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts. Additional support provided by Mid-American Arts Alliance.
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Take the "A" Train with The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Directed by Barrie Lee Hall, Jr.
March 29, 2008, 8 pm, Allen Theatre
The world-renowned Duke Ellington Orchestra will perform as part of a Blues and Jazz Festival.
General admission seating tickets are $10 each through Select-a-Seat (plus Select-a-Seat surcharge.) Texas Tech students may obtain free tickets upon presentation of a student ID at the SUB ticket booth (2 tickets per student ID).
The Duke Ellington Orchestra, an integral link to jazz’s early days, brings the music of Duke to new generations of music listeners.
Ellington alumnus Barrie Lee Hall Jr. is the current director for the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Phi Beta Kappa President
April 9, 2008, 4 pm, Allen Theatre
Dr. Allison Blakely will preside at the Phi Beta Kappa Ceremony. Blakeley is president of the National Phi Beta Kappa Society and professor of History at Boston University, and this year is a Visiting Scholar at the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University. His research and teaching interests include Russian History and African-American History. Free and open to the public.
A Night at the Opera
April 27, 2008, 7:30 pm, Allen Theatre
The Presidential Lecture and Performance Series, in conjunction with the Texas Tech University College of Visual and Performing Arts, will host The Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singers for a performance on Sunday, April 27.
The performance will be free and open to the public, reservations requested. For seating, call (806) 742-0706, ext. 401.
Presidential Lecture and Performance Series Resources
- Questions?
- Suggestions for future bookings?
- Want to be added to the mailing list?
Contact Dr. Mary Jane Hurst in the Office of the President, 806-742-2121.