Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” will be the featured selection when the Brigham Young University Philharmonic Orchestra performs a one-night engagement Friday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center.

The Brigham Young University Center for Animation extended its award-winning tradition by earning two 'Student Emmys' this year. The program's two most recent films, Pajama Gladiator and Kites, received two of the three trophies given in March in the College Television Awards' animation category, awarded annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. Kites took first, and Pajama Gladiator came in second. The recently completed Kites was unveiled to the news media March 18 at a campus event. In a radical departure from their tradition of comedies, the BYU students chose a poignant feel for the new short. The film tells the bittersweet story of a boy and his grandfather using their shared love of kite flying to deal with a major change in their lives. Pajama Gladiator premiered last year - to read more about it, click here. To watch it, click here and look for it on the bottom right of your screen. Five BYU students who worked on it went on to help produce Pixar's next blockbuster Up, which hits theaters in May. The latest awards bring the Center's haul to nine 'Student Emmys' in the six years that the BYU program has been entering films. 'In this industry, experience is everything, and this was absolutely the best thing I could be doing right now to prepare for my career,' said BYU junior James L. Jackson, who co-produced Kites. A newlywed as of last weekend, Jackson and his wife are working the award ceremony into their honeymoon itinerary. Jordan Pack, the other co-producer, has graduated and works for Disney Interactive in Salt Lake City. 'Animation is a ridiculously collaborative effort - a single production crew will have people from math, art, film, computer science and animation backgrounds,' said senior Jed Henry, who directed Kites. 'My greatest source of satisfaction came from seeing all these differently skilled people working towards one artistic goal.' Center for Animation Director R. Brent Adams highlighted that collaboration - both among different students majoring in different fields and even among university administrators - as a reason for the BYU program's success. 'The support of administrators from three colleges and at the university level allows us to give more students more experiences than they can get anywhere else,' Adams said. 'That's why we have professionals from Pixar and all the top animation studios visiting campus every semester to mentor and recruit our students.' Kelly Loosli, Ryan Woodward and Cynthia Overman were other faculty mentors on the films. Ed Catmull, president of Pixar, declared BYU students 'the best in the industry' at a press conference on campus last year. 'Over the years, Pixar has worked with a lot of different universities around the country and hired people,' Catmull said then. 'One of the interesting things is, all of a sudden, in the last few years, we found that BYU has risen to the top. BYU has an extraordinary program here.' Source: BYU News

“The Ghosts of Gardner Village,” a musical concert created by four award-winning songwriters based in Utah, will be presented Tuesday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall on the Brigham Young University campus.

Nationally recognized dance company Parsons Dance, renowned for its high-energy athletic style, will perform at Brigham Young University Tuesday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center.

by Brady Toone

by Brady Toone In celebration of its 25th year, BYU Singers, Brigham Young University’s premier choral ensemble, will appear in a special alumni reunion concert Saturday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $11, or $8 with BYU or student ID, and can be purchased online at www.byuarts.com, by phone at (801) 422-4322 or in person at the Harris Fine Arts Center Ticket Office. BYU Singers will perform selections planned for their upcoming tour to Ireland, England and Wales. Alumni and current BYU Singers will also perform several pieces together under the direction of Ronald Staheli. Since its inception in 1984, BYU Singers has performed across the globe, including an appearance at the World Choral Symposium and three performances at the American Choral Directors Association national convention. They have also performed in Russia, three times in Israel, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, across Europe, Western Africa and South Africa. After receiving abundant critical acclaim for their audio recording “Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Cappella Works,” BYU Singers recently released “Brigham Young University Choirs and Eric Whitacre 2,” the second installment of his complete works. CD sales and more information is available at singers.byu.edu. Choir alumni should contact Sandefur Schmidt in order to obtain music and register for the weekend reunion. For more information, contact Nathan Wright at (801) 422-5616. Source: BYU News

by Brady Toone

by Brady Toone

by Brady Toone

by Brady Toone

by Brady Toone

by Brady Toone