A final project of Sarah Hill, a student in the Department of Visual Arts, is on display in the Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) through June 27. Her photographs depict the commitment, love and difficulties of mothers in Africa.

The Young Ambassadors started their week off in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This is the first time the Young Ambassadors have ever visited this beautiful country. One of the first things the group was able to do was tour parts of Angkor Wat. Translated, Angkor Wat means 'City of Temples' and is considered to be the largest religious monument in the world. That same night, the group met with 400 LDS church members for a devotional. The capital city of Phnom Penh was next. The group had the humbling experience of visiting the Killing Fields Memorial at Cheoung Ek and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Tears were shed as the group toured these locations where many people were tortured and killed during the reign of Khmer Rouge.

Tickets on sale now for performances from May 30 to June 14 Oscar Wilde’s children’s story The Selfish Giant, a play about friendship, faith and the power of transformation, comes to life on the BYU stage later this month. Through the use of puppets and live actors, BYU Theatre presents a unique look at this universal and timeless allegory of Jesus’ love for all of us. The play focuses on a self-centered giant who is at first unwilling to share his beautiful garden with the children who long to play in it but then finds happiness when he at last welcomes the youngsters onto his patch of lovely earth. The Selfish Giant Story by Oscar Wilde Adapted for the Stage by Teresa Dayley Love Directed by Jennifer and Nat Reed Performance Schedule May 30-31, June 5-7, 11-13, 7 pm May 31, June 5, 7, 13, 14, 2 pm ASL interpreted performance: June 5, at 7 pm Post-show discussion with the cast following the evening performances on June 5 and 12 Playing With Performance Workshops Playing with Performance workshops will be held prior to matinees on June 5, 7, 13 and 14 Tickets: http://arts.byu.edu Tickets are available online $12 ($4 off weeknights/$3 off weekends with BYU or student ID, $2 off for senior citizens or BYU alumni) $6 matinees Age 2+: free, with paid admission Source: BYU News

BYU’s School of Music will host a free concert this Saturday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m. The concert, in the HFAC Madsen Recital Hall, features Norman Krieger, one of the world’s most acclaimed pianists who will play selections from Mozart, Beethoven, Lazarof and Chopin.

Animation is often used to create worlds, people, creatures and places that only exist in an artist’s mind. Animators have also been known to use their vision and technical skills to recreate individuals and places that actually exist. But one recent animation graduate’s senior project took on both roles while restoring a medieval cathedral to its original look. Dennis West, who received his BFA in animation in April 2014, restored the Amiens Cathedral to its former beauty for his senior project. The final product is a video that takes viewers on a tour of the 13th century place of worship. Amiens Cathedral: City of God from Dennis West on Vimeo. West’s education has taken a route that many would consider to be unconventional. Several years ago, he received an associate’s degree in graphic design and worked in that field for years until he was unexpectedly laid off in 2008. After freelancing for a while, he decided to come back to school and get his bachelor’s degree even though he was already more than 40 years old. West says his time spent at BYU the past 3 1/2 years has helped him learn plenty about himself and his capabilities. “If I have enough interest in something, and I learn the technology and skills necessary to do it, I can create whatever I want,” West said. West chose to animate the cathedral even though he wouldn’t be able to visit it in person. The cathedral is well documented and recorded with photos, which allowed him to be accurate in his animation. “It’s the most complete cathedral I could find, and it’s the tallest one still standing that is still in operation,” West said. “But not everything in it is the way it was in the 1300s, so I wanted to create an animated version that made it look like it once did.” Seth Holladay, a BYU professor whose credits include Pixar’s Ratatouille and Up, served as West’s faculty mentor on the project. “Once you get into the industry, it’s more than just being able to do the individual pieces. It’s about how all the different elements work with each other, what order to do them all in, how certain problems are solved and so forth,” Holladay said. “And Dennis’ project helped him to learn a lot of those things.” Holladay noted that West possesses important attributes that will make him successful in his career. “He definitely has a passion for doing 3D animation, and he has a bit of a fascination for historical things,” Holladay said. “I’m glad he was able to bring it to completion. That’s a hard thing to do.” West is grateful for Holladay’s mentoring as well as the resources provided by the CFAC. “A couple of times I hit road blocks,” West said. “But Seth was good at pushing me and steering me in the right direction.”

LDS missionaries at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah have recently had an experience unlike any other group during their stay. For weeks missionaries sit in desks eight to ten hours each day to study scriptures and language, and to learn teaching and interpersonal skills. Other than going to the Student Health Center when ill or visiting the Provo Temple each week, missionaries don’t leave the MTC campus. But an opportunity was important enough that the president of the MTC allowed hundreds of missionaries to leave the campus for an hour to go and experience it.

Graduates Rebecca Sorge and Miranda Meeks, and former BYU student Kari Christensen had fantasy work accepted into the Spectrum 21 Annual Juried Fantasy Art Competition.

Instrumental in the creation of the BYU Museum of Art, James A. Mason passed away on May 15, 2014.

Frank Wildhorn, a famous American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs, visited BYU in October 2013. Wildhorn taught a master class to MDT students where they rehearsed some of his critically acclaimed Broadway songs and received his in-the-moment coaching.

The Ballroom Dance Company entered its second week on tour with a day of workshops and performances at Dezhou University and the Li Ming Dance School, in Dezhou. After working with dance students, the group finished the day with a performance at Dezhou Grand Theatre.Next came Jinan, where the company gave two performances at the Shandong Grand Theatre and was well received with enthusiastic crowds. Sightseeing in Jinan included visiting the famous Thousand Buddha Mountain. The dancers then departed from Jinan and headed via bullet train to Shanghai.

BYU Singers have had a very busy second (and last) week of their Northwest States tour. They enjoyed their three-day weekend in Seattle, and had a few hours to wander the waterfront and enjoy the Pike Place Market. But with a concert every night and clinics nearly every day, free time was scarce. This week the choir had clinics or exchanges with The Choir of the West at Pacific Lutheran University, Olympic College Music Department, White Salmon High School, and Portland State University Chamber Choir and Portland Ensign Choir. The professional and university choirs are very wonderful to hear and to interact with, but the most gratifying clinics are with young singers who are eager to learn. The concerts have been splendid, with fine performances from the choir every night, and very good venues with large audiences. As the group has gone back and forth across the Oregon/Washington border several times this week, they have been enthralled with the beautiful scenery; but more than that, they have appreciated the wonderful sponsors and host families who have made this tour possible. The BYU Singers will remember the Northwest States tour with great fondness.

The tour of the Chamber Orchestra began in Venice, where students had the chance to explore the historical city. Some went to discover the world famous Murano glass manufacturing center; others walked to the Jewish Ghetto (which is where the word 'ghetto' was first used); and still others decided to get off the tourist beaten path and see the 'real' Venice. The concert in Venice was a benefit concert in the Dell Angelo Hospital Concert Hall, an unusual and beautiful structure featuring a several-story, wall-to-ceiling glass structure that also sported a nice acoustical environment. In addition to the guests at the concert, patients also listened through the glass walls of their rooms facing the concert hall. All were thrilled when pianist Frani Massimiliano soloed with the orchestra on a Mozart piano concerto. At the end of the well-received concert, one patient said, 'We heard this wonderful music coming from the walls.' Another patron added, 'I love that your music is without words because it speaks more to me. I can just sit and feel.' Fifteen who are investigating the Church joined those who attended a devotional by the Chamber Orchestra in Venice. After the devotional, the bishop insisted on another musical number. 'I never listened to classical music before,' said the bishop, 'but I think I'll start now. ' In Vicenza, Italy, the high-vaulted ceilings of a local cathedral seemed to especially resonate with the audience during the Respighi orchestral arrangement of the Bach prelude. With the cathedral being on the main Palladio Street, many were lured in to watch. It was the encore, a Nate Hofheins arrangement of 'A Child's Prayer,' that seemed to move the audience most. Guest conductor de Maio came back from a curtain call and exclaimed, 'I had tears streaming down my face on the encore. It's the first time in my life I cried. What was that piece? ' Kory Katseanes then told him the words in English, which de Maio translated for the Catholic priests, who nodded as if to say, 'Yes, we know that. ' At the musical devotional in Lublijana, Slovenia, many in the audience were first-generation members-modern-day pioneers. One was a sister who helped translate the Book of Mormon in Slovenian when she was 14. Also, the missionaries told of some they were teaching who talked about a feeling they had inside for the first time. Others said, 'they felt like they heard angels and God was speaking to them. ' After driving through a heavy hail storm on the way to Logatec, Slovenia-lightning flashing everywhere-the orchestra members settled into their accommodations while looking forward to the adventures of the upcoming week.