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.

'The Count of Monte Cristo,' 'Our Town,' 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' on scheduleIn celebration of the 50th anniversary theatre season in the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center, the Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts presents a variety of drama, comedy and musical theatre favorites and premieres.

In 1928, two-dozen women attending BYU stood on the banks of the Provo River. Together, they carefully choreographed for their interpretive dance class as the photographer, William Done, scrupulously captured their movements.

The BYU Museum of Art (MOA) recently released the video presentations of the March symposium, Sacred Gifts: The Religious Art of Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann and Frans Schwartz. The daylong conference presented prominent speakers such as Rasmus Nojgaard, Associate Professor of the Seminary of Pastoral Theology and Inge-Lise Sigsgard, deputy chairman of the Church Council in Europe. “This exhibition represents many sacred gifts shared for our enlightenment, our enjoyment, our edification,” said Dawn Physey, head curator at the BYU Museum of Art. Marcus Smith, anchor for Thinking Aloud on Classical 89 also interviewed a few speakers of the symposium including Karin Kristensen, pastor of the Norresundby Kirke Church; SÁ¸ren Mentz from the Frederiksborg National History Museum in Denmark and Angela Swanson Jones of the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. To listen to the interviews, click here.

BYU art education students, advised by faculty mentors, enter the classrooms of elementary teachers across Utah to better integrate arts with public schools’ core curriculum.

Museum of Art director Mark Magleby speaks about exhibit at devotional

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced the 2014 list of Student Academy Award finalists, and on that list is BYU animation project “Owned.”

The BRAVO! series’ upcoming season will feature a Tony Award-nominated actress, a world-renowned English a capella group, two dancing jugglers from France, and the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. These world-class artists will sing, dance, perform and instruct students and attendees.

Come support Art History and Curatorial Studies professor and Museum director Mark Magleby tomorrow during his BYU devotional address!

Brigham Young University's Ballroom Dance Company has dazzled Beijing with their latest showcase 'Capture the Magic'. Champions of the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival, the team has astounded audiences worldwide with their precision, beauty and skill. During last year's Meet in Beijing arts festival, the Tsinghua University embraced Brigham Young University's Young Ambassadors and their energetic musical. Now at this very same place, another star of the BYU, the Ballroom Dance Company is ready to kick off its world champion showcase 'Capture the Magic'. Championship formation, breath-taking lifts and spins, no one does it better than the Ballroom Dance Company. The troupe has been touring and performing in China since the 1980s, but for most audiences here, the troupe's most recognizable moment came ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The troupe will continue touring in various locations, including Jinan, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. So make sure to plan ahead to capture the magic. Read more at CCTV >>>>

Having already amazed thousands of concertgoers, Rebecca Pedersen impressed judges in this weekend’s win at the Licia-Albanese Puccini Vocal Competition in New York City.