Q'd up, the Brigham Young University School of Music faculty jazz quintet, will perform Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in Madsen Recital Hall. The concert is free. Featuring new compositions by Steve Lindeman and Jay Lawrence, Q'd up specializes in 'jazz that inspires.' Special guests include vocalist Emily Merrill along with several School of Music faculty and students performing arrangements featured on Oscar Peterson and Johnny Mandell recordings. With more than 25 different instruments under their command, Q’d up members include Ray Smith on woodwinds, Ron Brough and Jay Lawrence on percussion, Steve Lindeman on keyboards and Eric Hansen on bass. Other guests artists include Emily Merrill on vocals, Monte Belknap on violin principal and Claudine Biglow on viola principal. The concert will include compositions such as “Payin’ My Dues,” “I Need You to Tell Me,” “Paragon” and “Fiery Vortex.” For more information, contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348. Source: BYU News

Arden Hopkin, head of vocal studies at the Brigham Young University School of Music, will present “Swan Song,” a recital of vocal chamber music, Friday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. Admission is free Accompanied by Baraba Allen, piano, Hopkin will perform selections from Purcell's 'Harmonia Sacra,' Debussy's 'Trois chansons de France,' 'Cinco Canciones Negras' by the Catalan composer Xavier Montsalvatge, a set of songs in Hebrew by Max Helfman and selections from Schubert's 'Schwannengesang.' The program will conclude with a set of American spirituals. Hopkin has been coordinating the vocal division at BYU since 1998. He teaches studio voice and vocal pedagogy in addition to serving as a clinician across the country and internationally. He earned a doctoral degree from the Eastman School of Music, a master’s degree from the University of North Texas and a bachelor’s degree from BYU. Allen served as opera coach and staff accompanist in the California State University system before returning to Utah. She continues to accompany in recitals and to coach opera with the BYU Opera program and the Utah Lyric Opera. For more information, contact Ken Crossley at (801) 422-9348. Source: BYU News

Film had its star-studded world premiere at Salt Lake's Centre Theater in 1941

This January BYU will provide audiences with three unconventional theatre productions as part of the new OFF THE MAP international theatre festival. Jeff Martin, arts manager for the College of Fine Arts and Communications (CFAC), devised the new festival when he realized that BYU students were presented mostly traditional theatrical productions. “Through OFF THE MAP we want to expose our students to the new trends and new ways of looking at and experiencing theatre that are happening everywhere in the world,” Martin said. “The training that our students get is remarkable, but it’s important to have them be familiar with other practices in the industry.” The three OFF THE MAP shows will be in town for one week in January 2014, performing over multiple days, giving students and the community several opportunities to see all of the productions. “All three of these shows are very different from each other but also very different from what we typically do here at BYU,” Martin explained. Despite the unusual aspects of the productions, Martin believes they will be well received by BYU audiences. “They’re interdisciplinary and international, which fits in with the mission of BYU,” he said. Audiences will be entertained by “The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer,” a unique, one-man show created by Australian actor Tim Watts. In this play, earth is no longer livable, and one man has the opportunity to save it. “It’s a multi-disciplinary performance involving singing and live animation projected on stage,” Martin explained. In connection with the CFAC’s increased emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, the show “will be helpful for our students to see different arts working in collaborative ways.” The Leev Theater Group from Iran will entertain audiences as it performs “Hamlet: Prince of Grief,” a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. One actor will do the performance and speak entirely in Farsi, with English supertitles projected on stage. “There’s a strong interest in this kind of work,” Martin said, speaking of intercultural exchanges. “At BYU we are curious about other cultures,” he noted. “Translunar Paradise” is the third show in the OFF THE MAP festival and will be performed by Theatre Ad Infinitum, a company based in London. The show has no dialogue, all actors wear masks, and the story progresses through miming and physical movement. Bringing these unique and interdisciplinary performances to BYU has come due to the efforts of CFAC faculty and other employees. For example, Martin has travelled across the globe to attend festivals and network with agents, and he is excited for how these productions will enrich BYU’s theatrical offerings. “The faculty members know that the CFAC will benefit from OFF THE MAP, but we also feel that all other BYU students and the local community will appreciate these unique and unconventional productions,” Martin said. Tickets for the OFF THE MAP festival are available Dec. 9 at arts.byu.edu.

Long-time adjunct dance instructor Delynne Peay passed away on Monday, January 13, 2014 at 10:05 p.m. due to complications with the flu. Peay has been on the Department of Dance faculty since 1974, and was the longest standing faculty member. She was heavily involved with the World of Dance and danced with the founder of BYU Folk Dance, Mary Bee Jensen. “Delynne was a woman of great energy and life,” said department chair, Marilyn Berrett. “She gave so much to the world of dance and will be dearly missed. She has certainly left a large set of shoes to fill.” Peay was beloved by many in the Department of Dance. One of her students, Katilyn T. Gourley, has set up a donation site: http://www.gofundme.com/61wafw to assist with the medical bills. All donations are welcome. A celebration of Delynne's life will be held Monday, January 20, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at the Edgemont Stake Center (381 West 3700 North, Provo, Utah 84604). Family and friends will be received from 9:30 am to 10:30am that morning. A viewing will also be held the night prior, Sunday, January 19 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Stake Center. See Deseret News obituary.

Steve Lindeman, professor of theory, jazz and piano in the BYU School of Music, was listed among the top artists of the year in Arnaldo DeSouteiro's 35th Annual Jazz Station Poll for Lindeman's CD The Day After Yesterday with BYU Synthesis. DeSouteiro is is a Los Angeles-based jazz historian, educator and record producer. Results of the poll were selected based on outstanding works from the international jazz scene released in 2013. The Day After Yesterday was listed among the Best Jazz Instrumental CDs, while Steve Lindeman topped the lists for Best Composer and Best Arranger. Other CD contributors were also honored, with BYU Synthesis placing 2nd in the Big Band/Jazz Orchestra category, and Michael Chadbourne placing 3rd for Best Engineer. To view a complete list of the results, see the Jazz Station blog.

Guest artist Dmitry Rachmanov will perform a free piano recital at Brigham Young University Friday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Madsen Recital Hall.

Randy Boothe, singer, pianist music maker and director of the BYU Young Ambassadors, was featured in January’s issue of Utah Valley Magazine.

The immense success of the new exhibition “Sacred Gifts: The Religious Art of Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann, and Frans Schwartz” at Brigham Young University’s Museum of Art has prompted museum directors to extend museum hours and provide a free “Sacred Gifts” iPad app download highlighting the exhibit. Starting Jan. 1, the Museum of Art now serves the public from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday to accommodate high demand on evenings and weekends. Despite the extension, museum director encourage patrons to reserve their free ticket required for admittance as soon as possible. Free downloads of the Museum’s interactive audiovisual iPad app designed exclusively for “Sacred Gifts” are now available at the iTunes Store, thanks to generous funding from donors William H. and Patricia W. Child. The app features uplifting educational resources including expert interviews, historical context, music, personal anecdotes and spiritual insights. Funding for the app’s development was also provided by the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation, the Allen Foundation and the BYU Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration in the Arts. Previously, the app had only been available for patrons on rental devices within the Museum for a $3 fee. For more information contact Hilarie Ashton at (801) 422-2569 or hilarie_ashton@byu.edu. Source: BYU News

Vai Sikahema, a graduate of the broadcast program in BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications was honored with an induction into the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.

Performance at 7:30 p.m. has sold out

The Brigham Young University Jazz Legacy Band will present a concert of Dixieland and Swinging Jazz with special guests Lemoyne Taylor and the Mississippi Mood Orchestra Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.