This fall Vocal Point is sharing their passion for maximum a cappella with millions of viewers through participation in NBC’s The Sing-Off. BYU’s all-male a cappella sensation is one of 16 groups featured on the third season of the hit TV show hosted by Nick Lachey with judges Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles, and Shawn Stockman.

Claudine Bigelow, professor of viola and chamber music at the Brigham Young University School of Music, has been named a Fulbright Scholar and will be teaching at the New Zealand School of Music February to June 2012.

Now in its fourth year, the Organ Fest is a gift from KBYU-FM Classical 89 and the Cathedral of the Madeleine to the community. The concert will take place Friday Aug. 12, at 8 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Madeleine at 331 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City.

Following a tour to Vietnam and China, soprano Diane Reich, baritone Darrell Babidge and pianist Scott Holden will present a Brigham Young University School of Music faculty recital Friday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 pm in the Madsen Recital Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center. Admission is free. They will perform both vocal and piano pieces by Mozart and Schubert. The program will end with a group of works by popular American composer George Gershwin. For more information, contact Diane Reich at the BYU School of Music at diane_reich@byu.edu. Follow BYU events on Twitter: @BYUcalendar Source: BYU News

Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library announces the opening of 'Documents from the Ancient World,' a new exhibit that highlights some of the pieces from the library's ancient documents collection as well as its collection of published documents. Located on the Level 3 exhibit space, the display will run through Friday, Aug. 12.The Lee Library has a small collection of original documents from the ancient world and actively collects modern publications of documents from all periods.'The documentation of humankind is considered particularly important at BYU,' said Roger Layton, communications manager with the library, 'given Latter-day Saint theology that teaches that records have been kept by God's children from the beginning and modern revelation requiring continued record keeping.'Documents from the Ancient World' is the fourth of seven exhibits to celebrate 50 years of the Lee Library's current location. Throughout the year, visitors to the Level 3 exhibit space will be able to learn about collecting, preservation and history as well as see some of the treasures of BYU.For more information about the exhibit, contact Roger Macfarlane at (801) 422-2864 or macfarlane@byu.edu, or contact Roger Layton at (801) 422-6687 or roger_layton@byu.edu.Source: BYU News

The Brigham Young University Theatre and Media Arts Department is announcing its 2011—2012 theatre season.

A new exhibit featuring the work of acclaimed English satirical novelist William Makepeace Thackeray is now being shown in the L. Tom Perry Special Collection's foyer and reference room on Level 1 of the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.

Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library announces a new exhibit featuring the work of photographer Justin Hackworth. Located in the Auditorium Gallery on Level 1 of the library, Hackworth's '30 Strangers' will be open to the public for the month of July.

Brigham Young University’s Ballroom Dance Company has danced the globe performing their internationally award-winning routines. From April 26--—May 17, 2011, the company traveled on their first-ever tour to Vietnam and their fourth tour to Thailand. The company performed in venues ranging from university performance halls to a theme park in Hanoi, Vietnam. Because of the variety of show locations, the team entertained equally diverse audiences that included Thai ballroom dancers, orphans, and even Thai Royalty.

Federal regulation such as No Child Left Behind is placing heavy pressure on teachers to help students pass standardized tests, and many educators are concerned that including arts instruction in school may take precious time away from such preparation. The result: a decrease in arts education. To help address this problem, this year's Arts Express Summer Conference for Elementary Educators, 'The Reflecting Pool: Assessment in the Arts,' will be held at Timberland Middle School in Alpine, Utah, June 14 and 15 hosted by the Brigham Young University ARTS Partnership. Teachers, parents, administrators and school volunteers are invited to hear keynote speaker Deb Brzoska, a performing artist at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center and a nationally recognized leader in arts assessment, to learn about some of the issues involved in elementary arts education. Arts instruction and integration classes will be offered in dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts. In addition, the conference will welcome acclaimed pianist Jon Schmidt for a guest concert featuring his original compositions. For more information, call Cally Flox at (801) 422-6146 or email her at cally_flox@byu.edu. To register, visit education.byu.edu/arts. Without the arts, students will lose opportunities to connect to deeper feelings and emotions, say conference organizers. 'Society changes so quickly that children are being prepared for jobs that don't yet exist,' said Cally Flox, arts director for CITES, the BYU Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling. 'Creativity, innovation, and problem-solving are the most important skills we can give them for their futures. The arts provide a practical way to develop those skills.' 'Our conference gives teachers practical strategies and skills for providing arts instruction and integration in their classrooms,' Flox said. 'We're meeting a critical need for children to have access to the arts.' The BYU ARTS Partnership, which is sponsored by BYU's David O. McKay School of Education and the College of Fine Arts and Communications, was formed to ensure the continuation of arts education in schools by (1) exposing students to arts experiences and (2) integrating the arts into curriculum. The ARTS Partnership encourages educators to help students see the beauty and creativity in the fine arts, thus increasing their understanding and appreciation for their culture. Developing arts skills at an early age creates opportunities for developing excellence in fine arts and for expanding and personalizing other curricular areas through experiencing arts integrated into a variety of contexts. Source: BYU News

'The Yankee Spirit: Highlights from the New Britain Museum of American Art' July 1-Oct. 29

Students of the Brigham Young University School of Music will perform in the Spring Student Chamber Music Concert Wednesday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall.