Dr. Larry D. Shinn

President Shinn, Berea’s Eighth President, opens the new academic year as he asks us to imagine a place like Berea College in the 21st Century, during this sesquicentennial year.

Sept. 11
**3:00
Sunday

The Penny Loafers
Contemporary A Cappella Gospel

The Penny Loafers will share their witness in song and praise. This Sunday afternoon is an opportunity for students to be introduced to the various religious fellowships in the community of Berea. Sponsored by the Campus Christian Center.

Chris Norman Ensemble
Celebrating the Traditions of the Flute

Encompassing five centuries of music and numerous musical genres, the Chris Norman Ensemble brings to life the energetic music of Maritime Canada, Scotland and Ireland with flutes, pipes, guitar, mandolin, mandola, harmonium, bass, percussion, drums, and vocals. A Stephenson Memorial Concert.

Glenis Redmond and Scott Ainslie
Southern Voices: Black, White, and Blues

This performance explores the African roots and American diversity of the blues by intertwining the spoken-word poetry of African-American Glenis Redmond with music performed on vintage instruments by Scottish-American blues singer/historian Scott Ainslie. (A GSTR 109 event).

Dr. Fred B. Craddock
The Gospels in a New Light

For more than three decades Dr. Craddock, the Bandy Distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament at Emory University, has enlightened, delighted, and engaged listeners with his thought-provoking sermons interwoven with storytelling. Presented as part of the activities of the Accent on Christian Faith Week, co-sponsored by the Campus Christian Center and the Ruth Pister-Hampel Memorial Fund.

McCurdy/Wright Consort
Langston Hughes Project—Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz

This multi-media presentation combines Hughes’ poetry read by Dr. John Wright with images from the Harlem Renaissance and a variety of music by the Ron McCurdy Jazz Quartet to recreate Hughes’ vision of the global struggle for freedom in the early 1960s. A Stephenson Memorial Concert. (A GSTR 109 event).

Founders’ Day Convocation

This convocation will celebrate Berea’s interracial history by honoring Berea founder, John G. Fee. President Shinn will present the John G. Fee Award in his name to his descendents. The award ceremony will include music by the Black Music Ensemble and reflections from one of John G. Fee’s descendents. Sponsored by the President’s Office.

Oct. 20**
3:00

Dr. Jayne Seminare Docherty
Peace Building

Associate Professor of Conflict Studies at Eastern Mennonite University, Dr. Docherty works with communities, applying principles of peace building to deep-rooted conflicts, and she also assists universities in developing curricula in peace studies and conflict studies. Sponsored by the Campus Christian Center. Robbins Peace and Brotherhood Lecture.

Dirk Powell Band
Appalachian Tunes: Traditional and Contemporary

World-renowned Appalachian fiddler and banjo player Dirk Powell’s new group is a hard-driving, exciting testament to the power of old-time music and its influence on contemporary bluegrass. A Stephenson Memorial Concert.

College-Wide Symposium - bell hooks and Daya Singh Sandhu
Diversity in Spirituality: Implications for Wellness

bell hooks, Writer-in-Residence at Berea College, and Daya Singh Sandhu, Professor at the University of Louisville will address the issue of health and spirituality in the context of an institution with a Christian identity—hooks from her perspective as a Buddhist practitioner and Sandhu from his own Sikh perspective. Questions, answers, and dialogue will follow as part of the presentation. Co-sponsored by Campus Christian Center and Counseling and Psychological Services (Health Service). Classes and non-essential labor are dismissed at noon until the close of the symposium. This is a two-hour event.

Ensemble Kaboul
In Exile:Instrumental and Vocal Music from Afghanistan

Six Afghan musicians in exile, Ensemble Kaboul strives to preserve the Afghan culture through the performance of its multi-ethnic traditional music, with Indian, Persian, and Arabic influences. The ensemble performs on traditional instruments and features the reed-like voice of internationally recognized Ustada Farida Mahwash. A Stephenson Memorial Concert.

Hot Club of San Francisco
Gypsy Jazz Music
An Informance

The musicians will explain the history of gypsy jazz music and perform samples. . (A GSTR 109 event).

In Concert
With an all-string instrumentation of violin, bass, and guitar, this ensemble of accomplished and versatile musicians keeps alive the historic gypsy jazz music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli’s pioneering Hot Club de France of the 1930s. (A GSTR 109 event).

Nashville Mandolin Ensemble
Bach, Beatles, Bluegrass, and a Bit of Christmas Too

Led by Butch Baldassari of Vanderbilt University, this ensemble features some of the finest string players in Nashville. The concert will be a rousing combination of a wide range of styles, periods, and genres.