Southeastern Louisiana University

(3) FANFARE FINALE – William Robison, head of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Department of History and Political Science, will close out Fanfare 2007 with his “More or Less Annual Halloween Lecture” – this year focusing on “The Real Nightmare Before Christmas: The Puritan War Against Church Holidays” -- Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.

     Under the baton of Yakov Voldman, the orchestra will welcome back to Fanfare renowned Russian pianist Alexander Bonduriansky, who will share the spotlight during the second half of the 7:30 p.m. concert. The performance is part of the finale of the 22nd season of Fanfare, Southeastern’s October arts celebration.

     General admission tickets are $5 for adults, and $3 for senior citizens and Southeastern faculty, staff and alumni. All students are admitted free with I.D. A $1 handling fee will be added for each ticket. Tickets are available at the Columbia Theatre box office, 220 E. Thomas, 985-5493-4371, from noon-5 p.m., weekdays and one hour before performance time.

     Bonduriansky, People’s Artist of Russia, is a professor at the Tchaikovsky’s  Moscow State Conservatory, and a member of the acclaimed Moscow Piano Trio. A native of Kherson in the Ukraine, he is a graduate of the Chisinau Conservatory where he studied under Professor A. Sokovnin, and completed his musical training at the Moscow State Conservatory.

     The orchestra will begin the evening with Rossini’s overture to “The Barber of Seville.”

Bonduriansky will take center stage in Beethoven’s “Concerto No. 3.”

     The concert’s second half will be devoted to lighter musical fare as the orchestra performs favorites from a variety of musical soundtracks, including “Star Wars,” “Phantom of the Opera,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The movie music will include a tribute to composer John Williams with selections from his scores for “Angela’s Ashes” and “Schindler’s List” and the performance of “Hymn to the Fallen” from “Saving Private Ryan.”

     A spirited “Salute to Big Bands” will close the program with works such as “April in Paris,” “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” “Serenade in Blue,” “Sing, Sing, Sing,” and “76 Trombones” from “The Music Man.”

     Bonduriansky will again be on stage Oct. 30 at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium. Scheduled for 7:30 p.m., the concert will feature Bonduriansky’s rendition of classical favorites by Franz Schubert, including “Sonata in B-flat Major,” “Three Songs (transcriptions by Franz Liszt),” and “Fantasy in C Major, Op. 15 (Wanderer).

     He will be joined in “Fantasia in F Minor for Piano Four Hands” by another acclaimed pianist, Southeastern’s own David Evenson, head of the Department of Music and Dramatic Arts.

     General admission tickets are $5. The concert is free for all students with I.D.

     Fanfare’s final week will also include the last Sunday With the Arts concert featuring the Southeastern Guitar Quartet and the arts festival’s traditional wrap-up – the “More-or-Less Annual Halloween Lecture” by William Robison, head of the Department of History and Political Science.

     The Guitar Quartet -- Matthew Aguilar of Denham Springs, Matthew Spears of Frierson, David Bryan of Ponchatoula, and Gabriel Alack of Albany – have titled their free Oct. 28 recital “Guitar Louisiane.” It is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Hammond’s Grace Memorial Episcopal Church, 100 W. Church St. The guitarists will musically illustrate the traditional influences of French, Spanish, and Creole music coming to and from Louisiana, and will also premiere arrangements by New Orleans son Louis Moreau Gottschalk.

     On Wednesday, Oct. 31, Halloween Day, Robison will lecture on “The Real Nightmare Before Christmas: The Puritan War Against Church Holidays” at 1 p.m. at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium. His lecture will put in historical context the so called “culture wars” of today by discussing the real war against Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and other church holidays waged by Puritans, the Calvinist Christians of 17th-century England and its American colonies.

     As always, costumes -- even Puritan costumes, he says -- are encouraged. The lecture is free.

     While Robison’s lecture marks the end of Fanfare 2007, the 2007-2008 season of the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts is just beginning. Upcoming events include the new “Pajamas and Play” children’s series featuring “Jemimah Puddle Duck” and “Gizmo Guys”; a Valentine’s Day benefit performance of the Broadway hit “Smokey Joe's Café”; Jamie Wax’s one-man show “Goin’ to Jackson”; the New Orleans-themed comedy “And the Ball and All” featuring Becky Allen; three concerts by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; amazing Illusionist Mike Super; the unique and interactive “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding”; the Beatles nostalgia show “1964:  The Tribute”; and vocal legends Roger McGuinn of The Byrds and Melissa Manchester.

     For a complete Columbia Theatre schedule, contact the Columbia/Fanfare office at 985-543-4366 or visit columbiatheatre.org.