Itzhak Perlman
Lamar University will welcome world-renowned classical musician Itzhak Perlman as the 12th speaker in the Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series, Oct. 6, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Montagne Center.
The free public lecture is titled “a moderated presentation featuring Itzhak Perlman’s violin to demonstrate the power of music to emotionally connect with an audience.” A public reception will follow the presentation. Perlman will also be available earlier in the day in a question and answer session with LU students.
“We are very pleased to have a speaker of such renown as Mr. Perlman,” said Kevin Smith, senior associate provost and chair of the university’s Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series committee. “The Fisher lecture series enables LU to present world-class speakers to our students and the greater Southeast Texas community. Judge Fisher’s legacy carries on in part through the value of this lecture series to the people of Southeast Texas.”
The Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series was created in 1986 to honor Judge Fisher’s many contributions to Southeast Texas and Lamar University. The people of the community established the series to benefit Lamar students and to honor the longtime federal judge who died June 19, 2000.
Past lecturers in the Fisher series are former President Gerald Ford, Larry McMurtry, Vladimir Sakharov, Stephen Jay Gould, Linda Ellerbee, Antonin Scalia, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, James Watson, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and Jon Huntsman.
Perlman, a four-time Emmy award winner and 16-time Grammy award winner, is one of the top names in classical music today. Born in 1945 in Israel, Perlman completed his initial education at the Academy of Music at Tel Aviv before coming to New York. Following his studies at the Julliard School, Perlman won the Leventritt Competition in 1964 and embarked on a successful worldwide career. Perlman is now a cultural icon and leading master of violin.
He has performed with every major orchestra and at reputable concert halls worldwide, earning a Kennedy Center Honor in 2003 by the John F. Kenney Center for the Performing Arts for his achievements and contributions to the United States.
Perlman took part in the 2009 inauguration of President Barak Obama, performed for Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh at a state dinner hosted by George W. Bush at the White House and made appearances on popular shows such as The Late Show with David Letterman, 60 Minutes, Sesame Street, The Frugal Gourmet and The Tonight Show.
Among Perlman’s numerous awards are a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in the recording arts and several honorary degrees from institutions like Harvard, Yale and Brandeis universities. Perlman was awarded an honorary doctorate and a centennial medal on Julliard’s 100th commencement ceremony.
Perlman teaches and conducts at the Perlman Music Program, founded in 1993, which offers unmatched musical training to young string players though summer programs and mentoring.
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The Lamar University department of theatre & dance will present Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson, based on the true story and science of early 20th century female “computers” at Harvard Observatory.
Astonishing discoveries await Henrietta Leavitt as she maps distant stars in galaxies beyond our own. But this brilliant, headstrong pioneer must struggle for recognition in the man’s world of turn-of-the-century astronomy.
In this exquisite blend of science, history, family ties, and fragile love, a passionate young woman must map her own passage through a society determined to keep a woman in her place. The play was a finalist for the Jane Chambers Award 2013.
Headed by guest director Amelia Fischer, this production will be in the Studio Theatre.
Showtimes are Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15 general admission,
$10 LU/LIT faculty and staff, senior citizens, non-LU students, and $7 LU/LIT Students with a valid ID (limit one student ticket per ID).
Tickets may be purchased in person at the box office, open Monday through Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be reserved over the phone at 880-2250. The box office accepts cash, checks, and all major credit/debit cards.
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The Beaumont Art League will host the fundraiser Food for Art’s Sake, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Nov. 5.
The event will feature the solo exhibition, “All In My Head,” by Dan Gresham.
Tickets may be purchase via Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.com/e/ 27238115938?aff=fc27190681.
BAL is located at 2675 Gulf St. in Beaumont.
For more information, call 409-833-4179, email info@ beaumontartleague.org, or visit www.beaumontartleague.org.
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