ARTS FIRST Springs Into Tenth Year
John Lithgow, Harvard Class of ’67, Emmy Award-winning actor and founder of ARTS FIRST, Harvard’s annual celebration of the arts, states, "ARTS FIRST turns Harvard into a play ground for this special weekend: not a playground in the usual sense; rather, students playing their instruments, performing plays, showing the results of playing with ideas, and playing to us, the audience. This is play in the best sense of the word. So let the play begin!" That is exactly what ARTS FIRST 2002 will do from Thursday, May 2 through Sunday, May 5, with over 225 music, theatre, dance, film, and visual arts events (most free of charge) presented by over 2,000 students and faculty.
And in celebration of the festival’s tenth anniversary, the arts
will spill outdoors with open-air events and installations, including
two outdoor performance stages and student-created sculptures in Harvard
Yard.
"ARTS FIRST explodes each spring with a sense of "newness,"
with fresh ideas, innovative programming, and cross-pollination of art
forms," says Jack Megan, Director of the Office for the Arts at Harvard.
"The quality and quantity of new work that is continually being created
by Harvard students and faculty is simply extraordinary, and events in
our tenth year will highlight this incredible originality."
ARTS FIRST showcases the talents and accomplishments of Harvard alumnae/i
in the arts as well as those of current student artists and faculty. This
year, the festival welcomes guest conductor Isaiah Jackson ’66, Music
Director of Boston’s Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, for a special performance
by the Harvard University Choir and Kuumba Singers on Saturday, May 4
at Sanders Theatre. Jackson is internationally known for his projects
combining gospel music with the symphonic tradition.
Also, the Harvard Arts Medal, which honors Harvard and Radcliffe alumnae/i
who have made outstanding contributions to the arts, will be presented
at ARTS FIRST ’02 by Harvard President Larry Summers. Previous recipients
have been director Peter Sellars ’80 (2001), composer John Harbison
’60 (2000), National Theatre of the Deaf founder David Hays ’52
(1999), author John Updike ’54 (1998), musicians Bonnie Raitt ‘72
(1997) and Pete Seeger ’40 (1996), and the late actor Jack Lemmon
’47 (1995). The 2002 Arts Medalist will be announced in the April
issue of Arts Spectrum.
Other highlights of ARTS FIRST’s tenth anniversary celebration include
the annual ARTS FIRST Parade through Harvard Square and Yard led by the
Harvard University Band, a Performance Fair packed with over eighty free
events, and an outdoor stage at Holyoke Center in the heart of Harvard
Square. See below for a sneak preview of some of the many exciting events
that will take place at ARTS FIRST 2002. Spread the word!
The Right Reason
Thursday, May 2 & Friday, May 3, 7 pm
Multi-media performance focusing on the relationship between dance, music,
text, and the visual arts
Rieman Center for the Performing Arts, Radcliffe Yard
Open Studios and Group Exhibition
Thursday, May 2, 5 – 7 pm
Exhibits of work by students and teaching assistants
Opening reception:
Visual and Environmental Studies Department, Carpenter Center for the
Visual Arts, 24 Quincy Street
Linden Street Studios open throughout the weekend
Outdoor Stage Performances
Friday, May 3, Noon – 7 pm
20-minute performances throughout the day by Harvard student groups
Holyoke Center, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard Square
James Yannatos’ Symphonies Sacred and Secular; Prais’d be
the Fathomless Universe
Performed by the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra, Harvard Glee Club, Friday,
May 3, 8 pm
Radcliffe Choral Society, and Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum.
Sanders Theatre, Cambridge
ARTS FIRST ’02 Parade
Saturday, May 4, 11:30 am – Noon
Led by the Harvard University Band down Massachusetts Avenue into Harvard
Yard, including Hasty Pudding costumed characters, jugglers, ballroom
dancers, Mariachi groups, and more
ARTS FIRST Picnic
Saturday, May 4, 11:30 am – 1 pm
$7 general public for an outdoor lunch under the tent. Free for Harvard
students with ID. Entertainment by the Harvard Sunday Jazz Band
Performance Fair
Saturday, May 4, 1 – 5 pm
Over eighty free musical, theatrical, film, and dance performances at
twelve indoor and outdoor sites in and around Harvard Yard
Gospel Night
Saturday, May 4, 8 pm
Featuring guest conductor Isaiah Jackson , with the Harvard University
Choir and Kuumba Singers.
Sanders Theatre, Cambridge
VOLUNTEER FOR ARTS FIRST 2002!
Help support the arts by joining in Harvard’s tenth annual ARTS FIRST
celebration as a volunteer! Volunteers play a crucial role in every aspect
of the festival, both during the event and in planning throughout the
year. Be a Performance Fair stage manager, crew member, or greeter, recruit
and coordinate volunteers, assist in production and distribution of the
ARTS FIRST 2002 Guide, or help publicize the festival on campus. Volunteers
receive an ARTS FIRST T-shirt and an invitation to a reception hosted
by Harvard President Larry Summers. No experience is necessary for most
jobs, and all are welcome.
For more information, call Vanessa Trien at (617) 495-8699.
