TACOMA, Wash. – Black History Month will be celebrated at University of Puget Sound through February with a series of not-to-be-missed presentations (plus a January gospel taster!). Ticket information for each is below.
Thursday, Jan. 20: Crystal Aikin will treat Tacoma, her hometown, to a gospel performance in Marshall Hall, Wheelock Student Center, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 5: Victor Lamonte Wooten, legendary bassist, speaks and performs in Kilworth Memorial Chapel, 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 7: Herman Boone, football coach immortalized in Remember the Titans, speaks in Schneebeck Concert Hall, 7 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 28: Spike Lee, innovative writer, director, actor, and author, appears as the Susan Resneck Pierce lecturer, in Memorial Fieldhouse, 7:30 p.m.
Victor Lamonte Wooten (photo top right), five-time Grammy Award winner and jazz and world music icon, is best known for his solo recordings and as the bassist of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. The Tennessee artist has appeared on the cover of countless music magazines and was voted Bassist of the Year three times by Bass Player magazine. He is the only person to have won the award more than once. Author of the best-selling The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music (Penguin Books, 2008), Wooten is widely recognized as the world’s leading clinician of the electric bass. His music camps attract international participants and are prized experiences for musicians of all ages. Wooten will speak on music, life, and the creative spirit behind each note that the player plays. He will conclude with a solo performance and a “jam” with members of the university’s music community. The event is presented by University of Puget Sound Cultural Events. Admission is $9 for the general public; $4 for Puget Sound campus members. Tickets can be purchased at Wheelock Information Center or by credit card on 253.879.3419 from Jan. 21. For interviews with Wooten contact Serni Solidarios at 253.879.3366 or ssolidarios@pugetsound.edu.
Herman Boone (photo left) is the inspirational high school football coach portrayed in the film Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington. In 1971 racial tensions ran high at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., as three schools merged to form a newly integrated one. After beating out local favorite Bill Yoast, the coach of an all-white team, to become the Titans’ head coach, Boone faced racial intolerance aimed at him and his African-American team members. In time, the two coaches teamed up, put their prejudices aside, and bullied and coaxed the team into working for a common vision—to win football games. Out of this experience an undefeated football team was born, and the Titans won the state championship. Today Boone is retired, but continues to motivate and inspire audiences with his presentations on respect, teamwork, and community involvement. The event is presented by Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound Lectures. Tickets are $10 for the general public; $8 for non-Puget Sound students; and $5 for Puget Sound campus members. Tickets are available at Wheelock Information Center or by calling 253.879.3419, beginning Thursday, Jan. 20.
Spike Lee, groundbreaking filmmaker, actor, and author, made his name with films including Do the Right Thing, She Hate Me, Inside Man, Clockers, Jungle Fever, Mo’ Better Blues, Summer of Sam, and Malcolm X. The twice-nominated Academy Award contender and writer-director examines issues at the heart of American society, often using his hometown, Brooklyn, N. Y., as the setting. Through his career, Lee has expressed his often-controversial views through cinema, television commercials, music videos, and books. Last August he aired his second documentary about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, If God is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise. For more information visit: http://bit.ly/gMA1XH. Lee’s talk is sponsored by the Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture in Public Affairs and the Arts. Admission is $15 for the general public and $10 for students. Puget Sound campus members attend for free, but tickets must be acquired in advance at Wheelock Information Center, or by calling 253.879.3419, beginning Monday, Jan. 24.
Crystal Aikin is touring the country following the release of her first gospel album, titled Crystal Aikin. The Tacoma artist’s career shifted dramatically from nursing to singing in 2008, after she out-performed some of the country’s best church singers and swept up the top prize in the gospel talent show Sunday Best, featured by Black Entertainment Television. Aikin received a major recording contract with Zomba Gospel, the largest gospel label in the world, and has produced a CD of fresh, new gospel sound, blending traditional gospel with urban contemporary gospel, and a touch of rock and jazz. Aikin’s performance is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound. Entrance to the event in Marshall Hall, Wheelock Student Center is $10 general admission, with tickets available at the door. It is free for Puget Sound campus members.
For directions and a map of the campus: www.pugetsound.edu/directions.xml
Press-quality photos of the artists are available on request.
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