Day: September 28, 2015

September 28, 2015 Contact: Carol Best                 Public Relations Manager 913-971-3586 office; 913-575-6309 cell cbest@mnu.edu MNU Fall Fine Arts Events: Choir and Band Concerts Free and Open to the Public OLATHE, KAN.,– MidAmerica Nazarene University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts presents the MNU choirs in Music of the Church Sunday, Oct. 11 at 3:30 p.m. in Bell Cultural Events Center, 2030 E. College Way, Olathe, Kansas.   Hear the MNU Choirs with brass and percussion as they sing inspirational hymns and anthems including “How Great Thou Art,” “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and “O God Our Help in Ages Past.” Heritage Choir, Concert Choir and Symphonic Choir are conducted by Carla Oliver, interim director of choral activities at MNU.   Also at Bell Center Oct. 20, MNU Concert Band Presents Dreams and Dances, a concert. The Concert Band’s season opener combines exciting repertoire with themes of dreams, sleep, and dances. Works by Jack Stamp, John Mackey, Eric Whitacre, Steven Bryant, Karl King, and John Zdechlik. The concert will be conducted by Dr. Luke Johnson, director of bands and music education.   Free tickets are available to both concerts at bellcenter.mnu.edu or by calling Bell Cultural Events Center’s Box Office at (913) 971-3636. Conductor Bios Carla Oliver Carla Oliver served 26 years as director of choral activities and music department chair at Lee’s Summit High School. More recently she was the director of choral music at Calvary Bible College and Theological Seminary. Her degrees include a Bachelor of Music Education from Wichita State University and a Master of Arts in Music History and Literature from the University of Central Missouri.   Oliver has held office in many music education organizations including the Missouri Choral Directors Association, the Missouri Music Educators Association, the Missouri Choral Directors, the Missouri All State Honor Choir and the ACDA SW Division Convention. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Choral Director for the Kansas City Metro award, the Outstanding Missouri Music Educator Award, the Luther T. Spayde Award and the Distinguished Music Alumnus of the Year award from University of Central Missouri.   Oliver also serves as director of music at the Lee’s Summit Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and maintains a private voice studio. She is married to James Oliver, retired director of bands at Lee’s Summit High School. Together they share 7 children and 14 grandchildren. Dr. Luke D. Johnson Dr. Luke D. Johnson currently serves as the director of bands and music education and assistant professor of music at MidAmerica Nazarene University.  A frequent guest conductor and clinician, Dr. Johnson is also a freelance trumpet player in the Kansas City area.  He is a proponent of new music, having been involved in commissions of several new pieces by composers such as Jack Stamp, James Mobberly, Daniel McIntosh and Kevin Walczyk. Previously, Dr. Johnson taught for 10 years in the public schools of Kansas including Dodge City and Lansing.  Past experience has also included adjunct professor of trumpet at Dodge City Community College, and a vibrant private trumpet studio in the Kansas City area. He completed his bachelor’s degree in music education at MidAmerica Nazarene University in 2003, a Master of Music degree with an emphasis in band conducting from Kansas State University in 2008, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting from the University of Kansas in 2015 where he studied conducting with Dr. Paul W. Popiel.  Dr. Johnson lives in Olathe with his wife Alyssa, and their two children Max and Abby.   ABOUT MNU MidAmerica Nazarene University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university founded in 1966. Offering 40 plus traditional undergraduate majors, the university is also known for its accelerated professional and graduate programs, including undergraduate degrees in management and nursing and graduate degrees in business, education, nursing and counseling and postgraduate certificates. Online offerings include classes in education, nursing and associate’s-level studies. Study abroad as well as service-learning experiences are encouraged through MNU’s Go Global, MNU Europe and ServiceCorps programs. The campus is located on 105 acres in Olathe, Kansas., and operates a location in Liberty, Missouri., for professional and graduate programs. More information may be found at www.mnu.edu.   MNU facts: MNU enrolls more than 1850 students MNU is home to Bell Cultural Events Center, Olathe’s premier venue for the fine arts. The yearly economic impact of the University is more than $44 million annually in the state of Kansas.   MNU Newsroom: www.mnu.edu/newsroom General MNU Information: www.mnu.edu Map and Location: http://www.mnu.edu/about/locations

9/28/2015 Media Contact: Christy McWard, 913-469-7684, cmcward@jccc.edu Singer-songwriter Darden Smith to collaborate with veteran students and perform at JCCC OVERLAND PARK, Kan. –  Darden Smith, critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, speaker and founder/creative director of SongwritingWith:Soldiers, will offer a free performance and lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College. Collaboration and Change – Darden Smith and SongwritingWith:Soldiers, presented by the Polsky Practical Personal Enrichment Series, offers a moving musical experience that honors our military veterans and tells their stories through song. This exclusive performance-based presentation kicks off JCCC’s annual Veterans Week celebrations, highlighting the work done by Smith and his SongwritingWith:Soldiers project.  During a two-day visit to JCCC, Smith will conduct songwriting workshops with veteran students who will become his songwriting partners. Together they will craft songs about their experiences, about combat and about the return home. These original compositions will be part of this special evening performance and will include an informal presentation and audience conversation with Smith. The performance will use words, music, and images to take the audience on a journey from Smith’s start in the early-1980s Austin, Texas, music scene to his awakening to the power of collaboration, which led to starting a non-profit organization and using his craft of songwriting in the service of others. Songwriting With Soldiers Smith is the founder of SongwritingWith:Soldiers, a free program that pairs professional songwriters with military service members to craft original songs based on their experiences. This collaborative storytelling-through-songwriting is a start to the healing process for many of the hundreds of military service veterans who have participated. SongwritingWith:Soldiers uses songwriting as a catalyst for positive change, offering veterans a unique way to tell their stories, rebuild trust, release pain, and forge new bonds. In SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat and workshop settings, participants use their songs to rediscover their creativity and reconnect with their family, friends and communities. The songs are recorded and shared through CDs, concerts, and social media in order to bridge the divide between military and civilian communities, and build awareness of the challenges returning veterans often face. About Darden Smith Darden Smith has long transcended traditional singer-songwriter boundaries. He weaves together folk and Americana influences with rock, pop and the musical roots of his home state of Texas to create a sound that is uniquely his own. Over his 28-year career, Smith has recorded 14 critically acclaimed albums. Likened to songwriters such as Nick Drake, John Hiatt, Leonard Cohen and Elvis Costello, Smith is one of contemporary music’s most winning and gifted artistic treasures whose consistent creative excellence keeps blossoming. Darden Smith says his career is not what he pictured three decades ago when he released his first album; it’s better. Today, the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, speaker and founder/creative director of SongwritingWith:Soldiers continues to write his own songs but also uses the medium of songwriting to help other people tell their stories. This Polsky Series presentation is free to attend, but your RSVP is appreciated. You may email polskyseries@jccc.edu. Enjoy refreshments and socializing in the lobby 30 minutes before the program. The event is a collaboration between JCCC Marketing & Event Management and Veteran Services offices, which team up each November to offer a special veteran presentation as part of the Polsky Series and JCCC Veterans Week celebrations. This series is underwritten by the Norman and Elaine Polsky Family Supporting Foundation within the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation in partnership with JCCC, and includes enrichment topics not currently offered elsewhere. Successful professionals share their knowledge to benefit our community. For more information visit www.jccc.edu/polskyseries. # # #