Paul Lockhart on “Dayton in the Great War”

Dr. Lockhart’s keynote on the “Dayton in the Great War” project, at the Wright State College of Liberal Arts research conference in February 2015.

“Dayton in the Great War “

Updates, 25 March 2015

Shortly I’ll have an after-action report on the War Requiem and the Lockhart residency, but for now…at last-minute announcement. Tonight, it’s UD Night at the Neon Movies in downtown Dayton, and — in collaboration with UD’s WWI cohort project — they’re showing Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory. Tonight only, 7.30 and 9.30 pm. See details below. Sorry for the late notice, but this was brought to my attention only a couple of hours ago.

PATHS OF GLORY

Rating: NR
Running Time: 1 Hr 28 Min
» Click here to visit the official websiteSynopsis (UD Alumni Chair in Humanities)

UD NIGHT AT THE NEON! On Wednesday, March 25, The Alumni Chair in Humanities at UD will present special screenings of Stanley Kubrick’s classic film PATHS OF GLORY – starring Kirk Douglas. Dr. Tony Smith will introduce the award-winning film, and the screenings are free for UD faculty, staff and students. Tickets for the general public are available for a suggested donation of $5. Seating will be on a first come, first serve basis. The movie will screen at 7:30 and 9:30. The presentation of this film is part of the World War I cohort project at UD.

Lockhart residency events, March 2015 — update

It’s just about here. Lots of things going on, as mentioned in previous posts, so from here on in we’ll highlight individual events…like the second in our Great War-related film series, Peter Weir’s Gallipoli (1981), starring a young Mel Gibson. Dr. Chris Oldstone-Moore (History, Wright State) will be hosting the event and giving a short introductory talk as well. Free soda and popcorn!

Britten’s WAR REQUIEM and the Keith Lockhart residency

It’s almost upon us: not the final, but probably the highest-profile, event this academic year for the CELIA Great War project at Wright State. In short, Maestro Keith Lockhart — conductor of the Boston Pops and the BBC Concert Orchestra — will be coming to Wright State as our Distinguished Guest Artist, with public events beginning on Monday, March 9, 2015. The official graphic is below. Here are some highlights:

• Two performances of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, at Dayton’s Schuster Center (downtown Dayton, not to be confused with Schuster Hall at the CAC at Wright State), on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14. Featuring Maestro KEITH LOCKHART, soprano ELLIE DEHN, tenor MATTHEW DiBATTISTA, baritone JUSTIN HOPKINS, the DAYTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, the DAYTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CHORUS, the WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY CHOIRS, and the KETTERING CHILDREN’S CHOIR. These concerts, though coordinated by CELIA and involving a number of area ensembles, are part of the regular Dayton Philharmonic 2015 season and hence tickets must be purchased through the regular DPO/DPAA venues. Visit Ticket Center Stage to get tickets for either performance, and don’t wait too long…they’re going fast. Preconcert “Prenote” talk by Dr. Paul Lockhart, Professor of History and Brage Golding Distinguished Professor of Research at Wright State University, immediately before each performance at 7:00pm. Further details at the DPO website and the Wright State CELIA website.
• VOICES OF WORLD WAR I, a program of dramatized readings from participants and contemporaries of the Great War. The program will feature a wide variety of readings but with an emphasis on the impact of the Great War on the Miami Valley and the greater Dayton region. Dr. Paul Lockhart, Wright State University, will narrate, but the individual readings will be voiced by a diverse cast of Wright State University students, American veterans, Wright State faculty, and a few guests…including Keith Lockhart. Thursday, March 12, 2015, 1:00pm – 2:00pm, at Schuster Hall, Creative Arts Center, Wright State University. An informal reception will follow immediately afterwards. Admission is free and open but guests from outside the Wright State community are asked to register online. Details to follow soon.
• KEITH LOCKHART PUBLIC EVENTS: Maestro Lockhart will be holding master classes with Wright State School of Music students on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings, 10:00am – 12:00 noon. See flyer below for details.

And as always, please consult the CELIA site for updates. We’ll try to make sure that the updates appear here, too.

What’s coming up in 2015

I hope I don’t disappoint here, but I’m going to forego the (seemingly) obligatory “this is a First World War blog so I probably ought to say something about the 1914 Christmas Truce here, what with the centennial approaching and everything” post. And not just because it doesn’t have much to do with Dayton in the First World War, but because it seems to have been beaten to death, so to speak.

But we’ve got lots coming up in the next year. We are still busy making preparations for the WWI exhibit at Carillon Park, though that won’t be up-and-running until the spring of 2016. Together with Steve King and Mike King at Image Werx, we’re getting started on [what we hope will be] our documentary on Dayton in the Great War. But for the most part we’re working like crazy on the events we have scheduled for the week of March 9, 2015. Besides the performances of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem (we’ll have much more on this coming up soon), there will be other, small events that week, all dealing with the impact of the First World War on the arts in particular. Stay tuned!

In the meantime…here’s the official Wright State promotional graphic for the War Requiem and the residency of Maestro Keith Lockhart as Visiting Distinguished Artist in March.

Happy holidays!

Next up… “Holidays in the Heartland” at the Schuster Center, November 2!

Wright State’s “Holidays in the Heartland” concert at the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton has become an annual — and highly popular — Miami Valley tradition. This year, thanks to the primary creative force behind the HIH concert — Dr. Hank Dahlman, director of WSU’s CELIA program — the concert will have a WWI theme. Much of the second half of the concert will feature music associated with the Great War, with narration by Dr. Paul Lockhart (History, Wright State) and video imagery by Imagewerx. Sunday, November 2, 2014, at the Schuster Center. Tickets are available online at www.ticketcenterstage.com, by phone (888) 228-3630 or at the Schuster Center box office. Details here.

Here’s a sneak peak:

 

 

 

Two more upcoming WWI events at Wright State…

Tomorrow (Thursday, 10/16/14) — Dr. Tammy Proctor (Utah State University) will be speaking at Wright State on civilian labor in the First World War; a month from now (Friday, 11/14/14), Dr. Mark Van Wienen (Northern Illinois) will give a lecture, also at Wright State, on American poetry in the beginning of World War I. Check them out! Details can be found here. Both events sponsored by Wright State CELIA. Hope to see you there!

While Your Hearts Are Yearning

Our next CELIA event: “While Your Hearts Are Yearning: Popular Music of World War I,” Saturday, 11 October 2014.
It’s finally here: our first CELIA/Dayton in the Great War event. Dr. Christopher Oldstone-Moore, History Department, Wright State University, has put together an exciting show of popular music from Britain, Canada, Australia, and the United States in the Great War, featuring performances by our talented faculty and students of the School of Music, Wright State University. It’s events like this that make Wright State’s World War I commemoration unique. You’re in for a real treat.

Concert begins at 7:30pm at Schuster Hall in Wright State’s Creative Arts Center. It’s free and open to the public. Free parking is available to visitors (go to the WSU Parking Services website here;  see campus map here).

We’ll see you there!

UPCOMING EVENT: WWI IN THE MIDDLE EAST

LECTURE: PHOTOGRAPHING THE EGYPT-PALESTINE FRONT DURING THE GREAT WAR

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014, 6:00 PM

WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, 109 OELMAN HALL

Ottoman troops on the Nablus Road, Jerusalem

When we think of the First World War, it’s the Western Front that usually springs to mind. But it was a world war, after all, fought on many fronts, and not just in Europe. The fighting in the Middle East was equally crucial, and the impact of the Great War on the region is still very much visible today. Professor Issam Nassar (Department of History, Illinois State University) will discuss Jamal Pasha’s failed attempt to seize control of the Suez Canal in 1915, featuring images by local Jerusalem photographers Khalil Raad and John Whiting. The Raad/Whiting photos show Ottoman preparations for the war, the men and commanders of Pasha’s Fourth Ottoman Army, military installations, and much more, bringing this largely forgotten campaign back to life. Using photographs as historical documents, Dr. Nassar will examine the role photography — and propaganda — played in the war.

The event is open and free to the public. Free parking is available to visitors (go to the WSU Parking Services website here); Dr. Nassar will speak in the large lecture hall in Oelman (109 Oelman; see campus map here).

Sponsored by: War & Society, Wright State University; Department of Art and Art History, Wright State University; Department of History, Wright State University; University Center for International Education, Wright State University.

CELIA at Wright State: “A Long, Long Way”

Thanks to CELIA and Wright State’s generous support, we’ve produced a short promotional video. Enjoy!

CELIA at Wright State 2014-15: “A Long, Long Way: Echoes of the Great War”