Year of the Arts: February at a Glance

Buffalo State is hosting a range of memorable arts events in February. Travel back to the ‘80s and ‘90s with a one-night performance by pop icon Richard Marx, or take a “strange trip” with The Grateful Dead–performed by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Also, this month, you can find films, plays, jazz ensembles, and art exhibitions on campus that highlight Buffalo State’s commitment to the Year of the Arts.

February 2
Film Screening: The Last Train Home
Part of the “Consider the Alternatives” film series, The Last Train Home tells the story of a couple making a journey home along with 130 million other migrant workers to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. It runs from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium and is free to art center members and Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students. General admission tickets are $5. Filmmaker Meg Knowles and media and social critic Mike Niman, both on the faculty of the Communication Department, are curating the series. (716) 878-6011.

February 3
Concert: Richard Marx
Billboard-topping pop and adult contemporary singer Richard Marx will perform his greatest hits of the ’80 and ’90, accompanied by a 20-piece string orchestra, at 8:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. With more than 30 million albums sold and 13 songs hitting the top spot on the pop charts, Marx has consistently and powerfully made his mark on the music industry with such hits as “Hold On To the Nights,” "Hazard," and “Right Here Waiting.” Tickets range from $27 to $35. Students can purchase $15 tickets one hour prior to the concert. (716) 878-3005.

February 8-18
Performance: The Laramie Project
The Theater Department will present the powerful drama portraying the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, that was denounced a hate crime motivated by homophobia. Theater professor Joseph Price and senior Samantha Penziul are co-directing the play written by Moises Kaufman. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. February 8-11 and 15-18, and 2:00 p.m. February 11 and 18 in the Tower Auditorium in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Tickets cost $6 for Buffalo State students; $10 for Buffalo State faculty, staff and alumni, other students, and senior citizens; all other adults cost $15. (716) 878-3005.

February 9
Concert: Percussion Ragtime Show
The Percussion Ensemble, directed by Brad Fuster, chair of the music, and Carlos Jones, assistant professor of theater, will play ragtime music specifically written for the xylophone in a free performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. This concert celebrates the Music Department’s acquisition and restoration of 1919 Deagan Wide Bar Artist’s Special xylophone. Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra percussion section will make guest appearances, and students from the theater and dance programs will perform in period costume. Also Emily Boyce, associate professor of music, will perform a solo Scott Joplin rag, and accompany the various xylophone soloists on piano. (716) 878-3005.

February 10
Exhibition Reception: Interior Design Student Show
To wrap up the exhibit that began in late January, a free reception with the student artists from the Interior Design Department will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall. The students created two- and three-dimensional projects in different analogue and digital media that include market renderings, residential design, commercial design, public building retail space, office planning, and lighting design. Interior design faculty chose the work out of many submissions from the 100-student department. (716) 878-4828.

Film Screening:Volume II - International Perspectives on Children in Poverty- Rwanda, Mongolia, Mexico, Paraguay, India
Aimable Twagilimana, professor of English and coordinator of African and African American Studies Interdisciplinary Unit, presents this thought-provoking film examining child poverty at 5:30 p.m. in the Warren Enters Theatre in Upton Hall. The showing, which is free and open to the public, will be introduced by Minami Okajima of Japan. For more information, contact the International Student Affairs Office at (716) 878-5531.

February 16
Concert: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra – Music of The Grateful Dead
Travel back in time with the music of the legendary psychedelic band, The Grateful Dead, in a Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Tickets are $35-$40 for the general public and $20 for Buffalo State students and alumni. (716) 878-3005.

February 17
Exhibition: Art Education Department Student Show
A juried exhibit of studio works created by students in the Art Education Department will open on Friday, February 17, and run through Thursday, March 1, in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall. Pieces range from paintings to pottery and represent the students’ best efforts. Jurors from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Burchfield Penney Art Center determine which works will be exhibited. A free reception will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, in the gallery. (716) 878-6032.

February 23
Concert: Buffalo State Jazz Ensemble
Rick Fleming, associate professor of music and director of bands, will direct the Buffalo State Jazz Ensemble in a performance of jazz standards as well as contemporary jazz pieces in this free concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. (716) 878-3005.

Performance: Steve Ross Performs “From Saloon to Salon: Traveling With My Piano”
Cabaret jazz great Steve Ross will kick off the three-part series, “High Standards: The Legacy of the Great American Songbook,” with a free lecture focusing on his career from 12:15-1:00 p.m. in Rockwell Hall 124. At 7:00 p.m. Ross will perform a tribute to Fred Astaire, “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails,” in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Tickets are $5 for Burchfield Penney members, Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students, and $10 for the general public. The series results from a collaboration among the Student Life Office, Buffalo State graduate Ari Silverstein, and the Music Department. Tickets can be purchased at the Burchfield Penney or online. Call (716) 878-6011.

February 26
TFA Night at the Oscars
While Hollywood revels in the 84th annual Academy Awards ceremony, students in Buffalo State’s television and film arts program will host a ceremony of their own. The third annual “TFA Night at the Oscars” will be held from 7:00 p.m. to midnight in the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. The public is invited to watch the nationally televised ceremony on a 30 feet by 30 feet screen, share their Oscar picks during red carpet interviews, enjoy light refreshments, and hear local rock/jam band the Twin City Kings perform. Also, guests can watch a collection of short student films (10 minutes or less) and cast their votes for best picture, best director, and best screenplay. Night at the Oscars is free to all students with ID. Admission for the general public is $10. For more information, call (716) 878-3180 or visit the TFA Facebook page.

February 28
Film Screening: The Bonfire of the Vanities
The screening of the Hollywood version of novelist Tom Wolfe’s piercing social satire on the excesses of Wall Street’s new era begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Auditorium. As part of the Crisis! film series that explores the global economic crisis,  there will be a follow-up discussion  moderated by Ted Schmidt, associate professor of economics and finance; Albert Michaels, professor of history and social studies education; and Bruce Fisher, director of the Center for Economic and Policy Studies at Buffalo State College. (716) 878-6011.

February 29
Concert: Buffalo State Wind Ensemble
Rick Fleming, associate professor of music and director of bands, will lead the student Wind Ensemble in a free concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. (716) 878-3005.