2004 - Celebrates Water — Waxahachie Chautauqua

2004 Chautauqua
September 25, 9:30-8:30pm

CHAUTAUQUA CELEBRATES WATER

WATER AND THE HUMAN SPIRIT

Gayle Borst - Architect, Stewardship, Inc. Austin, Texas

Join this architect and biologist as she explores the many and varied ways that water touches the human spirit and enriches our lives. Discover some ways to restore the connection between the natural world and the human built environment.

Architect Gayle Borst has been exploring the human attraction to water and how to bring it into the built environment in ways that evoke feelings similar to those produced in the natural environment. As a biologist and practicing architect, she is seeking ways to restore the connection between the natural world and the human built environment. She has given presentations on water, designed to be a rich sensory reminder of the many and varied ways that water touches the human spirit and enriches our lives.

As the founder of one of Austin's oldest sustainable architectural design firms, Stewardship, Inc., Borst has practiced sustainable architecture for over ten years. Her undergraduate training as a biologist gave her a fundamental understanding of life processes that has lead to a greater depth of understanding of real sustainability. It is not surprising that many of her special areas of interest — natural building materials, site-responsive design, indoor-outdoor spaces — have strong ties to the biological world.

Gayle completed her Master of Architecture degree at the University of Texas, specializing in energy studies and completing her thesis on designing with daylight. This background in energy efficient architecture, combined with her education in the sciences, made her evolution into the specialty of sustainable design a natural one.

One component of her "green" designs is rainwater harvesting. In these buildings, all or part of water needs may be met by roof collection of rainwater with an on-site storage tank. Other components include natural heating and ventilation, earthen floors, natural plasters, fiber-cement wall forms (Faswall), rammed earth, metal studs, straw bale, cob (earth/sand/straw), and use of on-site and local materials.

Gayle recently became certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Habitat Steward, a program designed to educate others and to spread the restoration of native habitats.

Sponsored by:
Citizens National Bank
Waxahachie

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FROM THE WATERY GRAVE

Dr. Jim Bruseth, Director of Texas Historic Commission's Archeology Division

The secrets of this ill-fated sunken French expedition have been buried with the La Belle on the bottom of Matagorda Bay since 1686. The lead archeologist of the ship's recent excavation brings us artifacts and first-hand accounts of his discoveries

Dr. Jim Bruseth was the lead archeologist of the 1996-2002 excavation of the LaBelle, one of the exploratory French ships that sank off the coast of Galveston in1686. He tells us that he will be bringing some artifacts from the excavation when he comes to Chautauqua. Dr. Bruseth is director of Texas Historic Commission's (TCH) Archeology Division. His book "From A Watery Grave: The Discovery and Excavation of LaSalle's Shipwreck the Belle" will be published by Texas A&M University Press in September 2004. .

Sponsored by:
Buddy & Holly Young

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THE BARCAROLLE: SONG OF THE BOATMAN

Felicity Coltman, pianist, Austin Chamber Music Center, Austin, TX and Oliver Worthington, baritone, Music Dept., Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX

Inspired by the songs of the Venetian gondoliers, barcarolles moved from the canals into the great rivers of Europe. Take this water voyage with the rhythmic romantic songs of the barcarolles. Hear their melodies and their stories from Chopin to folk tunes.

We can't stop inviting Felicity Coltman back to the Chautauqua stage! Each time she comes she brings us a musically delightful and insightful presentation. This year she joins with baritone Oliver Worthington to explore the barcarolle - the world of boat music and songs!

Besides being Founder and Artistic Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center (ACMC), Felicity Coltman has performed as solo pianist with orchestras in South Africa, and performs frequently with chamber ensembles in Europe and the United States. She teaches piano, theory, and chamber music in addition to organizing the education and performance programs of the ACMC. She holds diplomas from the Royal School of Music, London, the Trinity College of Music, London and the University of South Africa. Last summer she performed at the Park Avenue North Chamber Music series in London and at the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival in California.

Oliver Worthington came to Austin from New England to pursue a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Texas. He sings with local organizations such as the Austin Lyric Opera where he was described by Opera News as 'a clear, crisp, promising baritone.' Regionally, he has appeared as a soloist with various organizations and opera companies such as the South Texas Lyric Opera, Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, Aspen Opera Theater, Lowell Opera, and Ohio Light Opera. Mr. Worthington is a voice instructor at Southwestern University and maintains a private studio in Austin. He also teaches at St. Edward's University in Austin.

Sponsored by:
Ellis County Abstract & Title Company, Inc

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HOLY WATERS, SACRED RIVERS

Dr. Irene Klaver, Professor of Philosophy, University of North Texas, Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies, Denton, TX

It purifies, transforms, heals. It gives life and takes life. Discover water's prominent and recurrent place in the sacred texts and traditions of our religions and cultures, from Judeo-Christian observances to Native American ceremonies.

Religious and cultural aspects of water will be presented at Chautauqua by Irene Klaver, professor with the department of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas. Dr. Klaver studies, teaches, and gives presentations on water around the world. In July 2003, she was awarded a grant to study the Philosophy of Water by the Dixon Water Foundation. Her own emphasis is the environmental, social-political and cultural dimensions of water. She is currently developing an interdisciplinary course on water to be co-taught with environmental scientists and other faculty at UNT from philosophical, scientific, cultural, religious, and ecological perspectives. She is also creating an educational animation video about the "Adventures of a Droplet."

Dr. Klaver, originally from Amsterdam, has been teaching at UNT since the spring of 2000 and previously taught at California State University-Stanislaus. She won a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant in 1997, and a Fulbright Fellowship for study in the United States between 1987 and 1993.

One of her main interests has been the philosophy of aesthetics in landscape, especially in Dutch landscape painting. Her presentations have included "Water in Cultural Imagination and Practice" and "Water Out of Bounds: an Element for Sale, which was given at a conference at Oxford University in 2003.

Sponsored by:
Sardis Tire & Wheel
Bill Larkin, Owner

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A CONVERSATION WITH BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Fred Krebs, History professor, Johnson County Community College, Merriam, KS

Meet this charming and controversial inventor, author, scientist, businessman and founding father. Hear Franklin's wit and wisdom as he recalls the excitement and turmoil that swirled around the founding of our nation. Learn his connections to "water", how he came to invent the armonica, and why he was called "The Water American".

Mr. Franklin will be portrayed at the Waxahachie Chautauqua by Fred Krebs, who is a Professor of Humanities at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas and has taught American history for over 30 years. He has also brought his “living history” presentations to 20 different states (but never Texas!) , portraying more than 15 historical figures. He has presented William Mulholland, Frank Crowe, Kit Carson, William Jennings Bryan, Galileo, Moses Maimonides, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John C. Fremont, Cristy Matthewson, Rutherford B. Hayes and artist William Merritt Chase. In June he will assume the role of Stephen Douglas as part of the Kansas Chautauqua and the role of Carl Sandburg at the Lake Tahoe Chautauqua, Sand Harbor, Nev., June 27, and at Reno, Nev., July 19-21. But he is best known around the country as a re-enactor and scholar of Benjamin Franklin.

On May 5, Krebs was presented the 2004 Liberty Bell Award by the Johnson County (KS) Bar Association. The Liberty Bell Award recognizes a person .who is not a lawyer, for outstanding service, including the promotion of a better understanding of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Krebs was recognized for his “long and distinguished record of service in Constitutional education. His other recognitions include the “Patriot of the Year” in 2001 awarded by the Sons of the American Revolution and a Kansas Humanities Council Humanities Award for connecting people and ideas for more than 25 years in Kansas. He has also been honored with the Governor’s Humanist of the Year award. Professor

Fred Krebs is a prolific public speaker and has been very active in civic affairs and in the Kansas Humanities Council. Krebs has received degrees from the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Sponsored by:
Vintage Bank
Waxahachie

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THE GLASS ARMONICA COMES TO CHAUTAUQUA

Dean Shostak, Musicologist and Kelly Kennedy, Accompanist, Colonial Williamsburg, VA

Hear the enchanting and unique music of Benjamin Franklin's invention, the glass armonica, by one of it's few performers in the world in a program of music, history and humor. Franklin thought it was well-suited for the haunting melodies of Ireland and Scotland, but even Mozart and Beethoven composed for it.

On September 25, Waxahachie Chautauquans will have a unique opportunity to see and hear a glass armonica, the first American musical instrument. The armonica was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. It was an improvement on the problematic water-filled glasses, which were played by running a moistened finger over the rim to create a musical note.

The glass armonica consists of tuned glass bowls mounted on a spindle. The glasses are made to spin using a flywheel attached to a foot treadle. A moistened finger is touched to the bowls to make the note. Franklin enjoyed playing his new invention much to the dismay of his colleagues such as Thomas Penn. In fact, Franklin felt the glass armonica was well suited for the haunting melodies of Ireland and Scotland. The glass armonica also caught the attention of Mozart and Beethoven who composed music especially for this instrument.

The glass armonica will be played by Dean Shostak who is recognized nationally as an American music pioneer and is currently one of only a small number of glass armonica players in the world. He is a musicologist at Colonial Williamsburg, where he has performed since 1979. His concerts celebrate the early American music experience, combining history and humor with period and original compositions. He has toured extensively and has been featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and PBS Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. His recordings of music on the glass armonica, "Crystal Carols" and "Revolutions", have received critical acclaim.

Mr. Shostak will perform not only on the glass armonica, but also on the hurdy gurdy and violin. He will be joined by Kelly Kennedy, vocalist, pianist, and guitarist, who has appeared with him on many of his recordings.

Sponsored by:
Supported by a grant from the
Waxahachie Foundation, Inc.

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H 2 0 IN ACTION

Dr. Diana Mason, Professor , Chemistry Department, University of North Texas, Denton, TX

Be amazed by what this common yet totally unique substance can do! Dr. Mason brings her Mean Green Demo Team to present dynamic demonstrations of the chemistry of water. They will entertain and instruct in the Chautauqua tradition of the science show.

Dr. Diana Mason, chemistry professor at University of North Texas, will bring her Chemistry Department’s Mean Green Demo Team to perform water-related demonstrations at the 2004 Chautauqua. Having taught high school chemistry and math for 10 years before going back to school for her doctorate, Dr. Mason retains a strong interest in chemistry education. She and her Demo Team travel around the state - and sometimes the country – to give science presentations for a wide variety of student and adult audiences.

Sponsored by:
Family Practice Association, Waxahachie
Richard D. Redington, M.D.
James W. Pickens, M.D.
R. Paul Kare, M.D.

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WATER'S ROLE IN THE SETTLEMENT OF TEXAS

Jesus Frank de la Teja, Professor of History, South Texas University-San Marcos, TX

Water concerns are not new to Texas. Our state's rich heritage of rivers and coastline played a major role the EuroAmerican settlement of our state. Explore the challenges and conflicts they faced as they depended on these unpredictable waters in their struggle for survival.

"Excellent speaker - I'd like to take a course from him." "The best I heard all day. Made the subject interesting and held everyone's attention." These are just a few of the evaluation comments about the 2003 Chautauqua presentation given by Jesus Frank De La Teja, history professor at Texas State University-San Marcos. Returning this year, he will continue to intrigue Chautauquans with his enthusiasm for Texas history and fascinating stories and insights from our state's past. This time he'll explore the role of Texas waters in its settlement.

Dr. de la Teja is a prolific author; his most recent book Texas: Crossroads of North America, with Paula Marks and Ron Tyler (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2004) chronicles the development of Texas identity through the insights of three authors and three themes: "Texas as place", "Texas as opportunity", and "Texas as 'cultural centrifuge'".

His paper 'Only Fit for Raising Stock': Spanish and Mexican Land and Water Rights in the Tamaulipan Cession," was included in Fluid Arguments: Five Centuries of Western Water Conflict, ed. Char Miller. Tucson: Univ. of Arizona Press, 2001.

Dr. de la Teja is also Managing Editor of Catholic Southwest: A Journal of History and Culture. He served as a researcher for James Michener during the writing of the novel TEXAS.

Sponsored by:
Chicago Title Insurance Company

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AN IRISH CEILI: MUSIC and DANCE FROM "ACROSS THE POND"

Evening Concert

Trinity Hall Session Players; Lone Star Ceili Band; and Iverin Irish Dance Company, Southwest Celtic Music Association, Dallas, TX

Complete the day with some of the finest Irish musicians and dancers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in a dynamic display of tunes, dances, ballads, and pub songs from "across the pond". Find a bit of the Emerald Isle right there on the Chautauqua stage.

The evening program for this year's Waxahachie Chautauqua will feature a variety show of traditional Irish music and dance. “The program will showcase some of the finest musicians and dancers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will include ballads, dances, tunes, and pub songs,” said organizer Ken Fleming, whose name is almost synonymous with Celtic Music in north Texas. Mr. Fleming, a talented and respected musician himself, was one of the founders of the Southwest Celtic Music Association. He also founded and organized the North Texas Irish Festival, building it from humble beginnings in a downtown Dallas bar to one of the largest celebrations of Celtic music and traditions in this country that is now held each March at Fair Park in Dallas. Details of this Irish music showcase will follow in future newsletters.

Sponsored by:
Gold Sponsors
Carlisle Chevrolet Oldsmobile Cadillac
Pearman Oil & LP Gas, Inc.
TXU Energy Distribution
Walgreen's
Dean & Betty Gray
Ron Wilkinson, Attorney At Law
Steve & Hilda Chapman

Silver Sponsors
Robert Morgan State Farm Insurance Company, Waxahachie
Dr. & Mrs. Fred Sklar
Humphrey & Associates
First Bloom

Bronze Sponsors
Northgate Cleaners
Reynolds Restoration

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CHAUTAUQUA CHORALE STARTS THE ASSEMBLY

When the voices of the 2003 Chautauqua Chorale's program of spirituals reverberated in the Chautauqua Auditorium, we were awed by their beauty and power.

Now there is another opportunity to participate and to listen to the Chautauqua Chorale. And what a choir it will be! Leading off the 2004 Chautauqua Assembly will be a true community gathering of singers, composed of voices from Waxahachie's churches, high school, university, and members of the community.

The 2004 Chautauqua Chorale will be made up of:

1. a community choir, made up of members of the choirs of Waxahachie churches as well as other voices of the community. This choir will be led by Kristin Tallett, Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Waxahachie and member of the Dallas Symphony Chorus.

2. Waxahachie High School Choir, led by Gail Stutts, WHS choral director and Director of Music at the First United Methodist Church of Waxahachie.

3. Southwestern Chorale of the Southwestern Assemblies of God University, led by Brandon Keaton who is founding director of this group and instructor and coordinator of vocal studies at SAGU.

And Chautauqua's 2004 theme of "water" offers a broad repertoire of songs for the chorale as it prepares to open the 5th Chautauqua Assembly on September 25th.

Sponsored by:
Dr. Mike & Kay Leath
Leath Chiropractic

2004 ChautauquaSeptember 25, 9:30-8:30pm

CHAUTAUQUA CELEBRATES WATER

2004 Chautauqua
September 25, 9:30-8:30pm