^[1]Davidson College’s calendar of public events begins this week with a performance by local organist Jane Cain, in the Organ at Davidson series at Davidson College Presbyterian Church. On Monday, Jan. 21, the college hosts a series of events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Other events this month include a two-day opera theater workshop, a children’s theater production of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and a visit by pianist Phillip Bush. Also ahead: Music and dance performances, lectures and films. Here’s the schedule: 

Tuesday, January 8

Organ at Davidson. Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, January 8, to a performance directed by Jane Cain, director of music at Davidson College Presbyterian Church. The program will include organ music for Christmas and Epiphany by Buxtehude, Bach and Dupré, and Christmas songs by Peter Cornelius for soprano. It will begin at 7:15 p.m. in the sanctuary of Davidson College Presbyterian Church, with a reception following. There is no charge to attend, but donations toward future programs encouraged. For information call 704-892-5641.

Sunday, January 13

Comedian Joel Chasnoff – Davidson College Hillel will host a Back to School Comedy Night on Sunday, Jan. 13, at 6:30pm, at the Alvarez College Union 900 Room, featuring standup comedian Joel Chasnoff. He’s described as “not your grandfather’s Jewish comedian,” offering humor that’s clever, sharp, and never degrading. He’s also the author of the 2010 Simon and Schuster memoir, “188th Crybaby Brigade,” about his year as a combat soldier in the Israeli Army. A portion of all proceeds from Joel’s book and stand-up performances is donated to Joel’s charitable foundation, Project Elijah. This event is free for those with a Davidson College ID. Tickets are $10 for all others and will be sold at the door. More info: Davidson.edu ^[2]

Friday, January 18

Musical Interludes. Davidson College invites the public on Friday, January 18, to a Musical Interludes performance featuring Davidson faculty, staff and community members. The performance begins at 12:30 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center, and there is no charge to attend. For information call 704-894-2848.

Friday, January 18 & Saturday, January 19

Opera Theatre Workshop. Davidson College invites the public on Friday, January 18, and Saturday, January 19, to the music department’s annual Opera Theater workshop performance directed by Artist Associate in Voice Diane Thornton. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center, and there is no charge to attend. For information call 704-894-2848.

Sunday, January 20

^[3]

Phillip Bush

Concert Series: Pianist Phillip Bush. Davidson College invites the public on Sunday, January 20 to a performance of Dvorak’s canonical Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 by celebrated pianist and Charlotte native Phillip Bush. Bush will collaborate with Rosemary Furniss and Elina Lev on violin, Rebekah Newman on viola and Alan Black on cello to perform. The program will also include Saint-Saëns Piano Trio No. 1. The performance will begin at 3 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center. Tickets can be purchased for $15 general admission; $8 seniors; $5 youth 18 and under. Call the Union ticket office at 704-894-2135 or purchase online at www.davidson.edu/tickets ^[4].

Monday, January 21 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Davidson College invites the public to a series of events to commemorate Martin Luther King Day. The schedule includes activities for children, performances and talks and seminars focused on social justice. The keynote speaker will be civil rights activist, freedom rider, and academician Bob Zellner, a protégé of Martin Luther King. The full schedule is listed below. There is no charge to attend any of the presentations, all of which will take place in the Alvarez College Union. For further information, call 704-894-2225. Here’s a more detailed list:

• King Day for Kids, 9 a.m. to 11:30 in the Brown Atrium – King Day for Kids features activities that promote literacy, social justice, and community involvement for children from kindergarten through sixth grade. Participants will engage with Davidson College students in small group readings, storytelling, and arts and crafts. At the end of the session, the childrenwill receive literacy-based goody bags. Please register by January 14 via e-mail to assherrill@davidson.edu ^[5] or by calling 704-894-2423.
  

  Bob Zellner

• Keynote Presentation by Bob Zellner, 11 a.m. in the Smith 900 Room – Longtime civil rights proponent Bob Zellner will speak about his experiences in a lecture titled after his 2008 memoir, The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement.  Zellner got involved in the civil rights movement following his graduation from Huntingdon College in Alabama in 1961, and was the first white southerner to serve as field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. His activities eventually led him to be arrested 18 times in seven states on charges such as “criminal anarchy” and “inciting the black population to acts of war and violence against the white population.” He and his spouse, Dottie, organized an anti-racism project for workers in the deep south called Grass Roots Organizing Work, and organized workers in the pulpwood industry. He made documentary and feature films, and toured college campuses talking about the civil rights movement. He wrote a Ph.D. dissertation at Tulane University on the southern civil rights movement, taught at several places and was involved in management of the NAACP. In 2005, Zellner was a featured Civil Rights luminary in the award-winning documentary Come Walk in My Shoes, and he published his own memoir in 2008.
• Fireside Chat with Bob Zellner, 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the Sprinkle Room – As a follow-up to his lecture, Zellner will field questions concerning his experiences as a Civil Rights activist.
• “The One Who Builds,” 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the Smith 900 Room – 2006 Davidson graduate Peter Carolla presents his documentary film, “The One Who Builds.” Filmed in Greensboro, whose population of 300,000 includes 8,000 refugees, the film focuses on a former Sudanese refugee named Omer. Omer earned his American citizenship and is now ‘paying it forward’ as the founder and director of a refugee resettlement organization. His work with refugees reflects the ideals of Martin Luther King’s “beloved community.”
• “Poetic Reflections of Social Justice,” 3 to 4:45 p.m. in the Smith 900 Room – The college’s “Free Word” spoken word club will bring to life the historic voices of social justice through poetic expression.
• “Young Immigrants in Action: Immigrant and African American Youth Join Forces on Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” 3 to 4:45 p.m. in the Sprinkle Room – Laura Cahue of the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center will discuss the
  contributions of young people across South Carolina toward a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Young immigrants are working with African American college students at Benedict College to become leaders for social change and a future of living together rather than apart. Their efforts on the protection of the human rights of all people draws substantially from the legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and farmworker activist Cesar Chavez.

Wednesday, January 23

Documentary Film: “Havana.” Davidson College invites the public on Wednesday, January 23, to a presentation by UNC Charlotte faculty member Jose L.S. Gámez about his documentary film Havana: the Art of Making Ruins. Gamez is associate professor of architecture and urban design, and coordinator of the UNC Charlotte Design & Society Research Center. The screening begins at 7 p.m. in Hance Auditorium of Chambers building, and will be followed by refreshments and discussion. There is no charge to attend. For information call 704-894-2912 or email anwadman@davidson.edu ^[6].

Friday, January 25

Chemistry. Davidson College invites the public on Friday, January 25, to a presentation titled “Chemistry and Energy Innovation in a Startup Company,” by Davidson alumnus Steven Reece. Reece is cofounder and research scientist at the Boston-based renewable energy company Sun Catalytix. Light refreshments will be served in the lobby at 2 p.m., and the lecture will begin at 2:30 in Martin Science Lecture Hall. There is no charge to attend. For information call 704-894-2307 or email kafilar@davidson.edu ^[7].

Friday, January 25

Jazz Ensemble. Davidson College invites the public on Friday, January 25, to a program of jazz standards and improvisation by the Davidson College Jazz Ensemble in collaboration with special guest artist Adam Snow. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center, and there is no charge to attend. For information call 704-894-2848.

Friday, January 25 – Sunday, January 27

Children’s Theatre: Jack and the Beanstalk. The Davidson College theatre department and Davidson Community Players invite the public to a presentation of Jack and the Beanstalk as their annual collaborative children’s play on Friday, January 25, through Sunday, January 27. The play is appropriate for children ages 4 through 10 and their families. Performances will be January 25 at 7 p.m., January 26 at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., and January 27 at 4:30 p.m., all in in the Barber Theatre of the Cunningham Theatre Center. Tickets are $7. For information and reservations call 704-892-7953 or visit www.DavidsonCommunityPlayers.org ^[8].

Monday, January 28

Dance Workshop. Davidson College invites the public on Monday, January 28, to a participatory workshop lead by Professor of Dance Maria Urrutia from West Chester University on fundamentals of the rumba and its variations in the diaspora. The workshop begins at 5:30 p.m. in Lilly Family Gallery of Chambers Building, and there is no charge to attend. For information contact livoegle@davidson.edu or call 704-894-2542.

Tuesday, January 29

Staley Lecture: Sister Simone Campbell. Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, January 29, to a talk titled “Where Your Treasure Is…: The Gospel, Public Policy and the Poor” by Sister Simone Campbell. Sister Campbell is executive director of NETWORK, a national Catholic Social Justice lobby. She is also an attorney extensive experience in public policy and advocacy for systemic change. The talk begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room, and there is no charge to attend. For more information call 704-894-2423 or email rospach@davidson.edu ^[9].

Tuesday, January 29

Dance. Davidson College invites the public on Tuesday, January 29, to a lecture and demonstration by Professor of Dance Maria Urrutia from West Chester University on the development of the rumba, specifically considering it as a “spectacle of bodily display.” The lecture begins at 11 a.m. Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room, and there is no charge to attend. For information contact livoegle@davidson.edu or call 704-894-2542.

COMING IN FEBRUARY: ANGELA DAVIS

Political activist and academic Angela Davis will visit Davidson on Tuesday, Feb. 12, to present the college’s annual Wearn Lecture, on the subject “Political Activism and Protest from the 1960s to the Age of Obama.” See Dec. 12, 2012, “Activist/scholar Angela Davis speaks at Davidson Feb. 12″ ^[10]