Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 1997)
londay - June 2, 1997 Lifestyles exas Music Festival swings into Aggieland Vi The eighth annual event showcases orchestral and chamber music rH By Rhonda Reinhart The Battalion I here is more to summer entertainment than basketball tournaments and box office block busters. The Texas Music Festival, a month of orchestral and chamber music performances, will be held throughout the month of June. The College Station chamber con certs will be performed at 7:30 p.m. at Rudder Theater on the first four Mondays. An orchestra will perform on Saturday June 7. Werner Rose, Texas A&M music coordinator and pi anist forThe Western Arts Trio, said the Festival enhances summer life on campus. “When I came here in 1988, there was nothing going on musically during the summertime,” Rose said. “That’s when we got involved with the Lyric Art Festival, which was organized by the director of the University of Houston School of Music. This program evolved into the Texas Mu sic Festival in 1990, and this is our eighth annual Festival.” He said the music scheduled to be performed includes classic masterpieces and interesting 20th century pieces. Festival participants are advanced students and young professionals. “These are not high school students,” Rose said. "They must be graduate students or studying for 'fess their doctorates.” Alan Austin, general manager of the Festival, said the competition for Festival applicants is stiff. “We get applications from all over the world,” he said. “There are about 100 accepted, and those numbers are staying about the same each year, but the Festival grows every year in its high level of incredible performers. It takes time to establish a name, and more and more people are starting to know who we are.” He said a pre-formed trio from Ger many is the Festival’s most recent suc cess story. “The St. Petersberg Quartet was a guest at the trio’s performance at last year’s Festival,” Austin said. “They were so impressed by the group’s per formance that they called their man ager. This trio came to the Festival as students and left with a manager.” The Festival staff includes guest * f artists and conductors, including members of the Houston Symphony and the University of Houston School of Music faculty. The chamber concerts are performed by the faculty, e arts always for themselves. ” J Werner Rose s A&M music coordinatjor professional musicians who are members of quartets, trios and other small groups, Rose said. He said people want to see excellence, and they will. “The arts always speak for them selves,” Rose said. “These concerts will leave a high-quality impression " " because of high-quality music and —~ : - ipsr-V 1 high-quality performers.” Kass Prince, executive director for the arts council of the Brazos Valley and one of the Festival’s donors, said Festival organizers had to go through a competitive grant process to re ceive funding. “Not all applicants get funds,” she said. “A peer panel review system made up of citizens of the communi ty decides which programs receive funding, and it is based on the pro ject’s merit.” After each concert, audiences are invited to meet the artists at recep- 77 ~ ~ tions in Rudder Exhibit Hall. “I invite everyone to come,” Rose said. “We’ve worked hard, and it does our hearts good to know that people are enjoying the music.” iving with new 'roommates' requires a few minor adjustments | bout a month ago, I moved off campus [I into a house with two of my friends. I have Lmyown room, I don’t pay rent, and occa- pllymy roommates cook my dinner po my laundry. hounds like the perfect living arrange- i!,but for some reason, people cringe tnltellthem I live with my parents. Sjustseemed unneccessary to pay for ■campus housing when my parents «l\ved six stoplights away from cam- bincelwas seven years old. Don’tget me wrong; I’m not always con- tedlmade the right choice. There are advantages of living at home, tee’s family time. Throughout the nyearsl lived in a dorm, no room- itcevermade me stay home on a Saturday |ilto watch Gone With The Wind. And par- lalways think it is enticing to say they’re jgpopcorn. fj ’fcal scenario: Lifestyles Editor Me: “Mom, I’m being crowned Miss America this evening, then I’m going out to dinner with Leonardo DiCaprio.” Mom: “But, honey, I made popcorn.” . And the stuff they call popcorn just isn’t. It is butter-free, salt-free, fat-free, taste-free packing foam in a bowl. Then there’s the phone. Not that I ever get any interesting phone calls, but if I did, it might be a little embarrassing to have my father answer the phone. I have this recurring nightmare that he’s going to tell my friends not to call after my bedtime. And I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s a little unusual. A little back ground on my dad: he drives a yellow jeep he calls “the chick magnet.” I’m also a little afraid of being grounded. Every memory I have of high school includes having my phone and radio taken away because of my alge bra grades. When I was in high school, I had to clean the April Towery junior journalism major house with Mom every Saturday. When I moved back home, she reminded me of this tradition. And there’s nothing I’d rather do than wake up at 6 a.m. to the smell of Soft Scrub. So far, my parents have been relaxed about my comings and goings. I tell them where I’m going, they get the names, numbers, addresses, shoe sizes and blood types of every person I will come into contact with, and everyone’s happy. If I tell them I’m going to a party, my mother likes to call in advance and make sure the parents will be home. Another problem arises when friends come over to my house. Every picture taken since my birth hangs somewhere in the house for all to see. Also, my parents enjoy talking with my friends. A little too much, perhaps. Recently, my former roommate and her hus band stopped by on their way out for the evening. My mother decided she needed to take them in the backyard, show them the garden and make them sit down and eat some strawber ries. She invited them to stay and watch a movie, but they declined. Even the popcorn wasn’t con vincing enough. My parents are usually easy to talk to and are, for the most part, enjoyable individuals. But there’s a time when they’re not — when the Astros are playing. My parents become zombies when their favorite baseball team is on TV. This is the only time our television is not permanently set on Country Music Television. They wear matching T- shirts and stay glued to the TV like two-year-olds. I could tell them that I was nine months pregnant and had been smoking crack in the bathroom, and I can promise they wouldn’t bat an eye if a game was on. But there are plenty of advantages of living with my parents. I can’t complain about home- cooked meals, free room and board, help with changing a flat tire, occasional gas money and the chance to spend time with the people who know me best. And let’s not forget about the popcorn. VIDEO AMNESTY! AT YOI It Cental 2412 Texas Ave., College Station All outstanding late fees foe video rentals jjprior to April 22, 1997 | will be waved when the videos are returned. FAMILY CENTER VIDEO OPEN Monday thru Thursday i; 00 a.m. -12:00 midnight. Friday & Saturday 9:00 a.m. -1:00 a.m. Phone 409-696-2849 v i roqe Welcome Back Ags! Large 2 Topping Pizza $ 7.99 Offer good thru 6/8/97 Tips are appreciated. College Station 764-PAPA (7272) 1100 Harvey Rd. Bryan 268-PAPA (7272) 3414 East 29th St. Open Sun.-Thur. til Midnite , Friday & Saturday til 1 a.m.