A week from tomorrow we will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Darwin's and Lincoln's birth. That night in the Jorgensen Auditorium will host a special bicentennial concert. The performance artist Daniel Bernard Roumain (violin), Wynne Bennett (prepared piano), Daniel Beaty (spoken word), and Emeline Michel (voice) will join an eighteen-piece chamber orchestra conducted by Paul Haas in a performance of Darwin's Meditations for the People of Lincoln.
Darwin's Meditation for The People of Lincoln sculpts the sound of liberation, survival, and legacy in the image of two of its most tireless proponents. Using texts drawn from both Darwin and Lincoln, plus those of Obie Award-winning playwright Daniel Beaty, DBR creates a brilliantly imagined conversation between two historical giants--and a scintillating, spiritual, sonic vision of what it means to be free.The event is the official kickoff to UConn's celebration of the Year of Science 2009, but it's just one of many events in our celebration, some of which have already begun. In addition to events at the Storrs campus, there are events at Avery Point, Stamford, Torrington, and Waterbury. So if you live in Connecticut, please take advantage of these opportunities.
If you're particularly interested in events surrounding Darwin/Lincoln bicentennial. Here's a list from the February 2nd edition of the UConn Advance.
- Jan. 20-March 6, Charles Darwin (1809-1882), The Legacy of a Naturalist, an exhibit illustrating the life and career of Charles Darwin. Dodd Center Gallery.
- Tuesday, Feb. 10, "The Legacy of Charles Darwin." Speakers Constance Clark, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Michael Robinson, University of Hartford, Les Kaufman, Boston University, and Jennifer Tucker, Wesleyan University, will focus on the legacy of Darwin's many contributions to science and society. 6:30 p.m., Branford House, first floor, Avery Point Campus.
- Tuesday, Feb. 10, David Contosta, writer and historian, will discus his book Rebel Giants: The Revolutionary Lives of Lincoln and Darwin, as a prelude to the performance of Darwin's Meditation for the People of Lincoln at Jorgensen. 4 p.m., Jorgensen Gallery.
- Thursday, Feb. 12, "President Lincoln's Text Message: The Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865." Forty days before he was murdered President Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address, a speech widely recognized as the best ever given by a U.S. President and also a classic of American rhetoric. The Humanities Institute will sponsor a symposium in which this 700-word oration will be interpreted. Hartford poet Nicole Miller will read the address, and professors Harry Stout of Yale University and John Stauffer of Harvard University will lead a panel discussion by UConn professors Christopher Clark (history), Wayne Franklin (English and American Studies), Lawrence Goodheart (history), Shayla Nunnally (political science and the Institute for African American Studies), and Jeffrey Ogbar (history and the Institute for African American Studies). 3 p.m. Great Hall, Alumni Center.
- Thursday, Feb. 12, Darwin's Meditation for the People of Lincoln. This multimedia presentation examines the literal and imagined relationship between Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln - who were born within hours of one another on the same day - and the people of the United States born after the end of the Civil War. Using video and text drawn from both Darwin and Lincoln, compiled and narrated by actor/playwright Daniel Beaty, Haitian-American artist Daniel Bernard Roumain produces an imagined conversation between historical giants. The work features a 20-piece chamber ensemble together with four soloists. 8 p.m., Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts (tickets $28 and $30). There will also be an open public rehearsal at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 and a post-performance Q & A.
- Thursday, Feb. 19, Darwin Day at the Stamford Campus will feature performances about the life of Darwin by the Guild Players at noon and 7 p.m. in GenRe Auditorium.
- Wednesday, Feb. 25, Charles Darwin Bicentennial Colloquium Series. "Evolution and Faith: What is at Stake?" by John Haught, Georgetown University. 4 p.m., Dodd Center, Konover Auditorium.
- Fridays, March 20 and 27, April 3 and 17, "Lincoln: the Man and the Myth." Four class sessions will discuss Lincoln and the issues of race relations, along with the many misconceptions about Lincoln and why historians consider him the greatest American president. The class will be taught by Steve McGrath, a lecturer in history at Central Connecticut State University. 8:15 a.m.-9:45 a.m., Room 207, Waterbury Campus
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