- Center for the Performing Arts

ONSTAGE
© Peter Stanley
CE NTE R FOR TH E PE R FOR M ING ARTS AT PEN N STATE
This performance is made possible, in part,
through the generous support of
Community Advisory Council
The Community Advisory Council is dedicated to strengthening
the relationship between the Center for the Performing Arts
and the community. Council members participate in a range
of activities in support of this objective.
Nancy VanLandingham, chair
Lam Hood, vice chair
Judy Albrecht
William Asbury
Lynn Sidehamer Brown
Philip Burlingame
Deb Latta
Eileen Leibowitz
Ellie Lewis
Christine Lichtig
Mary Ellen Litzinger
Bonnie Marshall
Pieter Ouwehand
Melinda Stearns
Lillian Upcraft
Pat Williams
Nina Woskob
student representatives
Brittany Banik
Stephanie Corcino
Jesse Scott
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT PENN STATE
presents
The Nile Project
7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, 2015
Eisenhower Auditorium
Tonight’s program will be announced from the stage.
The concert includes one intermission.
sponsor
Days Inn Penn State
support provided by
Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment
This project is supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for
the Arts and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Tour Direction: SRO Artists, Inc.
6629 University Ave. # 206
Middleton, WI 53562
608-664-8160
gigs@sroartists.com
www.sroartists.com
The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State receives state arts funding
support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state
agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National
Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
ARTISTS
MOHAMED ABOUZEKRY:
Despite his tender years, this
oud player has a stunning command of his instrument, as well
as an open ear for other forms.
They’re skills that got him a
recent album deal with Harmonia Mundi.
ALSARAH: Based in Brooklyn,
this soulful Sudanese singer and
ethnomusicologist’s songs have
won high praise from rootsmusic tastemakers such as
Songlines magazine.
MICHAEL BAZIBU: A member
of Ndere, Uganda’s leading
traditional music and dance
company, for the past seventeen years, Bazibu plays several
traditional Ugandan stringed
and percussion instruments with
virtuosic grace.
HANY BEDEIR: When the biggest stars in the Middle East
need daff (hand drum) or riq
(traditional tambourine), they
call Bedeir, whose percussion
skills have also earned him a
teaching position at several
respected Cairo institutions.
NADER ELSHAER: Born in the
culturally rich town of Port Said,
Egypt, Elshaer taught himself
accordion and ney, only to fall
in love with the tones of the
kawala (end-blown cane flute)
and its role in Arabic classical
music.
DINA EL WEDIDI: With experience that spans Arabic clas-
sical music, edgy theatre, and
street protest, this young singer
recently worked on her debut
album with Brazilian heavyweight Gilberto Gil.
MEKLIT HADERO (select
appearances only): Co-founder
of The Nile Project, this American-based Ethiopian singer frequently digs deep into soul and
hip-hop but never loses sight of
her roots.
JORGA MESFIN: This selftaught saxophone player
meshes jazz with Ethiopia’s
wealth of musical forms and
ideas, both as a respected band
leader and as a favorite sideman for greats such as Mulatu
Astatke.
KASIVA MUTUA: Kenyan percussionist and singer Mutua
learned drumming from her
grandmother, but she has developed her own knack for powerful Afropop beats. Her expressive playing can tell a story by
itself or keep a band perfectly in
the pocket.
SOPHIE NZAYISENGA: The
first female master of inanga,
the Rwandan traditional zither,
Nzayisenga learned at her internationally acclaimed father’s
knee before setting out to make
the instrument her own.
STEVEN SOGO: Burundi’s leading bassist, this multilingual
multi-instrumentalist can play
anything with strings, including
the umiduri, Burundi’s answer
to the birembau. Add to that
Sogo’s wonderful voice, and it’s
easy to see why he was named
a World Bank musical ambassador.
SELAMNESH ZEMENE: Hailing from a long line of unique
culture bearers in northern
Ethiopia, this young singer has
brought her traditions to collaborations with indie darlings such
as Debo Band and The Ex.
PRODUCERS
with a background in hospitality experience design, Girgis
explores new ways to cultivate
environments conducive to
learning, making, and experiencing music. He specializes in
curating and producing innovative musical collaborations
across diverse styles.
MINA GIRGIS (President and
Chief Executive Officer): An
Egyptian ethnomusicologist
MILES JAY (Musical Director):
A contrabassist, composer, and
arranger, Jay has worked with
the likes of Youssou N’Dour,
Ziad Rahbani, Fathy Salama,
Ross Daly, Naseer Shamma,
Niyaz, Mashrou3 Leila, and the
Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
NILE BACKGROUND
The Nile, one of the world’s most iconic rivers, has captivated
the imagination of millions throughout time. Originating at two
sources—Lake Victoria in East Africa and Lake Tana in the Ethiopian highlands—the 4,144-mile river flows northward through a
diversity of climates, landscapes, and cultures before passing
through Egypt and emptying into the Mediterranean Sea.
The region’s population of 437 million people is projected to
more than double within forty years, placing an ever-increasing
demand for Nile water. The water is tied to all aspects of life—
from the food on tables to the electricity that powers homes to
people’s health. Even now, people living along the Nile are vulnerable to water-related hardships. At least five nations in the
Nile Basin are facing water stress. Seven of the eleven Nile countries suffer from undernourishment rates higher than 30 percent.
Fewer than one in ten basin residents have access to electricity.
The core issue at hand is how to peacefully allocate Nile Basin
water among eleven nations, each with different needs and priorities, whose populations are skyrocketing.
This mounting resource scarcity has contributed to a geopolitical conflict between upstream and downstream riparian states.
Tremendous political capital has been expended to draft the
Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement, an international treaty
to govern water distribution and infrastructure projects differently from the existing 1959 Egyptian-Sudanese treaty that gives
Egypt the majority water right annually. While the agreement
has yet to win consensus, the arduous
negotiation process
has exposed the
deep-seated mistrust between countries, the absence of
opportunities for citizen-led dialogue, and
the lack of a unified
identity and vision
for the development
of a shared Nile ecosystem.
The Nile Basin is
wrought with political, environmental,
economic, and social
challenges requiring
a new approach to
better address the
myriad challenges
it faces. As regional
tensions flare, The
Nile Project offers a
unique grassroots strategy to effectively mobilize thousands of
people across the Nile Basin and beyond in constructive crosscultural dialogue and collaboration.
© Peter Stanley
THE NILE PROJECT
The Nile Project is transforming the Nile conflict by inspiring, educating,
and empowering an international network of university students to cultivate the sustainability of their ecosystem. The project’s model integrates
programs in music, education, dialogue, leadership, and innovation to
engage students across disciplines and geographies. Musical Collaborations: The Nile Project brings together artists from the
eleven Nile countries to make music that combines the region’s diverse
instruments, languages, and traditions. The concert experience aims to
inspire cultural curiosity, highlight regional connections, and showcase
the potential for trans-boundary cooperation.
Dialogue and Education Programs: Participatory workshops and crosscultural dialogues provide university students with unique intellectual
experiences, deepening their understanding of the Nile ecosystem while
stimulating new ways of thinking, communicating, and doing.
Leadership and Innovation Programs: The Nile Fellowship and Nile Prize
programs incentivize university students to apply their education and
training toward mobilizing their peers and pioneering innovative solutions to the Nile Basin’s complex and interrelated challenges.
Matjaz Kocicnik
Ahmed Hayman
For more information:
nileproject.org
facebook.com/nileproject
twitter.com/nileproject
Bold listings represent members who
increased their donations by 10 percent
or more this season. Be Bold! Contact
Dave Shaffer, assistant director for
special programs, at 814-863-1167.
Members
The Center for the Performing Arts recognizes the following members
for their support. For information on the membership program or
how you may contribute to the Center for the Performing Arts, please
contact Dave Shaffer at 814-863-1167 or DaveShaffer@psu.edu.
Leadership
Circle
Encore
Circle
$3,000 and more
$1,000 to $1,999
Lynn Sidehamer Brown
Mimi U. Barash Coppersmith
Marty and Joan Duff
Blake and Linda Gall
Robert and Helen Harvey
Bob and Sonia Hufnagel
Richard and Sally Kalin
Dan and Peggy Hall LeKander
Barbara Palmer
Dotty and Paul Rigby
Louis P. Silverman and
Veronica A. Samborsky
George and Nina Woskob
Pamela M. Aikey
Grace M. Bardine
Mary and Hu Barnes
Philip and Susan Burlingame
Edda and Francis G. Gentry
Richard B. Gidez
Judith Albrecht and Denny Gioia
David and Margaret Gray
Michael P. Johnson and
Maureen Mulderig
Stan and Debra Latta
Benson and Christine Lichtig
Kenneth and Irene Mcllvried
Karen and Scott Shearer
Jackson and Diane Spielvogel
Carol and Rex Warland
Terry and Pat Williams
David and Diane Wisniewski
Director’s
Circle
$2,000 to $2,999
Patricia Best and Thomas Ray
Lynn Donald Breon
Janet Fowler Dargitz and
Karl George Stoedefalke
Rod and Shari Erickson
Edward R. Galus
Arnold and Marty Gasche
Donald W. Hamer and Marie Bednar
Beverly Hickey
Honey and Bill Jaffe
Kay F. Kustanbauter
Eileen W. Leibowitz
Tom and Mary Ellen Litzinger
Pieter W. and Lida Ouwehand
William Rabinowitz
Robert Schmalz
advocate
$500 to $999
Ned and Inga Book
Jack and Diana Brenizer
Sandra Zaremba and Richard Brown
Richard Carlson and Lori Forlizzi
Joseph and Annie Doncsecz
Michael T. and Ann F. Dotsey
Steve and Sandy Elbin
Mark A. Falvo
Nancy S. Gamble
John and Carol Graham
Bill and Connie Hayes
Steven L. Herb and
Sara Willoughby-Herb
Nancy L. Herron
Lam and Lina Hood
Cindy and Al Jones
Chick King
James and Bonnie Knapp
James and Barbara Korner
John and Michelle Mason
Patrick W. and Susan N. Morse
Marcia and Bill Newton
Steve and Anne Pfeiffenberger
Jack and Sue Poremba
Patricia Hawbaker Quinlivan
Andy and Kelly Renfrew
Shirley Sacks
Sally L. Schaadt
Russell and Jeanne Schleiden
Paul and K. C. Sheeler
Vaughn and Kay Shirk
Susan and Lewis Steinberg
Marilynne W. Stout
Kenton Stuck
Mark and Anne Toniatti
Elizabeth Trudeau
George and Debbie Trudeau
Mark and JoAnne Westerhaus
Mary Jane and William Wild
Charlotte Zmyslo
Partner
$250 to $499
Steve and Chris Adams
William W. Asbury
Dr. Deborah F. Atwater
Sven and Carmen Bilén
Alan Brown
Roger and Corinne Coplan
Lee and Joan Coraor
Stephanie Corcino
partner (cont’D) friend
$250 to $499
Jo Dixon
Margaret Duda
Heather F. Fleck
Pamela Francis
Peg and Joe French
Catherine Greenham
Andrea Harrington
Sue Haug
Dawn E. Hawkins
Dale T. Hoffman
Anne Hummer
Christopher and Gail Hurley
John and Gina Ikenberry
Allen and Nancy Jacobson
Laurene Keck and Dave Sweetland
John and Gretchen Leathers
Debra Leithauser
Fran E. Levin
Jack and Ellie Lewis
Dorothy and Kenneth Lutz
Richard and Juanita Lysle
Jodi Hakes McWhirter
Susan and Brian McWhirter
Jim and Sharon Mortensen
Joe and Sandy Niebel
Eva and Ira Pell
Martena Rogers
Mike and Joan Roseberry
Robert and Peggy Schlegel
Tom and Carolyn Schwartz
Dave Shaffer and Eve Evans
John and Sherry Symons
Shawn and Amy Vashaw
Gary and Tammy Vratarich
Barbara R. and Joel A. Weiss
Sue Whitehead
David and Betsy Will
Sharon and Carl Winter
Craig and Diane Zabel
Dr. Theodore Ziff
Cal and Pam Zimmerman
$150 to $249
Lynn and Ellis Abramson
Shirley Allan
Anne and Art Anderson
Scott and Sandy Balboni
Dr. Henry and Elaine Brzycki
John Collins and Mary Brown
John M. Carroll and Mary Beth Rosson
George and Bunny Dohn
Steven P. Draskoczy, M.D.
Terry and Janice Engelder
Barry and Patti Fisher
Frank and Vicki Forni
Bob and Ellen Frederick
Andris and Dace Freivalds
David and Kay Green
Bethlyn and Scott Griffin
Charlie and Laura Hackett
Elizabeth Hanley and
Patrick Kolivoski
John Lloyd Hanson
Betty Harper and Scott Sheeder
In Memory of Bob Harvey
Ann and Tom Hettmansperger
Jackie and John Hook
Jim and Susan Houser
Steven and Shirley Hsi
Daniel and Kathleen Jones
Ed and Deb Klevans
John F. Knepp
Harry B. Kropp and
Edward J. Legutko
Thomas Kurtz and
Grace Mullingan-Kurtz
Mark and Theresa Lafer
Fred and Louise Leoniak
Sharon and David Lieb
Bob and Janice Lindsay
Herb and Trudy Lipowsky
Jane and Edward Liszka
Nancy and John Lowe
Sandy and Betty Macdonald
Helen Manfull
Deborah Marron
Betty McBride-Thuering
Sherren and Harold McKenzie
Tom Caldwell Memorial Fund
Don Miller
June Miller
Gary and Judy Mitchell
Betty and John Moore
Chris and Bobbie Muscarella
Robert F. and Donna C. Nicely
Claire M. Paquin
Guy and Grace Pilato
Proforma LLH Promos, LLC
Andrew and Jean Landa Pytel
Ed and Georgia Reutzel
Phil and Judy Roberts
Susan J. Scheetz
The Shondeck Family
Donald Smith and Merrill Budlong
Allan and Sherrill Sonsteby
Carol Sosnowski and
Rosemary Weber
Barry and Ellen Stein
JoLaine Teyssier
James and Deena Ultman
Stephen and Jennifer Van Hook
Nancy and Wade VanLandingham
Alice Wilson and Friends
David L. and Connie Yocum
the jazz train
$250 and more
Help us continue to present world-class
jazz artists by becoming a member of
The Jazz Train. For details, contact Dave
Shaffer at DaveShaffer@psu.edu or
814-863-1167.
William W. Asbury
Patricia Best and Thomas Ray
David and Susan Beyerle
Lynn Donald Breon
Philip and Susan Burlingame
David and Lisa Coggins
Gordon and Caroline DeJong
Jim and Polly Dunn
Edward R. Galus
Arnold and Marty Gasche
Charlene and Frank Gaus
John and Michelle Groenveld
Lee Grover and Anita Bear
Steven L. Herb and
Sara Willoughby-Herb
Anne and Lynn Hutcheson
Honey and Bill Jaffe
Brian and Christina Johnson
Michael P. Johnson and
Maureen Mulderig
Cindy and Al Jones
Robert Martin and Kathy Weaver
Kathleen D. Matason and
Richard M. Smith
Randi and Peter Menard
Dr. Marla L. Moon
Wilson and Maureen Moses
William and Annemarie Mountz
Larry and Kelly Mroz
Jack and Sue Poremba
Sally L. Schaadt
David and Ann Shallcross-Wolfgang
Dan and Melinda Stearns
Dennis W. and Joan S. Thomson
Dan and Linda Treviño
Barbara R. and Joel A. Weiss
Charlotte Zmyslo
Endowment
Contributors
$150 and more
We recognize the following donors who have contributed to endowments at the Center for the Performing Arts in the past year. For more
information about how to contribute to existing endowments, contact
Dave Shaffer at 814-863-1167 or DaveShaffer@psu.edu.
John L. Brown Jr. and Marlynn Steele Sidehamer
Endowment
The Sturtz-Davis Family
Nina C. Brown Endowment
Pamela M. Aikey
Richard Robert Brown Program Endowment
Richard Brown and Sandra Zaremba
Norma and Ralph Condee Chamber Music Endowment
Robert and Dorothy Cecil
William F. and Kathleen Dierkes Condee
Honey and Bill Jaffe Endowment
Honey and Bill Jaffe
McQuaide Blasko Endowment
Mr. and Mrs. James Horne
Penn State International Dance Ensemble Endowment
Elizabeth Hanley and Patrick Kolivoski
vision
Enriching lives through inspiring experiences
mission
The Center for the Performing Arts provides a context, through
artistic connections, to the human experience. By bringing artists
and audiences together we spark discovery of passion, inspiration, and inner truths. We are a motivator for creative thinking
and examination of our relationship with the world.
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT PENN STATE
MEMBERS BUY FIRST
after we announce our 2015–2016 season.
cpa.psu.edu/support • 814-863-1167 • dcs4@psu.edu
Center for the Performing Arts Staff
George Trudeau, director
Lea Asbell-Swanger, assistant director
Annie Doncsecz, finance director
Medora Ebersole, education and community
programs manager
Lisa Faust, audience services manager
Tracy Noll, sales and development services director
Deanna Heichel, assistant finance director
Laura Sullivan, marketing and communications
director
Tom Hesketh, events manager
Wanda Hockenberry, assistant to the director
Amy Dupain Vashaw, audience and program
development director
Christine Igoe, ticket manager
Shannon Arney, assistant ticket manager
Erik Baxter, multimedia specialist
Shannon Bishop, downtown ticket center manager
Len Codispot, sales and development accounting
coordinator
Gary Collins, production supervisor
Aimee Crihfield, contracts/logistics coordinator
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Urszula Kulakowski, art director
Heather Mannion, advertising associate
Sherren McKenzie, group sales coordinator
John Mark Rafacz, editorial manager
Dave Shaffer, assistant director for special programs
Chad Swires, production supervisor
Mark Tinik, production supervisor
Front cover photos: 1. Diavolo Kenneth Mucke 2. Antibalas
Marina Abadjieff 3. Imago Theatre’s Frogz Jerry Mouawad
4. SISTER ACT © 2014 Joan Marcus 5. Cyrille Aimée 6. The
King’s Singers Axel Nickolaus 7. Time for Three Sherry
Ferrante 8. THE CHIEFTAINS Kevin Kelly 9. Brussels Jazz
Orchestra’s Graphicology Philip Paquet 10. eighth blackbird
Luke Ratray 11. Rosanne Cash © Clay Patrick McBride
12. Theatreworks USA’s The Lightning Thief Jeremy Daniel
13. Brooklyn Rider Sarah Small 14. CAMELOT 15. The Nile
Project Matjaz Kacicnik