campus scene

Microgreens Pond scum, trash purifier
Retirees plan to dig in Brown, Corr, Douglas, Erchak, Levinson
Table manners New d-hall sparks culinary, and social, interplay
String theory - and practice Music from East and West
Talking culture shock Guest lectures explore red-hot culture issues
Books Faculty and alumni authors
Big hit Thoroughbreds host girls' sports clinics
Sportswrap Hockey gets national nod

String theory - and practice

If it was plucked, strummed, or bowed, it made music at Skidmore in February. First a Filene Concert Series performance featured Wu Man on the pipa, an ancient Chinese instrument resembling a lute. An internationally renowned virtuoso, Wu played pipa works from the traditional and contemporary repertoire and also created cross-cultural sounds by performing
with American banjo player Lee Knight. Wu has collaborated with cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk
Road Project and recorded with a wide range of top musicians from East and West.

The following weekend was Skidmore’s third annual String Festival, which brought to campus
one of America’s best-known chamber groups, the Manhattan String Quartet, as Sterne Virtuoso Artists. Long based at Colgate University, the ensemble has a strong record of mentoring student musicians. For the festival MSQ gave a public concert and offered classes for Skidmore students and local high-school ensembles, capped by a group “play-through” of the finale to Mendelssohn’s Octet.

“The students immersed themselves in the craft, discipline, frustration, and joy of whipping a
piece of music into shape for performance,” says Michael Emery, the faculty member who
organized the festival. “It’s a quality interaction with major professional artists.” —SR