Christmas concert to raise money for orphans with down syndrome

By: Mandi West

The Utah State University fraternity Alpha Tau Omega will be hosting the second annual Starry Night: A Christmas Benefit Concert at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 to help raise money for the organization Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome.

The benefit concert will be held at the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall. All proceeds will be donated to the organization. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased either at the USU Card 

Office located in the Taggart Student Center, online at arts.usu.edu or at the door the day of.

Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome or RODS was founded in 2012 by Brady Murray. It is a qualified charitable organization that races to raise awareness and money to help unite orphans that have down syndrome with a family willing to adopt them.

The concert will highlight many local artists and bands performing a variety of musical styles that reflect the holidays. A set list of performers has not been finalized yet, but main coordinator Patrick Hill said it would be the highlight of the Christmas season for everyone.

“It’s for a great cause and will be a classy, Christmassy event with talent that won’t disappoint,” Hill said. “I promise it’s going to be worth it.”

Hill is a member of the local band Children of the North who performed at the first ever Starry Night last year. It was in the Tippets Balcony located inside the Chase Fine Arts Center. Hill said that the room had every seat filled, people sitting anywhere they could on the floor and rows of people standing outside the doors.

“We had lots of fun performing and it seemed like a huge success,” Hill said. “The room was literally overflowing with people.”

Alpha Tau Omega works on many service related events throughout the year. The fraternity saw this as a great opportunity to raise money after seeing the success of it last year.

Now that the concert will be held in the Performance Hall, tickets will be limited. It is a bigger venue but Hill said that tickets were being sold pretty fast and that to guarantee a spot people should buy in advance. Brian Barnes was an attendee to the event last year and he bought his ticket as soon as he heard that it was happening again this year.

“The music was amazing and it was such a fun concert last year,” Barnes said. “I was hoping that they had a recorded version of all the music to buy. Since they don’t, you have to jump on opportunities like this one when they come. It also doesn't hurt that you are giving to a good cause.”

People that cannot make it to the concert and would like to give to the RODS organization can go to the website RodsRacing.org for information on how to help or donate.

Opportunity for students to leave behind legacy

By: Mandi West

Students at Utah State University have the chance to design the courtyard and entryway at the Chase Fine Arts Center that many people see whether they are on their way to a painting class or a play at the Morgan Theatre.

The Landscape Architecture and Environmental Department is having a contest to select one student or a group of students who are currently enrolled at USU to design the whole area instead of paying a professional landscaping company to take care of it. Participants have until 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 to submit a plan. Winners will be announced Jan. 13 and plans will then be implemented into the construction. The courtyard has been closed to the public for the rest of the academic year with no projected date of when it will reopen.

The construction may cause some inconvenience to the students, faculty and visitors to the Chase Fine Arts Center. David Evans, one of the contest coordinators, said that it is a necessary change that will benefit all in the end.

“The Fine Arts courtyard represents a home for some, a neighbor for many, and the doorstep to the arts for much of Logan and Northern Utah,” Evans said. “It should meet today’s needs and tomorrow’s change. It also must meet the needs of all our stakeholders and it just wasn’t doing that.”

Along with the opportunity to design the area, students will also be able to win a cash prize. Four award winners will split a $3,500 prize. Designs will be judged based on creativity, sustainability, feasibility and response to project goals and objectives as described in the competition rules.

Scott Allred, a senior majoring in landscape, decided to enter after hearing about it from his professor. He saw it as a great opportunity to see his own designs implemented at the university.

“I am really familiar with the courtyard, and like every place I go, I analyzed what I like about it and what I thought could be better,” Allred said. “I hope to contribute by designing a courtyard that accommodates everybody's needs, and is a place where people will enjoy going.”

Contest rules and applications can be found in room 230 at the Fine Arts-Visual building and questions can be sent to Evan’s email at david.evans@usu.edu.

Winner of first Aggie Idol announced

By: Mandi West

Zander Gates was voted Monday night as the winner of $1,000 out of eight finalists in the first singing competition at Utah State University called Aggie Idol.

The Ballroom in the Taggart Student Center had every seat filled and even people sitting on the floor. That makes just about 800 people in attendance to the event.  Many were ready to see what talent would be competing.

“I had seen some commercials and thought that these singers were really good,” said Landon Owens, an attendee of the event. “It’s cool to see the talent that has come from my own school.”

The event had each singer select their own song to perform. Once they all sang, audience members had a chance to text in their votes. Judges took those results into consideration to select the final three. The final three would then have a chance to sing one more song and then the audience and judges would vote on who would win it all. The judges included past conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Craig Jessop, pop singer Jenny Jordan Frogley and bass singer for the acapella group “Eclipse” James Case.

Judges had commented throughout the night about how Gates executed his songs well with a smooth and good voice. Case even mentioned how Gates sounded just like singer Michael Buble. That was fitting because Gates sang Michael Buble’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” for his final song. There was one criticism brought up by Frogley about how he needed to work on his stage presence to connect with the audience more. Jessop however had nothing but praise for both performances.

“I was blown away,” Jessop said. “It seemed very polished. It’s as if he has performed in Las Vegas for several years.”

Another finalist was North Logan local Nathan Heaps. Throughout the competition the judges said how he had the best stage presence out of all the other performers.

“Your success Nate is that you engaged me as a performer,” Jessop said. “You were more personal than anyone else.”

The third contestant in the finals was Tyla Bearss. She is a college student who is expected to have a baby in mid-January. Judges said how she had a beautiful voice and great control.

“She just had so much texture and color in her voice,” Frogley said. “Tyla just had a real appealing voice.”

Each of the three finalists was awarded recording sessions at Kyle Wesley Music. But at the end of the night, Gates would leave with the recording sessions, a cash prize and a title as the first ever Aggie Idol.

“I was so worried because the people next to me did amazing,” Gates said. “I felt as if the crowd loved everyone so much it could have been anyone’s game.”

Dan Clark, the host of the show, said how he hopes many people will continue to come back and audition for future Aggie Idol events. Ryan Muir, one of the coordinators of the competition, said how he certainly hoped that Clark was right and that Aggie Idol becomes a lasting tradition.

“My team worked very hard and collaborated with many people to make this thing work,” Muir said. “My wish is that Aggie Idol will become a tradition here at USU that will continue to bring the community together for a good time and to recognize the great talent in our own town.”

Dance company to finish up 50th anniversary tour at USU

By: Mandi West

Utah’s own Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company finishes off 50^th anniversary state-wide tour in Logan, Utah at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall.

Ririe-Woodbury has been in Cache Valley for the past week visiting multiple schools in the valley. They held an open house Thursday night where the public could meet the dancers and choreographers. Daniel Charon, 

Ririe-Woodbury director, said how the company has accomplished something few other U.S. dance companies have accomplished.

“The fact that we’ve gotten to 50 years is a big deal,” Charon said. “It’s a very unique accomplishment.”

There are only two other dance companies in the world that have lasted 50 years or more. Ririe-Woodbury has toured around to every state in the U.S. and to many places around the world.

The company was founded in 1964 by Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe who both had taught dance at the University of Utah. Claire Proctor, granddaughter of Ririe, said how fun it was to grow up with the dance company.

“It is a performance you can enjoy even if you don’t understand anything about art or dance,” Proctor says. “I still to this day love going to the performances.”

The show tonight will highlight popular dances from the past 50 years. The pieces have been described as exciting, innovative and requiring lots of talent.

“It is a chance to see a world renowned dance company perform,” Proctor said. “It is a performance you don’t want to miss.”

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for USU students with ID and can be purchased online at arts.usu.edu or at the door.

Jazz concert honors memory of deceased band member

By: Mandi West

On Wednesday night the Utah State University jazz ensemble and jazz orchestra honored a fellow trumpet player named Eric Anderson who passed away Aug. 26 due to a biking accident.

The Jazz Big Bands program was held at the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Wanlass Performance Hall. Greg Wheeler, director of the USU jazz ensemble, took time to remind the audience of the past band member Anderson.

“We lost a talented member of our family earlier this fall,” Wheeler said. “We would like to dedicate our work to him and play to remember him.”

Wheeler also told the audience that members and friends of the department were selling bracelets out in the hall to help raise money for the Anderson family. Those who were interested in helping could go talk to them.

Many still have a hard time realizing that Eric is gone. Fellow trumpet player Thomas Christensen said that it was really hard to lose a friend and band mate.

“Eric was a great player,” Christensen said. “I always had fun practicing and jamming with him. I will always remember him as the happy kid who loved to play.”

The night consisted of many special guests including tenor saxophonist Sandon Mayhew and USU faculty members Corey Christiansen and Jason Nicholson. The event featured music from Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, England and Germany. Almost every seat was accounted for in the building.

“We are all going to make tonight a fun time filled with great jazz to help honor the memory of Eric,” Wheeler said.

Aggie Idol, homework assignment seeks out local talent

By: Mandi West

Aggie Idol is a singing competition that was organized thanks to a college assignment. A group of students in the management 3110 class at Utah State University were assigned to work together and plan a service project or fundraiser.

The senior lecturer in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, David Herrmann, teaches the class. He has the students work on this project throughout the semester to help apply what they learn.

“I give the students the requirements for the assignment and help them out,” Herrmann said. “But these groups have to come up with their own ideas.”

Herrmann explained how the group has to work on a project that will make an impact. They will be graded by how much money they raise or hours they commit to the service.

“This particular group that is dealing with the Aggie Idol project is successful because they gel together and work hard.” Herrmann said.

Ryan Muir, a member of the team behind the production of Aggie Idol, mentioned how they started with a vision of a small event but it soon turned into something more successful that is getting recognized beyond the college community.

“The ultimate goal of Aggie Idol is to raise money for the USU SEED program,” Muir said. ”It is also to discover local singing talent. It has been amazing to see how much talent there is on this campus.”

The group thought that they could pull a lot of supporters and attendance if they showcased the musical talent in some way. The group also liked the idea of getting the community involved. That is how they thought of the idea of Aggie Idol where finalists will perform and audience will have some say in who wins.

“We had about 100 people try-out for Aggie Idol and the judges had to narrow it down to eight finalists,” Muir said. “It was very competitive!”

The finalists include: Ricky Aliifua, Tyla Bearss, Zander Gates, Cade Mower, Mark Cabanilla, Hunter Kofford, Nathan Heaps and Anna Khachikyan. Aggie Idol will be Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. in the ballroom at the Taggart Student Center.

Surgery causes date changes for “A Catered Affair”

By: Mandi West

The musical “A Catered Affair,” presented by the USU Department of Theatre, was scheduled to open Tuesday night at the Caine Lyric Theatre but changed due to a medical emergency involving one of the cast members.

Kenneth Risch, the head of the theatre department, explained that the decision to postpone the dates is an inconvenience to attendees but that the main concern is the actors.

“Whenever a situation like this develops, there is always a chance that we might lose audience, but the well-being of the actor concerned has to come first,” Risch said. “Changes in casting would only happen if it looked as though the original cast member would not be able to perform for some time. That was not the case in this situation.”

Ciera Cox, a student in the arts symposium class at Utah State University, received an email on Monday from her instructor saying that one of the leading roles in the musical had to get their appendix out so the dates would be postponed.

“I’ve been in a few musicals and it’s always hard when one member gets hurt because then the whole cast hurts,” Cox said. “But I’m glad to hear that the actor will be fine and ready to work hard to help the show go on.”

Risch said that they worked with the Caine College of the Arts Production Services to get the news out to the public as soon as Monday. People who had already purchased tickets would be allowed to exchange for one of the new show dates at the Caine College of the Arts Box Office.  However, they are not offering refunds.

The show will go on and Risch explained that there are many reasons for one to attend. He said that “A Catered Affair” has a prestigious pedigree that includes some of the most significant writers from 1950s film and television and the contemporary musical theatre: Paddy Chayefsky, Gore Vidal, Harvey Fierstein, and John Bucchino.

“A Catered Affair is a beautiful story of how members of one family adjust to some major challenges that unexpectedly present themselves,” Risch said. “It’s a story about having the courage to face and accept change rather than hide from it.”

New performance dates and times include 7:30 p.m. showings for Nov. 1, 2, 4 and 5 with a 2:00 p.m. showing on Saturday and a 3:00 p.m. showing on Sunday. All performances are at the Caine Lyric Theatre located on 28 West Center Street.