Page 4. -The Porlland Observer-January 15, 1492 I -y PoWant) Observer The St. Olaf Choir IFCC Presents Pulitzer Prize-Winning Drama A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller Tech Sergeant Waters (George Rankins) confronts Peterson (Brian Dance) a soldier who resents the sergeant's harsh style. Photo by Jon Gottshall The year is 1944, At a segregated army base near the town o f Tynin, Louisiana, a tough black Technical Sergeant is found shot to death along a deserted country road. Is Captain Taylor, the white Commanding officer of the base’s black soldiers, doing everything he can to find the killer? Are his superior officers doing what they can to help, or are they hiding something? Will Captain Davenport, the black offi cer sent to investigate the murder, be able to prosecute the case in this big oted southern town if he discovers the killer was white? And what about the victim , T echnical Sergeant Waters...what kind of man was he, and who would want to kill him? A SOLDIER’S PLAY is a fasci nating detective story, and more, it is a gripping exploration of racial tensions and attitudes among blacks and be tween blacks and whites that gives no easy answers or blame. Seattle director, Michelle Blackmon (best known in Portland for her recent production of “ A My Name is Alice” at Oregon Stage Company) returns to work with a fine cast of Portland actors, including Neal Thomas as Captain Dav enport, Rand Kennedy as Captain Taylor, and George Rankins as Tech Sergent Waters. Thanks to a generous grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust, A SOL DIER’S PLAY will be shared with 1,500 local students at special matinee per formances. Public performances run January 24 - February 23, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Please note: Saturday Feb. 1 is sold out. Tickets are S10, with a price of $8 for students and seniors. Some day of show discounts and group rates also ap ply. For information and reservations call 823-2000. Spike Lee Continues Production of ‘Malcom X’ Dire< tor Spike Lee, who recently completed principal photography on the U.S. portion of his epic feature ‘‘Malcolm X,” will take his star, Os- car-winner Denzel Washington, and crew to Africa this month to complete the final portion of the film’s five- month shooting schedule. Last summer, as special guests of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, Lee’s pro duction team received unprecedented access to the Holy City of Mecca dur ing the annual Hajj (pilgrimage) made by Muslims, becoming the first com mercial camera crew to capture the sacred ceremony on film. This footage will be incorporated with the scenes of ‘‘Malcolm X ” to be filmed later this month. On location in egypt for a week, Lee, Washington and the film’s pro duction team, including director of photography Ernest Dickerson, produc tion designer Wynn Thomas and cos tume designer Ruth Carter, will re-cre ate Malcolm X ’s 1964 Hajj and his visit to the pyramids of Egypt. Several hundred Egyptians will appear as ex- Yr A7] ENTERTAINMENT tras. ‘‘Malcolm X ’’ stars Denzel Wash ington in the title role. Portraying Malcolm’s wife, Betty Shabazz, is Angela Bassett; A1 Freeman Jr. plays the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Other major roles feature Delroy Lindo as West Indian Archie, a Harlem gang ster; Albert Hall, as Baines, a fellow prison inmate who introduces Malcolm to The Nation of Islam; Theresa Randle as Laura, a young Black woman who falls in love with the teenaged Mal colm; and Kate Vernon as Sophia, a white woman who is Malcolm’s lover and cohort during his hustling years. A production of 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks and Marvin Worth Productions, ‘‘Malcolm X ” will be distributed by Warner Bros, in the United States and Canada and by Largo Entertainment overseas. The produc ers are Marvin Worth and Spike Lee; the screenplay is by the late Pulitzer Prize-winner James Baldwin and Ar nold Perl, adapted from ‘‘The Autobi ography of Malcolm X ” as rewritten by Spike Lee. KMHD FM89.1 MOTOWNPLATINUM SMILES: Motown’s triple platinum debut sensation Boyz II Men have been entrenched in the Top 20 of the pop albums charts with Cooleyhighharmony for six solid months and recently were nominated for five American Music Awards and four NAACP Image Awards along with Grammy Award nods. As if that alone wasn't enough to smile about, label mate Shanice Wilson, who is #1 on the R&B singles chart and is Top 20 pop with her “I Love Your Smile" single from her Inner Child L.P., joined them at Motown for this photo. USA Today (1/2/ 92) proclaimed Shanice as one of the hottest artists to watch in 1992: "She can handle pop, R&B and dance, as well as rap inspired new jack swing... With Narada Michael Walden as her producer now, Shanice can look forward to crossing over into pop." (l-r: Wanya Morris, Nate Morris, Shanice Wilson, Michael McCary and Shawn Stockman). House Of Exodus Bingo OPENS DECEMBER 6,1991 FRIDAY EVENING AT DIVISION ST. CORRAL BINGO 17110 S.E. DIVISION PORTLAND, OR 97233 761-8548 “ Pitch was remarkably secure, as was tone, ensemble, diction, and general vivacity. The singing was a credit to the conductor and to the college itself." The New York Times "Despite all that can be said for the choir's high technical standard, the most important praise remains, namely to acclaim its fullness of expression, its devotion and sincerity, warmth of feeling, and the joy of singing which penetrated every number." Morgenavisen (Norway), reviewing the Choir's appearance at the Bergen International Music Festival "The voices are young, with good tone quality and well placed. Their pitch is impeccable, the section balance perfect, and all their interpretations reveal a profound understanding of the texts." Le Progress (Lyon, France), after the Choir s performance at the Strasbourg International Music Festival ♦Silk Specialists ♦Drapery Cleaning ♦All-Weather Proofing of Ski Wear, Rainwear, etc. Enjoy our quality dry cleaning, laundry, and alterations while meeting our new management Marva Mitchell OPEN MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY TO SERVE YOU Mon - Fri 8 am to 6 pm, Saturdays 9 am to 4 pm The Women’s Caucus For Art Organization D i® ® « OIL'G’ 5cBSii)SMSSi:'?w80S Presents The downtown YWCA at 1111 S.W. 10th Ave. will be the new loca tion for the meetings of the Women’s Caucus for Art Organization. The first meeting of 1992 on January 26 at 5pm will be held in conference room #2 on the main floor. A representative of the Culture Shock Gallery, which features works by people of color, will speak on the workings and goals of the gallery. The WCA, which meets the4th Sunday of each month, is a networking organi zation for the promotion of political and financial parity for women artists - New members arc welcome. For fur ther information, call 233-9649. Q T5 5 71 L i L I I i p Ja. r Jâ é 6l r V-~ |. u l i appy Blue Year” Celebration JThe Norman Sylvester Band with The Sweet Thangs Introducing from Sigaioka, Fiji "The South Pacific Bluesman A I? Plus O an All-star Line-up of K Portland's Finest Musicians M U 5 IC M IL L E N N IU M Texas iB jjq p o B ...If It’s Jazz, It's On KMHD! the choral art." Here's what the critics have said over the years about the St. O lal Choir: 289-6346 $75.00 PAYOUTS BONANZA LOTS OF SEATING The Full Spectrum of Jazz... Mainstream, BeBop, blues, Fusion, New Age. "The past has laid a lin n foundation." Annstrong notes. “ ( but I the focus for this tradition must be to the future as we seek to serve others through 6800 NE Marfin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. $500.00/53# $200.00 CONSOLATION WINNER TAKE ALL GAME LOTS OF PARKING Anton Armstrong, Conductor ‘Woocttawn Cleaners DAY TUESDAYS DOORS OPEN 9:00 AM EARLY BIRD 10:00 AM SESSION (2) EVENING TUESDAYS DOORS OPEN 5:00 PM FRIDAYS EARLY BIRD 6:30 PM SATURDAYS ...All Jazz, All the Time. ...7 Days a Week, 365 Days a Year. W ith the naming o f A n io n E. Arm strong as us new music director. the Si. O la f C hoir begins a new chapter in an illustrious history that has spanned more than three-quarters o f a century. Arm strong, a 1978 graduate o f St. O la f C o l lege. comes to the position front Grand Rapids. M ich., where he was conductor ol the select 4 4 -member C ab in College A lu m n i Choir. In addition Io a Bachelor o f Music degree from St O laf. Arm strong holds a Masler o f Music degree in choral music from the Univer sity o f Illin o is and a Doctor o f Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from M ichigan State University. A flilia te d w ith C alvin C o l lege since 19X0. he also served in Grand Rapids as artistic direclor o f the St. C ecilia Music Society, its treble chorus, the St. C ecilia Youth Chorale, and conductor o f the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus. The St. O la f C hoir has made annual tours since 1912. when it was founded by F. M elius Christiansen. It was the 1920 tour to the m ajor music centers o f the East Coast, however, w hich sowed the seeds o f the ensemble's national reputation— and established itstf<u/>p<7/<z style o f singing as a significant force in American choral music. U nder the adept d ire c tio n o f O la f C. Christiansen— who succeeded his father in 1941- and o f Kenneth Jennings— who led the group from I96X to 1990— the St. O la f C hoir has continued to inspire and entertain audi ences in the United Stales. Europe, and Asia. In 19X6 it was one o f only five choirs from around the w orld inv ited to participate in the O lym pic A rts Festival in Seoul. South Korea. Two years earlier, it celebrated its 75th anniversary w ith a four-week tour that took it to Japan. Taiwan. Hong Kong, and the People's Republic o f China. In 1970 and 1972. the St. O la f C hoir opened the Strasbourg International Music Festival in France, where it achieved d istin c tion as the only collegiate group ever invited to perform at the prestigious event. Arm strong is well aware o f the St. O la f C hoir 's history anil its place in Am erican choral tradition His D M A. thesis was devoted to "Celebrating 75 Years o f Musical Excellence: The Evolution o f The St. O la f Choir." 32N D & E BURNSIDE 2 3 1 -8 9 2 6 töBÜ finn »Ka >7 Sunday, January 19,1992 8:30 pm -12:30 am 23RD & N W JOHNSON 2 4 8 -0 1 6 3 ° N o C over C harge < 41 4 , 4 X. A 4 1 ° F ree S nacks