Current Events
Click here to view the full Hett calendar.
McKendree Presents
Aquila Theatre Company: Macbeth
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 -- 7:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices
$15 adult, $12 senior, $5 student/child
To purchase tickets for Aquila Theatre's Macbeth, click here.
Aquila returns to the Hett with another fascinating and challenging reinterpretation of classical drama. This time, they put their bold stamp on Shakespeare’s brutal tale of murderous ambition. Aquila is the professional company in residence at the New York University Center for Ancient Studies. Check out the Aquila website here!
“The classics made relevant with superb acting and clever staging” - The New Yorker
"An extraordinarily inventive and disciplined outfit.” - The New York Times
Sponsored by the Robert & Grace Renner Welch Performance Endowment
The fine arts and McKendree University have played an important role in Grace Renner Welch’s life for many years. As a student, she participated in music and theater, played the clarinet and sang in the glee club.
In the 1940s, Grace Renner Welch taught speech and drama part-time at McKendree. She returned in the 1960s to become associate professor of speech communication and English and chair of the division of language and literature. McKendree awarded her the rank of associate professor emeritus of speech communication and English in 1976. In 1983, in appreciation for her many contributions to McKendree, the Alumni Association presented her its highest honor, the Peter Akers Award.
In honor of Robert and Grace Renner Welch’s 60th wedding anniversary in 1995, their
family established the Robert and Grace Renner Welch Endowed Performance. As fine
arts programming has evolved on campus, this endowment continues to support a selected
performance of the season.
Belleville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Saturday, March 17, 2012 - 2 p.m.
Tickets are free for the Belleville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Performance and require no reservation.
Saint Louis Symphony Mondays
March 19, 2012 - 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are free for the Saint Louis Symphony Performances and require no reservation.
Our partnership with Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra continues, featuring Symphony musicians performing in smaller ensembles. The Hett’s exceptional acoustics provide an exquisite chamber music experience. For additional information on the Saint Louis Symphony visit their website here.
Soweto Gospel Choir
Thursday, March 22, 2012 -- 7:30 p.m.
Ticket Prices
$20 adult, $15 senior, $5 student/child
To purchase tickets for Soweto Gospel Choir, click here.
The two-time Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir embodies the evocative sounds of South Africa like no other group and brings it to life – full of vibrant color, rhythm and rich harmony. The choir has sold out concerts all over the world and performed with U2, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. Check out their sound here, or visit their website here!
“The music was both meticulous and unstoppable… the songs were both spirited and spectacular!” – The New York Times
“Mesmerizing, beautiful and phenomenally resonant. Working with the Choir with their
energy and positivity has been one of the major events of my recent years.” – Robert
Plant
The Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra
Friday, April 27, 2012 – 7:30 p.m. (with the McKendree University Choir)
Ticket Prices
$15 adult, $12 senior, $5 student/child
To purchase tickets for Belleville Philharmonic, click here.
Founded in 1867, the Belleville Philharmonic is the nation’s second oldest, continuously operated symphony orchestra, a historic part of Southern Illinois and a cultural gem. The BPO performs with the McKendree University Choir, under the direction of Robert Charles Howard.
Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra
Sunday, May 6, 2012 -- 3 p.m.
Tickets are free for the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, however reservations are highly encouraged. To make a reservation, click here.
Our partnership with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra continues. Symphony Monday features
Symphony members in smaller, chamber ensembles. The Hett’s exceptional acoustics provide
an exquisite chamber music experience.
Family Series
ScrapArtsMusic
Thursday, March 8, 2012 -- 7:30 p.m.
SOLD OUT!
Fans of Blue Man Group and Stomp will appreciate these Vancouver-based percussionists, who create kinetic musical instruments from industrial scrap and use them to deliver intricate rhythms, raw energy and athletic choreography. Vastly entertaining, you’ve never seen anything like ScrapArts before (unless perhaps you caught their performance during the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremonies). Check out their website here, or watch a performance here!
“Sexy, ultra physical… visually riveting!” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Recycling can pay rich musical dividends!” – Topeka Capitol Review
World Champion Trinity Irish Dancers
Monday, April 22, 2012 -- 3 p.m.
SOLD OUT!
It’s not Riverdance – this is the real deal, steeped in the ancient traditions of
Celtic dance. Mark Howard founded this company in 1990 to provide professional experience
for his best students. Since that time, it has been hailed as a national treasure
and has competed and performed all over the world. Check out a performance here, or visit their website here!
Distinguished speaker series
The George E. McCammon Memorial Distinguished Speaker Series challenges students to
examine key issues facing our society and apply the tools of their liberal arts curriculum
as they search for truth and enlightenment.
Tickets are free for the Distinguished Speakers Series, but reservations are required.
Aeneas Williams
Thursday, February 23, 2012 -- 7:30 p.m.
To make a reservation, click here.
Pastor Aeneas Williams is a former St. Louis Ram and eight-time All Pro cornerback.
During his long and successful career, Williams earned a reputation as a quiet leader,
someone to seek out in the locker room to help put things in perspective. Williams’
life and career are a testament to the power of faith, courage and hard work.
Eric Schlosser
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 -- 7:30 p.m.
To make a reservation, click here.
Schlosser is the author of the best-selling book Fast Food Nation. A passionate investigative journalist, he spent time with migrant workers, meat-packers,
and ranchers in an effort to get Americans to think about what they are eating. In
addition to writing non-fiction, Schlosser is credited as a producer on two award-winning
films: Food, Inc. and There Will be Blood.
Met at the Hett
Ticket Prices
$18 adults, $15 seniors, $10 student/child
To purchase tickets for the Met at the Hett, click here.
Be part of a worldwide audience from a "better than front row seat" for the New York's Metropolitan Opera Emmy award-winning "Live in HD" series of high-definition simulcast transmissions to over a million viewers in 35 countries. For more information on each opera, visit the Metropolitan Opera website here.
Seating is general admission. Programs and casting are subject to change.
Gotterdammerung (Wagner)
Saturday, February 11, 2012 – 11 a.m.
With its cataclysmic climax, the Met’s new Ring cycle, directed by Robert Lepage,
comes to its resolution. Deborah Voigt stars as Brünnhilde and Gary Lehman is Siegfried—the
star-crossed lovers doomed by fate. James Levine conducts.
Ernani (Verdi)
Saturday, February 25, 2012 -- Noon
Angela Meade takes center stage in Verdi’s thrilling early gem. Salvatore Licitra
is her mismatched lover, and all-star Verdians Dmitri Hvorostovsky and FerruccioFurlanetto
round out the cast.
Manon (Massenet)
Saturday, April 7, 2012 – 11 a.m.
Anna Netrebko’s dazzling portrayal of the tragic heroine in Laurent Pelly’s new production
travels to the Met from the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London. PiotrBeczala
and Paulo Szot also star, with the Met’s Principal Guest Conductor Fabio Luisi on
the podium.
La Traviata (Verdi)
Saturday, April 14, 2012 – Noon
Natalie Dessay will put on the red dress in Willy Decker’s stunning production, in
her first Violetta at the Met. Matthew Polenzani sings Alfredo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky
is Germont, and Principal Guest Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.
Film Art Series
Start time is 7:30 PM for all screenings.
All movie screenings are free and open to the public. Reservations are not needed.
Sponsored by the Leon and Helen Church Family Foundation
Nine films explore two themes this season: Dangerous Obsessions and Real and Unreal. Stay afterward for an informal audience following each screening. Some films contain adult themes or language and may not be appropriate for everyone.
Independent
Welcome to Shirley (NR, 2011)
February 24, 2012
The Hett is screening the independently produced and locally made film, Welcome to
Shirley. The film follows two brothers separated by distance, time, and attitude
as they struggle to cope with their father's recent death and prepare for his funeral
the day before he is laid to rest. Along the way, we encounter all the members of
the Banerhamm family, and discover that perhaps our own families are not quite as
dysfunctional as we think. Among the cast members is 2011 McKendree Graduate, Kyle Hintz.
Real and Unreal
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010, rated R; 87 min.)
March 6, 2012
An eccentric French shopkeeper and amateur filmmaker attempts to capture the world
of clandestine graffiti artist Banksy on film, only to have the artist turn the camera
back on its owner.
Being John Malkovich (1999, rated R; 112 min.)
April 18, 2012
A puppeteer (John Cusack) exploits his discovery of a portal that leads straight into the movie star’s mind. Spike Jonze directed the film, nominated for three Oscars.
Dangerous Obsessions
Dangerous Liaisons (1988, rated R; 119 min.)
April 5, 2012
Rich and bored French aristocrats (John Malkovich, Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer)
play high stakes games of seduction, betrayal and revenge in 18th century France.
McKendree Series
Our student and faculty performances highlight the best of McKendree University talent, visiting faculty and more. All events begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
February 12, 2012 Young People’s Public Concert (2:30 p.m.)
March 29- April 1, 2012 Theatre Department Spring Play (to be announced)
April 27 , 2012 McKendree Choir with the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra
May 2, 2012 Student Conductor Concert
Additional Spring 2012 events to be announced.
Links
McKendree Department of Music
McKendree Department of Theater
