Lyceum Schedule Announced

The 2015 Kohlenberg Lyceum Series will bring a wide selection of events to campus this year with the goal to broaden the cultural experiences of students, faculty, staff and the community.  

The Lyceum Series can be traced to a series of speakers sponsored by the Young Men’s Christian Association (together with the American School of Osteopathy) during 1899, the first year of John R. Kirk’s college presidency. Kirk was vitally interested in broadening the cultural experiences of future teachers and giving students worthwhile activities. Lyceum, the name chosen for the series, is derived from the Greek word Lykeion, which referred to a temple of Apollo close to Athens and by extension a nearby open tract of land where the intellectuals of the day, most notably Aristotle, held scholarly debates. In 1997, in honor of Dr. Gilbert C. Kohlenberg’s leadership as the chair of the Lyceum committee for more than 30 years, the Series was officially named the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series.

Tickets are free for Truman students, faculty and staff and they may be picked up in the Student Union Building.  Tickets for the following events are available one to two weeks before each performance. A limited number of general admission tickets may be purchased for $11 per ticket (includes state sales tax) one to two weeks before each performance. All of the events will take place in Baldwin Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

“At the Movies”
7:30 p.m.
Sept. 26
“At the Movies” is the theme of a fun and exciting program to be presented by the Truman Department of Music.   

The Official Blues Brothers Revue
7:30 p.m.
Oct. 28
Created by Dan Aykroyd, Judy Belushi and musical director Paul Shaffer, this live concert combines the comedy and hits from the original movie and pays homage to Chicago’s rich history of blues, gospel and soul music.  

Christmas with The Celts
Dec. 5
7:30 p.m.
Celebrate the season with the Celts who are known for their brilliant musicianship as well as their spontaneous, quick Irish wit on stage and in their playful, yet unpredictable, interactions with audiences.

Vocalosity
Feb.  2
7:30 p.m.
Created by Deke Sharon, who produced the hugely popular “The Sing-Off” and served as on-site music director and vocal producer for Universal’s “Pitch Perfect,” this fast-paced a cappella production features 12 dynamic voices singing some of today’s chart-topping hits.

Million Dollar Quartet Musical
Feb. 24
7:30 p.m.
Million Dollar Quartet is the smash-hit musical inspired by the famed recording session that brought together rock ‘n’ roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time.

Jim White, “McFarland, USA”
Co-Sponsored by the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series, the Multicultural Affairs Center and Ekklesia
7 p.m.
Sept. 16
Jim White, whose story inspired the movie “McFarland, USA,” starring Kevin Costner, will be on campus to discuss his life, the movie and the importance of attitude.