Packed Lyceum Series Provides Cultural Opportunities

This year’s Kohlenberg Lyceum Series will bring a full slate of free in-person events to campus.

One of the University’s oldest traditions, the Kohlenberg Lyceum Series provides a unique opportunity to broaden the cultural experience for students and the community by bringing speakers, dance troupes, musicians and other performers from all parts of the world to the Truman campus.

Soul-inspired roots rock band The Mighty Pines will kick off the series, Sept. 9. The St. Louis-based group is known for creating vast musical landscapes with layered harmonies and thoughtfully crafted instrumentation. The performance will be a homecoming for alumni bandmembers Neil Salsich (’11), John Hussung (’11) and Gerard Erker (’09). Salsich was recently featured on season 23 of NBC’s “The Voice.”

Beatlemania will return to Baldwin Auditorium Oct. 6 with a performance by Liverpool Legends. Members of this internationally acclaimed Beatles tribute band were handpicked by Louise Harrison, sister of the late George Harrison. Liverpool Legends have performed around the world, playing sold out shows in Mexico, India, Israel, Ecuador and England, and at historic venues including the Rose Bowl and Carnegie Hall. They have their own theater in Branson, Missouri, where they perform throughout the year. Spanning hits from the entire Beatles catalog, this performance will also include the return of alumnus David Tanner (’95) who portrays Paul McCartney.

This season’s schedule includes two installments of the popular “Films and Finger Foods” events incorporated into the series last year. The classic Vincent Price horror film “House on Haunted Hill” will be screened Oct. 28 in the Del and Norma Robison Planetarium. Price performed at Truman more than any other university in the country, and he established the Vincent Price Theatrical Performance Scholarship, a legacy that continues to support Truman students today. A second “Films and Finger Foods” event is scheduled May 4 for a movie to be announced.

Dancers from the St. Louis Ballet will take to the stage Dec. 2 to perform selections from the holiday classic “The Nutcracker.” With choreography by Gen Horiuchi and music by Tchaikovsky, “The Nutcracker” features company dancers, professional character actors and students from the school of the St. Louis Ballet.

In partnership with the Black History 101 Mobile Museum, the series will host a lecture by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recording artist Professor Griff in February at a date to be determined. As a co-founding member of the revolutionary hip hop group Public Enemy, Griff draws on his exemplary life of service and an impressive 20-plus-year musical career to captivate audiences with his universal call for social responsibility within both the hip hop community and larger culture.

The Grammy Award-winning Kansas City Chorale will perform March 5. For more than 40 years, the Chorale has provided audiences with a high caliber of choral artistry, performing a diverse repertoire of new and traditional music. Under the leadership of conductor Charles Bruffy, the choir has earned international recognition for artistic merit and been praised for its refined sound, phrasing and flawless intonation. Alumni Frank Fleschner (’05) and Daniel Hansen (’13, ’15) are current members of the Chorale and slated to return for the performance.

All performances will take place at 7 p.m. in Baldwin Hall Auditorium unless otherwise specified. Tickets are available two weeks prior to each event and can be picked up on campus in the Union & Involvement Office in the Student Union Building, the Advancement Office in McClain Hall 205 or the Admissions Office in the Ruth W. Towne Museum and Visitors Center. Tickets are also available downtown at the Kirksville Arts Association.

This season all Kohlenberg Lyceum Series events are provided free of charge thanks to the generous support of local sponsors, the Friends of the Lyceum program and the Truman State University Foundation. Friends of the Lyceum receive exclusive benefits including reserved seating, special parking and a commemorative gift of the season based on the level of their donation.

For more information, visit lyceum.truman.edu or call 660.785.4133.