Artscene With Erika Funke

Cheryl Boga, founding director of Performance Music at the University of Scranton, and Philip Kuehn, bassist, composer, educator, who has joined the staff as conductor and co-director, speaking about the season ahead and the impact on students of having access to first-class musicians like Kuehn. The opening concert for 2022-23 will be on Friday, September 2 at 7:30 pm, featuring the Matt Marantz Quartet. The performance will be held at the Houlihan-McLean Center on campus, and admission is free. www.scranton.edu/

Robert Hughes, veteran actor and writer from Lackawanna County, speaking about his original one-person play, "First in Flight" based on his historical research on the Wright Brothers. The piece will tour the region with stops Sept. 4 at 2 pm at the Church Street Marketplace in Montrose; Sept. 18 at 2 pm at the Thomas Taber Museum in Williamsport; Sept. 22 at 6 pm in an open-air setting hosted by the Newfoundland Public Library; Sept. 28 at 7 pm at the Mansfield Public Library; and October 19 at 6:45 pm at the Back Mountain Public Library in Dallas, PA. For more information: artscene@wvia.org/

Michael Melcher, CEO & Artistic Director for the Ritz Entertainment Group and Director & Producer for the Ritz Mainstage Players at the Ritz, speaking about the 115th anniversary of the historic Ritz Theater, 222 Wyoming Avenue in Scranton, over Labor Day weekend 2022, getting underway with a ribbon cutting Friday, September 2 at 10:30 am. The celebration will continue through Monday, September 5 on Courthouse Square as part of the annual La Festa Italiana events. www.RitzPAC.com/

Heather Sincavage, Associate Professor & Director of the Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, and Jan Lokuta of the Riverfront Parks Committee, speaking about the opening exhibition of the 2022-23 season, "In Search of Meaning: Memory Becomes Us," featuring works by artist & poet Patricia Moss-Vreeland. The show opens August 26 and will run to October 9, with related activities for the community including a Second Saturdays Family Hour on September 10 at noon with Jan Lokuta on hand. There will be an Artist Talk on September 15 at 5 pm that is free. And an Art in Your Hands Workshop on October 6 at 11 am. The gallery is located at 141 S. Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. www.wilkes.edu/sordoniartgallery

Taylor Fleming, jazz pianist, composer & educator, speaking about his life in music in anticipation of a concert by the Taylor Fleming Quartet at the Weis Center at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, in the Atrium on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 7:30. Admission is free. www.bucknell.edu/ Fleming's new album, "A Book About Birds" will be released on September 1, streaming online, and also available at www.taylorflemingmusic.com/

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the music of Bach as he assumes the position of music director/conductor at the start of the 2022-23 season--marking the ensemble's 125th anniversary. The first concert will be part of the Bach at Noon series on September 13 at Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, and there will be auditions for singers August 26 & 27 and again September 2 & 3 at the office at 440 Heckewelder Place. www.bach.org/

Sondra Myers, Senior Fellow for International, Civic and Cultural Projects, and Director of the Schemel Forum at the University of Scranton, speaking about the offerings for the 2022 Fall Season of the Schemel Forum. There are 3 courses, and the 1st gets underway on September 19. There are 6 World Affairs Luncheon Seminars, beginning on September 12. The bus trip to NYC is set for November 12, with more events, as well. www.scranton.edu/schemelforum

Carl Achhammer, Jr., of Zenchaser Bonsai, artist & teacher, speaking about the art of bonsai in anticipation of the 34th Annual Open House hosted by the NEPA Bonsai Society on Saturday, August 27, 2022, at Midway Garden Center, 1865 Highway 315 in Pittston, PA, from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be a large display of trees, demonstrations, music and more. For information: www.nepabonsai.com/ www.zenchaserbonsai.com/

Rebecca Meyers, Director of Film/Media Studies at Bucknell University and Film Programmer for the Bucknell screenings at the Campus Theatre in Lewisburg, speaking about the 2022 Bucknell Film Programming Series that offers a wide variety of movies from around the world each week at the Campus Theatre, 413 Market Street, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 pm; Thursdays at 1 pm. The showings are open to the public free of charge, and the season opens August 22. www.bufilm.blogs.bucknell.edu/

Dr. Charles Cantalupo, distinguished professor of English, Comparative Literature & African Studies at Penn State Schuylkill, speaking about his recent collection of poems, "The Woodstock Sandal and Further Steps," issued by Africa World Press. For more information: www.africaworldpressbooks.com/ and www.schuylkill.psu.edu/

Linda Davis, artist and craftsperson from New Jersey who works in many media, speaking about her work in anticipation of the exhibition titled, "Decasia" at the Circle Centre for the Arts, presented by the Wyoming Valley Art League. The show opens on Friday, August 19, 2022, with a reception from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, and continues until September 29. Wyoming Valley Art League is located at Rear 130 S. Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre. For more information: www.wyomingvalleyartleague.org/

Adam Thompson, Director of the World of Little League Museum & Curator of the exhibition titled, "A Diamond Anniversary: A Celebration of 75 Years of the Little League Baseball World Series" at the Gallery at Penn College in Williamsport through August 25, 2022. For more information: www.pct.edu/gallery

Derek Jolley, composer, producer, musician from northeastern Pennsylvania, speaking about his band Cuddledrug and their recent album, "Bed of Thorns" and about the group's commitment to create music for a world in need of healing. For more information: www.cuddledrug.com/

Robert Savakinas of Cannon Fire Productions, and Luz Cabrales of Scranton Films, speaking about their original documentary, "Scranton's Championship Season," marking the 40th anniversary of the shooting of "That Championship Season" in Scranton. The new movie will have its premiere on August 18, 2022 at the Circle Drive-In in Dickson City. Gates open at 7:00 and the show starts at 8:30/dusk. Also on the bill, the original, "That Championship Season." www.lackawannahistory.org/ www.scrantonfilms.com/

Jahmeel Powers, faculty member at King's College and director of "Into the Woods", and Lyeneal Griffin, actor playing The Baker, speaking about the upcoming production of the Sondheim musical at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, 537 N. Main St., August 12 through the 21st, 2022, with shows Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm & Sundays at 3 pm. As part of Little Theatre's Cultural Inclusion Outreach, they are giving preference to people of color in all creative and technical positions. www.ltwb.org/ 570-823-1875

Jay Ungar & Molly Mason, longtime folk musicians from the Catskills, speaking about their music during the Covid pandemic and their Wednesday live concerts on Facebook from their living room, in anticipation of a performance at Harmony in the Woods in Hawley, PA, on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 6:00 pm. It's the Jay Ungar & Molly Mason Family Band. www.harmonyinthewoods.org/

Rudy Caporaso and Rosey Hay, artistic directors and founders of REV Theatre, speaking about their summer Country Music/Rodeo Revue in partnership with United Neighborhood Centers in Scranton. The cast is multi-generational in the first act; part 2 features the professionals of REV. The show will be presented on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at 6:00 pm at the Oppenheim Arts Center, 1004 Jackson Street in Scranton. Admission is free. www.uncnepa.org/ Facebook.com/uncnepa

Professor Nomi Stolzenberg, who holds the Nathan & Lilly Shapell Chair at the USC Gould School of Law, and Dr. David Myers, a native of Scranton, who holds the Sady & Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA, speaking about their recent study "American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, A Hasidic Village in Upstate New York," issued by Princeton University Press. The second segment of a two-part interview. www.press.princeton.edu/ www.davidnmyers.com/ www.gould.usc.edu/

Professor Nomi Stolzenberg, who holds the Nathan & Lilly Shapell Chair at the USC Gould School of Law, and Dr. David Myers, a native of Scranton, who holds the Sady & Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History at UCLA, speaking about their recent study "American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, A Hasidic Village in Upstate New York," issued by Princeton University Press. The first segment of a two-part interview. www.press.princeton.edu/ www.davidnmyers.com/ www.gould.usc.edu/

Jill Carletti, Creative Director for Harmony in the Woods in Hawley, PA, speaking in April 2022 about tenor Blake Friedman. Blake Friedman will return to northeastern PA on Friday, July 29 as part of the 2022 Harmony in the Woods Summer Series. The concert will be held at the Boiler Room of the Hawley Silk Mill, 8 Silk Mill Drive, at 6:00 pm. There will be a complimentary after-show reception www.harmonyinthewoods.org/