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D E A R F R I E N D S ,

S A R A H E N L E YD I R E C T O R

Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic EngagementQueens University of Charlotte

We are so excited to present the upcoming 2021-2022 Arts at Queens season

to you. In many ways, the past year has proven how the arts are such a vital part

of our lives. Despite not being able to present a full calendar of in-person events,

exhibits and performances, Arts at Queens continued to bring engaging, thought-

provoking and enlightening opportunities for our students and citizens.

Even though we were physically distanced, we still came together — albeit creatively.

I want to share just a sampling of the ways in which students and faculty of Queens

connected with their peers, with the broader artistic community and

with the world.

Remote learning resulted in an uplifting video performance during the holiday

season by the Queens Chamber Singers and Choral Union produced in

collaboration with Paula Azuaje ‘20 of the Knight School of Communication.

As part of our annual Faculty Showcase, Queens arts faculty joined artists

and fellows from the Penland School of Craft to present EXPLORATIONS in

our Gambrell Center galleries. Students visiting the exhibit perused a variety

of medium, color, line and design, and then translated their experiences with

written reflections and creative narratives.

Acclaimed poet Marcus Jackson led a Writing of Poetry workshop

attended by Creative Literacy students and others from the English and

Creative Writing Department, where he discussed writing and the creative

process. Access to visiting writers enables students to not only gain real-world

knowledge but also provides them with creative inspiration.

Arts at Queens continues to thrive as a learning environment for a well-rounded

education, a vehicle for civic engagement and a welcoming place for all of our

Charlotte neighbors. All of this creative, courageous achievement has been possible

only with your support. We hope you will join us as members for the 2021-2022

season as we come together again.

“Creativity takes courage.”

- HENRI MATISSE

C O M I N G T O G E T H E R . C R E A T I V E LY.Arts at Queens Annual Membership: $1,500 ($1,125 tax-deductible)

J U LY 1 , 2 0 2 1 – J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 2 2 | Two Adults

Support from our annual members extends far beyond the Queens campus.

Our members make it possible for students to experience exceptional

engagement and learning opportunities including master classes, one-on-

one interactions and Q&A sessions with professionals representing the visual,

literary and performing arts. Thank you for your support!

M E M B E R S - O N LY B E N E F I T S :

Spotlight Series: Four evenings at the Gambrell Center with world-class guests representing many genres of the arts.

• Two tickets for all four performances in Sandra Levine Theatre with reserved seating.

• Attend the members-only reception prior to each performance.

• Access to an exclusive reserved parking area easily accessible to the Gambrell Center (available on a first-come, first-served basis).

• Recognition in the printed program for all performances.

Access and Connections

• Invitation to the Arts at Queens Preview annual party announcing Spotlight Series artists and other programs for the upcoming season.

• Join us for special occasions with guest performers and artists, faculty and students throughout the year.

Exhibition Openings

• Invitation to two Bank of America Gallery and Loevner Gallery art exhibition openings.

“This past year we saw performances stop, museums close, studios shut, clinics on hold. What hasn’t stopped or closed is what led to all these spaces and expressions — the power of the arts, of creativity, to heal, to challenge, to inspire. More than ever it is important now to show resilience through creativity: to assuage fears, to take risks, to create possibilities.”

- DR. SIU CHALLONS-LIPTON,

Executive Director,

Department of Art, Design and Music

Q U E S T I O N S ? Please contact Sara Henley at thearts@queens.edu or 704.337.2466.

NEW! Muse Circle: $5,000 ($4,500 tax-deductible)

E N J O Y A N N U A L M E M B E R B E N E F I T S P L U S :

VIP Parking

• Receive your own reserved parking space on campus for all Arts at Queens member events throughout the year (available on a first-come, first-served basis).

Impact in Action

• Exclusive invitations to observe student learning opportunities made possible by Arts at Queens support.

• Special behind-the-scenes opportunities for study, reflection and engagement with Queens University arts scholars and faculty members.

O R L E A N S A V E N U E

T R O M B O N E S H O R T Y &

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3 , 2021 @ 7 :30 PM

New Orleans native Troy Andrews

– known as Trombone Shorty – has

no absence of accomplishments in

his lifetime. He has performed at the

White House five times; played the

Grammys multiple times; opened

tours for Red Hot Chili Peppers,

Lenny Kravitz and the Foo Fighters;

voiced the iconic sound of the adult

characters in The Peanuts Movie;

earned the coveted closing set at the

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

and released two highly-praised

children’s books.

“A must see act.”

- ROLLING STONE

“New Orleans’ brightest

new star in a generation.”

- NPR

His most recent release Parking Lot

Symphony, released on Blue Note

Records, explores a diverse musical

cross-section from soulful, groovy

R&B to brassy funk and demonstrates

his multi-talented artistry. For this

Spotlight Series performance,

Trombone Shorty will be joined by his

longtime band Orleans Avenue.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021 @ 8 PM

“The music flies by in one

joyous arc, with the linear

melody and vertical harmony

blurring into a single web

of gossamer beauty.”

- THE NEW YORK TIMES

A N E V E N I N G W I T H

C H R I S T H I L E

with award-winning cellist Yo-Yo

Ma, renowned bassist Edgar Meyer,

jazz pianist Brad Mehldau and

acclaimed banjo player Béla Fleck,

among others. His latest recording,

“Laysongs,” is his first truly solo

effort; the album is just Thile, his

voice and his mandolin, performing

six original and three cover songs,

all of which contextualize and banter

with his ideas about spirituality.

Similarly, this performance will

showcase his strengths and

musicianship as a solo performer.

Acclaimed by NPR as a “genre-defying

musical genius,” Grammy Award-

winner and MacArthur Fellow Chris

Thile has built an impressive career as a

musician, singer, songwriter and radio

personality. Thile is a founding member

of the bands Nickel Creek, which he

created at a very young age with

bandmates Sean and Sara Watkins,

and Punch Brothers, whose recordings

include the Grammy-winning album

“All Ashore.” For four years, he hosted

the popular public radio program

“Live from Here” (formerly known

as “A Prairie Home Companion”).

Over the years, he has collaborated

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21 , 2022 @ 8 PM

The Knights are an ensemble often

recognized for redefining the musical

experience for audiences and listeners.

Since 2007, they have toured the

United States and Europe with

genre-bending programs rooted in

classical tradition. Known for their

diverse musical influences spanning

everything from jazz to klezmer to pop

music, their performances are often

spontaneous and always passionate.

The group has toured and recorded

with renowned soloists including

Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck

and Gil Shaham, and has performed

at prestigious venues including

Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood and the

Vienna Musikverein.

E X P L O R I N G T H E F L O W B E T W E E N J A Z Z ,

C L A S S I C I S M A N D E U R O P E A N M O D E R N I S M

T H E K N I G H T S W I T H

A A R O N D I E H L , P I A N O

The Knights will be joined in this

performance by pianist-composer

Aaron Diehl. Diehl has appeared at

Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy

Center, The Village Vanguard and

Walt Disney Hall, in addition to a

breadth of renowned jazz festivals.

Continually receiving high praise

for his brilliant performances, he

was named a Cole Porter Fellow by

the American Pianist Association

and has toured Europe with Wynton

Marsalis. He has performed with

the New York Philharmonic, the

Boston Symphony Orchestra, The

Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles

Philharmonic and the Philadelphia

Orchestra, among others.

“Few ensembles

are as adept at mixing old

music with new...”

- THE NEW YORKER

“Diehl gracefully melds

two worlds, merging the

improvisational spirit of jazz

with the compositional

intricacies of Western

classical music.”

- THE NEW YORKER

This performance is presented by The Charlotte Concerts Legacy Fund.

A C O N V E R S A T I O N W I T H

E L I Z A B E T H S T R O U T FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18 , 2022 @ 8 PM“Strout is a brilliant

chronicler of the ambiguity

and delicacy of the

human condition.”

- THE GUARDIAN

American writer Elizabeth Strout won

a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2009

for what is perhaps her most famous

novel “Olive Kitteridge.” The New

York Times bestselling author’s most

recent work, “Oh, William! A Novel”

reunites readers with another favorite

character—the namesake from her

2016 book “My Name Is Lucy Barton.”

Strout is no stranger to accolades

or to the Charlotte community. She

was a founding faculty member of

the Master of Fine Arts graduate

writing program at Queens, where

she was teaching when she won the

prestigious Pulitzer. In this intimate

event, she will be sharing thoughts on

her craft, reading from her work and

fielding questions from the audience.

C O M I N G T O G E T H E R . C O U R A G E O U S LY. During the past year, there was no

shortage of new and continuing

opportunities for students through

Arts at Queens. While also serving to

impact the greater good, experiences

were expanded to reach even

further. One example of this was

made possible with a contribution

from Carolyn and Sam McMahon

‘54. Because of their gift, an all-new

composer-in-residence appointment

is bolstering the arts program —

especially in the music department.

In October 2020, we announced that

the residency would be filled by Malek

Jandali ’97. During his tenure as the

Carolyn G. McMahon Composer-in-

Residence, Jandali will compose works

commissioned by Queens for world

premieres by professional orchestras

and also engage with the community.

It was, after all, in Charlotte where he

became an American citizen in 2005

and where he says, “I really felt the

concept of citizenship.”

Jandali’s past compositions have

been performed by respected

ensembles such as the Royal

Philharmonic Orchestra, Baltimore

Symphony Orchestra, and the Russian

Philharmonic Orchestra, among

others. With a list of awards and

accomplishments spanning the globe,

not only is Jandali a world-renowned

composer and pianist, he is also a

widely-recognized humanitarian who

lives the Queens motto, “not to be

served, but to serve.” Furthermore,

as the founder of Pianos for Peace

— a nonprofit that promotes unity,

education, healing and peace

through creative arts programs —he

embodies and demonstrates civic

engagement, courageous creativity

and artistic inspiration.

We look forward to the appointment

shining a fresh international spotlight

on Queens, opening up even more

chances for our students to benefit.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMary Edith Alexander

Amy and Philip Blumenthal

Kim Brattain

Siu Challons-Lipton and Jordan Lipton

Pam and David Furr

Claudia and Andy Heath

Ulrike and Alex Miles

Ann and Michael Tarwater

Gail Brinn Wilkins and Howard Freese

Joan Zimmerman

ARTS AT QUEENS MEMBERS 2020-2021Natascha Bechtler

Georgia and Bill Belk

Jenny Boone

Sally Gambrell Bridgeford and Brian

Bridgford

Jan and Ed Brown

Kathy and Peter Browning

Mary Irving Campbell

Frances and Boyd† Campbell

Herb and Gina Clegg

Jeanie and Tom Cottingham

Barbara and Wayne Ellis

Jerusha and Murray Fadial

Linda and Bill Farthing

Dorlisa and Peter Flur

Eileen and Scott Friars

Bill Gorelick

Jerry Greenhoot

Suzy and Steve Hannon

Lucy and Hooper Hardison

Linda and Ben Hawfield

Linda and Charlie Henley

Barbara Laughlin

Sandra and Leon Levine

Jane and Hugh McColl

Kathy and Bill McCollum

Susan McConnell

Carolyn and Sam McMahon

Lydia and Jack McNeary

Janet and Lowell Nelson

Suzanne and Bill Nichols

Kay and Robert Norris

Dale and Larry Polsky

Tamea G. Price

Sally and Russell Robinson

M.A. Rogers

Susan and Bob Salvin

Emily Seelbinder

Lori and Eric Sklut

Daphne and Eric Solomon

Gail and Scott Syfert

Sandi and Ben Thorman

Dorothy and Will Trotter

Cynthia Tyson

Carolyn and Matt Vanderberg

Rita and Bill Vandiver

“Music gives me a platform to connect, and it also gives me a strength to confront our world as it is.”

- MALEK JANDALICarolyn G. McMahon Composer-in-Residence

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 -

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2021

Bank of America Gallery and Loevner Gallery

Influence and Identity features the works of international

photographers from the early through the mid-twentieth

century, a period often called the golden age of

portrait photography. The exhibition includes works by

master portraitists such as Antony Armstrong-Jones,

Richard Avedon and Yousuf Karsh, as well as renowned

photographers Berenice Abbot, Ansel Adams, and Garry

Winogrand. Using photography, a medium born of the

modern era, these artists produced images that capture

the commanding personalities of celebrated figures in

popular culture, politics and the arts.

This exhibition has been loaned through the Bank of America Art in our Communities® program.

T W E N T I E T H C E N T U R Y P O R T R A I T

P H O T O G R A P H Y F R O M T H E B A N K

O F A M E R I C A C O L L E C T I O N

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