Voices Around the Globe
Third International Boys and Men's Choral Festival3 p.m., Sunday, July 31
Crowder Hall, 1017 N. Olive Road
733-0927
Performers at the Third International Boys and Men's Choral Festival will be singing their way to Tucson from Northern Arizona on Sunday, July 31.
The festival begins in Flagstaff and is an eight-day event, ending in Tucson. The boys and men will be performing a large array of music that will test their abilities. Conductors David Hill and Julian Ackerley selected the music, including Giulio Caccini's "Ave Maria," Eric Whitacre's "The Seal Lullaby" and Felix Mendelssohn's "Laudate Pueri Dominum."
Jennifer Ackerley, the festival's coordinator, said the conductors "have chosen repertoire that is going to challenge the singers, but is audience-approved."
The festival began Monday, July 25, and continues through Monday, Aug. 1. The singers will perform in three different cities in Arizona: Flagstaff, Mesa and Tucson. The festival will showcase the singers individually and as a choir.
The program includes treble-choir (boys ages 10 through 14) and male-choir music, with the final performance a combination of all choirs.
"It's a chance to provide a musically excellent sound," Ackerley said.
The singers have rigorous practice while participating in the festival. However, the boys and men will also experience the beauty Arizona has to offer, making stops by Grand Canyon, Walnut Canyon and Sedona.
"Tucson is our big finale," Ackerley said.
Tickets are available for $15 at the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus Hall, 5770 E. Pima St.; by phone at 733-0927; or online at internationalchoralfestival.com. —K.C.
Building a Haystack
"Bailout the Animals" Golf Tournament
8 a.m., Saturday, July 30
Turquoise Hills Golf and RV, 800 E. Country Club Drive, Benson, Ariz.
(520) 586-7535
The Southern Arizona fires have affected people and animals alike, and Turquoise Hills Golf and RV is planning to help some big animals.
The "Bailout the Animals" golf tournament—grammar sticklers will notice that "bailout" is a one-word noun where a two-word verb ought to be—will be hosted at the golf and RV resort in Benson. The golf tournament is a fundraiser focused on helping horses misplaced or injured due to the Monument Fires. The goal is to fill a "trailer full of hay." The regular cost of that amount of hay is $3,500. To fill a semi plus a trailer (the goal of the fundraiser), it costs $7,000. This money will help people boarding horses to continue feeding them without a financial burden. Art Bale, general manager for Turquoise Hills Golf and RV, and his wife, Pat, are heading up the tournament.
"We thought it would be nice to do something for animals because they lost a lot of grazing land," Art Bale said.
Pat noticed that people needed more alfalfa for their horses and, because of high prices, taking care of misplaced horses was difficult. The Bales decided a golf tournament would be a good way to help. The money is contracted with the hay suppliers to be sent to Care for the Horses. Cyndi McLemore, vice president of Care for the Horses, said, "This is going to really help and because the community has been so generous, we can do this."
The tournament is limited to 88 players, but tax deductable donations and sponsors are accepted. You can sponsor a hole for $65. The registration cost is $40, or a bale of hay and $20. The fee includes lunch. Registration is at 7 a.m. and the tournament starts at 8 a.m. Because of the limited space, early registration is encouraged. If you don't want to play but want to help, bales of hay and money are accepted. Call 586-7635, ext. 1, to register and make a donation or sponsorship. —K.C.
Native Connections
Desert Inferno Pueblo Tip-Toe Powwow
6:30 p.m., Saturday, July 30
Trees Please Community Garden, 901 E. 12th St.
471-3746
Celebrate natural desert beauty and honor the rich cultures and traditions of Southern Arizona's native peoples with Trees Please. All ages are welcome to this family-friendly event that's all about food, fun, getting in touch with nature and living in harmony with the Earth.
Trees Please is a Marana-based nonprofit whose main mission right now is to protect and encourage the growth of native Arizona trees. Reaching out to the community and providing education on how to care for the environment is another big part of the work of Trees Please.
The festival is the latest in a series of events Trees Please has hosted to help bring the community together to learn and reconnect with the Earth. This festival is about honoring of cultural traditions of native Southwestern peoples through music, dance and food. This includes a special storytelling event presenting native myths and folklore.
According to Adrian Marks, director of Trees Please, a special effort is being made to be respectful and dignified when dealing with native traditions, especially the tradition of the powwow, which holds a very important place in the traditional spiritual culture of many Native American tribes.
"We want to be open to all traditions," said Marks.
Come prepared for a night filled with performances by fire throwers, Tucson's own Orbital Evolution, giant puppets, and the tastes of mesquite bread and goat cheese. Local vendors will have booths set up.
Don't be surprised if some people spontaneously burst into song. Marks hopes that people will be comfortable jumping in and supplementing scheduled acts with their own beat.
Trees Please is asking for a $10 donation to get in, though they won't turn anyone away. Kids will be admitted at no charge. Tickets can be purchased online before the event. —A.F.
Historic Moves
Flight Into Strange Lands: Religious Migration in the Early Modern World
10:15 a.m., Sunday, July 31, Aug. 7, 14, 21
St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church
Bloom Music Center, 4440 N. Campbell Ave.
626-5448
If you're looking for something a little bit more thought-provoking to do this summer, the Summer Lecture Series from the University of Arizona's Division for Late Medieval and Reformation Studies may be just the ticket.
Free and open to the community, this year's series takes the theme "Flight Into Strange Lands: Religious Migration in the Early Modern World." The series covers historical examples of people being expelled or emigrating en masse for religious reasons.
"I always challenge my students and people to ask, 'Why do you believe what you believe about society?'" said Mary Kovel, a doctoral student who will present one of the lectures.
Kovel's presentation will focus on the pilgrims, the Mayflower journey to Plymouth and understanding who the Pilgrims really were and what they believed.
"We (Americans) have a lot of ideas about them," said Kovel. "We have this idea of them fleeing persecution, but were they really?"
Her lecture aims to get beyond the myths of the Pilgrims as a simple people seeking religious freedom and examines their specific beliefs and how those beliefs influenced them.
History is studied to learn from the past, according to Kovel, and the history of religion's role is always relevant. Many important events today revolve around religion. Understanding how people in the past reacted to religious conflict can help people today see where others went wrong, where they went right, and the consequences.
The lectures will cover more than just the Pilgrims, with topics ranging from the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in the late 1400s to the fate of Huguenot communities in Europe and North America.
A discussion period follows each presentation. —A.F.
