ARTS
The Michigan Daily Thursday, February 19, 1987 Page 5
Art exhibit
at Kelsey
trails into
the past
By Charles Ostreicher
'The Kelsey Museum of
Airchaeology is opening a new
exhibit, entitled Caravan! Ancient
and Medieval Destinies Across the
Sdnd, and will introduce it with a
lecture at 8 p.m. tonight in
Auditorium D of Angell Hall.
.This new exhibit, brought to
campus by the Kelsey Museum's
curator, Art History Professor
Margaret Root, explores the role of
caravan travel in artistic, cultural,
and historic development in ancient
societies. The exhibit includes
pieces discovered in the Middle
East, Africa, Asia Minor, and
present day Israel. Featured will be
artifacts which detail the Exodus of
the Jews from Egypt and other
pieces illustrating day-to-day life in
cities and way-stations which were
connected and sustained by the
caravans. Perhaps the most interest -
ing part of the exhibit will be a re-
creation of an ancient street bazaar,
providing graphic depiction of the
setting in which caravan trade
commodities were bought and sold.
Professor Malcolm A. R.
Colledge of the University of
London will introduce the exhibit
Freshman tenor Ray
Wade aims for the top
By Wendy Kaplan
Ask Ray Wade what kind of
music he listens to. Chances are, he
won't say rock 'n' roll. He
probably won't say jazz either.
Most likely, he'll say opera.
Luciano Pavarotti, to be exact.
That's pretty unusual musical
taste for anyone, let alone a
freshman in college. But Wade, a
voice performance major in the
School of Music, can do what a
handful of us would only attempt in
the shower: he can sing opera. And
he can sing it well.
So well, in fact, that Ray Wade
will display his talent publicly
today in the Union. The recital,
which begins at noon in the
Pendleton Room, will include
works from Handel and H.T.
Burleigh among others. That's
pretty good for a freshman.
According to School of Music
Dean Willis Patterson, a Ray Wade
comes along once, maybe twice, in
a lifetime.
"Ray was blessed with a
naturally beautiful, unusually
mature, and serviceable voice," the
dean said. By serviceable, Dean
Patterson means that with the
potential to go pro, something
towards which Wade aspires. Upon
graduation, the Baits resident will
go to "any opera house that will
have me."
Ah, the agreeableness of youth.
Right now, the first thing on
Wade's mind is the School's
language requirement, which makes
the L.S.&A.'s requirement look
like a recitation of the ABC's.
Students in the School of Music
must be proficient , German,
French, and ItaL..1, the primary
operatic languages. In addition, they
must take classes in music theory,
history and performance, as well as
thirty hours outside the music
curriculum.
The Fort Worth, Texas native
doesn't seem to mind the work.
He's been involved with music
since the fifth grade, when he
started playing the trumpet. In high
school, Wade discovered opera. It
was an instant attraction.
"I listened to it, and read a trans -
lation, and just liked it," he said
simply. "It was touching and sad,
and the music went right along
with the words."
When it was time to go to
college, there was no question
where he would end up. He visited
his cousin, Butch Wade, the former
Michigan basketball player, and
was taken in by the University's
campus and the reputation of the
school. Pretty fortunate for the
School of Music, which recruits
many of its students. This time,
Mohammad came to the mountain.
Wade is the product of a musical
family, though he is the only
member who has pursued opera.
His older sister is a nightclub
singer in Dallas/Fort Worth; his
younger sister active as a singer in
high school. His parents, also
singers at one time, are supportive
of their star son despite the
difficulties he may encounter as a
black male in a predominantly
white opera world.
Though Wade believes his
"opportunities are numerous" and
his search for operatic excellence
will be an "open avenue," there is
still the obstacle of historical bias.
Opera is traditionally a white art
form. Although performers such as
Leontyne Price have toppled that
bias, it is more than just talent
which allows them to do so.
According to Dean Patterson, it
takes hard work, discipline, and per -
sistence aside from talent to achieve
greatness as an opera singer. For
Ray Wade, who seems to possess
all those qualities, fate needs also to
play a hand.
"He must be in the right place at
the right time," the dean says.
So far, so good.
Artifacts from ancient caravan routes are featured in
the Kelsey exhibit.
with a lecture entitled A Roman children and adults, Caravan! will
Desert City: Palmyra and its Art. open tomorrow and continue
It will be followed by a reception at through June 21. A children's
the Kelsey Museum. Intended to be activity book is available, and
entertaining and informative for admission is'free.
Divine Horsemen: New sounds from Chris D.
By Beth Fertig
Chris Desjardins, better known
as Chris D., is a very productive
man. With his fingers currently
dilving into many artistic "pies -
music, acting, poetry, literature,
screenwriting - it's easy to
become confused when trying to,
explain just what he does. Right
now, he is trying to focus
everyone's attention on his newest
lband, the Divine Horsemen. And
with their hot new Devil's River
album (on SST Records), that
shouldn't be too hard.
.For the record, Desjardins first
turned heads back in the late '70s. It
was then that he achieved notoriety
with his grueling, splattering Los
Angeles punk outfit, The Flesh
Eaters. Concurrently, Desjardins
was also occupied as head of A&R
for Slash Records, found time to
write for Slash Magazine, and later
began producing records for other
L.A.-area artists such as The Dream
Syndicate and Green on Red.
As that area's rock scene lost its
edge, Desjardins quit Slash in 1984
and has since landed acting roles
(3brder Radio, an independent film,
and No Way Out, starring Gene
Hackman and Kevin Costner, due
this summer), and has gone into
screenwriting as well. There's also
the Divine Horsemen. Never mind
David Byrne and Time Magazine -
Chris (D.) Desjardins is clearly the
real renaissance man of rock and
roll.
"As far as the different projects
go," he says, "music has been a
really on-again-off-again thing. The
Divine Horsemen I've been trying
to do for the last couple of years.
I've also been writing... screen -
plays, a horror film called I Passed
For Human. The acting stuff has
just happened by accident."
Desjardins' hard-edged, twisted
vocals have since lost the manic
edge of his former band; however,
they are still ravaged enough to
make him a dramatic vocalist for
the Divine Horsemen. He shares his
duties with the smoother sounds of
singer Julie Christensen, whose
background is more rooted in jazz;
she was once with the swing-jazz
group the Stepsisters, and has also
sung with New Orleans pianist
Henry Butler. Together, Desjardins
and Christensen provide a dynamic
duel on Devil's River from the
enough for hardcore, but it was too
noisy and undisciplined for the
seemingly sophisticated audience.
Not that it's more commercial, but
with this [band] it's more under -
standable to people."
Looking back now on the Los
Angeles scene he was an integral
part of during the late '70s and early
'80s, Desjardins sees a definite
change in the breed of artists. By
the time he had quit Slash, he says
the scene "had really stagnated."
However, he offers, "There are still
a lot of good acts there now, citing
the Lazy Cowgirls (who he's also
produced), Tex and the Horseheads,
and Crowbar.
The Divine Horsemen will be
playing at Paychecks Lounge in
Hamtramck tonight. Vegas Raz and
the Drizzle Boots are scheduled to
open the show for them at 10 p.m.
admission is $3.
The Divine Horsemen (clockwise, left to right): Rex Roberts, Julie
Christensen, Robyn Jameson, Chris D., Cam King, and Wayne James.
PUBLIC NOTICE
3 MONTH UNDERGRADUATE OPENING
BOARD FOR STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
Deadline for applications: Friday, February 20
Applications available at:
Michigan Student Assembly,
3909 Michigan Union 763-3241
sizzling drama of "My Sin"
("That's why I got the Judas kiss
from you... "), to the somewhat
caustic, bittersweet ballad "Ten -
derest Kiss," to the frustrated
passion of "Middle of the Night."
Their lyrics tell stories of people
and places - sometimes sounding
like the plot of a western movie -
and meet somehard-driving, surg -
ing guitar work which, although
generations away from The Flesh
Eaters, is not entirely an
unbelievable descendent.
Comparing his work with this
band to that of the Flesh Eaters,
Desjardins says, "The kind of music
we were doing [then] wasn't hard
'The sweet sounds of success
Reminder
Nominations for Student Recognition Awards are due at:
5pm, February 20, 1987
Please mail or drop off forms to:
Student Organization Development Center
2304 Michigan Union
48109-1349
Your continued involvement and interest is essential
to our program.
Extra forms can be picked up at the CIC Desk, first floor,
Michigan Union.
By Alan Paul
Tonight at 8 p.m. at Hill
Auditorium, the School of Music
completes its two-day celebration
and honoring of its finest students
as the concerto winners perform
with University Philharmonia.
"It's the only in-school
competition for us," publicist and
music editor Marilyn Breiter said.
"It's our chance to honor fine
performances. It's the big event for
the School of Music."
"A lot of previous winners have
gone on to win international com -
Dpetitions and work for many of the
top symphonies and opera
companies in the country," Breiter
continued. "It's an important first
step for many as it gives
recognition by the school to
students, rmany of whom have
already won a lot of regional
recognition."
Tonight's performers will be:
-Joseph Talleda, pianist, Con -
certo #2 in F Minor (Op. 1), by
Frederc Crhnnrln
Last night's winners included
clarinetist Claire Eichorn, trumpeter
John Daniel, flutist Jeffrey Zook,
pianist Anthony Pattin, conductor
Kevin McMahon, soprano Choon
Hie Lee, and graduate student in
composition Suzanne Sheppard.
Sheppard's Divine Call was per -
formed by the University Sym -
phony Orchestra.
Now"
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IMPORTANT NOTE
The University of Michigan has been notified of the opportunity
to participate in the Robinson Student Humanitarian Achievement
Award competition sponsored by Campus Compact: The Project
for Public and Community Service a project of the Education
Commisssion of the States. Presidents from participating
institutions have been asked to nominate a candidate to compete
for one of four $1500 award grants to further humanitarian
activities.
A committee appointed by Vice-President Johnson will use the
Student Recognition Awards nomination forms to select three to
five semi-finalists. These individuals will be asked to submit a
final application to this committee to compete for The University
of Michigan's final nomination. The nominee will be selected on
the basis of demonstrated efforts during the preceding 12-month
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