EVENING CONVERSATIONS

Evening Conversations are a series of intimate evening events celebrating the special exhibition, Conversations: Contemporary Asian Art. Each program includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages available for purchase.

July through October, 6-9 pm
Second Thursday of each month

TICKETS ON SALE HERE
Members: $13 | Non-Members: $15

October 10: Chinese Zodiac Suite Premier Performance

The Hermitage is honored to partner with Old Dominion University, the Confucius Institute at Old Dominion University, and the Ambrosia Quartet to host the performance of Chinese Zodiac Suite to celebrate the special exhibition, Conversations: Contemporary Asian Art.

Beginning at 6:30 pm in the Great Hall, Lindsay Neal, Curator of Collections, will welcome guests followed by an introduction by the composer, Dr. Adolphus Hailstork.  After the performance, guests are invited to explore the exhibition and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages available for purchase.

Light hors d’oeuvres generously provided by Creative Catering of Virginia

*Students with ID will be admitted at no charge but must reserve their seat in advance by emailing mball@thehermitagemuseum.org  by October 7^th.

This performance marks the U.S. premiere of Chinese Zodiac Suite, written by renowned composer and ODU Eminent Scholar, Dr. Adolphus Hailstork.  It is the result of a three-year project sponsored by the Confucius Institute at Old Dominion University (CIODU). It incorporates traditional Eastern folklore with Western musical elements to represent the 12 animals of the ancient Chinese Zodiac. You can hear the sounds of rats scratching behind the walls; cows working hard in the fields; rabbits jumping up and down; a snake slithering through the grass; galloping horses and grazing sheep; a monkey swinging through the trees; the rooster, boss of the barnyard, crowing; the sleeping dog who wakes up and starts barking; and the poor pig, so sad because his life’s only purpose is to be someone’s dinner! In the end all the animals gather together and cheerfully depart.

Dr. Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork
Composer and College Professor Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork, born April 17th, 1941 in Rochester, New York, began his musical studies with piano lessons as a child. He studied at Howard University (B.Mus., 1963) and Manhattan School of Music (B.Mus. in Composition, 1965, M.Mus. in Composition, 1966), spending the summer of 1963 at the American Institute at Fontainebleau, France. After service in the U.S. Armed Forces in Germany (1966-1968), he returned to the United States and pursued his doctorate degree at Michigan State University in Lansing (Ph.D., 1971). He also attended the Electronic Music Institution at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire (summer, 1972) and the Seminar on Contemporary Music (summer, 1978) at the State University of New York at Buffalo. His principal teachers were H. Owen Reed (Michigan State University), Vittorio Giannini and David Diamond (Manhattan School of Music), Mark Fax (Howard University) and Nadia Boulanger (American Institute at Fontainebleau). His career as a teacher includes graduate assistantships at Michigan State University (1969-1971), and professorships at Youngstown State University in Ohio (1971-1977), Norfolk State University in Virginia (1977-2000), and Old Dominion University, also in Norfolk, Virginia (2000- present), where he is Eminent Scholar and Professor of Music.

The Ambrosia Quartet
This dynamic ensemble will thrill you with their interpretations of the very best music written for string quartet, from classical favorites to the most recent compositions of celebrated contemporary composers. These talented individuals are all members of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, but their backgrounds are as diverse as the music they play. Violinists Simon Lapointe and Mayu Cipriano hail from Québec and Tokyo, respectively; violist Beverly Kane Baker grew up locally in Hampton; and cellist Rebecca Gilmore came to the area from Charlotte, North Carolina. Their resumes collectively represent many years of study at the very best conservatories, including the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Indiana and Rice Universities, and the Juilliard School.

Barbara Chapman, The Benton Family, Principal Harp Chair
Barbara Chapman has held the position of Principal Harp for the Virginia Symphony since 1988. She has performed with the Virginia Opera since 1986 and performs regularly on the Chamber Music and Organ Swell series of the Virginia Arts Festival.  An active recitalist, she has performed on the Virginia Wesleyan and Old Dominion University Recital series, the Vocal Arts and Music Festival of Virginia Tech and as guest artist with the Virginia Chorale and the Virginia Children’s Chorus.  Barbara has held the position of Principal Harp with the Glimmerglass Opera of NY, New York Grand Opera and toured the United States with the American Harp Society’s Concert Artist Program. She has performed with numerous musical theatre productions in the New York City metropolitan area and was harpist for the long-running original New York production of “The Fantasticks”. A founding member of the Virginia Chamber Players, Ms. Chapman has performed with Catherine Cho, Paul Neubauer, Richard Stoltzman, as well as commissioned, premiered and recorded chamber music by composer, Adolphus Hailstork.  With flutist Debra Wendells Cross, she has concertized extensively, recorded 4 compact discs and has been broadcast nationally on NPR’s Performance Today.

Patti Watters, Flute
Patti Watters is Adjunct Flute Professor at Old Dominion University and Chair of the Instrumental Music at The Governor’s School for the Arts where she has taught music theory and flute since the school’s inception. She founded the GSA Flute Choir in 1989 and was Director of the Hampton Roads Flute Choir from 1997 – 2002. She has served as Coordinator of the Hampton Roads Flute Faire for eight years, and performs with the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Arts Festival, Todd Rosenlieb Dance, and The Commonwealth Trio. She has recorded for the Smithsonian Institution, performed at the 2001 National Flute Association Convention, and performed with orchestras at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap. Mrs. Watters received her Bachelors and Masters with high honors in performance from the University of Texas at Austin. Her principal teachers are John Hicks, Paul Renzi, and summer studies with Julius Baker.

Previous Events:

July 11: The Art of Food
An evening celebrating the history of food in art and artistic light bites

Light hors d’oeuvres generously provided by Montero’s Restaurant

August 8: Celebration Cosplay
An evening celebrating cosplay and performance art in partnership with Alchemy NFK and Canvas Cosplay

Explore the exhibition with an evening celebrating cosplay and performance art through a thoughtful presentation on the history and culture of cosplay and its role in contemporary art featuring international celebrity cosplayer Philip Odango of Canvas Cosplay (https://www.canvascosplay.com/) and the amazing Viva Valentina (https://www.facebook.com/vivavalentinacosplay/). Philip will lead a make-and-take artist demo with materials provided for the audience to experience working with the cosplayer’s best friend, thermoplastic, to create simple jewelry that they can take and wear.

Enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine for purchase, and live music on the back lawn with Daniel Neale and DJ Charles Rasputin. The presentation begins at 6:30 pm. Guests are encouraged to dress up — cosplay is welcomed and rewarded!

Light hors d’oeuvres generously provided by Sweetwater Cuisine

September 12: A Community Conversation
An evening featuring the opportunity to participate in active discussion with community members and artists

Guests are invited to participate in a lively and informative panel discussion on the special exhibition, Conversations: Contemporary Asian Art.  The panelists, who will analyze the exhibition through a variety of themes and perspectives, include Kiyomi Iwata, featured exhibition artist, and representatives from Old Dominion University:  Agnieszka Whelan, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Art History, Nicole Willock, PhD, Assistant Professor of Asian Religions, and Peter Eudenbach, Art Department Chair. The discussion will begin at 6:30 pm in the Great Hall. Guests are invited to explore the exhibition and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages available for purchase.

Light hors d’oeuvres generously provided by Cuisine & Company

*Students with ID will be admitted at no charge but must reserve their seat by emailing mball@thehermitagemuseum.org

Featured Panelists:
Kiyomi Iwata uses silk organza, metal, and kibiso to create sculptures that synthesize traditional Japanese aesthetics and forms with contemporary western art.  Her installations explore the boundaries of East and West through absence and presence, void and volume.  Visitors can view five of Kiyomi’s works in the exhibition.
Dr. Agnieszka Whelan is a Senior Lecturer in Art History teaching Asian Art in the Art Department and the Institute of Asian Studies at Old Dominion University. Dr Whelan has taught art history and given invited lectures in the Suzhou University in China, the Xian Technical University and the Communications University in Beijing as well as in the Kofu University in Japan. Her specialty is history of gardens and she is frequently asked to speak about Asian Gardens.
Peter Eudenbach uses sculpture, video, installations, and curatorial projects to explore the relationship between function and absurdity while challenging our expectations of the commonplace. A 2007 recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship, Eudenbach’s work has been shown nationally and internationally at venues such as Exit Art in New York; the Kunstverein Grafschaft Bentheim in Neuenhaus, Germany; the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia; the Hermitage Museum and Gardens, and the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, SC. He lives in Norfolk, Virginia, where he is a Professor & Chair of the Art Department at Old Dominion University.
Dr. Nicole Willock (Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Tibetan Studies) joined Old Dominion University as an Assistant Professor of Asian Religions in Fall 2014. Professor Willock teaches World Religions, Buddhism, and Chinese Religion and Philosophy in addition to her area of expertise, Tibetan Religions. Dr. Willock’s research explores the complex relationships between state-driven secularization, religious practice, and literature in 20th century Tibet. Her first book, Lineages of the Literary: Tibetan Buddhist Polymaths of Socialist China, will be published with Columbia University Press in Fall 2020. She is a 2017 Research Fellow, The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies.

Photo of Kiyomi Iwata by Echard Wheeler Photography

*Please note that Momoyo Torimitsu’s artwork, Somehow, I Don’t Feel Comfortable, may not be on view during evening events.