April 6, 2005 — Kingsbury Hall will come alive with music, song and dance the eve of the inauguration of Michael K. Young as 14th president of the University of Utah. The arts performance will be held Thursday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m., and is free and open to the public. The celebratory program will feature ballet and modern dance performances by University of Utah students and returning professional alumni artists, including members of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. University groups, including Utah Philharmonia, Utah Concert Chorale, University Singers and Lyric Opera Ensemble, will provide music. A light reception, following the performance, will be held on the balcony and lower lobby levels of Kingsbury Hall. Free tickets for the event are required and may be obtained at the Kingsbury Hall ticket office, 1395 E. Presidents Circle. For more information, call 801-581-7100.
Phyllis Haskell, dean of the U’s College of Fine Arts and associate vice president for the arts, notes, “The University’s College of Fine Arts has been the birthplace for nearly all of the professional performing arts companies in Utah, graduating thousands of young artists who have become founders, artistic directors and performers in our community. The important connection between campus and community, one of President Young’s strongest beliefs, will be the focus of our celebration for his inauguration. President Young and his wife, Suzan, are sophisticated devotees of the arts, so this celebration, demonstrating this enduring relationship between the U and Utah, is especially appropriate.”
The program will include “Rebuff,” choreographed and performed by Arwen Rogers, a U graduate student in the Department of Modern Dance. The piece will be performed to the music of Hans Zimmer and Philip Glass. Costumes will be by Steve Rasmussen and Eugene Tachinni.
“Paquita,” staged by Atilla Ficzere (after Marius Petipa) and performed by students in the U’s Department of Ballet, will be performed to music by Ludwig Minkus. Costumes will be provided by the Marriott Center for Dance Costume Shop.
“Le Corsaire,” which premiered in 1858, with original choreography by Joseph Mazilier, was staged and will be performed by Tong Wang, a returning professional who has danced with a number of companies, including Ballet West. He will perform the pas de deux with undergraduate student Dayna Larson to music by Adolphe Adam. Costuming will be provided by the Marriott Center for Dance Costume Shop.
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, founded by two University faculty, Shirley Ririe and Joan Woodbury, will perform “Tensile Involvement,” choreographed by world-renowned Alwin Nikolais and staged by Alberto Del Saz.
The Utah Philharmonia, Utah Concert Chorale, University Singers and Lyric Opera Ensemble will join in performing the finale, or “Ode to Joy,” of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9.” Robert Baldwin, associate professor of music and director of orchestral activities at the University will conduct the corps. Solos will be performed by Celena Shafer, soprano; Ana Mihanovic, mezzo soprano; Robert Breault, tenor; David Haslam, bass.
The inauguration of Michael K. Young on Friday, April 15th, at 11 a.m., in Kingsbury Hall, will culminate two weeks of activities surrounding the long-honored academic tradition of installing university presidents. Inauguration events, intended to celebrate the academic mission and purpose of the University, will include two art exhibits, an ice cream social for students, the dedication of the Center for American Indian Languages (CAIL)-a collaborator with the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.-and eight interdisciplinary symposia, which will encompass a public lecture by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III.
The installation of President Young is free and open to the public on a first come, first served basis. A processional ticket is required for those participating in the academic procession, which will commence at the University’s Park Building, at 10:45 a.m., and travel to Kingsbury Hall. Following the ceremony a reception will be held on the Kingsbury Hall Plaza. In case of inclement weather, the gathering will be held in the atrium of David P. Gardner Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Cir. (180 S.) Inauguration programming can be found at http://www.inauguration.utah.edu/.
President Michael K. Young began his tenure as president of the University of Utah on Aug. 1, 2004. Prior to his appointment by the Utah State Board of Regents, he was dean and Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at the George Washington University Law School, from 1998 to 2004. From 1978 to 1998, he was the Fuyo Professor of Japanese Law and Legal Institutions and director of the Center for Japanese Legal Studies at Columbia University. During President George H.W. Bush’s administration, Young served as ambassador for Trade and Environmental Affairs (1992-93); deputy undersecretary for Economic and Agricultural Affairs (1991-93); and deputy legal adviser to the U.S. Department of State (1989-91). During the October 1977 term, he also served as a law clerk to the Honorable William H. Rehnquist, then Associate, now Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Young is a graduate of Brigham Young University (B.A., 1973) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1976). He and his wife, the former Suzan Stewart, a registered nurse, have been married for 32 years and have three children.
The University of Utah is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. Founded in 1850, it is the first and largest public higher education institution in Utah, with more than 28,000 students and a campus comprising almost 1,500 acres in the eastern foothills of Salt Lake City. A major academic and research institution with an extensive health sciences center, the University offers majors in 72 subjects at the undergraduate level and more than 90 major fields of study at the graduate level including law and medical schools.