Renowned sitar player to visit UA
Mary DeLoney
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Lifestyles
The Arkansas Union Theatre will screen "A Cricket in the Court of Akbar" 7:30 p.m. today. The documentary film chronicles the days leading up to the Sri Mahendra Bhatt Music Competition in Jaipur, India, which is the largest music competition of its kind in the state of Rajasthan and explores the history and beauty of Indian classical music.
Musician Andrew Mendelson is the filmmaker and producer of the documentary film and is also the first and only American sitar player to compete in the Sri Mahendra Bhatt Music Competition.
"Andrew and I actually met in college," said Megan Perez, the Libraries Diversity officer pro tempore. "We lost touch after graduation but met, by chance, in the lobby of an office building in New York City in 2001."
Perez found out about his film and thought that it would make a good diversity program.
"I had been planning it out in my head, even before I had a job here," she said.
Once she got her job at the UA, Perez "presented the idea of screening this film to the Libraries Diversity Committee and the members agreed it would be a worthwhile venture," she said.
She then teamed up with Cedric Kenner, director of the Multicultural Center, and formed a plan to bring Mendelson to campus. The Libraries Diversity Committee handled the logistics, but the Multicultural Center is responsible for funding the event.
They also have worked with University Human Resources on the program, so members of the university community can use the event as credit toward completion of their diversity certificate.
"Part of what makes this film and this event so unique is that it offers different things for different people," Perez said. "Music students will have an opportunity to hear an instrument performed live that is atypical for this part of the globe, let alone this part of the country. Documentary film students will have an opportunity to have face-to-face dialogue with the filmmaker himself."
Perez said she hopes the students who have visited India will come and share their experiences during the question-and-answer session.
Musician Andrew Mendelson is the filmmaker and producer of the documentary film and is also the first and only American sitar player to compete in the Sri Mahendra Bhatt Music Competition.
"Andrew and I actually met in college," said Megan Perez, the Libraries Diversity officer pro tempore. "We lost touch after graduation but met, by chance, in the lobby of an office building in New York City in 2001."
Perez found out about his film and thought that it would make a good diversity program.
"I had been planning it out in my head, even before I had a job here," she said.
Once she got her job at the UA, Perez "presented the idea of screening this film to the Libraries Diversity Committee and the members agreed it would be a worthwhile venture," she said.
She then teamed up with Cedric Kenner, director of the Multicultural Center, and formed a plan to bring Mendelson to campus. The Libraries Diversity Committee handled the logistics, but the Multicultural Center is responsible for funding the event.
They also have worked with University Human Resources on the program, so members of the university community can use the event as credit toward completion of their diversity certificate.
"Part of what makes this film and this event so unique is that it offers different things for different people," Perez said. "Music students will have an opportunity to hear an instrument performed live that is atypical for this part of the globe, let alone this part of the country. Documentary film students will have an opportunity to have face-to-face dialogue with the filmmaker himself."
Perez said she hopes the students who have visited India will come and share their experiences during the question-and-answer session.
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