2012 Art & Music Schedule Of Events By Name - Search By Time

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Schedule of Events, Monday, December 31, 2012  

Giant Ice Sculptures
10 a.m. - midnight; South Allen Street and Sidney Friedman Park | Map

First Night® State College Ice Sculptors in Action
10:00 a.m.- 9:00 p.m.; South Allen Street
Celebrating their 17th year, The First Night State College Ice Sculptors will carve over 100  blocks—that’s more than 10 tons!--of crystal clear Pennsylvania ice for this year’s First Night. Under the direction of captain Ernie DiMartino, the Ice Sculptors are expected to include Ernie DiMartino, Richard Alford, Robert Higareda, Gary Glenn, Jared McAlister, Joe DiMartino, and Ryan Crosby.  The large walls and sculptures are created from blocks that are produced in a special Clinebell freezing process that makes beautifully clear ice. FNSC uses ice blocks manufactured by DiMartino Ice and Strickler Ice Company of Huntingdon.

Resolution Exhibits
Noon - Midnight; Sidney Friedman Park, South Allen Street and State College Municipal Building | Map

Children’s Art and Craft Workshops
While we welcome folks of all ages at our children’s art and craft workshops, participants should be under 12 years old. Crafts are to be completed on site so that participants can take inspiration and share results with each other.

- Community Room, State College Municipal Building
243 South Allen Street
Sponsored by Kid to Kid
1 - 3 p.m.
New Year’s Badges—Led by Hal and Natalie Hallock
You won’t forget the New Year with a stylish badge created with the Dynamic Duo!

- Social Hall, State College Presbyterian Church
132 West Beaver Avenue
2 – 4 p.m.
Music Makers with Jill Lillie and Jan Becker
Shake, rattle and roll your way through the New Year with an artistic tambourine or hand drum.

- Tote Bag Extravaganza with Kim Hunziker
What better way to start the year than with a new, artistically decorated tote bag.

First Night workshops are made possible in part by a grant from the American Association of University Women, State College branch.

Performer Workshop

Library, Faith United Church of Christ
Pepper Lotus Tribal Belly Dance
1:30 p.m.;
This workshop is a great introduction to Improvisational Style Belly Dance with Shannon Bishop, the leader of Pepper Lotus Tribal. No experience in Middle Eastern Dance is necessary. You’ll shake and shimmy and wonder why you didn’t take up this popular art form sooner!

Archie Blue
3:00 p.m.; University Baptist & Brethren Church | Map
Local jazz institution Arthur Goldstein and his group regularly play in the region.
Arthur Goldstein’s original music for Archie Blue was the soundtrack for the award-winning film Magic in the Afternoon.

Below Centre
4:00 p.m.; Faith United Church of Christ | Map
Instruments that play the bass parts are often the unsung heroes of the symphonic band. The public can name famous trumpeters and flutists, but it’s pretty difficult to name a famous euphonium player. The gentlemen of Below Centre might just change that, as they create a melodic presence for First Night State College. 
Leif Jensen (814) 234-7810

Deb Callahan Band
8:30 p.m.; Grace Lutheran Church
Philadelphia’s blues and soul drenched vocalist and songwriter, Deb Callahan has been a fixture on the mid-Atlantic music scene for some time. She writes creative blues, soul and roots-influenced original music and uses her powerful, emotionally expressive voice and engaging stage presence to deliver a unique, high energy live show. Since 2005, Deb Callahan and her band have become part of the national blues scene with performances at festivals on both coasts, including California’s Monterey Bay Blues Festival and The Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival in Annapolis. She’s played more great clubs than we have space to list. Deb Callahan has been compared to singers such as Bonnie Raitt, Janis Joplin, and Aretha Franklin. Come see her show and you’ll hear and see why.

Callanish
4:00 p.m.  State College Presbyterian Church | Map
Celtic traditional
For the 11th year, this traditional band brings music from Ireland and Scotland to the mountains of central Pennsylvania. The five women of Callanish, Patty Lambert, Gretchen Seaver Lee, Carol Lindsay, Holly Foy and Louisa Smith share the music of their heritage - reels, jigs, polkas, hornpipes, and songs of love and longing for homeland.  Callanish has recently performed at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, the Centre County Grange Fair, Laurelfest, and the Williamsport Community Arts Center, where the band opened for Women of Ireland. Callanish will release its fourth CD on St. Patrick’s Day.

Carriage Rides
Sponsored by The Atherton Hotel and Downtown State College Improvement District
+ $5.00 per person 7 p.m.; Mayor Welch Plaza
(That's $5.00 per person plus a 2013 First Night Button)
Three carriages drawn by Percheron draft horses will take you back in time as they take you through downtown State College. Dress warmly—it’s difficult to turn up the heat in an open carriage. Rides are on a first come, first served basis. Due to high demand, not all of those wishing to ride may be accommodated.
Contacts: David Hershey (814) 684-3400, Jim Swartz (717) 527-4782, Terry Woodring (814) 224-4999

Erin Condo and the Hoofties
6:00 p.m. State College Presbyterian Church | Map
In the last few years, Erin has lived in different parts of the country- from Texas to Northern California, to North Carolina, along the way composing a new set of songs that draw from soul, swing, bluegrass, country, and good old rock and roll influences.  Her new songs tell stories of Texas prostitutes, cheating motel owners, colorful dresses, coal mining towns, and trouble with a capital “T.”   Erin currently lives and plays in central Pennsylvania, reuniting with long-time collaborator Bill Wilgus. Bassist John Kennedy and drummer Kevin Lowe round out the band

Contra Dancing with Karl Senseman, Terry Bachman and Smash the Windows
8 p.m., 9:45 p.m. Harkins Hall, Grace Lutheran Church
Karle Senseman and Terry Bachman are a husband and wife team of contra dance callers who will lead an fresh and energetic dance. Smash the Windows is Bruce Young on fiddle, Patty Lambert on flute, whistles and concertina, and Peggy Shutes on piano with various other musicians sitting in on the side as circumstances dictate.  Their music features Sligo-style Irish and New England jigs and reels but also includes Bluegrass and Old Timey tunes as well as a nice selection of waltzes and couples dances.  Smash The Windows Requests the Pleasure of Your Company, a CD of dance tunes and traditional songs, was released June 2011.  Dancing beats sitting every time!
Bruce Young (814) 237-1602

Catherine Dupuis Trio
9:30 p.m., St. Paul’s United Methodist Church | Map
Catherine Dupuis brings an expressive warmth to her singing, as well as a skilled ability to communicate the emotional content of a lyric.  From Cole Porter to Sting, Catherine possesses an eclectic taste in musical material.  Her recordings have been played worldwide and she's appeared to critical acclaim at many popular New York City jazz spots.  She sings regularly with the Russ Kassoff Big Band, an ensemble featuring the best musicians from Gotham’s Broadway pits and jazz scene.  Highly sought-after pianist Russ Kassoff (Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Bucky Pizzarelli) leads this delightful jazz trio.  Scott Yanow (All Music Guide) heralds Catherine as "One of the most interesting jazz singers of the early 21st century."

Deacons of Dixieland
4:30 p.m.; Grace Lutheran Church
The Deacons of Dixieland is a six piece traditional jazz band from Central Pennsylvania. They have been providing lively entertainment at concerts, festivals, community parks, clubs, and tailgate parties at Penn State football games since 1988. The Deacons play a broad range of Dixieland style jazz music, including classic Dixieland selections, blues, and country music in a Dixieland style.

Easterly Chamber Players
5:30 p.m.;  Faith United Church of Christ | Map
This delightful trio consists of Diane Gold Toulson, flute, Smith Toulson, clarinet and Anne Sullivan, harp.  Diane Gold Toulson is an active orchestral and chamber music flutist, who has performed throughout the Commonwealth, the United States, and Europe. Smith Toulson, faculty member in Penn State's School of Music, is a member of the Pennsylvania Quintet and is principal clarinet for the Penn's Woods Festival Orchestra, The Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, and the Altoona and Nittany Valley Symphonies. Harpist Anne Sullivan has accompanied many artists including Luciano Pavarotti and Frank Sinatra. She is the harp instructor at the University of Delaware and at Swarthmore College.

Deirdre Flint
10:15 p.m.; Grace Lutheran Church
No two ways about it, Deirdre Flint is a perennial favorite with First Night-ers.
Deirdre Flint is a Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter. She writes songs about the trials of being an introvert, the Failed Metric Coup of 1975, horrendous bridesmaids dresses, and all the warped and wonderful experiences of adolescence. After sixteen years of Catholic Schooling, Deirdre finally went secular and received her Masters Degree in Elementary Education from The University of Pennsylvania. She’s taught elementary school in California, Washington DC, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Deirdre’s music has been heard on lots of TV shows aimed at an audience with high SAT scores in addition to a smattering of radio stations that you find down on the left hand side of the dial.
Deirdre Flint (215) 668-6472

Folk Justice Band
4:30 p.m., St. Paul’s United Methodist Church | Map
The Folk Justice Band came together in 2004 and is based in Lewisburg, PA. They specialize in tight harmonies and fresh arrangements of folk and classic rock gems, with originals, too. Members include Leo Armbruster, guitar and vocals, Glenn Crook, lead guitar, harmonica and vocals, Brian Gockley, guitar and vocals, Will Rivera, drums/percussion and vocals, and Geoff Schneider, bass guitar.  They regularly play area clubs, festivals and coffeehouses, as well as weddings, private parties, and reunions.  Be prepared to dance!
Geoff Schneider (570) 523-6525

Giant Puppet Display
6:00 p.m.; Canterbury Hall, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 208 West Foster Avenue
Discover the well-populated menagerie of giant papier-mâché creatures made to be worn or carried in the First Night Procession. Dragons, lions, fish, carousel animals and everything in between will be primping before their big moment in the First Night® procession. We have something for everyone—men, women, short, tall, big, little, young, old. When it comes to puppets, one size does not fit all. The procession starts promptly at 6:30 p.m.     

The Gizmo Guys
6:30, 8:00 & 10:00 p.m.; State Theatre
The New York Times called The Gizmo Guys “master jugglers with ebullient energy and exquisite skill. . . . human virtuosity with a touch of lunacy.”   The Gizmo Guys, otherwise known as Allan Jacobs and Barrett Felker, have amazed and amused audiences around the world. They’ve played in more venues than you can shake a stick at--you name it, they've done it. And in their spare time, they've made television appearances, won international juggling competitions, and taught at top circus schools. Their act is filled with a frothy combination of infectious humor and dazzling technique.

Heritage Brass
2:00 p.m.; Faith United Church of Christ | Map
Heritage Brass extensive music library includes music for dancing, complete church services, marches, pop tunes, jazz, swing & show tunes, Dixieland, complete weddings, and Christmas tunes. The quality of playing is always top shelf and the music always enjoyable and entertaining.

Hirsch Jazz Quartet
10:15 p.m.; University Baptist & Brethren Church | Map
Saxophonist Rick Hirsch and his stellar quartet return to First Night State College.  Drummer Kevin Lowe, bassist Jeff Beck, and guitarist Mac Himes round out the group, which is known in these parts for its jazz-i-fied interpretations of the Beatles, Thelonious Monk, Nirvana, and their own compositional goodies.

Dennie Huber
7:30 p.m.; Downsborough Room, Schlow Centre Region Library
Magician and balloon animal-ologist Dennie Huber is a veteran entertainer, performing at fairs, festivals, and events throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Ice Skating
  5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10 p.m.; Penn State Ice Pavilion | Map
CATA Shuttle bus service runs to the rink from College Avenue.
Sponsored by Geisinger
Ice skating, accompanied by the sounds of Larry Moore Productions, is FNSC’s most popular events, and makes a great way to slide into 2013.  Skaters glide and dance to music provided by LMP.  Ice will be resurfaced at 45 minutes past the hour. Ice skates may be rented for $1.75.
Ice Pavilion, (814) 865-4102; Larry Moore Productions (814) 466-7643

Live Mannequins
6 p.m; Appalachian Outdoors
You won’t want to miss the State College High School Thespians as live mannequins in the window. 

Middle-earth Studios presents Meistersingers of Nuremburg
2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., & 7:30 p.m., Westminster Hall, State College Presbyterian Church | Map
dress-up story theatre
Since ancient times storytelling has enchanted people of all ages. Middle-earth Studios’ kind of story-telling is an interactive celebration that brings out the kid in everyone.  Anyone can be a part of our story and they costume up to 100 people from the crowd.  For days afterwards you’ll still hear people talking about the show where they did things they never thought they’d do. 

This year’s show, Meistersingers of Nuremburg, is a tale inspired by Wagner's opera of the same name.  A whole kingdom prepares for a singing contest, in which the winner will win the hand of one of the king's sons or daughters in marriage.  What an embarrassment it is to the king when the winner turns out to be a dragon!  The tale features the king and his knights who carry swords and shields, beautiful princesses, a mayor, his daughter Clothilde and the enthusiastic villagers or burghers, a host of forest animals, a beautiful shepherdess, and the dragon.
Carl Odhner, (610) 756-4234   

Nittany Highland Pipe Band
7:30 p.m.; St. Paul’s United Methodist Church | Map
The Nittany Highland Pipe Band is one of the only pipe & drum bands in Central Pennsylvania.  Tthe band draws players from the State College, Lock Haven, Williamsport, Lewistown, and Altoona areas, encompassing an extremely broad area.  The band maintains an active performance schedule, serving the community through performances in parades, festivals, benefits, and gatherings across the state, as well as offering instruction on the Great Highland Bagpipe and highland drumming.

The band's kilts are in the Ancient Forbes tartan.

Nittany Knights
2:00 p.m.; State College Presbyterian Church | Map
The Nittany Knights are living proof of the enduring popularity of barbershop music. Barbershop music, with its close, unaccompanied four-part harmonies, is a uniquely American musical folk art. Although scholars cannot pinpoint where or when this art form was born, the growth of the tradition was certainly aided between the 1860s and 1920s by the types of songs popular at the time - songs characterized by sentimental lyrics and uncomplicated melodies that could be easily harmonized with a variety of four-part chords.

Nittany Wind Quintet
6:30 p.m.; St. Andrew's Episcopal Church | Map
The Nittany Wind Quintet was formed in 2010 by members of the Nittany Valley Symphony Orchestra.  Their wide repertoire includes original woodwind quintet music from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries and transcriptions of jazz, ragtime, gospel and popular music.  Each of the musicians brings extensive symphonic and chamber music experience to the group. 

One Block Ice Sculpture Exhibit
10 a.m. – midnight; Downtown and Sidney Friedman Park | Map
The One-Block Ice Sculpture Exhibit runs through noon on January 1st.  Sponsored by State College area businesses, over seventy-five one-block ice sculptures are displayed for your enjoyment. Please follow the Ice Sculpture Map in our program guide for a walking tour of visual enchantment. Be sure to bring your camera and allow plenty of time to see our spectacular display!

Pepper Lotus Tribal Belly Dance Troupe
5:00 p.m.; University Baptist & Brethren Church | Map
Middle Eastern dance 
The troupe performs Improvisational Tribal Style belly dance, a modern American take on traditional belly dance.  Many members are also highly trained in more classic genres of belly dance, so the troupe also showcases a full variety of belly dance styles from around the world.  Pepper Lotus Tribal, the regions only professional belly dance troupe, is directed by Shannon Bishop.   Shannon Bishop (814) 883-1131.

Pure Cane Sugar with JMac and Junior
8:00 p.m.; State College Presbyterian Church | Map
In 2006, the sultry voices, soulful harmonies, and powerful lyrics of “the girls” of Pure Cane Sugar, Kate Twoey, Molly Countermine, and Natalie Race, started to create an assemblage of masterful melodies and haunting harmonies that inspire sweet dreams. With accompanying artists Daniel Collins on fiddle and Daryl Branford on drums, their original, artful arrangements are captured on a backdrop of textured synergy and rhythm. This special evening will also feature homegrown favorites Jason McIntyre and Jason “Junior” Tutwiler to create a First Night event not to be missed!

The Puppet Factory presents The Widow and the Fishes
1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., & 5:00 p.m. Harkins Hall, Grace Lutheran Church
Puppet show
Since 1970, master puppeteer Carolyn Koerber has presented puppet theater that excites the imagination. An outstanding artist, she has performed for the Smithsonian Institution’s Discovery Theater, The National Theater, and thousands of schools, theaters, and community groups throughout the mid-Atlantic area.

Carolyn returns to First Night State College with a tale from the lands of tall bamboo, rice paddies, and volcanic peaks, The Widow and the Fishes. A poor kindly old  widlow lives in a rickety hut at the edge of the forest. She is so poor that she often goes without food, yet she always shows compassion for all creatures. Her wealthy neighbor is too greedy and selfish to help her. One day, Mighty Sliwa takes pity on her and sends her a sack filled with good fortune. When her wealthy neighbor hears of this, he is jealous. His greed for money grows and grows until he demands that Mighty Sliwa send him not one but two sacks of gold. Does Mighty Sliwa answer his pleas? You’ll find out as you watch this humorous and poignant story filled with exotic and colorful puppets, rhythmic music, and sacks full of surprises.

Ron Ray – Organ Grinder
7:00 p.m.; State College Municipal Building Plaza | Map
The hand cranked street organ was developed in 18th century Europe as a small instrument used to aid in training songbirds to sing specific songs. From this humble beginning, this small musical box evolved into larger instruments that we think of as street organs. As in pipe organs, sounds are created when a bellows forces air through organ pipes of different sizes. A roll of perforated paper, like a piano roll, controls which pipes open and which close, to create the enjoyable melodies we hear.

RockFest
8:00 p.m., Fairmount School Auditorium Use Fairmount Avenue Entrance
The 9th Annual ROCKFEST promises a roaring good time with eight wild high school bands swinging you into the New Year with a jungle themed show. Come and give your best Tarzan yell, monkey around, enter into the best jungle costume contest, and check out the all gnu show. No lion, Rockfest is the place to be!

The following bands are scheduled to appear at RockFest:  Bacon, Canada’s Chief Statistician, The Dark Tower, From the Dust, The Jaywalkers, Lt. Gizmo, The Flaming Flamingos and The Good Part.

Chris Ruggiero
5 p.m., 8:30 p.m. & 10:15 p.m.; State College Municipal Building | Map
Chris Ruggiero learned juggling and unicycling from his father while growing up in the Lehigh Valley. He continued developing his skills, and served as the President of the of Penn State Juggling Club President from 2006 to 2009. While a student at Penn State, he was also an active member of the Penn State Performing Magicians, performing at university and community events.

Chris now performs worldwide with his blend of comedy, juggling and magic in The One Man Variety Show. This year he has been on tour with NFL Cheerleaders performing for the servicemen and women overseas and performed at colleges across the country. Chris’s hands were featured in Madonna's latest music video.

Chris blends juggling and magic woven into a web of comedy and as a result, audiences enjoy a performance of non-stop entertainment. This show is full of audience participation while Chris acts as the ring leader – inviting audience members onto the stage to become an important part of the show. (610) 509-3476

Naomi Seidman and Jonathan Dexter
8:30 p.m.; St. Andrew's Episcopal Church | Map
Naomi Seidman is an assistant professor of flute at Penn State and flutist with The Pennsylvania Quintet and the Rhapsoidos Trio. An accomplished solo performer, she has won several noteworthy competitions and was a semi-finalist in the Beijing Nicolet International Flute Competition. She has earned degrees from University of California at Santa Barbara, Yale University, and the University of Texas.

Cellist Jonathan Dexter studied at the Oberlin Conservatory, the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and the University of Texas.  As a recording artist, Jonathan has been featured on a number of motion picture and television soundtracks. Noteworthy performances include shows with Eddie Vedder playing material from his album Ukulele Songs, and playing in Will Taylor’s Texas Swing band, Strings Attached, at the Equiblues rodeo in St. Agreve, France.

Phil Spangler & Joel Blunk
10:00 p.m.; State College Presbyterian Church | Map
Contemporary folk
Phil and Joel perform original songs that help us understand that our everyday hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows are anything but pedestrian. Phil and Joel pursued musical careers in Los Angeles and Nashville before embracing the delights of Happy Valley and alternate careers as a contractor and a minister. Their thoughtful original songs and soft folk sound has garnered them a large and loyal following.

State College Area High School Jazz Band
6:30 p.m.; Grace Lutheran Church
Sponsored by Connections Clothing
The State College Area High School Jazz Band is among the finest in the United States and has an international reputation for excellence. The band has received 30 consecutive years of superior ratings in festivals and competitions. In 2003 and 2006, the band travelled to Europe and performed at both the Vienna Jazz Festival and the Montreaux Jazz Festival. In 1998, 1999, and 2006, the State High jazz band performed at Lincoln Center in New York City as a finalist in the prestigious Essentially Ellington Competition. The 2001 and 2005 the group won the North American Music Festivals Megafest championship given to the highest scoring jazz ensemble from among their twenty festivals.  

Robert Strong
4:30, 7:00, 9:00 p.m.; Penn State Downtown Theatre
Sponsored by Ferguson Township
Robert Strong decided to go into show business after seeing a magician in Baltimore when he was a kid. At that moment Robert vowed to be the best magician ever. His parents considered therapy, but magic lessons were cheaper.

Robert continued training at Tannen’s Magic School in New York and Towson University in Maryland. He then studied with touring stand-up comedians, Cirque du Soleil choreographers, Ringling Brothers circus clowns, Broadway directors, and world-class jugglers.
Robert has starred in national television commercials, and has been on every major TV network.   Robert still has the passion for magic that he first experienced as a child in Baltimore, but now he is the one doing the entertaining!

Summit Hill Bluegrass
10:00 p.m.; Faith United Church of Christ | Map
Strasburg, Pennsylvania’s Summit Hill Bluegrass is comprised of four members, Roger Eberlin on bass fiddle, mandolin and lead vocals, Ron McVey on fiddle, Elvin Burkhart on the banjo and Tim Kilby on guitar. The group has been playing together for over fifteen years.  Their show will be a special bluegrass gospel performance.

Tarnished 6
8:00 p.m.;  Faith United Church of Christ | Map
The Tarnished 6 Traditional Dixieland Jazz Band was formed in 1967 and has performed throughout the United States and the United Kingdom.  The Tarnished 6 has many recordings including Live at HiWay Pizza.

Toot-in-Common
3:30 p.m.; St. Andrew's Episcopal Church | Map
After returning from a tour of the Baltic States with the International Flute Orchestra, Judy Moore was inspired to form State College’s flute choir, Toot-in-Common. The group’s repertoire consists of popular and classical favorites arranged for flute choir and works written especially for flute choir. Instrumentation includes one piccolo, six to eight C flutes, two alto flutes, one bass flute, and one cello. In addition to performing at First Night  State College, the group has performed at other festivals and events in Central Pennsylvania.  Judy Moore (814) 235-6125

Tussey Mountain Moonshiners
8:00 p.m.; University Baptist & Brethren Church | Map
Winners of the 2010 DelFest Bluegrass Band Competition, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners hail from State College, PA, honoring the bluegrass traditions of the region. On stage they bring a captivating mix of traditional and unique, original songs, and a friendly connection with the audience. Bluegrass Unlimited said this about their debut album, I’m Going Home: “…the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners exude rich talent, enthusiasm, energy, and a wide knowledge of string music…Every single cut proves enjoyable . . . With admirably equal skill, authenticity, and enthusiasm, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners . . . move from bluegrass to old-time to folk/Americana.” Don’t miss the Moonshiners!

Jay Vonada Trio                
10:15 p.m.; St. Andrew's Episcopal Church | Map
The Jay Vonada Trio has played jazz standards and original compositions at regional festivals and celebrations for several years.

Worship Services:
Two downtown churches will offer New Year’s Eve services.  The public is invited to attend.
Faith United Church of Christ will hold a Worship Service at 7:00 p.m. | Map
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church will offer Holy Eucharist at 5:00 p.m. | Map

This program contains all information available as of November 1, 2012. EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please call the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, producer of First Night State College, at (814) 237-3682.  The Festival office is located at 403 South Allen Street, Suite 205A.  The mailing address is P.O. Box 1023, State College, PA 16804.