USA International Harp Competition

After 10 days of fierce competition amongst 39 harpists representing 15 nations, a gold-medal winner was chosen in the 2010 USA International Harp Competition 17 July at the Musical Arts Center (MAC) of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, reports the IU news bureau.

Agnès Clément (pictured, left) of Lyon, France, won the gold over two other finalists in front of a crowd of more than 1,400 people. The 20-year-old Clément led a field that included Rino Kageyama of Japan, 20, who won the silver medal, and Russian harpist Vasilisa Lushchevskaya, 21, who took the bronze. Susann McDonald, competition founder and artistic director, is pictured, at right.

The eighth triennial contest, which opened 7 July, featured an all-female field. After traveling thousands of miles and memorizing over two hours of required repertoire, competitors vied for more than $100,000 in cash and career assistance.

The fourth- through eighth-prize recipients were:

* 4th Prize: Coline-Marie Orliac, France
* 5th Prize: Jimin Lee, United Kingdom/South Korea
* 6th Prize: Ruriko Yamamiya, Japan
* 7th Prize: Gwenllian Llyr, United Kingdom (Wales)
* 8th Prize: Marta Marinelli, Italy

Special Prizes went to:

* Jan Jennings Prize for Best Performance of "Awakening Stillnesses" by Michael Maganuco: Coline-Marie Orliac, France
* Mario Falcao Prize for Best Performance of Concerto for Harp and Orchestra by Reinhold Glière: Rino Kageyama, Japan

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Develop Indy Travels to Europe

Develop Indy will lead a series of international trade missions throughout the next few months as part of its efforts to attract more jobs to Indianapolis.

First up: Paris, France, from 14-17 June, with a focus on aerospace/defense and renewable energy industries.

Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 5-15 July, with a focus on clean tech, motorsports, information technology, exports (Brazil to U.S.)

The International Air Show in Farnborough, England, from 19-25 July, for aerospace/defense.

Valencia, Spain and Rome, Italy, September 6-10, for the photovoltaic industry.

Develop Indy is Marion County's local economic development organization.

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IU Law Prof Moderates Water Scarcity Workshop

Professor Eric Dannenmaier (pictured) has been working with Italy’s National Research Council, Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, as part of the Scientific Committee responsible for designing and moderating the workshop, “Environmental Security: Workshop on Water Security, Management and Control,” set to take place in Marrakech, Morocco, 31 May through 3 June, according to the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis.

The workshop will convene Northern African and European government representatives and scientists to examine emerging risks to regional water resources and the potential for scarcity to generate conflict. Participants will discuss new approaches to the strategic assessment of critical factors (including land use practices, deforestation, water scarcity, and water quality) as a means to prevent domestic and international conflict. It is sponsored by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme and co-hosted by Morocco’s Ministry of Higher Education.

Prof. Dannenmaier, who is Associate Professor of Law and Dean's Fellow, will chair a two-part simulation among participants to deepen their understanding of institutional roles in facing and defusing water scarcity crises. He will also present a paper in the Workshop’s opening session on “Identifying Stakeholders and Engaging Policymakers,” which examines the emerging concept of environmental security and its relevance for water scarcity and degradation concerns in the Southern Mediterranean region.

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Returning to Tuscany

"Returning to Tuscany" is the title of an exhibition at CCA Gallery, 47 South Main Street, Zionsville. It features the oil paintings of Karen Seltzer, who has been traveling to Italy since the early 1980s. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. This exhibition closes 28 April.

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State to Lead Trade Mission to Europe

Numerous economic development organizations from throughout the state are preparing for an upcoming trade mission to Europe, reports Inside INdiana Business. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indy Partnership, and Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership are among the groups sending representatives on the trip, which includes stops in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The trade mission begins tomorrow (18 April) and ends 1 May.

Members of the delegation are:
Chad Pittman, Indiana Economic Development Corporation
S. Michael Hudson, Rolls-Royce North America (retired)
Bill Petranoff, Duke Energy
Scott Miller, Indianapolis Economic Development, Inc.
Courtney Poulos, Indianapolis Economic Development, Inc.
Kristie McKillip, Indy Partnership
Dale Buuck, Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
Corey Carr, Columbus Indiana Economic Development Board
Erin Newell, Indiana Economic Development Corporation

UPDATE: Due to the current air travel restrictions in Europe, this trip has been postponed.

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Indiana University's EU Moot Court Team Advances

A team of law students from the Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis campus has advanced to the regionals of an international moot court competition, reports the IUPUI News Bureau

Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis students Douglas Clough, Kyle Kimble, Lumi Nodit and Nathan Seger will participate in the oral round of the European Union Law Moot Court Competition 25-27 February at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

The EU Moot Court Competition is an annual international event in which teams compete in a written and oral competition arguing the merits of a hypothetical case involving a series of legal questions prevalent in the European Union. The written competition involves the preparation of two written briefs, applicant and defendant in a hypothetical suit before the European Court of Justice.

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Indiana Groups Join Italian Trade Mission

Three Indiana economic development organizations have completed a trade mission to Turin, Italy, reports Inside INdiana Business. The Economic Development Corporation of Greensburg/Decatur County, Grant County Economic Growth Council and Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership took part in visits to Fiat and several other Italian automotive suppliers. The trip was sponsored by the Center for Automotive Research's Automotive Communities Program.

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An English Playright's Take on an Italian Feud

"Romeo and Juliet" by England's William Shakespeare opens Tuesday (19 January) at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 West Washington Street, Indianapolis. The two residents of Verona, Italy, are literature’s most famous couple. As they struggle to find an oasis of peace amidst their warring families, old hates and tired prejudices are challenged by the eternal power of youth and love.

The play runs through 27 February. For tickets and information, log onto the website.

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Indy Linked with Campinas, Brazil

Inside INdiana Business reports that Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and Mayor Helio De Oliveria Santos of Campinas, Brazil, on Tuesday (28 July) signed an agreement to make Campinas the newest Sister City of Indianapolis. The city has existing partnerships with Cologne, Germany; Monza, Italy; Piran, Slovenia; Hangzhou, China; and Taipei, Taiwan.

According to Inside INdiana Business, the Indy Mayor's criteria for selecting a Sister City include "having a metropolitan population of more than one million, an international airport, economic vitality in multiple industries and an education and cultural infrastructure able to foster exchanges with Indianapolis institutions". However, neither Monza nor Piran meet all of those criteria. Last year, the mayor canceled a nascent Sister City agreement with Eldoret, Kenya, where the Indiana University School of Medicine and Moi University School of Medicine have engaged in a cooperative program since 1989.

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"Galileo" Comes to IUPUI

"Galileo" is a play celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s discoveries. Starring Tim Hardy from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, it explores the tensions between science and religion, and one man’s struggle for intellectual and spiritual salvation.

Presented by the Department of English in the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts, the Purdue University School of Science, and the IU School of Law (all at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis), it will be onstage at 7:30 p.m. 27 March in Room 152 of the Information and Communication Technology Complex, 535 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis.

Tickets are $15. For more information, contact Vicki Hale.

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Kuijken visits UIndy for IBO concert

Baroque flutist and conductor Barthold Kuijken will perform at the University of Indianapolis as part of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra's concert tomorrow (23 February).

Kuijken, a native of Belgium and the IBO's new artistic director, will lead the orchestra in a program of music from the four principal nations of Baroque music: Italy (represented by the music of Corelli), France (Rebel and Campra), Germany (Handel) and England (Purcell).

"Les Nations" begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Ruth Lilly Performance Hall, Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, UIndy, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis.

Admission is $15; $10 students and seniors and free for UIndy faculty, staff and students. For tickets and additional information, call 317:202-0546.

International Design Symposium

Designers, critics, scholars, manufacturers and dealers are participating in a two-day symposium at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in conjunction with the "European Design" exhibit on display 8 March through 21 June.

"Shaping a New Century: An International Design Symposium" will be held 6 and 7 March at the IMA to examine the present and future of European decorative and industrial design.

Four sessions will focus on creating, making, judging and designing.

Registration information is online. Cost is $150 for students and $250 for the public.

UPDATE:

Costs have dropped! It's now $50 for students and $100 for the public for both days!

Participants also have been announced. They are:
* Alberto Alessi (Director of Marketing Strategies and Design Management, Alessi s.p.a. – Italy)
* Jurgen Bey (Creative Director, Studio Makkink & Bey– Holland)
* George Beylerian (CEO & Founder, Material ConneXion - New York)
* Juli Capella (Director, Capella Arquitectura & Design, s.l. – Spain)
* matali crasset (industrial designer, matali crasset productions – France)
* Beatrice de Lafontaine (Director, when objects work – Belgium)
* Michele De Lucchi (architect, aMDL-architetto Michele De Lucchi Srl– Italy)
* Sylvain Dubuisson (Dubuisson Associes - France)
* Rolf Fehlbaum (Chairman, Vitra – Switzerland)
* Nasir Kassamali (Owner, LUMINAIRE® – U.S.)
* Eero Koivisto (Co-Founder, Claesson Koivisto Rune - Sweden)
* Didier Krzentowski (Owner, Galerie kreo – France)
* Susan Grant Lewin (President, Susan Grant Lewin Associates - New York)
* Catherine McDermott (Professor, Kingston University - United Kingdom)
* R. Craig Miller (curator, Indianapolis Museum of Art – U.S.)
* Cedric Morriset (independent journalist, curator and design consultant – France)
* Cilla Robach (curator, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm – Sweden)
* Jerszy Seymour (designer, Jerszy Seymour Design Workshop – Germany)
* Penny Sparke (scholar, Kingston University – United Kingdom)
* Dr. Josef Strasser (senior curator, Die Neue Sammlung--The International Design Museum Munich – Germany)
* Richard Wright (Director, Wright – U.S.)

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Sister City Expansion and Global Economic Ties

Guest speaker for the 23 September meeting of the World Trade Club of Indiana will be Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. He will expand on remarks made during his recent State of the City address about increasing the number of Indianapolis' sister cities and managing these relationships to provide mutual opportunities for trade and economic development.

At present, Indianapolis has four official Sister Cities: Cologne, Germany; Monza, Italy; Piran, Slovenia; Taipei, Taiwan. Developing these formal international relationships, Mayor Ballard has said, is an integral part of Indianapolis' efforts towards being a world class city.

Why were these locations chosen as sister cities with Indianapolis? What impact have these sister city agreements had on Indianapolis: culturally, diplomatically, economically?

For example a delegation from Cologne arrives in Indianapolis 4 October for a week-long visit to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Indianapolis-Cologne Sister City Partnership.

Registration for the meeting begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the program and dinner in the Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel – Panorama Room. Cost for nonmembers is $50. For reservations, click here.

UIndy Basketball Star Named MVP in Poland

Former University of Indianapolis superstar David Logan (pictured) was recently named the Most Valuable Player of Poland's Dominet Banke Ekstraliga basketball league, reports the UIndy news bureau.

His phenomenal campaign, which also included an All-Star team nod, was highlighted by his team's advancement to the Finals, where it eventually fell to five-time defending champion Prokom Trefl Sopot.

The 6-1 guard has spent three years playing professionally in Europe. He originally signed with Edimes Pavia in the Italian League, averaging 17.1 points per game in 12 contests with the club. He then went on to Ramat-Hasharon in Turkey, where he played in 22 contests and averaged 15.4 points per game. He has played in Poland the past two seasons, playing for Polphamra-Pakmet Starogard before his stint with the Turow squad.

The Indianapolis native compiled 2,352 points in his fabulous career at UIndy.

Mardirossian Joins IU School of Music Faculty

The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music has announced that violin virtuoso and world-renowned teacher of the instrument Kevork Mardirossian (pictured) will join the faculty this fall.

A former concertmaster of the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria), Mardirossian performed as concerto soloist and recitalist throughout Bulgaria, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe before moving to Europe, where he developed an impressive solo career, with tours of England, Wales, Italy and the U.S., including debuts in London and New York's Carnegie Recital Hall in 1992.

He has appeared as guest artist at international music festivals in Cheltenham, England; the European Cultural Months; the International Chamber Music Festival in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; the Czech Festival in Trento, Italy; and the Sofia Musical Weeks, Bulgaria.

Between 1988 and 1990, Mardirossian was concertmaster of the Baton Rouge Symphony, after which he was appointed artist-in-residence in violin at the University of Central Arkansas. In 1995, he was appointed as violin professor at the College of Music and Drama at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

As a member of the prize-winning Mardirossian-Phillips violin-piano duo, Mardirossian has toured the U.S., England, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Spain, Japan and China. Mardirossian is also a member of the Kapelle Piano Trio, with which he founded the Strings and Piano Chamber Music Festival in Heber Springs, Ark. He joined the faculty of the International Institute at Round Top, Texas, in 2001.

Mardirossian conducts violin master classes for advanced violinists in Bulgaria, held yearly in the D. Petkov Conservatory. He also presents regular master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Boston University, Longy College, Oberlin Conservatory, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Seville, Granada and Cadiz Conservatories in Spain, Shanghai Conservatory and Sofia Musical Weeks Festival Academy.

Purdue Researchers Assess Socioclimatic Exposure

Researchers have taken a first step toward quantifying the "socioclimatic" exposure of different countries to future climate change, according to the Purdue University News Bureau. A research team from Purdue and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, found that China, India and the United States face substantial exposure relative to other nations, but that every area of the world faces high exposure in at least one category. The research will be published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Regionally, the most exposed nations are China, Bangladesh and Myanmar in Asia; western Sahel and southwestern nations in Africa; Brazil in South America; the eastern United States in North America; and the Mediterranean nations (including France, Italy and Spain), Russia and Scandinavia in Europe. The study found that the climatic and socioeconomic variables together determine the international variations in socioclimatic risk. The Purdue Climate Change Research Center is affiliated with Purdue's Discovery Park. The center promotes and organizes research and education on global climate change and studies its impact on agriculture, natural ecosystems and society. It was established in 2004 to support Purdue in research and education on regional scale climate change, its impacts and mitigation, and adaptation strategies. The center serves as a hub for a range of activities beyond scientific research, including teaching, public education and the development of public policy recommendations. The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics was founded in 1964 by Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam. The center operates under a tripartite agreement among the Italian Government and two U.N. agencies, UNESCO and IAEA. Its mission is to foster advanced studies and research, especially in developing countries. While the name of the center reflects its beginnings, its activities today encompass most areas of physical sciences, including geophysical and environmental sciences.

Forum to Feature Foreign Films

Purdue University's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is offering movie lovers a trio of international cinema through the 2007 World Film Forum. All three events will take place at 5 p.m. at the West Lafayette Public Library, 208 West Columbia Street, West Lafayette. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

The forums will take place tomorrow (5 September), 17 October and 7 November, featuring films from Japan, Italy and China, said Silvia Oliveira, an assistant professor of Portuguese and Spanish. All the films, which are free and open to the public, have English subtitles, and Purdue professors will introduce the films and lead a discussion after them.

The movies and speakers are:

* Tomorrow - Kazumi Hatasa, a professor of Japanese, will present "Face of Jizo" (Chichi to Kuraseba, 2004). The film, directed by Kazuo Kuroki, is about a young librarian who struggles with survivor's guilt three years after the atomic blast destroyed Hiroshima.

* 17 October - Elena Coda, an assistant professor of Italian, will present "Excellent Cadavers" (In Un Altro Paese, 2005). This documentary, directed by Marco Turco, tells the story of the big mafia trial that resulted in the 1992 assassinations of the first Sicilian prosecutors to take on the mafia and win. The film explores the current relationship between the mafia and Italian politics.

* 7 November - Weijie Song, an assistant professor of Chinese, will present "To Live" (Huozhe, 1994). This film, by award-winning director Zhang Yimou, covers the experiences of a small family that loses its wealth in the 1940s to the 1970s.

America's Immigrant Heritage

Every Thursday, from noon to 1 p.m., the Indiana Historical Society presents short films in the Cole Porter Room. And, there’s never a charge.

The current series highlights our country’s international heritage.

First up on 11 January is “Immigration and Cultural Change,” which reviews documents, dates and facts about the history of immigration in America.

On 18 January, it’s "Greek Americans", whose significant contributions, particularly in the areas of politics, architecture and theater, are explored in this short film.

"Italian Americans" are the focus for 25 January. This film explores the obstacles faced by Italian immigrants and their contributions to American society.

The Indiana Historical Society is located in the Indiana History Center, 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis. For more information on these films, call 317:232-1882 or 800:447-1830.