Note:Link here [pdf] for a PDF document (3.0 MB) with the entire calendar for Denison's 2006 celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., Black History Month and Women's History Month.

Denison University will open its spring semester academic calendar and classes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and extend its observance and celebrations of the holiday over the following week. Headlining the observance is Wynton Marsalis, who will give an All-College Convocation at 1:30 p.m. on Monday (Jan. 23) in Swasey Chapel.

Marsalis also will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Denison at this convocation. The Denison Gospel Choir will open the program. Following the convocation, the Gospel Choir will head a musical procession to the Doane Library where a dessert reception for Marsalis is planned with Tom Carroll and the Denison Jazz Ensemble playing. The convocation and reception are open to the public.

"Jazz," the critically acclaimed PBS series by Ken Burns, and a lecture by a noted author and teacher will lead off Denison's observances of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and are set for Monday through Thursday (Jan. 16 -19).

Marsalis will be joined by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for a Vail Series Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Jan. 24) in Swasey Chapel. Orchestra members will give an open workshop at 3 p.m. in Burke Hall prior to the Vail Concert. Under the leadership of Marsalis, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (LCJO) defines jazz at the opening of the 21st century. Many of the finest and most versatile instrumentalists playing in jazz today, come together to form this celebrated orchestra. They perform a vast repertory spanning the history of jazz from masterpieces by composers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson and Thelonious Monk to commissioned works by Benny Carter, Joe Henderson and Jimmy Heath. They have been the resident orchestra for Jazz at Lincoln Center since 1988 and have been featured in nearly all aspects of its programming. The LCJO was designated a Cultural Ambassador of the United States of America under the White House Millennium Council Program in 1999.(Note: Due to extraordinary campus demand for tickets, it is unlikely that any additional tickets will be released for public sale until the evening of the concert. If there are remaining seats, tickets will be sold at $15 each 10 minutes prior to the 7:30 p.m. performance.)

Denison's observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day begins with a reception at 7 p.m. on the official holiday, Monday (Jan. 16), in Slayter Hall. It will be followed by the first part of Ken Burns' film series "Jazz" at 7:30 p.m. in the Slayter Auditorium. Pete Mills, an affiliated studio instructor who directs the student Denison Jazz Ensemble, will introduce the film which traces the history of jazz music and musicians. Parts two and three of "Jazz" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday (Jan 17 & 18) evenings, respectively, in Slayter Hall Auditorium. These showing are free and open to the public.

The observances will continue at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 19) in Slayter Hall Auditorium when the Rev. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes will speak on "Dreaming Beyond the Mountaintop: Confronting the Continuing Crisis of Social Justice." Gilkes is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of African-American Studies and Sociology at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Her professional research, teaching and writing have focused on the diverse roles of black Christian women in the 20th century.

Gilkes is the author of "If It Wasn't for the Women: Black Women's Experience" and "Womanist Culture in Church and Community." In 2003-04 she served as the national lecturer for Sociologists for Women in Society and in 1998-99 as the Robin M. Williams Jr. Distinguished Lecturer for the Eastern Sociological Society. She earned her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at Northeastern University and has pursued graduate theological studies at Boston University's School of Theology. Her appearance at Denison is sponsored by the Center for Black Studies and the Goodspeed Lecture Series Fund and is free and open to the public.

Denison University,Showing of Ken Burns' multi-part series "Jazz"; 7:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday (Jan. 16, 17 & 18), Slayter Hall Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Contact 740-587-6344 to confirm information.

Denison University,Convocation featuring the Rev. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes speaking on "Dreaming Beyond the Mountaintop: Confronting the Continuing Crisis of Social Justice"; 4:30 p.m., Thursday (Jan. 19), Slayter Hall Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Call 740-587-6594 to confirm information.

Denison University,Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemoration Convocation featuring Wynton Marsalis, who will be awarded an honorary degree, and the Denison University Gospel Choir; 1:30 p.m., Monday (Jan. 23), Swasey Chapel. Dessert reception follows in the Doane Library. Free and open to the public. Contact 740-587-6344 to confirm information.

Denison University,Vail Series Concert featuring the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; 7:30 p.m., Tuesday (Jan. 24), Swasey Chapel. Due to extraordinary on-campus demand, the public sale of tickets at $15 each is expected to be limited to a period beginning 10 minutes prior to the performance. Contact 740-587-6557 to hear a concert ticket information recording

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTINGS: Denison University, Granville -- Reception in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day; 7 p.m., Monday (Jan. 16), Slayter Hall. Free and open to the public. Contact 740-587-6344 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575