For the first time in three years, the University Singers student chorus will perform in person with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in two performances this weekend at the Capitol Theatre.

University Singers include students from across the University who take this ensemble course for credit. The course focuses on the performance of various styles from all periods. When combined with the WSO Chorus, an auditioned volunteer choral ensemble, they become a massed choir of more than 80 voices under the direction of Bruce Kotowich, acting director of the School of Creative Arts.

The concert is titled “World Connections through Music” and promises extraordinary music created under difficult circumstances. The program features the world premiere of a work by Iranian composer Farhad Poupel, as well as Symphony No. 9 by Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

Pianist Jeffrey Biegel, University Singers, WSO Chorus, and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra join forces to perform “The Legend of Bijan and Manijeh,” drawn from the long poem Shahnameh. The national epic of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, it was written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi in the 10th century and consists of more than 50,000 two-line verses.

The Legend of Bijan and Manijeh is about two lovers from hostile countries, Persia and Turan, telling of Bijan’s suffering and Manijeh’s constancy. Like other stories in the Shahnameh, it depicts the power of women in pre-Islamic Persian society, a power now manifesting in Iran.

“This world premiere for piano, chorus, and orchestra brings to life the ancient Persian love story of a strong woman and her prince,” says WSO music director Robert Franz. “You don’t want to miss this one!”

Poupel, who makes his home in the United Kingdom, will be in Windsor this week attending the rehearsals and performances.

He describes the structure of his composition as consisting of the battle between dark and light.

“In the end, we have a climax of the whole work in a very delicate, tranquil, and bitter-sweet ending since loving someone is not necessarily all happiness, but sadness and happiness at the same time,” Poupel says.

Performances of “World Connections through Music” are 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, at the Capitol Theatre. Tickets are available online or by calling the box office at 519-973-1238, ext. 2.

Watch a video of Franz in conversation with Poupel and Biegel:

Ever wondered what it takes to plan a bioart exhibition? UWindsor professor Jennifer Willet, director of Incubator Art Lab, has been exhibiting living biological artworks in galleries and museums for over 20 years. She will share tips from her own experiences Thursday, Nov. 17, in the sixth installment of the Bio Art Hangout Kitchen series.

The series presents a virtual hangout with an invited artist or scientist performing an art-sci protocol or show-and-tell.

The current entry, “7 Tips for Designing a Bioart Exhibition,” follows Dr. Willet from her Windsor studio to Ectopia – Laboratório de Arte Experimental in Lisbon, Portugal. Managing international customs, high emotions, and multiple funding agencies, she installed a complex exhibition in seven days.

The event will stream on YouTube at 5 p.m. Thursday; tune in here. Bio Art Kitchen Hangout is presented by the Incubator Art Lab and the Iota Institute, a creative agency that supports writing and curatorial research.

In its continued efforts to bring a better understanding of cultures around the world, the International Student Centre is hosting interactive sessions for UWindsor faculty and staff.

The ISC Culture Series aims to provide a better understanding of the history, cuisine, languages, and common practices that help in offering support to international students.

“International students who have picked the University of Windsor over other global institutions merit a high level of support,” says the series co-ordinator, Romi Saraswat, international student advising consultant. “That requires that we have an enhanced understanding of their culture, which reflects in their behaviour and mannerisms.”

The first presentation will feature consul Alejandro Noriega of the Mexican consulate in Leamington, highlighting the culture of Mexico. It will run 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23, in the International Student Centre on the second floor of Laurier Hall.

Dates have not yet been set for sessions in the Winter 2023 semester, which will include:

• India
• Middle East region
• Indigenous cultures
• Nigeria
• China

Sign up to express interest and receive an email reminder.

A breakfast reception Tuesday honoured a record 204 Lancer student-athletes who qualified for Academic All-Canadian status, achieving a minimum grade-point average of 80 per cent while competing in varsity sport.

The event, hosted by interim provost Patti Weir, recognized the achievement as epitomizing the ideals of university athletics.

Find more information, including a list of all the UWindsor Academic All-Canadians, at goLancers.ca.

Melanie Lang, founder and CEO of FormAlloy Technologies, will deliver a presentation entitled “Constructing the AMPossible” as the final entry in the Entrepreneurship SpeakHER Series on Monday, Nov. 21.

FormAlloy is a provider of directed energy deposition systems and services to a wide range of industries.

Lang says she is motivated by developing a disruptive technology that delivers the future of additive manufacturing — creating high-value components with superior performance. In addition to her role at FormAlloy, she serves on the executive committee of America Makes and as an ambassador for Women in 3D Printing.

Presented by the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre (EPICentre) and funded by the U.S. Consulate General, the Entrepreneurship SpeakHER Series aims to empower post-secondary students, especially women, to consider entrepreneurship as a potential career path.

Monday’s webinar will run over Zoom starting at noon. Register here to receive the link to attend.