Arts & Lifestyle
Of Interest ...
Ken Rhodes Trio will r
perform at Reynolda House
The Ken Rhodes TWo will perform its special
Wend of jazz standards and original compositions at
Reynolda Hous^ Museum of American Art on Friday,
May 23 at 8 p.m Pianist Ken Rhodes will be joined by
bassist Matt Kendrick and percussionist John Wilson
in concert in the auditorium of the Mary and Charlie
Babcock Wing.
Rhodes is a classically trained pianist who has per
formed both classical music and jazz during his career
il) the United States and in Europe. Also a teacher and
a composer of two successful cabaret musicals,
Rhodes has performed with orchestras such as the
Bavarian Radio Big Band and the A1 Porcino Big
Band. He is the staff pianist-composer for the Drama
and Dance Schools of the North Carolina School of
the Arts.
Composer and double bassist Kendrick is a North
Carolina native who studied at the North Carolina
School of the Arts and spent many years performing in
New York City. Following studies in jazz education at
the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, he returned
to North Carolina and a career in performance, com
position, and as an instructor of jazz improvisation
and electric bass at Wake Forest University.
Wilson is a graduate of the North Carolina School
of the Arts who continued his graduate studies at the
Manhattan School of Music. While in New York he
played percussion with major orchestras, including
the Glen Miller Orchestra. Now in Winston-Salem, he
accompanies dance at NCSA and is in demand with
jazz ensembles.
The Ken Rhodes Trio recorded "Live at Reynolda
House" in 2000, and Wilson and Kendrick have taught
a series of jazz improvisation courses at the museum
in the Portals of Discovery continuing education pro
gram.
Admission to the concert is $12, $8 for museum
members and students. Tickets will be available at the
door, or in advance by calling 336-758-5150.
Greensboro country singer
is promoting adoption
Lisa Dames, a country music singer and
Greensboro resident, has partnered with Children's
Home Society of NC (CHS) to support children await
ing adoption.
Through this partnership, the organization will
launch a series of concerts at MUSE Restaurant, locat
ed in Greensboro's Friendly Shopping Center, through
the summer and Tall months.
The first concert will be spon- I
sored by Wachovia. Dames '
will serve as the emcee for the
events along with guitarist Sam
Frazier. They will also head
line the first scheduled concert
on June 5 with their band The
Hall Monitors.
This partnership will sup
port CHS's mission of promot
Dames ing the right of every child to a
permanent, safe, and loving
home. The concert series will feature some of the best
and brightest musical acts in Greensboro. The con
certs are scheduled to occur the first Thursday of each
month outside at MUSE Restaurant.
Dames has a long history of supporting causes in
her community. She has proven to be a tenacious per
former who touches the hearts of thousands through
her music.
"I'm so pleased to-be able to help CHS with this
project," she said. "As a mom, I know how critical it
is for children to have a strong family to rely on and I
want to do everything I can to help children awaiting
adoption find forever families of their own."
The partnership kicks off Thursday, June 5 at 5:30
p.m. Each month, live, local, and original music will
be performed from a wide variety of performers.
Tickets are just $5 per person, kids 12 and under are
free.
For more information, visit www.chsnc.org.
Vanessa Williams receives
her degree from Syracuse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Vanessa Williams has
received her bachelor of fine arts degree from
Syracuse University, nearly 25 years after she dropped
out to become the first black Miss America.
The 45-year-old actress-singer, who stars in
^BC's "Ugly Betty," also delivered the convocation
address Saturday to graduates of Syracuse's College
if Visual add Performing Arts.
She encouraged her fellow graduates to "treasure
Ais moment." "These days are irreplaceable and are
the beginning of the rest of your life," she said,
according to the Web Site of The Syracuse Post
Standard.
When she accepted her diploma, Williams raised it
to show her mother and children.
Williams attended Syracuse's drama department
as a musical theater major from 1981-1983. She
earned the remaining credits for her degree through
industry experience and performances on stage and
screen.
She became the first black Miss America in 1983.
Over her career, Williams has sold more than four mil
lion albums, won critical praise for her performances
on Broadway, made dozens of TV appearances and
starred in several movies.
Shi has won a Tony, received two NAACP Image
Awards and nine Grammy nominations.
In 1996, Williams received the George A rents
Pioneer Medal, the university's most prestigious
alumni award.
Educator honored with N.C. Symphony award
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Greensboro resident Jesse L.
Suggs Jr., has won the North
Carolina Symphony's 2007-08
Maxine Swalin Award for the most
Outstanding Music Educator in
North Carolina.
Annually, the award is present
ed to a North Carolina music
teacher who makes a lasting differ
ence in the lives of students of all
abilities and backgrounds; seizes
the community in an exemplary
manner as a role model in music
education; instills a love for music
in childrei^and inspires students to
reach high musical standards.
Teachers are nominated through
letters of recommendation by for
mer students, parents, colleagues
and; principals. The committee
selected Suggs, a graduate of North
Carolina Central University with 39
years of teaching experience. He
retired in June 2000 and taught part
time in Guilford County until the
.fall of 2003 when he returned to
teaching orchestra full-time until
2005. Currently, he gives private
N C Symphony Phoio
Jesse L. Suggs Jr., with Maxine Swalin.
lessons.
As the former director of Ben L.
Smith High School Orchestra,
founder of the Jamestown Middle
School Orchestra and the Northwest
Middle School Orchestras, Suggs
extended the organizations' musical
ambassadorship over 63,258 miles
including the Bahamas, Jamaica,
Hawaii, Australia and Singapore.
He also was founder and past
Music Director of the Jamestown
Civic Orchestra. Suggs has served
as Assistant Conductor for the
Greensboro Symphony Youth
Orchestra and was co-founder of
North Carolina's first Western
Region Junior All-State Orchestra
in 1992. He has served as Chairman
and Secretary-Treasurer of the
Orchestra Section and Member-at
Large of the North Carol Music
Educators Association.
In selecting Suggs, the commit
tee was particularly impressed by
the large number of letters from for
mer students who have very suc
cessful careers in music perform
ance and music education, creating
a legacy of music through his work.
Suggs and his fellow nominees
were honored and recognized at a
May 24 Spring Teacher Workshop.
They will also be feted at the June
14 "Classical Storytellers"
Summerfest performance.
The award honors the contribu
tions of Maxine Swalin to the North
Carolina Symphony. She and her
husband. Dr. Benjamin Swalin, led
the North Carolina Symphony from
1939 until 1972, transforming a
struggling orchestra into one fully
committed to statewide service and
music education.
Stock linage
MyCityofWS has more than 3fi00 users currently.
City Web site feature recognized
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE v
The Public Technology Institute has honored the
MyCityofWS feature of the city's Web site with a
Special Achievement award in its 2007-2008
Solutions Awards. The annual competition honors
local governments that apply technology to improve
service delivery, reduce operating costs and create
new revenue opportunities.
The Public Technology Institute is a national, non
profit, member-supported organization that works
with local government officials to identify opportuni
ties for technology research, share best practices, offer
consultancies and pilot demonstrations, promote tech
nology development initiatives and develop educa
tional programming.
MyCityofWS gives citizens a source of informa
tion customized to their interests and delivers that
information to them by e-mail. For example, local
businesses can be notified wh?n the Bids page is
updated. Citizens can be notified when minutes for
City Council meetings are posted. Members of
Recreation Department athletic leagues can be noti
fied when the latest league standings are posted.
Citizens can also use MyCityofWS to sign up to
receive electronic newsletters from various depart
ments and can be sent reminders in advance of calen
dar events that interest them.
Currently there are almost 3,200 registered users
for MyCityofWS. On an average day, the system sends
out more than 230 e-maHs to registered users.
To become a MyCityofWS member, user should
click on the "Sign In" link under MyCityofWS (at
left). Then click on the register link and fill out the
form. After registering, new members are sent an e
mail with a link to confirm their registration. The
process keeps pranksters from signing up people with
out their permission.
Miss UNCF accepts her crown
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
UNCF - the United Negro
College Fund - recently announced
the winner of its 50th Annual Miss
National UNCF competition.
Natasha Sherrill Lawton, . a
sophomore majoring in Business
Administration at Wiley College in
Marshall, Texas, one of UNCF's-39
member institutions, has claimed
the title.
A native of Dallas, Texas,
Lawton will receive a$3,000 schol
arship. An active member of the
Wiley College student body, her
affiliations include the Student
Union Advisory Board, United
Methodist Women, president of the
Pre-Alumni Council and residence
assistant for Johnson-Moon Hall.
"UNCF means possibilities: for
young people: education, career
opportunities, accomplishment and
service," said Lawton, "I am hon
ored to represent this organization
that is committed to helping young
scholars get their degrees and
achieve their dreams," she contin
ued. Lawton participated in her first
event as the reigning Miss National
UNCF on March 7 at UNCF's 64th
Anniversary Dinner in New York
where Denzel and Pauletta
untr rnotn
See UNCF on All Natasha Sherrill Lawton with Pauletta Washington.
Easley
makes
Franklin
a trustee
at NCSA
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
. ~ ~
Governor Mike Easley has
appointed Denise Franklin of
Winstoif-Salem to the North
Carolina School of the Arts
(NCSA) Board of Trustees.
Franklin has spent more
than 25 years in the field of
communications with an
emphasis on broadcast journal
ism. Currently, she is the
General Manager of 88. 5
WFDD, the National Public
Radio affiliate that serves 32
counties in the Piedmont Triad
area of
N or t h
Carolina.
She
joined
8 8.5
W FDD
in 2001
as Senior
News
Host and
shortly Franklin
there
after became News Director.
In 2004, she was promoted to
Associate General Manager.
She also hosts "Voices and
Viewpoints," an interview pro
gram highlighting individuals
living in the Triad who are
achieving national and interna
tional recognition.
Prior to joining WFDD,
Franklin was a news anchor
and investigative reporter at
WX11, the local NBC affiliate.
She also worked in television
news in Kansas City and
Wichita, Kansas. Franklin
graduated from the Babcock
Graduate School of
Management in 2006.
In addition. Franklin devel
oped and coordinated a jour
nalism ethics conference.
Ethics and Leadership in the
Media, which was held at
Wake Forest University and
attracted students from several
area universities. She has been
an adjunct college instructor at
Wake Forest University and
Winston-Salem State
University. Franklin also is an
active community volunteer.
She currently serves on the
board of the Winston-Salem
Chamber of Commerce and the
New Winston Museum.
The NCSA Board of
Trustees is composed of 19 cit
izens with eight members
elected by the University of
North Carolina Board of
Governors and four appointed
by the governor of North
Carolina. The membership
also includes a representative
of the North Carolina
Symphony, the secretary of the
Department of Cultural
Resources, the president of the
NCSA Student Government
Association, and liaisons from
the NCSA Foundation and
Board of Visitors.