Blog Posts by Westmont

Westmont music instructors William Nield Christensen and Celeste Tavera will perform a faculty recital 1:30 p.m. April 21 in Deane Chapel on Westmont’s lower campus. Admission is free and open to the public.

Christensen is finishing his doctorate in music at UCSB and has been a regular at music performances around Santa Barbara. He has performed with the Santa Barbara Grand Opera and performed at the opera nights at the Arts and Letters Café.

Lord Paul and Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree will receive the Westmont Medal during graduation ceremonies 10 a.m. May 3 on Russell Carr Field.

The Westmont Medal is given each year to recognize those in our community whose lives embody the very principles associated with the Christian character of the college: integrity, service, compassion, responsibility, faithfulness, discipline and generosity.

Westmont’s choral groups unite for their annual spring concert 8 p.m. April 19 at Trinity Episcopal Church. Admission is free, but a free-will donation will be requested.

The concert will open with an African processional, featuring all Westmont choristers.

Ron Shelton, director of the 1988 Oscar-nominated film “Bull Durham” and a 1967 alumnus of Westmont, will speak on “Ideas of Redemption in Popular Culture” 3:30 p.m. April 18 in Porter Theatre. The event is open to the public and admission is free.

Shelton’s other films include “Tin Cup” (1996), “White Men Can’t Jump” (1992), “Blaze” (1990), “Cobb” (1994) and “Play It to the Bone” (1999). His first film was the 1983 political drama, “Under Fire.”

The annual spring Wind and String Ensemble Concert will feature the wind and string ensembles in a joint concert 8 p.m. April 15 in Porter Theatre. Admission is free.

The wind ensemble is made up of 20 students and will perform pieces by Beethoven, Stravinsky and Persichetti. They will also perform Gershwin's eclectic “An American in Paris,” which features sounds such as a taxi horn.

The string ensemble consists of 12 players under the musical direction of violinist Emily Sommermann.

Professor James Barr will present “The Depictions of the Hebrew Prophets: Regularity and Surprise” 4:30 p.m. April 9 in Page Hall Multipurpose Room on Westmont’s upper campus.

This is the first in a UCSB-Westmont series of lectures on the Hebrew Bible. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Barr is emeritus regius professor of Hebrew at Oxford University and emeritus distinguished professor of Hebrew Bible at Vanderbilt University, as well as the author of numerous books.