Photographer to speak in Art Studio series

The 2009-10 Art Studio Lecture Series is scheduled to conclude May 20 with a talk by Boston photographer Jim Dow, known for his panoramic triptychs of baseball stadiums.

The J. Paul Getty Museum describes Dow’s subjects, like the ballpark, as places where people enact their everyday rituals.

“Dow is concerned with capturing ‘human ingenuity and spirit’ in endangered regional traditions — a barbershop with a heavy patina of town life covering the walls, the opulent time capsule of an old private New York club, the densely packed display of smoking pipes in an English tobacconist shop — all artifacts of a vanishing era,” according to the Getty website.

It states that he first gained attention for his ballpark triptychs, a project that began with an image he made of Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia in 1980. With a large-format camera, he has documented more than 200 major- and minor-league parks in the United States and Canada.

His talk, free and open to the public, is set for 4:30 p.m. in the Technocultural Studies Building. Dow’s talk had been scheduled to take place earlier in the year, but was postponed until May 20.

More music in May-June

Concerts by the Early Music Ensemble and the Symphony Orchestra are scheduled for this weekend, as part of the Department of Music's jam-packed calendar from now through June 3.

• Early Music Ensemble — Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, with the Whole Noyse and members of the UC Davis Baroque Ensemble. 8 p.m. May 15, Davis Community Church, 412 C St.

• Symphony Orchestra — Beethoven: Overture and incidental music to “Egmont,” with Susannah Biller, soprano, and Bella Merlin, narrator; and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E Minor. 8 p.m. May 16, Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

• Jazz Bands — Organ and Big Band. 7 p.m. May 19, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center.

• Gospel Choir — 7 p.m. May 22, Freeborn Hall.

• Concert Bands — Program includes Johan de Meij’s Symphony No. 1 (The Lord of the Rings); Pedro Iturralde’s Pequeña Czarda, with Keith Bohm, saxophone; Roger Nixon’s Mondavi Fanfare (2003); Gustav Holst’s First Suite in E-flat Major; and Steven Bryant’s Suite Dreams. 7 p.m. May 26, Jackson Hall.

• University Chorus — Brahms’ 4 Gesänge, op. 17; Duruflé’s Messe Cum Jubilo; and Rutter’s Requiem. 7 p.m. May 28, Jackson Hall.

• Empyrean Ensemble: New Music from Davis — Works by graduate student composers Hendel Almétus, Ben Irwin, Scott Perry, Garrett Shatzer, Liam Wade and Ching-Yi Wang. 7 p.m. June 2, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center. Preperformance lecture, “Demystifying the Music,” 6 p.m.

• Symphony Orchestra: Family Concert — Works by Piazzolla and Liadov, and the winning composer of the 2010 Composition Competition. Also featuring violinist Shawyon Malek-Salehi and violist Andy Tan (2010 Concerto Competition winners) in the Presto from Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. 7 p.m. June 3, Jackson Hall.

Tickets for all events except the Early Music Ensemble concert are available through the Mondavi Center box office: (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or mondaviarts.org. (Purchases for the Gospel Choir concert can be made only in person or by phone, not online). The Early Music Ensemble suggests donations at the door.

International Storytelling Program

International House plans one more International Storytelling Program before summer.

The final program is set for May 16, featuring John Boe, a lecturer in the University Writing Program, telling stories and playing the kalimba. Boe has performed at the California Storytelling Festival, the Sonoma Storytelling Festival, Picnic Day, and at clubs, schools and hospitals.

I-House, at 10 College Park in Davis, presents its storytelling programs one Sunday afternoon a month (except in December, June, July and August). The programs take place in the Community Room, with doors opening at 1:45 p.m. and the program starting at 2.

Organizers said the programs are open to the public, to children of all ages — with adult accompaniment. Admission is free for I-House members; for others, I-House suggests donations of $2 per person or $5 per family.

More information. Or send an e-mail to chips@internationalhousedavis.org.

International Film Series

The International Film Series at the International House is set to continue May 21 with The World of Apu, a 1959 film from India.

In this film, set in Bengal in the 1920s, Apu, after losing his wife in childbirth, wanders here and there, trying to find himself, ignoring the child whom he never met and who is being cared for by grandparents.

Ultimately, Apu takes on the responsibility of parenthood, and tries to win his son’s trust and affection.

After The World of Apu, two more films remain in the 2009-10 film series:

• June 4 — Immortal Beloved (1994, United Kingdom/United States)

• June 18 — Son of the Bride (2001, Argentina)

The bimonthly film programs begin with refreshments at 7:30 p.m., and the films start at 8 p.m. sharp. Admission is free, with donations welcome to help cover the cost of video-DVD rental, refreshments and use of the facility.

Japanese concert at I-House on May 23

International House announced a concert of Japanese music, being presented in memory of I-House founder Shunta Yamamoto.

The concert is scheduled for 3 p.m. May 23; organizers said admission is free, with donations accepted. I-House is at 10 College Park, off Russell Boulevard and opposite Howard Way at the north edge of campus.

Elisabeth Sherwin, executive director of I-House, said Yamamoto and her husband, from Tokyo, came to Davis in the late 1970s with the idea of starting an international house dedicated to creating a global community.

“This was a popular idea, and members of the community worked with the Yamamotos to make it come true,” Sherwin said.

The organizers formally established a nonprofit corporation in 1981 and bought the house at 10 College Park two years later, through a generous gift from the Yamamotos. International House Davis opened in March 1984.

Davis resident Sumiyo Tamura Guerena (known as Naoko) is the concert organizer and one the musicians (playing the koto and shamisen). The other musicians: Kyokuto Kimura (biwa) and Philip Gelb (shakuhachi).

Two similar concerts took place at I-House in 2006 and ’07. The concert is free and donations will be accepted.

“This will be a beautiful, traditional Japanese music concert,” Sherwin said. “It is a rare event, and we are extremely lucky to have these world-class musicians sharing their talents with us.”

For more information about I-House or the concert, contact Sherwin at (530) 753-5007.