Office of Public Affairs

(315) 312-2265


March 31, 2004


CONTACT: Mary Avrakotos, 312-4581, artswego@oswego.edu


MULTIMEDIA MASTERPIECE 'VOICES OF LIGHT' COMING TO CAMPUS

    OSWEGO -- "Voices of Light," a multimedia production that blends the screening of the silent classic film "The Passion of Joan of Arc" with live music headlined by Anonymous 4, will take the stage of Tyler Hall's Waterman Theatre at SUNY Oswego at 8 p.m. May 6 and 7.

    Hailed as "a triumph" by the Los Angeles Times and "an overwhelming experience" by the Chicago Tribune, the production has been featured on "CBS Sunday Morning," through NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Performance Today," and in publications that include the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

    "This is a marvelous opportunity to see an intense, marvelous production that has brought audiences to their feet or moved them to tears all over the world," said Mary Avrakotos, director of Artswego. "We are extremely fortunate to have this at Oswego, especially because this will be Anonymous 4's farewell tour."

    The shows, part of the college's Artswego Performing Arts Series, use "The Passion of Joan of Arc" as the backdrop. The highly expressive 1928 silent film is regarded as the masterpiece of Danish director Carl Dreyer, known for his intense studies of the human psyche at the breaking point. The legendary French director Jean Cocteau said the movie played like a "historical document from an era in which the cinema didn't exist."

    The award-winning vocal group Anonymous 4 will provide the voice of Joan of Arc. The film's Joan is Renee Maria Falconetti, a stage actress who appeared on screen just once. "It may be the finest performance ever recorded on film," wrote the eminent movie critic Pauline Kael.

    Oswego's College Choir, Festival Chorus, Chamber Singers and College-Community Orchestra will provide musical accompaniment. Julie Pretzat, professor and chair of music at SUNY Oswego, will serve as musical director, working from a musical score produced by renowned composer Richard Einhorn.

    Entergy Nuclear Northeast provided funding support to bring the production to Oswego. Media support is provided by WCNY Classic FM and Clear Channel Radio through its affiliate station, 570-WSYR.

    Tickets cost $22, $18 for seniors and students, $7 for SUNY Oswego students. A special family package, which includes two adult and two child passes, is available for $72.

    For information, details about group rates or reservations, contact the Tyler Hall box office at 312-2141 or visit the college's performing arts Web site at www.oswego.edu/arts.

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Clip from 'Passion of Joan of Arc'

CLASSIC CLIP -- The 1928 silent film "The Passion of Joan of Arc" will serve as the backdrop for the multimedia presentation "Voices of Light" in Tyler Hall's Waterman Theatre at SUNY Oswego at 8 p.m. May 6 and 7. A screening of the legendary classic, starring Renee Maria Falconetti, above, will blend with live music from Anonymous 4 and a number of college and community ensembles. For information or reservations, call the Tyler Hall box office at 312-2141 or visit the college's performing arts Web site at www.oswego.edu/arts.


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