There’s great entertainment brewing at the Redfern this season. The Visiting Artists Series offers a wonderful variety of musical genres and features several new artists.

The series opens with a free preview of the entire season on Thursday, September 17, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Redfern’s Alumni Recital Hall. The preview will include video excerpts from performances, and recordings of some of the music. (Call 603-358-2168 to reserve a seat.)

Here’s the line up:

Wednesday, September 30: Yeol Eum Son, the most recent Silver Medal 2009 winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Wednesday, October 21: the Borealis Wind Quintet, which The New York Times described as “a polished, elegantly turned performance.”

Wednesday, January 27: David Krakauer and His Klezmer Madness!, an internationally acclaimed ensemble that hurls the tradition of Klezmer into the 21st century.

Wednesday, February 24: The Ethos Percussion Group, accomplished classical and world-music artists  who marry global instruments and playing styles with the conventions of Western chamber music.

Wednesday, March 3: The Ying Quartet celebrates Robert Schuman’s 200th birthday.

Wednesday, March 10: Cathie Ryan, former lead singer of Cherish the Ladies, helps us celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Tuesday, April 13: Philip Hamilton’s Voices, this nine-voice a cappella ensemble’s performance ranges from barbershop quartet to blues to miners’ songs.

Sunday, November 1: Cirque Mechanic, in its latest creation, Birdhouse Factory, a place where acrobatics and early 20th century machines come together. (3 p.m.; special school performance on Monday, November 2, at 10 a.m.)

Wednesday, April 14: The Acting Company’s Romeo and Juliet at the Colonial Theatre (7:30 p.m.; school performance at 9:30 a.m.)

Thursday, November 12: Avner the Eccentric, noted for his hilarious take-no-prisoners comedy.

Wednesday, October 7: Kate Weare Company; as Dance View Time noted, “… the heat came from the stage … you sense intelligence and the choreographer’s mind at work.”

Wednesday, February 17: Kinodance Company, which employs a passion for kinetic arts and a strong belief in interdisciplinary collaborations.

Tuesday, March 23: Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, featuring the largest repertoire from African American choreographers in the world.

More information.

Your name could be here.

Were you here for Reunion 2009 in June? Were you one of the 700+ people who signed the beam for the Alumni Center? If so, your name is enshrined forever (forever=the life of the building) in the new construction. In spite of this summer’s heavy rains, we expect to move into the Center early next May. Make plans to be on campus for Reunion 2010 for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

If you’d like to see more pictures of the beam, and the construction on the Alumni Center, check out the photo journal.

KSC’s Parent/Family Weekend is coming right up: if you don’t already have it on your calendar, mark September 25-27 now!

We have great things scheduled for students and their families, including:

• a meet and greet social
• renowned mentalist Wayne Hoffman
• panel discussions with College administration and parents
• athletic events
• comedy show with Roy Wood Jr.
• the Concert Choir’s cabaret dinner show

The weekend is sponsored by the KSC Parents Association and the Social Activities Council. For more information (including a complete list of events), visit the Parent/Family Weekend page. Registration begins online Monday, August 10th.

The Alumni and Parent Relations office has a new staffing model to help expand outreach efforts and help alums connect with students and each other.

Here’s the new system:

• Kay MacLean (who many of you know from her years of service in our office) is now an Assistant Director. Kay’s responsible for developing our Alumni to Alumni Career Services outreach, volunteer management, helping to coordinate the 25th through Golden Circle (50 year+) class reunions, and Golden Circle programming. She’ll also work with College departments on alumni and parent programming and services.
• Sara Telfer has recently been hired as our second Assistant Director. Sara will develop new programs to engage students and recent graduates. She’ll be responsible for the identification, recruitment, orientation, and training of students and recent alumni volunteers in new programs (including career planning, alumni mentoring, internships and a student-driven Student Ambassadors program). She’ll also manage strategic development of technology-based services for students, alumni, and parents. Sara starts Aug. 10th.
• Pauline Dionne — another long time veteran of KSC — will become our full-time Administrative Assistant.

Any questions?

Exactly what are the consequences of our interaction with the environment? How do our social and political systems mesh with the natural world? The College has established a new Environmental Studies Department to address questions just like those. The curriculum is designed to develop students’ ability to evaluate, analyze, and synthesize complex information relating to environmental issues and prepare them for careers in environmental consulting, policy making, field research, and sustainability assessment.

More information.

The new cogeneration plant near Fiske Hall (Colin Burdick photo)

With our new Environmental Studies Department, it’s logical that the campus would put some careful thought into the way it generates heat and electricity. When the steam plant that has heated the campus for nearly 100 years needed an upgrade, the design team went for a pair of super-efficient new boilers that increase steam output with almost no waste and turn a turbine that can generate up to 12% of the campus’s electricity. VP for Finance and Planning Jay Kahn estimates a seven-year payback and a $5.6 million savings over the 30-year life of the boilers. Now that’s going green!

More information.

John Carey ’71 (Kronicle photo)

A larger-than-life character who ran his life on high octane, John “Captain Jack” Carey ’71, was killed July 17 while mountain biking near his home in Ophir, Colorado. Jack was a Keene native who came to KSC after a hitch in the Air Force. While on campus, he played varsity basketball and was a Kappa Delta Phi brother.

Not long after graduation, he made his way out to the Telluride area, where he became a legend as a skier and hang glider. One of his fraternity brothers, Gordi Davis ’72, remembered that Jack got his “Captain” nickname after doing a hang-gliding commercial for Coors beer in the late 70s. Jack was the first person to soar over 20,000 feet in a hang glider.

The Telluride Watch had a nice article, with slideshow, on Captain Jack, and ESPN also did an informative obituary with a fascinating video.

We bet there are some other great Jack stories out there. Please use the “comments” link below to send us your memories of this remarkable alum.

Jenna Patnode rounding the bases (courtesy photo)

Base-stealing champ Jenna Patnode, a senior from Surry, N.H., was one of 10 student athletes named winners of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) 2009 Golden Shoe Award. NFCA and Adidas present the award annually to the top base stealer from NFCA member schools. Besides a wealth of other accolades, Patnode holds a school-record for stealing 47 bases in a single season. She finished her Owl career with a grand total of 99 steals. Her 47 steals ranked her second in the NCAA standings and were the most steals in NCAA Division III play during 2009. She was the only player in the country with 40 or more swipes last season.

More information.

In July, KSC Surplus Property Program earned more than $2,950 in its annual summer blowout sale, recycling useful items back into service and avoiding tipping fees at the local landfill. As one of our many success stories, the Linden School in Northampton, Mass., a school for troubled youth, filled a large truck with $10 dressers and headed home with something they were happy to get such a deal on.

The sale is the second Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. to noon. Everyone is welcome. All sales are first come, first serve. The Surplus House, located on Winchester St. across from McDonald’s and Wendy’s restaurants, will be open this coming Saturday morning, August 8.

If you’d like to receive emails letting you know about the sales, please email Renee Harlow and ask her to add you to the list.

More information.