At the beginning of May, I opened Netflix to a splash of graduated colors announcing a new featured collection, “Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Stories.” The unapologetic mouthful truly surprised me — we don’t get featured. We don’t get recognized. We don’t get celebrated. But here we are, even if it took a year of…
World Premieres for Flute
Last Sunday, members of the Conservatory’s Flute and Composition Studios sat scattered among the seats of Harper Hall, a simultaneously cozy and distanced setting that allowed the performers to play live and unmasked. For many on the evening’s program, taking the stage would be their first live-audience experience in over a year. During winter term,…
Break Through, Not Apart
An image from the documentary, Asian Americans, hosted by the Pan-Asian Organization. Photo by Pei Robins. *All factual information taken from PBS’ Asian Americans Episode 5: “Breaking Through” Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. Comedian Hari Kondabolu reassured the group projected to become the statistical minority by 2042: “Don’t…
Comic Sans and Dyslexia
The world of typography and graphic design loves to hate Comic Sans. Initially developed for Microsoft in 1994 by Vincent Connare, the kitschy nature of the font that has made it so notorious was actually intentional. As illustration digitized along with plain text, there was a hole to be filled when it came to system…
LUMÉ brings Mariachi to Wisconsin
Freshman Jando Valdez helped found the Lawrence University Mariachi Ensemble. Photo by Pei Robins. Mariachi may not be the most familiar sound to the Midwest, but in the past year it has put down roots at Lawrence. The Lawrence University Mariachi Ensemble (LUMÉ) began rehearsals last term thanks to the combined enthusiasm of first year…
Asian influence in classical music
In the world of wind ensembles, there are certain names that are as familiar to the high school band nerd as the internationally renowned soloists. Beyond the household classics like Beethoven and Mozart, there are the likes of Sousa and Persichetti, known for more recent hallmarks of band literature. Delving just beyond the standards and…
Inoculation Sensations: Interactive Sculpture
Sophmore Charlie Wetzel’s interactive sculpture InoculationSensations is located outside of Wriston Art Center. Photo by Pei Robins. “I’ve had both doses and it’s been two weeks for me, so I’ve hugged a few friends,” explains sophomore Charlie Wetzel. “It felt so weird. It felt alien.” Hugging was her go-to greeting before the pandemic, but returning…