HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS with SC Philharmonic, Cola Rep Dance Co, Columbia Choral Society, Michael Hazin, Camm Wess, Cat Galan, Johnnie Felder and SANTA!!!

The South Carolina Philharmonic presents Home for the Holidays on Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 7:00 PM at the Koger Center for the Arts under the baton of Music Director Morihiko Nakahara. The SC Philharmonic is bringing this community celebration back to the Koger Center for one night only after last season’s inaugural performance. As this concert is a holiday-themed variety show, the orchestra will be joined by singers CammWess (The Voice, Team John Legend), Cat Galan (Stankface, Boomtown Trio), Michael Hazin (musical theatre performer) and opera singer Johnnie Felder. The concert includes two performances by Cola Rep Dance Co. The Columbia Choral Society also comes to the stage for the thrilling second act. Finally, Santa will also be on hand for any last-minute requests. This joyful concert is a creative collaboration between Music Director Morihiko Nakahara and director Chad Henderson, the former Artistic Director of Trustus Theatre and current Marketing Director of the SC Phil. Tickets may be purchased by visiting scphilharmonic.com or by calling the Koger Center Box Office at 803-251-2222. 

Home for the Holidays is one of the last large-scale holiday-themed events of the season, with the performance scheduled on December 19th. This concert is a great way to entertain family and friends who have gathered for the holidays, and to those who are looking for new traditions. Created in collaboration with Music Director Morihiko Nakahara and local theatre director Chad Henderson, this concert promises to be an energetic experience that celebrates the Midlands arts scene. “This concert is a salute to our community,” said Director Chad Henderson. “Last year, we started out trying to create an exciting program of joyous music that would set performers up to shine with an orchestra. Once we got into the weeds, we realized we had created a multidisciplinary celebration of home.” The creative team of Nakahara and Henderson leaned into that aspect with more intentionality this season. 

Columbia Choral Society

Audiences can expect to hear holiday classics like Bing Crosby’s Jingle Bells, Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song and Leroy Anderson’s festive holiday treat: Sleigh Ride. Opera singer Johnnie Felder will join Cat Galan for a very special performance of The Prayer - made famous by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. The Columbia Choral Society will join the orchestra for arrangements of Twas the Night Before Christmas and selections from John Williams’ Home Alone score, among others.

“Without giving everything away, we have some special surprises planned for our audience,” said Henderson. “With this concert being so late in December, we are really focused on creating an evening for families and friends. A lot of folks are about to travel to other places at that time, and so many are returning home as well. This concert is a great way to get into the spirit, and to be awed by the talent we have in the Midlands. We’re also collaborating with one of my favorite colleagues: lighting designer Marc Hurst. You’re going to get some epic musical experiences out of this one.” 

The SC Philharmonic’s Home for the Holidays will take the Koger Center stage on Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 7:00 PM at. Concert ticket prices range from $25 to $55, and they can be purchased at scphilharmonic.com or by calling the Koger Center Box Office (803) 251-2222.

 For more information about the South Carolina Philharmonic, please visit SCPhilharmonic.com 

Join Jasper for Vista Lights this Thursday - featuring Lisa Alberghini, Adam Corbett, Karen Sargent, Candace Catoe, Carla Damron, and Valerie Lamott

by Cindi Boiter

In my heart I’m just now switching over from sandals and sundresses to blue jeans and boot weather, but in my brain the calendar tells me that the holidays are sneaking up on us and I think I have to believe it. Unless we’re deep in the darkest timeline, which isn’t out of the question, numbers don’t lie. This Thursday is November 21st and that means Vista Lights is happening this week. Already.

Luckily, the Jasper Team has been at the planning table and we have an evening of local art and festivities planned for you when you join us on Thursday, November 21 at 6 pm at Coal Powered Filmworks at 1217 Lincoln Street in Columbia’s historic Vista. As usual, we’ll have a fun roster of local artists who will be sharing their wares – ornaments, jewelry, small art, surprises!

Among our featured artists are Lisa Alberghini, Adam Corbett, Karen Sargent, Candace Catoe, Carla Damron, and Valerie LaMott!

We’ll have some light snacks, friendly faces, and loads of good cheer as we pretend our political world is still on its axis and we take refuge in the reciprocated pretense of joy on all your smiling faces.

There may be booze.

Join us!

An Evening of Art – Opening Receptions for Exhibits by Janet Swigler and Christina Clark at the Koger Center

By Emily Moffitt, Visual Arts Editor, Jasper Magazine

Join us on Friday, November 22, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. for two art receptions at the Koger Center for the Arts. In the Nook on the second floor of the Koger Center, Jasper Galleries welcomes Janet Swigler. On the ground floor of the Koger Center, walls will be adorned with the work of Christina Clark. Both artists work with abstract forms and subject matter, yet in different ways that engage the viewer.

Janet Swigler moved around the United States often at a young age due to her Air Force family upbringing, but this had a beneficial impact on her adaptability, independence, and resourcefulness. She spent several of her pre-teen years living in Japan, which offered cultural aesthetics and philosophies that continue to influence her art and life. This, along with her musical training and experience in music education, created a synergy of artistic disciplines and ideas that transferred easily to the work she creates. Sewing has been a lifelong interest of hers, and her quilt-making studies under Nancy Crow helped her to reach where she is today.

Christina Clark, originally from Austria, descended from a family of artists and musicians. To this day, she surrounds herself with the joyous energy of visual arts and music through her own personal artistic endeavors and her philanthropic service to the University of South Carolina School of Music. Clark carefully considers the viewer’s experience when she starts to put pastel to paper. Recently, Clark created a series of pieces that served as companions to the Parker Quartet’s Beethoven Quartet cycle. Clark embraces the conversation that music can have with her work and is honored to be able to keep that conversation going through her donations.

Both receptions are free and open to the public. They precede the sold-out performance of Koger Center and ColaJazz present: Live in the Lobby Jazz: The Music of Miles Davis. There’s a lot going on in the Vista that night, including a concert at Colonial Life Arena, so be mindful of parking and get to the receptions early!

Join the Jasper Project and SCAA for a Reading and Launch Celebration of Southern Voices – Fifty Contemporary Poets Edited by Tom Mack and Andrew Geyer

By Cindi Boiter

Poetry and place come together beautifully in Tom Mack and Andrew Geyer’s (editors) new book, Southern Voices – Fifty Contemporary Poets (Lamar University Press) Which launched on October 1st on the campus of University of SC at Aiken, where Mack is a distinguished professor emeritus and Geyer serves as chair of the English Department. The two previously worked together editing the fiction anthology, A Shared Voice: A Tapestry of Tales (Lamar University Press, 2013), and have joined forces once again to bring us a new and intriguing look at contemporary poetry from the South.

“Because of the overwhelming success of that collection of paired tales, the folks at Lamar University Literary Press wondered if we could put together an equally attractive book of poems,” Mack says. Mack also edited Dancing on Barbed Wire (Angelina River Press, 2018) which Geyer co-wrote with Terry Dalrymple and Jerry Craven. “We knew from the outset of the multi-year project that we wanted to cover the whole South from Virginia to Texas, from Arkansas to Florida; and we thought that 50 would be the minimum number of poets (4-6 poems by each) that we would need to do justice to the complex geography and culture of this distinctive region of the country.”

South Carolina poetry aficionados will not be surprised by the list of distinguished contributors to Southern Voices, among them Jasper’s own poetry editor and inaugural Columbia city poet laureate, Ed Madden, along with Libby Bernadin, Marcus Amaker, Ron Rash, Glennis Redmond, and forty-five equally accomplished poets from across the region.

“Once we decided on how many poets to include in the book,” Mack says, “we divided the South in half. Because I had edited the South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to South Carolina Writers (USC Press) and managed the USC Aiken writers’ series for over a decade, I volunteered to invite 25 poets from the Atlantic coast, the part of the South I know best. Drew (Geyer), a native of Texas and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters, focused on Southern states from Alabama to west of the Mississippi.”

The theme of “place” features prominently in this collection, Mack says. “It thus made sense to invite as many state and local poets laureate as possible since those individuals had already been selected by governmental entities to represent a particular locale. All of the Southern states have state poets laureate; and some states, such as South Carolina, have poets laureate who have been selected to represent cities and towns. Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, and Rock Hill, for example, have municipal poets laureate. Thus, we were expecting that most of the poems submitted by each invited poet would focus on place: physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological. We were not disappointed.”

But the co-editors recognized early on that the representation of contemporary Southern poets looks increasingly different than in decades past, as it should. “From the very beginning of the process, we wanted to put together a book that reflected the changing demographics of the region, its growing diversity and burgeoning equality of opportunity. Thus, in choosing our invitees, we kept gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation in mind,” Geyer says.

In his introduction to the volume Mack writes, “Perhaps no other region of this vast country is haunted more by the past. In the case of the American South, heavy lie the legacy of slavery and the specter of the Civil War. … Yet, the winds of change can be felt throughout the American South, due in large part to both a generational and demographic shift—the region is consistently being enriched by transplants from other parts of the country and other nations of the world.”

“This Southern Voices collection is a testament to how far we’ve come,” Geyer agrees. “The poets in this anthology are Black and white and brown, straight and LGBTQ+, native Southerners and northern transplants—a mélange of artists from across the Greater South most of whom have served as the poets laureate of their states and/or local communities. These are the poets whose work everyday folks living in the South chose to represent them. The diversity of voices that you’ll find in this incredible volume is reflective of the people who make the place what it is.” 

Launch celebrations and readings for Southern Voices are scheduled  throughout the state. The public is invited to attend the Columbia event, sponsored in part by the Jasper Project and the South Carolina Academy of Authors, from 6 to 8 pm on November 14th at All Good Books in Five Points. Poets scheduled to read from the collection include Ed Madden, Glenis Redmond, Libby Bernardin, and Ellen Hyatt.

 

 

 

A version of this article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Jasper Magazine - Available now throughout Columbia

Congratulations to the Jasper Project’s 2024 2nd Act Film Project Winners & Photos by Perry McLeod from the Event!

Art by Cait Maloney

Wednesday night was a brilliant night for local independent filmmakers at the Jasper Project’s 2024 2nd Act Film Project at 701 Whaley! With a sold-out house and fabulous arts energy, we celebrated all 14 SC filmmakers who were juried into the project, screened all 14 films, and awarded a total of $2500 in cash prizes to our participants.

Participants included Adam Weber, Idris Pearson, Nick Clay, Marley Gregory, Chad Henderson, Thaddeus Jones, Bakari Lebby, Silas Rowland, Taiyen Stevenson, Alex Steele, Andrew Smith, Ebony Wilson, Dustin Weible, and USC SGTV 1080c, a student film group from USC.

2024 welcomed the largest roster of filmmaker applicants thus far and, in keeping with the mission of the Jasper Project, there was no entry fee for participating in the project. Filmmakers also received a $100 stipend from the Jasper Project to help offset production costs.

2nd Act Film Project director, and Jasper Project Board of Directors president Wade Sellers had this to say about this year’s event: “The 2024 2nd Act Film Project confirms that the indie film community in the midlands is stronger than ever. Filmmakers and indie film fans gathered to watch 14 films created solely for the screening and a packed house of almost 230 people laughed and celebrated the strongest group of movies made for the second act project thus far. This group of films marks 84 movies that have been made by South Carolina filmmakers and produced by the Jasper Project. The Jasper Project is proud to take a leading role in supporting the growth of the new wave of indie filmmakers in the state.”

Sellers continues, “Our 2nd Act judging panel of creative professionals, faced difficult challenges choosing individual awards from this year‘s group of 2nd Act Film Project films. Each film exhibited highly professional approaches to the craft and awards came down to serious discussions between panelists. Quite simply, the talent in every category was just too good to pick an obvious winner. To witness the serious approach each filmmaker took toward the creation of a six-minute short film is humbling and the high quality of the end product is overwhelming. Our indie film community is as strong as ever.”

In addition to cash prizes, winning filmmakers were also presented with artisanal awards created by Columbia, SC - based visual artist Michael Krajewski.

Adjudicators included Kwasi Brown, founder of Black Nerd Mafia, indie filmmaker Robbie Robertson, and visual artist Michaela Pilar Brown, all of whom viewed the films in advance of the screening . The Audience Award was decided via secret ballot (one ballot per person) by attendees at the Wednesday night event. The awards were as follows:

Audience Award – Toreador, Chad Henderson

Producers Award (Best Film) – Toreador, Chad Henderson

Best Script – For He’s a Jolly Dead Fellow, Silas James Rowland

Best Director – the Easter Sunday Massacre, William Nicholas Clay

Best Cinematography – Toreador, Jonathan Palance

Best Editing – The Other Within, Collins White

Best Actor – Toreador, Cesar Davalos

Best Score – Ryde, Ebony Wilson

All 2nd Act Film Project screenplays are bound, given an ISBN, and filed with the US Library of Congress as a way of preserving for posterity some of the art created by the Jasper Project and art coming out of Columbia, SC.

This event, including our cash awards, was made possible by our generous sponsors. Please thank them for their support of local film art and patronize their places of business. Sponsors were Bill Schmidt, The Dragon Room, Fit Columbia, Sound and Images, Precision Garage Door of Columbia, Marketing Performance, Rikard & Protopappas, Columbia Arts Academy, Final Draft, and Coverfly.

Thanks again to everyone who came out to support LOCAL INDEPENDENT FILM in Columbia, SC! To keep up with future film arts projects and all of Jasper’s many arts projects, including the call for the 2025 2nd Act Film Project, subscribe to Sundays with Jasper. To put your name on the 2nd Act Film Project, the Play Right Series, Jasper Magazine, and all of our multidisciplinary arts projects, join the Jasper Guild of Supporters for as little as $25 at the Artist Peer Level.

Enjoy a few of the images captured Wednesday night by local photographer Perry McLeod.

Taiyen Stevenson - 15 Minutes

Chad Henderson - Toreador

Local indie filmmaker Chris Bickel

Ebony Wilson - Ryde

Delicious food by Chef Joe Turkaly is a tradition at 2nd Act Film Project

Jasper board member & visual artist Keith Tolen (r) with filmmaker Thaddeus Jones

Nick Clay accepting his award for The Easter Sunday Massacre

Alex Steel and Collins White — the Other Within

Silas Rowland with crew - For He’s a Jolly Dead Fellow

Filmmaker Ebony Wilson with Mom

Jonathan Palance and Chad Henderson — Toreador

Jasper Project Operating Director Bekah Rice

2nd Act Film Project director Wade Sellers with 701 Whaley’s Leeann Kornegay and Jasper Project founder & Executive Director Cindi Boiter

Working the door — Jasper Board members Christina Xan and Liz Stalker with Coal Powered Filmworks employee Jami Wiseman

Award artist Michael Krajewski with Jasper Magazine co-founder Bob Jolley, aka Bier Doc.

Sponsor Bill Schmidt with guests.

Jasper board member Kwasi Brown enjoying snacks by Joe Turkaly.

Cesar Davalos accepting his Best Actor award for Toreador

Wade Sellers with filmmaker Kari Lebby.

Jasper Partners with Black Nerd Mafia & Curiosity Coffee to Present the 3rd Annual Frightmare on Main Street 2024 featuring Autocorrect and Tyler Wise & So Much More!

We’re Back!

The Jasper Project is excited to partner once again this year with Black Nerd Mafia and our gracious host, Curiosity Coffee, to help kick off Halloween with one of our favorite and most fun events — Frightmare on Main Street!

Friday, October 25, 2024

5:00 PM 10:00 PM

Curiosity Coffee Bar — 2327 Main Street

The fun starts at 5 pm when you arrive and grab your bag(s) of votes for your favorite artisanally carved pumpkin, created for your viewing, voting, and purchasing pleasure by some of Columbia’s spookiest artists, including

Tennyson Corley

Devon Corley

Cynthia Bowie

Keith Tolen

Thomas Washington

Michael Krajewski

Regina Langston

Billy Guess

Artist - Olga Yukhno

5:00pm – Doors

$10 for all events and activities + 5 candy votes for the pumpkin carving contest.

Kids under 10 get in free!


5:30pm - Horror Movie Trivia

Bring your team and kick off the night with trivia hosted by Black Nerd Mafia.


6:30pm - Jasper’s 2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest

These aren’t your everyday jack-o'-lanterns. Vote on your favorite pumpkins carved by local artists and bid in our silent auction to take one home. All proceeds benefit the Jasper Project and the winning artist takes home a fabulous prize!

Candy votes will be available for sale and 5 votes are included for free with the cost of admission.


Cosplay Costume Contest

Contest categories include Best Children's Costume, and Best Adult Costume.


Winners for the Pumpkin Carving and Cosplay Costume Contest will be announced around 8pm.

Pumpkin Bidding with close at 8:45pm


8:15pm – Autocorrect & Tyler Wise


Artist - Bohumila Augustinova

Artist - Kimber Carpenter

Jasper Announces The Roster of 2nd Act Film Project Filmmakers -- Tickets Going Fast!

The Jasper Project is delighted to announce the return of the 2nd Act Film Project on Wednesday October 23, 2024, at 701 Whaley Market Space. A VIP reception with filmmakers starts at 6 pm, followed by the main event at 7:30 – a screening of 14 new independent films all created by SC filmmakers. 

The brainchild of Jasper Project SC board president and Emmy-nominated indie filmmaker Wade Sellers, owner of Columbia, SC’s Coal Powered Filmworks, 2nd Act Film Project is a unique take on the independent film project. Filmmakers are given the 1st and 3rd acts of a short film script. Their task is to write the 2nd act and make the movie.  

To date, the 2nd Act Film Project has produced a total of 70 indie SC films. 2024 welcomed the largest roster of filmmaker applicants thus far, with 14 filmmakers selected to participate in the project. In keeping with the mission of the Jasper Project there is no entry fee for participating in the project. Filmmakers receive a $100 stipend from the Jasper Project to help offset production costs. In order to help nurture the growth of the SC indie film community, filmmakers are also encouraged to reach out to the Jasper Project, Coal Powered Filmworks, and each other for advice and assistance with the technical and artistic challenges of creating an independent film. 

The 2nd Act Film Project roster of filmmakers includes Adam Weber, Idris Pearson, Nick Clay, Marley Gregory, Chad Henderson, Thaddeus Jones, Bakari Lebby, Silas Rowland, Taiyen Stevenson, Alex Steele, Andrew Smith, Ebony Wilson, Dustin Weible, and USC SGTV 1080c. With $2500 in cash prizes, awards include the top prizes of the Audience Award—every ticket holder may cast one vote—and the 2nd Act Producers’ Award, each at $500, as well as $250 prizes for Best Script, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Editor, and Best Original Score. Judges are award-winning SC filmmaker Robbie Robertson, visual artist and gallerist Michaela Pilar Brown, and multi-disciplinary artist Kwasi Brown, founder of Black Nerd Mafia.  

~~ Thanks to the following Sponsors ~~

Title Sponsor

Precision Garage Door Repair

Partner Sponsor

Final Draft

Program Sponsors

Bill Schmidt

Coal Powered Filmworks

Filmmaker Sponsors

Rikard and Protopappas

FIT Columbia

Columbia Arts Academy

Marketing Performance

The Dragon Room

Tickets are $20 for general admission and $75 for VIPs and are available at EventBrite

Insider Tip: This event is historically a sell-out with SRO — Don’t sleep on securing your seat!

PHOTOSC CELEBRATES 100 YEAR ANNIVERSAY WITH SURREALISM TRIENNIAL

Exhibition features unique and diverse photographic images from around the nation.

A scholarly talk and a surreal-fun mask-making workshop.

 

Masked people, spacemen, mannequins, women falling thru time, time suspended, and stuff of unconscious dreams – all of this photographic imagery make up the PhotoSC Surrealism Triennial. PhotoSC joins museums around the world in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Surrealism art movement with a triennial photographic exhibition, a scholarly talk ‘InConversation on Surrealism,’ and a surreal-fun mask-making workshop, all this October.

The PhotoSC Surrealism Triennial exhibition opening reception is October 17, 2024, from 6-9 p.m. at 918 Lady Street in the Vista. The photographic exhibition features 25 photographic works by photographers from around the nation, with the show hanging a total of 32 photographic prints.

Photographer Francis Crisafio of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania took first place in the Triennial with his image, Hold Up in the Hood 3. The work was created as part of an afterschool program with Pittsburg students exploring “personal and communal exploration of self.” Crisafio was a LensCulture Exposure Award recipient in 2015 for his work with the program.

The group show was juried by Sheryl Conkelton, curator, editor, and writer focusing on photography and modern and contemporary art. She has held senior curatorial positions at the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Henry Art Gallery (Seattle), and has worked at other museums, including the Art Museum, Princeton University, and the Smithsonian Institution. A noted researcher and writer her books on photography include Lewis Baltz: Works (Steidl), Uta Barth, In Between Places (Henry Art Gallery), Annette Messager (MOMA), Aaron Siskind, The Fragmentation of Language (Robert Mann Gallery), and Frederick Sommer (Clio Pess).

Amid the backdrop of World War II, French writer and cultural theorist André Breton (1896-1966) is credited with authoring the first Surrealist Manifesto in October 1924. The Surrealist movement spans a vast breadth of artistic creation with its roots reaching into the Middle Ages, its influence on the visual arts and the other arts worldwide has inspired the photographic artists, past and present, and lead to the abstract expressionist movement.

Scholars Peter Chametzky, Ph.D and Susan Fellerman, Ph.D will present a fascinating conversation on the evolution of the Surrealist movement and its impact on modern photography and art over the past 100 years. Their InConversation talk will be held Saturday, October 24, 2024, from 2-4 p.m., at 918 Lady Street in the Vista with the gallery opening at 1 p.m. to view the exhibition.

Peter Chametzky is Professor of Art History and has been on the SVAD faculty at the University of South Carolina since 2012. His research focuses on 20th and 21st century German art and culture. He received the 2024 Russell Research Award in Humanities and Social Sciences, University of South Carolina. His recent book, Turks, Jews, and other Germans in Contemporary Art received an honorable mention, art history, Hans and Lea Grundig Prize, Art History, 2021. Peter teaches courses in 20th and 21st Century art, theory, and culture, as well as the art history survey, ARTH 105 and ARTH 106.

Susan Felleman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Art History + Film and Media Studies at the University of South Carolina who specializes in the relationship between film and other visual arts, history and theory of avant-garde film and video and the art film; history and theory of Hollywood cinema; modern art and theory; psychoanalytic theory; feminist theory and videographic criticism. She is the author of four books, numerous scholarly articles and two video essays. She recently wrote and co-directed (with Hannah Shikle) a feature-length, personal essay film, In Production: the Life and Career of George Justin.

Later, on the same day, at 918 Lady Street, from 5-7 p.m. Columbia artist Michael Krajewski dives into surrealism by leading a paper bag mask workshop a’la Saul Steinberg. All materials supplied at this highly creative artistic masquerade in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Surrealism. Michael Krajewski, a talented neo-expressionist artist, will conduct a workshop in which participants create a surrealist paper bag mask in a manner similar to Saul Steinberg’s masks. The adult workshop will be held on October 26 and will use collage, paint, pen, and crayon to create the artwork, all of which will be photographed and promoted across PhotoSC’s social media. Both Neo-expressionism and surrealism draw upon a variety of themes including the mythological, the cultural, the historical, the nationalist, and the erotic.

 

The PhotoSC Triennial Exhibition and Surreal Paper bag Mask-Making Workshop, a’la Saul Steinberg: Workshop with Michael Krajewski is sponsored by the SC Arts Commission and Abacus Planning Group.

InConversation with Peter Chametzky and Susan Fellerman on Surrealism is sponsored by the SC Humanities Council.

PhotoSC is a 501C3 non-profit arts organization dedicated to the exploration of photography and visual culture.

SC JAZZ FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2024-2025 LINEUP: ORGANIZED

The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, South Carolina’s premier jazz big band, will kick off its new season on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Harbison Theatre with “The Birthday Concert,” featuring internationally renowned jazz organist Mike LeDonne.

Following the October 26 concert, this season features the ensemble in Swingin’ Holidays, Dec. 8, 2024; Jazz is for Lovers, Feb. 15, 2025; An Evening with Cyrille Aimée, April 12, 2025; and Season Finale Virtuoso Trumpet Star Sean Jones, June 14, 2025. The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, under the musical direction of Dr. Robert Gardiner, features some of the most prominent and outstanding jazz musicians, soloists, and bandleaders from across the Carolinas.

“Mike LeDonne is one of the finest jazz pianists and organists in the world,” said Robert Gardiner, Executive Director of the SC Jazz Foundation. “We’re glad to be working with such talented guest artists, and I think each concert will have something that everyone can enjoy,” Gardiner said.

Tickets for each of the five concerts are on sale now, priced from $25 - $65 depending on show and seating section. Patrons may purchase a season subscription by visiting www.SCJazz.org through October 1 for guaranteed seats to each concert. 

Two Greek Tragedies Kick Off the Season for USC Theatre & SC Shakespeare Company

Elaine Werren as Antigone

In this politically fraught time, how clever of two of our local theatre companies to program political productions that focus on the power of the individual – in both cases, individual female characters – to rise up in protest against their own uniquely perceived injustices. USC Theatre opens their 2024 – 2025 season with Antigone, and SC Shakespeare Company opens similarly with Electra, both during the first weekend in October.  

Both plays are based on characters from ancient Greek mythology, both are being performed in Columbia, SC, and both open the first weekend in October, but most of the similarities end there. 

While the SC Shakespeare Company’s production of Electra runs from October 3 – 5 and 10 – 12, outside in Historic Columbia’s beautiful Woodrow Wilson House Gardens, the University of SC’s Theatre program presents Antigone October 4 – 12 at the historic Longstreet Theatre on campus. 

The mythological characters of Antigone and Electra are both examined frequently by writers of antiquity in a number of classic plays, each serving as a catalyst for the call of moral fortitude by the titular women involved.  

Antigone is a tale of civil disobedience. When her two brothers are killed while fighting each other for the throne of Thebes, newly seated ruler Creon forbids the burial and mourning of one of her brothers, Polynices, and Antigone rebels by mourning and burying him against Creon’s decree.  

Elektra, whose story has received treatment by everyone from Sophocles and Euripides to Richard Strauss and Eugene O’Neill, is best known for her part in the Trojan cycle, as well as for being the namesake of Carl Jung’s psychological Elektra Complex. 

Here’s what you need to know to take in both promising productions: 

Electra will be performed outside at the historic Woodrow Wilson Gardens at 1705 Hampton Street. The performance starts at 7:30, is free, and attendees are invited to bring blankets and picnics to enhance their viewing experience. The cast and crew include Hunter Boyle, Katie Mixon, Brittany Lewis, Nekoda Moses, Kira Nessel, J B Marple, and Tristian Brown and is directed by Tracey Steele.

 Antigone will be performed at Longstreet Theatre, 1300 Greene Street, with showtimes at 7:30 Wednesday through Saturday with 3 pm matinee performances on October 6 and 12. Tickets are $15 - $22 and may be purchased here. Lauren Wilson will direct the play. The cast and crew include Elaine Werren (Antigone), Dominic DeLong-Rodgers (Creon), Olan Domer, Didem Ruhi, and Elizabeth Wheless; undergraduates Meagan AuBuchon, John Ballard, Eliza Dojan, Ben Doub, Mel Driggers, Ash Leland, Kyleigh McComish, Angie Tamvaki, Carlos Turner, and Olivia Wamai; and guest artist Talha Karci.

-Cb

Black Nerd Mafia Presents: “Live from the 803,” An Exclusive Local Arts Experience By: Liz Stalker

The only catch to these epic nights of entertainment is as of now, “Live from the 803” events are invite-only

Local arts organization Black Nerd Mafia continues to uplift indie artists in Columbia, particularly from the thriving though often underrepresented Black arts scene, through their new event series, “Live from the 803.” Hosted by The Player’s Club, “Live from the 803‘s” monthly main events consist of visual artist/musician duo, presenting a unique opportunity to experience the impressive range and passion that the Columbia indie arts scene has to offer.  

This month, “Live from the 803” will host visual artist Jakeem Da Dream (AKA Dominique Negus Hodge) and singer-rapper-songwriter JB SamSon. The event will take place Saturday, September 28th starting at 8 p.m. with a catered cocktail reception, where guests are invited to sit back, relax, and enjoy a curated display of artwork by Jakeem Da Dream, and will even be given the opportunity to chat with the artist himself about his work. Following the reception, JB SamSon will take the stage in a very intimate concert setting, allowing guests to get up close and personal.  

Such memorable special touches, from the box of worms to the live painting, truly set a remarkable expectation for what’s to come as the event series continues.

If the second installment in this series is anything like its debut event, which took place on Saturday, August 10th, the energy is sure to be electric. Painter and muralist Ija Monet set the tone for the evening with her stunning collection of work, which innovatively combined the mediums of painting and tapestry. She also gave attendees the chance to watch her genius in action, painting live at the center of the reception and impressing spectators with her speed and her technical prowess.  

For the musical portion of the evening, guests were escorted into a smaller room with a stage to watch alternative hip hop artist patX’s concert farewell to Columbia. The room was packed, but patX did not allow that to hinder his connection to the audience, a connection that he prioritized from the start, cultivating an environment of authenticity, and displaying a clear passion for his work. Alongside Airborne Audio–Live from the 803’s wickedly talented full time DJ–patX launched into a set of incredible musical diversity, showcasing his talent as a rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. In the middle of his set, he unveiled a surprise that evoked shock, delight, and perhaps some disgust: a box of dirt and worms for audience members to dig through for mixtape souvenirs. He ended the night by taking requests, once again centering that connection between artist and fans (some old, some brand new). 

Such memorable special touches, from the box of worms to the live painting, truly set a remarkable expectation for what’s to come as the event series continues. The only catch to these epic nights of entertainment is as of now, “Live from the 803” events are invite-only—in other words, you have to know someone, or at least know someone who knows someone, to receive an event ticket. That being said, “Live from the 803” also hosts a variety of smaller-scale events and meetups at The Attic Lounge–including jam sessions, DJ sets, artist networking events, and other opportunities to both appreciate local arts or show off your own skills–which provide the perfect opportunity to express your interest in the exclusive Player’s Club events.  

To stay up to date with “Live from the 803” and all of their awesomeness, follow them on Instagram @803.live.

The Attic Lounge


About Last Night - A Magical Evening of New Theatre & Unique Visual Art with Chad Henderson & Nate Puza

L to R: Jon Tuttle - PRS director, Chad Henderson - playwright, Marybeth Gorman Craig - director, Kayla Machado - very pregnant actor, Libby Campbell - actor & Jasper Project board member, G. Scott Wild - actor

Last night was a wonderful night for the Jasper Project as we were privileged to celebrate two artists from two different disciplines at Harbison Theatre for a double dose of Jasper goodness. We opened the evening with a reception for our featured visual artist in the Harbison Theatre Gallery, Nate Puza and ended it with the premier staged reading performance of the 2024 Play Right Series winning play, Let It Grow by Chad Henderson.

Visual Artist Nate Puza offers and artist talk at the opening reception for hi exhibition at the Jasper Project’s Harbison Theatre Gallery

Nate Puza is a South Carolina based artist, designer, and illustrator with over a decade of experience working with some of the biggest bands and brands in the world including Jason Isbell, the Avett Brothers, Chris Stapleton, Phish, and more. Internationally known for his meticulous attention to detail and high level of craftmanship, Puza created the new design for the Columbia, SC flag. When not creating art for your favorite band Nate can be found playing music with friends, being outside, wrenching on his motorcycle, mowing the lawn, or drinking a beer on the back porch.

Chad Henderson is a professional theatre artist from South Carolina. He is known for directing contemporary plays, musicals and original works that mix music, movement, imagination and invention to create unforgettable works for the stage. Henderson served as the Artistic Director of Trustus Theatre (2015-2021) in Columbia, SC, and is the current Marketing Director for the South Carolina Philharmonic, where he most recently produced Home for the Holidays at Koger Center for the Arts. Selected Trustus Theatre credits include: The Brother/Sister Plays, Green Day’s American Idiot, Evil Dead, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Last 5 Years, Assassins, The Great Gatsby, Next to Normal, and The Restoration’s Constance - an original musical for which Henderson also authored the book.

Libby Campbell and David Britt on the stage for Let It Grow!

L to R: Libby Campbell, David Britt, G. Scott Wild, Kayla Machado

Jasper expresses our sincerest appreciation to Kristin Cobb, executive director of Harbison Theatre at MTC and her team for welcoming us into their home and supporting our mission. Check out all the exciting performances coming up at Harbison theatre here and support this state-of-the-art performance space the way they support the SC Midlands performing artists!

Kristin Cobb, executive director - Harbison Theatre at MTC welcomes the crowd.

SEPTEMBER 14th -- A Double Dose of Jasper

Mark your calendars for the evening of Saturday, September 14th, after the LSU/Carolina game, to come out to Harbison Theatre for a double dose of Columbia Arts. Help Jasper welcome renown graphic artist Nate Puza to the walls of our Harbison Gallery with a free drop-in opening reception starting at 6 pm. Enjoy meeting Nate and hearing about his art, sip a little something, have a little snack, and chat with friends until 7:30 when the curtain rises on more new art coming out of Columbia, SC!

Let It Grow, by Chad Henderson, winner of the Jasper Project’s 2024 Play Right Project series, will premiere as a staged reading  and offer us the right to say I saw it first when it inevitably moves on to other stages near and far. Directed by Marybeth Gorman Craig, and starring Libby Campbell-Turner, G. Scott Wild, Kayla Machado, and David Britt, Let It Grow is a sweet and poignant comedy that looks at the expectations we share about family-like relationships, what happens when players outside of those relationships insert themselves, and PLANTS! The Play Right Series is administered by SC playwright Jon Tuttle and is in its fourth cycle of midwifing new theatre art onto the stage exclusively from South Carolina playwrights.

Previous Play Right Series winning plays include Sharks and Other Lovers by Randall David Cook, Moon Swallower by Colby Quick, and Therapy by Lonetta Thompson. Lonetta Thompson’s Therapy will be fully produced by the NiA Company August 29, 30, 31st at the Trustus Theatre Side Door Theatre and Jasper strongly encourages you to come out and support this new art, too! Tickets for Lonetta Thompson’s Therapy are here.

 

NATE PUZA OPENING RECEPTION

6 PM – FREE

 

LET IT GROW by Chad Henderson

7:30 pm -TICKETS

 

And while we have you, check out Harbison Theatre’s exciting calendar of events for 2024 – 2025 including Ensemble Eclectica on August 24th, South Carolina’s own singer-songwriter Cody Webb on September 6th, and The Box Masters featuring Billy Bob Thornton with opening act The Capital City Playboys, Friday October 18th!

Finney Center Kicks Off Black Philanthropy Month with an Open House August 15 6 - 8 pm

Bounded by two historic districts, the Robert Mills District and the Waverly District, The Finney Center connects the heart of the African American community, past and present, to an ever-changing downtown Columbia, South Carolina.

MIKKY FINNEY

The Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Cultural Arts Center is hosting a drop-in Open House on Thursday, August 15th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM for the community at-large as it launches a $2 million capital campaign to transform the former Southern Electric Company historical building, originally a tobacco warehouse from the 1940s, into a gathering place for people of all ages who view art as community building.  

The Finney Center will break ground on the renovation this fall, using a plan developed by the Boudreaux architectural firm. It will include a stage with seating for 200, which can be opened to the outdoors, an exhibition space with a 360-degree view, a dance floor, studio rooms, and other spaces for multidisciplinary endeavors.  

Bounded by two historic districts, the Robert Mills District and the Waverly District, The Finney Center connects the heart of the African American community, past and present, to an ever-changing downtown Columbia, South Carolina. It is housed in a former tobacco warehouse from the 1940s, which was renovated and repurposed in the 1960s for the offices of the Southern Electric Company. 

“Black Philanthropy Month is an annual August reminder for us in the Black community to look behind and to also look ahead,” says Director and Poet Nikky Finney. “Both my paternal and maternal grandparents taught me that it was just fine to focus on my own dreams as long as I also donated time, attention, and money to the community in which I lived, worked, and dreamed, making sure it too prospered. Join us at The Finney Center on August 15th as we host an Open House for our community. We want to share with you more about what’s been going on in 2024 and what’s ahead for 2025 and beyond.”

The Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Cultural Arts Center is a 501c3 organization located at 1510 Laurens Street, Columbia, South Carolina. The focus of this Cultural Arts Center is on the making of art, the keeping of community, living Black history, and the ongoing generational celebration of music, visual art, poetry, dance, theatre, the culinary arts, and other community building and life sustaining activities. The Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Cultural Arts Center is an incubator for progressive notions of what it means to be an involved, informed, and engaged creative human being, no matter that human being’s age or background. 

Nikky Finney is a nationally-acclaimed South Carolina-born poet and author of On Wings Made of Gauze; Rice; The World Is Round; and Head Off & Split, which won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2011. A graduate of Talladega College, Finney taught at the University of Kentucky for 23 years and holds a Carolina Distinguished Professorship and the John H. Bennett, Jr. Chair in Creative Writing and Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina. Nikky Finney is the daughter of the late SC Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr., for whom the Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Cultural Arts Center is named.

SC Writers Association 2024 STORYFEST Early Bird Registration Ends June15th

2024 STORYFEST EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS JUNE 15

Early bird registration for SCWA’s 2024 Storyfest, set for Sept. 27 through 29 in Columbia, ends June 15.

Fees for the full three-day conference are $250 for members and $325 for nonmembers; those fees will increase by $30 on June 16, so register now and save! Student registration for the full conference is $140. A one-day ticket for Saturday-only sessions is available for $195. Masterclasses, manuscript critiques and query pitches are available for additional charges as add-ons to your registration.

Storyfest, SCWA’s biggest event of the year, will be held at The DoubleTree by Hilton in Columbia, with the added advantage of having the hotel and conference under one roof – and the rooms are less expensive this year, too!

In addition to amazing authors, editors, agents and screenwriters from outside of our state, some of South Carolina’s most prominent writers will be there to make this conference successful. We will have three pre-conference masterclasses and craft classes as well as the invaluable Queryfest, Slushfest, Speed Pitch Session and a “Publishing World Today” panel, which provides cutting-edge self-publishing assistance. Four keynote speakers will provide valuable insights, including information on artificial intelligence and how it will impact the writing world, and Storyfest has 20 other breakout and other presentations – something for every genre. A Saturday cocktail hour, open mic, exhibits, book signings and more also will be included.

We will highlight our keynote speakers and presenters in The Quill between now and September. We featured Lynn Cullen and Grady Hendrix in the May issue; see 2024 Storyfest Faculty bios on all of our fabulous speakers. Here are two more keynoters:

TIFFANY YATES MARTIN

Tiffany Yates Martin has spent nearly 30 years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling and award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the founder of FoxPrint Editorial and author of Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide to Revising Your Writing. She is a regular contributor to writers' outlets like Writer's Digest, Jane Friedman and Writer Unboxed, and a frequent presenter and keynote speaker for writers' organizations around the country. Under her pen name, Phoebe Fox, she is the author of six novels. Visit her at www.foxprinteditorial.com.

She will offer a masterclass, “Mastering the Holy Trinity of Story: Character, Stakes and Plot;” deliver a keynote, “The Happy, Harsh Truths of a Writing Career;” and present breakout sessions. We are thrilled to have her for 2024 Storyfest.

ALAN ROTH

Alan Roth graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey with degrees in history and English literature, then attended graduate school at Emerson College in Boston, where he received an MFA in creative writing. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves as an adjunct professor of screenwriting at Fairleigh Dickinson’s School of the Arts. He is a winner of the coveted Nicholl Fellowship Academy Award for best original screenplay (Jersey City Story) and works with producers on developing projects for both film and TV.

He will present a keynote, “AI and Current Trends in Writing,” and a breakout session on “Book to Screen.” We are so pleased to have him as part of 2024 Storyfest.

REGISTER FOR 2024 STORYFEST

MORE ABOUT 2024 STORYFEST

The hotel room rate is $169 (plus tax & fees) for one king or two queen beds. For the SCWA discounted rate, reserve at the DoubleTree by Hilton Columbia; book by Aug. 29 for the discount.

RESERVE YOUR ROOM FOR STORYFEST

If you are not a member of SCWA, join now to enjoy the member rate for Storyfest as well as other SCWA benefits. Membership is $75 annually; go to Join Us.

For more information email administrator@myscwa.org

News from Harbison Theatre -- Jazz with Chris Potter and the Art of Barbara Yongue

Saxophone Colossus: Chris Potter

Presented by SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble
Saturday, June 15 | 7:30 PM 

SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble is overjoyed to present one of the best Jazz Saxophonists of all time and Columbia native, Chris Potter. Since emerging on the scene as a sideman 30 years ago with Red Rodney, Chris has gone on to play with everybody from Pat Metheny to Steely Dan. Down Beat magazine called him “One of the most studied (and copied) saxophonists on the planet” and Jazz Times identified him as “a figure of international renown.” Potter’s impressive discography includes 18 albums as a leader, as well as sideman appearances on more than 100 albums. 

Join The Jasper Project and Barbara Yongue as we celebrate the opening of her exhibition in the gallery space at Harbison Theatre.

At 6:30 PM, Barbara will be available to speak and give you the opportunity to enjoy her work prior to the opening curtain for Saxophone Colossus: Chris Potter presented by SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble. During intermission, you’re invited to revisit the art. Her work will be available for purchase. Learn more about Barbara and her work below.

The exhibition is free and available for viewing from June through August 2024.

Barbara Alston Yongue, born in Memphis Tennessee and raised in Ohio, has studied and continues to study art for almost as long as she has been alive.  An art major in college she has continued her education with such well-known artists as Daniel Greene, Nelson Shanks, Janet Fish, Tony Ryder, Charlie Hunter.  She is a member of Oil Painters of America, Trenholm Art Guild and the art group known as About Face.  She enjoys Portraiture, Still Life painting and Plein Air.  

Awards Include:
2023 - Facilitator Plein air competition ARTFIELDS 
2022 - Facilitator Plein air ArtField 
2023 - Second place and peoples choice TAG … Still Hopes 
2022 - Peoples choice TAG …BEST MATTRESS
2019 - 1st place  Trenholm art guild spring show
2018 - 3rd place Trenholm art guild
2017 - 1st Place Pawleys Island Seaside Palette- Plein Air
2017 - People’s Choice award- Arts on the Ridge
2016 - 2017 – 9 time winner of the Columbia Museum of Art monthly challenge
2017 - Merit Award – Trenholm Art Guild
2016 - 2nd Place Pawleys Island Seaside Palette- Plein Air
2014 - Merit Award – Trenholm Art Guild
2013 - Painting Award - Garden of Dreams, Magnolia Gardens
2011 - Judy Faye Moyer award- Crooked Creek art League
2010 - Merit Award – Crooked Creek Art League
2009 - Best in Show- Crooked Creek Art League
2009 - Merit Award- Trenholm Art Guild
2008 - Special Award- Crooked Creek Art League
2008 - Merit Award – Trenholm Art Guild
2004 - Merit Award- Crooked Creek
2004 - Carolina Gallery Award – Crooked Creek
2001 - Merit Award- Crooked Creek
Champion 2 Times – Columbia Museum of Art – Face Off event
2nd Runner up – Artfields portrait competition
2015 Judge for Arts on the Ridge Ridgeway, SC
President - Fairfield County Arts Council  2018

Artist Statement:
I paint primarily from life because it is my belief that what is created by doing that gives a certain touch of LIFE that cannot be achieved any other way. Most of all … I try to paint Beauty.

New Brookland Tavern Welcomes THE WOGGLES and the Release of Their New Album

New Brookland Tavern welcomes The Woggles with special guests, Brandy and the Butcher, to help celebrate the release of their new LP, Time Has Come on June 12th. According to musician and Jam Room director, Jay Matheson, “The Woggles have been one of the best garage rock bands in the US since the mid 90s and put on a stage show that is beyond compare.”

Check out their new single as well as their new LP in its entirety.

According to Matheson, the show will be a 2 band affair with Matheson’s own local Rock and Roll band Brandy and the Butcher opening.

Cover tickets to the show are $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the show.

Doors are at 7:30 with music starting at 8:30.

See you there!

Read more about the Woggles from Jasper Magazine music editor Kevin Oliver here.

FREE ART & FUN at the KOGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS THIS SUMMER!

The Koger Center for the Arts is so much more than a ticketed venue featuring the best of both local and touring performing arts. In addition to being the home of the Jasper Project’s Nook Gallery space in the Second Tier Lobby, Koger boasts an impressive collection of rotating and permanent art and offers free performances on the Outside Stage directly in front of the building.

Recently, Koger hosted the multimedia arts troupe, Squonk, on the outside stage and the front lawn was filled with folks on blankets and in lawn chairs enjoying picnics and a free performance by the 30-year-old entertainment organization. And there’s more to come!

Read below for a quick look at some of the FREE ART offered by the Koger Center for the Arts this summer.

Jasper offers the work of new artists year-round (though we’re taking a breather while the Koger gets new carpet this summer), in our Nook Gallery space. Jasper shows run monthly with opening receptions on the First Thursday of every month in conjunction with the Vista Guild’s First Thursday celebrations.

In the Upstairs Gallery Space the Koger Center hosts exhibitions by local artists such as BEAT OF THE HEART through July 1st, featuring local artists Rodgers Boykins, Ryan McClendon, Jeffrey Miller, Keith Tolen and Fred Townsend

In addition to hosting the SOUTHEASTERN PIANA FESTIVAL, a ticketed event, the Koger will also host a FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERT at noon on Tuesday June 11th in the Grand Tier Lobby. (Check out Malik Greene’s visual art in the Nook while you’re up there!)

Make Music Day is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st. Launched in 1982 in France, it is now held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.

Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician - young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion - pours onto streets, parks, plazas and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public. Make Music Day Columbia is hosted in conjunction with Rice Music House and is funded through a grant given by the City of Columbia. 

This year's Make Music Day schedule includes: 

10 – 11:30am Petting Zoo & Ruckus Hour 

12 – 1pm Music Lessons with Columbia Arts Academy (Ukelele & Voice)

1-5pm Recitals (Rice Music House and Freeway Music)

5:30-6:30 Drum Circle 

Don’t want to leave the house? Check out the Center’s Virtual Tour of Columbia-based artist Philip Mullen’s work from the comfort of your own home.

Philip Mullen came to South Carolina in 1969 and is one of the most renowned artists in the state. His works have been hanging in the Koger Center for the Arts since 1990, filling the space with his pieces that examine light and air. Throughout his art displayed in the Koger Center, Mullen explores the juxtaposition of light and how light touches everything around it. He has been described as creating works with even distribution of thought-out technique and carefree fluidity. From the Whitney Museum to the San Francisco Museum of Art, Mullen’s pieces have showcased his abilities all across America and the Koger Center is proud to house a permanent exhibit.  

Philip Mullen Art at the Koger Center is located on all three levels throughout the building.

You may take a virtual tour here for FREE! 

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Visit the Koger Center for the Arts’ website for more exciting info on both FREE and ticketed events coming up this summer!