Institute for the Arts and Humanities launches 'Moments of Change'

University Park, Pa. -- Shakespeare was in his prime, opera was born, Galileo coined the term "telescope" and the French colonized Quebec. It was the early 1600s, a period of many cultural, artistic, scientific and political transformations. In a spirit of collaboration across disciplines, departments and programs, Penn State's Institute for the Arts and Humanities will be examining those transformations as part of its interdisciplinary "Moments of Change" initiative, a yearly series of performances, lectures, exhibitions, symposia and other events that will focus on a specific time period marked by great change.

The 2007-08 inaugural year, focusing on "The Early 17th Century and the Roots of Modernity (ca. 1600-1625)," kicks off with an interdisciplinary roundtable discussion at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Nittany Lion Inn Boardroom I. The panelists, including Penn State faculty from history, history of religion, history of science, literature, art history, music history and theatre history, will contextualize this historical period by giving a broad introduction to the innovations, masterpieces and debates of the time.

Other highlights of the year will include the residency and concert on Nov. 13 by Apollo's Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, which will perform selections from Claudio Monteverdi's opera "L'Orfeo" in Schwab Auditorium, as well as other vocal and instrumental pieces associated with the birth of opera. Two Shakespeare plays from this period also will be performed: "Macbeth," performed by Actors from the London Stage on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in Schwab Auditorium, and "As You Like It," presented by the Penn State School of Theatre on Nov. 18-Dec. 12 in the Citizens Bank Theatre.

Other events include concerts by School of Music faculty and students; masterclasses and workshops with members of Apollo's Fire and Actors from the London Stage; and lectures by international scholars, including Ania Loomba, a scholar of early modern English and postcolonial literature and culture, and Joseph Connors, director of Villa I Tatti, the Harvard Center for Italian Renaissance Studies in Florence, Italy.

"Moments of Change" events are made possible in part through the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For a complete schedule, visit http://www.research.psu.edu/iah online. For information, contact Marica Tacconi, director, Institute for the Arts and Humanities, at (814) 865-0495 or arts-humanities@psu.edu via e-mail.