2018 Grants
Pipkov & Copland Concert (Pleven, Bulgaria). Daniel Sender (violin) and Shelby Sender (piano) will present a pair of concerts at the Haven in Charlottesville and at the National School of the Arts “Payanot Pipkov” in Pleven, Bulgaria. The concerts will demonstrate the ideals of cultural exchange and will feature a stunning work by Bulgarian composer Lubomir Pipkov (father of Payanot Pipkov for whom the school is named). This work will be paired with Aaron Copland’s magnificent Violin Sonata. The Copland sonata is the archetype of the American style in composition and echoes many of the sonorities and colors found in his most famous work, “Appalachian Spring.” Additionally, a masterclass for the students from the National School of the Arts will be offered.
Sister City Travel Journaling Workshop. Inspired by the journals of Lewis and Clark, the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center will be teaching visitors to our Sister Cities how to journal using ink, pencil, and watercolors (provided). All past visitors to Winneba, Ghana; Poggio a Caiano, Italy; Pleven, Bulgaria; and Besancon, France, are invited to sign up for the free spring workshops. Beginners are welcome. The workshops will focus on the friendships and experiences of the Sister City voyages. The pages will be shared with the Sister Cities, and there will be a public exhibition in Charlottesville.
Festival of Cultures. To mark its 15th year, the Charlottesville Festival of Cultures will create a short documentary short documentary featuring the performances and activities that make up this much-anticipated annual event. The documentary will be filmed at the 2018 festival, which will take place on Saturday, May 12, and will be made available on the festival website in June. The Festival of Cultures is sponsored by the Thomas Jefferson Adult and Career Education Program at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Learn more at www.festivalofcultures.org.
APOGEE: Mapping the Stars.The Sister Cities of Charlottesville and Besançon each happen to have leading enclaves of scientists who specialize in understanding the structure and origin of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Traditionally these two groups have worked more or less independently toward that common goal. We intend to bring these two communities of scientists together to lead an international workshop focused on collaborative efforts centered around a major research project (APOGEE) to which each team is making major, but complementary, contributions. The combined scientific strengths of the Charlottesville- and Besançon-based teams, who will lead this workshop, will enable APOGEE’s mission to make the first comprehensive maps of the distribution, motion, composition, and even planetary companions of stars across our galaxy.