Korean pianist Ko-Eun Yi will come to Pepperdine University’s Raitt Recital Hall in Malibu on Sunday, October 15, at 2 PM, as the first artist in the 2017-18 Recital Series.

Yi’s program, “The Glory,” includes Bach’s French Suite No. 4 in E Flat Major; Massiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus (Twenty Ways of Looking at the Infant Jesus); Haydn’s Sonata in F Major Hob. XVI:23; and Liszt’s Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (Poetic and Religious Harmonies). 

A winner of the 2013 CAG Victor Elmaleh Competition, Yi has garnered numerous top prizes in her young career, with recent successes at the 2010 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati and the 2011 Wideman International Piano Competition in Jackson, Mississippi.

At the October 2013 CAG competition, Yi was awarded the Victor & Sono Elmaleh Piano Prize, and her New York recital debut was in 2015 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on the CAG New York Series. She has also had engagements resulting from her CAG victory with the Dupage Symphony Orchestra near Chicago and the Roswell Symphony in New Mexico, as well as recitals for the Trust Performing Arts Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Art Trail Gallery in South Carolina.

Additional recent concerto highlights for Yi include performances with the Barcelona, Jerusalem, and Boston Symphony Orchestras, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Aspen Concert Orchestra, working with such conductors as Lawrence Foster, Leon Fleisher, and Christopher Wilkins.

A compelling recitalist, Yi has given solo concerts around the United States at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, the Bossier ‘Jam’n Bread’ Chamber Series in Shreveport, Louisiana, and at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, as well as internationally in Spain and Korea.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Yi began her piano studies at the age of three. She earned her bachelor and master of music degrees at The Juilliard School studying with Jerome Lowenthal, and completed her professional Studies degree with André-Michel Schub at the Manhattan School of Music. She is currently pursuing a doctor of musical arts degree at Stony Brook University in New York, with Christina Dahl.

Ticket prices range between $10 and $28, and are required for attendance. For additional information about the performance, and to purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts website.

Critically acclaimed country music artist Kellie Pickler will come to Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Saturday, October 21, at 8 PM.  

Picker first gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of American Idol, and has since released four popular albums, including her Gold-certified debut Small Town Girl and 100 Proof, which Rolling Stone magazine named the Best Country Album of 2011. Among her best known hits are the Gold-certified “Red High Heels,” “I Wonder,” “Best Days of Your Life,” “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful,” “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind,” “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You,” and “No Cure for Crazy.”

In spring of 2013, Pickler partnered with dance coach Derek Hough and won the Mirror Ball Trophy on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. That same year, she also released her fourth album, The Woman I Am, with Black River Entertainment, which featured three songs cowritten by Pickler, including the title cut. She voiced the lead character, a sweet potato named Mirabelle, in the Veggie Tales animated movie Beauty and the Beet in 2014, and launched her home goods line, “Selma Drye by Kellie Pickler,” in cooperation with the Opry Stores in 2015.

Pickler’s CMT docu-comedy series I Love Kellie Pickler, which co-stars her husband, songwriter-producer Kyle Jacobs, debuted in November 2015. The hit television series returned for a second season in August 2016.

This performance is sponsored by the Office of Andrew K. Benton, president of Pepperdine University.

Ticket prices range between $10 and $80, and are required for attendance. For additional information about the performance, and to purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts website.

Grammy-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert and vocalist Lani Hall will perform a sold-out show at Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Sunday, October 22, at 2 PM. The musicians will donate their proceeds from the concert to the Malibu Urgent Care facility.

Infusing an eclectic mix of jazz, world, and American pop standards with their uniquely effervescent and joyful sounds, Alpert and Hall have been lighting up stage for decades.

A legendary trumpet player, Alpert’s extraordinary musicianship has earned him five #1 hits, nine Grammy Awards (the latest from his 2014 album, Steppin’ Out), 15 Gold albums, 14 Platinum albums, and over 72 million records sold. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass propelled his sound into the pop music limelight, at one point outselling the Beatles two to one. In 1966 they achieved the since-unmatched feat of simultaneously having four albums in the Top 10—and five in the Top 20. Alpert also has the distinction of being the only artist who has had a #1 instrumental and vocal single.

As an industry leader, Alpert’s commitment to artists with personal vision guided A&M Records (with partner Jerry Moss) from a Hollywood garage operation into one of the most successful independent record labels in music history that started in 1962 with Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Stars including Janet Jackson, Quincy Jones, Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, Stan Getz, Cat Stevens, Supertramp, the Carpenters, Carole King, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton, the Police, and scores of others that are evidence of the consistent quality and diversity of the A&M Records family.

In 2006 Alpert and Moss were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their accomplishments and are a part of the Grammy Museum’s “Icons of the Music Industry” series. In 2013 Alpert was awarded The National Medal of Arts Award by President Barack Obama for his musical, philanthropic, and artistic contributions.

A Grammy Award-winning vocalist and producer, Hall started her singing career in 1966 as the lead singer of Mendes’ breakthrough group, Brasil ’66. She left behind her city roots in Chicago and, for five years, performed throughout the world. While Hall’s singing career took her on the road, she also focused on her writing—committing to the page her personal impressions of the world around her. Mendes further expanded her writing career by asking Hall to write the English lyrics for many of the band’s Brazilian songs.

In 1966 A&M Records signed Brasil ’66 and Hall met her future husband, music legend Alpert. Hall has the distinction of recording more than 22 albums in three different languages (English, Portuguese, and Spanish), and in 1983 she sang the title song for the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. In 1986 Hall won with her first Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance for her album, Es Facil Amar.

Hall picked up her second Grammy Award as producer on Alpert’s 2013 Grammy winning album, Steppin’ Out. Since 2006 Hall and Alpert have been touring with their band to sold-out performances.

For additional information about the performance, visit the Center for the Arts website.

Author and venture capitalist J. D. Vance will present “Hillbilly Elegy: A Culture in Crisis” as part of the Seaver College W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series at Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Tuesday, October 24, at 5 PM.

The investor, commentator, and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis will discuss highlights from his book and share insights about his working-class upbringing in Middletown, Ohio.

Vance regularly discusses politics and public policy, having appeared on ABC, CBS, and FOX News, and is currently a contributor on CNN.

The Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible through the support of Melanie and Richard Flamminio, the Seaver College Board of Visitors, and the Seaver Parents Association.

For additional information about the lecture, visit the Seaver College website.

International superstar and multiple Grammy Award winner Olivia Newton-John, Grammy nominee Beth Nielsen Chapman, and SOCAN Award winner Amy Sky will come to Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Thursday, October 26, at 8 PM.

Newton-John, Chapman, and Sky have an amazing gift for storytelling. Together, they share their individual and collaborative journeys in a magical event where they perform 11 newly recorded songs from their new album, LIV ON. In this one-of-a-kind performance, the audience will walk the paths of joy, laughter, and inspiration, finding amazement at the kinship generated by the experience. In addition to performing songs from this new album, Newton-John, Chapman, and Sky will perform together on some of each other’s best-known hits.

This inspiring new project grew out of the three artists’ personal experiences with loss and illness, which they all survived to “LIV ON” and celebrate each day with a depth of gratitude. This labor of love stemmed from the trio sharing their stories together and expressing their deepest feelings from the most difficult to the most celebratory, with the hope that the music can uplift hearts burdened by grief while at the same time comforting listeners.

“As a group, it's our intention to create songs with a message of compassion and hope,” said Newton-John. “They are for anyone facing a time of challenge in their life, whether it is grieving a loss—or on the journey to health and recovery.”

Newton-John’s appeal seems to be timeless. She sold out her acclaimed “Summer Nights” concert residency at Flamingo Las Vegas through December 2016, with a portion of every ticket sold going to benefit the Wellness Programs at the ONJCWRC. Still extremely busy in the recording studio, Newton-John recently released two projects back to back and has starred in many television projects, including appearing as herself in two episodes of the hit series Glee, adding another Top 100 hit to her credits with a new version of “Physical” sung with Jane Lynch. In October 2010 Newton-John starred in the breast cancer docudrama 1 A Minute and the Canadian film Score: A Hockey Musical.

Her 2012 film, A Few Best Men, garnered her some of the best reviews of her film career. Newton-John released her second book, LivWise: Easy Recipes For A Healthy, Happy Life in Australia in 2011. In LivWise, Newton-John explains her belief in the importance of eating a healthy diet in order to maintain wellness and balance. In 2012 Newton-John was bestowed the honor of being named one of Australia’s “National Living Treasures” by the National Trust of Australia. This was followed by another honor in 2013 when Newton-John was bestowed her owns stamp as part of the “Australia Post Legends” stamp series.

From writing hits for other artists to recording her own, twice Grammy-nominated Nashville-based hit songwriter and recording artist Chapman has had an amazing journey. Chapman is a breast cancer survivor, environmental activist, teacher of workshops, and self-described “creativity whisperer.” The newest member of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, Chapman has penned numerous hits and written songs for many top artists including Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Michael McDonald, Amy Grant, Keb Mo’, Roberta Flack, Waylon Jennings, Faith Hill, Willie Nelson, Bette LaVette, and many more.

Her music has been heard on ER, Dawson’s Creek, Providence, Felicity, and in movie soundtracks, including The Prince of Egypt, Message In A Bottle, The Rookie, Where The Heart Is, and Practical Magic. Mega-hit “This Kiss,” sung by Faith Hill, was ASCAP’S 1999 Song Of The Year, garnered a Grammy nomination and Chapman was Nashville NAMMY’S 1999 Songwriter of the Year. Among Chapman’s own recordings, the groundbreaking “Sand & Water,” released following the death of her husband from cancer in 1994, was performed by Elton John on his 1997 US tour in place of “Candle In The Wind” to honor the memory of Princess Diana.

Toronto-born Sky is an award-winning singer- songwriter with 12 solo CDs to her credit. Well-known for using real-life experiences in her songwriting, Sky’s music has created a lasting and indelible impact on fans. Her 10 solo CDs have spawned a string of chart-topping hits. A prolific and multi-talented artist, Sky has for written herself and for dozens of other international recording stars, such as Anne Murray, Reba McEntire, Diana Ross, Aaron Neville, and Heart.

Winner of three SOCAN awards and an American Songwriting Award, Sky has also been nominated for three Juno Awards (Best New Artist and twice for Best Songwriter). She has also been nominated for East Coast, West Coast, and Canadian Independent Music Awards. In addition to her music awards, she has also been recognized for her work as a mental health advocate. In 2006, Sky was awarded the CAMH Courage to Come Back award and in 2009 she was honored with the Mood Disorders Association Hero/Inspiration Award for her commitment to helping remove the stigma from mental health issues.

Ticket prices range between $40 and $65, and are required for attendance.

For additional information about the performance, and to purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts website.

On October 18, Pepperdine University Athletics and the American Heart Association (AHA) teamed up to inspire more than 400 elementary school students to stay healthy and keep moving at Charnock Road Elementary School in Los Angeles. The event, Jump Rope For Heart, kicked off the second year of Pepperdine’s partnership with the AHA.

The Jump Rope For Heart program teaches elementary school students about the importance of heart health, inspires them to help other children born with special hearts, and gives entire schools the opportunity to celebrate heart health with a jump roping event. In addition to the AHA’s assembly designed to motivate students to eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise more often, and drink water over sugary beverages, the Pepperdine men’s basketball team spoke to students about the collegiate athlete experience and the importance of making healthy choices.

“The event was a tremendous opportunity to positively impact the youth in our community,” said Pepperdine basketball forward Nolan Taylor. “As athletes, it is imperative that we help the youth understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. The kids and the American Heart Association welcomed us with open arms, and it was so rewarding to put a smile on these children's faces while teaching and playing the sport we love with them.” 

Jump Rope for Heart at Charnock Road Elementary School is the first of three Jump Rope for Heart events at different elementary schools in the Greater Los Angeles area. Hosted by Pepperdine Athletics and the AHA, the partnership aims to grow the Pepperdine brand and to give Pepperdine student-athletes the opportunity to serve and inspire young students.

“By partnering with the American Heart Association on outreach to schools in the Conejo Valley, San Fernando Valley, and South Los Angeles, our student-athletes have the opportunity to serve elementary students and communities that they might not otherwise interact with,” said Karina Herold, senior associate director of athletics at Pepperdine. “Service is at the heart of the student experience at Pepperdine, and the ability to deliver AHA’s message of heart health through healthy eating and physical activity using our student-athletes as positive examples is a special combination.”

The mission of the American Heart Association is to build healthier lives free from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. In addition to learning about heart health, Jump Rope For Heart students also learn about career pathways in science and medicine and explore how to help kids born with special hearts by raising donations for the American Heart Association. Donations raised will be used to fund lifesaving cardiovascular research for heart diseases and stroke, the leading causes of death in Los Angeles County.

In a grand reveal at this year’s Blue and Orange Madness during Pepperdine’s annual three-day Waves Weekend festivities that took place from October 13 to 15, Pepperdine University Athletics introduced the new Willie the Wave—the University’s official mascot—at Firestone Fieldhouse alongside the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The newest iteration of Willie the Wave features a smaller head size, a more toned physique, and athletic footwear in exchange for the flip-flops the mascot has been known to sport. Willie’s updated wardrobe also includes basketball and volleyball uniforms, as well as general workout apparel.

Plans to redesign Willie the Wave began in spring 2017, when Pepperdine Athletics administrators decided to order a new mascot costume as a result of wear and tear. Rather than selecting the same Willie the Wave attire featured in the past, the department partnered with the University’s mascot vendor to create a more modern costume using updated technology, fabrics, and other essential materials.

“Our goal was to create a costume that allowed for more athletic movements, easier maneuvering, and friendlier features,” said Karina Herold, senior associate director of athletics at Pepperdine. “At the end of the summer, we received a prototype, made slight tweaks and adjustments, and ordered a few different uniforms for him to wear.”

To learn more about Willie the Wave, visit the Pepperdine Athletics website.

October 31, 1517, marks the start of the Protestant Reformation, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Castle Church in Germany and launched the 150-year political and religious movement across Europe. The Pepperdine University Center for Faith and Learning will commemorate the 500^th anniversary of this significant milestone in Christian history with a special service at Stauffer Chapel on the Malibu campus on Tuesday, October 31, at 12:30 PM.

The service will focus on remembrance and Christian unity, and will include a reading from Martin Luther’s first sermon, music from the Concert Choir and the Pepperdine Chamber Choir, a congregational hymn, and a benediction.

“As a Christian university, we celebrate the rich history and traditions of the Christian faith,” said Stephanie Cupp, program coordinator at the Center for Faith and Learning. “This service will commemorate both the rich traditions of the Protestant church and the more recent work being done towards unity in the Christian church worldwide.”

To learn more about spiritual life at Pepperdine, visit the Center for Faith and Learning website.

Effective August 1, 2018, all Pepperdine campuses will become 100 percent smoke free. This new policy, approved by the University Management Committee, will apply to all campuses—both domestic and international—though designated outdoor areas at graduate campuses continue to be determined by building lease agreements.

While the University prepares to formally implement this new policy next fall, designated smoking areas on the Malibu campus have been reduced to two locations for the 2017-2018 academic year: one outside Smothers Theatre on the main campus and one in the parking lot on the Drescher Graduate Campus.

“This change in practice is a reflection of the care and concern many in our University have brought forward regarding the health of our community members as well as stewardship of our environment,” said Lauren Cosentino, chief human resources officer at Pepperdine University. “I'm especially appreciative of the way in which Pepperdine has approached this change with sensitivity to those who will be personally impacted. Becoming smoke free is another example of Pepperdine thoughtfully considering the well-being of our community while also providing care and support to each individual.”

Pepperdine now joins nearly 1,800 other campuses in the United States that are 100 percent smoke free. A smoke-free campus will reduce health risks among community members, encourage healthy living, and reduce cigarette litter on campus and the resultant risk of wildfire. In addition, the University hopes that this change will broadly discourage the use of tobacco, which continues to be the leading cause of premature and preventable deaths in the United States.

Pepperdine acknowledges that certain individuals may experience extreme difficulty with smoking cessation, and is committed to treating those who smoke with respect, dignity, and care. For community members who wish to stop smoking, the University encourages participation in one of its subsidized cessation programs, which are available to all faculty, staff, and students.

The Pepperdine University Fine Arts Division Theatre and Music departments will present the Luciana and Daniel Forge Fall Musical, BIG FISH - 12 Chair Version, by Andrew Lippa, with a book by John August, at Smothers Theatre in Malibu at 7:30 PM Thursdays through Saturdays from November 9 through November 11, and November 16 through November 18, with a matinee performance on Sunday, November 12, at 2 PM.

BIG FISH - 12 Chair Version is a fantastical new musical that follows the life of Edward Boom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest. Edward's larger-than-life stories delight everyone around him—most of all, his devoted wife, Sandra. But their son Will, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father's epic tales of witches, giants, and mermaids. Overflowing with heart and shifting between present day and a storybook past, this musical brings a family together and reveals the true meaning of friendship.

Pepperdine professor of theatre and fine arts divisional dean Cathy Thomas-Grant will direct the all-student cast, which features Noah Archibald, Nate Bartoshuk, Alden Dodd- Bettencourt, Malone Blaich, Sydney DeMaria, Marcella Ferrarone, Brandon Gille, Fernando Grimaldo, Joe Hebel, Lauren Jennerjohn, Parker Johnson, Buddy Kennedy, Kate Klimist, Natalie Leonard, Audrey McKee, Michael Mossucco, Ryan Robinson, Evatt Salinger, Katy Semple, and Angelo Silva.

“Directing this production has been a deeply personal experience, as a daughter and as a parent,” said Thomas-Grant. “Storytelling is at the very heart of BIG FISH, specifically how the narratives we tell not only shape our legacy, but also connect us to others. Ultimately it’s a story about the devotion of family and the adventure that is life.”

“Because the tales in this show are fantastical and mythological, we’ve had a lot of variety in our costume design, and it’s been a wonderful challenge to create so many diverse outfits,” says costume designer Melanie Watnik. “The story of BIG FISH will resonate with everyone as we journey through the universal themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, hope, love, and faith.”

Ticket prices range between $10 and $20, and are required for attendance.

For additional information about the musical, and to purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts website.

Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), will present “Educating for Democracy in a Post-truth Era” as part of the Seaver College W. David Baird Distinguished Lecture Series at Elkins Auditorium in Malibu on Tuesday, November 7, at 5 PM.

Pasquerella has been president of the AAC&U since July 2016. A philosopher whose career has combined teaching and scholarship with local and global engagement, Pasquerella has continuously demonstrated a deep abiding commitment to ensuring that all students have access to excellence in liberal education, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

The Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible through the support of Melanie and Richard Flamminio, the Seaver College Board of Visitors, and the Seaver Parents Association.

For additional information about the lecture, visit the Seaver College website.

Ned Colletti, former general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and executive in residence in sport administration at Seaver College, will discuss his new book, The Big Chair: The Smooth Hops and Bad Bounces from the Inside World of the Acclaimed Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager, in the Surfboard Room at Payson Library in Malibu on Monday, November 6, at 5 PM.

At this exclusive event for the Pepperdine community, Colletti will engage in a question and answer session about the book with Alicia Jessop, assistant professor of sports administration at Seaver College. The session will be followed by a book signing and reception.

Colletti was the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2014. Before working with the Dodgers, he served as the assistant general manager of the San Francisco Giants, after getting his start with the Chicago Cubs. Colletti currently appears as a baseball analyst on Spectrum SportsNet LA. During the last 20-plus seasons, Colletti has helped or assembled teams that have compiled a 1866-1493 record (373 games above .500), won 90 or more games 12 times, and qualified for the postseason 12 times, with four other eliminations on the last or next-to-last day of the season.

In his role as the executive in residence in sport administration at Seaver College, Colletti teaches courses such as The General Manager and Sport Communication and Media.

This event is cohosted by Payson Library and the Pepperdine Student Business Association.

For additional information, visit the Events page on the Pepperdine University website.

On Thursday, November 16, Pepperdine University will present The Big Chair: A Conversation with Ned Colletti at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, at 6 PM.

Colletti, a respected executive in Major League Baseball for over 30 years and general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers for nine years, will discuss his new book The Big Chair: The Smooth Hops and Bad Bounces from the Inside World of the Acclaimed Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager. The book chronicles an insider's experience working for one of the most storied franchises in professional baseball and covers the turbulent times, ownership troubles, and blockbuster trades of Colletti's tenure with the Dodgers.

At this exclusive event, Pepperdine alumni and select guests will receive additional insights into Colletti's extensive career through a moderated conversation.

Ticket prices range between $20 and $28, and are required for attendance.

For additional information about this event, and to register to attend, visit the Pepperdine University Alumni website.

Maria Truglio, associate professor of Italian and women’s, gender & sexuality studies at The Pennsylvania State University, will lead the lecture “From Cricket Killer to Insurance Salesman: Collodi's Pinocchio and his Afterlives” in the Surfboard Room at Payson Library in Malibu on Monday, November 13, at 4:15 PM.

Truglio will explore the various spin-offs and adaptions of this classic Italian children’s story.

At Penn State, Truglio’s courses focus on romanticism in Italy, women writers, Italian-American culture, Italian theater, advanced language development, and turn-of-the-century literature. Her research interests include 19^th and 20^th century Italian literature, children’s literature, and critical methodologies—particularly psychoanalysis, semiotics, and post-structuralism.

For additional information about this lecture, visit the Events page on the Seaver College website.

On November 13 nearly 100 members of the Pepperdine community joined in solidarity at the Malibu campus for the University’s first-ever Take Back the Night event—an annual gathering hosted nationwide and around the world dedicated to ending domestic, relationship, and sexual violence. The event was cohosted by Pepperdine University’s Student Government Association (SGA), Title IX coordinators, and the Health and Wellness office.

“This was a night of recognizing the voices in our communities that have experienced gender-based violence, working together to support those impacted, and also working to prevent it from happening,” explained La Shonda Coleman, Pepperdine University’s Title IX coordinator for students. “It was a beautiful representation of the community coming together.”

The on-campus event featured a resource fair, where representatives from a variety of campus departments—along with student-operated organizations, such as Crossroads, the Psychology Club, Waves Leadership Council, and the SGA—shared their support resources with attendees. Each organization offered students information about local and global inclusion and diversity, as well as gender-based violence and sexual violence, and provided statistics that explored how these issues impact individuals. Also on display were laptops featuring TED Talks related to the event’s mission, such as one given by social justice activist Kimberlé Crenshaw on how individuals that identify with both a marginalized race and gender can be doubly victimized.

Utilizing components of the Relationship IQ program, the Boone Center for the Family equipped students with the tools to cultivate healthy relationships in an effort to prevent domestic violence. The Office of Student Accessibility provided opportunities to participate in creative projects known to help support nervous system and brain health. Other Pepperdine offices present at the event included Intercultural Affairs, the Office of International Student Services, and the Pepperdine Volunteer Center.

Crossroads, a campus organization that strives to promote a safe space for LGBTQ+ students, created a brochure specifically for Take Back the Night that shared how issues of gender-based violence impact LGBTQ+ individuals as well as the LGBTQ+ community.

The Waves Leadership Council, comprising student-athletes, displayed on their table cutouts of paper t-shirts where attendees could write messages to survivors of domestic, relationship, and sexual violence. The event also featured a clothesline display of shirts designed by survivors, which provided them with the opportunity to tell their stories in a unique way.

The night also included performances by Pepperdine’s resident dance company Dance in Flight and two monologues from the internationally-acclaimed, award-winning student play, The Interference. One of the cast members of The Interference read aloud a testimony depicting the experiences of a student who survived sexual violence on campus prior to attending Pepperdine.

Following the survivor’s testimony, Rebecca Campos, intercultural learning and engagement coordinator at Pepperdine’s Intercultural Affairs office, spoke on behalf of women of color who are oftentimes marginalized or left out of these conversations. Campos discussed some of the barriers that may prevent this particular population from accessing support or resources, partly in fear that sharing their stories may perpetuate violence not only by the person who harmed them, but by the system that is designed to assist them.

The evening continued with a solidarity walk, led by select SGA members, from the amphitheater to the Gregg G. Juarez Palm Courtyard. After the march, University chaplain Sara Barton closed the event with a prayer.

“I prayed to God, the light of the world, who leads the way in taking back all humanity's nights of brokenness, pain, suffering, and violence,” Barton shared of her role at the event. “I was inspired by how the organizers of the event created a holistic program with prayer, testimony, performance, information, and art. Sharing in the creation of art together is one way we can heal communities.”

Student instrumentalists at Pepperdine University will perform two free chamber music concerts at Raitt Recital Hall at the Malibu campus on Tuesday, December 5, and Thursday, December 7, at 7:30 PM.

These performances will mark the first semester that the Seaver College music department has combined student pianists, string players, and woodwind players in a single class.

“Over the past 10 years, Pepperdine has established a successful chamber music program [as part of] our Heidelberg Summer Music Program,” says program director Louise Lofquist, who also teaches voice, diction, and vocal accompanying at Pepperdine. “I was eager to see if we could recreate the energy and enthusiasm for chamber music generated in Heidelberg during the regular academic year in Malibu. Combining all our musical personnel has helped to accomplish this, and I am very blessed to have Pepperdine faculty members Tamara Chernyak (violinist) and Leslie Lashinsky (bassoonist) join me in leading this fall's chamber music program.”

A total of 20 music students—ranging from freshman to seniors—will perform 14 musical pieces together. The programs will include two string quartets by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky; two piano trios by Beethoven and Dvorak; two piano quartets by Mozart and Brahms; two Baroque quartets featuring the harpsichord; and one piece for two pianos by Darius Milhaud, among several other pieces.

For additional information about these free concerts, visit the Pepperdine University website.

The Seaver College art department will showcase original works created by junior and senior studio art majors at the Sandbar Cafe on the Malibu campus through December 15.

Over the course of the fall semester, student artists worked with a medium of their choice, exploring painting, sculpture, video art, installation, and fibers. Through these mediums, they delved into concepts ranging from identity, anxiety, purpose, time, perception, reality, and meditation.

This year’s theme, “Extroversions,” will feature artwork from the following undergraduate students:

• Wesley Cha
• McKenzie Cunningham
• Iris Lee
• Carissa Mosley
• Angelica Ramos
• Lauren Sammons
• Julia Solazzo

“We titled [the exhibition] ‘Extroversions’ because the show is forcing us to leave our studios and present our work to the public, [which is] a terrifying task,” reveals Mosley, a Seaver College senior and video installation and performance artist, whose “Alien Lands” display combines a video installation and print photography to capture the unique essence of Los Angeles palm trees through prisms. “The installation I'm [presenting] is a participative performance ceremony in which we will be ironically and unironically commiserating the end of palm trees in Los Angeles.”

The Sandbar Cafe is open weekdays from 10 AM to 6 PM.

On December 6 Seaver College students enrolled in the inaugural Philanthropy for Social Change course (offered through the nonprofit management minor) hosted the first-ever Philanthropy for Social Change Funding Reception at the Fireside Room on the Malibu campus. The students granted four local organizations with substantial funds—presented as large novelty checks—to help support and raise awareness for their notable causes.

Led by Peter Thompson, who is also the director of the Pepperdine Volunteer Center, the brand-new course focuses on the philosophy behind philanthropy and requires in-depth research of numerous organizations and individual philanthropists that have made positive and impactful contributions to the communities they serve.

“As we were learning what philanthropy is, we were also putting [the concepts] into action. We were researching, talking with each other, and learning how to communicate with the organizations. So the way we approached it was perfect for me,” shared Seaver sophomore Alexis Johnson at the reception. “We partnered with each other and with the organizations. The process was amazing, and I learned a lot about myself and what I value, and it was [eye-opening] to hear everyone else’s opinions and see what they value.”

Throughout the semester, students met once a week for three hours in groups of four, each group focusing on one particular area of need: children, youth, and education; health and wellness; human services and civil rights; and hunger and homelessness. As the weeks passed, the groups examined and considered the vision and mission of 15 to 20 local organizations, strategically narrowing down their lists to three organizations, and eventually selecting one.

As Thompson explained to an audience of Pepperdine students, administration, faculty, and staff, “It was my job to point them in the right direction and not get in their way, and I really appreciate all the work the students have put in.”

Speakers from each of the four groups took turns at the podium, introducing their chosen organizations and providing a brief overview of their inspiring charitable efforts and noble goals.

Presenting the first novelty check for $8,000, senior Lizzi Lowe discussed the social impact of Food Forward—an organization that takes undesirable-looking but still perfectly good fruits and vegetables from backyards, farmer’s markets, and public orchards, and donates them to individuals in need.

In an emotional speech, junior Michelle Maemone presented $8,500 to three representatives from Reid’s Gift, a nonprofit committed to helping teenagers and adults with disabilities by uniquely combining practices from medicine, occupational and recreation therapy, psychology, rehabilitation counseling, social work, speech and language pathology, and special education.

Senior Katrina Winnett proudly presented Hospice of the Conejo with a $7,500 gift after reading the organization’s mission statement on their website, which emphasizes the organization’s dedication to “providing compassionate, emotional, practical support and information to individuals and families facing end-of-life issues always completely free of charge.”

The fourth and final check for $6,000 was presented by junior Hannah Robert to Golden Heart Ranch, as she explained that “as a psychology major, it was nice to take a break from science, and get to see and connect with the real world.”

“The outcomes of this course became personal for the students. It went beyond getting a grade, and the connections in the community and with the amazing people at the organizations they researched became paramount,” Thompson said. “The effort they put into the course was evident as they awarded real money to organizations and people making a real difference. The deeper the connection with someone at the organization, the more likely it was for that organization to receive money.”

Funding for the Philanthropy for Social Change was made possible by a generous donation from Dale (’64) and Rita Brown, whose invaluable gift was facilitated through a partnership between Pepperdine University and the Philanthropy Lab. As suggested by the company’s name, the Philanthropy Lab promotes charitable efforts by connecting students in philanthropy-based classes from several reputable universities around the nation with community members who are interested in giving. Gifts can be made to any partner university and class, which the students can donate to an organization of their choice.

To learn more about the Philanthropy for Social Change course, visit the Pepperdine University page on the Philanthropy Lab website.

Pepperdine classical guitar students will perform a free concert in the Surfboard Room at Payson Library in Malibu on Tuesday, December 12, at 5 PM. The students will present pieces they have studied under the instruction of internationally recognized classical guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening, distinguished professor of music at Pepperdine University.

Parkening has served as the Christopher Parkening Chair in Classical Guitar since 2002. The Parkening International Guitar Competition—which honors his lifetime commitment to fostering musical excellence in young artists—is held every four years.

Parkening has performed around the world, including at such prestigious places as Carnegie Hall and the White House. His television appearances include The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and 20/20. He has recorded over 20 albums, and earned two Grammy nominations in the “Best Classical Recording” category.

For additional information about this concert, visit the Pepperdine University Libraries website.

Ezralow Dance Company will bring its unique mix of contemporary dance and striking visuals to Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Wednesday, January 10, at 8 PM.

Ezralow Dance is a movement-based ensemble known internationally for its fluid physicality, thoughtful humor, and creative blend of vivid fantasy and dramatic emotion. It is comprised of performers, visual artists, composers, filmmakers, writers, technicians, and designers, with a diversity of creative work that includes the development and touring of signature works; a catalogue of international commissions spanning and mingling the disciplines of dance, theatre, film, visual arts, opera, and performance; mentoring and internship programs; and explorative research projects combining storytelling, technology, and the arts, probing the questions of dancing and humanity.

The company's founding artistic director and choreographer, Daniel Ezralow, began his professional career as a dancer with the dance companies 5X2 Plus, Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch, and Pilobolus. His professional life has since grown to include work as a director and choreographer in a variety of platforms. He has created live and filmed events at the Louvre Museum and the Pompidou Centre (Paris), Yankee Stadium and the Guggenheim Museum (New York City), the Getty Museum and the Ford Theaters (Los Angeles) and the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

As a choreographer, Ezralow has commissioned original works for Paris Opera Ballet, Batsheva Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Philadanco, amongst others. His choreography and aerial creations are in The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil, Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, and the seminal musical film Across the Universe.

In television, Ezralow conceived and created the About the Artists award-winning dance specials Windows (Bravo), Episodes (PBS), and Josh Groban in Concert (PBS), and has choreographed music videos and staged shows for musicians including Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Sara Bareilles, Sting, David Bowie, and U2. Ezralow’s work has earned him two American Choreography Awards for innovative and outstanding choreography, a Choreographic Media Honors Award, an Emmy Award, Emmy nomination, the Premio Positano (Italy), a Nijinsky Award, an Ischia Award, and an NEA Choreographic Fellowship.

Ticket prices range between $10 and $45, and are required for attendance. For additional information about the performance, and to purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts website.