MEDIA CONTACT: Terri Berns
561-297-1164, tberns@fau.edu
BOCA RATON, FL (August 7, 2006) - Florida Atlantic University Libraries recently presented “Spirit of America: The Concert” to an audience of 2,000 in the Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium on the Boca Raton campus. The concert featured the Klezmer Company Orchestra – FAU Libraries’ professional ensemble-in-residence conducted by Aaron Kula – with 26 performers and guest vocalist William Olson. Following the concert, a VIP reception was held in the Live Oak Pavilion at the University Center to honor FAU benefactors Marvin and Sybil Weiner and members of the Weiner family, including Dr. Howard and Judith Weiner of Boca Raton, Herbert and Sheila Weiner of New Jersey, Richard and Esther Granade of North Carolina and granddaughter Danielle Poll of Orlando.
Marvin Weiner, a well-respected collector of primary historical sources for more than 65 years, recently gave FAU more than 13,000 printed items of the American Revolutionary era and other imprints, mostly British and French, with publication dates that span six centuries. The ‘Spirit of America Collection’ will be housed in FAU’s S.E. Wimberly Library on the Boca Raton campus. This acquisition will establish FAU as a major site for the study of colonial America.
Reflecting the multicultural traditions of music from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, the concert featured classical works and several favorite pieces by some of the great American composers. “The concert and the reception were a perfect way to introduce the university community to this wonderful new collection,” said Dr. William Miller, director of FAU Libraries. “We hope that the ‘Spirit of America’ collection will inspire many future public events that celebrate learning and the exploration of our culture.”
Among the notables attending the reception were Charna Larkin, FAU Foundation Board member; Arthur Jaffe, founder and curator of the Arthur and Mata Jaffe Collection: Books as Aesthetic Objects at FAU’s Wimberly Library; FAU Benefactors Marleen and Harold Forkas; Bob and Beverly Freeman of Philadelphia; Dr. Salvatore and Mary Rinaldi; Jon and Betty Kimmel; Murray and Judy Zaroff; Dr. Peter and Alissa Schosheim; Richard and Diane Fagin; Sam and Lois Saidel, and Bruce and Michele Kreindel.
The Klezmer Company Orchestra, now in its ninth season, was founded by Aaron Kula in 1997 to perform world music from a wide range of cultures and historical periods, and to promote music from FAU Libraries’ collections.
-FAU-
Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the university serves 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida's southeastern coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a world-class faculty, FAU hosts eight colleges - the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, and the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering & Computer Science, and Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs.
