BOOKS & COFFEE: A MONTHLY REVIEW OF BOOKS

This year's fourth meeting of Books & Coffee, a forum for public discussion,
will be held on Tuesday, January 13 at 7:30 PM at the Roland Hayes Concert Hall on the UTC campus. We are moving to an unusual location because we have something very special in store for our this, our first 2004 meeting---a discussion followed by a concert. 

Our speaker will be Miles Hoffman, author of THE NPR CLASSICAL MUSIC COMPANION: TERMS AND CONCEPTS FROM A TO Z.  Hoffman has enjoyed a remarkably distinguished and versatile career as a violist, an arts entrepreneur, a writer, an arts critic, and a cultural commentator. He is Founder and Artistic Director of the American Chamber Players, has been regularly featured on National Public Radio's "Performance Today" since 1989, and is Cultural Commentator for NPR's flagship news program "Morning Edition." 

Hoffman writes and speaks about music with unusual fluency, humor, and clarity, and his book is an accessible and entertaining reference, geared to what he calls the "ordinary listener." In many respects, his generously democratic regard for the larger listening public recalls the broadly educational and culture-enriching work of the late Leonard Bernstein, whose lucid books and lively "Young People's Concerts" introduced a whole generation of Americans to the delights of classical music. We are delighted and honored that he will be able to join us. 

In addition to discussing his book, Hoffman will talk about his view of the current and future state of classical music in America, and take questions from the audience. Then, following a short break, Hoffman will once again take the stage along with his American Chamber Players to present a one-set musical program. The Players include, in addition to Hoffman, clarinetist Loren Kitt, violinist Joanna Maurer, cellist Michael Mermagen, pianist Edward Newman, and flutist Sara Stern. (For more information about the ACP and its members, see their excellent website at http://www.acplayers.com.) 

(For those interested, Hoffman will also conduct a viola masterclass at 5:00 at the UTC Fine Arts Center with students of Floy Wang at UTC, and from local high schools and the Chattanooga Symphony's Youth Orchestras.)

Please join us for this rich and stimulating evening. Books & Coffee is cosponsored
by UTC's SunTrust Chair of Excellence in Humanities and by Covenant College. The appearance of the American Chamber Players was additionally supported by a UTC Lupton Renaissance Grant. We also wish to express our gratitude to Southern Adventist University for bringing the ACP to Chattanooga and for making it possible for us to share the benefits of having them here. 

The event is entirely free---including, as always, the coffee! The general public is warmly invited.

Roland Hayes Concert Hall is in the UTC Fine Arts Center, located at the corner of Vine and Palmetto Streets on the east edge of campus. Parking is conveniently located across the street behind the Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science building. 

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