**For Immediate Release**
Mardi Gras OPSU-Style
-released by OPSU Campus Communications 02-17-06
Goodwell, OK - Anticipating the sound of jazz and the
smell of Cajun spices, students and staff at Oklahoma Panhandle
State University are once again preparing for Mardi Gras.
Fat Tuesday will be celebrated Feb. 28 with an evening
full of activities designed to bring a little bit of New
Orleans to Texas County. Thanks in part to the generosity
of the Oklahoma Arts Council, OPSU celebrates their 3rd
annual Mardi Gras this year.
Mardi Gras at OPSU includes a Cajun dinner in the Student
Union cafeteria that will feature New Orleans-style specialties
such as shrimp gumbo, blackened catfish, red beans and
rice, and Jambalaya plus other traditional dishes. The
meal will be served from 5:00-6:30 p.m. and the price per
person is $7.25. All students who show a current, valid
OPSU ID eat free.
At 8:00 p.m., jazz pianist Noah Baerman
of Middletown, Conn. will join a group of regional musicians
in the Student Union ballroom for a free public concert.
Baerman studied jazz at Rutgers University and has performed
extensively along the East Coast. He released four albums
with the Noah Baerman Trio and has also accompanied numerous
other artists, including OPSU Band Director Jason Berg.
The group’s
2003 album “Patch Kit” was inspired by Baerman’s
struggle with the effects of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a
connective tissue disorder. The trio’s most recent
release, “Soul Force,” is a tribute to Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In addition to the performance, Baerman
will host a Master Class that begins Tuesday at 4:00
p.m. in OPSU’s
Hughes-Strong Auditorium. He will discuss jazz music and
its techniques and will also play a selection of his music.
The class is free to anyone who wishes to attend and will
provide a great learning opportunity for area musicians
and those interested in jazz.
For more information about OPSU’s
Mardi Gras, contact Jessica Lofland, Director of Student
Services and Enrollment Management, at 580-349-1362.
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