Syracuse Chapter ESU Fall 2023

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The Syracuse Chapter is proud to announce that Anka Chiorini won its Shakespeare Competition for the third year in a row and competed against other chapter winners from across the country at the National Shakespeare Competition in New York City at the end of April.  In her 2nd year in New York City, Anka placed in the top ten finalists in the country.  Anka has now "retired" from the high school competition and is attending Oberlin College this year.  She is pictured below with Jamesville-Dewitt high school principal Greg Lawson on the left and Syracuse Chapter Shakespeare Competition Chairperson Barbara Weller on the right. 

The Syracuse Chapter has been busy with fall events at its monthly luncheons.

On October 14 Mike Intaglietta, Executive Director, spoke on The Landmark Theater, Yesterday and Today.  

November 11th brought us Robert Searing, the Curator of History at the Onondaga Historical Association, speaking on Syracuse's Gustav Stickley and the Arts and Crafts Legacy.

Pictured below are speaker Robert Searing and ESU member JoAnn Wallace.

Winter/Spring 2024 Luncheon Meeting Dates and Topics

January 13, 2024:  Ceramic Art, speaker Garth Johnson, The Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Ceramics Curator at the Everson Museum of Art.

February 10, 2024: Celebrating Shakespeare, speaker Prof. Thomas Miller, Associate Professor, College of Visual and Performing Art, Syracuse University Department of Drama.

March 9, 2024:  Tick Talk, speaker Elizabeth Balfour of the CNY Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease of Allliance

April 13, 2024:  Mercy Works: Empowering the Children and Youth of Syracuse, speaker Natividad Torrence, Program Director, Mercy Works:

May 11, 2024:  Annual Meeting.  Additional Programming TBA. 

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The ESU National Shakespeare Competition Starts Now!

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We are pleased to announce the kick-off of the ESU's National Shakespeare Competition! Schools in our region may enter now, giving students the opportunity to compete in the Syracuse Branch Competition.  The winner of the branch competition will travel to NYC to compete in the national finals at Lincoln Center!  

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ESU Spring Meetings 2023

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May 13 Meeting

The May meeting was a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Syracuse Branch of the ESU, complete with a cake and champagne toasts to our 75 years, to the office of the President of the United States, and to King Charles III.  

Our speaker, introduced by member Judy Carpenter, was Christian Capocaccia, Artistic Director of the Syracuse Opera Company.  Maestro Capocaccia, born in Rome, studied at its Conservatorio Santa Cecelia and in the U.S. at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.  He is renowned all over the US and Europe and has been recognized by the New York Times for his energy and musical expertise.  He explained the nuances of directing an opera versus directing a symphony orchestra, and he shared that his favorite opera is Tristan and Isolde.  We are glad that he and his family have made Syracuse his home.

April 8 Meeting

When our April speaker was unable to make the meeting, our inimitable and quick-thinking Dori Parker saved the day by introducing each member present and asking each one to say a few words.  We all contributed and ended up with an interesting, sometimes humorous, often informative, and thoroughly unique April meeting.  Pictured below are our "speaker" members preparing their extemporaneous remarks.

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Upcoming Programs, Spring 2023

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May 13

Our 75th Year Celebration
Conducting Speaker: Christian Capocaccia, Artistic Director, Syracuse Opera Company and Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton

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ESU Winter Meetings 2023

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March 11 Meeting

Member JoAnn Wallace introduced our speaker Les Rose, Professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism at SU's Newhouse School, whose presentation was entitled "Behind the Lens."  Professor Rose was a photojournalist for CBS News and covered many major events such as 9/11 in Shanksville PA, civil wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador, the LA Riots, and numerous worldwide disasters and events along with major sports events, celebrity interviews, and many more assignments, earning several awards along the way.  He entertained and delighted our members with stories both humorous and serious about his 30 years in news broadcasting.

February 11 Meeting

February's topic was Celebrating Shakespeare with speaker Matt Phillips, Shakespeare Competition Advisor, Jamesville-Dewitt High School.  Mr. Phillips has long been active as an advisor in the annual high school Shakespeare Competition, along with teaching courses in English, drama, film, journalism, creative writing, and Syracuse University's Project Advance.  

Mr. Phillps, introduced by Syracuse ESU's Shakespeare Competition co-chair Barbara Weller, demonstrated that a cold reading of a Shakespearean play is not the most effective way to improve student understanding of Shakespearean language.  To illustrate this, he distributed copies of a brief scene from Much Ado About Nothing for an oral reading.  Then he showed videos of five diverse interpretations of that same scene by separate professional actors. Those videos clearly improved our understanding of the wordplay between Beatrice and Benedict. At the conclusion of the presentation, everyone had a much clearer grasp of the relationship between the characters in that scene. (Thank you to ESU member Judy Carpenter for her photos and description of Mr. Phillips' demonstration).

We were also treated to a presentation of a monologue by Anka Chiorini, the 2021 and 2022 Syracuse Branch Regional winner and a finalist in the National Competition in New York City.

January 14 Meeting

In January we were fortunate to host Shane Mahar from the NYS Canal Corporation.  He was joined by Joell Murney-Karsten who deals with community and government relations through the Canal Corporation's Syracuse Regional Office  Mr. Mahar spoke on New York's Canal System, informing us that "the New York State Canal Corporation operates and maintains four historic canals: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga – Seneca.  Spanning 524 miles, the waterways link the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain, and connect hundreds of unique and historic communities across upstate New York."  Attendees also learned about the Empire State Trail's Reimagine the Canals initiative and the free "On the Canals" excursions that attract thousands of people to the canal corridor each year.  Pictured are Mahar, ESU member Shirley Cruikshank who introduced the presenters, and Murney-Karsten.

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