Banners History

Our History

Banners was established in 1992 under the direction of Dr. Robert Hebert, former president of McNeese State University.

Because many events coordinated by the School of Liberal Arts were occurring at the same time, Dr. Hebert’s idea was to organize these events into a cohesive unit and give the community access to each show. A committee was formed, consisting of one representative from each Liberal Arts department, served with the task of forming an organization to oversee the series – thus Banners at McNeese was born.

By the program’s second year, the Cultural Season was formally constructed as a full-fledged series, featuring artists such as Ellis Marsalis, an American jazz pianist and educator. During the third year, Banners hired its first full-time director, Mary Richardson.

Today, Banners has expanded to include a three person staff, a student-driven outreach program, a widely popular annual fundraiser and more!

Cultural Season Archive

2023 SEASON

March 4 – Tartan Terrors
March 9 – McLeod Lecture Series: Inspiring Generations to Civic Engagement
March 10 – Sons of Mystro
March 11 – Right in the Eye
March 18 – War Journalists: Chasing Fire
March 23 – May 5 – Works on Paper Exhibition
March 25 – Robin Spielberg
March 26 – Relay of Voices: A River Connected
March 31 – Ruthie Foster
April 2 – The Moonlit Princess
April 13 – Flamethrowers Dance Party
April 14 – Family Film Night on the Lawn
April 19 – Wizard of Oz
April 21 – Mames Babegenush
April 26 – Six Hearts: Vishten/The East Pointers
April 29 – Nashville Hurricane with Chase Padgett

2022 SEASON

- disABLE Art
- Violectric
- La Poet Laureate Mona Lisa Saloy
- McLeod Lecture Series
- Finding Joe
- 90 Lies an Hour
- The Queen’s Cartoonists
- Three Friends of Lincoln
- Cha Wa
- Works on Paper
- Leon Chavis and the Zydeco Flames
- Leo P.
- WALL-E
- Jeff Boyer’s Big Bubble Bonanza
- Poems and Stories from a Traveller
- The Flying Balalaika Brothers
- Louisiana Rising

2020 SEASON

March 4 – Members Only Reception
March 5 – Lecture: Robin Spielberg: “The Healing Power of Music”
March 7 – Robin Spielberg (pianist)
March 11 – Lecture: Christa Maria Lerm-Hayes: “Beuys”
March 12 – Wit & Wrath: The Life & Times of Dorothy Parker
March 13 – Leyla McCalla (folk)
March 14 – “Solo From the Pit”, Elias Faingersh (theatre, trombone)

The following events were postponed or cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing quarantine:

March 20 – Jeff Boyer’s Big Bubble Bonanza
March 21 – The Flying Balalaika Brothers
March 26 – 33rd Annual Works on Paper exhibit
March 29 – Documentary Screening: “American Epic”
April 2 – “Pokes in the Oaks” free outdoor concert series, with The Flamethrowers
April 3 – “JunNk” (music and comedy)
April 19 – McLeod Lecture Series: “Hands Across the Great Divide” with guest panelists Dr. John Fletcher, Jim Beam, Robert Gambrell Jones, and John Alario
April 21 – Lecture: Kelly and Courtney Litvak: “Childproof America – Safeguarding Families from Sex Trafficking”
April 23 – “90 Lies an Hour”, Paul Strickland (theatre, music)
April 24 – Doolin (Irish music)
April 30 – Lecture/Workshop: Rus Blackwell: “Inside the Creative Mind”
May 1 – Taj Mahal (blues, folk)

Following two hurricanes and amidst a pandemic, Banners at McNeese teamed up with the Lake Charles Little Theatre and KBYS McNeese Radio on a live adaptation of the classic 1938 radio play by Orson Welles, “The War of the Worlds”.

The production, which streamed online to listeners all over the globe, featured cameos by Southwest Louisiana luminaries like Mayor Nic Hunter and KPLC’s Ben Terry.

Listen to the full broadcast on YouTube.

2019 SEASON

March 7 – Members Only Reception with “Josephine Baker”
March 8 – “Josephine, a burlesque cabaret dream play”
March 9 – Billy Strings (bluegrass)
March 12 – Lecture: Ilse N. Bulhof: “The Tree Between Heaven & Earth”
March 16 – Jazz ‘N Bossa (with Ken Peplowski, Chuck Redd, Leif Pedersen, John Mahoney, Ed Wise, and special guests, Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo and drummer Duduka da Fonseca)
March 17 – Film screening: “A Celtic Pilgrimage with John O’Donohue”
March 24 – Freedom Brass (United States Air Force Band of the West)
March 26 – Red Hot Chilli Pipers
March 29 – Peter Gros from the Original Mutual of Omaha’s ‘Wild Kingdom’
March 31 – Film screening: “Abdullah Ibrahim: A Struggle For Love”
April 1 – Puddles Pity Party
April 6 – Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim
April 9 – Lecture: “Unthinkable: Inside Criminal Minds with William Aprill”
April 11 – Poetry reading: “The Poetry & Travel Stories of Robert Cooper”
April 15 – The Americans (performance/lecture on pre-war recording era)
April 17 – Chase Padgett: “6 Guitars”
April 28 – Film screening: “Sing”
April 30 – Lecture/discussion: “A Digital History of Engagement with Jarret Lofstead”

2018 SEASON

March 2 – “One Night in Memphis” tribute concert with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash
March 6 – Rhythm Future Quartet (acoustic gypsy jazz)
March 8 – Artrageous (performance troupe: artists, musicians, dancers)
March 10 – Film screening: “Walk the Line”
March 15 – Moscow Nights & Golden Gate Dancers (Russian/Georgian folklore, song, and dance)
March 24 – The Stepcrew (Celtic dance)
March 28 – Lecture: Alina Fernandez, Castro’s Daughter
April 11 – Lecture: Reed Timmer, Extreme Storm Chaser
April 14 – Film screening: “Hell on Earth – The Fall of Syria and the Rise of Isis”
April 17 – Lecture: Zeb Hogan, host of National Geographic’s “Monster Fish”
April 21 – Film screening: “Mary Poppins”
April 22 – Arturo Sandoval Sextet (jazz trumpet)
April 26 – The Malpass Brothers (americana, honky tonk)
April 28 – Film screening: “The Eagle Huntress”

2017 SEASON

March 10 – Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder (Members Only Opening Party)
March 14 – Etienne Charles (jazz trumpet)
March 16 – Lecture: Matt Mogk, “Zombies, Run!”
March 17 – Rodney Marsalis Big Brass Band, “Brothers on the Battlefield” theatrical production
March 21 – Shadow Theatre Fireflies
March 24 – The Doo Wop Project (featuring stars of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” and “Motown: The Musical”
March 25 – Film screening: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”
March 30 – “Churchill” one-man play by Andrew Edlin
April 4 – Film screening: “The Wrecking Crew”
April 7 – Acrobats of Cirque-tacular
April 13 – Film screening: “Mystic Iran: The Unseen World”
April 22 – Film screening: “Free State of Jones”
April 25 – Lecture: Dr. Jack Levin, “Extreme Killing”
April 27 – Tiempo Libre (Afro-Caribbean jazz)

2016 SEASON

February 19 – Larry Gatlin (Opening Party)
February 23 – Paul Taylor Dance Company
February 27 – Film screening: “Selma”
March 3 – Cirque Zuma Zuma (African circus)
March 5 – Film screening: “The Princess Bride”
March 11 – Lecture: David Sears, former U.S. Navy Seal
March 15 – Popovich Comedy & Pet Theater
March 17 – Reading: Erin Entrada Kelly
March 19 – Film screening: “Timbuktu”
March 23 – Poetry reading: Robert Cooper
April 7 – Lecture: David Wrobel, “John Steinbeck’s America – A Cultural History of the Great Depression”
April 8 – Lecture: Henry Glassie, “The Cultural South”
April 12 – Film screening: “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
April 16 – VISHTEN (Acadian and Celtic folk music)
April 19 – Lecture: Jacob Blevins and Dafydd Wood, “Creating New Television – ‘Breaking Bad’ and the Golden Age of TV”
April 22 – Cimarron (Andalusian, Indian, and African roots music)
April 24 – Cecile McLorin Salvant (jazz)

2015 SEASON

February 27 – Reading: Fady Joudah
February 28 – Grupo Fantasma (Latin funk orchestra)
March 2 – Film screening/lecture: “Lincoln”, with intro by Dr. Michael T. Smith
March 3 – Lecture: Dr. Michael T. Smith, “The 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign”
March 4 – Film screening: “Camille Claudel”
March 7 – Film screening: “Guardians of the Galaxy”
March 11 – Film screening: “L’Attentat”
March 12 – Christian Howes (jazz violinist)
March 13 – “Funny Bones: The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin”, performed by Dan Kamin
March 17 – Aquila Theatre Company presents “Wuthering Heights”
March 18 – Film screening: “Le Dernier Des Injustes”
March 20 – Zuill Bailey & Awadagin Pratt (cello, piano)
March 25 – Film screening: “Augustine”
March 26 – Sean Chen (piano)
March 27 – Run Boy Run (bluegrass)
March 28 – Warren Hood Band (blues)
March 30 – Film screening: “Ernest & Celestine”
March 31 – Reading: Amy Fleury
April 1 – Film screening: “La Grande Illusion”
April 11 – Take 6 (a cappella vocal group)
April 18 – Aloft Circus Arts presents Sephira
April 21 – Film screening: “Driving Blind”, with filmmaker Tod Purvis
April 24 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
April 28 – Bria Skonberg Quartet (jazz trumpet, vocalist, composer)
April 29 – Film screening: “Fed Up”
April 30 – Lecture: Tommie Townsley, “Publishing in a New Age”

2014 SEASON

March 7 – Members Only Opening Gala, with live painting by Tim Decker
March 9 – Harlem Quartet (classical music)
March 13 – Reading: John Griswold
March 14 – Halie Loren (vocal)
March 15 – Poetry reading: B.H. Fairchild
March 18 – Lecture: “Twelve Years a Slave and Antebellum Louisiana”
March 19 – Film screening: “Amour”
March 21 – Bridgman Packer Dance Co. presents “Voyeur” (dance)
March 22 – Film screening: “Perfect Strangers” (Hopes, Dreams and Voluntary Organ Donation)
March 26 – Film screening: “L’Assaut”
March 27 – Imago Theatre presents “Frogz” (theatre, illusion, comedy)
March 29 – Reading: Pam Houston
April 2 – Film screening: “Des Hommes Et Des Dieux”
April 3 – Lecture: “Downton Abbey and History”
April 4 – Lightwire Theater presents “Dino-Light”
April 5 – Sam Bush (Americana, bluegrass)
April 8 – Poetry reading: Robert Cooper
April 9 – Film screening: “Coleur de Peau: Miel”
April 11 – Kenya Safari Acrobats
April 12 – Film screening: “The Retrieval”
April 13 – The Hit Men (supergroup)
April 16 – Film screening: “Les Adieux a la Reine”
April 24 – McLeod Lecture Series
April 25 – Ethel and Robert Mirabal presents “Music of the Sun” (Native American flutist, string quartet, folklore)
April 26 – The Alley Cats (a cappella, comedy)
May 2 – Sybarite5 (chamber music)
May 3 – McNeese Jazz & Percussion Festival, featuring Joey DeFrancesco

2013 SEASON

February 16 – Members Opening Gala
February 23 – O’Connor String Quartet
March 1 – Maceo Parker (funk)
March 2 – Reading: Richard Bausch
March 9 – Koresh Dance Company (ballet, jazz)
March 16 – Christopher O’Riley (pianist, NPR host of “From the Top”
March 19 – Lecture: Juan Jose Valdes (National Geographic)
March 21 – McLeod Lecture Series
March 22 – Spencers: Theatre of Illusion
April 7 – Jeremy Davis & the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra (jazz)
April 12 – Andy Narell (Caribbean jazz)
April 13 – Reading: Roy Kesey
April 14 – Dali Quartet (classical, Latin American music)
April 18 – Lecture: Steve Gimbel, “Einstein’s Jewish Science”
April 20 – Pokey LaFarge (Americana, honky tonk)
April 23 – Lecture: Karin Muller, “Perilous Journeys” (National Geographic)
April 27 – Ruthie Foster (blues)
May 3 – Lynn Trefzger (comedy, illusion)
May 4 – McNeese Jazz Festival, featuring Wycliffe Gordon

2012 SEASON

February 26 – “Bombay Bollywood” by the Bollywood Superstars (traditional and tribal belly dancing)
March 1 – McLeod Lecture Series: “The Speaker of the House Wields a Heavy Gavel”
March 4 – mozART GROUP (cabaret and comedy string quartet)
March 9 – A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra
March 13 – Lecture: Charles Kimball, “When Religion Becomes Lethal”
March 16 – Lecture: Nick Spitzer, “Tradition and Creativity: From Louisiana Creole Expressive Culture to ‘American Routes’
March 17 – Rhythmic Circus in “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” (percussion, dance)
March 20 – Lecture: Josh Rushing, “Will Chile be Capitalism’s Achilles Heel?”
March 24 – Samite (Ugandan singer/songwriter)
March 27 – Mnozil Brass (classical music, humor)
March 31 – The Malone Brothers (New Orleans roots rock)
April 13 – John Pizzarelli (jazz guitarist)
April 14 – Poetry reading: Dr. John Wood
April 17 – Lecture: Astronaut Story Musgrave, “25 Million Miles in Orbit – An Unforgettable Space Story”
April 21 – “Circus Incognitus” with Jamie Adkins (clowning and acrobatics)
April 24 – Lecture: Karen Cox, “Representations of the South in Popular Culture”
April 27 – Peter Karp and Sue Foley (blues)
May 12 – “Masked Marvels & Wondertales” with Michael Cooper (storytelling/stilt dancer)

2011 SEASON

March 12 – Jerry Butler (rhythm & blues)
March 13 – Hiromi (jazz pianist)
March 15 – Lecture: Billy Bretherton the Exterminator, “Pest Stories”
March 18 – Rhythmic Circus
March 20 – Roberta Gambarini (jazz vocalist)
March 25 – Buckwheat Zydeco & the Ils Sont Partis Band
March 26 – The Aluminum Show (theatre, dance, illusion)
March 29 – Lecture: Philippe Girard, “Why is Haiti So Poor?”
April 1 – Riders in the Sky
April 2 – Reading: Alex Taylor, “The Name of the Nearest River”
April 7 – McLeod Lecture Series: “Role of Louisiana’s Lt. Governor”
April 7 – Simon Shaheen & Qantara (arabic, jazz, classical)
April 11 – Lecture: Kelechi A. Kalu, “Terrorism and West Africa”
April 14 – Carpe Diem String Quartet
April 16 – The Rat Pack is Back (tribute)
April 17 – U.S. Air Force Concert Band & the Singing Sergeants

2010 SEASON

February 20 – The King’s Singers
February 26 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
February 27 – Avner the Eccentric’s “Exceptions to Gravity” (vaudeville, juggling, magic)
March 4 – Short Circuit Traveling Film Festival (short films)
March 6 – Zachary Richard (Louisiana singer/songwriter)
March 8 – Lecture: Deborah Fitzgerald, “Industrializing Everything: Agriculture in 20th Century America”
March 13 – Preservation Hall Jazz Band
March 17 – Lecture: Jeffrey A. Miller, “Oil: Is It a Sustainable Resource?”
March 20 – Ann Savoy & Her Sleepless Knights (vintage jazz)
March 26 – The Jason Bishop Show (magic)
April 8 – McLeod Lecture Series: “Right to Work: Changes in Louisiana’s Political Landscape”
April 9 – Wine & Alchemy (world music, belly dancing)
April 12 – Lecture: Sameetah Agha, “Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier: the Most Dangerous Place on Earth”
April 16 – Bill Miller (blues, Native American folk)
April 20 – Lecture: Ted Ownby, “Roots, Divorce, ‘Free Bird’ and Family Values: Debating Southern Family Life in the 1970’s”
April 23 – Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company (ancient Chinese dance, modern dance)
April 25 – Ji-Yong (pianist)
April 28 – Lecture: Mira Kamdar, “America’s Huge Stake in India”
April 30 – Reading: Allen Braden
May 1 – Kelley Hunt (blues, gospel, r&b)

2009 SEASON

February 28 – Cuartetango Music & Dance Company (tango dancing, string quartet)
March 6 – “Drums of War: The Sacrifice for Troy” (theatre)
March 7 – Karla Bonoff (singer/songwriter)
March 10 – Lecture: Josh Rushing, “Spin: The Art of Selling War”
March 13 – Arlo Guthrie (folk)
March 17 – Civil War roundtable discussion with Professor Michael Smith, Christopher Stowe, and Terry Beckenbaugh
March 20 – The Second City (comedy, skits, theatre)
March 21 – Poetry reading: Susan Ludvigson
March 24 – Lecture: Asra Q. Nomani, “The Paradox of Women in Islam”
March 26 – Lecture: Dr. Barbara Forrest, “Intelligent Design”
April 2 – McLeod Lecture Series
April 3 – Celtic Crossroads (Irish folk, dancing)
April 7 – Lecture: Dr. Daniel Botkin, “Evaluating the Evidence of Global Warming”
April 17 – Zuill Bailey (cellist)
April 18 – St. Petersburg String Quartet
April 19 – Golden Dragon Acrobats
April 23 – Dobet Gnahore (African folk vocalist)
April 25 – AguaMarinah Trio (jazz, world music)
April 28 – Short Circuit Film Festival (short films)
May 1 – Dance, Comedy, Fried Chicken & Beer (closing reception with the comedy of Dr. Steven Gimbel)

2008 SEASON

February 12 – Hugo Wolf Quartet (chamber music)
February 15 – Shirim Klezmer Orchestra with narration of “Pincus and the Pig” by Brenda Bachrack (Jewish folk music)
February 17 – Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South African vocal group)
February 22 – The Subdudes (roots rock)
February 23 – Short Circuit Film Festival with comments by filmmaker Yeon Choi
February 29 – Peru Negro (world music)
March 1 – Poetry reading: Joe Harrison
March 10 – Lecture: Dr. James F. Sennett, “An Intelligent Discussion about Intelligent Design”
March 14 – Vance Gilbert & Susan Werner (singer/songwriter)
March 15 – Lecture: Dr. John Wood, “Sex, Death, and God: Reflections on Poetry and History”
March 18 – Lecture: James Loi, “What in the World is Happening in China?”
March 28 – Lecture: Larry Cipolla, “Planting by Artists” (container gardening and art)
March 29 – Paragon Orchestra & “The Mark of Zorro” (film screening, live score)
April 1 – Lecture: Dr. Nick Spitzer, “Zydeco, Mardi Gras, and Trail Rides”
April 3 – McLeod Lecture Series: Panel – Jimmy Hayes, Chris John, Buddy Leach, Henson Moore, and Beth Courtney
April 5 – Manhattan Brass
April 11 – The Amazing Jake Shimabukuro (ukulele)
April 15 – Lecture: Dr. Steven Gimbel, “Einstein’s Jewish Science”
April 17 – Art exhibit: Bluegrass Rocks
April 18 – Bearfoot Bluegrass
April 19 – Reading: Ron Carlson
April 25 – Lazer Vaudeville
April 29 – Lecture: Dr. James Carter, “Inventing Vietnam: Lessons in Nation Building from a Forgotten Example”
May 2 – Nnenna Freelon (jazz vocalist/composer)

2007 SEASON

February 24 – Gabriel Alegria’s Peruvian Jazz Sextet
March 2 – Keith Gates (vocal music)
March 3 – Marcia Ball (blues rock)
March 6 – Lecture: Dr. Evelyn Marie Simien, “Black Feminist Voices in Politics”
March 9 – Poetry reading: Jennifer Reeser
March 11 – Poulenc Trio (bassoon, oboe, piano)
March 15 – Chris Bliss (comedy, juggling)
March 17 – Reading: George Makana Clark (South African novelist and short-story writer)
March 18 – Film screening: “Wrestling with Angels” with director Freida Lee Mock
March 20 – Art exhibit: “From the Ashes: A Year in Retrospect” (Barbe High School AP Art students)
March 23 – The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion
March 24 – Lecture: Ryan Brasseaux, “The Origins of Cajun Music”
March 24 – Lost Bayou Ramblers (French music)
March 27 – Poetry reading: Morri Creech
March 29 – McLeod Lecture Series: “Louisiana’s Influence in Washington: Senators John Breaux and J. Bennett Johnston Share their Perspectives”
March 31 – Crooked Still (bluegrass)
April 3 – Lecture: Dr. Craig Colten, “Wrestling New Orleans from Nature”
April 17 – Lecture: Dr. Charles Kimball, “Islam: What in the World is Going On…and Why”
April 20 – Guy Davis and Ann Rabson Blues Project
April 21 – Reading: Antonya Nelson
April 26 – Lecture: Dr. Gary Joiner, “One Damn Blunder from Beginning to End: The Red River Campaign in 1864”
April 27 – The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
April 29 – Bob Nell and Frances Stewart (jazz pianist / blues & jazz vocalist)
May 1 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
May 2 – Film screening: “Hurricane Heroes: Survival Stories of Katrina Animal Rescues”
May 3 – Film screening: “Inside Iraq” with director Mike Shiley

2006 SEASON

March 4 – Naturally Seven (acapella group, folk rock)
March 10 – Cold Sweat (rhythm & blues)
March 12 – Beausoleil (Cajun)
March 14 – Lecture: Dr. Philippe Girard, “World Poverty: Who is to Blame? The Case of Haiti”
March 17 – Rosana Eckert (jazz vocalist)
March 18 – Reading: Earl Ganz
March 21 – Lecture: Dr. Kelechi A. Kalu, “Democracy and Constitution-Making in Africa”
March 22 – McLeod Lecture Series: “Public Service and the Fourth Estate”
March 24 – Lecture: Dr. John Stauffer, “Frederick Douglass’ America”
March 25 – Trailer Park Troubadours (honky tonk, comedy)
March 28 – Lecture: Juan Jose Valdes, “The Consequence of Maps”
April 1 – Commentary: John M. Barry, “The 1927 Flood and the 1918 Flu Epidemic: Two Epic Disasters”
April 4 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
April 7 – Samite: Soul of Africa (Ugandan music)
April 8 – Poetry Reading: X.J. Kennedy
April 11 – Yosvany Terry & Arturo O’Farrill (jazz)
April 20 – Lecture: Annie Tiberio, “Death Valley, Okefinokee and Beyond” (nature photography)
April 22 – Reading: Leslie Norris
April 24 – Film screening: “Shooting Dogs”
April 28 – Ruthie Foster (blues, gospel, roots, folk)
April 30 – The Revelation Project starring Tom Key
May 5 – FLY Dance Company

2005 SEASON

February 12 – Trio Voronezh (Russian folk music)
February 14 – The Love Songs of Lori Laitman
February 15 – Poetry reading: Dana Gioia
February 17 – Reading: Tim Gauthreaux
February 18 – Christine Lavin (singer/songwriter)
February 20 – Moscow Circus & Russian Folk Fair
February 25 – Bobby Sanabria & Quarteto Ache (Afro-Cuban jazz)
February 26 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
February 28 – Lecture: Douglas Brinkley, “The Legacy of Vietnam”
March 3 – McLeod Lecture Series: “Louisiana’s Governor: Leadership-Legacy-Lessons Learned”
March 4 – Boston Brass
March 8 – Lecture: Charles Robinson, “What’s Sex Got to Do With It?” (culturally-mixed relationships)
March 11 – Marcus Roberts Trio (jazz pianist)
March 12 – Reading: Leslie Norris
March 18 – Lecture: David Hufford, “Folk Medicine Comes of Age”
March 19 – The Cottars (Celtic folk)
April 1 – Mark Nizer (juggling)
April 3 – Imani Winds (classical wind quintet)
April 8 – Wayfaring Strangers (bluegrass)
April 12, 14, 15 – Banners Film Festival
April 16 – Lecture: Dr. Linda Brannon, “Before Movies Talked: The Sounds of Silents”
April 17 – Paragon Ragtime Orchestra (silent movie scores played live on vintage instruments, with screenings)

2004 SEASON

February 28 – Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival
March 2 – Lecture: Frank Pruitt, “Remembering America’s ‘Forgotten War’: Korean War Veterans’ Experiences”
March 5 – Sion e Companhia (Brazilian jazz)
March 6 – Poetry reading: William Trowbridge, “The Book of Kong”
March 9 – Richard Heard (art songs, spirituals)
March 12 – Zuill Bailey (cellist)
March 13 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
March 16 – Lecture: Dr. Muhsin Jassim Al-Musawi, “Feminism and Arab Culture in Fact and Fiction”
March 18 – McLeod Lecture Series: “The ‘Young Turks’ Reunion: A Panel Discussion”
March 20 – Hot Club of San Francisco (gypsy jazz)
March 21 – A Tribute to Lewis Grizzard by Bill Oberst
April 2 – Reading: ZZ Packer
April 3 – Juggernaut Jug Band
April 16 – Cantus (men’s chorus)
April 22 – Lecture: Dr. John Michael Vlach, “Portrayals of Louisiana Plantations”
April 23 – “Live from New York” (Edie Carey, Teddy Goldstein, Anne Heaton, Andrew Kerr)
April 24 – Fiddlers 4 (Michael Doucet, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, Rushad Eggleston)
April 25 – Lecture/film screening: “Louisiana Story”, with Elemore Morgan Jr.
April 26 – Lecture: Dr. Charles Kimball, “When Religion Becomes Evil”
May 1 – Guy Davis (blues)
May 14 – Johnette Downing (children’s music)

2003 SEASON

March 8 – Bill Bell & Loni Williams’ Mass Choir (jazz/gospel choir)
March 9 – Vance Gilbert (singer/songwriter)
March 10-21 – Art exhibit: “The Art of Byzantine Icons” residency
March 15 – Moody, Penner & Swain (old time string music, country, Celtic)
March 18 – Lecture: Suraya Sadeed
March 21 – Carol Wood: The Lyric, The Lyre, and the Harp
March 22 – Flamenco Vivo! Carlota Santana
March 24 – Lecture: Jon Kukla, “A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America”
March 27 – Ethos Percussion Group and the Masters of Indian Music
March 28 – Reading: Michael Knight
April 1 – Lecture: Beverly Guy-Sheftall, “The Development of African American Feminism from Slavery to the Present”
April 3 – Pastiche Quartet (Jan Fillmore Scott, David Scott, Dr. Fred Sahlmann, Dr. Dave Walton)
April 4-5 – Lewis & Clark: A New Musical
April 8 – Ahn Trio (piano, violin, cello)
April 9 – Red Priest (classical music)
April 10 – Exhibit: Nature Photography of John & Karen Hollingsworth
April 11 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
April 23 – Reading: Neil Connelly
April 25 – Gregory Popovich Comedy & Pet Theatre
April 29 – Exhibit: Keagan LeJeune, traditional Mardi Gras photography
May 2 – The Flaming Idiots (variety)

2002 SEASON

February 17 – The Peking Acrobats
February 23 – Harmonia (eastern European folk musics)
February 26 – Poetry reading: Morri Creech
March 1 – Stars, Stripes, and Sousa (Keith Brion and McNeese Wind Ensemble)
March 2 – Vance Gilbert (singer/songwriter)
March 4 – Cavani String Quartet (chamber music)
March 5 – Photography Exhibit: Krewe of Mystique Traditions
March 6 – Free Flight Jazz Duo
March 9 – Andes Manta (Andean flute, pan pipes)
March 12 – Lecture: Juan Jose Valdes, “Afghanistan: From a Cartographer’s View”
March 15 – Jens Lindemann (jazz, classical trumpet music)
March 16 – Sacred Music of Tibet, Drepung Loseling Monastery
March 18 – Lecture: Dr. Vincent J. Cornell, “Islam and the West: Clash of Civilizations or Dialogue Within Civilization”
March 22 – Arrogant Worms (satire, comedy, music)
April 2 – Julee Bahngsil An (piano)
April 5 – Reading: Leslie Norris
April 6 – Photography Exhibit: Retrospective of the Lake Charles Little Theatre’s “The Great Big Door Step”
April 10 – Lecture: Dr. Keagan LeJeune, “Louisiana’s No Man’s Land and Its Outlaws”
April 12 – Hackberry Ramblers (cajun, western swing)
April 13 – Film screening: Hackberry Ramblers documentary premiere
April 15 – Lecture: Wen Zhao, “Women in China”

2001 SEASON

March 3 – Alvin Ailey II Repertory Company (dance ensemble)
March 4 – Quartetto Gelato (classical, traditionals, multi-instrumental)
March 6 – Lecture: Susan Brownmiller, “The Women’s Liberation Movement: Activism and Social Change”
March 8 – Art exhibit: Bill Iles
March 10 – Bill Miller (Native American singer/songwriter)
March 13 – Nnenna Freelon (jazz singer/songwriter)
March 15 – Keith Gates & Judy Hand (classical)
March 17 – Scruj Macduhk (Celtic folk revivalist band)
March 20 – Lecture: Phyllis Kornfeld, “Prison Art in America”
March 23 – Poetry reading: Rodney Jones
March 24 – Trailer Park Troubadours (comedy)
March 27 – Lecture/reading: Dr. Geary Hobson & Dr. Janet McAdams, Native American Literature
March 30 – Beachfront Property (jazz, pop, 60s rock, vocal harmony)
April 3 – Film screening: Carrie Chrisco’s “The Garifuna People”
April 5 – Art exhibit: Malaika Favorite
April 6-7 – New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra
April 20 – Lecture: John Dominic Crossan, “The Historical Jesus”
April 23 – Lecture: Dr. Gaines Foster, “Ghosts of the Confederacy”
April 27 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler

2000 SEASON

March 11 – Reading: Dr. John Wood, “Selected Poems: 1968-1998”
March 13 – Gerri Gribi, “A Musical Romp Through Women’s History”
March 14 – “The Middle Passage: Then, Now, and Always”, written and performed by Dr. Nancy B. Shepherd
March 16 – Art exhibit: Gerry Wubben
March 17 – John Adams Jazz Quartet
March 18 – Bamboula 2000 (West African rhythms, reggae, jazz)
March 19 – Tozai Wadaiko Taiko Drummers
March 20 – Reading: Paul Zimmer
March 21 – Joseph Smith (pianist)
March 23 – The Jerusalem Trio
March 25 – Sonos Handbell Ensemble
March 28 – Lecture: Dr. Michal McMahon, “The City and the River: Industry and People on the Calcasieu”
March 30 – Lecture: Dr. Philip Clayton, “The Battle Between Evolution and Creationism: Prospects for a Peacy Treaty”
March 31 – The King’s Singers
April 4 – Lecture: Dr. Gwendolyn Midlo Hall, “Africans in Colonial Louisiana”
April 6 – A Night of Native American Storytelling with Bertney Langley, GrayHawk Perkins, and Armando Rodriguez
April 7 – Rory Block (blues)
April 11 – Lecture: Dr. Gay Gomez, “Beholding Beauty: The Challenge of Wetlands”
April 13 – Lecture/poetry reading: Louise Bernice Halfe, “Sky Dancer”
April 15 – The New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra
April 28 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
May 14 – Trinity Irish Dance Company

1999 SEASON

February 25 – “In Celebration of James Joyce”, David Norris (theatre/art exhibit)
February 27 – Western Wind Vocal Ensemble (a cappella folk)
March 1 – Reading: Leo Luke Marcello
March 4 – A Night of Native American Storytelling
March 5 – Reading: Leslie Norris
March 6 – Bimbetta (baroque ensemble)
March 8 – Lecture/slideshow: “Haunter of Ruins: Photography of Clarence John Laughlin”
March 9 – Lauren Pelon Musique Company
March 12 – Lecture: Alvin C. Plantinga
March 13 – Nighthawk Jazz Ensemble (U.S. Air Force Band, WWII-era)
March 15 – Lecture: Dr. Cecilia Ryan, “A Brief History of Illumination”
March 16 – Tribute to Paul Robeson, performed by the Houston Ebony Opera Guild
March 17 – Patrick Street (Irish music)
March 19 – Rhythm & Brass (folk, funk, madrigals)
March 20 – Smitty Dee’s Brass Band (New Orleans jazz)
March 22 – Condit-Wolfe Jazz Duo
March 23 – Lecture: Dr. Carl Brasseaux, “The French in Louisiana”
March 25 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler

1998 SEASON

March 6 – Kandinsky Trio with storyteller Connie Regan-Blake (chamber music)
March 9 – Lecture/photo exhibit: Dr. Margaret Connell-Szasz, “Learning the White Man’s Road: Education and the American Indian”
March 11-15 – “A Dream Play” by August Strindberg
March 13 – The Charmaine Neville Band
March 13 – A Night of Native American Storytelling
March 14-15 – 3rd McNeese Powwow (Native American dancers)
March 14 – Reading: Oscar Hijuelos
March 17 – Corey Harris (blues)
March 18 – Lecture: Dr. Adam Fairclough, “The Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana”
March 19 – “The Glory of Tsarist Music”, Barbara and Gerhardt Suhrstedt (Russian music, art, poetry)
March 24 – Paramount Brass
March 26 – The National Theatre of the Deaf
March 27 – The Verdehr Trio
March 31 – Georgia Sea Island Singers (chants, work songs, spirituals of the Gullah-speaking islands off the coast of Georgia)
April 2 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler

1997 SEASON

February 14 – AMAN (international dance/music)
February 18 – Jamie Wax in “Going to Jackson” (one-man play)
February 21 – Lecture: Keith Davis, “The Photographs of Dorothea Lange”
February 25 – Amernet String Quartet
February 27 – Lecture: Dr. Cheryl Ware, “The Kindness of Strangers: Tennessee Williams on Stage and Screen”
February 28 – Poetry reading: Paul Zimmer
March 1 – Screening/”Film Censorship” panel discussion: Kim Hunter & “A Streetcar Named Desire”
March 6 – Lecture: Dr. Ray Miles, “Native American Games”
March 8 – Nuclear Whales: A Saxophone Orchestra
March 13 – A Night of Native American Storytelling
March 14 – Lecture: Tim Giago, “Sovereignty and Gaming: Native American Issues”
March 15-16 – 2nd McNeese Powwow
March 18 – Poetry reading: Dr. John Wood
March 21 – The Fred Hersch Trio (pianist/composer)
March 22 – Lecture: Dr. Heinz Henisch, “The Painted Photograph: Origins and Aspirations”
March 23 – Lecture: Dr. Heinz Henisch, “Shalom, Pardner: Jews of the Wild West”
March 24 – Lecture: Bridget A. Henisch, “In Due Season: Farm Work in the Medieval Calendar Tradition”
March 25 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler

1996 SEASON

February 29-March 3 – “Evangeline” by Keith Gates (opera)
March 1 – The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
March 4 – Lecture: Dr. Jamie Whelan, “Louisiana Indians and their Pre-Columbian/Early Historic Cultural Heritage)
March 5 – “Madame Kaia” by Karen-kaia Livers (one-woman drama)
March 7 – Art exhibit: Heather Ryan Kelley’s “Images from the Wake”
March 8 – Lecture: Weston Naef, “The Art of Stieglitz and its Relationship to American Painting”
March 12 – Lecture: Dr. Ray Miles, “Lakota Photographs”
March 14 – Storytelling Powwow
March 15 – Bill Miller (Native American singer)
March 16-17 – McNeese Powwow and Parade
March 19 – Lecture: Dr. John Wood, “Secrets of the Dark Chamber: the Art of the American Daguerreotype”
March 21 – Debate: “Frontiers of Freedom of Expression: Framing the 1st Amendment for the 21st Century”, with Joanne Sanford, Paul Barefield, and Dr. Raymond Rodgers
March 26 – Lecture: Dr. Stella Nesanovich, “The Celestial Railroad: Hawthorne, Emerson, and the Transcendental Express”
March 28 – Dr. Donna Coleman, performance of “The Concord Sonata” by Charles Ives
March 29 – Allen Vizzutti, with the McNeese Jazz Ensemble
April 1- Reading: Robert Olen Butler

1995 SEASON

March 7 – A Festival of Strings, with Emanuil Shaynkman, Guillermo Rios, Richard Petterson, Marc Teicholz (European music)
March 9 – Exhibit: Danny Harries, Illustrator (Native American art)
March 10 – Andy Narrell (jazz, Afro-Caribbean, symphonic steel pan music)
March 11 – Storytelling: Sheila Kay Adams & Lynnette Braxton
March 13 – Lecture: Dr. Mark Wygoda, “Surviving the Holocaust”
March 16 – Debate: “Symbols, Gender, Power – and the 1st Amendment”, with Nadine Strossen and Richard Arnold
March 17 – Jerry “Boogie” McCain (blues)
March 20 – Michael Kallstrom’s “Electric Opera” (multi-media theatre)
March 24 – James Thompson (trumpet)
March 27 – The New Coon Creek Girls (bluegrass, string-band)
March 28 – Lecture: Stephen E. Ambrose, “D-Day”
April 4 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
April 5 – “Volpone”, a play by Ben Jonson (comedic theatre)

1994 SEASON

March 3 – Lecture/art exhibition: Elemore Morgan, Jr
March 4 – Reading: Robert Olen Butler
March 11 – Ellis Marsalis Jazz Quartet
March 15 – Film screening/lecture: “The Louisiana Story”
March 16-20 – “Lucky Stiff – A Musical”
March 21 – Valcour String Quartet
March 22 – Lecture: Dr. Deborah G. White, “Public vs. Private Lives: Black Women in American History”
March 24 – Lecture: John Frohnmayer, Dr. Steven Smith, and Dr. Steve Dick, “From Magna Carta to the Macintosh” (1st Amendment issues)
March 25 – U.S. Marine Band
March 29 – Lecture: Dr. John Wood, “Art of the Autochrome”

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