The story of the crippled Porgy has become one of America's most significant musical compositions.

With the seductive Bess, the menacing Crown, and the slinky cocaine dealer Sportin' Life on Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, Porgy and Bess comes to life on the stage.

The production features hit songs by George Gershwin including "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Got Plenty O'Nuttin," and "Summertime."

The cast will present the musical on Thursday, Feburary 20.

Tickets are $38 at the door or $32 in advance. Tickets are available through the NIACC Box Office.

A Scholarship Benefit, presented by the North Iowa Concert Band, was held on Tuesday, November 26 in the North Iowa Community Auditorium.

Proceeds from the concert will provide scholarships for North Iowa Area Community College music students.

The concert band performed under the direction of John Klemas, director of Instrumental Music at NIACC.

In keeping with the purpose of the concert, providing future financial assistance to NIACC music students, the concert program featured two NIACC students as soloists: Marie Harms, flute and Kathryn Hickman, trumpet.

Marie Harms, a sophomore at NIACC, graduated with honors and was salutatorian of the Newman Catholic High School Class of 2001.

While in high school, Marie received all Division One Ratings at the Iowa High School Music Association Solo and Ensemble Contest 1999-2001.

She was chosen to perform with several college honor bands and was First Alternate for the 2000 All-State Band.

Harms was selected as a member of the Iowa Ambassadors of Music which toured Europe representing Iowa in the summer of 2000. In the spring of 2001, Harms was awarded the Semper Fidelis Award for Music from the Marines.

Harms has performed as a member of the Newman Catholic Band, the Mason City Municipal Band and the North Iowa Concert Band. Harms is a student of NIACC flute instructor Laura Paarmann.

Harms currently teaches flute lessons at Newman Catholic Middle School and is also a private flute instructor.

Harms will attend the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls next year to pursue a degree in Accounting.

A 2001 graduate of Mason City High School, Hickman's high school music experience included one year of Jazz Band II, three years of Jazz Band I, four years of Symphonic Band, three years of full orchestra and a member of the marching band.

She was selected as an All-State alternate musician in 1999, an All-State musician in 2000, and served as Symphonic Band Treasurer.

Hickman, a sophomore at NIACC, is a member of the North Iowa Concert Band, plays lead trumpet in the NIACC Jazz Ensemble and is studying with NIACC trumpet instructor Crystal Bell.

Hickman will graduate from NIACC in May of 2003 and plans to attend the University of Iowa, majoring in journalism and public relations.

Following graduation she hopes to write for an entertainment magazine.

Members of the North Iowa Concert Band come from communities all over North Iowa.

Those communities include Britt, Charles City, Clear Lake, Floyd, Forest City, Greene, Hampton, Iowa Falls, Kanawha, Lake Mills, Latimer, Marble Rock, Mason City, Nora Springs, Northwood, Osage, Rockwell, Rockford, Sheffield, Thornton and Albert Lea, MN.

A special reception was held in the Muse-Norris Conference Center following the performance.

Kate Hickman
Entertainment Editor

Hopefully everyone enjoyed the break. We all know how desperately it was needed.

Now we're in the second semester and things will once again shift quickly into high gear.

This is the time to keep focused, it'll go by quicker than you realize.

This is my final year here at NIACC (I pray every night to pass everything) and the ride has been a good one, albeit a stressful one also.

It's extremely hard to balance time between studying for three tests, four papers, working for tuition and still keeping sanity.

It's heart wrenching how violently unfair life is sometimes.

What I've found to be a getaway from the profanity-provoking stresses of existence is to be involved in the performing arts.

I've been in instrumental music since middle school and it's been a lifesaver for me. It's taught me things too.

It's taught me to control my nerves in front of people (I used to be at least five times worse than I am now) and it's taught me concentration. It has given me a sense of release.

Of course, instrumental music isn't the only way to obtain a sense of release through performing arts.

There are also the NIACC choral and theatrical departments.

Don't mistake my using the word "release" as being synonymous with "easy" or a slacker course, though.

These things do take effort and dedication in their practice.

Let's face it, eyes start to cross reading the tiny print of textbooks and those bubble sheets can aggravate us so much our mothers feel it at home.

Performing arts provide a break from all of that, if only for an hour every other day.

Being involved in groups like this also allow friendships to develop a little easier than in a traditional class.

I met my best friends in band because there were so many activities and performances that brought us together.

No, music isn't for everyone and neither is acting, but it's great to get that different type of structure and interaction in school.

No matter what you decide to participate in, good luck with second semester everyone.