New Haven will be abuzz with creative vibrations and the hum of considered conversation during the 1999 International Festival of Arts & Ideas June 18-July 3. The University is again a sponsor of the city-wide celebration, expected to bring over 100,000 people to New Haven for concerts, dramatic performances, conferences, studio classes, talks and readings, exhibits and more. Many of these programs will take place on the Yale campus. In addition, individuals and organizations from Yale will participate in numerous off-campus events. Campus events will appear in the Calendar section of this newspaper. For general information about the festival or to purchase tickets to individual events, call 1-888-ARTIDEA or visit the website at www.artidea.org. The following is a look at the many Yale-related events. Improving education Educators from across the country will debate the question "Can Schools Be Better?" at a conference to be held 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on June 19 and 26 at Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave.; admission is free. Discussion topics will include ways to improve the educational system, the importance of leadership in effecting those changes, the role that litigation can play in school reform and what Connecticut residents can learn from experiences elsewhere in the nation. War and peace The devastating effects of war will be examined in several programs during the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. A conference titled "War and Peace in the 20th Century" will examine the aftermath of World Wars I and II in central Europe and the prospects for attaining world peace in the future. It will be held June 23-25 in the lecture hall of the Yale University Art Gallery, enter on High Street. Conference sessions are 10 a.m.-1 p.m. daily, with an additional session 3-5:30 p.m. on Friday. Admission is free. Among the particpants will be U.S. Representative Sam Gejdenson, leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Judge Louise Arbour, war crimes prosecutor on Bosnia and Rwanda for the International Court in the Hague; Niall Ferguson, author of "The Pity of War"; and renowned German historian Fritz Stern. More on The Great War The Yale Center for British Art will also host several special programs examining the cultural impact of World War I -- once dubbed "The Great War." The exhibit "Doomed Youth: The Poetry and the Pity of World War I" (June 22- Sept. 29) will juxtapose prints, drawings, paintings, first editions and personal manuscripts with official government recruitment posters from the early day of the war. Another exhibit, "John Walker: A Theater of Recollection" (June 22-Sept. 26), will feature works by the noted British painter that are based on his father's stories about serving in the British army during World War I. Jay Winter, a renowned analyst of the social and cultural history of World War I, will present a lecture titled "Imaginings of War" at 4 p.m. on June 22 at the British Art Center. Winter was chief historian for the Emmy Award-winning television series "The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century" and is currently a visiting professor of history at Yale. In addition, the center will host a film series on World War I (watch the Calendar for specific dates and times); a reading of works by "The Great War Poets" by British Art Center Director Patrick McCaughey at 4 p.m. on June 23; and a concert of works by composers who died while serving in the Great War, as well as popular tunes sung in the trenches, at 6 p.m. on June 24. All of the above events are free and open to the public. The Yale Center for British Art is located at 1080 Chapel St. NOTE: In conjunction with the above events, throughout May and June Connecticut Public Television will broadcast a variety of programs exploring the history of war and peace in the 20th century -- from Vietnam to South Africa to Northern Ireland and more. See local listings for more information. Expressing opinions Three Yale faculty members will give talks at the United Church on the Green during the festival. Robert Sternberg, the IBM Professor of Psychology Education, will talk about his book "Love Is a Story" on June 23. Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities and author of the book "Shakespeare, The Invention of the Human," will present his views about the play "Troilus and Cressida" on June 29. (The work will be staged at the Long Wharf Theatre during the festival; see related story, this page). Guido Calabresi, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law and a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals, will join Steven Robinson, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, for a discussion of Connecticut's federal courts on July 2. The other featured speakers in this series will be Rima Shore, author of "Rethinking the Brain," on June 24; and Nat Irvin, founder and president of Future Focus 2020, on July 1. All talks will take place at 5:30 p.m. and are open to the public, free of charge. Courtyard concerts The evening will light up with jazz during three concerts being held July 1-3 in the courtyard of Jonathan Edwards College, 68 High St. Acclaimed guitarist John McLaughlin will join Zakir Hussain, V. Selvaganesh and U. Shrinivas on July 1 in a revival of their celebrated SHAKTI project, blending western jazz and East Indian classical music. On July 2, jazz violinist Regina Carter will showcase her improvisational skills in a performance that draws on the traditions of rhythm and blues, East Indian and European classical music. Finally, the July 3 concert will pair noted jazz pianist Jay McShann with blues guitarist Duke Robillard and his band for a program blending the two musical forms. All three concerts begin at 8 p.m. Tickets for each performance are $15 per person. Musical ambassadors From Duke Ellington to Stravinsky, from Barbar to Rachmaninoff, works by great American and Russian classical composers will top the musical menu when the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra (ARYAO) performs on June 21 at Woolsey Hall, corner of College and York streets. The performance will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10. ARYAO serves as a musical ambassador and world-class training orchestra for talented Russian and American orchestra musicians, vocalists and conductors between the ages of 17 and 25. Every two years, the ARYAO creates a new symphony orchestra from scratch by searching for 80 talented musicians from those nations. Joining the ARYAO on their 1999 tour is 13-year-old Russian prodigy, violin soloist Mikhail Simonyan, who will perform Karol Szymanowski's "Violin Concerto No. 1." Traveling music The Four Nations Ensemble, a popular favorite at the 1998 festival, will present a melodic journey through time and space in four concerts exploring the music of cities in Europe and North America from the 17th through 20th centuries. Three of the performances will take place on the Yale campus. Seventeenth-century Paris will be the musical destination of the first concert, to be held at 4 p.m. on June 26 at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, corner of Wall and High streets. The program will contrast the music of Fauré and Debussy with such composers as Mondonville and Couperin. An exhibition of original manuscripts and first editions from the Beinecke Library's collection will be on display during the concert. Tickets are $15. The turmoil of Restoration-era London, as captured in the music of composer Henry Purcell (1659-1695), will be the theme of the second concert, at 4 p.m. on June 27, also at the Beinecke Library. Tickets are $15. A Nashville-themed concert on June 28 will blend contemporary Appalachian fiddle playing and works for baroque violin by Haydn, Rameau and Purcell. The performance will be at 8 p.m. in New Haven City Hall, 165 Church St. The free concert will end in a dance for the audience. The Venice of the 18th century will be the final stop on the musical trek. The program will feature works created by Vivaldi, Caldara and Gasparini for the Ospedale, a Venetian musical orphanage for abandoned girls. The concert will be at 8 p.m. on June 29 in Sprague Memorial Hall, 470 College St. Tickets are $15. Historic music-makers Festival-goers can see and hear the historic music makers housed in the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments during tours/demonstrations led by University curators at 4 p.m. on June 25 and 28. Over 800 instruments are housed in the facility at 15 Hillhouse Ave. Tickets are $12. Heart of the Matter Connections and collaborations is the theme of this year's Heart of the Matter, the children's program of the International Festival of Arts & Sciences. The Yale University Art Gallery, the Yale Center for British Art, the Peabody Museum of Natural History and the Yale Children's Dramat will join nearly 30 other area organizations presenting workshops and other activities on the New Haven Green 1-6 p.m. Friday-Sunday, June 25-27. New to the Heart of the Matter this year will be "Imagine This," a special section for 3- to 5-year-olds. Studio classes Yale community members will share their expertise on topics ranging from writing verse, to parenting, acting, color theory, choral singing and chamber music during the festival. Enrollment for most of the courses is $250, although a few are lower in price. Class size is limited. For more details, see the May 17-31 issue of the Yale Bulletin & Calendar or call (203) 946-3816. And more ... * On July 20, the Yale Art Gallery will open its exhibit "Postmodern Transgressions: Artists Working Beyond the Frame," a selection of works that intentionally blur accepted limits. The show will continue through Oct. 17. * The Afro-American Cultural Center (AACC), 211 Park St. will host "People and Landscape of East Africa (Etitrea, Ethiopia and Kenya)," an exhibit of photographs by Senayt Samuel, June 18-July 2. The AACC will also host Norman Thomas Marshall's one-man show "John Brown: Triumph of Freedom," about interracial understanding, at 7:30 p.m. on June 18 and 25; and The Regional Water Authority's ecological play for children, titled "This is where I live, don't dump on me!" at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on June 19 and 26, among other activities (watch the Calendar for details). * A free concert will be presented by students in the studio workshop on choral music at 2 p.m. on June 27 in Battell Chapel, corner of Elm and College streets. Yale professor Fenno Heath will conduct. * The Yale Cabaret, 217 Park St., will host a one-woman show by New York-based actress and performance artist Reno, June 24-26. Call 432-1567 for information about show times and tickets. * The Dixwell/Edgewood Project, a program that pairs School of Drama students with youths from New Haven neighborhoods, will present plays written by, for and about youngsters ages 9-17 at 7 p.m. on June 28 and 29 in the Drama School annex, 205 Park St. Admission is free, but reservations are recommended. Call 432-1595. -- By LuAnn Bishop T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Yale celebrates 298th Commencement Yale launching a more user-friendly home page on the World Wide Web Anthony T. Kronman reappointed as Dean of Law School Festival will bring world of art and ideas to city Endowed Professorships New Haven attorney Julie Carter joins Office of General Counsel To eat well, relax at the table, advises master chef Pépin Reunion programs will both educate and entertain returning alumni Some Yale graduates dancing down a different path Yale's new student-built solar car headed for Sunracye '99 New alumnae's nursing training included health work overseas Harold Samuel dies; brought musicians' archives to Yale Dining staff friendliness ranks high on survey Prostate Cancer Awareness Stamp to be unveiled at campus event Conference to explore the future of language Dr. William F. Collins is recognized for lifetime contributions to neurosurgery Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events| Bulletin Board Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff Public Affairs Home|News Releases|E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page

 Roberta Flack will sing on the New Haven Green on June 26.