A talk from a visiting scholar about the developing trends in Chinese media will kick off a week of arts events that will also include a guitar concert and student dance performance.

Dr. Zhou Xian

Dr. Zhou Xian will discuss “The Changing Landscape of Chinese Media and Communication.”

On Wednesday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m., the School of Arts and Humanities and the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas will present a public lecture, “The Changing Landscape of Chinese Media and Communication.”

Dr. Zhou Xian from Nanjing University will examine conditions and trends in Chinese media and communication over the past decades, paying special attention to the mutual relationship between political communication and social development in China. His lecture will cover such issues as the commercialization of the media and political communication, the degrees of freedom and transparency of information, the rise of grass-roots media, and the development of media professionalism in China.

The event has been planned in conjunction with the Confucius Institute’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

“Chinese media have been perceived to be closed and tightly controlled by the government. The lecture will show its complexity and openness and may even change the existing perception,” said Dr. Ming Dong Gu, director of the UT Dallas Confucius Institute.

Amadeus Duo

Amadeus Duo will play and discuss their music.

Dr. Zhou Xian is a distinguished professor, the dean of the School of Art, director of the Institute for the Advanced Studies of Humanities and Social Sciences, and associate vice president at Nanjing University.

The lecture will be held in the Jonsson Performance Hall and is free and open to the public.

On Thursday, April 25, at 5:30 p.m. in the Jonsson Performance Hall, international guitarists, the Amadeus Duo, will give an informal concert and discuss their craft with the audience.

The Duo is composed of Dale Kavanagh from Canada and Thomas Kirchhoff from Germany. The two have been playing together since 1991 and have given more than 950 concerts across the globe. Critics have praised their phrasing, articulation and tone.

The Amadeus Duo performs regularly with The Prague, Munich and Mannheimer chamber orchestras, The Philharmonia Hungarica, The President Orchestra Ankara and The Philharmonic State Orchestra Halle, among others.

The concert is free and open to the public.

UT Dallas Dance Ensemble

The UT Dallas Dance Ensemble performs three nights this week.

From April 25 to 27, UT Dallas students will present “Spring Into Dance,” designed to showcase an eclectic blend of faculty and guest choreography. Student members of the UT Dallas Dance Ensemble will perform lyrical and contemporary works that include a wide range of music and choreographic styles and influences.

“We have an excellent ensemble this semester. The dancers have worked hard and look great. The works offer a rich variety in movement and musical selections,” said Michele Hanlon, a UT Dallas faculty member who choreographed some of the pieces in the show.

“Spring Into Dance” starts at 8 p.m. in the University Theatre and is free and open to the public.

For more information about any of the week’s events, contact the Arts and Performance Office at utdarts@utdallas.edu or call (972) UTD-ARTS.