Small but profound: Meredith-Livingston shares the culture of Slovakia

Members of the UW-Green Bay community were treated to a night of music, traditional food, and education, during the latest UW-Green Bay Dinner Lecture Series event highlighting the country, Slovakia. An Associate Professor of Music and Women’s and Gender Studies, Sarah Meredith Livingston was the featured presenter during the March 31 event. She was introduced to the country in 2001, and since then has performed, traveled, and brought students to the small Eastern European country. Livingston has also served as a guest professor at the Academy of Music and Dance in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava.

Guests were treated to a meal consisting of traditional Slovakian soups, entrees, and dessert. During dessert, Livingston shared the rich musical traditions of the country, by performing Slovakian art songs from the late 19th and early 20th century. Livingston also took the opportunity to discuss the possibilities for the future of this small country that has experienced profound political and cultural changes since 1933.

Livingston has performed as a soloist, recitalist, master class teacher, and adjudicator across Europe, the U.S., and South America. She is the founder and director of the Montreal International Czech/Slovak Voice Competition Semi-finals, the only competition promoting Czech or Slovak music in the United States, which was held for the sixth time at UW-Green Bay in October 2013.

The UW-Green Bay Dinner Lecture Series, presented by the Division of Outreach and Adult Access, highlights UW-Green Bay faculty expertise on various projects and interests in a socially accommodating, friendly, learning atmosphere for the greater Green Bay community.

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Photos by Dan Moore, Outreach and Adult Access