By Anne RuisiThe theme from “Schindler’s List” resonated from the violin played by virtuoso Niv Ashkenazi on the stage at Birmingham’s Red Mountain Theater, producing the heartrending music that won composer John Williams an Oscar.Ashkenazi’s performance was not only a highlight of L’Chaim, the Sept. 18 program from the Alabama Holocaust Education Center. It … [Read more...]

By Anne RuisiA Vestavia Hills High School senior is being hailed as a hero and was honored with the Medal of Valor from the city of Mountain Brook after saving an elderly woman from a house fire.John Michael Chandash, 17, not only managed to wake the 87-year-old woman sleeping on her couch by banging on a locked door and getting her out of the house, he gave her … [Read more...]

By Ashley SmithSamford University has partnered with the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Maus Contemporary art gallery and the Wiregrass Museum to present the first Alabama solo exhibition for the late Thornton Dial Sr.The overall multi-venue retrospective will include “Thornton Dial: I, Too, Am … [Read more...]

By Alec HarveyBirmingham’s theater scene lost one of its greats this year as Carl Stewart, who for more than 40 years at Birmingham Festival Theatre and Terrific New Theatre helped mold what Birmingham theater is today, died at the age of 80.“Carl was a larger-than-life presence who took up a lot of space in the room,” an announcement of his death by TNT stated. “Some … [Read more...]

By Ashley SmithThe School of the Arts at Samford University has a performance season planned that includes almost 100 events, including well-known artists, student ensembles and faculty events.  The season includes the annual Davis Architects Guest Artist Series, the Emma Taylor Theatre for Youth Series, the Michael J. and Mary Anne Freeman Theatre and Dance … [Read more...]