Central College hosts Ora Uzel for a residency Sept. 11-13 as part of the college’s Learning for Justice Series. Uzel, a 2003 Central graduate, will present piano music, lead several sessions with students and speak about her experiences as a transgender woman. Her improvisational piano performance is free and open to the public at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in Douwstra Auditorium, followed by a reception in the lobby.
After graduating from Central, Uzel completed a master’s degree in composition from DePaul University School of Music. As a pianist and composer, she specializes in late and post-Romantic and 20th-century compositional techniques to create improvisational meditations.
In 2007, Uzel also began performing with fire, using skills she learned from Pyrotechniq, a fire troupe in Chicago. Uzel was a founding member of the troupe Third Coast Fire in Michigan and now performs freelance at private events. She will present a fire performance at Central at 8 p.m. Sept. 11 on the lawn south of the Chapel.
Ora Uzel performs with fire on the shores of Lake Michigan.
While in residence, Uzel will also present “History, Her Story” at 11 a.m. Sept. 13 in Cox-Snow Recital Hall, sharing about her experiences as a transgender woman. Keenan Crow, deputy director for One Iowa, will also speak about trans advocacy and education.
Uzel’s residency is also sponsored by Central’s music department and Community-Based Learning. The Learning for Justice series is organized by student development leaders at Central. The next Learning for Justice event is Sept. 20 and includes a workshop by Jennifer Harvey, professor of religion at Drake University and author of “Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation.”