Māra Zālīte will be visiting the UW Campus on Tuesday, May 17th and on Wednesday, May 18th. Visitors are welcome to attend any of the following events:

Tuesday, May 17, 2011
10:30-11:20 am, Mary Gates Hall Room 238: Zālīte will give a guest lecture about the 1988 rock opera, “Bearslayer,” which captured the spirit of the “Singing Revolution” in Latvia.
Between 12:30 and 1:20 pm, Music Building Room 126: Meeting with the UW Chamber Singers, who will perform a song with words that Zālīte wrote during the Singing Revolution. (The Chamber Singers travelled to the Baltic countries on concert tours in 2000, 2005, and 2010.)
7:00 pm, poetry reading (in Latvian), sponsored by the UW Libraries: Allen Library, 4th floor, Petersen Room.


Wednesday, May 18
Zālīte will again visit the Baltic Cultures class in MGH room 238, 10:30-11:20, to discuss her libretto for the 1997 children’s opera, “Opera of the Birds,” a celebration of liberty, poetry and song: “To sing is to be!”

For a copy of the libretto and a link to streaming video of “Opera of the Birds” on reserve at the UW Media Center (UW students/staff/faculty only), write to guntiss@uw.edu

Māra Zālīte has authored fifteen blockbuster plays and many books of poetry. Today she is President of the Latvian Authors Association. Additional information appears at http://www.marazalite.lv/biografija/personiga-biografija/?lang=en