Performance and Lecture Series coming back to Merced College

The popularity of Merced College’s inaugural Performance and Lecture Series last year has spawned a sequel, according to college officials.

This year’s series kicks off on Sept. 25 with the return of World Guitar Night, which will be followed by three more lectures through spring, according to a news release.

Arts Division Dean John Albano said the series is dedicated to providing informative, enlightening and accessible cultural opportunities for residents of Merced County and its surrounding area.

There is a fee to attend the guitar performance, but the lectures are free and open to the public.

Sept. 25: World Guitar Night features renowned guitarists Francesco Buzzurro and Richard Smith at 7:30 p.m. The guitar duo is celebrating its 10-year collaboration. The duo is returning to Merced College after two prior sold-out concerts featuring eclectic mixes of original, folk, classical, jazz and popular pieces.

Tickets are $14 general admission and $10 for students, seniors and military personnel.

Nov. 5: Yosemite National Park geologist Greg Stock will present the lecture “The Fate of Sierra Nevada Glaciers” at 6:30 p.m. in Lesher Student Services Building, Room 111.

Sierra glaciers are disappearing fast and may be gone in a matter of decades, leading to a significant loss of both natural and human history. Stock’s presentation will explore the climatic reasons for the advance and retreat of Sierra glaciers through time, and the work to understand the future of the Sierra Nevadas.

Feb. 25: Merced College chemistry professor Paul Fregene’s lecture “Going Home: One Man’s Journey to Save Lives” is at 6:30 p.m. in Lesher Student Services Building, Room 111.

About 46 percent of Nigeria’s population has become infected with water-borne disease Schistosomiasis. After being treated and cured of the disease himself, Fregene set out to combat the disease on a much larger scale. He co-founded the nonprofit Grace Outreach Coalition in 2010.

March 25: Landscape horticulture professor Bryan Tassey’s presentation “We Are in A Drought ... Now What?” concludes the series at 6:30 p.m. in the Allied Health Building, Room 123.

Tassey will discuss the state-mandated reduction on water use and how it will affect irrigation at Merced College in the future. There will be tours of key areas on campus that showcase updated practices and new plant introductions lead by the speaker and the college’s horticulture students.

This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Performance and Lecture Series coming back to Merced College."