The final week of a 13-year run of CSU Summer Arts at Fresno State begins with a look at digital music and media and ends with student culminations and is highlighted by a farewell address.

Saying goodbye to the program of master classes and public performances that the California State University has operated for 27 summers, is its director, Jim Spalding. He’ll talk about his memories from a program that was intended to be rotated through the 23-campus system, but has now been almost half that time at Fresno State.

Spalding’s drive is widely considered to have been a major factor in enhancing the community’s cultural arts throughout the year.

Spalding’s farewell will be part of a concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21, by the Refugees, a country/rock/folk band that adds humor to its musical presentations. The concert will be at the Concert Hall of the Music Building.

The rest of the busy week of public performances:

  • 2 p.m. Sunday, July 17, film composer Christopher Young presents a digital music and film lecture at the Wahlberg Recital Hall in the Music Building on campus.
  • 7 p.m. Monday, July 18, artists F. Scott Hess and Yu Ji talk about their work and experiences,  at the Fresno Art Museum (Saginaw Avenue and First Street, central Fresno).
  • 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, trombonist Joshua Roseman and saxophonist Tim Ries will play jazz in the Concert Hall of the Music Building.

Student culminations for the two-week course will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21, with a live television production. The other culminations in everything from drawing and painting to improvisational theater, will stretch across Friday from 10 a.m. into evening.

All the culminations are free and open to the public. View the schedule here http://www.csusummerarts.org/public_events_calendar_2011/.

Information about tickets and performers is at www.csusummerarts.org.

Contact: Jacqueline Doumanian, 559-278-0503, or jdoumanian@csufresno.edu