January 2026 - Medren

Reminder! This week! Dr. Pentcheva at UNL and concert in Omaha
by Nora Peterson 25 Jan '26

25 Jan '26

Hi everyone, Come warm yourselves up with a lecture (Wednesday) and a concert (Thursday)! This should be a special treat, so don’t miss out. Please help spread the word! Here’s a conversation that aired on Nebraska Public Radio on Friday: https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/series-media/friday-live-audio/standalon… [Screenshot 2026-01-25 at 7.37.49 PM.png] [Screenshot 2026-01-25 at 7.38.15 PM.png] Across nearly a thousand years, the Romanesque church of Sainte-Foy of Conques in France calls us to a bygone era of faith and sound. Martyred at thirteen for refusing to renounce her beliefs, Sainte-Foy defied Roman authority and died for her faith, becoming one of medieval Europe’s most powerful saints. In the eleventh century, monks transformed her shrine into a bustling pilgrimage site through architecture, sculpture, and music. This program presents medieval chants from Sainte-Foy’s Festal Liturgy—heard again for the first time in modern performance—accompanied by images of the golden statue that houses her relics. * Pre-Concert Talk & Documentary 6:00 PM * Concert 7:00-8:00 PM * Q&A with the Audience to Follow * Guests are welcome to attend the full program or the concert alone. Registration is Required (FREE)<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.eventbrite.com/e/enchanted-images-t… > This concert is produced by EnChanted Images Project directed by Bissera V. Pentcheva (Stanford University) in collaboration with Martina Saltamacchia (University of Nebraska at Omaha) and The Schola of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary FSSP directed by Nicholas Lemme. Sponsored by UNO History, Art & Art History, English, and Music Departments, the College of Arts & Sciences, UNL Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Cathedral Arts Project, with funding provided by Humanities Nebraska, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and the Forsyth Lecture Fund at the International Center of Medieval Art. Get Outlook for Mac <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aka.ms/GetOutlookForMac__;!!PvXuogZ4sRB… >

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Upcoming music/art event at UNL and UNO
by Nora Peterson 15 Jan '26

15 Jan '26

Dear everyone, Please see below for a wonderful upcoming collaboration between MedRen UNO and UNL. Posters for both upcoming events are attached and you can find more information about the Omaha event below. Here is a link to the event page<https://events.unomaha.edu/event/enchanted-images-the-voice-of-sainte-foy-a… >. We would love to see you at the event in Lincoln, Omaha, or both! If you are interested in heading to Omaha, let me know, and we can organize some carpooling. If you are available to drive, or are looking for a ride, please respond to me (Nora) by Monday, January 26. [Screenshot 2026-01-14 at 4.56.59 PM.png] [Screenshot 2026-01-14 at 4.56.33 PM.png] Across nearly a thousand years, the Romanesque church of Sainte-Foy of Conques in France calls us to a bygone era of faith and sound. Martyred at thirteen for refusing to renounce her beliefs, Sainte-Foy defied Roman authority and died for her faith, becoming one of medieval Europe’s most powerful saints. In the eleventh century, monks transformed her shrine into a bustling pilgrimage site through architecture, sculpture, and music. This program presents medieval chants from Sainte-Foy’s Festal Liturgy—heard again for the first time in modern performance—accompanied by images of the golden statue that houses her relics. This concert is produced by EnChanted Images Project directed by Bissera V. Pentcheva (Stanford University) in collaboration with Martina Saltamacchia (University of Nebraska at Omaha) and The Schola of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary FSSP directed by Nicholas Lemme. Sponsored by UNO History, Art & Art History, English, and Music Departments, the College of Arts & Sciences, UNL Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Cathedral Arts Project, with funding provided by Humanities Nebraska, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and the International Center of Medieval Art. Pre-Concert Talk & Documentary 6:00 PM Concert 7:00-8:00 PM Q&A with the Audience to Follow Guests are welcome to attend the full program or the concert alone. Free Registration Required at https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.eventbrite.com/e/enchanted-images-t… Free & Open to the Public | Free Parking with Registration Medieval/Renaissance Studies FOR MORE INFORMATION: 402.554.4826 | msaltamacchia(a)unomaha.edu<mailto:msaltamacchia@unomaha.edu> Get Outlook for Mac<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aka.ms/GetOutlookForMac__;!!PvXuogZ4sRB… >

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Introduction and save the date(s)
by Nora Peterson 08 Jan '26

08 Jan '26

Dear everyone, I’m writing to introduce myself as the new director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies program at UNL. I hope you’ll join me in thanking Dr. Stage for her years of service to the program and for keeping things going during what have been a couple of difficult years. Many of you already know me -- I’ve been at UNL since 2012 and having a dynamic MedRen group is one of the things that most excited me about coming here. My degree is in comparative literature and I’m currently Associate Professor of French in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. I work on early modern women writers (currently and perpetually on Marguerite de Navarre) and I teach courses on fairy tales, the body, women writers, and French culture and civilization. I also have interdisciplinary interests in religious and legal history. I wanted to send a couple of save-the-dates for events that are coming up fast. I hope that you’ll encourage your students, friends, and colleagues to attend. I look forward to seeing you soon! All best, Nora Peterson Mary Martin McLaughin Memorial Lecture: February 19, late afternoon. Poster and title coming soon! Our speaker this year will be Dr. Katherine French, J. Frederick Hoffman Professor of History at the University of Michigan. Her latest book is Household Goods and Good Households in Late Medieval London: Consumption and Domesticity After the Plague (U of Penn Press, 2021). https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.pennpress.org/9780812253054/househo… <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.pennpress.org/9780812253054/househol…> MedRen co-sponsored events January 28 at 5 p.m., Andrews 117: Guest lecture with Dr. Bissera Pentcheva<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/enchantedimages.stanford.edu/team/__;!!P…>, based on the Stanford project Auralizing the Medieval Image: Music from the Liturgy of Sainte-Foy at Conques<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/enchantedimages.stanford.edu/concert/__;…>. Poster coming soon! January 29 at UNO: Multimedia concert with Dr. Penthcheva, music prepared by seminarians of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary (Denton). Poster coming soon. Two events co-sponsored by the art and art history departments, the College of Fine and Performing Arts, the local AIA society, and the Convocations Committee: March 29, film screening of The Lost King, a documentary about recent efforts to discover the lost tomb of the English King Richard III, made famous by Shakespeare’s play) at the Ross, followed by Zoom Q+A with Philippa Langley April 9 guest lecture, Dr. Kevin Colls, University of Huddersfield (UK). Colls is an archaeologist who participated in the Shakespeare Project, in which archaeologists worked at Shakespeare house and also his grave site. We’re also planning some other fun events this spring, including a brown bag conversation about pop culture and MedRen studies; a potential faculty talk; and a movie night. I will be sending out a more colorful and more detailed list of upcoming events very soon. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with any questions in the meantime. Best wishes for 2026, Nora Peterson Get Outlook for Mac <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aka.ms/GetOutlookForMac__;!!PvXuogZ4sRB… >

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2026

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