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Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts announces the highlights of their 40th anniversary season in 2013-2014, including two world premieres, four New England premieres, and six Connecticut premieres: Tickets for the 2013-2014 season at the Center for the Arts go on sale on Monday, July 1, 2013. Tickets will be available online at http://www.wesleyan.edu/boxoffice; and starting at Noon by phone at (860) 685-3355, or in person at the Wesleyan University Box Office, located in the Usdan University Center, 45 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown. |
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Center for the Arts, The Alumni Show II looks back at four decades of Wesleyan artists. Building on the first Alumni Show held in November/December 2003 in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the CFA, this exhibition features an entirely new selection of seventeen alumni artists. Their work spans a broad range of contemporary practice and media, including painting, sculpture, drawing, installation art, video art, performance, and films. The artists featured in this exhibition are Ian Boyden '95, Stephanie Calvert '08, Rutherford Chang '02, Nicolas Collins '76 MA '79, Renée Green '81, Raphael Griswold '06, John Hatleberg '79, Gabriela Herman '03, Elsie Kagan '99, Liz Magic Laser '03, Danielle Mysliwiec '98, Ed Osborn '87, Juliana Romano '04, Aki Sasamoto '04, Arturo Vidich '03, Stephanie Washburn '03, and Ben Weiner '03. Centrifugal March—Performance/Installation by Aki Sasamoto '04 We Buy White Albums—Event by Rutherford Chang '02 Browse and listen to a collection of over 750 first-pressings of The Beatles’ The White Album (1968), and sell your copy to Rutherford Chang '02. |
“Doug Varone’s choreography is finely drawn and operatically rich, each dancer a thread woven into exactly where it ought to be, into a whole that is luxuriantly textured and dimensioned.” Founded in 1986 by award-winning choreographer and director Doug Varone, the New York-based company Doug Varone and Dancers has commanded attention for its expansive vision, versatility, and technical prowess. On the concert stage, in opera and theater, and on the screen, Mr. Varone’s thrilling dances make essential connections and mine the complexity of the human spirit. The company's return to Wesleyan is designed to give the audience an intimate look at Mr. Varone's work. The first half of the program, Stripped, opens with his masterpiece Rise (1993), with music by John Adams, and the dancers in rehearsal clothes under minimal lighting. Mr. Varone then comes onstage to walk through the creative process that gave birth to his most recent work, Carrugi (2012), deconstructing the dance and showing how he works with dancers to build the choreography. For the second half of the program, Dressed, the company returns in costume and performs the fully-produced Connecticut premiere of Carrugi. Inspired by the winding, narrow streets and alleyways of the Liguria region of the northwest coast of Italy, Carrugi is set to the oratorio La Betulia Liberata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. |
New Event! --Being the first to learn about each company before their performance through exclusive video interviews with the choreographers and their collaborators. Dine/Dance/Discover is a pilot project made possible by Engaging Dance Audiences, which is administered by Dance/USA and made possible with generous funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. |
“Not only are the stories being told compelling; they are presented in a provoking and imaginative fashion.” The performances of Who’s Hungry (2012) at Wesleyan are the Connecticut premiere of a stunning experimental puppet theater work that weaves together oral histories of five very different homeless and/or hungry residents of Santa Monica, California. A 24-foot-long dinner table transforms into a runway-style puppet stage for four puppeteers using a variety of styles including figures inspired by Japanese Bunraku, two-dimensional rod puppets, and shadow puppetry. Written and produced by Los Angeles performance artist Dan Froot, designed and directed by New York puppet artist Dan Hurlin, and featuring music by Seattle composer Amy Denio, Who’s Hungry brings communities together, inspires theatergoers to engage with the issues, and supports the efforts of food policy activists. A Outside the Box Theater Series event presented by the Theater Department and the Center for the Arts. Made possible by a grant from the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts. |
The first of twelve CD-length recitals by Wesleyan John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce of his piano music, to take place every fall, spring, and summer, concluding in the summer of 2017. |
37th annual Navaratri Festival Wesleyan University Assistant Professor of Dance Hari Krishnan recasts the making of modern Bharatanatyam (South Indian classical dance)—the period of the so-called "dance revival"—from the vantage point of early Tamil South Indian cinematic history. B. Balasubrahmaniyan: Vocal Music of South India Vocalist B. Balasubrahmaniyan, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music, is joined by Artist in Residence David Nelson on mridangam. The concert will open with a performance by their students. Shashank Subramanyam “The notes that emerged from Shashank’s flute were marked by lyrical and tonal beauty. The depth and appeal of his playing sprang from layers of silences and cadences.” Trained by his father and vocal maestros R.K. Srikantan and Palghat K.V. Narayanaswami, Shashank Subramanyam started performing in 1984 at the age of six. Today, Mr. Subramanyam is considered one of the best bamboo flute artists in Indian classical music. He has collaborated with Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, and Ustad Sultan Khan. At Wesleyan, Mr. Subramanyam will be accompanied by violinist Nishanth Chandran and Sai Giridhar on mridangam. Saraswati Puja (Hindu Ceremony) This religious service, led by A. V. Srinivasan, marks the most auspicious day of the year for beginning new endeavors. The audience may participate and bring instruments, manuscripts and other items for blessing. Aparna Ramaswamy: Sannidhi (Sacred Space) “A marvel of buoyant agility and sculptural clarity.” Born in India, and raised both there and in the United States, Aparna Ramaswamy is a protégé of legendary Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer Alarmel Valli. Inspired by the philosophy, spirituality, mysticism, and myth of her South Indian heritage, Sannidhi (Sacred Space) is an evening of solo choreography accompanied by live music. The Navaratri Festival will be the Connecticut debut of Ms. Ramaswamy, who has toured her work extensively, both as a soloist and as choreographer/principal dancer of Ragamala Dance, of which she is Co-Artistic Director with her mother, Ranee Ramaswamy. In 2010, Aparna Ramaswamy was the first Bharatanatyam artist to be named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine. |
Pianist Reinier van Houdt presents The Well-Extended Piano, a concert of electro-acoustic works for piano, including pieces by Jerry Hunt and Robert Ashley. Mr. van Houdt studied piano at the Liszt-Akademie in Budapest and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. His programmatic choices involve a fascination with matters that escape notation—sound, timing, space, physicality, memory, noise, and environment—and points where interpretation touches improvisation. Mr. van Houdt has worked with John Cage, Alvin Lucier, Luc Ferrari, and Olivier Messiaen. He has premiered music by Robert Ashley, Alvin Curran, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, Francisco López, Charlemagne Palestine, Yannis Kyriakides, Maria de Alvear, Jerry Hunt, Michael Pisaro, and John Oswald. This will be Mr. van Houdt’s first performance in New England. |
“[Farka Touré’s] gently twisting melodic lines can acquire intensity with surprising speed, [and leave] both band and audience momentarily breathless.” Often called the “Hendrix of the Sahara,” Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of legendary guitar player Ali Farka Touré (1939–2006). Vieux Farka Touré started playing guitar when he was 20. He is known for dazzling audiences with his speed and dexterity on the instrument, combining West African music with blues, rock, and reggae. His first performance in the United States took place at Wesleyan in February 2007. He was one of the featured artists at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa along with Alicia Keys, Angelique Kidjo, Hugh Masekela, and others; and his recent albums have featured guests such as Toumani Diabaté, Dave Matthews, John Scofield, and Derek Trucks. Mr. Farka Touré’s band includes Wesleyan alumni Tim Keiper '02 on drums and percussion, and Eric Herman '05 on bass. A Crowell Concert Series event presented by the Music Department and the Center for the Arts. |
Performing Arts Series “Sassy, vibrant and enthralling.” London’s Juice Vocal Ensemble, an experimental a cappella trio that mixes contemporary classical with folk, jazz, world music, pop, and electronica, features sopranos Anna Snow and Sarah Dacey, and alto Kerry Andrew. The group’s influences range from Meredith Monk and the Beach Boys to Camille (France) and Björk (Iceland). Their playful debut album Songspin (2011) won an Independent Music Award for “Best Contemporary Classical Album” in May 2012. For their first U.S. tour since an appearance at the South by Southwest Festival in March 2011, the group's Connecticut debut at Wesleyan will include vibrant classical works by U.K. composers including Gabriel Prokofiev, a new work by New York-based composer and Wesleyan alumnus Toby Twining MA ‘06, and unusual arrangements of British folk songs and pop music by Guns N’ Roses, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Erasure, Kraftwerk, and Donna Summer. A Crowell Concert Series event presented by the Music Department and the Center for the Arts. |
Special Event Conceived by choreographers and visiting faculty members Liz Lerman (founder of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange) and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (founder of Urban Bush Women) in collaboration with students in their course DANC374 "Blood, Muscle, Bone: The Anatomy of Wealth and Poverty," this performative “teach-in” (a lively and provocative tool of past protest movements) will explore issues surrounding wealth disparity and its impact on the body. The event will culminate in a multidisciplinary performance of the research. The teach-in will also feature Wesleyan Professor of African American Studies and English Lois Brown; Wilbur Fisk Osborne Professor of Psychology and Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Jill Morawski; Associate Professor of Economics Wendy Rayack; and William Arsenio, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Yeshiva University. |
“A subject for a short story: a young girl, just like you, has lived all her life by the lake; she loves the lake like a seagull, and is as happy and free as a seagull. But a man happens to come along, sees her, and having nothing better to do, destroys her, just like this seagull here.”
Presented by the Theater Department. |
Choreographer Kyle Abraham was born into hip hop culture in 1977, and his artistic upbringing included classical cello, piano, and the visual arts. He has created works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, performed with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and David Dorfman Dance, and founded the ensemble Abraham.In.Motion in 2006. At Wesleyan, the company reimagines John Singleton’s 1991 film ”Boyz N The Hood” in the Connecticut premiere of the dance work Pavement (2012). Kyle Abraham was the 2011 Danspace/Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance Artist in Residence at Wesleyan. A Breaking Ground Dance Series event presented by the Dance Department and the Center for the Arts. |
“[HOME/SICK] invites us to take a close-up look at the fiery rhetoric of another era’s radical fringe and to measure the distance from our own aspirations. An absorbing, critical-minded narrative.”
A Outside the Box Theater Series event presented by the Theater Department and the Center for the Arts. |
“The only Latin drummer in the world, in the history of American music that intimately knows both worlds; his native Afro-Cuban music as well as jazz.” A native of Havana, Cuba, Ignacio Berroa has been recognized by many as one of the greatest drummers of our times. Born in 1953, he began his professional career in 1970 and moved to New York in 1980. Since then, he has recorded and played with a wide range of musicians including Dizzy Gillespie, Danilo Perez, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Joe Lovano, Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Jackie McLean, Milt Jackson, and Tito Puente, among many others. Mr. Berroa’s first album as a leader [Codes (2006), on Blue Note Records] was nominated for the “Best Latin Jazz Album” Grammy Award in 2007. This concert at Wesleyan will be the Connecticut debut of Mr. Berroa’s trio, which features pianist Luis Perdomo and bassist Ricardo Rodriguez. A Crowell Concert Series event presented by the Music Department and the Center for the Arts. |
“Besides its illustrious list of laureates, the importance of its prizes, quality of its judges and rigorous selection process sets [the Cliburn Competition] apart.” Enjoy an evening of classical and Romantic music at Wesleyan on Valentine’s Day at this concert by 26-year old Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko, the Gold Medalist of the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Mr. Kholodenko competed against 29 other pianists during May and June in Fort Worth, Texas. This concert will be Mr. Kholodenko's first performance in New England as the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medalist. Born in Kiev, Mr. Kholodenko has performed across the globe in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States. He has released recordings of the music of Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninov, and he currently resides in Moscow, where he attends the capital city’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory. The sensational victory by pianist Van Cliburn (1934–2013) at the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow in 1958 heralded a new confidence in the quality of American music-making, as well as a new era in cultural relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, dedicated to the discovery of the world's finest pianists, has taken place every four years since 1962. |
“The Margaret Jenkins Dance Company revels in motion. You feel that adrenaline high build and build, the dancers blurring in a froth of activity. Their vitality gives you shivers.” The Margaret Jenkins Dance Company is known nationwide for performing highly charged kinetic works that are at once physically rigorous and intellectually demanding. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of her Company, choreographer Margaret Jenkins created Times Bones (2013) in collaboration with her dancers, composer Paul Dresher, visual designer Alexander V. Nichols, and poet Michael Palmer. Inspired by the myth of Osiris, Ms. Jenkins, with her dancers and collaborators, gathers the scattered “bones” of her past repertory, finding a new dance at the collision of past and present. Regarded as one of this country’s most influential dance-makers, Margaret Jenkins propels the artists and the audience on a journey forward into a rich and unknown territory. These performances will be the New England premiere of Times Bones, and will also be the first performances by this San Francisco-based company in New England since 1998. A Breaking Ground Dance Series event presented by the Dance Department and the Center for the Arts. |
Performing Arts Series
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Special Event The 28th conference of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, founded in 1984, will be held in New England for the first time since 1998, co-hosted by Wesleyan University Professor of Music Ronald Kuivila and Assistant Professor of Music Paula Matthusen. The conference will feature over a dozen concerts of new work from composers, performers, sound artists, improvisers and scholars from around the country in Crowell Concert Hall, Fayerweather Beckham Hall, and Memorial Chapel. |
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DanceMasters Weekend is one of the most anticipated dance events in the Northeast, an opportunity like no other for a two-day total dance immersion, combining inspiring performances by premier companies with Master Classes by expert instructors. 
