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2023

March

A Concert of Kora/Pipa Duo: Strings from West Africa and China [CANCELED]
Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

PLEASE NOTE: This concert has been canceled. We apologize for any inconveniences.

Gao Hong (pipa - Chinese lute) and Kadialy Kouyaté (Senegalese kora - 21-string harp, and voice) perform as a pipa and kora duo in their world premiere concert at Wesleyan. Pre-concert talk at 7:30pm.

Revivals in the Dark Panel Discussion: On Reviving Black Theater History
Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 6:30pm
Vanguard Lounge, Center for African American Studies, 343 High Street, Middletown, Connecticut

A panel discussion with CLASSIX, featuring A.J. Muhammad, Dominique Rider, and Awoye Timpo. Moderated by Associate Professor of English, Theater, and African American Studies Rashida Z. Shaw McMahon.

Art Lecture by Anna Vallye: Mapping Urban Renewal in New London, CT, 1940–1975
Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 4:30pm
Boger Hall, Room 112

Anna Vallye is Assistant Professor of Art History and Architectural Studies, Connecticut College.

SIDEBAND +++ TONEBURST!
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 8:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown

Sideband is an electroacoustic ensemble, comprised of composer-performers dedicated to exploring the potential of the laptop orchestra. Wesleyan’s Toneburst Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble presents new and arranged works for live electronics under the direction of Professor of Music Paula Matthusen.

Music Department Colloquium: Anya Shatilova—“Nizovaia Traditsiia and The Great Russian Orchestra: National Identity and Music in Late Nineteenth-Century Russia”—and Manuel J. Perez III—“Unmanifest Merging: Compositional Structures for (Communal) Reflection, Healing, Actualization, and Embodiment”
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Anya Shatilova is a Ph.D. candidate in Ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University. Her paper will focus on Vasilii Vasil’evich Andreev’s project of modernizing Russian plucked lutes—domra and balalaika—in late Imperial Russia. Manuel J. Perez III is a second-year M.A. Composition student at Wesleyan University. His talk will explore the relationship between artwork and the artist’s conception of self and lived experience through an analysis of his selected compositions. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Opening Reception: Senior Thesis Exhibitions Week One
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 4:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

The opening reception for the first week of the annual Senior Thesis Exhibitions, held from 4pm to 6pm. Featuring works by seniors in the Art Studio Program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History: Riya Devi-Ashby, Alec Black, Peter Ketels Fulweiler, Skye Gao, Eden Lanois, and Bell Rush.

Graduate Recital: Manuel Perez III
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

A graduate music recital by Manuel Perez III.

Art and Policy Salon: Acting on Climate Change
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 7:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall and on Zoom (link below)

Artists help us imagine possible futures. How can they effect actual change? Assistant Professor of Theater Katie Pearl, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Raquel Bryant, artist and researcher Dr. Katharine Owens, and Save the Sound’s inaugural Environmental Justice Specialist Alex Rodriguez will look at the potent relationship between imagined futures and mappable realities. Moderated by Strategic Advisor in the Arts Michael Feldman ’84. If not able to attend in-person, view also on Zoom.

42nd annual Middletown Public Schools Art Exhibition Opening Reception
Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 3:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

The opening reception for the 42nd annual Middletown Public Schools Art Exhibition is sponsored by the Middletown Board of Education, Middletown Public Schools Cultural Council, and Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts. Exhibition is on view through Sunday, March 19, 2023.

Music Department Colloquium: Florian Carl—“Ghana Gospel: Christian Popular Music, Ritual Performance, and Digital Media in 21st-Century West Africa”
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Florian Carl is an Associate Professor in the Department of Music and Dance at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and currently a research fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. His talk will explore the Ghanaian gospel phenomenon at the intersection of popular culture, religious ritual, and everyday life, tracing indigenous forms of Christian popular music through a range of media, performance, and reception contexts. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

A Conversation with Nathan Lee Graham, hosted by Maria-Christina Oliveras
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 1:00pm
Zoom

Wesleyan Assistant Professor of Theater and Embodying Antiracism Faculty Fellow Maria-Christina Oliveras holds a conversation with Nathan Lee Graham. A Grammy Award-winning star of Broadway, film, and television, Graham is also known for his activism, promoting the impact of queer studies outside of academia, and was the recipient of the José Esteban Muñoz award from The Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS) at the City University of New York. He is currently playing Hermes in the Broadway national tour of Hadestown.

Toneburst Sampler
Monday, March 6, 2023 at 8:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall

Wesleyan’s Toneburst Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble presents new and arranged works for live electronics under the direction of Professor of Music Paula Matthusen. Featuring works by Lainie Fefferman, Jin Hi Kim, Paula Matthusen, Joo Won Park, and Matthew Evan Taylor.

Excerpts from The Clear Blue Skies: Diaries from Ukraine
Monday, March 6, 2023 at 7:00pm
Cross Street Dance Studio, 160 Cross Street, Middletown, Connecticut

Actors Kyle Cameron, Raquel Chavez, and Alexandra Templer workshop excerpts from the new theater project The Clear Blue Skies: Diaries from Ukraine, created by Scott Illingworth and Oleksandra Oliinyk.

Graduate Recital by Tobias Haus: Zero a Zero Partition
Sunday, March 5, 2023 at 6:00pm
The Russell House, 350 High Street, Middletown

A graduate music recital by Tobias Haus, with a prelude at 5:45pm.

Red Line: A Collaborative Dance Performance by Iddi Saaka
Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 7:00pm
Cross Street Dance Studio, 160 Cross Street, Middletown

Red Line, a collaborative multifaceted dance performance conceived and directed by Assistant Professor of Dance Iddi Saaka as part of his fellowship with Wesleyan University’s Embodying Antiracism Initiative. The work draws on the experiences of five scholar-artist collaborators to interrogate how a place of origin can open opportunities for some but close doors to others.

Thesis Theater Production: Top Girls (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 5:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High Street, Middletown

Directed by Annabella Machnizh ’23, Top Girls follows the promotion of Marlene, a second wave capitalistic feminist, who decides to celebrate with a group of women across history and art.

Wesleyan University Orchestra Children’s Concert: Our Favorite Childhood Fairy Tales
Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Wesleyan University Orchestra presents their tenth annual children’s concert under the direction of Visiting Instructor of Music Britney Alcine. Before our beloved fairy tales of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, and others were made into films, they were ballets and operas. These were the ways composers like Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Humperdinck, and more were able to tell the stories we all know and love today. Come hear the Wesleyan Orchestra play selections of pieces telling these stories and others.

The Ad Hoc Bach Collective: “For the Love of Bach” Vol. 11
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 8:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown

Wesleyan student/faculty/staff/alumni/community collective Ad Hoc Bach presents the next installment of Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantatas.

Thesis Theater Production: Top Girls (SOLD OUT)
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High Street, Middletown

Directed by Annabella Machnizh ’23, Top Girls follows the promotion of Marlene, a second wave capitalistic feminist, who decides to celebrate with a group of women across history and art.

Pianist Emanuele Arciuli [New Time]
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 4:30pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Italian classical pianist Emanuele Arciuli performs five of the Geographical Preludes (1998-2000) by John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce, and the monumental set of 36 variations on “The People United Will Never Be Defeated” (1975) by Frederic Rzewski, in his Connecticut debut concert.

Dance Alumni Chat Series: Anyone Can Dance!
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 12:00pm
Zoom (Eastern Standard Time)

The Dance Department’s fourth Alumni Chat Series event features three amazing Wesleyan alumni discussing the benefits of a dance degree, and how their dance education at Wesleyan transformed their lives beyond the University. Featuring David Brick ’91, Degan Mercado Leopold ’03, and Djibril Sall ’16. Moderated by University Professor of Dance Patricia Beaman.

Thesis Theater Production: Top Girls (SOLD OUT)
Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High Street, Middletown

Directed by Annabella Machnizh ’23, Top Girls follows the promotion of Marlene, a second wave capitalistic feminist, who decides to celebrate with a group of women across history and art.

Film Screening: A Rising Fury
Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 7:00pm
Powell Family Cinema, The Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut

A Q&A with the co-director, screenwriter, and producer Lesya Kalynska and producer TJ Collins will follow the screening of the documentary film A Rising Fury (2022), which tracks the evolution of the conflict in Ukraine.

Music Department Colloquium: Richard K. Wolf—“Wakhi Poetic Imagination in Tajikistan and Afghanistan”
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Richard K. Wolf, Professor of Music and South Asian Studies at Harvard University, is an ethnomusicologist, filmmaker, and photographer who has conducted research in South and Central Asia. His presentation will draw from his research with Wakhi bards in Tajikistan and Afghanistan featured in his film Two Poets and a River (2020). The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Artist Conversation: Carrie Yamaoka and Claire Grace [CANCELED]
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Associate Professor of Art History Claire Grace joins artist Carrie Yamaoka ’79 in a conversation about her exhibition seeing is forgetting and remembering and forgetting again, on display in the Main Gallery of the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery through Sunday, March 5, 2023.

Opening Reception: Understanding China in the Age of the Unequal Treaties Exhibition
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 12:00pm
College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center

Celebrate the opening of the new exhibition Understanding China in the Age of the Unequal Treaties, curated by Sabrina Tian ’24 in the College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center. A light lunch will be provided following a Q&A with the curator. The exhibition is on display through Saturday, May 27, 2023.

February

Lecture by Jonathan Flatley—Du Bois With Lenin: Theorizing the Revolutionary Counter-Mood
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, Room 202

In this lecture, Jonanthan Flatley examines W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963) and Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) as theorists of revolutionary counter-moods, those moments when discouraged, cynical, alienated, or otherwise disconnected people come together in solidarity to form energetic, hopeful, and demanding collectives, which then engage in transformative political action.

Art Lecture by Joseph Henry—Dreams of Non-Contingency: Primitivism and Sachlichkeit in Wilhelmine Germany
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 4:30pm
Boger Hall, Room 112

Joseph Henry is a PhD Candidate in Art History at CUNY Graduate Center and a 2022–23 Diamonstein-Spielvogel Fellow, Department of Drawings and Prints, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This Is It! 2.0: The Complete Chamber Music of Neely Bruce—Part III [New Date]
Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

This is the third in a series of concerts featuring the chamber music of John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce, especially music for string instruments and song cycles. This concert consists of the world premiere of An Album for String Sextet, and the second performance of a work written in honor of Suzy Taraba, Songs for Suzy.

Book Talk with Barbara McClane: Blessed Not Bitter–The Barbara McClane Journey
Friday, February 24, 2023 at 4:30pm
Olin Library, Smith Reading Room, 252 Church Street, Middletown, Connecticut

Photographer, author, and Embodying Antiracism Initiative Community Fellow Barbara McClane shines a light into her new memoir. Blessed Not Bitter: The Barbara McClane Journey is a transparent, inspiring, and hope-giving story of McClane’s life challenges, self-discovery, and finding her family after 60 years.

The Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Diane Weiss ’80 Memorial Lecture: Lecticia Alvarado—“To Have and To Hoard: Xandra Ibarra’s Object Lessons”
Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 4:30pm
Judd Hall, Room 116, 207 High Street, Middletown, Connecticut

How do minoritized artists navigate spaces rife with problematic practices of extraction, rooted in the institutional objectification of individuals in the service of empires and how are engaged audiences called into reflection on their continuing legacies? In this talk, Professor Lecticia Alvarado orients us to consider the object lessons proffered in the cultural production of Oakland-based artist Xandra Ibarra.

Music Department Colloquium: Jin Hi Kim—“Komungo Abroad in the Digital Age: No Boundary between Ancient and Contemporary”
Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 4:30pm
Adzenyah Rehearsal Hall, Room 003 (Daltry Room), 60 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown

Jin Hi Kim is an innovative komungo (fretted board zither) virtuoso, a Guggenheim Fellow composer, and a United States Artists Fellow who teaches Korean Drumming and Creative Music at Wesleyan University. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Festival of Live Electronic Music—Idiopreneurial Entrephonics II: Four Pieces by David Behrman
Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

The second evening of the Idiopreneurial Entrephonics II festival of live electronic music features four pieces by composer David Behrman, performed by Behrman and members of the Wesleyan music community.

Senior Theater Capstone: The Long Rain—Immersive Installation
Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 5:00pm
Theater Studios Jones Room (Room 101), 275 Washington Terrace, Middletown

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Matthew Cross ’23.

Festival of Live Electronic Music—Idiopreneurial Entrephonics II: Special Open Meeting of Wesleyan Disengineering Society
Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 2:00pm
World Music Hall

On Saturday afternoon, the Idiopreneurial Entrephonics II festival of live electronic music features a special open meeting of the Wesleyan Disengineering Society. The group regularly gathers to hack hardware, software, and e-waste for sonic repurposing and re-engineering.

Senior Piano Recital: Henry Weed
Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 12:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Henry Weed ’23 performs a piano recital, featuring works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel.

Festival of Live Electronic Music—Idiopreneurial Entrephonics II: Performances by Bonnie Jones and John Bischoff
Friday, February 17, 2023 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

The first evening of the Idiopreneurial Entrephonics II festival of live electronic music begins with performances by Bonnie Jones and John Bischoff.

Senior Theater Capstone: The Long Rain—Immersive Installation
Friday, February 17, 2023 at 7:00pm
Theater Studios Jones Room (Room 101), 275 Washington Terrace, Middletown

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Matthew Cross ’23.

Senior Theater Capstone: The Long Rain—Immersive Installation
Thursday, February 16, 2023 at 7:00pm
Theater Studios Jones Room (Room 101), 275 Washington Terrace, Middletown

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Matthew Cross ’23.

Music Department Colloquium: Michael Frishkopf—“Music for Global Human Development Promoting Health and Wellbeing in Liberia, Ghana, and Ethiopia: Theory, Method, and Impact”
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Michael Frishkopf is Professor of Music, Director of the Canadian Centre for Ethnomusicology, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine and Religious Studies at the University of Alberta, as well as Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Communication and Cultural Studies, at the University for Development Studies (Ghana). His talk will outline Music for Global Human Development, a theoretical, activist ethnomusicology fostering human development through sustainable, music-centric, collaborative projects, drawing on case studies from Liberia, Ghana, and Ethiopia. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Artist Talk: Ilana Harris-Babou
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Assistant Professor of Art and Luther Gregg Sullivan Fellow in Art Ilana Harris-Babou talks about her exhibition Liquid Gold. The exhibition is on display from Monday, January 30 through Sunday, March 5, 2023.

Lotto Royale Workshop
Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 4:00pm
Fayerweather Beckham Hall, Room 108, 55 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, Connecticut

Artists Camila Malenchini and Layton Lachman host a performance art workshop focusing on the creation of new work through the frame of site-specific dance and performance art. The workshop is in dialogue with the Berlin-based project Lotto Royale, a festival of one-on-one performances located in public space. A new iteration of Lotto Royale is being produced by John Hoobyar for the forthcoming “River To River Festival” through the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. This workshop is from 4pm to 7pm.

Cynthia Novack In Memoriam Lecture by Stephan Koplowitz: Site-Specific Performance Creation and Problem Solving—Real-World Stories and Strategies
Friday, February 10, 2023 at 12:00pm
Cross Street Dance Studio, 160 Cross Street, Middletown

Stephan Koplowitz ’79, director/choreographer and producer, gives a media-centered talk on his book On Site- Methods for Creating Site-Specific Performance (Oxford University Press, 2022). Koplowitz, whose site-specific work has been seen in various sites and contexts both in the U.S. and abroad for the past 35 years, delves into several topics: Why make site-specific work? What defines a site-specific work? What are some strategies for creating site performances and overcoming production logistics and challenges? An abundance of films and photographs accompany this lecture, followed by a reception.

Film Screening and Discussion: Marvin McNeill and Edward “Juicey” Jackson—“From the Mouthpiece on Back”
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at 7:00pm
Wesleyan Library, Music Seminar Room (Olin 327B), 252 Church Street, Middletown and Zoom

Marvin McNeill (Wesleyan Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology, and Assistant Professor of Music and African American Studies, Emory University) and New Orleans musician Edward “Juicey” Jackson present a virtual screening of the hour-long documentary From the Mouthpiece on Back, about the TBC (To Be Continued) Brass Band from New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina. The screening will be followed by a discussion about music, climate change, housing inequity, and gentrification in New Orleans and the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Ida. Attend in person to watch the event as a community (space is limited, RSVP with “Reserve Now” link), or attend virtually by Zoom. Organized by the World Music Archives, Wesleyan University Library.

Raquel Gutiérrez Reading
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:00pm
Allbritton Center, Room 311, 222 Church Street

Raquel Gutiérrez is a critic, essayist, poet, and educator. Gutiérrez is a 2021 recipient of the Rabkin Prize in Arts Journalism, as well as a 2017 recipient of The Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant. Gutiérrez teaches in the Oregon State University-Cascades Low Residency Creative Writing M.F.A. Program. Gutiérrez’s first book Brown Neon (Coffee House Press) was named as one of the best books of 2022 by The New Yorker.

Opening Reception: The Wayland Rudd Collection Exhibition
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, South Gallery

The Wayland Rudd Collection exhibition opening reception with remarks by Assistant Professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Roman Utkin, followed by a reception with refreshments. The exhibition is on display from Friday, February 3 through Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

The Wayland Rudd Collection Exhibition Opens
Friday, February 3, 2023 at 12:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, South Gallery

The Wayland Rudd Collection exhibition opens in Zilkha’s South Gallery. The exhibition is on display from Friday, February 3 through Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

January

Opening Reception: Ilana Harris-Babou—Liquid Gold
Monday, January 30, 2023 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, North Gallery

The exhibition by Assistant Professor of Art and Luther Gregg Sullivan Fellow in Art Ilana Harris-Babou opens with remarks by the artist and curator Benjamin Chaffee, Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art, at 5pm. The reception is from 4:30pm to 6pm. The exhibition is on display from Monday, January 30 through Sunday, March 5, 2023.

Opening Reception: Carrie Yamaoka—seeing is forgetting and remembering and forgetting again
Monday, January 30, 2023 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, Main Gallery

The exhibition by artist Carrie Yamaoka ’79 opens with remarks by the artist and curator Benjamin Chaffee, Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art, at 5pm. The reception is from 4:30pm to 6pm. The exhibition is on display from Monday, January 30 through Sunday, March 5, 2023.

2022

December

fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94) Exhibition Closes
Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 5:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94) is an exhibition comprising a series of lectures, performances, readings, and art installations on the broad theme of borders, migration, displacement, and violence. The exhibition programming reflects on the territorial dimensions of borders and their consequential effects.

String Noise Performs Works by Wesleyan Graduate Student Composers
Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

New York violin duo String Noise, composed of violinists Conrad Harris and Pauline Kim Harris, performs works by Wesleyan graduate student composers.

Winter Dance Concert: 11 Short Stories
Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Wesleyan students across different class years present new group works focusing on a diversity of techniques, methods, and aesthetic approaches in the Winter Dance Concert, 11 Short Stories. Please note that masks are required for this event.

Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble Fall Concert
Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, directed by Noah Baerman, will present an exciting program of small-group jazz representing a variety of modern jazz traditions and techniques.

Senior Thesis Theater Production: Antigonick [SOLD OUT]
Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater Studio, 275 Washington Terrace, Middletown

Anne Carson brings Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone into the contemporary world by fracturing it into stupendous imagery and startling, spare language. This production will use the structure of Carson’s Antigonick to explore how theater can function as a ritual to create community and connection. Directed by Sarah Shapiro ’23.

Winter Dance Concert: 11 Short Stories
Friday, December 9, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Wesleyan Chamber Music Concert
Friday, December 9, 2022 at 12:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Students from the Wesleyan chamber music program, under the direction of John Biatowas, perform works by Beethoven, Roussel, Reinstein, and more!

Wesleyan Organ Studio: Piping Performance
Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 9:30pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown

Students of Artist in Residence and University Organist Alcee Chriss present a recital of organ music.

Wesleyan Concert Choir
Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Wesleyan Concert Choir, under the direction of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Director of Private Lessons Nadya Potemkina, presents a program featuring both a cappella and accompanied selections from classical and modern choral repertoire.

Senior Thesis Theater Production: Antigonick [SOLD OUT]
Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater Studio, 275 Washington Terrace, Middletown

Beginning Students of the Javanese Gamelan Ensemble
Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 6:30pm
World Music Hall

Experience the culture of Java with beginning students of the Wesleyan Javanese Gamelan ensemble, under the direction of University Professor of Music Harjito and Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam.

John Cage’s Musicircus [Time Changed]
Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 1:45pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Students from the adventurous MUSC 109 “Introduction to Experimental Music” class present a series of overlapping performances in the seventh rendition of John Cage's Musicircus at Wesleyan since fall 2013.

Senior Thesis Theater Production: Antigonick [SOLD OUT]
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater Studio, 275 Washington Terrace, Middletown

Chinese Music Ensemble Fall Concert
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Wesleyan’s Chinese Music Ensemble, under the direction of Chia-Yu Joy Lu, presents a fall concert featuring a variety of music derived from traditional and contemporary works.

WesWinds Fall Concert
Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble (WesWinds) performs under the direction of Salvatore LaRusso.

South Indian Music Student Recital
Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 6:00pm
World Music Hall

Students of Adjunct Associate Professors B. Balasubrahmaniyan and David Nelson will perform their end semester recital of music from the Karnatak tradition of South India.

Ebony Singers Winter Concert
Monday, December 5, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Wesleyan University Ebony Singers present an evening of gospel music under the direction of Marichal Monts ’85. This joyful, inspiring event is great for the entire family.

Steel Pan Fall Concert
Monday, December 5, 2022 at 6:00pm
Fayerweather Beckham Hall, 55 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown

The Wesleyan Steel Pan Ensemble performs under the direction of Visiting Instructor in Music Briele Scott.

West African Drumming and Dance Concert
Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

An invigorating performance filled with the rhythms of West Africa, featuring Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Dance Iddi Saaka, joined by students in West African music and dance classes. *Please note that masks are required for this event.

Korean Drumming and Creative Music Ensemble and Taiko Drumming Ensemble Fall Concert
Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 4:00pm
World Music Hall

Beginning and advanced students of the Korean Drumming and Creative Music Ensemble, directed by Assistant Professor of the Practice in Music Jin Hi Kim, play new arrangements of samulnori (percussion quartet) repertoire. Wesleyan’s Taiko Drumming Ensemble performs the thunderous and thrilling rhythms of Japanese drumming under the direction of Visiting Instructor in Music Fumi Tanakadate.

Worlds of Dance Concert
Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 2:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Worlds of Dance Showcase will feature Wesleyan students performing an exciting array of dance styles from a variety of courses, including Javanese Dance, Bharata Natyam, Hip Hop, Afro-Brazilian, and “Introduction to Dance” classes. *Please note that masks are required for this event.

Advanced Javanese Gamelan Concert
Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 7:30pm
World Music Hall

Wesleyan's Javanese Gamelan ensemble, under the direction of University Professor of Music Harjito and Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam, presents the classical music and dance of Central Java. The concert will include a prelude by the Indonesian Connecticut Community Gamelan Ensemble, directed by Professor Harjito.

Fall Faculty Dance Concert: For the LOVE (of Humanity)
Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

The Fall Faculty Dance Concert will feature Assistant Professor of the Practice in Dance and African American Studies Joya Powell's company Movement of the People and Wesleyan students and alumni performing the work in progress What's Left of Spring. Visiting Professor of Dance Veronica Retnaningsih will present the solo work Golek Ayun-Ayun on Friday, December 2, 2022. *Please note that masks are required for this event.

Music Capstone Concert: Nicholas Parker—Painting in Sound
Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 6:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown

Nicholas Parker ’23 performs a Music Department capstone concert.

Wesleyan University Orchestra
Friday, December 2, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Wesleyan University Orchestra performs under the direction of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Director of Private Lessons Nadya Potemkina.

Senior Thesis Theater Staged Reading: Mulaqat
Friday, December 2, 2022 at 8:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall

A staged reading of Mulaqat, written by Malaika Fernandes '23 in partial fulfillment of Honors in Theater, which explores how we can redefine a South Asian community by pushing the boundaries of language in a world where understanding each other is vital. Directed by Avanti Sheth '23 and stage managed by Sabrina Ladiwala '24.

Fall Faculty Dance Concert: For the LOVE (of Humanity)
Friday, December 2, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Senior Thesis Theater Staged Reading: Mulaqat
Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 8:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall

Panel Discussion: Borders of Cuba and Cubanidad
Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 4:30pm
Romance Languages and Literatures Common Room, 300 High Street, Middletown

How do diaspora and exile shape or contest the (imagined) borders of Cuba? Who gets to define “cubanidad,” that is, what it means to be Cuban? Invited speakers grapple with these questions by turning to late nineteenth- to twentieth-century archives and literary works that shed light on the consolidation of anticolonial efforts across the Caribbean, the links between Cuba and the island of Fernando Pó (now Equatorial Guinea), and the shifting racial borders of cubanidad.

Resilience in Times of War [Date Changed]
Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 12:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

A performance presentation about the convergence of the arts, politics, and survival in Ukraine, held in conjunction with the exhibition Women at War, will feature Associate Professor of Dance, Environmental Studies, Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and Education Studies Katja Kolcio joined by vocalist and collector of Ukrainian folk songs Nadia Tarnawsky, with livestream guests from Ukraine: theater artist and vocalist Vira Hanchar in Lviv, and writer and dancer Larissa Babij in Kyiv. Wesleyan students will also be featured in the performance.

November

Sound Performance by Artists Nadia Shihab and Szu-Han Ho: two/fold
Sunday, November 20, 2022 at 1:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Szu-Han Ho and Nadia Shihab will perform in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery as part of a series of events held in conjuction with the exhibtion fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94), on display through December 11, 2022.

Virtual Symposium—How We Do: Dance Making, Praxis in Our Own Words
Friday, November 18, 2022 at 1:00pm
Zoom

This symposium will shed light on the magic of the praxis. Most Black dance makers go unrecognized for their contributions and tools they have shared in the field. How they do what they do. The symposium will highlight intergenerational conversations on the processes of dance making, which is often left within dance studio walls. The conversations will be centered around our processes, tools, devices that are used in our choreographic praxis, as akin to a kitchen table conversation. Sponsored and co-presented by: Angela’s Pulse’s North Star Arts Incubator, Wesleyan University’s Dance Department and Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, and The Committee on Black Performing Arts (CBPA) at The Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA) at Stanford University.

Music Department Colloquium: Jennifer Kyker—Seeking Bad Debt: Ethnography, Mutuality, and Hunhu/Ubuntu
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Jennifer W. Kyker holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the Eastman School of Music and as Associate Professor of Music in the College Music Department at the University of Rochester. Her talk will suggest possibilities for ethnographic work centered on the Zimbabwean indigenous philosophy of hunhu/ubuntu. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Graduate Music Student Concert: Parsa Ferdowsi, Katrina Mazur, and Tobias Haus
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

Graduate music students Parsa Ferdowsi, Katrina Mazur, and Tobias Haus present a concert.

Jeremy Zwelling Memorial Concert featuring Trio Sefardi
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce presents a concert in memory of Jeremy Zwelling, Associate Professor of Religion, Emeritus, who passed away in May 2022 at the age of 81. The concert will feature Trio Sefardi, a Virginia-based ensemble that, since 2010, has performed traditional songs of the Sephardim, the descendants of Jews exiled from Spain in 1492.

Everybody
Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater

In Everybody, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, five of the nine actors choose their parts by lottery before every performance. Directed by Assistant Professor of Theater Katie Pearl and co-directed by Visiting Professor of Theater Erica Wray, Everybody is a wild, involving, provocative, hilarious journey for both the actors and the audience. This production will also serve as the Senior Theater Capstone Project in Lighting Design for Sam Harris ’23.

Everybody
Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 2:00pm
CFA Theater

Everybody
Friday, November 11, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater

Everybody
Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater

Talk by Jason De León, Undocumented Migration Project and creator of Hostile Terrain 94—The Land of Open Graves: Raising Awareness about Migrant Life and Death along the U.S./Mexico Border
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Jason De León is Executive Director of the Undocumented Migration Project and the Colibri Center for Human Rights. He is Professor of Anthropology and Chicana, Chicano, and Central American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles and Head Curator of the ongoing global exhibition Hostile Terrain 94. He is the author of the award-winning book The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail and a 2017 MacArthur Fellow. This talk is held in conjunction with the exhibition fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94), on display in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery through Sunday, December 11, 2022.

Graduate Music Composition Recital: Manuel J. Perez III
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

Graduate music composition student Manuel J. Perez III presents a contextual concert. The recital A Line Between Two Points features an evening of curated works that meet at the liminal space between memory, lived history, sociality, and spontaneous performance.

Standing with Ukraine: An International Conversation
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 12:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery and livestreamed

An in-person and live-streamed international conversation on Election Day will offer direct and unique insight into the current situation in Ukraine.

The Ad Hoc Bach Collective: “For the Love of Bach” Vol. 10
Friday, November 4, 2022 at 8:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown

Wesleyan student/faculty/staff/alumni/community collective Ad Hoc Bach presents a celebratory tenth edition of For the Love of Bach.

The Critical Response Process in Action: A Webinar in Celebration of the Release of Critique Is Creative
Friday, November 4, 2022 at 12:30pm
Zoom

Celebrate the release of Critique Is Creative: The Critical Response Process in Theory and Action (2022) by Wesleyan University Press. Hear from co-authors Liz Lerman and John Borstel and some of the 21 contributors to the book’s exploration of Critical Response Process and its applications, featuring samples from the book and lively conversation.

Talk by Seth Berkman—Sports in East Asia in the 21st Century: A Global Phenomenon
Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 4:30pm
College of East Asian Studies Seminar Room at Mansfield Freeman Center, 343 Washington Terrace

Seth Berkman is a journalist based in New York. Since 2012, he has been a regular contributor to The New York Times Sports section, while also occasionally covering business and investigative news. His book A Team of Their Own: How an International Sisterhood Made Olympic History was published in 2019. This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition Karen Xu: Massive Power Ball, on display through Friday, December 9, 2022.

Art History Public Lecture by Dr. Vyta Pivo—A World Cast in Concrete: How the US Built its Empire
Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

A World Cast in Concrete: How the US Built its Empire weaves together two stories: how the US cement and concrete industries expanded their material and technological reach across the globe and into outer space. Dr. Vyta Pivo is a postdoctoral scholar and assistant professor of architecture at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan.

Music Department Colloquium: Adriana Helbig—Romani Musical Resistance During Russia’s War in Ukraine
Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Adriana Helbig is Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Pittsburgh. Her presentation will discuss how Romani musical responses to the war in Ukraine have brought them into the center of Ukraine’s resistance narrative. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Talk by Saida Hodžić
Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Saida Hodžić is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Cornell University. She studies women’s rights activism, NGO advocacy, humanitarianism, and civic environmental activism. Her first book, The Twilight of Cutting: African Activism and Life after NGOs (University of California Press, 2017) has won the Michelle Rosaldo Book Prize by the Association for Feminist Anthropology, granted to a first book that embodies the theoretical rigor, ethnographic richness and advancement of feminist scholarship, as well as the Amaury Talbot Book Prize for African Anthropology by the Royal Anthropological Institute. This talk is held in conjunction with the exhibition fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94), on display in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery through Sunday, December 11, 2022.

fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94) Exhibition Opens
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 12:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94) is an exhibition comprising a series of lectures, performances, readings, and art installations on the broad theme of borders, migration, displacement, and violence. Programming will provoke reflections on the territorial dimensions of borders and their consequential effects.

October

Community Workshop for the Creation of the Zilkha Gallery Installation of Hostile Terrain 94—Volunteers Needed
Friday, October 28, 2022 at 11:30am
Usdan University Center, Room 110, 45 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown

To prepare for the installation of Hostile Terrain 94 in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, this workshop will ask volunteers to fill out the toe tags and bear witness to the humanitarian crisis that is happening at our southern border.

A Reading by Author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (CANCELED)
Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zilkha Gallery, Room 202

PLEASE NOTE: This event has been canceled.

Music Department Colloquium: Galen Joseph-Hunter—Out of the Air: 25 Years of Transmission Art
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Galen Joseph-Hunter is the Executive Director of Wave Farm. She will introduce the origins and activities behind this 25 year-old organization driven by experimentation with broadcast media and the airwaves. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Women at War Exhibition Opens
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 12:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, South Gallery

Women at War features works by a selection of the leading contemporary women artists working in Ukraine, and provides context for the current war, as represented in art across various media. Exhibition on display through Sunday, November 20, 2022.

Artist Talk: Suzanne Kite—Nonhuman Futures
Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 7:30pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall

Suzanne Kite is an award winning Oglála Lakȟóta performance artist, visual artist, composer and academic whose groundbreaking scholarship and practice explore contemporary Lakota ontology through research-creation, computational media, and performance. Sponsored by the Center for the Arts Creative Campus Initiative, Science and Society Program, and Music Department.

Music Department Colloquium: Kay Kaufman Shelemay—Sentinel Musicians of the Ethiopian American Diaspora
Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Kay Kaufman Shelemay is the G. Gordon Watts Professor of Music and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. Her talk will introduce the background and scope of the author’s recent book, Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the Making of the Ethiopian American Diaspora. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

TALK IT OUT: How We Have Died—Antigonick and Everybody
Tuesday, October 18, 2022 at 6:00pm
The Russell House, 350 High Street, Middletown

Each semester, the Theater Department produces a show. That show contains a conversation. Let’s TALK IT OUT together.

Queer Horror: Gravest Hits
Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 7:00pm
Goldsmith Family Cinema, The Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut

Portland, Oregon's Queer Horror is the only LGBTQ+ feature-length horror screening series in the United States. The East Coast premiere of Gravest Hits presents the silliest and most ghoulish international short films hosted by drag clown Carla Rossi, leaving the audience shook, slain, and screaming for more.

Wesleyan University Orchestra
Friday, October 14, 2022 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

In this concert, the Wesleyan University Orchestra, under the direction of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Director of Private Lessons Nadya Potemkina, will feature Private Lessons Instructors Libby Van Cleve (oboe) and Charlie Suriyakham (clarinet), performing music by John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce.

Talk by Miriam Ticktin—Borders and Commons: the Struggle over Political Imagination
Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 5:00pm
The Russell House, 350 High Street, Middletown

Miriam Ticktin is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York. Previously, she was at The New School for Social Research, where she co-directed the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility. This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94), on display from Tuesday, November 1 through Sunday, December 11, 2022.

Music Department Colloquium: Paul Berliner—Reflections on Immersive Study and Collaborative Research with Zimbabwean Mbira Musicians, 1969–2022
Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Paul F. Berliner is the Arts and Sciences Professor Emeritus of Music at Duke University. In his talk, he will elaborate the goals of the sequel to his first book, The Soul Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People of Zimbabwe, which grew out of his dissertation as a Wesleyan doctoral candidate. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

This Is It! 2.0: The Complete Chamber Music of Neely Bruce - Part II
Sunday, October 9, 2022 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

This is the second in a series of concerts featuring the chamber music of John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce, especially music for string instruments and song cycles.

Work in Progress with Toshi Reagon: You're Having Too Much Fun So We're Gonna Have to Kill You
Friday, October 7, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater

Get a special first glimpse into the creative process of singer, composer, musician, curator, activist, producer, and storyteller Toshi Reagon as she concludes her year-long artist residency at Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts developing a new production.

Artist Talk by Nick Raffel
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Nick Raffel’s work in sculpture, installation, and digital modeling considers architectural and infrastructural systems which facilitate the flow of air, water, and gas.

Music Department Colloquium: Levi Gibbs—Encountering Modernity in the Yellow Earth: Innovation in a ‘Traditional’ Repertoire
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Levi S. Gibbs is Associate Professor of Chinese Literature and Culture in the Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages Program at Dartmouth College. His lecture will examine how singers, composers, and scholars in contemporary China have adapted traditional songs to represent their regions within the nation and around the world. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Sonic Introductions: Graduate Student Composers at Wesleyan
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

This concert will feature Wesleyan graduate music students performing previous and current works for different types of ensembles as well as solo performance and spontaneous compositions.

Dance Performance: Nrithya Pillai
Sunday, October 2, 2022 at 2:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Nrithya Pillai is an acclaimed performer and activist from the hereditary community of South India’s former courtesan artists. She presents her dance in the context of critical perspectives on the form, and her New England debut performance will be accompanied by live musicians. A talk-back moderated by Professor and Chair of the Dance Department and Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Hari Krishnan will follow the performance. This event is part of the 46th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.

Saraswati Puja (Hindu Ceremony)
Sunday, October 2, 2022 at 11:00am
World Music Hall

This religious service, led by Joseph Getter MA ’99, 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. This event is part of the 46th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan
Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

World-renowned sitar virtuoso Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan belongs to the seventh generation of an influential musical lineage. His playing focuses on exploring and expanding the possibilities of the melodic framework for improvisation in North Indian classical music, or raag, often to mind-blowing effect. This concert is part of the 46th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.

Master Class with Sujata Goel: Bollywood Dance—A Globalized Body
Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 11:00am
Bessie Schönberg Dance Studio, 247 Pine Street, Middletown

This Master Class, led by Indian-American choreographer and dancer Sujata Goel, is an introduction to Bollywood dance. Originating in the 1930s, Bollywood dance is a hybrid form that fuses eastern and western dance styles. In this class, participants will look at the history of Bollywood through its different styles spanning the 1940s to present day. The class is open to all, no previous experience or training is required. Sujata Goel is part of SAEDA (South Asian Experimental Dance Artists).

September

B. Balasubrahmaniyan: Vocal Music of South India
Friday, September 30, 2022 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Vocalist and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music B. Balasubrahmaniyan will be joined by Adjunct Associate Professor of Music David Nelson on mridangam and Pranav Swaroop, violin, as part of the 46th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.

Dance in the Round with Parijat Desai
Friday, September 30, 2022 at 12:15pm
Center for the Arts Courtyard (in front of Ring Family Performing Arts Hall)

India-born, U.S.-raised choreographer/dancer Parijat Desai leads an inclusive workshop based on the "garba" circle dance from Gujarat, India. No experience necessary. Visual elements of Desai's performance project "How Do I Become WE" are featured in the SAEDA (South Asian Experimental Dance Artists) exhibition Kinetic Visualities.

Film Screening: The Other Song
Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 7:00pm
Powell Family Cinema, The Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut

The Connecticut premiere screening of the documentary The Other Song will be followed by a Zoom conversation with Director Saba Dewan based in India, and moderated by Assistant Professor of Film Studies Anuja Jain as part of the 46th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.

Kinetic Visualities Exhibition Opens
Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 12:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, South Gallery

The exhibition Kinetic Visualities will present art processes by the members of SAEDA (South Asian Experimental Dance Artists), a United States-based collective which explores shared and divergent artistic processes and disrupts representations of South Asian bodies in the diaspora. This exhibition is part of the 46th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.

Music Department Colloquium: Lara Pearson—Interacting with Melody Through Movement: Co-singing Gesture in Karnatak Vocal Performance
Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Lara Pearson is a musicologist and researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (Frankfurt am Main, Germany). Her paper will reflect on the relationship between gesture and melody in the South Indian style known as Karnāṭaka Saṅgīta (Karnatak music). The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series. It is also part of the 46th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan.

A Reading with Renee Gladman
Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

In conjunction with her solo exhibition THE DREAMS OF SENTENCES, writer and artist Renee Gladman will present a special reading of her work in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery. Gladman is the author of three collections of drawing-writing—Prose Architectures (2017), One Long Black Sentence (2020), and Plans for Sentences (2022)—as well as many works of fiction, essay, and poetry. For this event, Gladman will read across many of their works.

Talk by Writer and Art Critic Emmanuel Iduma: The Movement of the Other
Monday, September 26, 2022 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, Room 202

This talk by writer and art critic Emmanuel Iduma is co-sponsored by Wesleyan’s Anthropology Department and African Studies and is held in conjunction with the exhibition fron/terra cognita + Hostile Terrain (HT94), on display from Tuesday, November 1 through Sunday, December 11, 2022.

Book Release and Performative Lecture with Michael Sakamoto - An Empty Room: Imagining Butoh and the Social Body in Crisis
Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 5:00pm
College of East Asian Studies Seminar Room, Mansfield Freeman Center, 343 Washington Terrace, Middletown

Celebrate the release of the new Wesleyan University Press book An Empty Room: Imagining Butoh and the Social Body in Crisis by interdisciplinary artist, scholar, educator, and curator Michael Sakamoto who will perform and show excerpts from his work, followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Music Department Colloquium: Ron Kuivila—Bellona Times: the Turbulence of the Present
Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 4:30pm
Adzenyah Rehearsal Hall, Room 003 (Daltry Room), 60 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown

Professor and Chair of the Music Department Ron Kuivila will present his sound installation Bellona Times and discuss its gestation. The colloquium is organized by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Music and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Saida Daukeyeva as part of the Music Department Colloquium Series.

Opening Reception—Karen Xu: Massive Power Ball
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 12:00pm
College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center

Celebrate the opening of the new exhibition Massive Power Ball by Karen Xu ’22 in the College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center. Refreshments will be provided following a talk by the curators and a walkthrough of the exhibition.

Opening Reception: Nick Raffel - airfoil
Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Nick Raffel’s work in sculpture, installation, and digital modeling considers architectural and infrastructural systems which facilitate the flow of air, water, and gas. This reception for the exhibition airfoil will include a curator talk by Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art Benjamin Chaffee at 5pm.

Opening Reception: Renee Gladman—THE DREAMS OF SENTENCES
Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Writer and artist Renee Gladman is preoccupied with crossings, thresholds, and geographies as they play out at the intersections of poetry, prose, drawing and architecture. This reception will include a talk by exhibition curator, Associate Director of Visual Arts, and Adjunct Instructor in Art Benjamin Chaffee at 5pm.

June

The Kobzar’s Prayer for Ukraine: The Sacred National Instruments of Ukraine
Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 5:30pm
Outdoor Stage at The Church of the Holy Trinity, 381 Main Street, Middletown, Connecticut

Ukrainian-American musician Jurij Fedynskyj will make his Connecticut debut in a free outdoor concert, The Kobzar’s Prayer for Ukraine: The Sacred National Instruments of Ukraine, at The Church of the Holy Trinity.

May

Senior Thesis Showcase Reception
Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 3:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

The reception in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery for the Senior Thesis Showcase exhibition of the work of the Class of 2022’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program will include a conversation with Assistant Professor of Art History and American Studies Claire Grace, Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art Benjamin Chaffee ’00, and student curator Gabby Farina ’23 at 4pm.

“Gospel, Rap, and Social Justice” with Naomi Wilson, BL Shirelle, Julio Medina, and Carlos Roche [New Date]
Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 7:00pm
YouTube

Introduced by Julio Medina, Director of Exodus Transitional Community. Special guest Carlos Roche, a survivor of the Attica prison massacre, will introduce songs by gospel singer Naomi Wilson and rap poet BL Shirelle, honoring the men who sacrificed their lives to demand justice during the 1971 uprising. They will present their songs and stories in collaboration with Wesleyan students in the course THEA 115 “America in Prison: Theater Behind Bars,” taught by Professor and Chair of the Theater Department Ronald S. Jenkins.

Mini-Festival of Dance in Three Parts [Moved to rain site]
Friday, May 6, 2022 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

A mini-festival of dance in three parts, featuring a duet with Alexi Salazar and Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Eury German ’16; a West African Drumming and Dance Concert, featuring Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Dance Iddi Saaka joined by students in West African music and dance classes; and a performance of new works by Assistant Professor of Dance Iddi Saaka, Graduate Liberal Studies student Shirley Sullivan ’21, and Serena Aimen '22 in collaboration with Wesleyan students in the "Repertory and Performance" course (DANC 378).

Free Film Screening: WesWorks [Moved to rain location]
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 7:30pm
Goldsmith Family Cinema, The Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, Connecticut

Celebrate the movement and stories of Wesleyan University employees at the premiere screening of the film WesWorks, which documents the performance with Facilities staff that took place outdoors on Friday, October 15, 2021.

Steel Pan Concert
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 6:30pm
Fayerweather Beckham Hall, 55 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, Connecticut

The Wesleyan Steel Pan Ensemble performs under the direction of Visiting Instructor in Music Briele Scott.

Process>>Processional: Toneburst + MUSC 221 Final Electroextravaganza [Updated with final program]
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 12:00pm
Starting on Andrus Field, 55 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown, Connecticut

Wesleyan’s Toneburst Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble and students from the “Live-Electronics for Composition, Improvisation, and Sound Art” class (MUSC 221) present an afternoon of new and arranged works for live electronics in various locations, under the direction of Professor of Music Paula Matthusen. View the Toneburst + MUSC 221 Final Electroextravaganza program here.

African Pop Music Concert
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Wesleyan’s African Pop Music Band, directed by Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa, presents an invigorating performance of contemporary African music and dance. Genres to be performed include highlife, reggae, hiplife, and gospel highlife, among others.

South Indian Music Student Recital
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 7:00pm
World Music Hall

Students of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music B. Balasubrahmaniyan will perform their end of semester recital of music from the Karnatak tradition of South India. Performance will feature the song forms Gitam, Kriti, and Tillana, an instrumental piece, and Solkattu (spoken rhythm).

Senior Thesis Showcase Exhibition Opens
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 12:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

The Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery showcases the work of the Class of 2022’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program.

In Love and War: Performed by Dancers from "Bharata Natyam III"
Monday, May 2, 2022 at 12:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The "Bharata Natyam III" advanced class (DANC 382), taught by Professor and Chair of the Dance Department Hari Krishnan, will present new works in this invigorating end-of-semester performance with live music.

Taiko Drumming Ensemble Spring Concert
Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 4:00pm
World Music Hall

Wesleyan’s Taiko Drumming Ensemble performs the thunderous and thrilling rhythms of Japanese drumming under the direction of Visiting Instructor in Music Fumi Tanakadate. Several dynamic and exciting styles will be showcased, demonstrating both traditional and contemporary Taiko repertoire.

Worlds of Dance Showcase
Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 2:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Worlds of Dance Showcase will feature Wesleyan students performing an exciting array of dance styles from a variety of courses, including Indonesian Dance, Bharata Natyam, Jazz Dance, Afro-Brazilian, and “Introduction to Dance,” under the direction of Visiting Associate Professor of Dance Doug Elkins, Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Maho Ishiguro MA ’12 Ph.D. ’18, Associate Professor of Dance Katja Kolcio, Professor and Chair of the Dance Department Hari Krishnan, and Assistant Professor of the Practice in Dance Joya Powell.

April

Wesleyan University Orchestra
Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

In this concert, the Wesleyan University Orchestra, under the direction of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Director of Private Lessons Nadya Potemkina, will feature the winners of the annual Concerto Competition: pianist Umi Ito ’22 and violinist Julia Kan ’22.

Senior Theater Capstone: Will Blumberg—Nothing Comes to Mim [SOLD OUT]
Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 7:30pm
126 Knowles Avenue, Middletown

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Will Blumberg '22.

Chinese Music Ensemble Spring Concert
Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 7:00pm
World Music Hall

Wesleyan’s Chinese Music Ensemble, under the direction of Joy Lu, presents a variety of Chinese and Taiwanese music derived from traditional and contemporary musical works.

Spring Dance Concert: [parentheses]
Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater

Student choreographers present works created after a semester of dance composition studies. Featuring works by Zoe Austin '22, Ellis Collier '23, Christian Denny '22, Ellie Flynn '24, Abby Frazee '23, Skye Gao '23, Amaal Ladha '23, graduate student Langston Lynch, Leo Mercado '25, Nallely Salinas '24, Sarah Shapiro '23, Jeremy Sherman '24, and Teddy Shusterman '24.

Wesleyan Concert Choir
Friday, April 29, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Wesleyan Concert Choir, under the direction of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Director of Private Lessons Nadya Potemkina, presents a program featuring both a cappella and accompanied selections from classical and modern choral repertoire.

Senior Theater Capstone: Will Blumberg—Nothing Comes to Mim [SOLD OUT]
Friday, April 29, 2022 at 7:30pm
126 Knowles Avenue, Middletown

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Will Blumberg '22.

Spring Dance Concert: [parentheses]
Friday, April 29, 2022 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater

Korean Drumming and Creative Music
Friday, April 29, 2022 at 3:00pm
World Music Hall

Beginning and advanced students of the Korean Drumming and Creative Music Ensemble, directed by Adjunct Assistant Professor Jin Hi Kim, play new arrangements of samulnori (percussion quartet) repertoire.

Wesleyan Chamber Music Concert
Friday, April 29, 2022 at 12:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

Students from the Wesleyan chamber music program, under the direction of John Biatowas, perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Max Reger, Johannes Brahms, Karl Goldmark, Niccolò Paganini, and Manuel Ponce.

Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble [New Location]
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

Experience the culture of Java with a concert featuring beginning students of the Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble, under the direction of University Professor of Music Harjito and Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam.

Senior Theater Capstone: Will Blumberg—Nothing Comes to Mim [SOLD OUT]
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 7:30pm
126 Knowles Avenue, Middletown

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Will Blumberg '22.

Graduate Recital: Ridvan Aydinli—Turkish makam to Turkmen mukam
Monday, April 25, 2022 at 9:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street

A journey between Turkish classical makam and Turkmen mukam musical traditions via ney (end-blown flute) and dutar (two-stringed lute) by graduate music students Ridvan Aydinli and Mohammad Geldi Geldi Nejad.

Faculty Theater Production: Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera
Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 2:00pm
CFA Theater

The Theater Department presents Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera. Directed by Assistant Professor of the Practice in Theater Edward Torres.

The Makanda Project
Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Boston-based ensemble The Makanda Project performs as the conclusion of the 19th annual Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra Weekend. Formed in 2005, the fourteen-member big band explores the previously unrecorded original compositions of Dr. Makanda Ken McIntyre (1931–2001), an innovator who explored new directions in jazz, playing woodwinds on recordings with Cecil Taylor, Eric Dolphy, and Charlie Haden, and who taught at Wesleyan from 1969 to 1971. The group, which features several former Wesleyan faculty and alumni, will also perform two compositions by the late saxophonist Bill Barron, and will be joined at this concert by four dancers.

Faculty Theater Production: Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera
Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater

The Theater Department presents Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera. Directed by Assistant Professor of the Practice in Theater Edward Torres.

Faculty Theater Production: Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera
Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 2:00pm
CFA Theater

The Theater Department presents Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera. Directed by Assistant Professor of the Practice in Theater Edward Torres.

Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, directed by Noah Baerman, performs as the opening concert of the 19th annual Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra Weekend.

Faculty Theater Production: Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater

The Theater Department presents Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera. Directed by Assistant Professor of the Practice in Theater Edward Torres.

The Elizabeth Verveer Tishler Keyboard Recital
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 12:00pm
Memorial Chapel

A keyboard recital featuring the participants of the Elizabeth Verveer Tishler Competition.

Javanese Shadow Puppet Play: Wayang Kulit [New Location]
Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall

The Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble and guest musicians, under the direction of University Professor of Music Harjito with Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music and puppet master (dhalang) Sumarsam, will present a Javanese shadow puppet play (wayang).

Senior Talks in the History of Art
Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 4:30pm
Boger Hall, Room 112, 41 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown

Seniors in the Art History Program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History will present their talks.

Virtual Colloquium Series: BLACK SOUNDS MATTER—INTERSECTIONAL (re)CONNECTIONS OF AFRICAN and AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICS AT WESLEYAN
Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 4:30pm
YouTube

Dwight Andrews and bass trombonist for The Makanda Project and former Wesleyan Artist in Residence Bill Lowe will give talks as part of the final Black Sounds Matter Colloquium Series event this spring.

Artists in Conversation: Senior Thesis Exhibition Week Five
Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

Zilkha Gallery showcases the work of the Class of 2022’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program. The exhibition presents works by Rhea Aggarwal, Vida Behar, Jonah Newmark, Maia Panlilio, Magine Slonaker, and Benjamin Vuchetich. Join Associate Director of Visual Arts Benjamin Chaffee in an online conversation with students about their work.

Senior Thesis Exhibitions Week Five Opening Reception
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 4:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Join us for the opening reception for the fifth week of the annual Senior Thesis Exhibitions, from 4pm to 6pm. Featuring works by seniors in the Art Studio Program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History: Rhea Aggarwal, Vida Behar, Jonah Newmark, Maia Panlilio, Magine Slonaker, and Ben Vuchetich.

Senior Recital: Ariel Ma
Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 9:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street

A senior music recital by Ariel Ma ’22.

Senior Recital: Dachelle Washington
Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 7:00pm
Movement House, 200 High Street

A senior music recital by Dachelle Washington ’22, “Songs That Taught Me How to Dream.”

Senior Recital: Nic Catalan
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 9:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street

A senior music recital by Nic Catalan ’22, "By Myself/Based on What."

Senior Recital: Jack Canavan-Gosselin
Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 8:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall

A senior music recital by Jack Canavan-Gosselin ’22.

Artists in Conversation: Senior Thesis Exhibition Week Four
Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

The Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery showcases the work of the Class of 2022’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program. The fourth week of the exhibition presents works by Joseph Cohen, Nomi Kligler, Morgan Maben, Elisa Pettinato, Mia Sakamoto, and Carmen Scott-Henning. Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art Benjamin Chaffee will be in conversation with students about their work on Zoom.

Opening Reception: Senior Thesis Exhibitions Week Four
Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at 4:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

The opening reception for the fourth week of the annual Senior Thesis Exhibitions will be held from 4pm to 6pm. Featuring works by seniors in the Art Studio Program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History: Joseph Cohen, Nomi Kligler, Morgan Maben, Elisa Pettinato, Mia Sakamoto, and Carmen Scott-Henning.

Graduate Recital: Ethan Schwartz [New Time]
Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 3:00pm
The Russell House, 350 High Street, Middletown

A graduate music recital by Ethan Schwartz.

Senior Music Installation: Daisy Meyer—Question-scapes
Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 1:00pm
Zelnick Pavilion, 221 High Street, Middletown

A senior music installation by Daisy Meyer ’22.

Senior Recital: Jack Warnock—Groove Sketches
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 9:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall

A senior music recital by Jack Warnock ’22.

Senior Theater Capstone: Keith Jones and Elizabeth Nefferdorf—Daddy Issues [SOLD OUT]
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 8:00pm
Patricelli '92 Theater, 213 High Street

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Keith Jones and Elizabeth Nefferdorf.

Senior Theater Capstone: Izzy Koff—The American Way
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 5:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High Street

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Izzy Koff '22.

Senior Recital: Ben Rubel—The Story of Your Life
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 3:00pm
World Music Hall

A senior music recital by Ben Rubel ’22.

Senior Recital: Noah Lilienthal—Traces: An Exploration of Memory and Influence Through Melody
Friday, April 8, 2022 at 9:00pm
The Russell House, 350 High Street, Middletown

A senior music recital by Noah Lilienthal ’22.

Senior Theater Capstone: Izzy Koff—The American Way
Friday, April 8, 2022 at 8:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High Street

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Izzy Koff '22.

Senior Recital: Justin Johnson
Friday, April 8, 2022 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

A senior music recital by Justin Johnson ’22.

Senior Theater Capstone: Keith Jones and Elizabeth Nefferdorf—Daddy Issues [SOLD OUT]
Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 8:00pm
Patricelli '92 Theater, 213 High Street

A Senior Theater Capstone Project by Keith Jones and Elizabeth Nefferdorf.

Virtual Colloquium Series: BLACK SOUNDS MATTER—INTERSECTIONAL (re)CONNECTIONS OF AFRICAN and AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICS AT WESLEYAN
Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 4:30pm
YouTube

Portia K. Maultsby and Assistant Professor of Sociology Courtney Patterson-Faye will give talks as part of the Black Sounds Matter Colloquium Series.

Artists in Conversation: Senior Thesis Exhibition Week Three
Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

The Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery showcases the work of the Class of 2022’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program. The third week of the exhibition presents works by Dotan Appelbaum, Helena Girardoni, Niamh Henchy, Ina Kim, Wiralpach “Mi” Nawabutsitthirat, and Olivia Thanadabout. Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art Benjamin Chaffee will be in conversation with students about their work on Zoom.

Graduate Recital: Hector Gonzalez
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 7:30pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street

A graduate music recital by Hector Gonzalez.

Opening Reception: Senior Thesis Exhibitions Week Three
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 4:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

The opening reception for the third week of the annual Senior Thesis Exhibitions will be held from 4pm to 6pm. Featuring works by seniors in the Art Studio Program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History: Dotan Appelbaum, Helena Girardoni, Niamh Henchy, Ina Kim, Wiralpach “Mi” Nawabutsitthirat, and Olivia Thanadabout.

Graduate Recital: Ryan Seward—Recent Works, 2020–2022
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 at 7:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street

Ryan Seward and friends perform five recent works for four copper pipes and various surfaces, glockenspiel bars and sine tones, organ, three snare drums activated by miniature loudspeakers and sine tones, and five or so sustaining instruments. four copper pipes drawn over various surfaces will begin before the recital at 6:15pm outside of Memorial Chapel.

Spring Faculty Dance Concert [CANCELED]
Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 8:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater

PLEASE NOTE: This event has been canceled.

The Spring Faculty Dance Concert highlights new works by the faculty in the Dance Department.

Senior Recital: Pablo Puente
Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

A senior music recital by Pablo Puente ’22, "How to Keep Going."

Senior Recital: Jacob Zilversmit
Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 3:00pm
Movement House, 200 High Street

A senior music recital by Jacob Zilversmit ’22.

Senior Recital: Clay Rodgers
Friday, April 1, 2022 at 9:00pm
World Music Hall

A senior music recital by Clay Rodgers ’22, featuring the Clay Rodgers Band performing long-form improvised music in the style of the Grateful Dead.

Spring Faculty Dance Concert [CANCELED]
Friday, April 1, 2022 at 8:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater

PLEASE NOTE: This event has been canceled.

The Spring Faculty Dance Concert highlights new works by the faculty in the Dance Department.

March

Virtual Colloquium Series: BLACK SOUNDS MATTER—INTERSECTIONAL (re)CONNECTIONS OF AFRICAN and AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICS AT WESLEYAN
Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 4:30pm
YouTube

Wesleyan's John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce and Associate Professor of English, Theater, and African American Studies Rashida Z. Shaw McMahon will give talks as part of the Black Sounds Matter Colloquium Series.

Artists in Conversation: Senior Thesis Exhibition Week Two
Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

The Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery showcases the work of the Class of 2022’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program. The second week of the exhibition presents works by Eli Baden-Lasar, Mia Gleiberman, Julia Kan, Kelsey Morgan, Haishi Teng, and Forrest Walker. Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art Benjamin Chaffee will be in conversation with students about their work on Zoom.

Dance Alumni Chat Series: Anyone Can Dance!
Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 12:00pm
Zoom

The Dance Department’s third Alumni Chat Series event features four amazing Wesleyan alumni discussing the benefits of a dance degree, and how their dance education at Wesleyan transformed their lives beyond the University. Featuring Michael Bodel ’03; Darrah Carr ’96; Gabe Hurlock ’20; and SheenRu Yong ’02. Moderated by Associate Professor Katja Kolcio, with an introduction by the Center for the Arts Associate Director for Programming and Performing Arts Fiona Coffey.

Opening Reception: Senior Thesis Exhibitions Week Two
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 4:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

The opening reception for the second week of the annual Senior Thesis Exhibitions will be held from 4pm to 6pm. Featuring works by seniors in the Art Studio Program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History: Eli Baden-Lasar, Mia Gleiberman, Julia Kan, Kelsey Morgan, Haishi Teng, and Forrest Walker.

Cynthia Novack Lecture in Memoriam: “Dancing A Love Like That” — A Talk and Workshop with Ananya Chatterjea
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 4:40pm
Bessie Schönberg Dance Studio, 247 Pine Street, Middletown

Presented by the Dance Department, this year’s Cynthia Novack Lecture in Memoriam will be a talk and workshop. “Dancing A Love Like That” will feature Ananya Chatterjea, artistic director of Ananya Dance Theatre, a dance company of BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Color] femmes, and co-founder of the Shawngrām Institute for Performance and Social Justice. Chatterjea is also a Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota. Her talk at Wesleyan will be held in conjunction with the class DANC 379 "Dance as Activism," taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance and African American Studies Joya Powell.

Spring Senior Thesis Dance Concert
Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High Street, Middletown

Senior choreographers present a collection of new works as the culminating project of the dance major. Featuring works by Gabrielle Baba-Conn, Christian Denny, Annie Kidwell, Natasha Marder, Zoe McCracken, Spenser Stroud, and Maren Westgard.

Spring Senior Thesis Dance Concert
Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 2:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High Street, Middletown

Spring Senior Thesis Dance Concert
Friday, March 25, 2022 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High Street, Middletown

Artists in Conversation: Senior Thesis Exhibition Week One
Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 4:30pm
Zoom

The Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery showcases the work of the Class of 2022’s thesis students in the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program. The first week of the exhibition presents works by Romina Beltrán Lazo, Jared Christopher, Nina Criswell, Daniela Sweet-Coll, Karen Xu, and Jiayao Zhu. Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art Benjamin Chaffee will be in conversation with students about their work on Zoom.

Opening Reception: Senior Thesis Exhibitions Week One
Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 4:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

The opening reception for the first week of the annual Senior Thesis Exhibitions will be held from 4pm to 6pm for Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff. Featuring works by seniors in the Art Studio Program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History: Romina Beltrán Lazo, Jared Christopher, Nina Criswell, Daniela Sweet-Coll, Karen Xu, and Jiayao Zhu.

Senior Recital: Miranda Finn Hyman [New Date]
Friday, March 11, 2022 at 8:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street

A senior music recital by Miranda Finn Hyman ’22.

Toneburst Sampler [NEW DATE]
Monday, March 7, 2022 at 8:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall

Wesleyan’s Toneburst Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble presents new and arranged works for live electronics under the direction of Professor of Music Paula Matthusen.

Public Deinstall: Dana DeGiulio’s Live or Die [NEW DATE]
Sunday, March 6, 2022 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

To mark the end of Dana DeGiulio’s Live or Die exhibition in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, the artist will join curator Benjamin Chaffee, Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art, to discuss the works in the show, their installation, and the artist’s practice.

Wesleyan University Orchestra: Virtual Children’s Concert
Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 3:00pm
YouTube Live

The Wesleyan University Orchestra presents a virtual children’s concert under the direction of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Director of Private Lessons Nadya Potemkina.

Senior Thesis Theater Production: Abby Meyers—To Play or Not to Play
Friday, March 4, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater Studio, 275 Washington Terrace

A Senior Thesis Theater Production by Abby Meyers ’22, To Play or Not to Play is an original solo acting thesis that interrogates the tension and overlap between theater and athletics, through the autobiographical lens of Meyers’ experiences trying to do both at a high level throughout her life.

Movement Workshop: Yangge Dance and Politics in China with Ellen Gerdes ’05
Friday, March 4, 2022 at 12:30pm
College of East Asian Studies Seminar Room at Mansfield Freeman Center, 343 Washington Terrace

In this workshop with Ellen Gerdes ’05, participants will learn basic Yangge (Chinese folk dance) movement with stepping patterns, group lead-follow dynamics, and fan skills.

Senior Thesis Theater Production: Abby Meyers—To Play or Not to Play
Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater Studio, 275 Washington Terrace

Virtual Colloquium Series: BLACK SOUNDS MATTER—INTERSECTIONAL (re)CONNECTIONS OF AFRICAN and AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICS AT WESLEYAN
Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 4:30pm
YouTube

Professor of Music Eric Charry and Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology Marvin McNeill will give talks as part of the Black Sounds Matter Colloquium Series.

Senior Thesis Theater Production: Abby Meyers—To Play or Not to Play
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater Studio, 275 Washington Terrace

Artist Talk by Diane Burko: Visualizing Environmental Change
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 12:20pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, Room 202

Diane Burko will give an artist talk about Visualizing Environmental Change. Her exhibition of the same name is on display in the South Gallery of the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery through Thursday, March 3, 2022.

February

This Is It! 2.0: The Complete Chamber Music of Neely Bruce - Part I
Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 3:00pm
YouTube Live

This is the first in a series of concerts featuring the chamber music of John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce, especially music for string instruments and song cycles. The program for this virtual concert will include the Grand Duo for Cello and Piano and the song cycle “Whitman Fragments,” with baritone Christopher Grundy and cellist Alex Waterman.

Elevator Repair Service: Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge [SOLD OUT]
Friday, February 25, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Actors Greig Sargeant and Ben Jalosa Williams of the New York-based ensemble Elevator Repair Service perform the New England premiere of their verbatim staging of the provocative and profoundly insightful confrontation between one of the most powerful figures of the Civil Rights Movement and the father of 20th century patrician conservatism.

Elevator Repair Service: Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge [SOLD OUT]
Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Virtual Colloquium Series: BLACK SOUNDS MATTER—INTERSECTIONAL (re)CONNECTIONS OF AFRICAN and AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICS AT WESLEYAN
Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 4:30pm
YouTube

Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Associate Professor of Music Su Zheng will give talks as part of the Black Sounds Matter Colloquium Series.

Artist Talk: A Conversation with Brandon Ndife and Anthony Ryan Hatch
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 6:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

On the occasion of Brandon Ndife's solo exhibition Down to the Spoons and Forks in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, the artist will speak with Anthony Ryan Hatch, Chair and Associate Professor of Science in Society, African American Studies, Sociology, Environmental Studies, and the College of the Environment, and Coordinator for Sustainability and Environmental Justice at Wesleyan University.

Jin Hi Kim: A Ritual for Covid-19
Friday, February 18, 2022 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

A Ritual for Covid-19 (2021) is a community purification performance in memory of over 5.5 million deaths worldwide during the pandemic, created by innovative komungo (Korean stringed instrument) virtuoso Jin Hi Kim, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Director of Wesleyan’s Korean Drumming Ensemble.

Virtual Colloquium Series: BLACK SOUNDS MATTER—INTERSECTIONAL (re)CONNECTIONS OF AFRICAN and AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICS AT WESLEYAN
Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 4:30pm
YouTube

Ruth Naomi Floyd and Marichal Monts '85, Conductor of Wesleyan's Ebony Singers, will give talks as part of the Black Sounds Matter Colloquium Series.

Diane Burko’s Visualizing Environmental Change Exhibition Opens
Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 12:00pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Diane Burko’s exhibition Visualizing Environmental Change opens the South Gallery of the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery.

Virtual Panel Discussion: The Fire This Time—How the Baldwin/Buckley Debate Can Energize Our Politics
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 7:30pm
YouTube

This virtual panel discussion will feature Wesleyan University Assistant Professor of African American Studies Garry Bertholf and Linfield University Professor Nicholas Buccola, author of The Fire is Upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America. Their conversation will help provide historical and political context in advance of the New England premiere performances of Elevator Repair Service’s staging of the 1965 debate at Wesleyan on Thursday, February 24 and Friday, February 25, 2022.

Opening Reception: Strong Bodies for the Revolution
Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 12:15pm
College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center

Celebrate the opening of the new exhibition Strong Bodies for the Revolution: Pursuing Health and Power in the People’s Republic of China. Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff will first view the exhibition, and then hear remarks by College of East Asian Studies Collections Assistant Sam Smith ’20, Assistant Professor of History and East Asian Studies Ying Jia Tan, and Mark Sidel, the son of Ruth and Victor Sidel, who originally donated the posters to Wesleyan.

Nobuntu
Friday, February 11, 2022 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

The five members of the a cappella ensemble Nobuntu from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe celebrate their identity as African women through their songs and dance, which feature the traditional sounds of their country rooted in Afro-jazz and gospel music, in their Connecticut debut.

Ananya Dance Theatre: Dastak—I Wish You Me [CANCELED]
Friday, February 4, 2022 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

PLEASE NOTE: This event has been canceled.

Choreographed by Artistic Director Ananya Chatterjea and performed by the artists of Minneapolis’ Ananya Dance Theatre, Dastak: I Wish You Me (2021) is a meditation on borders, loss, belonging, home, and liberation.

Virtual Colloquium Series: BLACK SOUNDS MATTER—INTERSECTIONAL (re)CONNECTIONS OF AFRICAN and AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSICS AT WESLEYAN
Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 4:30pm
YouTube

Robert O’Meally and Michael Veal will give talks as part of the Black Sounds Matter Colloquium Series.

Opening Reception: Dana DeGiulio and Brandon Ndife
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 4:30pm
Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

Celebrate the opening of two new exhibitions in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery: Dana DeGiulio’s Live or Die and Brandon Ndife’s Down to the Spoons and Forks. Both artists will be present, and curator Benjamin Chaffee, Associate Director of Visual Arts and Adjunct Instructor in Art, will make remarks at 5pm. For Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff.

2021

December

Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble
Friday, December 24, 2021 at 8:00pm
YouTube

The Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Noah Baerman, performs Baerman’s composition Fuller Throttle. Recorded on December 7, 2021 in the Adzenyah Rehearsal Hall, the performance is available to view now.

Chinese Music Ensemble Fall Concert
Friday, December 24, 2021 at 7:00pm
YouTube

Wesleyan’s Chinese Music Ensemble, directed by Joy Lu, presents a virtual fall concert. Pre-recorded at the end of the semester, this concert is available to view now.

Winter Dance Concert: COUNTER/ACT
Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Wesleyan student choreographers across different class years present new group works focusing on a diversity of techniques, methods, and aesthetic approaches.

Winter Dance Concert: COUNTER/ACT
Friday, December 10, 2021 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Wesleyan student choreographers across different class years present new group works focusing on a diversity of techniques, methods, and aesthetic approaches.

Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble Virtual Mini-Concert and Demonstration: Traditional Music of Java
Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 8:00pm
YouTube Live

While COVID-19 is still with us this semester, the Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble, under the direction of University Professor of Music I.M. Harjito and Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam, offers a series of 30-minute virtual mini concerts and demonstrations. This week’s concert features the traditional music of Java with beginning students of the Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble.

Thesis Theater Production: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 8:00pm
Patricelli '92 Theater

Heroes of the Fourth Turning directed by Anna Buchmueller ’22 creates opportunities for audiences to hold space for competing beliefs and listen to those for whom they may have the impulse to block out.

Thesis Theater Production: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 8:00pm
Patricelli '92 Theater

Thesis Theater Production: Heroes of the Fourth Turning
Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 8:00pm
Patricelli '92 Theater

South Indian Music Student Recital
Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 7:00pm
YouTube

Students of Adjunct Associate Professors B. Balasubrahmaniyan and David Nelson will perform their end semester recital of music from the Karnatak tradition of South India. Performance will feature the song forms Gitam, Kriti, Tillana, Instrumental piece and Solkattu.

Senior Thesis Exhibition—Harry Slattery: Scarlet Comfort Opens
Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 12:00pm
South Gallery, Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery

With the installation Scarlet Comfort, Harry Slattery ’22 presents an immersive experience of light and form.

Worlds of Dance Showcase
Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 2:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

West African Drumming and Dance Concert
Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall

An invigorating performance filled with the rhythms of West Africa, featuring Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa and Assistant Professor of Dance Iddi Saaka joined by students in West African music and dance classes.

Fall Faculty Dance Concert: FULL SPEED AHEAD!
Friday, December 3, 2021 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Forging ahead with gusto and excitement, the Wesleyan Dance Department presents a mixed bill of dance works intertwining activism, race, identity, dance history, somatics, and dynamic movement featuring Artist in Residence in Dance Patricia Beaman, Associate Professor of Dance Katja Kolcio, Visiting Instructor in Dance Nik Owens ’12, and Assistant Professor of Dance Iddi Saaka.

Wesleyan Chamber Music: Flute and Piano Duo plays Taffanel and Mozart
Friday, December 3, 2021 at 5:00pm
YouTube

Flute and piano students from the Wesleyan chamber music program, under the direction of John Biatowas, perform a virtual concert of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Claude-Paul Taffanel.

Wesleyan Chamber Music: String Quartet Plays Arensky
Friday, December 3, 2021 at 4:00pm
YouTube

String students from the Wesleyan chamber music program, under the direction of John Biatowas, perform a virtual concert of works by Anton Arensky.

Wesleyan Chamber Music: Flute Quartet plays Mozart and Dvořák
Friday, December 3, 2021 at 3:00pm
YouTube

Flute students from the Wesleyan chamber music program, under the direction of John Biatowas, perform a virtual concert of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonín Dvořák.

Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble Virtual Mini-Concert and Demonstration: Traditional Music of Java
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 8:00pm
YouTube Live

While COVID-19 is still with us this semester, the Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble, under the direction of University Professor of Music I.M. Harjito and Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam, offers the second in a series of 30-minute virtual mini-concerts and demonstrations. This week’s concert features the traditional music of Java.

Fall Faculty Dance Concert: FULL SPEED AHEAD!
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater

Wesleyan Concert Choir [new date]
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 5:30pm
YouTube

The Wesleyan Concert Choir under the direction of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Director of Private Lessons Nadya Potemkina presents a livestreamed dress rehearsal of music by Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Electric Light Orchestra, Karl Jenkins, Francis Poulenc, Camille Saint-Saëns, and others.

November

Wesleyan University Orchestra [new time]
Monday, November 29, 2021 at 7:45pm
YouTube

The Wesleyan University Orchestra under the direction of Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and Director of Private Lessons Nadya Potemkina presents a livestreamed open dress rehearsal featuring Vasily Kalinnikov's Symphony No. 1.