Spring Events Include World, New England, and Connecticut Premieres

Wesleyan University is a center for creativity and innovation, and one of the best places for our community to come together to participate in that energy is at the Center for the Arts. Our year-long exploration of Muslim Women’s Voices in performance continues on February 27 with a rare opportunity to see a dance company coming to Middletown from the northernmost tip of Sumatra, Indonesia. The dances of Tari Aceh! feature quick, highly-coordinated movements of hands, heads, and torsos, punctuated by lively body percussion. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. And on April 17 and 18, you can get a first look at a theatrical work-in-progress by playwright and actress Leila Buck ’99 that was commissioned for Muslim Women’s Voices.
Rachel Harrison, "AA," 2010, wood, bubble wrap, cardboard, acrylic, tennis shirt, A/V cart, DVD player, speakers, projector, extension cord, five hair rollers, pack of gum, ear plugs, American Apparel video, color/sound (2009), 80 x 70 x 70 inches. Courtesy of Greene Naftali Gallery.
Rachel Harrison, “AA,” 2010, wood, bubble wrap, cardboard, acrylic, tennis shirt, A/V cart, DVD player, speakers, projector, extension cord, five hair rollers, pack of gum, ear plugs, American Apparel video, color/sound (2009), 80 x 70 x 70 inches. Courtesy of Greene Naftali Gallery.

In the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery from January 29 to March 1, Studio Art faculty members Jeffrey Schiff and Sasha Rudensky curate Picture/Thing, an exhibition featuring the work of ten artists working at the intersection of photography and sculpture.

In April and May, we present “The Connecticut Meets the Nile,” a two-part happening that will highlight two great rivers. On April 10, Crowell Concert Hall hosts The Nile Project, an all-star gathering of musicians who live in the countries that border the Nile River and have come together to create music that draws attention to the environmental issues of a historic river that sustains millions of people. Then on May 9, at Middletown’s Harbor Park, Wesleyan and regional partner organizations present Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter, an afternoon of music performances, visual art, and kid’s activities that will engage our community with our own beautiful river.
And throughout the winter and spring, you can put your finger on the pulse of what’s inspiring our newest artists by visiting the Senior Thesis Exhibitions in Zilkha Gallery, or by attending thesis performances by music, dance, and theater students performed throughout the CFA.
It’s all here for you. We hope you’ll join us.
Pamela Tatge
Director, Center for the Arts

Fall Photos: ‘All’ means ‘necessary’

The “Tuesdays with Wesleyan Composers” concert series culminated in a collaborative show featuring members of the composition seminar taught by the esteemed David Behrman on December 5, 2014, at World Music Hall. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.

 

 

Fall Photos: Veronica Doubleday Concert with John Baily – Women’s Traditional Songs from Afghanistan

London vocalist Veronica Doubleday accompanied her singing of Persian-language texts on daireh frame drum, and John Baily joined her on the two-stringed dutar lute on Wednesday, December 3, 2014, at CFA Hall. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.

Fall Photos: Veronica Doubleday Talk – Emotional Expression in Women’s Music-Making in Afghanistan

Veronica Doubleday, Visiting Fellow at Goldsmiths, London University, considered the emotional impact of songs and dance from the western Afghan city of Herat during a talk on December 3, 2014, at CFA Hall. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.

 

 

Fall Photos: WesWinds – The Wind Ensemble of Wesleyan University

John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce conducted the WesWinds fall concert on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, at Crowell Concert Hall. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.

 

Fall Photos: Ebony Singers Winter Concert

Attendees enjoyed the melodious sounds of Wesleyan’s Ebony Singers under the direction of Dr. Marichal Monts ’85 on December 1, 2014, at Crowell Concert Hall. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.

Fall Photos: Wesleyan University Orchestra

Under the direction of Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Nadya Potemkina, the Wesleyan University Orchestra presented an evening of popular holiday classics (including an audience sing-along) on November 22, 2014, at Crowell Concert Hall. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.

Fall Photos: Gamelan – Classical Music of Central Java

The Wesleyan Gamelan Ensemble, under the direction of University Professor of Music Sumarsam and Artist in Residence I.M. Harjito, presented classical music of Central Java on November 22, 2014, at World Music Hall. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.

Fall Photos: Sam Friedman ’13 – Just Breathe: A Harmonica Retrospective

Sam Friedman ’13 demonstrated some of the many ways that the harmonica has been utilized in the nearly 200 years since its invention, accompanied by piano, guitar, bass, and vocals on November 9, 2014, at The Russell House. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.

Fall Photos: Riffat Sultana and Party

The New England debut of Riffat Sultana and Party took place on November 7, 2014, at Crowell Concert Hall. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography. Click here to view the full album on flickr.