Updates and reflections from Wesleyan's Center for the Arts in Middletown, Connecticut
Violinist Martin Hayes and guitarist Dennis Cahill performed adventurous interpretations of traditional Irish tunes with irresistible rhythm in the Crowell Concert Hall on Saturday, October 17, 2015.
Click here to view the full album on Flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
Student composers of the Wesleyan Music Department presented their original works, featuring compositions by Matthew Stein ’16, and graduate students Tomek Arnold, Hallie Blejewski, Warren Enström, Omar Fraire, Cecilia Lopez, Cleek Schrey, and Ron Shalom in the World Music Hall on Tuesday, October 13, 2015.
Click here to view the full album on Flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
Navaratri Festival’s Bhojanam (Feast) followed the concert by Sri Rajesh Vaidya in the Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center on Saturday, October 10, 2015.
Click here to view the full album on Flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
Sri Rajhesh Vaidhya, a highly accomplished veena (plucked string instrument) player and composer from Tamil Nadu, India performed in the Crowell Concert Hall with N. Mohanaraman and R. SriGanesh on mridangam, D. Chandrajit on tabla, and Saihari on gatam on Saturday, October 10, 2015.
Click here to view the full album on Flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
South Asian culture was experienced through henna art and sampling of chaat (savory snacks), hosted by Shakti, Wesleyan’s South Asian Students’ Association, in the Olin Library Lobby on Thursday, October 8, 2015.
Click here to view the full album on Flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
The Center for the Arts is one of the rare places in the state where you can consistently experience arts from around the world. This semester is no exception. In January and February, the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery hosts the work of ten contemporary Chinese artists born after the Cultural Revolution who are challenging traditional notions of Chinese identity and inventing new ways to shout out in the global arena. In February, Syrian singer Gaida brings her band to Crowell Concert Hall. At a time when her country is under siege, her soulful voice will remind us of the beauty and power of Syrian music and culture. And playwright Guillermo Calderón will discuss his award-winning works about Chile in the aftermath of the dictatorship.
The CFA is also the home of countless premieres. In April, you’ll be the first to hear Harlem Heiroglyphs, a new album by composer, vibraphonist, and Adjunct Professor of Music Jay Hoggard, both in concert and as the music for Storied Places, directed and choreographed by Dance Department Chair Nicole Stanton with text by Center for African American Studies Professor Lois Brown.
Finally, the Music Department will host a March symposium on the work of the legendary experimental music composer David Tudor and, in April, the Theater Department offers Wes Out-Loud, a site-specific work created by Assistant Professor Marcela Oteíza and her students.
The semester ends on May 7 with Feet to the Fire: Riverfront Encounter, the second annual eco-arts festival featuring world music bands, educational exhibits, and site-specific performance works by area organizations at Middletown’s Harbor Park, located on the bank of the Connecticut River.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Pamela Tatge
Director, Center for the Arts
Grammy Award-winning trumpet virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Payton was born into a musical family in New Orleans. After touring with Elvin Jones, Mr. Payton made his major-label recording debut as a leader in 1994. Since then, Mr. Payton has consistently committed himself to developing his distinct voice and forging new musical frontiers. At Wesleyan, Mr. Payton performed on trumpet, piano, and Fender Rhodes with his Trio featuring bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Herlin Riley on September 17, 2015 in Crowell Concert Hall.
Click Here to view the full album on Flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
Artist in Residence and University Organist Ronald Ebrecht’s sixth annual opening of the Wesleyan concert calendar featured a lively recital of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, Felix Mendelssohn, Charles-Marie Widor, and John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce on Friday, September 11, 2015 at 8:30pm in the Memorial Chapel. The concert also featured percussionist Anthony DeQuattro. The concert was preceded by a dinner with the artist co-sponsored by the American Guild of Organists. Click here to view the full album on flickr. Images by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
The First Year Matters “Common Moment” was planned and produced by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts as part of New Student Orientation for the Class of 2019. Many cultures celebrate water as a life-giving force. In keeping with the “Feet to the Fire: Comparison” theme, drummers and dancers representing several different cultures led students in a once-in-a-lifetime performance on Foss Hill on Friday, September 4, 2015.
Click here to view the full album on flickr. Photos by Sandy Aldieri of Perceptions Photography.
This year, we are looking forward to introducing you to artists who are asking important questions about our world today, questioning why things are the way they are, and helping us to envision how they might be.
Michelle Dorrance, described by the Chicago Tribune as “edgy, seductive and smart,” brings Dorrance Dance to the CFA Theater September 25 and 26. You’ll have the chance to see tap dancers push the boundaries of what tap dance looks and feels like: her company will dazzle you as they transform the stage into one sonic instrument.
At a time when our country is struggling to find its way in terms of race relations, we’ve invited writer/performer Daniel Beaty to campus for a residency that includes the October 9 performance of Mr. Joy, his highly acclaimed tour de force solo show about a community’s efforts to heal in order to dream again.
Composer, visual artist, and new media innovator R. Luke DuBois takes over the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery from September 16 through December 13 with his exhibition In Real Time, creating maps, scores, and videos that use real-time data flows and media footage to raise questions of artistic agency, privacy, and fair use. In time for the election season, the CFA has commissioned him to create a new work using research generated by the Wesleyan Media Project.
Dancer/choreographer Eiko Otake returns with a series of intimate performances in unlikely places, including a commissioned work in honor of the 100th-anniversary of Wesleyan’s Van Vleck Observatory.
This year’s Navaratri Festival of Indian music and dance features one of the world’s greatest veena players, Sri Rajhesh Vaidya, on October 10, and Bharatanatyam dancer Alarmél Valli on October 11.
All this shares the fall schedule with performances by faculty and students, including the final class performance by students of Adjunct Professor of Music Abraham Adzenyah, who is retiring after teaching Ghanaian drumming at Wesleyan for the past 45 years. You won’t want to miss that concert on December 4.
As always, we hope you will look to the CFA as a place of enlightenment and enjoyment in the months ahead.
Sincerely,
Pamela Tatge
Director
Center for the Arts
