All Upcoming Events
Below are all upcoming events. To view the archives of past events, please click here.
2024
September October November December
2024
September
Sunny Jain: Love Force
Friday, September 27, 2024 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater
Friday, September 27, 2024 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater
Catch a preview of the latest music theater work by composer Sunny Jain, 2023–2024 CFA Artist in Residence. Love Force is a powerful ritual of gathering, using hybrid musical styles and building on the composer’s own experience of diaspora, that illuminates the power of song to create unity in the face of divisive systems of oppression.
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Carl Stone Solo Concert
Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall
Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
Hear a concert by one of electronic music’s most celebrated composers. Carl Stone is a pioneer of computer music, and has been using computers in live performance since 1986. He has been hailed by The Village Voice as “the king of sampling,” and his range of collaborations across music, film, theater, and dance suggest his broadly interdisciplinary approach.
Connecticut Flute Orchestra Fall Concert
Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 2:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 2:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
The Connecticut Flute Orchestra presents a fall concert conducted by Nadya Potemkina, Director of Private Lessons, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.
Lecture Demonstration: National Bunraku Theater [New Location]
Monday, September 30, 2024 at 12:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Monday, September 30, 2024 at 12:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
A close-up introduction to the traditional Japanese bunraku puppets, and the puppeteers of the National Theatre from Osaka, Japan. Light lunch to follow. The group's Connecticut debut will be co-presented by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts and Fairfield University’s Quick Center for the Arts on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
October
Opening Reception and Artist Talk: Bright Ugochukwu Eke’s Egg, Earth, and Essence
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 4:30pm
Smith Reading Room, Olin Library
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 4:30pm
Smith Reading Room, Olin Library
FREE!
See the exhibition Egg, Earth, and Essence, in which Bright Ugochukwu Eke employs the egg as a metaphorical device to examine the complexities and paradoxes of human existence.
National Bunraku Theater
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 7:30pm
Quick Center for the Arts, 200 Barlow Road, Fairfield, Connecticut
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 7:30pm
Quick Center for the Arts, 200 Barlow Road, Fairfield, Connecticut
See a stunning production of traditional Japanese bunraku puppet theater as the National Theatre from Osaka, Japan, returns to the United States for the first time in nearly two decades. The group's Connecticut debut is co-presented by Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts and Fairfield University’s Quick Center for the Arts.
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AFTERWORDS: assembly—Litany for Grieving Sisters
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 4:30pm
Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism, 116 Mount Vernon Street, Room 102, Middletown, Connecticut
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 4:30pm
Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism, 116 Mount Vernon Street, Room 102, Middletown, Connecticut
FREE!
Saidiya Hartman ’83, Hon. ’19 will be in conversation with Kaneza Schaal ’06 moderated by Kiara Benn ’20 as they discuss Litany for Grieving Sisters. The new performance work is a ceremony for life at the end of the world based on Hartman’s text (originally published in the journal Representations, 2022).
Javanese Gamelan in the World: A Concert of Traditional and Hybrid Compositions of I.M. Harjito
Friday, October 4, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Friday, October 4, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
The Wesleyan Javanese Gamelan Ensemble and guest artists will perform a retrospective of compositions by I.M. Harjito, University Professor of Music, under the direction of the composer and Sumarsam MA ’76, Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music.
Giacomo Gates
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
Enjoy a rousing concert by Giacomo Gates, Jazz Vocal Instructor, who has been teaching at Wesleyan University since 1999. In the 2024 DownBeat magazine Critics Poll, Gates was ranked as one of the top "Male Vocalists," following Kurt Elling, Gregory Porter, Theo Bleckmann, and Tony Bennett.
K. S. Subramanian: “Vina in Voice in Vina”
Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 4:30pm
Adzenyah Rehearsal Hall, Room 003 (Daltry Room), 60 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown
Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 4:30pm
Adzenyah Rehearsal Hall, Room 003 (Daltry Room), 60 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown
FREE!
The 48th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan will begin with a Music Department Colloquium talk presented by K. S. Subramanian.
B. Balasubrahmaniyan: Vocal Music of South India
Friday, October 11, 2024 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Friday, October 11, 2024 at 7:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Vocalist B. Balasubrahmaniyan is joined by David Nelson PhD ’91 on mridangam (double-headed drum) for their 20th annual Navaratri Festival concert together. Both are Adjunct Associate Professors of Music and Global South Asian Studies.
Saraswati Puja [New Time]
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 2:15pm
World Music Hall
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 2:15pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
Saraswati Puja is a Hindu ceremony that marks the most auspicious day of the year for beginning new endeavors. Open to all, this service is led by Joseph Getter MA ’99 and invites audiences to participate to bring instruments, manuscripts, and other items associated with learning, creativity, and knowledge–making for blessing.
Indian Dance Showcase
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 3:00pm
World Music Hall
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 3:00pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
Connecticut-based choreographers Sarada Nori and Rachna Agrawal will be joined by Wesleyan students Akhil Joondeph '26 and Tanvi Navile '25 to showcase short performances from a range of different classical dance styles, including North Indian Kathak, South Indian Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam, and Odissi from Eastern India. The performance will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Hari Krishnan, Professor of Dance, Global South Asian Studies, and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Tea and Samosa with Shakti
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 4:15pm
World Music Hall
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 4:15pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
Enjoy South Asian cuisine and gather with friends around a sampling of samosa (savory fried pastry) and tea, hosted by Shakti, Wesleyan’s South Asian Students’ Association.
A History of Navaratri at Wesleyan
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 5:00pm
World Music Hall
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 5:00pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
This panel discussion will focus on the history of the Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan, convened and moderated by graduate music student Hansini Bhasker.
V.V. Subrahmanyam: Violin Concert
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
One of the finest violinists in classical Karnatak (South Indian) music, Shri. V.V. Subrahmanyam returns to campus for his 80th anniversary concert, joined by fellow violinist Shri. V.V.S. Murari, Shri. Trichy Sankaran on mridangam (double-headed drum), Shri. K.V. Gopalakrishnan on kanjira (frame drum), and Smt. Banu Jaiganesh on tampura (four-stringed harmonic instrument).
Anna Deavere Smith's This Ghost of Slavery
Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Renowned playwright, actor, and educator Anna Deavere Smith, the Center for the Arts artist in residence for 2024-2025, presents a staged reading of "This Ghost of Slavery: A Play of Past and Present," which was published in The Atlantic in 2023.
November
Of Government
Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater
Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater
Of Government (2017) by Agnes Borinsky is a wild, unpredictable, hopeful play about theater and making society. The Wesleyan Theater Department production will be directed by Katie Pearl, Assistant Professor of Theater.
Of Government
Friday, November 8, 2024 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater
Friday, November 8, 2024 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater
Of Government (2017) by Agnes Borinsky is a wild, unpredictable, hopeful play about theater and making society. The Wesleyan Theater Department production will be directed by Katie Pearl, Assistant Professor of Theater.
Emma Mistele presents “Perfect Lives”— A TV Opera by Robert Ashley
Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 11:00am
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 11:00am
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
FREE!
Graduate music student Emma Mistele presents a day-long (from 11am to 11:30pm) screening of her adaptation of "Perfect Lives" (1977-1983), a TV opera by Robert Ashley (1930–2014).
Of Government
Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 2:00pm
CFA Theater
Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 2:00pm
CFA Theater
Of Government (2017) by Agnes Borinsky is a wild, unpredictable, hopeful play about theater and making society. The Wesleyan Theater Department production will be directed by Katie Pearl, Assistant Professor of Theater.
Of Government
Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater
Saturday, November 9, 2024 at 8:00pm
CFA Theater
Of Government (2017) by Agnes Borinsky is a wild, unpredictable, hopeful play about theater and making society. The Wesleyan Theater Department production will be directed by Katie Pearl, Assistant Professor of Theater.
Noah Baerman Trio performs the music of Bill and Kenny Barron
Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 3:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
Pianist Noah Baerman, Private Lessons Instructor and Director of the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, and his trio featuring bassist Henry Lugo and drummer Johnathan Blake, will perform a concert featuring the music of Bill Barron and Kenny Barron.
The Ad Hoc Bach Collective: “For the Love of Bach” Vol. 14
Friday, November 15, 2024 at 8:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown
Friday, November 15, 2024 at 8:00pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown
FREE!
Ad Hoc Bach is a collective of Wesleyan University students, faculty, staff, alumni, and local community members. They present the next edition of their series “For the Love of Bach,” conducted by Nadya Potemkina, Director of Private Lessons, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.
Graduate Composers Concert
Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 8:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 8:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
FREE!
A concert featuring new works by Wesleyan graduate music students under the direction of Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies Paula Matthusen performed by the SPLICE Ensemble.
West African Drumming and Dance Fall Concert
Friday, November 22, 2024 at 6:30pm
CFA Theater
Friday, November 22, 2024 at 6:30pm
CFA Theater
An invigorating performance filled with the rhythms of West Africa, featuring Associate Professor of Dance Iddi Saaka and Jocelyn Pleasant MA ’20, PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology joined by students in West African music and dance classes.
Wesleyan University Orchestra Fall Concert
Friday, November 22, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Friday, November 22, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
The Wesleyan University Orchestra performs under the direction of Nadya Potemkina, Director of Private Lessons and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.
Advanced Javanese Gamelan Ensemble Fall Concert
Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall
Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
Advanced students from Wesleyan’s Javanese Gamelan Ensemble present a fall concert of the classical music of Central Java, under the direction of Sumarsam MA ’76, Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music, I.M. Harjito, University Professor of Music
Worlds of Dance Fall Showcase
Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 2:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 2:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
Wesleyan students perform an exciting array of dance styles from a variety of courses, including Javanese Dance, Bharata Natyam (South Indian classical), Hip Hop, and "Introduction to Dance" classes.
Korean Drumming and Creative Music Ensemble and Taiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble Fall Concert
Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 4:00pm
World Music Hall
Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 4:00pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
A concert by beginning and advanced students of the Korean Drumming and Creative Music Ensemble, directed by Jin Hi Kim, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Music, will be followed by a performance from Wesleyan’s Taiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble under the direction of Fumi Tanakadate, Visiting Instructor in Music.
Ebony Singers Winter Concert
Monday, November 25, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Monday, November 25, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
The Wesleyan University Ebony Singers present an inspirational evening of traditional and contemporary gospel music conducted by Marichal Monts '85. This joyful event is great for the entire family.
December
Unruly Waves
Monday, December 2, 2024 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall
Monday, December 2, 2024 at 8:00pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies Paula Matthusen and collaborators lead a year-long inquiry into “unruly waves” staring with a seminar this fall, and concluding with "moonbounce" related activities with Wesleyan's Toneburst Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble in the spring 2025 semester.
South Indian Music Student Fall Recital
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 6:00pm
World Music Hall
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 6:00pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
Students of Adjunct Associate Professors of Music and Global South Asian Studies B. Balasubrahmaniyan and David Nelson PhD ’91 perform their fall semester recital of vocal music and drumming from the Karnatak tradition of South India. The performance will include song forms such as Gitam, Kriti, Tiruppugazh, and Tillana; as well as solkattu (spoken rhythm).
WesWinds Fall Concert
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
The Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble (WesWinds) performs a fall concert featuring a selection of concert band literature including contemporary American works under the direction of Salvatore LaRusso.
John Cage’s Musicircus
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 1:30pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 1:30pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
Students from MUSC 109 “Introduction to Experimental Music,” taught by Professor and Chair of the Music Department Ron Kuivila ’77, present a series of overlapping performances in the ninth rendition of John Cage’s Musicircus at Wesleyan since fall 2013.
Chinese Music Ensemble Fall Concert
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 6:30pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at 6:30pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
Wesleyan’s Chinese Music Ensemble, under the direction of Chia-Yu Joy Lu, presents a fall concert highlighting their repertoire of traditional and contemporary Chinese and Taiwanese works.
Beginning Javanese Gamelan Ensemble Fall Concert
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 6:00pm
World Music Hall
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 6:00pm
World Music Hall
FREE!
Beginning students from Wesleyan’s Javanese Gamelan Ensemble, under the direction of Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam MA ’76 and University Professor of Music Harjito, present a fall concert of the classical music of Central Java.
Senior Theater Thesis: The Game of Love and Chance
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater
A Senior Theisis Theater production directed by Sophia Flynn ’25.
Wesleyan Concert Choir Fall Concert
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
The Wesleyan Concert Choir presents a fall concert featuring both a cappella and accompanied selections from classical and modern choral repertoire under the direction of Nadya Potemkina, Director of Private Lessons and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.
Wesleyan Organ Studio Fall Concert: Piping Performance
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 9:30pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown
Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 9:30pm
Memorial Chapel, 221 High Street, Middletown
FREE!
Students from MUSC 441 "Piping Performance: An Exploration of Artistic Expression through the Pipe Organ," taught by Assistant Professor of Music and University Organist Alcee Chriss, present a recital of organ music.
Chamber Music Ensemble Fall Concert
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 12:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 12:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
Students from the Wesleyan chamber music program, under the direction of John Biatowas, perform a fall concert of works by various composers.
Patricia Beaman: The Jewel Thief
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater
Choreographed by Patricia Beaman, University Professor of Dance, and composed by Neely Bruce, John Spencer Camp Professor of Music, The Jewel Thief is an exciting collaboration of Neo-Baroque dance-drama based on Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller To Catch a Thief (1955).
inDANCE: ROWDIES IN LOVE
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater
inDANCE will perform the world premiere of the work ROWDIES IN LOVE by award-winning choreographer Hari Krishnan, Professor of Dance, Global South Asian Studies, and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Senior Theater Thesis: The Game of Love and Chance
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater
A Senior Theisis Theater production directed by Sophia Flynn ’25.
Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra Fall Concert
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
Friday, December 6, 2024 at 8:00pm
Crowell Concert Hall
FREE!
In this evening of classic and contemporary jazz, audiences will hear from both the Wesleyan University Jazz Orchestra and the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble.
Patricia Beaman: The Jewel Thief
Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater
Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater
Choreographed by Patricia Beaman, University Professor of Dance, and composed by Neely Bruce, John Spencer Camp Professor of Music, The Jewel Thief is an exciting collaboration of Neo-Baroque dance-drama based on Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller To Catch a Thief (1955).
inDANCE: ROWDIES IN LOVE
Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater
Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 7:00pm
CFA Theater
inDANCE will perform the world premiere of the work ROWDIES IN LOVE by award-winning choreographer Hari Krishnan, Professor of Dance, Global South Asian Studies, and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Senior Theater Thesis: The Game of Love and Chance
Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater
Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 7:00pm
Patricelli ’92 Theater
A Senior Theisis Theater production directed by Sophia Flynn ’25.
