40th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan University Thursday, October 27 through Sunday, October 30, 2016
Thursday, October 27 through Sunday, October 30, 2016
Indian culture festival to feature music concert by Shenkar
and a dance performance by Nrityagram Dance Ensemble
Middletown, Conn.— Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts presents the 40th annual Navaratri Festival, celebrating the traditional culture of India with performances by some of the country's leading artists, from Thursday, October 27 through Sunday, October 30, 2016 on the Wesleyan campus in Middletown, Connecticut. One of India’s major festival celebrations, Navaratri is a time to see family and friends, enjoy music and dance, and seek blessings for new endeavors. Please see below for further details.
Tickets are available online at http://www.wesleyan.edu/boxoffice, by phone at (860) 685-3355, or in person at the Wesleyan University Box Office, located in the Usdan University Center, 45 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown. Tickets may also be purchased at the door beginning one hour prior to each ticketed performance, subject to availability. The Center for the Arts accepts cash, checks written to “Wesleyan University,” and all major credit cards. Groups of ten or more may receive a discount to select performances – please call (860) 685-3355 for details. No refunds, cancellations, or exchanges. Programs, artists, and dates are subject to change.
Presented by the Center for the Arts and the Music Department, with leadership support from the Madhu Reddy Endowed Fund for Indian Music and Dance at Wesleyan University, and additional support from the Jon B. Higgins Memorial Fund, the Raga Club of Connecticut, Haveli Indian Restaurant, and individual patrons.
Music Department Colloquium
"Building a Home: The First Half-Century of Music and Dance of India at Wesleyan"
Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 11:50am
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall (former CFA Hall), 287 Washington Terrace, Middletown
FREE!
Ph.D. candidate Joseph Getter presents the historical background of Indian music and dance in the United States, the Wesleyan University World Music Program, and the Navaratri Festival.
Henna and Chaat
Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 7pm
Olin Library Lobby, 252 Church Street, Middletown
FREE!
Experience South Asian culture through henna art and sampling of chaat (savory snacks), hosted by Shakti, Wesleyan's South Asian Students' Association
B. Balasubrahmaniyan: Vocal Music of South India
Friday, October 28, 2016 at 8pm
Crowell Concert Hall, 50 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown
$12 general public; $10 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff/alumni, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students
Vocalist and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music B. Balasubrahmaniyan is joined by Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music David Nelson on mridangam and violinist Sandhya Anand.
Shenkar
Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 8pm
Crowell Concert Hall, 50 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown
$28 general public; $26 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff/alumni, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students
"Some of the most daring, exuberant, and technically proficient improvisational music...has cascaded from the fingertips of Indian violinist L. Shankar."
—Downbeat
Indian-born American violinist, singer, and composer L. Shankar earned a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University in 1974, and co-founded the group Shakti with British guitar player John McLaughlin the next year. He has worked with Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, Phil Collins, and many other artists. He returned to Wesleyan in September 2000 to perform with Zakir Hussain. More recently, L. Shankar has used the stage name Shenkar, and has created recordings under this name. Co-sponsored by Raga Club of Connecticut.
Saraswati Puja (Hindu Ceremony)
Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 11am
World Music Hall, 40 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown
FREE!
This religious service, led by A. V. Srinivasan, marks the most auspicious day of the year for beginning new endeavors. The audience may participate and bring instruments, manuscripts, and other items for blessing.
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble
Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 3pm
Crowell Concert Hall, 50 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown
$28 general public; $26 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff/alumni, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students
"The ensemble mesmerized a sold-out audience with its artistry, energy, technique and beauty."
—Dance Magazine
Internationally acclaimed Nrityagram Dance Ensemble from Bangalore, India brings its exceptional synchronicity, compelling physicality, and emotional honesty to redefine dance and theater through powerful imagery and captivating dance.
For more information about the 40th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan University, please visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa/navaratri.
About the Center for the Arts
Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts exists to catalyze people’s creativity by engaging them in the dynamic work of diverse artists. Three inter-related activities enable the CFA to realize its purpose:
supporting the research, public productions, and in-studio teaching needs of the departments of Art and Art History, Dance, Music, and Theater;
leading inter-disciplinary collaborations and other initiatives that integrate artists into creative curricular and co-curricular initiatives; and
organizing powerful encounters between visiting artists and diverse elements of the Wesleyan community, the greater Middletown community, statewide, and regional audiences.
The Center for the Arts opened in the fall of 1973, and includes the 400-seat Theater, the 260-seat Ring Family Performing Arts Hall (former CFA Hall), the World Music Hall (a non-Western performance space), the 400-seat Crowell Concert Hall, the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, Adzenyah Rehearsal Hall, and classrooms and studios.
The Center for the Arts gratefully acknowledges the support of its many generous funders and collaborators, including the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, the Connecticut Office of the Arts, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New England Foundation for the Arts, as well as media sponsors the Hartford Courant, WESU 88.1FM, and WNPR.
For more information about Center for the Arts, please call (860) 685-3355, or visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa.
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