Lovers of music, dance, art, and film can expect to stay well-fed by the offerings the University’s Center for the Arts (CFA) has planned for the fall semester. Continuing from last week’s roundup of all the exciting University theater productions, today we hope to offer a taste of more upcoming arts events.

On Sunday, Sept. 15 at 3:00 p.m., Crowell Concert Hall will premier a celebration of the work of Professor of Music Neely Bruce in a performance entitled “This Is It! 2.0: The Complete Chamber Music of Neely Bruce – Part IV,”  on the occasion of his 80th birthday and 50th year teaching at Wesleyan. The event will feature Bruce’s piano-based chamber music, including the world premier of three new compositions.

On Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m., graduate students from the University’s Music Department will present “Sonic Introductions,” featuring their own compositions. The performance will be held in the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall.

Electronic music legend Carl Stone, renowned as a pioneer in the art of sampling, will present a concert of his work in the World Music Hall on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 8:00 p.m.

Lovers of flute will be pleased to hear that at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, the Connecticut Flute Orchestra will present a concert in Crowell Concert Hall with all manner of flutes, conducted by Adjunct Associate Professor of Music Nadya Potemkina.

The Wesleyan Javanese Gamelan Ensemble will present a series of compositions by the composer I.M. Harjito on Friday, Oct. 4, at 8:00 p.m. in Crowell Concert Hall.

University Professor and renowned jazz vocalist Giacomo Gates will perform at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6 in Crowell Concert Hall. Gates is known for his exuberance and passion for the bebop tradition of jazz vocalization, so this concert promises to be terrifically entertaining.

The 48th Annual Wesleyan Navaratri Festival will be held from Thursday, Oct. 10 to Saturday, Oct. 12, celebrating the tradition of South Asian art and culture with a series of concerts, talks, and performances. Among these is a concert by B. Balasubrahmaniyan, who will be singing with accompaniment on the mridangam, or double-headed drum, on Friday, Oct. 11 in Crowell Concert Hall at 7:00 p.m.

The festival will also feature an Indian Dance Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 3:00 p.m. in the World Music Hall, and will feature collaborations between choreographers Sarada Nori and Rachna Agrawal, as well as students Akhil Joondeph ’26 and Tanvi Navile ’25 performing a variety of classical dance styles.

The final musical event of the festival will be a concert from V.V. Subrahmanyam, a celebrated violinist specializing in South Indian Karnatak Music, held on Saturday, Oct. 12 in Crowell Concert Hall at 8:00 p.m.

Director of the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble Noah Baerman’s trio will perform the music of beloved jazz musicians and brothers Bill and Kenny Barron. Bill Barron was the chair of Wesleyan’s Music Department until his death in 1989. The concert will be held on Sunday, Nov. 10 in Crowell Concert Hall at 3:00 p.m.

The Ad Hoc Bach Collective will present the 14th performance in their ongoing concert series “For the Love of Bach,” performing pieces by the composer conducted by Professor Nadya Potemkina. They will perform on Friday, Nov. 15 in the Memorial Chapel at 8:00 p.m.

A collection of exciting works by graduate music students will be performed by the SPLICE Ensemble, directed by Professor of Music Paula Matthusen, on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 8:00 p.m in the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall.

A performance from students in West African drumming and dance classes, featuring Professor of Dance Iddi Saaka, will take place on Friday, Nov. 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the CFA Theater.

Also on Friday, Nov. 22 will be the climactic fall concert of the Wesleyan University Orchestra, made up of faculty, staff, and students, and conducted by Professor Nadya Potemkina. This event will take place in Crowell Concert Hall at 8:00 p.m.

The Korean Drumming and Creative Music Ensemble and the Taiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble will present a joint performance of these two different styles of drum music on Sunday, Nov. 24 in the World Music Hall at 4:00 p.m.

The Ebony Singers will present a rousing collection of gospel music conducted by Marichal Monts ’85, promising to lift the spirits of any who decide to attend on Monday, Nov. 25 in Crowell Concert Hall at 8:00 p.m.

Professor of Music Paula Matthusen and the University’s Toneburst Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble will present a new work entitled “Unruly Waves,” a continuation of ideas that University Professor and bona fide experimental music legend Alvin Lucier began to explore before his passing in 2021. Matthusen will continue to explore Lucier’s goal of “bouncing sounds off the moon” in a way that promises to be wonderful and thought-provoking. This work will premiere on Monday, Dec. 2 in the World Music Hall at 8:00 p.m.

On Tuesday, Dec. 3 in the World Music Hall at 6:00 p.m., music students will present a South Indian Music Student Fall Recital displaying vocal music and drumming of the Karnatak tradition under the leadership of Professor B. Balasubrahmaniyan and PhD candidate David Nelson ’91.

Salvatore LaRusso will direct the fall concert from the Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble (WesWinds), performing contemporary pieces on Tuesday, Dec. 3 in Crowell Concert Hall at 8:00 p.m.

Students from “Introduction to Experimental Music” will present their stunning annual performance of John Cage’s “Musicircus,” a collection of student-generated experimental compositions played concurrently. Student creativity will never be on better display than on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in Crowell Concert Hall at 1:30 p.m.

The Chinese Music Ensemble will present a concert of traditional and contemporary Chinese and Taiwanese pieces on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in Crowell Concert Hall at 6:30 p.m.

If you’re a fan of student voices melding together into lovely harmonies, make sure to attend the Wesleyan Concert Choir’s fall concert, directed by Professor Nadya Potemkina. The concert will take place on Thursday, Dec. 5 in Crowell Concert Hall at 8:00 p.m.

Students from “Piping Performance: An Exploration of Artistic Expression through the Pipe Organ,” will have their organ skills put to the test at their fall concert, held on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 9:30 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel under the tutelage of Professor and organist Alcee Chriss.

The Chamber Music Ensemble will present their fall concert on Friday, Dec. 6 in Crowell Concert Hall at 12:00 p.m., directed by John Biatowas.

The Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble and Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra will display their work from the semester at a fall concert, held on Friday, Dec. 6 in Crowell Concert Hall at 8:00 p.m.

Lovers of dance should remember the date Sunday, Nov. 24, when students from a variety of university dance classes, including Javanese Dance, Bharata Natyam, Hip Hop, and “Introduction to Dance” will be presenting their “Worlds of Dance Fall Showcase” in Crowell Concert Hall at 2:00 p.m.

On Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7 in the CFA Theater at 7:00, prepare to see Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” as you never have before: as a new dance production choreographed by Professor of Dance Patricia Beaman and composed by Professor of Music Neely Bruce, entitled “The Jewel Thief”. Along with Hitchcock’s film, the work combines influences from the era of King Louis XIV, 1920s modernism, and Truman Capote’s legendary 1966 Black and White Ball.

Dance collective inDANCE will perform a new work, “ROWDIES IN LOVE,” choreographed by Professor of Dance Hari Krishnan exploring queerness in Asia broadly but particularly India and Singapore. The work draws from the Bhrata Natyam dance tradition and promises to be a truly moving spectacle of bodies in motion. It will premiere on Friday, Dec. 6th and Saturday, Dec. 7 in the CFA Theater at 7:00, alongside “The Jewel Thief.”

In the world of art, Justin Caguiat’s “Triple Solitaire” and Grant Mooney’s “calcis” will be on display in the Zilkha Gallery from Sept. 17 to Dec. 8. “Triple Solitaire” is a multimedia exhibition containing elements of painting, sculpture, film, poetry, and sound, and promises the viewer an overwhelming and immersive experience, operating with a sense of scale that will surely transform the space. “calcis” is a work of sculpture, meant to play off the very limestone bricks that form the Zilkha Gallery. The work is even named after the mineral calcium carbonate, which is found prominently in the bricks. The opening reception for these exhibitions will be on Tuesday, Sept. 17th from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

From Oct. 1 to Feb. 2, Olin Library’s Smith Reading Room will present Bright Ugochukwu Eke’s “Egg, Earth, and Essence,” a massive sculptural work that considers the egg as a symbol: for birth, beginnings, mortality, and the mysteries of existing as a living being. The opening reception for these exhibitions will be on Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and will include a talk from the artist.

As for film, cinephiles are no doubt already aware that the Wesleyan Film Series is up and running! For a full list of films showing, look for a schedule around campus or check @wesfilmseries on Instagram. This week, from Wednesday to Saturday, the Series is playing “Thelma,” “Io Capitano,” “Ratatouille,” and “Stand By Me,” all at 8:00 p.m. in the Goldsmith Family Cinema.

With so many exciting performances ahead, we hope you’ll add a few of these to your calendar and support the incredible artists and musicians that the University will be highlighting this semester.
Louis Chiasson can be reached at lchiasson@wesleyan.edu.