Wesleyan is hosting a diverse array of amazing events for dance, music, and visual art lovers this year. 

On Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3:00 p.m., a quartet will perform works of chamber music by John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce—who is celebrating 50 years of teaching at Wesleyan—in the Crowell Concert Hall.

For all art lovers, on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 12:00 p.m. the College of East Asian Studies Gallery will be hosting an opening reception for an exhibition by Namdoo Kim, “Underland: A Unique Lens on the Hidden Realities.” The exhibit will be featured in the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies through May 24.

Classical music enthusiasts will enjoy the return of the Calefax Reed Quintet for the first time in over a decade. This Amsterdam-based group will perform music by George Gershwin, Dutch composer Henriëtte Bosmans, and Johann Sebastian Bach on Wednesday, Feb. 12th at 8:00 p.m.

On Friday, Feb. 14 at 4:30 p.m., poetry enthusiasts are invited to write love poems in an exploration of language and electronic music. Students in the Center for the Arts’ Director’s Council will lead a “Make As You Are” and remix these writings into a score to be presented at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery. 

Students of Guitar Instructor Tom Crean MA ’04 will perform songs by composer Christian Wolff, as well as reinterpretations of pop songs by artists such as Chappell Roan and Miley Cyrus, in the World Music Hall at 7:30 p.m on Sunday, Feb. 16. 

On Friday, Feb. 21 at 6:45 p.m., the world premiere of work by Piano Instructor Yvonne Troxler, Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies Paula Matthusen, and Spanish composer César Camarero will be presented by the Glass Farm Ensemble.

With the direction of Professor of Music and Director of Graduate Studies Paula Matthuse, the SPLICE ensemble will be featuring new works by Wesleyan graduate students on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5:00 pm in the Crowell Concert Hall. 

Kitchen Céilí, founded in 1993 with Vocal/Guitar Instructor Stan Scott PhD ’97, Dorothea Hast PhD ’94, Sam Scheer, and George Wilson, will be performing traditional and original music from Ireland, North America, the British Isles, and India on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3:00 p.m. in the Crowell Concert Hall. 

Featuring new and arranged work with live electronic instruments, Wesleyan’s Toneburst Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble, led by Professor of Music Paula Matthusen, will perform on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall. 

Later that week, senior Simon Schwartz ’25 will be performing their senior recital on Friday, Feb. 28 at 5:00 p.m. in the Crowell Concert Hall. 

For Bach Fans, the Ad Hoc Bach, a collective of students, faculty, alumni, and staff, as well as members of the local community, will present “For the Love of Bach,” conducted by Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Nadya Potemkina, on Friday, Feb. 28 at 8:00 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel. 

Led by the same conductor, the Wesleyan University Orchestra will present its 12th annual children’s concert, featuring a family-friendly selection of works and explanations of their history, on Saturday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m. in the Crowell Concert Hall. The following day, on Sunday, March 2 at 2:00 p.m., Bass Instructor Roy Wiseman will lead a concert in the Crowell Concert Hall.

The 44th annual Middletown Public Schools Art Exhibition, which features visual arts works from students in kindergarten through 12th grade, will premiere on Saturday, March 8 at 4:00 p.m. in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery.  

Featuring work by seniors in the art studio program of Wesleyan’s Department of Art and Art History, Matty Shields ’25, Thomas Purello ’25, Tiffanie Cheung ’25, Sydney Smith ’25, Jane Lillard ’25, Maisy Lewis ’25, Lucy Brubaker ’25, and Aisha Odetunde ’25, the first week of the Senior Thesis Exhibition will open on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery. 

For Mozart lovers, on Friday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m., Oboedacious, an ensemble featuring Wesleyan Oboe Instructor Libby Van Cleve, Professor Bruce, and Kirsten Lipkens, will present their adaptation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, as well as other, both classical and modern, chamber music at Russell House.

Senior choreographers will be presenting new work at the Spring Senior Thesis Dance Concert on Friday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m. in the Patricelli ’92 Theater.

Negar Soleymanifar MA ’25 will present their recital on Tuesday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m. in the World Music Hall.

The second week of theses will kick off with a reception on Wednesday, April 2 at 4:00 p.m. at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery featuring works by seniors Loren Wang ’25, Michael Fadugbagbe ’25, Isabella Koz ’25, Gino Palacios ’25, Jasmin Wong ’25, Spencer Turner ’25, Olivia Snow ’25, and Lena Weiman ’25. The third week will feature works by Vicky Gong ’25, Will Hardison ’25, Aleah Hurwitz ’25, Alp Yucel ’25, Kerri Belguendouz ’25, Ava Liberace ’25, Beatrice Campomori ’25, and Olivia Gomez ’25, kicked off by a reception on Wednesday, April 9 at 4:00 p.m. at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery. On Wednesday, April 16 at 4:00 p.m., a reception will be held for the premier of senior works by Tracy Wu ’25, Joshua Khoshayev ’25, Sydney Keller ’25, Truly Zanda ’25, Lev Ko ’25, Daniela Stahle ’25, Keren Mikanda ’25, and Leo Heller ’25.

Featuring new works by Associate Professor of the Practice in Dance Doug Elkins, Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Dewati Rahmayani, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Kellie Lynch, the Spring Faculty Dance Concert will be held on Friday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m and Saturday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m in the Patricelli ’92 Theater.

Marissa Clauburg ’25 will be performing their senior recital in the Russell House on Friday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. There will be another graduate recital performed by Emma Mistele MA ’25 in the Crowell Concert Hall at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, April 4. Sam Boston ’25 will be performing their senior recital on Saturday, April 5 at the World Music Hall at 7:00 p.m. Anna Deavere Smith Hon. ’97, in her final presentation of her residency at the Center of the Arts, will host a multi-day event with guests from within and outside the University on Wednesday, April 9, Friday, April 11, and Saturday, April 12, all at 12:00 p.m., in the Center for the Arts.

Emerson Jenisch ’25 will be performing their senior recital on Friday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m. in the World Music Hall. Vahn Kessler ’25 will perform a senior recital on Sunday, April 13 at 3:00 p.m. in the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall. 

“Indonesia in Musical Voyage” will be presented by ethnomusicologist/composer Andy McGraw PhD ’05 and Indonesian composer/professional singer Peni Candra Rini. There will also be performances by Professor Bruce of works inspired by Bruce’s experience in Indonesia.

On April 19 at 6:00 p.m., Hansini Bhasker MA ’26 will present their graduate recital in the Crowell Concert Hall, and on Sunday, April 20 at 5:00 p.m., Jolene Jiang ’25 will perform their senior recital in the Crowell Concert Hall. The following week, students of Troxler will perform a piano recital on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Crowell Concert Hall.

In the World Music Hall on Thursday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m., beginner students from the Wesleyan Javanese Gamelan Ensemble will present their spring concert. Later that day, the Wesleyan Concert Choir will perform their spring concert at 8:00 p.m. in the Crowell Concert Hall. 

Wesleyan’s Collegium Musicum will “premiere new pieces that draw on cosmic themes,” according to the Center for the Arts website. They will perform under the direction of Professor of Music Jane Alden on Thursday, May 1 at 9:00 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel. The Chamber Music Ensemble will perform their spring concert on Friday, May 2 in the Crowell Concert Hall at 12:00 p.m., followed by the Wesleyan University Orchestra Spring Concert at 8:00 p.m., also in the Crowell Concert Hall. 

Javanese Gamelan Ensemble will perform “a spring concert of the classical music and dance of Central Java,” and composer Jlin will premiere two brand new commissioned works on Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the World Music Hall. The Worlds of Dance Spring Showcase will present a diverse selection of dance styles on Sunday, May 4 at 2:00 p.m. in the Crowell Concert Hall. 

Wesleyan’s Taiko Japanese Drumming and Korean Drumming and Creative Music Ensemble will perform their spring concert on Sunday, May 4 at 4:00 p.m. in the World Music Hall.

The Wesleyan University Ebony Singers, under the direction of Marichal Monts ’85, will present traditional and contemporary gospel music at their spring concert on Monday, May 5 at 8:00 p.m. in the Crowell Concert Hall.

South Indian music students will present their spring recital on Tuesday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the World Music Hall. 

On Tuesday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m. in the Crowell Concert Hall, the Wesleyan University Wind Ensemble (WesWinds) will perform their spring concert under the direction of Salvatore LaRusso. 

Students of Assistant Professor of Music and University Organist Alcee Chriss will perform their spring concert on Tuesday, May 6 at 9:30 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel.

In the Crowell Concert Hall on Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m., Wesleyan’s Chinese Music Ensemble will present traditional and contemporary Chinese and Taiwanese songs. 

Toneburst Laptop and Electronic Arts Ensemble will return with new works written by the ensemble, under Matthusen’s direction, on Wednesday, May 7 at 8:30 p.m. at the World Music Hall. 

Students in MUSC224 Experiments in Sound and Technology will perform a concert, led by Professor and Chair of the Music Department and Director of the Electronic Music and Recording Studios Ron Kuivila ’77.

On Friday, May 9 at 3:00 p.m., the West African Drumming and Dance Concert will be held on the CFA Green (rain site: Crowell Concert Hall). Finally, on Saturday, May 24 at 2:30 p.m. at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Program will host a reception for a selection of senior theses in studio art. This event will be part of the Reunion + Commencement Weekend at the University.

Carter Appleyard can be reached at cappleyard@wesleyan.edu.