Fall 2026 Arts Roundup, Part 2: Music, Dance, Visual Arts, and Film

This fall, students and faculty alike will engage with the University’s arts community through events in music, dance, visual arts, and film.

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, the exhibition “Mozart’s Chair” opened at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, with a reception at 4:30 p.m. The exhibition considers the functions of furniture in relation to the human body and will be on display until Feb. 28, 2027. A free tour of the exhibition will be offered on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 2 p.m.

On Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., Director of the Jazz Ensemble Noah Baerman will host “Jazz Up Close: Vocalist and Composer Andrea Wolper,” a part of the interactive Jazz Up Close series. The performers include vocalist Andrea Wolper, joined by Baerman on piano, Henry Lugo on bass and Jocelyn Pleasant, M.A. ’20, on drums. The event will be at the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall.

On Sunday, Sept. 20, at 3 p.m., “This Is It! 2.0: The Complete Chamber Music of Neely Bruce – Part VI” will be hosted at Crowell Concert Hall. The concert will feature songs composed by John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce, performed by Christopher Grundy and pianist Bryan Chuan.  

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 12 p.m., the exhibition “Collecting China: Missionary Assemblages of a Distant World, 1844–1911” will open at the College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center. This exhibition, curated by Sida Chu ’26 and Nancy Li ’28, encourages visitors to interact with 19th century China through a collection of cultural artifacts from the Wesleyan Museum of Natural History (1871–1957). The exhibition will be open until Dec. 4.

On Friday, Sept. 25, at 4:45 p.m., award-winning singer Chae Soo Jung will hold a lecture titled “The World of Pansori,” in which she will reflect on her work carrying forward the traditional Korean art of pansori and making it accessible for a wider audience. This event will be held at the Frank Center for Public Affairs, Room 100.

On Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m., “Richard Winslow: Two Premieres” will be performed at Crowell Concert Hall. The concert honors the late John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Emeritus Richard K. Winslow ’40, Hon ’10 (1918-2017). It will feature Alchemy and the Unbranded Content acting ensemble and will be directed by Michael Medieros and conducted by John Spencer Camp Professor of Music Neely Bruce.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 8 a.m., multi-part exhibition “Drawn Between The Lines” will open at Olin Library. This exhibition features a collection of works created by students in Associate Professor of Art Julia Randall’s “Drawing I” (ARST131) course at Cheshire Correctional Institution through Wesleyan’s Center for Prison Education. The Center for Prison Education will be co-hosting the opening reception at 5 p.m. with The Critical X-Change, a performing arts program spearheaded by Center for Prison Education alumnus Craig Gore. This theatrical evening will include performance and poetry.

On Thursday, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m., “The Jin Hi Kim Collection” concert will be held at Ring Family Performing Arts Hall. Assistant Professor of the Practice in Music Jin Hi Kim will perform with her one-of-a-kind electric komungo, which is a Korean string instrument. This event celebrates the acquisition of Kim’s archives, which include a nine-CD box set and her memoir, by the University.

On Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m., 7:45 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., Make Jazz Trill Again’s founder Melanie Charles will debut her latest album at the Fries Art Building’s Lin-Manuel Miranda Theater. This performance is part of Make Jazz Trill Again’s year-long residency at the Center for the Arts and explores the results of our reliance on systems that fail to sustain us.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, at 12 p.m., at the event “Town Hall: Creative Exchange—Introducing Make Jazz Trill Again,” Make Jazz Trill Again will discuss the question: what is the trill of this moment? The open discussion will invite the audience to consider the meaning of community, jazz, and artistic trends.

On Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m., pianist Angelina Gadeliya will perform “Voices of Resilience: From the Baltic to the Black Sea” at Crowell Concert Hall. The recital will feature works by Ukrainian, Polish, and Lithuanian composers, including Frédéric Chopin, Vytautas Bacevičius, Serhiy Bortkiewicz, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiourlionis, Valentyn Silvestrov, and Yevhen Stetsiuk.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m., the performance “Sonic Introductions” at the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall will feature compositions and improvisations by composers from the Music Department’s graduate program.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, at 4:30 p.m., the Music Department will present “Joseph Getter M.A. ’99: A History of Navaratri at Wesleyan,” at the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall. The event will be led by musician Joseph Getter M.A. ’99, who will explore the Navaratri Festival’s history at Wesleyan and how it has evolved over the years.

On Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m., the performance “B. Balasubrahmaniyan: Vocal Music of South India,” at Crowell Concert Hall will feature Adjunct Professor of Music and of Global South Asian Studies B. Balasubrahmaniyan and Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and of Global South Asian Studies David Nelson, Ph.D. ’91, for their 22nd Navaratri Festival performance together.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m., the “Student Carnatic Music Showcase” at Belzberg World Music Hall will feature Wesleyan students and collaborators performing Carnatic music. At 7 p.m., “T.M. Krishna in Concert” at Crowell Concert Hall will feature T.M. Krishna, the globally recognized master of Carnatic music.

On Sunday, Oct. 11, at 10 a.m., Joseph Getter M.A. ’99 and Samvit Singhal ’27 will lead “Saraswati Puja,” a Hindu ceremony to begin new endeavors. Participants are encouraged to bring an item to be blessed at the event, which is at Belzberg World Music Hall.

On Sunday, Oct. 11, at 11 a.m., the discussion “T.M. Krishna in Conversation,” at the Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, will feature T.M. Krishna in conversation with Adjunct Professor of Music and of Global South Asian Studies B. Balasubrahmanyian and Professor of Global South Asian Studies and of Dance and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Hari Krishnan. They will discuss art, activism around caste system issues, LGBTQ rights, and environmental justice in India.

On Sunday, Oct. 11, at 3 p.m., the performance “Kalanidhi Dance Company: Nritya Malika—A Garland of Dances” at Crowell Concert Hall will feature Kalanidhi Dance, a Maryland-based ensemble that showcases choreography honoring the beauty of Kuchipudi dance.

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m., the concert “Graduate Contextual Concert: Solomon Kim,” at Belzberg World Music Hall, will feature the graduate music work of Solomon Kim, a composer, improviser, and cellist.

On Friday, Oct. 16, from 2–3 p.m., “WESeminar: Dialogue Across Difference: Center for Prison Education Campus Student Collaborators on Co-Learning with Peers in Prison,” will take place at the Frank Center for Public Affairs, Room 002, as part of the University’s Homecoming + Family Weekend.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, from 1–2 p.m., “WESeminar: The Civic and Community Leadership of Center for Prison Education Alumni,” at the Frank Center for Public Affairs, Room 001, is a return of a panel discussion that was presented at the National Conference on Higher Education in Prison, and will be moderated by Shakur Collins ’26. 

On Sunday, Nov. 1, at 3 p.m., the performance “Kitchen Céilí and Friends,” at Crowell Concert Hall, will feature the 1993 band including Stan Scott Ph.D. ’97, Dorothea Hast Ph.D. ’94, Sam Scheer, and George Wilson. They will perform music from Ireland, India, the British Isles, and North America.

On Friday, Nov. 6, at 12 p.m., Make Jazz Trill Again returns to Ring Family Performing Arts Hall as documentarian Darah Golub screens an excerpt of “New York Love Songs” and converses with Melanie Charles about the film’s origin and its connection to Make Jazz Trill Again.

On Friday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m., the performance “Master Class with Pianist Angelina Gadeliya,” at Crowell Concert Hall, will feature Angelina Gadeliya and selected piano students.

All day on Saturday, Nov. 7, the “I’mmortal / Безсмертні Fellowship Capstone Showcase” at Fayerweather Beckham Hall will showcase Razom for Ukraine’s “Arts in Health” program, founded to transform mental well-being and community reintegration in Ukraine.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m., the class “WesGrooves: Bachata” at Fayerweather Beckham Hall will teach the eight-count basic step of bachata, a dance that originates from the Dominican Republic. Wesleyan’s Latin and Ballroom Club will be co-sponsoring the event.

On Thursday, Nov. 12, Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m., as well as Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m., the University’s Theater Department will put on its mainstage performance “WE ARE HERE” at the Fries Art Building’s Lin-Manuel Miranda Theater.

On Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m., Adam Mirza and Akiva Zamcheck present “Fake Radiolab Ep. 16: ‘Where’s Wanda?’,’’ the most recent development of their longtime duo project, at Ring Family Performing Arts Hall.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., the performance “Gleb Kanasevich: ‘We Only Have But A Moment’” at Crowell Concert Hall will be a solo recital of Gleb Kanasevich’s experimental compositions from his latest album titled “We Only Have But A Moment.”

On Sunday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m., the concert “Giacomo Gates: Classic Jazz and Great American Songbook Compositions…In the Moment” at Ring Family Performing Arts Hall will feature University professor and top male jazz vocalist Giacomo Gates. 

On Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Ring Family Performing Arts Hall, the Music Department presents “50th Anniversary Showcase of ‘David’s Violin’”, a Yiddish opera by Joseph Lateiner with music by Sigmund Mogulesco. 

On Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m., the event “Fall Faculty Dance Concert: Doug Elkins and Friends” at the Center for the Arts Theater will feature the dance company Doug Elkins and Friends, led by choreographer and Associate Professor of Dance Doug Elkins, and accompanied by Wesleyan students.

On Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m., the “Chinese Music Ensemble Fall Concert” will be hosted at Crowell Concert Hall. It will showcase Chinese and Taiwanese pieces performed by Wesleyan’s Chinese Music Ensemble, led by the music director Chia-Yu Joy Lu.

On Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., “WesGrooves: Bollywood” at Fayerweather Beckham Hall will continue celebrating the 50th anniversary of the University’s Navaratri Festival through a guided dance workshop led by Professor of Global South Asian Studies and of Dance and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Hari Krishnan, and accompanied by students enrolled in his course “Spicy and Sweet Bollywood Dance” (DANC204).

On Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m., “Advanced Javanese Gamelan Ensemble Fall Concert: Poems to Be Sung,” hosted at Belzberg World Music Hall, will feature Central Javanese music performed by the University’s Javanese Gamelan Ensemble and directed by Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam, M.A. ’76. Peni Candra Rini, a prominent Javanese singer, will be featured.

On Friday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m., “West African Drumming and Dance Fall Concert” will be held at the Center for the Arts Theater and will feature Assistant Professor of Music John Dankwa, Ph.D. ’18, and Midge Bowen Bennet Associate Professor of Dance and African Scholars Faculty Mentor Iddi Saaka. Students in West African music and dance classes will accompany them.

On Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m., the “Wesleyan University Fall Orchestra Concert” at Crowell Concert Hall will feature saxophonist Thomas Orbinski ’29, one of the winners of the 2026 Concerto Competition, performing Paul Creston’s Alto Saxophone Concerto Op.26. Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Nadya Potemkina will be directing the concert. 

On Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m., “Worlds of Dance Fall Showcase” at Crowell Concert Hall will feature students from various dance classes, including Hip Hop, Afro-Brazilian, Bharata Natyam (South Indian classical), and Introduction to Dance.

On Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m., the “Korean Drumming and Creative Music Ensemble and Taiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble Fall Concert” will be held at Belzberg World Music Hall. The event will consist of a performance by the Korean Drumming Ensemble, directed by Director of the Korean Drumming Ensemble Jin Hi Kim, and a performance by the Taiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble, directed by Visiting Instructor in Music Fumi Tanakadate. 

On Monday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m., “Ebony Singers Fall Concert” will be a night of gospel with the Ebony Singers at Crowell Concert Hall, directed by Marichal Monts ’85.

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m., the “WesWinds Fall Concert” will be at Crowell Concert Hall, featuring Wesleyan students and members of the community, and directed by Salvatore LaRusso.

On Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m., Crowell Concert Hall will feature the “Methods of Improvisation Ensemble Fall Concert,” where the Methods of Improvisation (MUSC459) Ensemble, directed by Assistant Professor of Music Darius Jones, will perform using a unique musical language developed over the course of the semester.

On Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 9 p.m., students enrolled in “Composing, Performing, and Listening to Experimental Music” (MUSC220) will present “Music minus one, none or many” Ring Family Performing Arts Hall. The students will present old and new electronic and environmental music, directed by Professor of Music Ronald Kuivila ’77. 

On Thursday, Dec. 10, at 1:30 p.m., Professor of Music Paula Matthusen’s students in “Introduction to Experimental Music” (MUSC109) will perform the annual rendition of “John Cage’s Musicircus.” The performance will be hosted at Crowell Concert Hall.

On Thursday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m., music from Central Java will be performed in “Beginning Javanese Gamelan Ensemble Fall Concert” by the Javanese Gamelan Ensemble, directed by Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music Sumarsam, M.A. ’76. The performance will be held at Belzberg World Music Hall.

On Thursday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m., the “Wesleyan Concert Choir Fall Concert” at Crowell Concert Hall will feature a range of music, from a cappella to classical and modern choral music. Adjunct Associate Professor of Music and of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Nadya Potemkina will direct the concert.

On Thursday, Dec. 10, at 9:30 p.m., “Wesleyan Organ Studio Fall Concert: Piping Performance” will be held at the Memorial Chapel and will showcase a recital of organ music by the students in “Piping Performance: An Exploration of Artistic Expression through the Pipe Organ” (MUSC441), directed by Assistant Professor of Music and University Organist Alcee Chriss. 

On Friday, Dec. 11, at 12 p.m., students in the chamber music program will perform in “Chamber Music Ensemble Fall Concert” at Memorial Chapel, led by Director of the Chamber Music Ensemble John Biatowas.

On Friday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m., the Jazz Ensemble, led by director Noah Baerman, and the new Latin Jazz Ensemble, directed by Assistant Professor of Music and University Organist Alcee Chriss, will come together to perform classic and contemporary jazz music in the event “Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble and Wesleyan Latin Jazz Ensemble Concert” at Crowell Concert Hall.

On Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., the “Winter Dance Concert” will be held at the Center for the Arts Theater, comprised of students from various class years presenting works with unique techniques and methods.

The Wesleyan Film Series will play movies throughout the semester from Wednesday to Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Goldsmith Family Cinema. To view the full schedule, see @wesfilmseries on Instagram.

Eleanora Freeman can be reached at eafreeman@wesleyan.edu.