Events Calendar

Fall 2022 |听Spring 2022听 |听听Fall 2021|听Spring 2021听|听Fall 2020听|听Spring 2020听|听Fall 2019听 |听听Spring 2019听 |听听Fall 2018听听|听听Spring 2018听听|听听Fall 2017听 |听听Spring 2017听 |听听Fall 2016听 |听听Spring 2016听 |听听Fall 2015

Spring 2023

A Balinese performer wearing beautifully ornate and colorful clothing.

Photo by Bethany Collier

Arja Saraswati Puja

February 25, 2023 | 2 pm and 7:30 pm
Boroughs Theatre, Prior Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $25//general, $10//海角社区 faculty & staff, $5//students with valid id听

Featuring Sanggar Seni Citta Usadhi (Bali, Indonesia) and New Atlantic Chamber Gamelan (U.S.A.)

A contemporary Balinese performance piece: The story of the Goddess Saraswati, who descended from the heavens to bring knowledge and understanding to humankind.

Arja Saraswati Puja tells the story of the powerful King Watugunung, who rules the Kundadwipa kingdom with Lord Brahma鈥檚 blessing. Unbeknownst to the king, his most beautiful wife, Dewi Shinta, is actually his own mother. When Dewi Shinta recognizes that she has committed a grave wrong by marrying her son, she sends him to heaven on a futile quest to locate and capture the divine goddess Nawangsasih to be her maidservant. But Dewi Nawangsasih鈥檚 husband, the great Lord Wisnu, does not wish to surrender his beloved partner, so he transforms into the mighty Rudramurti, mounts a fierce battle, and expels King Watugunung 鈥 defeated and unconscious 鈥 from the heavens. After several days, King Watugunung awakens with divine awareness and repents for his wrongdoings. Honoring this enlightenment, the Lord Brahma sends the Goddess Saraswati to light the earth with knowledge.

A sepia image of Sarah Fornace as Mary Shelley holding a monster

Artwork by Drew Dir

Moderated discussion with Manual Cinema about their production of Frankenstein

February 27, 2023 | 5 pm
Seelos Theatre
Open to the 海角社区 campus community
Free

Manual Cinema is an Emmy Award-winning performance collective, design studio, and
film production company. In this piece, they stitch together the classic tale of Frankenstein
with the biography of the original novel鈥檚 author, Mary Shelley, to create an unexpected
story about the beauty and horror of creation. The real-life and fictional narratives of
Shelley, Victor Frankenstein, and Frankenstein鈥檚 monster expose how family, community,
and education shape personhood 鈥 or destroy it by their absence. Several classes of
Montserrat students will be traveling to see Frankenstein at ArtsEmerson on Sunday,
February 26. On February 27, the artists will come to 海角社区 for an interactive
discussion on the behind-the-scenes work involved in the company鈥檚 stunning shadow
puppetry interpretation.

While the discussion will take Frankenstein as its main subject, all are welcome to attend,
even if you did not see the performance. 海角社区 community members who took part in
2021 Zoom workshops with the company on their films Ada/Ava or No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks are especially invited to join!

A man playing a violin outside with trees in the background.

Photo by Kat Bawden

Mirror/Lens

March 2, 2023 | 7 pm
Beehive and Luth Concert Hall, Prior Performing Arts Center听
Tickets: $35//general, $10//海角社区 faculty & staff, $5//students

A special co-production between Music Worcester and the Prior Performing Arts Center at the 海角社区.

The concert features violinist Vijay Gupta, percussionist Chester Englander and guest speaker/narrator John W. Cormier Jr. of the OpporTUNEity program.

Hailed by The New Yorker as a 鈥渧isionary violinist鈥ne of the most radical thinkers in the unradical world of American classical music,鈥 Vijay Gupta has performed as an international recitalist, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician for over 20 years. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Street Symphony, a community of musicians creating spaces of connection for people in reentry from homelessness, addiction and incarceration in Los Angeles. He is also a co-founder of the Skid Row Arts Alliance, a consortium dedicated to creating art for and with the homeless community.

Chester Englander, who has been acclaimed for his 鈥渦nnerving dexterity鈥 (San Francisco Chronicle) and his 鈥渧ivid鈥 (The New York Times) performances, has a thriving career as a percussionist and concert cimbalom player with orchestras throughout the country. He recently played percussion on the recording of 鈥淩each For the Stars鈥 by will.i.am that was broadcast on Mars from the NASA Curiosity Rover.

A man standing with his arms outstretched and his eyes closed in front of a blue background. "Omar," the title of the opera, is above the man as part of the image.

An Evening with the Boston Lyric Opera

March 21, 2023 | 7 pm
Boroughs Theatre, Prior Performing Arts Center听
:听$10//general, $5//students

A look into Omar, the new opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, presented by Boston Lyric Opera

"Inspired by bluegrass, hymns, spirituals and more, with nods to traditions from Africa and Islam. It鈥檚 an unforced ideal of American sound: expansive and ever-changing." New York Times

In 1807, 37-year-old Omar Ibn Said was made to board a ship bound for Charleston, South Carolina鈥攖he site of his enslavement and sale. Created by Giddens, the Grammy Award-winning musician and MacArthur 鈥淕enius Grant鈥 recipient, and Abels, composer of the score to the Oscar-nominated film 鈥淕et Out,鈥 the Boston Lyric Opera's New England premiere narrates Said鈥檚 1831 autobiography. This record of his life and Muslim faith reveals a refusal to be defined or erased by his captors. It鈥檚 a seminal work of strength, resistance, and religious conviction鈥攁 work underscoring the indelible power of the written word.

During this special evening with the Boston Lyric Opera, audience members will get an inside look into the upcoming New England premiere of Omar through conversation and excerpts performed by Brianna J. Robinson, Fred C. VanNess, Jr., and Brendon Shapiro, alongside additional repertoire from the operatic tradition to which this striking new work adds.

A man wearing a black shirt crosses his arms in front of him and looks down at the ground. He is standing in front of many rows of empty theatre seats. The title of the play "American Moor" is visible along with the words "a play by Keith Hamilton Cobb."

American Moor
Film screening followed by moderated discussion with playwright Keith Hamilton Cobb

March 28, 2023 | 6 pm
Booth Media Lab,听Prior Performing Arts Center
Free

"After American Moor, you may not see Shakespeare 鈥 and a lot of听roles played by black actors 鈥 quite the same way." The Washington听Post

"This deep-from-the-heart spellbinder by Keith Hamilton Cobb is a听blisteringly eloquent and penetrating meditation on the ever-urgent听matter of race in America." The Boston Globe

An 85-minute solo play written and performed by Keith Hamilton Cobb, American Moor examines the experience and perspective of black men in America through the metaphor of William Shakespeare鈥檚 character Othello. Writes New York Review of Books, 鈥淭he performance becomes by turns a working actor鈥檚 autobiography, an exploration of America鈥檚 relationship to Shakespeare, a performance of a radically reconceived Othello, and [a] clear-eyed account of an African-American man鈥檚 experience of the United States.鈥 Rewarding to those familiar with Shakespeare but also accessible to anyone with questions making art, representation, or how rules constrict the roles we play, American Moor is a heartbreaking, funny, provocative account of the stories we tell about race.

Fall 2022

This image is of the poster for the Community Day event and includes a picture of the outside of the Prior Performing Arts Center and date and time information about the event as well as a QR code to register

Community Day

September 24, 2022,1-5 pm
Prior Performing Arts Center

Community Day will give the 海角社区 and the greater Worcester communities the opportunity to see the brand-new Prior Performing Arts Center. 听There will be performances, exhibits, food, and lots of opportunities to explore the PAC. The event is free and open to everyone, but advanced registration is appreciated. We hope to see you there!

Produced by Arts Transcending Borders with the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery -听Creative Writing Program - Department of Music - Department of Theatre & Dance - Department of Visual Arts

SCHEDULE OVERVIEW

1:00 - 1:30 pm

  • Balinese musical processional into the building

1:30 - 3:30 pm

  • Theatre and dance rehearsals, musical performances, faculty exhibition, creative writing readings, and more
  • Food trucks and ice cream

3:30 - 5:00 pm

  • Pop-up performances
  • Open exploration of the new building

Spring 2022

A collage of artist and performer photos from Spring 2022 events

Arts Transcending Borders is thrilled to invite you to our Winter/Spring 2022 programming 鈥 highlighting a vibrant range of traditions and creative collaborations on stage, in the studio, in the classroom and community settings across Worcester!听

We begin with an evening with the legendary Glen Velez Handance Ensemble and special guests, showcasing an extraordinary layering of frame drums, vocalization and movement. Returning Silkroad artists Maeve Gilchrist and Kevork Mourad begin their residency with dedicated time in the studio, collaborating on a new work to be shared with you, in-progress, at the end of their time on campus. These hour-long events showcase compelling performance with conversation and insights directly from the artists.

When Brazilian percussion master Cyro Baptista & the Banquet of Spirits arrive in Worcester in the Spring, hands-on experiences will be front-and-center. A veteran of world stages, Baptista aims to bring music back to its origins in ritual and community, inviting participants of all ages and backgrounds to daily workshops, culminating in a joyous celebration on stage together. Our ongoing TimeSlips Creative Storytelling project continues with 海角社区 students and residents living with dementia in care facilities. Finally, we are so excited to bring Las Cafeteras to 海角社区 in person: Can you resist their boundless energy, infectious music and message of strength, hope and unity?

Glen Velez playing a large frame drum in front of a microphone

Glen Velez Handance Ensemble
Excerpts from Doctrine of Signatures听

February 1, 2022, 7 pm听
Hogan Ballroom听
$10//general, $10//海角社区 faculty & staff, $5//students

FEATURING
, Frame Drums, Mbira, Voice, Overtones, Riq
, Frame Drums, Voice, Riq
, Frame Drums, Voice, Riq

With special guests , rhythm vocalist, and , Indian bamboo flute

Silkroad artist and percussionist Shane Shanahan returns to 海角社区 with his long-time mentor, percussion master Glen Velez, exploring the universal link between rhythm and spirituality. A four-time Grammy Award winner, Velez is regarded as a leading figure in the modern frame drum movement. Velez鈥檚 virtuosic combinations of hand movements, finger techniques, along with his original compositional style, which incorporates stepping, drum language and Central Asian Overtone singing (split-tone singing), has undoubtedly opened new possibilities for musicians around the globe. Shanahan and Velez are joined by percussionist Yousif Sheronick, rhythm vocalist Loire Cotler and Raman Kalyan, a leading flautist in the Indian Carnatic style, in an hour-long presentation with conversation and excerpts from Velez鈥檚 1989 composition Doctrine of Signatures, a seminal work that inspired John Cage to compose for Velez.听听听听

HANDANCE WORKSHOP with Glen Velez and guests immediately following (60 minutes)
Open to percussionists of all levels. Free registration with ticket purchase; space is limited.


Two photos side by side. One is of a woman wearing a bright pink shirt leaning over a large harp and looking towards the ceiling as if dreaming. The other photo is of a man looking straight into the camera standing in front of black and white artwork hanging on a wall.

In Progress: An Evening with Maeve Gilchrist and Kevork Mourad

March 1, 2022, 7 pm听
Brooks Concert Hall
$10//general, $10//海角社区 faculty & staff, $5//students

Famed Scottish harpist and prominent Syrian-Armenian visual artist return to 海角社区 for a creative residency that builds on their first-time collaboration under Silkroad (鈥淗ow the Knot Binds,鈥 presented virtually in Fall 2020). This latest residency offers the artists dedicated time and space to delve further into an exploration of connections between their respective cultural heritages. At the end of their time together, they will come together onstage to share their work-in-progress, with lively conversation on the nature of their collaboration and creative process.

Three men and a woman, all in denim, sitting outside on a bench smiling and looking into the camera. One holds a stringed instrument.

Las Cafeteras: Bridging Music, Activism, Community

March 24, 2022, 7:30 pm听
Hogan Ballroom听
$25//general, $10//海角社区 faculty & staff, $5//students

Born and raised east of the Los Angeles river, are remixing roots music and telling modern day stories. Their Afro-Mexican beats, rhythms, and rhymes deliver inspiring lyrics that document stories of a community seeking love and justice in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Using traditional Son Jarocho instruments, Las Cafeteras sing in English, Spanish, and Spanglish and add a remix of sounds, from rock to hip-hop to rancheras. Las Cafeteras use music as a vehicle to build bridges among different cultures and communities, and create 鈥榓 world where many worlds fit鈥.

 A man鈥檚 face and outstretched hands emerge from a wall of pink flowers. He is playing a tambourine.

Cyro Baptista & the Banquet of Spirits
Sounds of Community

April 3, 2022, 3 pm听
Jean McDonough Arts Center BrickBox
$25//general, $10//海角社区 faculty & staff, $5//students

鈥淚 don鈥檛 even think of him as a percussionist, because he is so much his own personality that it almost transcends any percussion instrument he could be playing.鈥
- Yo-Yo Ma

One of the premiere percussionists on the planet, Cyro Baptista leads his winsome quartet on a virtuosic trek through myriad musics of the world. Washed out surf rock splashes, blazing hardbop solos, breathtaking West African harping, exquisite Brazilian rhythms 鈥 the sounds all coalesce into a carnivalesque stew of joy and irreverence as these four astonishing players draw on sounds and instruments from around the globe to create utterly unique combinations.

A veteran of stage and studio work with the likes of Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, Trey Anastasio (of Phish),听John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Cassandra Wilson, Sting, the New York Philharmonic, the Kennedy Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and many others, Baptista is one of the most sought-after players around. His visionary approach to music-making stresses inclusion, community and pushing past boundaries, while remaining refreshingly fun and totally accessible.

As part of his week-long residency at the 海角社区, Cyro Baptista leads workshops with a variety of community groups and participants, using everyday objects as well as traditional instruments. This performance is the culmination of the residency and includes community participation.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

Calling all community musicians with diverse musical & cultural traditions and music enthusiasts!

Hosted by Arts Transcending Borders at the 海角社区, renowned Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista arrives at JMAC/Worcester PopUp to lead Sounds of Community workshops, building towards a final performance at the JMAC/Brickbox with Baptista鈥檚 winsome quartet, the Banquet of Spirits, and community participants.听His technique of using his body, spare parts of kitchenware, anything that鈥檚 out of the ordinary and traditional instruments, makes his workshops a truly unique and entertaining experience.

Free and open to the public. 听Sign up for the workshops

Kick-Off: Sounds of Community Workshop with Cyro Baptista
Tuesday, March 29, 6-8 PM

JMAC Worcester PopUp

Sounds of Community Workshop
Friday, April 1, 6-8 PM

JMAC Worcester PopUp

Family Music Day with Cyro Baptista
Saturday, April 2, 10 AM鈥12 PM

JMAC Worcester PopUp

From spare car parts and kitchenware to a wild assortment of recycled materials, legendary percussionist Cyro Baptista uses everyday objects and traditional instruments to bring participants together in rediscovering the most ancient form of communication 鈥 sound. Join us for a family-friendly workshop and exploration of the immensely rich musical world of one of the premier percussionists on the planet.

For families with kids ages 5 & up

Brazialin percussionist Cyro Baptista playing the berimbau

This residency is funded in part by awards from the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies; the Worcester Arts Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency; and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Disclaimer: The Worcester PopUp at the JMAC is a creative co-working space of the Worcester Cultural Coalition and in partnership with The Barr Foundation. This event does not necessarily reflect the views of either organization.

Logos of funders
Portrait of artist outdoors in front of her artwork

Conversation with Sneha Shrestha (a.k.a IMAGINE)听

April 21, 2022, 4:30 pm听
Rehm Library
Free

IMAGINE (aka Sneha Shrestha) is a Nepali artist who incorporates her native language and meshes the aesthetics of Sanskrit scriptures with graffiti influences. She has shown her meditative works in several exhibitions, commissioned works and public walls around the world from Kathmandu to Boston. Her show 鈥淢indful Mandalas鈥 was on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her newest work is a thirty-foot sculpture commissioned by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum currently on view. She was recognized by WBUR as one of the 25 millennial artists of color impacting Boston. Shrestha鈥檚 work is held in the private collections of Facebook, Google and Fidelity Investments. Sneha is also an educator and social entrepreneur. She established Nepal鈥檚 first Children鈥檚 Art Museum to provide a creative space where children and youth can develop 21st century skills through project based art experiences. Sneha received her Master鈥檚 from Harvard University. Besides creating larger than life murals and paintings, Sneha passionately supports Asian art by working as the Arts Program Manager at the South Asia Institute at Harvard.

Co-sponsored by the Department of Visual Arts, Cantor Art Gallery and Arts Transcending Borders

Arts Transcending Borders鈥 2021-2022 programming is supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, Greater Worcester Community Foundation and the Worcester Arts Council.

Fall 2021

Poster image showing silhouette of Gwendolyn Brooks


Manual Cinema: No Blue Memories

September 3-5, 2021听
Free, streaming on demand听
here to receive the link


鈥檚 No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks brings to life the story of one of Chicago鈥檚 most beloved figures. She was an icon, a poet laureate, and a Pulitzer Prize winner鈥攂ut she was also a treasured educator and mentor to the countless writers and children who knew her as their very own 鈥淢iss Brooks.鈥 Weaving together poetry, storytelling, sound design, original music, and striking visuals, No Blue Memories is an exploration of Brooks鈥 beloved city and a story of how she navigated identity, craft, and politics over the course of one of the most remarkable careers in American literary history. The performance combines intricate paper puppetry, live actors working in shadow, and an original score for an unforgettable multimedia experience.

Featuring a screenplay by Eve L. Ewing and Nate Marshall of听听and with music by听听and听, No Blue Memories was commissioned by the Poetry Foundation for the Brooks Centenary and premiered in Chicago in November, 2017.

Collage of Johnny Gandelsman, Osvaldo Golijov and Jan Muller-Szeraws

On Bach: Johnny Gandelsman, violin, Jan M眉ller-Szeraws, cello
with composer Osvaldo Golijov

October 4, 12 pm
Free, streaming live on YouTube听

to receive the link

Come hear a lunchtime concert & conversation on J.S. Bach featuring violinist Johnny Gandelsman, founding member of Brooklyn Rider and a member of the Silkroad Ensemble; cellist Jan M眉ller-Szeraws, artist-in-residence in the department of music, and composer Osvaldo Golijov, Loyola Professor of Music.

Co-sponsored with the Department of Music

Image of Johnny Gandelsman holding his violin

Johnny Gandelsman, violin
This is America

October 5, 7:30 pm
Hogan Ballroom
$25//general, $10//HC faculty & staff, $5//students

"...sparklingly personal Bach, shorn of grandeur, lofted by a spirit of dance, and as predictable as the flight of a swallow." --听The Boston Globe

A founding member of Brooklyn Rider and a member of the Silkroad Ensemble, Grammy-award winning violinist and producer Johnny Gandelsman returns to 海角社区 with a solo program featuring J.S. Bach鈥檚 Cello Suite No. 3 on the violin and selections from 鈥淭his Is听America,鈥 a new commissioning and recording project featuring over twenty new works for solo violin, written by American and US-based artists.

As we live through a time of disruption and disconnection, with COVID-19, the recent US election, deep polarization, entrenched systemic racism and police brutality, it is clear that the years 2020 and 2021 will be seared in our collective memories for a long time. Developed in response to this turbulent period in history and commissioned by twenty presenters in eleven states and Washington DC, 鈥淭his is听America鈥 celebrates听America's rich cultural tapestry and its myriad perspectives, thoughts and ideas, offering a vivid counterpoint to the idea that this land can be understood through a singular, dominant point of view. Each composition in the anthology reflects on the current state of American society in a personal and intimate way, looking through an unflinching lens at universal topics like separation, loneliness, hope and love.

Terence Blanchard playing the trumpet, with the Turtle Island Quartet visible in the background

Absence: Terence Blanchard feat. The E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet

October 21, 7:30 pm
Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester

$25//general, $10//HC faculty & staff, $5//students (Limited availability)

鈥淛azz is a fighter. The word 'jazz' means to me, 'I dare you. Let's jump into the unknown!鈥欌 Wayne Shorter

In Absence, 2018 USA Fellow, Oscar nominee, and five-time GRAMMY庐-winning trumpeter & composer Terence Blanchard celebrates both the brilliance of jazz master Wayne Shorter鈥檚 legacy and the inspiration he has given Blanchard, influencing his ever-expanding amalgam of music and storytelling.

For this monumental task, Blanchard unites his internationally acclaimed band The E-Collective, featuring young musical pioneers Charles Altura听on guitar,听Fabian Almazan听on piano and synthesizers,听Oscar Seaton听on drums, and听David 鈥淒J鈥 Ginyard听on bass, with the double-GRAMMY庐-winning Turtle Island Quartet.

Wayne Shorter鈥檚 evolution as an artist is vast & unending. Performing with and composing for Art Blakey鈥檚 Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis Second Great Quintet naturally led to the formation of his own legendary groups鈥攆irst Weather Report, then his musically unparalleled quartet. With Shorter鈥檚 career now focused solely on composing, his musical greatness has set the table for his prot茅g茅 to carry his music forward to the next generation.

The repertoire will include arrangements of Shorter鈥檚 original work, including 鈥淒iana鈥 from Native Dancer and 鈥淲hen It Was Now鈥 from Weather Report鈥檚 1982 self-titled release. Blanchard鈥檚 compositions will continue to expand on the reservoir of E-Collective tunes, utilizing a string quartet that is uniquely equipped for the full range of color and expression of the Blanchard sonic & stylistic sphere. Original compositions from the band include new contributions from Almazan, and for the first time on a recording, Ginyard. A heart-stopping string quartet work titled 鈥淪econd Wave,鈥 written by Turtle Island鈥檚 own David Balakrishnan, perfectly rounds out the recording. ABSENCE will be released by Blue Note in late August, coinciding with Blanchard鈥檚 second opera, Fire Shut Up In My Bones opening the Metropolitan Opera鈥檚 season. This new album honors the past, present and future of Wayne Shorter.

This event is held in conjunction with the Presidential听Inauguration of Vincent Rougeau, 33rd听president听of the 海角社区.

Dancers from Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company with audiences visible in the background, everyone is masked

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company: Afterwardsness

October 27, 5 pm and 8 pm
Blaney Gym, Luth Athletic Complex
Tickets: $25//general, $10//HC faculty & staff, $5//students
Get tickets for the or

Legendary choreographer Bill T. Jones brings his moving new work Afterwardsness to 海角社区 for a memorable and immersive artistic experience. The title, a Freudian term, comes very close to describing Jones鈥 state of mind when offered a commission to create a socially-distanced work at this particular collective moment. In some ways, the title parodies Jones鈥 (and many others鈥) desire to have reached an end point to our twin pandemics: COVID-19 and on-going violence against Black bodies.

Afterwardsness places the audience in an immersive space with the dancers and musicians directly on the gym floor. A poignant musical score crafted by musical director Pauline Kim Harris in collaboration with composer/vocalist/instrumentalist Holland Andrews heightens the performance. Excerpts from Olivier Messiaen鈥檚 great war-time composition Quartet for the End of Time and an original piece by Kim Harris paying homage to George Floyd set the tone for this profound experience.

Originally commissioned and produced by Park Avenue Armory,听New York

Spring 2021

ATB HomeStage:
A virtual window into music, performance and art with dynamic exchanges with the artists behind the works

STATE VS. NATASHA BANINA
An Online Interactive Performance
Thursday, February听11, 4:30 pm
Live on Zoom, sign up for the ATB newsletter to receive the link


A woman with dark hair and grayed out complexion offers a handful of beads to the viewer while smiling.Performed live by Darya Denisova (2020 Elliot Norton Award-winner for Outstanding Actress) 鈥淪tate vs. Natasha Banina鈥 unfolds as a Russian teenager tells the story of her life in a small-town orphanage and the crime of passion that landed her inside the 鈥淶oom courtroom.鈥 As she appeals to you, the jury, Natasha shares her dreams of love, family and her future. Is Natasha guilty of manslaughter? You decide her fate. 听

Arlekin Players Theatre鈥檚 鈥淪tate vs. Natasha Banina鈥 is based on 鈥淣atasha鈥檚 Dream鈥 by Russian playwright Yaroslava Pulinovich. A New York Times Critic鈥檚 Pick, this is Zoom as you鈥檝e never seen it before: theatre for our time, made for the new virtual landscape.听

The performance will be immediately followed by a talkback with the artists moderated by Lynn Kremer, Professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance and Distinguished Professor of Humanities.

Photo by Igor Golyak

KEVORK MOURAD IN RESIDENCE
February 22 - March 4

Kevork Mourad bends over a table, drawing. Images of his work in black and white are visible in the background.Known for his spontaneous drawing technique and collaborations with performing artists, Kevork Mourad, printmaker and installation artist, will work with students to build Memory Gates on site in the Cantor Art Gallery. Based on themes of place and memory, the piece will be an immersive series of doors and passages through which visitors can travel, and will take shape as the artist interacts with the 海角社区 community.

Gallery as Studio: ArtBreak with Kevork Mourad
Check in virtually 鈳幆or in person鈳幆 with artist Kevork Mourad as he creates the site-specific installation work Memory Gates. Ask questions and listen as he describes his spontaneous drawing and printmaking techniques. All are welcome to join virtually; in person attendance is limited and restricted to members of the 海角社区 community.

听 听 听Thurs., February听25 | 12 - 12:45 p.m.

听 听 听Fri., February听26 | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. 听 听 听 听

听 听 听Tues., March听2 | 12 - 12:45 p.m.

Co-sponsored with听the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery

Photo by Connie Tsang

THE HARPWEAVER
Thursday, March 25, 4:30 pm
Streaming on YouTube,

Maeve Gilchrist, Celtic harp
Featuring the Aizuri Quartet

Maeve Gilchrist sits on a ladder next to a harpAn acclaimed harpist and member of the Silkroad Ensemble, Maeve Gilchrist presents selections from her latest release, 鈥淭he Harpweaver,鈥 featuring the Grammy-nominated Aizuri Quartet. Drawing inspiration from 鈥淭he Ballad of the Harpweaver鈥 by 1923 Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, the suite of music weaves a rich textural soundscape that illuminates her roots as a traditional folk musical through the prism of luscious string parts. The album evokes a sense of nostalgia, the catharsis of familiar sounds and words that bring a sense of connection, possibility and joy. 听Hailing originally from Edinburgh, Gilchrist blends original compositions and traditional Irish and Scottish music into a richly imaginative world.

MANUAL CINEMA:听Ada/Ava

Available on demand from April 8 at 4:30 pm-April 11 at 11:59 pm ET

On demand on YouTube,

5 members of Manual Cinema stand around an overhead projectorIn Ada/Ava, Chicago-based Manual Cinema use exquisite storytelling, handmade shadow puppets, live-action silhouettes and innovative cinematic techniques to create an immersive, richly detailed world. Set in gothic New England, Ada/Ava uses a story of the fantastic and supernatural to explore mourning and melancholy, self and other. Bereaved of her twin sister Ava, septuagenarian Ada solitarily marks time in the patterns of a life built for two. However, a traveling carnival and a trip to a mirror maze plunges her - and you - into a journey across the thresholds of life and death.

The screening will be followed by bonus material featuring听a behind-the-scenes look at the production with co-artistic director Sarah Fornace.

MASARY STUDIOS:听Massively Distributed

Submit compositions by听April 16 to be displayed in an on-campus projection in late April

Altered image of sea urchin cells with the text Massively DistributedStart composing at

Massively Distributed is a site specific projected art piece and multimedia instrument created by . Referential to a drum pad and beat sequencer, allows anyone to create fresh audio/visual compositions that will be projected on a building facade on campus in late April.

Massively Distributed at 海角社区 is created in collaboration with the Natural World Cluster of the Montserrat program at the College. First-year students and professors in the cluster recorded and sent MASARY hundreds of sound and visual samples. From the crunchy sound of stepping into the snow to the visual images of our beautiful campus, the samples are the site-specific content that drives this piece.听

The 海角社区 campus community, alumni, friends, and family are invited to use the app to create their own multimedia compositions through April 16 and submit to a database. MASARY will aggregate all submissions into 鈥渕eta-compositions,鈥 creating longer pieces from our community's submissions. The final result will be presented via large scale video projection outdoors on the 海角社区 campus in late April; time and place to be announced.

Spring 2021听Arts Transcending Borders听programming is generously underwritten听by听Trudie and Cornelius B. Prior, Jr., Esq. '56.

Fall 2020

Announcing ATB HomeStage:
A virtual window into music, performance and art with dynamic exchanges with the artists behind the works

Fall 2020 Arts Transcending Borders听programming is generously underwritten听by听Trudie and Cornelius B. Prior, Jr., Esq. '56.

OPEN STUDIO WITH KEVORK MOURAD
Thursday, September 10, 4:30 pm
Live on YouTube

Silkroad percussionists in performanceHosted by Cristi Rinklin, Professor and Chair, Visual Arts

Join us live for a tour of acclaimed Syrian-Armenian visual artist Kevork Mourad鈥檚 Brooklyn studio and discover his current projects, with a window into his process, signature techniques he employs in drawing, printmaking and animation, and his intricate, multi-layered works.


This event is the first in a virtual series with Kevork Mourad in conjunction with an anticipated installation project in the Cantor Art Gallery at the 海角社区 in Spring 2021.

Co-sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders and the Cantor Art Gallery

MARTHA REDBONE & AARON WHITBY
Thursday, October 8, 4:30 pm
Live on YouTube

Picture of Martha Redbone and Aaron WhitbyOne of today鈥檚 most vital voices in American roots music, Martha Redbone and her artistic & life partner Aaron Whitby return to ATB following an unforgettable appearance with BoneHill: The Concert in 2018. Be among the first to hear songs from a new work-in-progress Redbone and Whitby are creating as part of the Artistic Instigators series at the New York Theater Workshop. This song cycle is a reflection on our lives under the pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement and climate change in contrast to the Spanish Flu pandemic, the women鈥檚 suffrage movement and the racial tensions of the early 1900s.

BLACK SPRING: Music &听Activism with Samora Pinderhughes
Wednesday, October 14, 7 pm
Live on YouTube

Image of Samora PinderhughesJoin us live in conversation and performance with Juilliard-trained pianist, songwriter and vocalist Samora Pinderhughes who will share songs from his new EP Black Spring released back in April. The project is inspired by the revolutionary energy of 1960s songwriters, and looks to reflect the questions and anger that people are feeling during these times of uncertainty and chaos. The title describes an energy of uprising: a time for action, a time for flourishing and moving forward with revolutionary spirit.听

In Conversation: AND STILL YOU MUST SWING
Thursday, October 22, 4:30 pm
Live on YouTube

Stage shot from And Still You Must SwingLast seen on campus in a captivating exploration of the percussive world of tap and Indian Kathak traditions, tap luminary Dormeshia turns her attention to the origins of her dance form in And Still You Must Swing. Hailed as 鈥渢he most moving dance show of the year鈥 by The New York Times, the show captures the heart and legacy of tap dance, and honors the jazz roots of this American art form.听

Dormeshia is joined live in conversation by life-long friends & collaborators Derick K. Grant and Jason Samuels Smith, along with guest artist Camille A. Brown. With highlights from the performance, together they delve into all things tap, entwined with American social, cultural and racial history.

FRAGMENTS: SILKROAD RETURNS
Thursday, October 29, 4:30 pm
Live on YouTube

Silkroad EnsembleDon鈥檛 miss this chance to hear brand new works by pairs of Silkroad artists who collaborated over the course of a month from a distance 鈥 sometimes across continents. Yet another avenue for Silkroad to build bridges across traditions, these brief works are both a reflection of life in the time of a global pandemic and a celebration of creativity that brings us together. Join the artists in a lively conversation as they share high quality video of their creations and reflect on drawing inspiration from city soundscapes and elaborate knotwork of Celtic and Armenian traditions, on letting go and the therapeutic process of creating together.

THE MIGRATION OF MEMORY: THE ART OF KEVORK MOURAD
Thursday, November 12, 4:30 pm
Live on YouTube

Kevork Mourad sits cross-legged inside a layered sculpture of white fabric and printed ink.
In his extraordinary practice, Syrian artist Kevork Mourad creates and projects drawings live in concert alongside musicians, such as members of the Silkroad Ensemble. His work explores a wide range of issues, including personal and cultural memory, the ways in which memory is inscribed in architectural spaces, the plight of refugees and survivors of genocide, and, perhaps most importantly, the possibility of our finding one another amid the cultural and political differences that so often divide us. 听Mourad's work is thus animated by an abiding hope that, through art and artful collaboration, we can rediscover the deep history and shared humanity that binds us together.

In anticipation of the artist鈥檚 Spring 2021 ATB residency where he will create an installation in the College鈥檚 Cantor Art Gallery, join us for a live conversation featuring Mourad, composer and recent collaborator Osvaldo Golijov, Loyola Professor of Music, and Meredith Fluke, Director of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery. Moderated by Mark Freeman, Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society.

Co-sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders and Cantor Art Gallery

Spring 2020

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE: PERCUSSION ALL-STARS
Tuesday, January 28, 7:30 pm

Brooks Concert Hall

Silkroad percussionists in performanceSilkroad's three-year exploration of curiosity, difference, and the arts in partnership with 海角社区 continues with a concert that will explore the rich history and creativity that exists within the percussion world. Experience instruments, rhythms, and melodies from along the Silk Road and beyond, including Japan, India, Central Asia, the Middle East, Peru, Cuba, Africa, and America. In an evening highlighting the percussionists of the Silkroad Ensemble, get to know the artists and the works they鈥檝e selected in the intimate Brooks Concert Hall. The performance will also feature a new work commissioned by Silkroad and written by composer, arranger, and bassist extraordinaire, Edward P茅rez. More>>

Silkroad Ensemble's multi-year residency at the 海角社区 is supported by Trudie and Cornelius B. Prior, Jr., Esq. '56.

LAS CAFETERAS - Cancelled
Tuesday, March 24, 7:30 pm

Hogan Ballroom

Las Cafeteras musicians point at the camera while holding instruments.Due to COVID-19 precautions at the College, Arts Transcending Borders is cancelling all remaining events through the end of the Spring 2020 semester.听

Born and raised east of the Los Angeles river, Las Cafeteras are remixing roots music and telling modern day stories. Their Afro-Mexican beats, rhythms, and rhymes deliver inspiring lyrics that document stories of a community seeking love and justice in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Using traditional Son Jarocho instruments, Las Cafeteras sing in English, Spanish, and Spanglish and add a remix of sounds, from rock to hip-hop to rancheras. Las Cafeteras use music as a vehicle to build bridges among different cultures and communities, and create 鈥榓 world where many worlds fit鈥. More>>

RUBBERBAND:听Vic's Mix - Cancelled
Tuesday, April 14, 7:30 pm

Fenwick Theatre

Due to COVID-19 precautions at the College, Arts Transcending Borders is cancelling all remaining events through the end of the Spring 2020 semester.

鈥溾 judicious blend of street dance, Hip Hop, classical ballet, and contemporary dance, with even a few circus acrobatics added in鈥︹ 鈥揟he Huffington Post听


Los Angeles native Victor Quijada brings together contemporary听dance composition and west coast hip-hop like no one before him. Bursting onto the scene with his Montreal-based company in 2002, Quijada uprooted the boundaries of contemporary dance, creating a singular language of his own. Vic鈥檚 Mix blends musical and choreographic genres, urban and classical dance, tension and humor into a 鈥渂est-of鈥 showcase of a decade and a half of Quijada鈥檚 innovation for RUBBERBAND. More>>

Fall听2019

A CONVERSATION WITH TAYLOR MAC
Sunday, September 15, 5 pm

Brooks Concert Hall

Taylor Mac headshotTAYLOR MAC听who uses 鈥渏udy鈥 (lowercase听sic听unless at the start of a sentence, just like a regular听pronoun),听not as a name听but as a gender pronoun鈥攊s a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance听artist, director and producer. 听 Judy鈥檚 work听has been performed in听hundreds of venues including on Broadway and in New York鈥檚 Town Hall, Lincoln听Center, Celebrate Brooklyn, and Playwrights Horizons, as well as London鈥檚听Hackney Empire and Barbican, D.C.鈥檚 Kennedy Center, Los听Angeles鈥檚 Royce Hall听and Ace Theater (through the Center for the Art of Performance), Chicago鈥檚 Steppenwolf听Theatre, the Sydney Opera House, The Melbourne Festival (Forum Theater),听Stockholm鈥檚 Sodra Theatern, the Spoleto Festival, and San听Francisco鈥檚 Curran听Theater and MOMA. More>>


Moderated by Scott Malia, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance听
In conjunction with Mac鈥檚 听A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged)

Livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced at 5pm EDT (New York) / 4 pm CDT (Chicago) / 2 pm PDT (Los Angeles).

TAYLOR MAC
A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged)
Monday, September 16, 7:30 pm

Fenwick Theatre

Taylor Mac performs on stageA 24-Decade History of Popular Music is MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize finalist Taylor Mac's subjective history of America since its founding in 1776. Originally performed as a one-time 24-hour event, this abridged version is a highly immersive and outrageously entertaining crash course in the 240 years (and counting) of the history of American culture and dysfunction. Told from the perspective of groups whose stories are often "forgotten, dismissed, or buried," the show highlights various musical styles and artistic voices ranging from murder ballads to disco, Walt Whitman to David Bowie and beyond. Joined by longtime collaborator, Music Director and Arranger, Matt Ray and an incomparable band, Mac appears on stage decked and bedazzled in gloriously irreverent regalia for a night that is "Startlingly unique...a must see for anyone who wants to see a kinder, gentler society." (Huffington Post)听 More听禄

Funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies

Co-sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Dance and the W. Arthur Garrity Sr. Professorship in Human Nature, Ethics and Society; and by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE RESIDENCY
Community Jam Session
Tuesday, September 24, 6:30 pm

Worcester PopUp (20 Franklin St., Worcester)

Community members dance during a Jam Session with SilkroadCalling all community musicians with diverse musical and cultural traditions! Join us for a free-flowing evening of music making and cultural exchange with members of Silkroad. We encourage you to bring along a simple tune from your tradition you'd like to share, but you are welcome to just show up with your instrument and join in!

Founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, Silkroad creates music that engages difference, sparking radical cultural collaboration and passion-driven learning to build a more hopeful world. The musicians of the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble represent dozens of artistic traditions and nationalities, and appear in many configurations and settings. This event is part of Silkroad's three-year 海角社区 residency exploring the roles that passion and art can play in learning.听 More听禄

A reception with light refreshments will follow

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE RESIDENCY
Lunchtime Concert
Friday, September 27, 12:30 pm

Hogan Oval (Rain location: Brooks Concert Hall)

Silkroad musicians perform at 海角社区Join us for a short lunchtime performance by Silkroad artists and guests as part of the Festival of the Arts at 海角社区, a day of arts immersion for high school students from Worcester Public Schools.

This event is part of Silkroad's three-year 海角社区 residency exploring the roles that passion and art can play in learning.听 More听禄

ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH
Otto Frank (New Work)
Tuesday, October 22, 7:30 pm

Seelos Theater

Roger Guenveur Smith in performanceIn a new solo, stage and screen actor, director and writer Roger Guenveur Smith navigates an intimate odyssey inspired by Otto Frank, the father of diarist Anne Frank. Smith's performance of this tragic and triumphant history is distinguished by archival immersion, physical narrative, and improvisation, signatures of his astonishing work for the stage and screen.

How does one negotiate loss? And in what currency?
Does our devotion to the dead preclude our commitment to the living?

Smith interrogates our present American moment through a rigorous view of our not-so-distant past. Scored by Smith's longtime collaborator, Marc Anthony Thompson.听 More听禄

Post-performance: Artist Q&A moderated by Edward Isser, Associate Dean of the Performing Arts听 |听 Onstage

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE
Falling Out of Time,
a song cycle by Osvaldo Golijov (World Premiere)
Thursday, October 31, 7:30 pm
Brooks Concert Hall

Silkroad EnsembleThree years ago, Osvaldo Golijov sat down on a park bench in Tel Aviv to read David Grossman's Falling Out of Time. Part play, part poem, part fable, the book narrates a journey "out of time" as parents grieve the death of their child, a quest to comprehend a loss with no name.

Osvaldo Golijov's exquisite and nuanced interpretation of the story portrays a musical, mythical walk that traverses vast and varied emotional landscapes to finally arrive at a place where breathing is again possible. Drawing on Grossman's powerful text, Osvaldo has conceived this song cycle for the Silkroad Ensemble, the collective whose delicacy of musical expression he describes as like "a harp of a thousand hairs."

Workshops for Falling Out of Time began in Fall 2017 as part of Silkroad's multi-year residency at 海角社区. This performance marks the world premiere of Falling Out of Time, which will be followed by a national tour.听 More听禄

Silkroad Ensemble's three-year residency at the 海角社区 is supported by Trudie and Cornelius B. Prior, Jr., Esq. '56.

Spring听2019


An Evening with Silkroad, featuring Golijov's Falling Out of Time
Work-in-progress reading
January 23, 2019, 7:30 pm
Brooks Concert Hall

Three years ago, sat down on a park bench in Tel Aviv to read Falling Out of Time, Israeli writer David Grossman's genre-defying exploration of grief and loss. Part play, part poem, part fable, the book narrates a journey "out of time" as parents greive the death of a child, a quest to comprehend a loss with no name.听

Drawing on the English translation of the text, Osvaldo Golijov has conceived this hour-long song cycle for members of the Silkroad Ensemble. The vulnerable, exposed composition features two vocalists ( and ) and imagines the Ensemble as a magnified Blues guitar, articulating a counterpoint of tender rage and raw intimacy impossible in an orchestra.

In a form that he calls an "epic lament" and in a voice that draws on the musical and narrative roots of the early Delta Blues and the ballads of Central Asia, he gives new expression to the notion that, as Edward Hirsch writes in his New York Times review of the book, "Grief is democratic. It crosses barriers and strikes at will."

The song cycle听鈥 which began workshops in Fall 2017 and will premiere in Fall 2019听鈥 expresses a timeless, universal experience in a musical mode that itself rejects barriers, examining the nuances of grief in a voice that transcends borders.

Jam Session with Silkroad
January 24, 2019, 6 pm
Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St, Worcester

Calling all community musicians with diverse musical and cultural traditions! Join us for a free-flowing evening of music making and cultural exchange with members of Silkroad. We encourage you to bring along a simple tune from your tradition you'd like to share, but you are welcome to just show up with your instrument and join in!

FREE听 |听 Open to the public. A reception with light refreshments will follow.

Ronald K. Brown with members of Evidence, A Dance Company
Lecture/Demonstration
February 4, 2019, 7:30 pm
The Pit

Ronald K. Brown and his company Evidence have deeply moved audiences for over 30 years, and are praised for a sophisticated amalgam of Afrocentric movement and modern dance" that often makes "spirituality...something vibrant and transformative" (Los Angeles Times).

Brown and dancers from Evidence kick off a Spring 2019 residency at 海角社区 with a lecture-demonstration, sharing Brown's exquisitely crafted, spiritual blend of African, modern, Caribbean and social dance styles.

As part of a Spring 2019 creative residency with Ronald K. Brown听听|听 Learn More听禄

Agape Latte: Ronald K. Brown
March 13, 2019, 7:30 pm

Dinand Library Levis Browsing Room

Agape Latte is a series of events organized by the 海角社区 Student Government Association and campus co-sponsors to explore the intersection of life and spirituality. Arts Transcending Borders artist-in-residence Ronald K. Brown shares insights on his life's journey, spirituality and expression of that purpose through dance.

FREE听听|听 Open to the public.

Community Dance Workshops with Ronald K. Brown

Ronald K. Brown and his company Evidence have deeply moved audiences for over 30 years, and are praised for a "sophisticated amalgam of Afrocentric movement and modern dance" that often makes "spirituality...something vibrant and transformative" (Los Angeles Times).

This is a great opportunity to learn about his blend of modern dance technique with West African movements including traditional and social dance forms from US, Senegal, Cuba and Ivory Coast. No dance experience is needed; just an open heart!听

FREE听听|听 Open to the public. All ages, no dance experience is needed.
Please wear sneakers and comfortable clothing.
The workshops will build towards a final showcase and celebration with student and community participants on April 23, 2019. Repeat participation is highly encouraged.

Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes
The Transformations Suite
March 28, 2019, 7:30 pm
Brooks Concert Hall

"Wonderful...an absolutely gorgeous piece of music. A huge undertaking; a nuanced, delicate, and powerful perspective on heavy and important topics."听鈥擜nna Deavere Smith

Continuing in the tradition of artists like Bob Marley, Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday, and Tupac Shakur, Samora Pinderhughes' The Transformations Suite paints a musical picture of the current state of social inequality and injustice in the United States and beyond. Moving through five sections鈥擳ransformation, History, Cycles, Momentum (parts 1 and 2), and Ascension鈥攖he suite connects contemporary issues such as the prison industrial complex and the Black Lives Matter movement with the history of revolutionary movements of color as it builds a bridge between the past and future. Lyrics are drawn from original poems by actor and poet Jeremie Harris, as well as Pinderhughes, Saul Williams, and Tupac Shakur.听听More听禄

Kevork Mourad
In residence April 1-5, 2019

Kevork Mourad is internationally acclaimed for his fusion of printmaking, animation, and collaborative performance that bears witness to painful and continuing histories. His work is an act of remembering and a profound expression of creativity in the face of tragedy.

This week-long residency marks Mourad's third engagement with Arts Transcending Borders. In 2017, for the performance Home Within, he collaborated with Syrian composer/clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, art and music developing in juxtaposition to create an impressionistic reflection on Syria's recent history. In the Fall of 2018, Mourad returned to campus as part of the residency of Silkroad Ensemble, of which he is a member. During this residency, Mourad will lead students in a collaborative project that builds on the College's Engage Summit and explores the 2018-2019 ATB theme, Healing.听 Learn More听禄

Movement at 海角社区: Dance & Community Celebration
海角社区 Academic Conference 2019
April 23, 2019, 5:30 pm
Hogan Oval (Rain Location: Hogan Ballroom)

Showcase and celebration led by choreographer Ronald K. Brown, ATB Spring '19 Artist-in-Residence, and featuring the Modern Dance and Ballet 3-4 classes along with community participants. More 禄

FREE听听|听 Open to the public. A reception will follow the performance.

In collaboration with the Department of Theatre and Dance and Academic Conference 2019

Fall 2018鈥

Silkroad Ensemble: Perspectives on Arts & Healing
September 19, 2018, 10 am
Brooks Concert Hall

Silkroad artists Danny Mekonnen, Kinan Azmeh, Kevork Mourad, Mazz Swift, Cristina Pato, Hadi Eldebek, and Shane Shanahan will share their varying perspectives on how they each use their art to heal themselves and in connection to others. This will include discussions of Home Within, a multi-media work developed by Kinan and Kevork to address the traumas of the Syrian conflict, Cristina Pato's My Lethe Story, a musical composition dealing with the tragedy of memory loss, as well as work carried out by the artists in public schools and prisons.

Free听听|听 RSVP requested.

An Evening with Silkroad, featuring Home Within
September 20, 2018, 7:30 pm
Seelos Theater

This evening marks the start of the second year of Silkroad's residency at the College, a three-year exploration of curiosity, difference, and the arts. At the center of this presentation is Home Within, an audio-visual performance originally conceived by Silkroad artists Kinan Azmeh and Kevork Mourad. Kinan, a composer and clarinetist from Damascus, Syria, and Kevork, a visual artist born in Kamechli, Syria, create an impressionistic reflection on the Syrian revolution and its aftermath. Rather than follow a narrative, the artists document specific moments in Syria's recent history, using the counterpoint between image and sound to establish an abstract, emotional accounting of home in a time of conflict. More听禄

An Evening with Roger Guenveur Smith
October 2, 2018, 7 pm
Seelos Theater

Global Society faculty Ellen Lokos (Spanish) and Scott Malia (Theatre and Dance) lead a conversation with the acclaimed stage and screen actor Roger Guenveur Smith about his creative process through earlier stage works that draw on history (A Huey P. Newton Story, Frederick Douglas Now, Rodney King) into the work he's currently developing about Otto Frank.

Free听听|听 RSVP requested.

In collaboration with the Global Society Cluster of the Montserrat program

Rabbit Rabbit Radio presents:听Black Inscription
October 17 & 18, 2018, 7:30 pm
The Pit

Black Inscription, from Carla Kihlstedt, Matthias Bossi and Jeremy Flower, is a multimedia song cycle that follows a deep-sea diver on her Odyssean journey. Written with guidance from experts at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and brought to life by a seven-piece band fronted by three singers, the immersive performance is a symbolic, scientific, and emotional plunge into the ocean where wonder, discovery, and reckoning entwine. More听禄

Lunchtime Concert with听Kurbasy
October 29, 2018, 12 pm
Brooks Concert Hall

From Lviv, Ukraine, brings a rich trove of calendar song cycles, lullabies, and legends, tracing contemporary connections to an archaic past. Conceived and directed by the band's three actress-singers, Kurbasy's performances vibrate in tight vocal harmonies, resonant lyrics, and culturally unique instruments.

Listen & Watch

Free听听|听 RSVP requested.听

The presentation of Kurbasy is part of , a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, with support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding. General management is provided by Lisa Booth Management, Inc.

A Recitation from Memory of T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets
Performed by John Farrell
November 8, 2018, 7 pm
Rehm Library

This is a rare opportunity to hear the entirety of Eliot's poetic masterpiece, spoken live by actor and poet John Farrell, artistic director and co-founder of Figures of Speech Theatre. In 2011, with special permission from the Eliot Estate, Farrell premiered a one-man recitation of Eliot's complex, deeply moving meditation on time, memory, and the human spirit. He has since toured his performance of Four Quartets throughout the US and Canada.

Free听听|听 RSVP requested.听

Co-sponsored with the English Department and the Catholic Studies Program of the 海角社区, and with the

Figures of Speech Theatre
with 海角社区 Chamber Singers
the little match girl passion
November 15 & 16, 2018, 7:30 pm
Fenwick Theatre

In a brilliant theatrical adaptation with haunting shadow projections, masked dance, and puppetry, Maine-based Figures of Speech Theatre, in collaboration with 海角社区 Chamber Singers, brings contemporary composer David Lang's the little match girl passion to stage.

Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Lang's exquisite score recasts the H.C. Andersen classic about the suffering and death of a child in the tradition of Bach's Passion music, elevating her sorrow to a higher plane. More听禄

Spring听2018鈥

Silkroad Ensemble
February 8, 2018, 7:30 pm
Brooks Concert Hall

Founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, the Grammy award-winning Silkroad creates music that engages difference, sparking radical cultural collaboration to build a more hopeful world. The Silkroad Ensemble will present a rhythm-driven exploration of music from India, the Middle East, Spain and the Jewish diaspora. More听禄

Artist Lecture: Dawn DeDeaux
February 14, 2018, 4:30 pm
Rehm Library

Dawn DeDeaux, Mothership III THE STATION, 2014-15
Installation Entrance / Evening View,
30' and 50' truss rings, ladders, Zeppelin Series
images on aluminum, each at 4'x6'

DeDeaux has merged art with new technologies for decades to broaden art and audience engagement. Early works from the 1970s such as CB Radio Booths were works of mobility that travelled the communication systems and streets of underserved communities. Mid-career works were large-scale installations and pioneering immersive, synchronized media environments including Soul Shadows, Women Eating, and The Face of God that premiered at the 1996 Olympics. Later works, including Project Mutants, The Goddess Fortuna, and The MotherShip Series, are inspired by environmental challenges.

Works by DeDeaux have been exhibited nationwide including Whitney Museum of American Art, Armand Hammer Museum, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art of Connecticut, The Contemporary / Baltimore, Canadian Film Society of Toronto, Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, TX and a current exhibition at MASS MoCA 鈥 鈥淭humbs Up for the MotherShip鈥 鈥 on view from May 2017-October 2018. Upcoming exhibitions include a career Retrospective at New Orleans Museum of Art in 2019 and participation in the international environmental exhibition Alrededores on Chile鈥檚 Island of Chiloe in 2018.

Co-sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders, Cantor Art Gallery, and the Department of Visual Arts

FREE听| Reservations not required.

Members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company:
An informal showing of solos & duos
February 19, 2018, 5:30 pm
The Pit, Ground Floor 鈥斕齇'Kane Hall

Featuring Company dancers Christina Robson and Carlo Antonio Villanueva

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company was born in 1982 out of an eleven-year collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane (1948-1988). During this time, they redefined the duet form and foreshadowed issues of identity, form and social commentary that would change the face of American dance. The Company has performed worldwide in over 200 cities in 40 countries on every major continent and is recognized as one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the dance-theater world.

As part of a creative residency with members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, in partnership with the Dance Program of the Department of Theatre听| Learn more听禄

FREE听| Reservations not required but space is limited.

The Inverted Landscape: A conversation about environmental devastation and its impact听on home and place
March 1, 2018, 5 pm
Smith Labs 154 (Science Complex)

Daniela Rivera, Andes Inverted #1,
Oil and soil on board, 5'x9' (2016)

Two artists, an environmental activist, and a sociologist contemplate the story of loss and destruction through human-caused environmental degradation. Daina Harvey, Assistant Professor of Sociology; Cristi Rinklin, artist and Professor of Visual Arts; Daniela Rivera, artist and Associate Professor of Art, Wellesley College; and Vivian Stockman, Vice Director of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition will explore how environmental destruction of a place bears upon the psyche of its inhabitants, and how images and works of art that address these topics resonate with an audience.

Co-sponsored by the Department of Visual Arts, Environmental Studies and Arts Transcending Borders

FREE听| Reservations not required.

An Evening with Bill T. Jones
March 21, 2018, 7:30 pm
Fenwick Theatre

Recipient of a MacArthur 鈥淕enius鈥 Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, and two Tony Awards, the legendary choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones offers a public lecture as part of a creative residency led by members of his Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company at 海角社区.听

For Jones, art-making is participation in the world of ideas. In this lecture, he reflects on his 40+ year artistic journey through some of his seminal works (Last Supper at Uncle Tom鈥檚 Cabin/The Promised Land, Still/Here) to the work he is embarking on presently, The Deep Blue Sea (loosely based on the character Pip from Moby Dick). More听禄

As part of a creative residency with members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, in partnership with the Dance Program of the Department of Theatre听| Learn more听禄

An Evening with Martha Redbone听
April 2, 2018, 7听pm听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听

Brooks Concert Hall

Join us for an evening of music and conversation with the multi award-winning, charismatic songstress Martha Redbone.听听

Hailed as 鈥淎mericana鈥檚 next superstar鈥 (The Village Voice) and a 鈥渢rue original, the kind of artist who sets trends鈥 (Billboard Magazine), Redbone honors her Native American, African American and Appalachian heritage in a candid conversation about culture and identity, with musical selections that draw on a rich tapestry of Americana from folk, country, gospel, bluegrass, soul to traditional Southeastern Native American.

FREE听| RSVP requested.

Martha Redbone听 |听 Bone Hill: The Concert
April 3, 2018, 7:30 pm
Brooks Concert Hall

Martha Redbone is one of the most vital voices in American Roots music. Inspired by her family lineage in the Appalachian Mountains, Redbone and a cast of actor-musicians present an epic journey of one woman's return to her homeland. Spanning the lives and stories of four generations of women in a Cherokee family, it is a story about the family's connection to the land听鈥 the simplicity and sacredness of that connection and the ruptures that threaten to extinguish it.More听禄

Written by Martha Redbone, Aaron Whitby and Roberto Uno, with original compositions by Redbone and Whitby

Fall听2017


BANDALOOP听
September 8, 2017
4:30/5:30/6:30 pm

Hogan Campus Center Fa莽ade听

鈥淭hey say what we do is death-defying. I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 life-affirming.鈥澨
鈥 Amelia Rudolph, Founder and Artistic Director

Pioneers in vertical dance performance, BANDALOOP intertweaves听intricate choreography, dynamic physicality and climbing technology by turning the dance floor on its side, taking their performances out of the studio and onto skyscrapers, bridges, billboards, historical sites and cliff faces. Using the fa莽ade of the Hogan Campus Center as its 鈥渟tage,鈥 听 BANDALOOP will activate the first-ever Festival of the Arts at 海角社区 with three ethereal 15-minute performances on September 8.听Guests are welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the outdoor performances.

Part of Celebrate! Festival of the Arts at 海角社区

In case of inclement weather, performances will take place on Saturday, September 9, times TBD.听

The BANDALOOP residency is funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

Screening: WHOSE STREETS?
A People's Documentary听

By Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis
September 18, 2017, 4:30听pm
Hogan Center - Room 519听

Introduced by Melissa Weiner, Associate Professor of Sociology

Told by the activists and leaders who live and breathe this movement for justice, Whose Streets? is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising. When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and left lying in the street for hours, it marks a breaking point for the residents of St. Louis, Missouri. Grief, long-standing racial tensions and renewed anger bring residents together to hold vigil and protest this latest tragedy. Empowered parents, artists, and teachers from around the country come together as freedom fighters. As the national guard descends on Ferguson with military grade weaponry, these young community members become the torchbearers of a new resistance. Filmmakers Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis know this story because they have lived the story. Whose Streets? is a powerful battle cry from a generation fighting, not for their civil rights, but for the right to live.

Official Selection:
Sundance Film Festival 2017 鈥 World Premiere (U.S. Documentary Competition)
Full Frame 2017
San Francisco International Film Festival 2017


http://www.magpictures.com/whosestreets/听
http://www.whosestreets.com听

ANTIGONE IN FERGUSON
Theater of War Productions
October 1, 2017,听
2 pm
Mary Chapel (St. Joseph Chapel - Lower Level)

 Featuring听
Chinasa Ogbuagu, Zach Grenier
with Duane Foster, Marjolaine Goldsmith, Willie Woodmore

Bryan Doerries, moderator
With members of the 海角社区 Chamber Singers

What happens when personal conviction and state law clash, and violence ensues? In this groundbreaking social justice project, a dramatic reading of scenes from Sophocles鈥櫶Antigone听by acclaimed stage and screen actors serves to help bridge the growing divide between law enforcement and local communities across the US. 海角社区 choristers join members of a community choir from Ferguson, MO, where the project originated following the police killing of Michael Brown, performing the choruses of听Antigone听set to gospel music.听

Free听|听RSVP required.听

BARBARIAN NIGHTS
Compagnie Herv茅
Koubi
October 17, 2017, 7:30 pm

Robert R. Jay Performing Arts Center at Saint John鈥檚 High School, Shrewsbury, MA

6: 45 pm:听 STAGE TALK听with choreographer Herv茅 Koubi, in conversation with Jean Ouedraogo, O'Leary Chair in Francophone Studies

Drawing creative strength from his Algerian roots and Mediterranean culture, French-Algerian choreographer Herv茅 Koubi has assembled an exceptional all-male company of Algerian and West African dancers versatile in contemporary, street, and urban dance, capoeira, and martial arts. Following their astounding debut in 2015, the company has since made regular appearances with sold-out performances across the US. Arts Transcending Borders welcomes the return of the company with Barbarian Nights, or the first mornings of the world (Les Nuits Barbares, ou les premiers matins du monde), inviting the audience to revel in Koubi鈥檚 daydream about our common heritage on the shores of the Mediterranean.听

With music by Wagner, Mozart, Faure and traditional Algerian music

Venue sponsor: Saint John's High School

Compagnie Herv茅 Koubi鈥檚 residency is funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

TRIBUTE TO ISMAEL RIVERA: AN AFRO-CARIBBEAN ICON
Gonzalo Grau
October 20, 2017, 8 pm

Hogan Campus Center Ballroom

At the height of his career in the 1970s, Puerto Rican singer Ismael Rivera shared the stage with salsa greats such as Benny Mor茅, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, and revolutionized tropical music with his unique singing style and improvisational skills. Today, he is lionized in various Afro-Caribbean communities as a bastion of cultural nationalism and Pan-Africanism.

Composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Gonzalo Grau breathes new life into Ismael Rivera hits in new arrangements for a stellar ensemble, including Worcester鈥檚 own Manolo Mairena.

In conjunction with the conference 鈥Rethinking the Afropolitan: The Ethics of Black Atlantic Masculinities on Display,鈥澨齇ct. 19-21

Free听|听RSVP Required.

Spring听2017

A GUN SHOW听
Performance + Post-show discussion听
S艒 Percussion with Emily Johnson
February 9, 2017, 8 pm

Fenwick Theatre, O'Kane Hall

What is it about our collective psyche that fastens so tightly to guns?听听A Gun Show is an exploration of issues such as race, economic inequality, public safety and constitutional rights through music, text and movement. The work鈥檚 origins started as a way for the artists to process their emotions after the unfathomable school shootings in Newtown, CT but has since grown into a much larger collaborative process and conversation.

With its innovative multi-genre original productions, sensational interpretations of modern classics, and 鈥渆xhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam鈥 (The New Yorker), S艒 Percussion redefines the scope of the modern percussion ensemble. For over 15 years, this ensemble, formed by Eric Beach, Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, and Jason Treuting, has engaged in creative collaborations and released 16 albums.

Following the hour-long 听performance, members of the artistic team will be joined on stage by faculty and local leaders active in gun violence prevention efforts for a 听multi-faceted conversation around issues raised by A Gun Show. 听Sponsored by the Peace and Conflict Studies听

Funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.

ON TRANSIENCE, BEAUTY and OTHER STUFF:
Patrick Dougherty's Stickworks in Conversation听
March 22, 2017, 4:30听pm

Levis Browsing Room, Dinand Library听

, Professor of Philosophy, and , sculptor and Associate Professor of Visual Arts, invite us to take a closer look at the recently completed Stickwork sculpture by Patrick Dougherty as part of his ATB Fall '16 artist residency on campus. 听

SPEAK: Kathak and Tap Unite
March 27, 2017, 8 pm

Hogan Ballroom听

Indian Kathak dance and American tap dance, continents and ages apart, share parallel stories of struggle and perseverance. They come together in this extraordinary collaboration that is rhythm, poetry, storytelling, music and dance.听SPEAK carries forward the legacy of iconic artists like Pandit Chitresh Das, Jimmy Slide and James Buster Brown, while bringing to the forefront the voices of a new generation of female artists.听

Joined by leading Indian classical and jazz musicians, SPEAK promises to thrill, provoke and move your spirit.听

Film Screening: THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS
with post-screening Q&A with Silkroad Ensemble artists Kinan Azmeh and Kevork Mourad
April 3, 2017, 7听pm

Rehm Library, Smith Hall 听


鈥淭he intersection of cultures is where new things emerge.鈥
- Yo-Yo Ma, cellist and founder of the Silk Road Ensemble

Over the past 16 years, an extraordinary group of musicians has come together to celebrate the universal power of music. Named for the ancient trade route linking Asia, Africa and Europe, The Silk Road Ensemble, an international collective created by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, exemplifies music鈥檚 ability to blur geographical boundaries, blend disparate cultures and inspire hope for both artists and audiences.

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, the latest film from the creators of the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom and the critically-hailed Best of Enemies, follows an ever-changing lineup of performers drawn from the ensemble鈥檚 more than 50 instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they gather in locations across the world, exploring the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution.听

HOME WITHIN听
Kinan Azmeh, composer & clarinet;听
Kevork Mourad, live illustrations, visuals听
April 4, 2017, 8 pm

Seelos Theatre, Kimball Hall 听

Donations at the event will benefit refugees in Worcester resettled by

In partnership with the Chaplain's Office


A 60-minute audio-visual performance,听Home Within听is the newest project of Syrian composer and clarinetist, Kinan Azmeh (Silkroad Ensemble), and Syrian-Armenian visual artist, Kevork Mourad. In this work, art and music develop in counterpoint to each other, creating an impressionistic reflection on the Syrian revolution and its aftermath. Rather than following a narrative, the artists document specific moments in Syria鈥檚 recent history and reach into their emotional content in a semi-abstract way.听

THE NILE PROJECT听
April 18, 2017, 7:30 pm

Seelos Theater, Kimball Hall

鈥淎 committed, euphoric international coalition鈥 鈥 The New York Times

鈥淔rom the playful swing of Sudan, to the sultry, funky grooves of Ethiopia, the more subdued colors of Egyptian art music, the musical colors speak for themselves.鈥
-- NPR

One of the tightest cross-cultural collaborations in history, the Nile Project brings together artists from the 11 Nile countries to make new music that combines the rich diversity of one of the oldest places on Earth. Resonant harps and lyres from up and down the river鈥攆rom its sources beyond Lake Victoria to its delta in Egypt鈥攈ave learned new musical modes, while buzzing timbres and ingenious polyrhythms support vocals in more than ten languages. Instruments that parted ways millennia before are reunited and pushed into new places. Love songs have crossed geographic and linguistic barriers to forge new, close friendships.

Using music to spark cultural curiosity, the Nile Project engages musicians and audiences, encouraging them to feel connected to the world鈥檚 longest river and to explore new approaches to its large-scale social, cultural, and environmental problems.

Co-sponsored by

Fall听2016

STICKWORK: PATRICK DOUGHERTY
Fall 鈥16 ATB Artist-in-residence

September 1 鈥 23, 2016

On view starting September 23, 2016
Lawn by Linden Lane, Main Campus Entrance

Arts Transcending Borders (ATB), in association with the Cantor Art Gallery, Environmental Studies Program and the Department of Visual Arts, welcomes environmental artist Patrick Dougherty as Fall 鈥16 artist-in-residence. For the past 30 years, Dougherty has combined elemental building techniques and a deep knowledge of nature to create his organic sculptures. As part of his residency, he will be creating a 鈥淪tickwork鈥 sculpture with the help of volunteers on the lawn by Linden Lane.


ARTIST TALK: Patrick Dougherty听
Tuesday, September 13, 2016, 5 pm

Rehm Library, Smith Hall

Environmental artist and ATB Fall 鈥16 artist-in-residence Patrick Dougherty takes a moment from his Stickwork sculpture project on campus to talk about his artistic practice.






Co-sponsored with the Tower Hill Botanic Garden

STICKWORK: Patrick Dougherty
Opening Celebration & Artist Reception
Friday, September 23, 2016,听3 pm

Lawn by Linden Lane听

Come celebrate the unveiling of renowned environmental artist Patrick Dougherty鈥檚 latest Stickwork sculpture, created with the help of over 300听volunteers from our communities on and off-campus during his 海角社区 residency (with remarks from the artist). 听



Rain location: Cantor Art Gallery Lobby

STICK SPACE: Hands-on Art Project for All听
Saturday, October 22, 2016, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm and听3:30 - 4:30 pm

Lawn by Linden Lane听

Be inspired by Patrick Dougherty鈥檚 whimsical Stickwork sculpture! In this hands-on workshop, create something to take home in response to Dougherty鈥檚 monumental sculpture of woven sticks and twigs.
Led by Visual Arts faculty Susan Schmidt and her students; all ages.


Inclement weather location: Stein Hall Entrance Lobby

Co-sponsored with the

Beyond 'East vs. West': Challenging Assumptions
Panel discussion in conjunction with听Othello in the Seraglio
Monday, October 24, 2016,听7:30 pm

Seelos Theater

With Faisal Baluch, Political Science
Sahar Bazzaz, History
Ed Isser, Theatre
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, composer and founder of D眉nya Musicians' Collective听
and moderated by Cynthia Hooper, History




An Ottoman Tableau of Faith
Lecture-demonstration by D眉nya Musicians鈥 Collective
Wednesday, October 26, 2016,听5 pm

Mary Chapel

With Mehmet Ali Sanl谋kol, voice, ud, ney听
Robert Labaree, voice, 莽eng听
Burcu G眉le莽, voice听
Beth Bahia Cohen, bowed tanbur听
George Lernis, percussion
Bertram Lehmann, percussion


The collective will present an historical tableaux of different religious musical practices in Islam, Christianity and Judaism, especially centered in Ottoman Istanbul. The many layers of communal interaction in the city created deep historical and musical influences between these religious traditions.

Co-sponsored with the

Musical Border Crossings
A lunch-time lecture-demonstration with excerpts from Othello in the Seraglio
Thursday, October 27, 2016, 12 pm

Brooks Concert Hall

Composer Mehmet Ali Sanlikol and members of the D眉nya Musicians鈥 Collective offer a glimpse into the diverse musical influences and styles in Othello in the Seraglio, with performances on October 27 & 28.听听




Othello in the Seraglio: The Tragedy of S眉mb眉l the Black Eunuch
October 27-28, 2016, 8 pm

Brooks Concert Hall

A coffeehouse opera

Music by Mehmet Ali Sanlikol
Script by Robert Labaree
Directed by Brian Fairley

Original music, with music from 16th- and 17th-century European and Turkish sources arranged,听and additional Turkish poetry, by Mehmet Ali Sanl谋kol

Sanl谋kol鈥檚 鈥渕usic is colorful, fanciful, full of rhythmic life, and full of feeling. The multiculturalism is鈥ophisticated, informed, internalized.鈥澨

-- Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe

鈥淏rings timeless enchantment to this age-old tragedy鈥orgeous music.鈥

-- Boston Musical Intelligencer


With eleven musicians and a storyteller, Othello in the Seraglio: The Tragedy of S眉mb眉l the Black听Eunuch, is scaled to the intimate, informal setting of a coffeehouse in seventeenth century Istanbul听(Constantinople). In the days before tea became the preferred Turkish beverage, this was a setting in听which a professional storyteller (meddah) entertained a cosmopolitan audience of men while they听smoked and sipped coffee, a newly-fashionable stimulant imported from Yemen. The storyteller听spins out a well-known tale, an historically-based legend of love and jealousy, intensified by the听crossing of boundaries between the free and the enslaved, white and black, Muslim and non-Muslim.

Spring听2016

Film Screening and actor Q&A:听A HUEY P. NEWTON STORY (2001)
Monday, February 22, 2016

7 pm, Hogan 519听
Post-screening discussion with actor Roger Guenveur Smith and Scott Malia, Assistant Professor, Theatre

Adapted for the screen from Roger Guenveur Smith鈥檚 Obie-award winning play of the same name, the film sheds light on the controversial life and times of the co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, 听drawing on his unpublished manuscripts, recorded interviews and correspondences. 鈥淎s one of the most volatile participants in the era of the Civil Rights Movement, Newton can be seen as a microcosm for issues as diverse as community service and violent actions taken in the name of justice. All the complications, ambiguities, and moral quandaries bound up in America鈥檚 ongoing struggle with racism are captured in this virtuoso performance.鈥 鈥 Peabody Awards

Roger Guenveur Smith's RODNEY KING
Tuesday, February 23, 2016

7 pm, Seelos Theatre
Post-show discussion听with the actor and Michael West,听Associate Professor of History
Meet the Artist reception to follow in the Seelos Theater Lobby

History, poetry and tragedy collide when stage and screen actor Roger Guenveur Smith (American Gangster, Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing) tackles the thorny odyssey of Rodney King鈥攄eemed 鈥渢he first reality TV star鈥濃攆rom the harsh initial glare of the national spotlight as the victim of police brutality to his involuntary martyrdom that ignited the 1992 L.A. riots to his lonely death at the bottom of a swimming pool. In this riveting performance, Smith offers a meditation on a flawed, goodhearted everyman and reveals America鈥檚 endlessly complicated relationship with its racial past and present.

2015 Bessie Award: Outstanding Production
This play contains representation of violence and strong language.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.


COMPAGNIE HERVE KOUBI
Excerpts from Ce que le jour doit 脿 la nuit (鈥淲hat the day owes to the night鈥)
Monday, March 14, 2016

7 pm, Hogan Campus Center Ballroom

Stirred by a late discovery of family roots in Algeria, young French choreographer Herv茅 Koubi embarked on a journey, traversing the Mediterranean, to create an all-male company of twelve Algerian and Brukinab茅 dancers, mostly with a street dance background. Following their 鈥渁stounding American debut鈥 (The Washington Post) 听in 2013, 听Compagnie Herv茅 Koubi returns to the US with Ce que le jour doit 脿 la nuit (鈥淲hat the day owes to the night鈥) that fuses contemporary dance with martial arts, urban dance and capoeira, inspired by the eponymous novel by Yasmina Khadra. Come see excerpts from this breathtaking work and stay to enjoy an exchange and conversation with Koubi and the company members.

In conjunction with the French Program鈥檚 Semaine de la Francophonie celebrations

Alexa Horochowski: Club Disminuci贸n
An installation of sculpture and video
March 14 鈥 April 16, 2016

Artist Alex Horochowski immigrated to the United States as a child with her family from the Argentinian Patagonia. The exhibition Club Disminuci贸n, first seen at The Soap Factory in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2014, will be reimagined for the Cantor Art Gallery and include an immersive video experience and sculptural works inspired by Horochowski鈥檚 residency at Casa Poli in Coliumo, Chile in 2012/2013.

Casa Poli, a minimalist cement structure perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, offers views of the ocean that connect it directly with the landscape. Here Horochowski pursued her interest in the physicality of form, using natural flotsam as source material, distilled into distinctive objects that are 鈥渃harged with elements of the alien or unknown.鈥澨 Her sculpture, video, and large-scale digital prints work in concert to depict the human struggle to create 鈥渓asting symbols of culture鈥 amidst the indifference of the Natural world.

Alexa Horochowski: Club Disminuci贸n at the Cantor Art Gallery is co-sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders.

The Art of War:听 Vietnam
A Roundtable discussion and demonstration,听moderated by Stephanie Yuhl 听
Wednesday, March 30, 2016听

7 pm,听Rehm Library听

You are invited to an informal discussion about the process of translating histories of war to performance in anticipation of the work-in-progress performance of Shirish Korde鈥檚 Questions for the Moon on March 31 at 8 pm in Brooks Concert Hall. A group of people who have shaped the piece will talk about the process and choices involved when adapting the historical account of north Vietnamese women who took up arms in 1965. 听We will hear from composer, Shirish Korde, historian, Karen Turner, musician who knew some of the women in the story, Van Anh Vo, videographer, Raphael Shirley, and filmmaker, 海角社区 alumnus M.T. Barry鈥 14.听 Larger questions about war, history and art will be addressed through discussions with the audience.听 Vietnamese snacks will be offered after the discussion.听

Co-sponsored with the departments of Music and History; Asian Studies Program;

QUESTIONS FOR THE MOON听
Work-in-progress performance
Thursday,听March 31, 2016

8 pm,听Brooks Concert Hall

Questions for the Moon, a multi-media song cycle is a collaboration between composer Shirish Korde and historian, Karen Turner.听 Inspired by stories of the many North Vietnamese women who answered Ho Chi Minh鈥檚 call in 1965 for youth volunteers to fight American forces, this music-theater work is a mediation on the boundaries crossed and the potent forces unleashed in wartime.

Texts and images for Questions for the Moon are drawn from Karen Turner鈥檚 documentary: Hidden Warriors: Women on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and 18th Century Vietnamese poet Ho Xuan Huong.听 The world music infused score by Shirish Korde will feature Vietnamese performer/composer Van-Anh Vo, Wu-Tong, a dramatic vocalist and performer who is a featured soloist with Yo Yo Ma鈥檚 Silk Road Ensemble, and the dramatic lyric soprano Sonja Tegbland plus a chamber ensemble of five musicians.

Video projections for this production are based on archival footage from Karen Turner鈥檚 documentary film Hidden Warriors, and designed especially for this production by internationally renowned visual artist Raphael Shirley.

Co-sponsored with the Department of Music and Asian Studies Program

Ruminations on the Post-Anthropocene: A Panel Discussion
Monday, April 11, 2016

5 -6听pm, Hogan 519听

In this cross-disciplinary conversation, artist Alexa Horochowski and 海角社区 faculty from Biology, Political Science, Sociology 听and Visual Arts reflect on the interrelatedness of natural environment, globalization, culture, and matter in relation to the artist鈥檚 hybrid works currently on view at the Cantor Art Gallery (March 15 鈥 April 16, 2016). 听

With Alexa Horochowski, St. Cloud State University, and 海角社区 faculty: 听Daina Harvey, assistant professor of sociology; Justin McAlister, assistant professor of biology; Maria Rodrigues, associate professor of political science; and moderator: Cristi Rinklin, associate professor of visual arts.

Co-sponsored with the

Lecture:Transcending the Humanities-Sciences Border: New Approaches to the Study of Religion and Ethics
Edward Slingerland听
Professor of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, and author of Trying Not to Try: The Art and Science of Spontaneity听
Friday, April 15, 2016听

3:30 pm,听Rehm Library听

In this talk, Edward Slingerland draws upon the case example of early Chinese thought to demonstrate how a 鈥渃onsilient鈥 approach鈥攐ne that transcends the border between the sciences and the humanities鈥攖o the study of religion and ethics can help us make progress on problems that have long concerned us. New content knowledge and new methodologies drawn from the cognitive and evolutionary sciences can help us hone in on plausible interpretative strategies and give us new tools to interrogate our texts and evaluate different models of ethics. At the same time, the sciences are badly in need of the sort of linguistic, historical and cultural expertise that is the specialty of humanities scholars. A new 鈥渟econd wave鈥 of consilience recognizes the science-humanities cooperation is a two-way street, and points the way toward a future of genuinely productive and collaborative interdisciplinary research.
听 听
RAGAS, BACH & WUWEI听
Friday, April 15, 2016听
8 pm,听Brooks Concert Hall

Performance: Amit Kavthekar, tabla and听Jan M眉ller-Szeraws , cello
Discussion: Edward Slingerland, Jan M眉ller-Szeraws and May Sim听

鈥淩agas, Bach and Wuwei鈥 features music for solo cello by J. S. Bach and 海角社区 composer Shirish Korde,and a performance by cellist Jan M眉ller-Szeraws, and tabla player Amit Kavthekar. 听The concert will include听discussions on the Daoist concept of effortlessness (wuwei) by Jan M眉ller-Szeraws, May Sim (Philosophy听Department) and renowned guest speaker Edward Slingerland, Professor of Asian Studies (Associate member听of Philosophy & Psychology) at the University of British Columbia and author of Trying Not To Try: The Art and听Science of Spontaneity.

Co-sponsored by Asian Studies, Arts Transcending Borders, McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, Department of Music and Department of Philosophy

A Jookin鈥 Jam Session with Lil Buck, Cristina Pato 听&听Friends 听
Friday, April 29, 2016

8 pm, Dinand Library (Main Reading Room)

听鈥溾 a tremendous virtuoso, with a lovely, light wit鈥
鈥 The New Yorker

The College's Become More: Campaign for the Future of 海角社区 kicks off 听with an evening of celebration headlined by the international jookin phenomenon Lil Buck, who came to international attention when ballet star turned director Damian Woetzel paired the young dancer with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The performance, captured on video by Spike Jonze, went viral, with over 3 million views to date. 听Lil Buck has gone on to perform with New York City Ballet and in Cirque du Soleil鈥檚 Michael Jackson: One, the Spike Jonze film Her, Benjamin Millepied鈥檚 NOWNESS videos. In the latest of a series of unique performances created by Damian Woetzel, 听Lil Buck is joined by a stellar cast of musicians, marking the welcome return of Fall 鈥15 ATB artist-in-residence, Galician gaita player Cristina Pato. More>>

FREE听| Reservations not required but space is limited.

Co-sponsored with the Office of Advancement and in conjunction with the 2016 Academic Conference

Fall 2015

Participatory Session听with Troika Ranch
as part of 鈥淚s the Internet a Realm of Creativity & Freedom or Corporatization and Control?鈥澨
Friday, September 18, 2015, 11:45 am 鈥 12:30 pm

Hoval (Rain location: The Pit, O鈥橩ane 37)

Get out of your seat and participate in an exercise with ATB Fall 2015 artists-in-residence Troika Ranch that will help illuminate how creating a community in physical space mirrors and differs from experiences in a virtual space.听

Co-sponsored by the Charles Carroll Program and the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture

Film Screening: The Grief of Others
Followed by Q&A with Patrick Wang, screenwriter and director, and Leah Hager Cohen, author听
Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 3 pm and 7 pm听

Seelos Theater


Adapted and directed by Patrick Wang听
Based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Leah Hager Cohen

鈥淎 richly meditative, beautifully rendered work of art about loss and how it connects us.鈥

-- Tim Sika, San Francisco Film Critics Circle

IN CONVERSATION WITH JAZZ MASTER TERENCE BLANCHARD听
Saturday, November 7, 2015, 6 pm

Cantor Art Gallery听

As part of a weekend (Nov. 7-8) that also features his Grammy-winning A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) in concert at the 海角社区, multiple Grammy-winning trumpeter, bandleader and composer joins Daina Cheyenne Harvey, assistant professor of sociology and curator of the exhibition, in a conversation about his hometown New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina and the artistic response in the aftermath of the disaster.听

Free听|听RSVP Required.

TERENCE BLANCHARD QUINTET听
A Tale of God鈥檚 Will: A Requiem for Katrina
Berklee Jazz in Film Orchestra
Edward Cumming, conductor听
Sunday, November 8, 2015, 3 pm听

Brooks Concert Hall

Celebrated jazz trumpeter and composer brings his Grammy-winning project A Tale of God鈥檚 Will: A Requiem for Katrina to 海角社区 to mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Originally conceived as the score to Spike Lee鈥檚 HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, the expanded suite offers a poignant meditation on the devastation in the aftermath of the Hurricane. The Blanchard Quintet is joined on this occasion by the Berklee Jazz in Film Orchestra (Dir. Eric Gould, Chair of ),听conducted by

"鈥 purposeful convergence of his film-composer and jazz-musician identities鈥.The result is a melancholy suite that feels both intensely personal and broadly cinematic. " 鈥 The New York Times

Free听|听RSVP Required.

In conjunction with the Cantor Art Gallery鈥檚听听exhibition听

Part II: The Rebirth of Art | October 22 鈥 December 18

Troika Ranch鈥檚 SWARM听
November 5-7 and 12-14, 2015, 7 and 9 pm听

Fenwick Theatre

SWARM is an immersive, multimedia installation/performance that uses simple visual and aural stimuli to call the audience and performers into collective action. Principles of emergence 鈥 the underlying system that governs the flocking of birds, evolution, and other natural phenomena 鈥 are the means by which an audience actively reveal a 鈥渕edia opera鈥 consisting of live and computer media 鈥 movement, text, music, and video imagery. The crux of SWARM is that only through coordination, conversation, and collective action can the audience 鈥 the 鈥渟warm鈥 鈥 reveal the fullest and most complete dramatic arc of the piece.

SWARM is an experience greater than the sum of its individual contributors.

Co-produced with the Department of Theatre听