Performing Arts Series

Saturday, September 13, 7:30 pm

A thought-provoking program exploring music and Russian politics under Stalin under the lens of current American politics. Shem Guibbory, violin; Edgar Tumajyan, viola; En-Chi Chen, viola; Andrey Tchekmazov, cello; and  Sar-Shalom Strong, piano perform 
Shostakovich's Piano Trio and Weinberg's Piano Quintet with comments by Dr. Alice Nakhimovsky.  

Free admission

Friday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Inner Riches: Music by Biber, Erlebach, Rosenmüller, Schmelzer, and Vivaldi

Before Bach, a generation of German composers was creating music of startling depth, richness, and beauty—music that rarely makes it to the stage today. Featuring works by Rosenmüller, Biber, Schmelzer, and Erlebach, this concert dives into the darker, sweeter side of the baroque, where glorious five-part string textures shine with clarity and warmth. Come for a rare chance to hear this repertoire live—where every voice matters and the middle sings—and for the Sebastians’ signature rendition of Vivaldi’s thrilling Folia. 

Sunday, September 21, 3 p.m. 

Chaeyoung Park has been praised as a passionate pianist who “does not play a single note without thought or feeling” (New York Concert Review). Embracing a broad range of classical music literature, this program features Bach, Debussy, and Beethoven as well as living composers Ana Sokolovíc and Iman Habibi.

Free admission.

Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Grammy, Emmy, and Peabody Award winner, Endea Owens is hailed as one of jazz's most vibrant and versatile artists. The Detroit-raised recording artist, bassist, and composer can be seen in the house band of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Owens comes to Hamilton College with The Cookout to deliver ajoyful, soul-stirring jazz that blends infectious rhythms with a powerful message of community and activism. 

Friday, November 14, 7:30 p.m.
The Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). Together for over 20 years, this tight-knit ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music and exudes an energy that is at once friendly, knowledgeable, and adventurous. The Hamilton College program includes Haydn's  Quartet in C Major, Op. 33 No. 3 “The Bird,” selections from Florence Price's  Five Folksongs in Counterpoint, and Schumann's Quartet in A minor, Op. 41 No. 1.

Friday, January 30 and Saturday, January 31, 7:30 p.m. 
Edwin Barrett Theatre, limited seating, reservations suggested.
Winner of 2015 Henry Award for Outstanding New Play, The Rembrandt Room is a dark comedy featuring one woman standing next to one masterpiece for who knows how long.Don’t miss this mash-up of historical fact, Greek myth, and Buntport fiction.

Sunday, February 1, 3 p.m.
Staged reading, Edwin Barret Theatre
A comedy about a very not non-atypical situation.

Eyes Up, Mouth Agape “celebrates” the 20 year anniversary of a strange pop culture event and is told through the lens of a fictional documentarian interviewing the key players and an innocent bystander, all of whom are large inanimate objects.  This play is created in collaboration with Emily K. Harrison and square product theatre.

Free admission.

Friday, February 6, 7:30 p.m.
Roomful of Teeth is a Grammy-winning vocal band dedicated to re-imagining the expressive potential of the human voice. By engaging collaboratively with artists, thinkers, and community leaders from around the world, the group seeks to uplift and amplify voices old and new while creating and performing meaningful and adventurous music.

Sunday, February 15, 3 p.m.
The Syracuse Orchestra returns to Hamilton College with Jiebing Chen, erhu, performing The Butterfly Lovers Concerto, originally written for violin. The program finishes with Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Saturday, February 28, 7:30 p.m.
Native Intelligence/Innate Intelligence incorporates dance, Hawaiian chant & percussion, original compositions for cello, and multimedia scenic design to examine ancestry, home, and belonging. Research for the work began by questioning the word native, an identity that has become politically charged and is frequently a weapon of colonization. Collaborators explored the origins of instinct, nature vs. nurture, which aspects of our identities are shaped by our environment, and how our ancestry impacts our personalities and identities. DNA inspired Christopher to incorporate the Hilo lei making technique into the piece. The double-twisting spiral in the Hilo technique is reminiscent of the double helix of DNA. The metaphor of lei as strands of our DNA informed the scenic design by Brenda Mallory and how the work weaves together stories from varied identities to build bridges that celebrate commonality and respect individuality. The fabric used onstage contains stories of identity from community members we have met over the years making this work, including from the host community of each location where the work is performed.

Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.
Drawing inspiration from Sikh wisdom and traditions, this contemporary jazz performance invites the audience into an ambient, meditative sonic space for personal reflection and communal connection. Presented in partnership with the Wellin Museum of Art and the Fillius Jazz Archive. Artists include Carlos Niño, Surya Botofasina, Angel Bat Dawid, Laraaji, and Ishmael Butler.

Friday, April 3, 7:30 p.m.
andPlay is committed to expanding the existing violin/viola duo repertoire by commissioning new works and actively collaborating with living artists. The New York City-based duo of Maya Bennardo, violin, and Hannah Levinson, viola, first played to an eager crowd on Fire Island in the summer of 2012 and has since commissioned over forty-five works.

Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.

The Grammy Award winning “Queen of Bluegrass” and Grand Ole Opry member Rhonda Vincent is a firecracker of talent, powering one of the hottest bands in any genre of music today.