Anoushka ShankarTues, Oct 3, 7:30 pmCo-Sponsored by the UConn Asian American Cultural Center, UConn Women’s CenterMasterful sitarist, film composer, and activist Anoushka Shankar comes to North America with a new quintet of musicians, with whom she has carved out a multifaceted and dynamic sound. Immersed from a young age on the world stage, she began studying the sitar - and Indian classical music - from the age of 9 under the intensive tutelage of her father, Pandit Ravi Shankar. Representing the very best of the thriving London music scene, her quintet comprises clarinetist Arun Ghosh, drummer-composer Sarathy Korwar, Carnatic percussionist Pirashanna Thevarajah, bassist Tom Farmer, and brings unmatched energy and camaraderie on stage.

Isidore QuartetLenard Chamber Music SeriesThu, Oct 5, 7:30 pmWinners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022, the New York City-based Isidore String Quartet (formed in 2019) carrya vision to revisit, rediscover, and reinvigorate the repertory. An ensemble actively dedicated to pushing the boundaries of music-making, the ISQ is the resident ensemble for the Contemporary Alexander School/Alexander Alliance International. In conjunction with those well-versed in the world of Alexander Technique, as well as other performers,the ISQ explores the vast landscape of body awareness, mental preparation, and performance practice.

Sergio Bernal Dance Company Thu, Oct 12, 7:30 pm Post-Performance Q&A Flamenco, classical ballet, and contemporary dance come together showcasing the evolution of Sergio Bernal Dance Company. From Spain, Sergio Bernal and Ricardo Cue formed the company with the purpose of celebrating pure Spanish flamenco with highlights of the most unique and regal ballet performances imaginable. Vivaldi, “The Swan”, and “Solea por Bulerias” are part of the playlist that gives life to this vibrant performance. The Company makes its debut at Jorgensen, fresh off the Fall for Dance 2023 festival in NYC.

Justin Willman UConn Family WeekendSat, Oct 14, 8 pmMagician/Comedian and recent Critics’ Choice nominee Justin Willman has cemented himself as one of today’s most prolific entertainers. In his Netflix series Magic for Humans with Justin Willman, he brings his skills as a magician to the strange and misunderstood subcultures of America, while incorporating his disarming demeanor into street magic and social experiments that will boggle the mind. Indiewire called Willman the “perfect magician/hybrid prototype with incredible comedic timing,” and the L.A. Times exclaimed that Willman is, “A new breed of magician who’s making magic cool again for grown-ups.”

Samara JoyFri, Oct 20, 8 pmCo-Sponsored by the H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center, UConn Women’s CenterThe GRAMMY-Award winning 23-year- old, Samara Joy, returns to the Jorgensen stage this fall. Her chart-topping new album Linger Awhile, only builds the case for her to join the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous jazz singing sensation recorded by the venerable Verve Records. The New York Times praised the “silky-voiced rising star” for “helping jazz take a youthful turn,” while NPR All Things Considered named her a “classic jazz singer from a new generation.” In February, she took home two GRAMMYs - Best Jazz Vocal Album and the auspicious Best New Artist award – cementing her status as perhaps the first Gen Z jazz singing star. Don’t miss this legend in the making.

Samuel Barber and James Agee’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Richard Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder, with text by Hermann Hesse and Johann Eichendorff. Additional works include Franz Liszt’s settings of poems by Victor Hugo and arias by composer George Frideric Handel and librettist Giacomo Rossi

Lorraine Rose Williams Stage Dedication Celebration - 2 pm - von der Mehden Recital Hall - Reception to follow in Zachs Family Fine Arts Administration Atrium

Please register here: https://www.events.foundation.uconn.edu/ereg/index.php?eventid=767309&utm_source=invitation&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=fy24wiliamsdedication100723

Please join us for a ceremony and performance to celebrate the dedication of the von der Mehden Recital Hall stage in honor of the late Lorraine Rose Williams, founder of UConn’s Voices of Freedom Gospel Choir. A reception will follow in the Zachs Family Fine Arts Administration Building. The naming of the Lorraine Rose Williams Stage celebrates Ms. Williams’ rich contributions to the UConn community and is a testament to her lasting legacy at the University.

Can’t join us in person? The program on the Lorraine Rose Williams Stage will be livestreamed here.

About the Voices of Freedom Gospel Choir

Ms. Williams founded the Voices of Freedom Gospel Choir, to create an environment that fostered the social, intellectual, and emotional growth of UConn’s African American and Black students. The choir grew under her leadership, performing across Connecticut and New York. The choir currently has more than 100 active members representing diverse races and ethnicities.

If you require a special accommodation to participate in this event or have questions, please contact Kate Gannon, Director of Alumni Relations, Diverse Alumni Communities via email or call the Office of Alumni Relations toll-free at (888) 822-5861. ​
 

Uconn Songfest performance.

Reserve tickets here.

General Admission is $10

Students/Children/Military/SFA Faculty and Staff have free admission

Reservations are required.

All ticket sales directly fund the operating costs of von der Mehden Recital Hall.

This concert will be livestreamed here

UConn Symphonic Band and UConn Wind Ensemble performance.

Purchase tickets here.

General Admission is $10

Students/Children/Military/SFA Faculty and Staff have free admission

Reservations are required.

All ticket sales directly fund the operating costs of von der Mehden Recital Hall.

This concert will be livestreamed here.

Tracing the African and Mesoamerican Origins of the Sarabande and the Chaconne

Though the sarabande and the chaconne were stylized sections of courtly suites by Baroque composers such as Scarlatti and Bach, their origins are far removed from any European court, stemming instead from New Spain. In a book about the Spanish colony in 1579, a Dominican friar described the sarabande as a lascivious dance and identified it with the indigenous population. However, at least one surviving song — a villancico for Christmas — links it with enslaved Africans, suggesting that both populations were involved in the creation of the genre. In this program, Ensemble Origo aims to contextualize these origins, showing how a song that mentions the dance was likely performed following Christmas services. The next two sections of the concert trace the printing history of both genres (which were related at one time) from simple guitar strumming patterns that sometimes accompanied voices to the stylized instrumental works adopted by hundreds of European composers in the centuries that followed. The program aims to bring the what is known of the genres’ lost—or suppressed—histories to light.

All students have free admission. General admission is $10. Purchase tickets for the concert here

This concert will be livestreamed here

New England-based fabricator and puppeteer Christine Dempsey will perform Hunger, a humorous tale of poor decisions made when drinking on an empty stomach; and What We Have Left, a solo performance exploring grief and loss through the objects loved ones have left behind. Coney Island-based puppeteer Emmanuel Elpenord will perform The Choose-Your-Own-Adventures of Turtle Boy, in which shy yet rowdy Turtle Boy leads the audience through an action movie of their own making–Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesmeets John Wick. The UConn Fall Puppet Slam will also feature new works by graduate and undergraduate students from the UConn Puppet Arts Program, and, for the first time, a house band: the Solgyres. Funding for the UConn Fall Puppet Slamis made possible in part by the Puppet Slam Network. These performances are recommended for mature audiences.

The UConn Fall Puppet Slamis free and open to the public; donations are greatly appreciated. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. The event will take place in UConn’s Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, located at2132 Hillside Road, Storrs, Conn. 06269, in the lower level. (use rear entrance). For directions to the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, visit crt.uconn.edu.

Free museum tours will highlight two exhibitions: The World of Puppetry: From the Collections of the Ballard Institute and Tradition and Revolution in Indian Shadow Puppetry. The World of Puppetry displays the global scope of the artform and the rich variety of the Ballard Institute’s collection. asdTradition and Revolution celebrates the spectacular South Indian shadow puppet traditions of Tolu Bommalattaand Tholpavakoothu, as well as recent innovations reflecting the changing nature of these forms.

 Each day will also include a short performance (approximately 30 minutes) by UConn Puppet Arts graduate students at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 14, Carrie Fowler will perform Puppets en Pointe, which features ballet-themed pieces in multiple puppetry media. On Sunday, Oct. 15, Tom Tuke will perform Paloma and the Retreat of Death, a tragicomic hand-puppet show.

Reservations are not required. Seating for performances is on a first come, first served basis. For more information, or if you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860.486.8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

Free museum tours will highlight two exhibitions: The World of Puppetry: From the Collections of the Ballard Institute and Tradition and Revolution in Indian Shadow Puppetry. The World of Puppetry displays the global scope of the artform and the rich variety of the Ballard Institute’s collection. asdTradition and Revolution celebrates the spectacular South Indian shadow puppet traditions of Tolu Bommalattaand Tholpavakoothu, as well as recent innovations reflecting the changing nature of these forms.

 Each day will also include a short performance (approximately 30 minutes) by UConn Puppet Arts graduate students at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 14, Carrie Fowler will perform Puppets en Pointe, which features ballet-themed pieces in multiple puppetry media. On Sunday, Oct. 15, Tom Tuke will perform Paloma and the Retreat of Death, a tragicomic hand-puppet show.

Reservations are not required. Seating for performances is on a first come, first served basis. For more information, or if you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860.486.8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

Rahul Koonathara is a UConn graduate student in the Department of Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, and a 12th-generation puppeteer in the Pulavar family of Tholpavakoothu shadow performers in Kerala, India. Dr. Claudia Orenstein is a professor of theater at Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center whose work focuses on performing object theatre and puppetry forms in India and Japan. Koonathara and Orenstein will discuss the spectacular South Indian shadow puppet traditions of Tolu Bommalatta and Tholpavakoothu, as well as recent innovations reflecting the changing nature of the form, all of which can be seen in the current Ballard Institute exhibit Tradition and Revolution in Indian Shadow Puppetry. The exhibition will be on display through Dec.17, 2023. To learn more about this forum, visit bimp.uconn.edu/2023/09/06/indian-shadow-forum.

Admission to this event is free (donations greatly appreciated!), and refreshments will be served. 

The screening is free to attend, but a reservation is required. Please make a reservation in advance at bimp.ticketleap.com/sleazo. This film contains explicit content and mature themes, recommended for audiences 18+.

To get into the Halloween spirit, we encourage attendees to come in costume for a costume contest, with Dead Vision Productions merchandise awarded to the winners! There will also be free popcorn, and attendees are invited to bring their own snacks.