April 4, Thursday

Ercole Ferrata and the Art of Learning to Carve in Bernini’s Rome

4:30 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 125

Jessica Boehman, a specialist in Roman baroque sculpture from New York University, discusses the sculpture workshop of Ercole Ferrata, who trained young sculptors in the most demanding artistic environment in Europe. Boehman’s visit also provides us with her firsthand observation of The Ecstasy of St. Teresa, a sculptural relief in the museum collection attributed to Tommaso Amantini, a student of Ferrata. Sponsored by the Middlebury College Museum of Art and Department of History of Art and Architecture. Free

Pictured: Tommaso Amantini (Italian, 1625–after 1675), The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Avila, third quarter of the 17th century, terracotta, 34 3/4 x 18 3/4 x 4 inches. Collection of Middlebury College Museum of Art, purchase with funds provided by the Reva B. Seybolt ’72, G. Crossan Seybolt ’77, and Calvert H. Seybolt ’80 Art Acquisition Funds, 2000.004. Photo Ken Burris

 

April 5, Friday

Art History Lecture: Jennifer Pruitt

12:15 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 125

Jennifer Pruitt, Lecturer in Art at Smith College, presents an art history lecture entitled Reassessing a Medieval Golden Age: Architectural Patronage, Destruction, and Concealment in the Age Cairo's "Mad" Caliph (c. 1000-1010). Sponsored by the Department of History of Art and Architecture, and the Johnson Family Arts Enrichment Fund. Free

 

April 5, Friday

Let Me Tell You Where I've Been

Mary Rowell, violin

with special guest Eve Beglarian

8:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Music for violin, viola, and electronics. Long a proponent of new music, Mary Rowell brings home a program of works written for her by Eve Beglarian, Richard Einhorn, and Preston Stahly, along with music by Peter Hamlin, Steve Reich, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Jacob ter Veldhuis. Known for her work with the Grammy Award® winning Tango Project, the indie band The Silos and pop icon Joe Jackson,  Rowell has carved an indelible place in the contemporary classical music world with the post-classical quartet ETHEL of which she co-founded. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School, and currently an Affiliate Artist of the Middlebury College Department of Music. She is the concertmaster of both the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra and the Broadway hit show Newsies.  Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

Read the press release>>

 

April 5, Friday

The Sound Investment Jazz Ensemble

Dick Forman, director

8:00-10:00 PM, 51 Main at the Bridge

Last fall, our 18-piece band played to a full house that didn’t want the evening to end.  We’re sure to keep fingers snapping and toes tapping; there might even be dancing in the aisles! Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

Photo Brett Simison

 

April 6, Saturday

In Darkness

3:00 and 8:00 PM, Dana Auditorium

In German-occupied Ukraine, a blunt, opportunistic sewer worker takes bribes to help Jews evade capture in a network of subterranean tunnels, but eventually grows committed to saving their lives. Even amidst the obscure, harrowing architecture of the underground world, Polish director Agnieszka Holland portrays the continuing life cycles of despair and renewal among the hidden. Sponsored by the Holocaust Film Fund. Running time: 145 minutes. Free

April 6, Saturday

Performing Arts Series Society (PASS) Reception

7:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Lower Lobby

A festive evening is planned for members to gather and celebrate the first year of PASS. Membership information: 802.443.PASS (7277) or go.middlebury.edu/pass

 

 

April 6, Saturday

Sophie Shao & Friends

Frank Huang, violin
Roger Tapping, viola
Sophie Shao, cello
Pei-Yao Wang, piano

8:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Cellist Sophie Shao’s impromptu chamber ensembles are always brimming with passion and talent, but this configuration also includes cherished Middlebury favorites. Shao is joined by pianist Pei-Yao Wang (returning from Taiwan), violist Roger Tapping (formerly of the Takács Quartet), and the Houston Symphony’s concertmaster, violinist Frank Huang. The program includes Brahms’s Piano Quartet in A Major and a Beethoven piano trio. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series. Approximate running time: 90 minutes. Reserved Seating. Tickets: $25/20/6.  Go to the Box Office>>

Read the press release>>

 

April 7, Sunday

Spring Choral Concert*
Jeff Buettner, director

2:00 PM, Mead Memorial Chapel

 

April 8, Monday

The Diary of Anne Frank: From Page to Stage

7:30 PM, Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest, The Orchard (Room 103)

Public lecture by Dr. Edna Nahshon, professor of Hebrew and Theater at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and senior associate of Oxford University's Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. Dr. Nahshon's specialty is the intersection of theater and Jewishness, a subject on which she has written extensively. Her books include Jews and Theater in an Intercultural Context (Brill, 2012), Jewish Theatre: A Global View (Brill, 2009), Jews and Shoes (Berg, 2008), From the Ghetto to the Melting Pot: Israel Zangwill's Jewish Plays (Wayne State UP. 2006), and Yiddish Proletarian Theatre: The Art and Politics of the Artef, 1925–1940 (Greenwood, 1998). Her forthcoming book (Cambridge UP, co-authored with Prof. Michael Shapiro), discusses Jewish responses to The Merchant of Venice. Dr. Nahshon is the guest curator of "Second Avenue Meets Broadway," an exhibition scheduled for Fall 2014 at the Museum of the City of New York. Sponsored by the Hebrew Program. Free

 

April 9, Tuesday

Behind-the-Scenes Lunch and Discussion: Undressing Cinderella: A

Festival of New Plays *

12:30 PM, Wright Memorial Theatre

Hear a discussion with the cast, crew members, and the audience. Lunch is provided. Free to College ID cardholders; community donations welcomed.
*Please note: new title/play in this time slot

Read the press release>>

 

April 10, Wednesday

Zolotoi Plios

8:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

The popular ensemble Zolotoi Plios (“Golden Strand”) presents a selection of Russian folk songs and instrumental music with traditional and newly-improvised instruments. The group’s members--Sergei Gratchev, Elena Sadina, and Aleksandr Solovov--are graduates of the Saratov (Russia) Music Conservatory. Zolotoi Plios has been in residence in the summer Russian School for several years. Their program will delight adults and children of all ages. Sponsored by the Russian Department, the Academic Enrichment Fund, Russian and East European Studies, and the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs. Free

 

 

April 10-13, Wednesday-Saturday*

Undressing Cinderella: A

Festival of New Plays*

8:00 PM* each evening, Wright Memorial Theatre*

What happens when Cinderella steps into a Rabbit Hole? Undressing Cinderella is a festival of new plays that have been created specifically for this Inaugural Middlebury New Play Festival.  We challenged playwrights around the nation to turn the well known fairy tale inside out: write a play using any character other than Cinderella as the main focus. Get ready for an explosion of brand new plays and a company of artists ready to rewrite this fairy tale. Two evenings of short plays will be presented "in rep": program A will be shown Wednesday and Friday evenings; program b will be shown on Thursday and Saturday. Directed by guest artist Andrew Smith ’97.5. Sponsored by the Theatre Program. Running time: under 2 hours, no intermission. Tickets: $12/10/6; on sale April 1.  Go to the Box Office>>
*Please note revised dates, times, location, title, and description.

Read the press release>>

 

April 11, Thursday

Cameron Visiting Architect Lecture: Carl Fredrik Svenstedt, Built/Unbuilt

7:00 PM, Christian A. Johnson Memorial Building, Room 304

Svenstedt is a Swedish-born, Yale-trained architect now based in Paris. He discusses his work and philosophy: “By breaking down conventions, we should be free to totally reinvent our man-made world.” Svenstedt teaches at the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris, an architecture school affiliated with the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in France. Sponsored by the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Cameron Family Arts Enrichment Fund. Free

 

April 12, Friday

Off the Wall: Informal Discussions about Art: "Fabergé"

12:15 PM, Middlebury College Museum of Art

The Middlebury College Museum of Art possesses a remarkable collection of Russian artifacts and family keepsakes made by the firm of the famous jeweler, Carl Fabergé. The Museum’s Robert F. Reiff Intern Adrian Kerester '15 explores Russia’s social history at the turn of the last century though an examination of and conversation surrounding Russian decorative arts and the culture of Russia’s ruling aristocracy. Enjoy further conversation over a light lunch in the lobby. Sponsored by the Department of History of Art and Architecture, Middlebury College Museum of Art, and Committee on the Arts. Lunch is provided. Free to College ID cardholders; community donations welcomed.

Image: Tenth Anniversary Frame, St. Petersburg, c. 1910, Firm of Fabergé, Hjalmar Armfelt (1873–1959), workmaster. Coppered silver, miniatures on ivory, 7 1/2 x 6 inches. Middlebury College Museum of Art, Gift of Nancy and Edward Wynkoop.

 

 

April 12, Friday

Open Class and Lecture/Demonstration: What is This Thing Called Performance Improvisation?

3:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre

Dancers and musicians in the DANC/MUSC 0461class, under the direction of Penny Campbell and Michael Chorney, invite you to witness their process as they prepare for performances in early May. Campbell will narrate the sequence of the day from warm up, through improvisatory exercises, to collaboratively-composed pieces some with lighting improvised by designer Jennifer Ponder. Ask questions, make observations, and catch a glimpse of the workings of an improvising ensemble while you give the group the experience of having an audience for the first time. Sponsored by the Dance Program. Running time: 75 minutes. Free

Photo Alan Kimara Dixon

 

April 12, Friday

Music Lecture by Füsun Köksal

4:30 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 221.

Public talk by visiting music candidate Füsun Köksal, Turkish educator and composer of contemporary classical music. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

 

 

 

 

 

April 12, Friday

Kaveh Waddell ’13, piano

8:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Waddell shares a program of Haydn, Schubert, Chopin, and Debussy in his culminating senior recital. A native of Seattle, Washington, Waddell is an international politics and economics major and a student of affiliate artist Diana Fanning. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

 

 

April 13, Saturday

I Wish

3:00 and 8:00 PM, Dana Auditorium

Two young brothers separated by divorce embark on an odyssey to reunite their family by wishing on the energy of a new bullet-train line. Brimming with a sense of magical time and overflowing with charming subplots, this Japanese film offers more than an update of The Parent Trap. Director Hirokazu Koreeda of Nobody Knows captures the fragile details that render the experience of childhood so evocative and universal. In Japanese with English subtitles. Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series and Japanese Studies Program. Running time: 128 minutes. Free

 

 

April 14, Sunday

From Haydn to Prokofiev

Natasha Koval Paden, piano

4:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

This program shows many ways that the sonata form is given life and expression. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

 

 

 

 

April 16, Tuesday

Don Ross: “Photographing Quarries”

4:30 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 125

Brandon photographer Don Ross has been photographing Vermont quarries for over two decades. His work has been exhibited widely and appears in numerous public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Department of History of Art and Architecture and Middlebury College Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibition Nature Transformed: Edward Burtynsky’s Vermont Quarry Photographs in Context. Free

Pictured: Don Ross, Gawet’s Quarry, Quadrants, 2011

 

 

April 18, Thursday

Spring Student Symposium Opening and Keynote: Cassidy Freeman '04.5

7:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall and other spaces

Middlebury College’s annual Spring Student Symposium celebrates the undergraduate research and creative efforts of the student body. The Symposium begins at the Mahaney Center for the Arts Thursday night with a keynote speech by actress Cassidy Freeman '04.5 at 7:00 PM, continuing with additional student presentations later that evening. The Symposium continues throughout Friday, April 19. Details at go.middlebury.edu/sym.

 

April 18-20, Thursday-Saturday

The Igloo Settlement

8:00 PM each evening , plus 10:30 PM Friday only, Hepburn Zoo Theatre

Play by Daniel Sauermilch '13 (senior work, playwriting), Paula Bogutyn '13.5 (directing), and Jordan Jones '13 (costume design). On Christmas in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a cataclysmic snowstorm leads to a series of most surprising events. The Igloo Settlement seeks to define what remains of American values in the wake of catastrophe. Along the way we see patriotism, individualism, and capitalism—supposed values of democracy—being torn apart by the very people who have created and celebrated them. And in turn, we witness a very un-merry Christmas. Sponsored by the Theatre Program. Running time: approximately 90 minutes, no intermission. Tickets: $4; on sale April 1. Go to the Box Office>>

 

April 19, Friday

Spring Student Symposium

McCardell Bicentenntial Hall, Johnson Memorial Building, and Mahaney Center for the Arts

Middlebury College’s annual Spring Student Symposium celebrates the undergraduate research and creative efforts of the student body. Opening on Thursday, the Symposium continues all day Friday with presentations, posters, open studios, and critiques at Bicentennial Hall and Johnson, with evening performances at the Mahaney Center. Details at go.middlebury.edu/sym.

 

 

April 19, Friday

Richard P. Chen ’13, piano

8:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

In his final performance at Middlebury College, Chen shares interpretations of pieces by Beethoven, Debussy, Liszt, and Barber. Chen is a student of affiliate artist Diana Fanning and the winner of the 2010 Alan and Joyce Beucher Concerto Competition. He has been presented in major concert venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall and Steinert Hall. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

Pictured: Richard P. Chen ’13, photo Patrick Darcy ’12

 

 

April 19, Friday

Open Studios

Johnson Memorial Building

Studio art students share their works in progress during a day of open studios and demonstrations of painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture as part of the annual Spring Student Symposium. Sponsored by the Program in Studio Art. Free

 Pictured: Norah Jones '12

 

 

 

April 19–20, Friday–Saturday

Senior Thesis Dance Concert: Davis Anderson ’13, Jessica Lee ’13, Hannah Pierce ’13

8:00 PM each evening, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre

Three seniors present an evening of work shaped by a union of physical and intellectual perspectives. Exploring the intersections between contemporary dance and other interests, including language, embodied politics, literature, and the environment, they create an evening as diverse and layered as their intellectual pursuits. Sponsored by the Dance Program. Tickets: $12/10/6; on sale April 1.  Go to the Box Office>>

Pictured: Hannah Pierce ’13, Jessica Lee ’13, and Davis Anderson’13, photo Alan Kimara Dixon

Read the press release>>

 

April 19-20, Friday-Saturday

City of Angels

8:00 PM on Friday; 2:00 and 8:00 PM on Saturday, McCullough Social Space

"Three million people in the City of Angels according to the last census, easily half of them up to something they don't want the other half to know." In this clever, sexy, riveting, Tony award-winning musical, reality and fiction are woven together as the action combines the "real" world of a 1940s screenwriter and the "reel" world of the film noir, private-eye flick that he is writing. Presented by the Middlebury College Musical Players.  Joelle Mendoza-Etchart ’15, director; Grady Trela '13, musical director; Annie MacPherson '16, assistant director. Tickets:  $12/10/6. Go to the Online Box Office>>

 

 

April 20, Saturday

Boxing Gym

3:00 and 8:00 pm, Dana Auditorium

From documentary master Frederick Wiseman (Central Park, Ballet), Boxing Gym explores the rich anonymity of diverse boxers at Lord’s Gym in Austin, Texas. There, gritty textures mix with the graceful rhythms of athletes’ bodies, regardless of age, color, or gender. “Wiseman simply brings the audience along as he bears witness to the individuals who regularly gather at this scruffy, mirrored mecca”—Washington Post. U.S. film; sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. Running time: 91 minutes. Free

 

 

Catherine Charnov '13, soprano

Cynthia Huard, piano

8:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Music major Catherine Charnov's  senior vocal recital spans musical eras and genres. The recital includes works by Donizetti, Mozart, Debussy, Poulenc, and Ives as well as an original composition and two modern folk songs. Piano accompaniment by Affiliate Artist Cynthia Huard. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

 

 

April 21, Sunday

Davydov-Fanning Duo

4:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Pianist Diana Fanning and cellist Dieuwke Davydov present a program of favorite works including Mendelssohn’s magnificent Sonata in D Major. “Instrumental virtuosity, noble lyricism, and dancing rhythm . . . both musicians played with flair, emotional power and total understanding”—Haarlems Dagblad, Holland. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

Photo Andrzej Pilarczyk

NEW!

April 23, Tuesday

Pre-Concert Lecture: Ruth Ochs

6:45 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 221

Princeton conductor, musicologist, and Orwell native Ruth Ochs provides insights into Rafal Blechacz's program, and in particular,  the music of Szymanowski. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series. Free

 

 

 

April 23, Tuesday

Rafal Blechacz, piano

7:30 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

In 2005, at the tender age of 20, Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz became the sole recipient of all five first prizes at the 15th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. ABC News reported that one of the judges felt he “so outclassed the remaining finalists that no second prize could actually be awarded.”  He makes his Vermont debut with a program featuring Bach’s Partita no. 3, Beethoven’s op. 10/3, Szymanowski’s first sonata, and two polonaises and a scherzo by Chopin. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series. Approximate running time: 90 minutes. Reserved Seating. Tickets: $20/15/6.  Go to the Box Office>>

Read the press release>>

Photo Felix Broede

 

April 24, Wednesday

Spring Piano Recital by Students of Diana Fanning

7:30 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

The semiannual concerts by Diana Fanning’s piano students have become a much-anticipated tradition, well attended by members of the College community and townspeople. Join us for an evening of beautiful piano music. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

Pictured: Kaveh Waddell '13 and Richard P. Chen '14

 

April 26–28, Friday–Sunday

Middlebury Bach Festival

Jeffrey Buettner, music director

Mahaney Center for the Arts and Mead Memorial Chapel

Guest conductor Martin Pearlman, conductor of Boston Baroque, joins Middlebury students, affiliate faculty, and professional musicians from Vermont and greater New England for this third annual festival celebrating the music and influence of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Festival opens Friday evening with the Middlebury College Choir, including a concert performance of Gluck's opera Orfeo.  The Saturday schedule includes interest sessions and an evening concert featuring Pearlman conducting the Orchestral Suite in D Major, Affiliate Artist Cynthia Huard playing the virtuosic D Minor Concerto, and College Choir and soloists joining for Magnificat. See below for listings; full details at go.middlebury.edu/bachfest. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Most events are free. Festival Concert, on Saturday at 8:00 PM: tickets: $12/10; Middlebury College students free with ID.  Go to the Box Office>>

More about the Bach Festival>>

 

April 26, Friday

Middlebury Bach Festival: Opening Concert

8:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

"Orfeo ed Euridice" by Christoph Willibald Gluck, and selections of choral music inspired by the story, performed bt the Middlebury College Choir and Chamber Orchestra. Jeffrey Buettner conducts. A post-concert reception, sponsored by the Office of the President of Middlebury College, will take place in the Mahaney Center for the Arts lobby. Free

More about the Bach Festival>>

 

April 27, Saturday

Middlebury Bach Festival: Interest Session 1

10:00-10:45 AM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Cynthia Huard, pianist is an Affiliate Artist with the Middlebury College Department of Music. Free

More about the Bach Festival>>

 

 

 

April 27, Saturday

Middlebury Bach Festival: Interest Session 2

11:00 AM-Noon, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

More about the Bach Festival>>

 

April 27, Saturday

Middlebury Bach Festival Luncheon

Noon-1:30 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Lower Lobby

Free

More about the Bach Festival>>

 

 

 

 

April 27, Saturday

Bach Unplugged

Eric Despard, Guitarist

6:00–7:30 PM,
51 Main at the Bridge
Classical guitarist Eric Despard performs music by J.S. Bach and others. Food and beverage will be available for purchase during the performance. Free

April 27, Saturday

Middlebury Bach Festival Concert

Martin Pearlman, conductor

8:00 PM, Mead Memorial Chapel

Orchestral Suite in D Major, BWV 1068 Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1052 Magnificat, BWV 243. Martin Pearlman conducts the Orchestral Suite in D Major; Affiliate Artist Cynthia Huard plays the virtuosic D Minor Concerto; and College Choir and soloists join in for Magnificat. Tickets: $12/10; Middlebury College students free with ID.  Go to the Box Office>>

 More about the Bach Festival>>

 

 

April 27, Saturday

Le Havre

3:00 and 8:00 PM, Dana Auditorium

An underdog shoeshine man chances upon an illegal African immigrant and tries to shield the boy from intensifying police pressures. Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki expands his style to encompass a social awareness that results in a film worthy of the best tradition of French cinema’s lyrical, unblinking humanity. In French with English subtitles. Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. Running time: 93 minutes. Free

 

 

April 30, Tuesday

Behind the Scenes Lunch and Discussion: The Castle

12:30 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Seeler Studio Theatre

Join director Richard Romagnoli and members of the cast and crew as they preview the upcoming production of Howard Barker's drama The Castle. Lunch is provided. Free to College ID card holders; community donations welcomed.

 

 

April 30, Tuesday

African Music and Dance Ensemble

Damascus Kafumbe, director

8:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

This end-of-year concert features a wide range of East African instrumental, vocal, and dance repertoire. Student ensemble members perform on East African drums, fiddles, harps, lyres, lamellaphones, shakers, and xylophones. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Free

 

 

Go to May events>>