The College of Wooster fall arts events showcase talented Wooster community

The College of Wooster will present a variety of arts events throughout the fall semester. Events welcoming the community from the departments of Music, Theatre and Dance, and College of Wooster Art Museum include numerous performances from music ensembles, theatre and dance productions, and two exhibitions by the College of Wooster Art Museum. Audiences will enjoy seeing and hearing Wooster’s talented students, including those studying professionally in the arts and majors throughout the College’s liberal arts curriculum. 

• Friday, Oct. 18: Celebration of the Arts, 4:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel (340 E. University Street). During Homecoming Weekend with families and alumni the event will feature performances by the Wooster Chorus, Scot Symphonic Band, and members of the Theatre and Dance and Art and Art History Departments.
  

  Wooster Symphony Orchestra performs.

• Friday, Oct. 18: Wooster Jazz Ensemble and Wooster Symphony Orchestra performance of Nina at Ninety, 7:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel (340 E. University Street). This performance pays tribute to noted singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist, Nina Simone. Internationally known jazz singer Dee Alexander and Bri Mosley ’24 will sing songs made famous by Simone. Conducted by Jeffrey Lindberg, professor of music at the College, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra is comprised of both students and community members and offers experience playing orchestral literature of musical genres ranging from the baroque period to contemporary. The Wooster Jazz Ensemble specializes in playing large-ensemble jazz and gives opportunities for participants to compose, arrange, and improvise music.  

• Thursday Oct. 24-Saturday, Oct. 26: Boeing-Boeing by Marc Camoletti, 7:30 p.m., Freedlander Theatre (329 E. University Street). Directed by Shirley Huston-Findley, professor of theatre and dance, this farcical comedy centers on a bachelor living in Paris as he struggles to keep his three fiancées, all flight attendants, from finding out about each other. Tickets are required and available at the box office in Freedlander Theatre or at wooster.edu/snippet/tickets. 
  

  Students perform in the New Works Festival, presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance in spring 2023.

• Sunday, Nov. 10: Scot Symphonic Band fall concert, 3 p.m., McGaw Chapel. Directed by Jeffrey D. Gershman, the band is the premier wind ensemble at the College and rooted in a deep belief in the importance of inclusive programming. Scot Symphonic Band performances draw both from the cornerstones of the wind literature and the finest contemporary works. 

• Wednesday, Nov. 13: Wooster Singers and Wooster Concert Band concert, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street). The Wooster Singers is the College’s only all-treble ensemble music course, open to music majors and non-majors alike and conducted by adjunct instructor Victoria Peacock ’17. The Wooster Concert Band is comprised of students, staff, and faculty of the College, along with community members from Wayne County, ranging in age from 16 to 80 and is conducted by Jeffrey D. Gershman, professor of music and director of bands at Wooster.
  

  Wooster Chorus performs in the fall of 2023.

• Saturday, Nov. 16: Wooster Chorus fall concert, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall in Scheide Music Center. Founded in 1964, the Wooster Chorus is comprised of students representing all academic areas within The College of Wooster’s liberal arts program. The award-winning ensemble has been repeatedly praised for its beautiful sound, high level of artistry, creative programming, and engaging performances. 

• Thursday, Nov. 21-Saturday, Nov. 23: Fall Dance Concert, 7:30 p.m., Freedlander Theatre. Directed by Emily Baird, assistant professor of theatre and dance, this concert features a variety of student-choreographed pieces based on different themes and artistic styles. One of two dance concerts that the department puts on each year, the Fall Dance Concert is presented “in-the-round,” with audience members seated on all four sides of the stage, bringing them face-to-face with modern dance. Tickets are required and are available at the box office in Freedlander Theatre or at wooster.edu/snippet/tickets.

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  Students perform in the 2023 Fall Dance Concert.

  Friday, Nov. 22: Contemporary Chamber Ensemble concert, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center. A new addition to Wooster’s music department this semester, the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble focuses on music by living composers and is directed by Dylan Findley, visiting assistant professor of music, music theory, and composition. 

• Sunday, Nov. 24: Scot Marching Band and Pipe Band concert, 3 p.m., McGaw Chapel. The concert will feature highlights from the ensembles’ fall season, including music performed at pregame, halftime, and in the stands in support of the Fighting Scots football team. The Scot Marching Band is directed by Ryan Kilgore, with Jeffrey D. Gershman as assistant director, while the Pipe Band is directed by Palmer Shonk ’10 and Sean Lawry.
  

  The Scot Marching Band performs at Papp Stadium.

• Friday, Dec. 6: Wooster Symphony Orchestra performance of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by John Mauceri, 7:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel. Using music composed by Peter Tchaikovsky, including material from the original Nutcracker ballet and suite, Mauceri creates a 75-minute narration of the story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, set to music. The performance includes Richard Figge, professor emeritus of German studies at Wooster, as the narrator. Tickets are required and available at Buehler’s Milltown and Towne Market, Scheide Music Center, and at the door before the concert. 

• Tuesday, Sept. 3-Friday, Dec. 6: College of Wooster Art Museum exhibitions Passages: Tales of the Snow Migrant and Our Disappearing Darkness: Meditations on Losing the Night Sky, Ebert Art Center (1220 Beall Avenue). These exhibitions invite viewers to rethink their connection with human-caused environmental problems. The CWAM is open Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m.

College of Wooster Art Museum

All events are open to the public. For more information on events in the Department of Music, contact administrative coordinator Melissa Puster at mpuster@wooster.edu or 330-263-2419. For information on Theatre and Dance events, contact Scott Schwarzwalder at sschwarzwldr@wooster.edu or 330-263-2541. For additional information on the CWAM exhibitions, visit the CWAM website or call 330-263-2495. 

Featured image: Student musicians from the Scot Symphonic Band perform at the 2023 Celebration of the Arts.

Posted in Event, Homepage Featured, News on September 30, 2024.