The College of Wooster welcomes community for fall arts events

The College of Wooster will showcase a wide variety of arts events throughout the fall semester of the 2025-26 academic year. Open to the community, events from the departments of Music, Theatre and Dance, and the College of Wooster Art Museum (CWAM) include numerous performances from music ensembles, theatre and dance productions, and the fall art exhibit.  Audiences will appreciate seeing the talents of Wooster’s students, including those studying professionally in the arts and other majors throughout the College’s liberal arts curriculum.

• Tuesday, Sept. 9: College of Wooster Art Museum exhibition Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue Opening Celebration, Ebert Art Center (1220 Beall Avenue). Celebrating its opening day, the fall exhibition at The College of Wooster Art Museum invites viewers to consider their connection to agricultural traditions and culture. “Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue” will be on display throughout the fall. 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.

• Friday, Sept. 19: Celebration of the Arts, 4:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel (340 E. University Street). During Homecoming Weekend with families and alumni, the annual celebration will feature performances by the Wooster Chorus, Scot Marching Band and Pipe Band, College of Wooster Dance Company, and students studying Art & Art History.
  

  Students in the Wooster Symphony Orchestra perform.

• Friday, Sept.19: Wooster Jazz Ensemble and Wooster Symphony Orchestra Homecoming Concert of More Amor, 7:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel (340 E. University Street). A tribute to the celebrated jazz guitarist, Wes Montgomery, will feature acclaimed guitarist Bobby Broom, performing hit songs by Montgomery from the newly released Chicago Jazz Orchestra album, More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery, which hit No. 1 on the JazzWeek chart and stayed in the top 5 for 13 weeks. Conducted by Jeffrey Lindberg, professor of music at the College, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra is composed 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.

• Friday, Sept. 26: Wooster Contemporary Chamber Ensemble Concert, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street). Beginning their second season, the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble focuses on music by living composers and is directed by Dylan Findley, assistant professor of music, music theory, and composition.

• Tuesday, Sept. 30: Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue Reception and Curator’s Talk, 4 p.m., Ebert Art Center (1220 Beall Avenue). Laura Augusta, curator of Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue, will discuss the fall CWAM exhibit’s themes and artworks in further detail. Augusta is the Jane Dale Owen Director & Chief Curator at the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston, focusing on the landscapes of disaster-prone places and shared spaces in her curatorial and essay projects.

• Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 16 – 19 and Oct. 23 – Oct. 25: An Iliad by Denis O’Hare & Lisa Pet, 7:30 p.m., Freedlander Theatre (329 E. University Street). Directed by Kerstin Vaughn, visiting assistant professor of theatre and dance, An Iliad is a modern-day retelling of Homer’s classic. Poetry and humor, the ancient tale of the Trojan War and the modern world collide in this captivating theatrical experience. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. with only a matinee showing on Sunday Oct. 19, at 2 p.m. Tickets are required and available at the box office in Freedlander Theatre or at wooster.edu/snippet/tickets.

• Sunday, Oct. 19: Mayan Community Garden Project Panel Discussion, 2 p.m., Ebert Art Center (1220 Beall Avenue). The CWAM fall exhibit Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue will host a panel discussion about the importance of land, language, and culture in the panelists’ communities of origin and in their resettled communities here in Ohio. Central American foods will be catered by the Immigrant Worker Project AMIGAS co-operative.

• Friday, Oct. 24: Litigating for Liberation with OCSILiO, 6:30 pm, at Westminster Presbyterian Church Mackey Hall (353 E. Pine Street). In collaboration with the CWAM exhibition Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue, the Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration Litigation and Outreach (OCSILiO) will host an event to shine light on the immigrant experience and discuss its mission to defend detained Ohio immigrants in their deportation proceedings. Central American foods will be provided by the Immigrant Worker Project AMIGAS co-operative.

• Sunday, Nov. 9: Scot Symphonic Band Concert, 3 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street). Directed by Jeff Gershman, the band is the premier wind ensemble at the College. Their annual fall concert will celebrate the evolution of American music as the 250th anniversary of the nation approaches. The performance will include music by Arthur Bird, Helen May Butler, Leroy Anderson, and George Gershwin, as well as the world premiere of “Contemplation” by Sitara True ’25.

• Friday, Nov. 14 – Saturday, Nov. 15: Wooster Symphony Orchestra Concert featuring guitarist Jason Vieaux, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street). Celebrating its 110th season, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra presents Grammy-Award-winning classical guitarist Jason Vieaux. The concert will include Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra and works by Bernstein, Gallagher, and Mayer. Conducted by Jeffrey Lindberg, professor of music at the College, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra is composed of both students and community members and offers experience playing orchestral literature of various musical genres. Tickets are required and available Buehler’s Milltown and Towne Market, at the Scheide Music Center, and at the door before the concert.

• Sunday, Nov. 16: Scot Marching & Pipe Band Concert, 3 p.m., McGaw Chapel (340 E. University Street). 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 Jeff Gershman as assistant director, while The College of Wooster Pipe Band is directed by Palmer Shonk ’10 and Sean Lawry.
  

  The Scot Marching Band performs at Papp Stadium.

• Thursday, Nov. 20 – Sunday, Nov. 23: Fall Dance Concert, 7:30 p.m., Freedlander Theatre (329 E. University Street). Directed by Emily Baird, assistant professor of theatre and dance, the Fall Dance 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. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. with only a matinee showing on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are required and available at the box office in Freedlander Theatre or at wooster.edu/snippet/tickets.

• Friday, Nov. 21: Wooster Symphony Orchestra performance of “Elvis Returns!” A Holiday Tribute to Elvis Presley, 7:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel (340 E. University Street). Elvis tribute artist Victor Trevino Jr. joins the Wooster Symphony Orchestra for a fun-filled evening of holiday music as recorded by the great Elvis Presley. Conducted by Jeff Lindberg, professor of music at the College, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra is formed of both students and community members and offers experience playing orchestral literature of various musical genres. The Wooster Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest orchestra in continuous performance in Ohio, holding four regular concerts every year since its establishment in 1915. The WSO Holiday Concert is an annual fundraising event sponsored by the Friends of the Wooster Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are required and available at Buehler’s Milltown, Towne Market, Orrville, and Ashland, and at the door.
  

  Students in the Wooster Chorus perform in the fall of 2024.

• Saturday, Nov. 22: Wooster Chorus Fall Concert, 3 p.m., Gault Recital Hall in Scheide Music Center. The Wooster Singers is the College’s non-auditioned mixed chorus, open to music majors and non-majors alike, and conducted by Christin Sears, visiting assistant professor and director of choral activities. The award-winning ensemble has been praised for its beautiful sound, high level of artistry, creative programming, and engaging performances.

• Sunday, Nov. 23: Concert Band & Wooster Singers Performance, 4 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of McGaw Chapel (340 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 visiting assistant professor and director of choral activities Christin Sears. The Wooster Concert Band includes 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 Jeff Gershman, professor of music and director of bands at Wooster.

• Thursday, Dec. 4: Wooster Contemporary Chamber Ensemble Concert, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street). The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble focuses on music by living composers and is directed by Dylan Findley, assistant professor of music, music theory, and composition.

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: Wooster students perform in the 2024 Fall Dance Concert.

Posted in Event, Homepage Featured, News on September 8, 2025.