Schedule of Events

 

Festival Guidebooks are available in the Shapiro Campus Center, Rose Art Museum, Spingold Theater Center, and Slosberg Music Center. To open a PDF of the guidebook in a new window, click here.  

Wednesday, April 9

Collaboration in Process 
3:30 p.m.
Spingold Theater Center, Merrick Theater
 
Witness the intensity of theater in the moment. Senior theater students present an original experiment in performance, composition, and collaboration, followed by a workshop. Featuring Julia Broder, Amanda Brown, Beck Holden, Kara Manson, Charlotte Rea, Julia Tejblum, Becky Webber and Allie Winer.
 
Festival Opening Celebration
Prospect II
5 to 7 p.m.
Dreitzer Gallery, Spingold Theater Center

The accomplished postbaccalaureate studio artists exhibit painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking. Meet the artists and celebrate the opening of the 2008 Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts.

Ian MacKaye
7:30 p.m.
Schwartz Hall
 
The Punk, Rock 'n' Roll Club presents a talk by independent music producer Ian MacKaye. As the singer for Minor Threat, MacKaye helped spread the aesthetic, communal, and independent ideals of hardcore; the band went on to become hardcore's most iconic act and the (unintentional) inspiration for the lifestyle known as straight edge. MacKaye went on to perform with Fugazi and the Evens, and continues to run Dischord Records, the label he founded in 1980. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Lost in the Stars and Other American Classics
Brandeis University Chorus and Chamber Choir
8 p.m.
Slosberg Music Center
 
The chorus performs selections from Lost in the Stars, the powerful 1949 musical by Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill. This uniquely American opera, based on Cry, the Beloved Country (Alex Paton's novel of racial conflicts in South Africa), is a stirring call for justice and brotherhood. The Chamber Choir presents 21st-century work by Brandeis' David Rakowski and others. James Olesen, director. 

Good
8:00 p.m.
Spingold Theater Center, Merrick Theater

The student-run Free Play Theater Cooperative presents C.P. Taylor's daring musical fantasia. In 1930s Germany, a scholar of Dr. Faustus (Jeff Rosenblatt '08) struggles with his ethical choices under the Nazi regime. Emily Griffin '10, producer; Eli Matzner '08, director; Cassie Seinuk '09, stage manager. (Also on Thursday, April 10, 8:00 p.m.)


Thursday, April 10 

Women Artists and the Experience of Creation
12:15 p.m.
Rose Art Museum 

Artist-scholars from the Women’s Studies Research Center discuss the act of creation. Panelists include filmmaker Maria Agui, poet and installation artist Susan Eisenberg, author Ruth Nemzoff and theater critic Terry Byrne. Moderated by Rosie Rosenzweig. 

SunDeis Screening
4 p.m.
Women’s Studies Research Center
Did you miss SunDeis, Brandeis’s college film festival? Catch the winners at this special Festival of the Creative Arts screening. For a list of films, go to www.brandeis.edu/sundeis.

Catch a Rising Star: Brandeis–Wellesley Orchestra 
8 p.m.
Slosberg Music Center
 
One of New England’s finest university orchestras performs Dvorak Symphony No. 6 in A major and Tchaikovsky’s Concerto for Violin, featuring Daniel Chen ’09, the winner of the BWO concerto competition. Neal Hampton, conductor.

Boris’ Kitchen Spring Show 
8 p.m.
Carl J. Shapiro Theater
Shapiro Campus Center
 
Brandeis’ irreverent sketch comedy troupe presents a full-length show jammed with brand-spankin’-new, never-before-seen sketches, videos, and, of course, “The News.” Put on your chef hat and see what Boris has been cooking! (Also on Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m.)
 
Manginah Spring Show
8:30 p.m.
Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library
 
Manginah, Hebrew for "melody," is Brandeis's premier co-ed Jewish a cappella group. Founded in 1994, Manginah sings a mix of Israeli pop music, classic Jewish melodies and parodies set to secular music. Tickets for Brandeis students are $4 in advance and $5 at the door;  general public, $5 in advance / $6 at the door.

 


Friday, April 11

Bookmaking Workshop
Women’s Studies Research Center
2 p.m.

Learn the fine art of hands-on bookmaking in conjunction with the exhibition "A Thousand and One Inventions." By the end of the hourlong session, you will have created your own handmade journal, photo album or scrapbook. All supplies are provided. Enrollment is limited to 15. RSVP to llynch@brandeis.edu or 781-736-8102.

BEAMS in Concert
8 p.m.
Slosberg Music Center

The Brandeis Electro-Acoustic Music Studio presents new work by grad and undergrad composers from Brandeis and Brown University. The program includes installation and dj pieces from classic tape/instrument compositions to interactive performances. Special guest Professor Wayne Marshall (aka reggaeton master Wayne and Wax).  

Boris’ Kitchen Spring Show
8 p.m.
Carl J. Shapiro Theater
Shapiro Campus Center
 
Brandeis’s irreverent sketch comedy troupe presents a full-length show jammed with brand-spankin’-new, never-before-seen sketches, videos, and, of course, “The News.” Put on your chef hat and see what Boris has been cooking! (Also on Thursday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m.) 
 
Top Score Presents A Night at the Movies
8 p.m.
Schwartz Auditorium
Enjoy hearing your favorite movie music live, while watching a video montage on the big screen. Selections include Leonard Bernstein's own West Side Story, Superman, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and much more. Free popcorn!   


Saturday, April 12

Inside View: Meet the Curators
2 p.m.
The Rose Art Museum

Join curators Margaret Evangeline and Dominique Nahas for a tour of "Empires and Environments," the Rose’s challenging and enigmatic spring exhibition. The curators reveal their discovery of connections between art from the Rose’s formidable permanent collection and works by emerging and midcareer artists. 

Irving Fine, American Master
4 p.m.
Slosberg Music Center
 
The Irving Fine Society, directed by Nicholas A. Brown ’10, celebrates the legendary composer who brought Leonard Bernstein to Brandeis. Program includes Partita for Wind Quintet, Alice in Wonderland Set 1, Diversions for Piano (Jae Han ’10, piano), and premieres of works by undergraduate composers.

Rose Spring Gala
6 to 9 p.m.
The Rose Art Museum
 
Discover the depths of the museum's extraordinary collection of modern and contemporary art with a special vault tour; enjoy festive jazz, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Tickets: $125 per person (includes a complimentary membership) or $225 per couple (includes a complimentary dual membership). RSVP by calling 781-736-3432 or e-mail tjking@brandeis.edu by April 2.

Boris’ Kitchen Spring Show
6 p.m.
Carl J. Shapiro Theater
Shapiro Campus Center
 
Brandeis’ irreverent sketch comedy troupe presents a full-length show jammed with brand-spankin’-new, never-before-seen sketches, videos, and, of course, “The News.” Put on your chef hat and see what Boris has been cooking! (Also on Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.)

Culture X
7:00 p.m. (changed from 7:30 p.m.)
Spingold Theater Center
 
SOLD OUT, BUT WAITING LIST BEGINS AT THE SPINGOLD BOX OFFICE AT 6 P.M. Experience the energy and excitement of Brandeis’s student-produced dance, music and spoken word extravaganza! Diverse talents, diverse people, diverse cultures and a lot of energy unite in a global celebration of “human spirit.” Produced by the Intercultural Center’s 15 student organizations under the guidance of ICC director Monique Gnanaratnam. Advance tickets are free and recommended; available from the Brandeis Box Office. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Pterodactyl with the Antlers
9 p.m.
Chum's
Usen Castle
 
The Punk, Rock 'n' Roll Club presents Pterodactyl, an art-punk-noise trio from far-away Brooklyn, as awesome as their name suggests and reminiscent of Parts & Labor, Deerhoof, Battles and TV on the Radio. The Antlers, also from the bountiful Brooklyn area, take dreampop to a whole new level.


Sunday, April 13

Performing Arts Festival

In celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s lifelong commitment to engaging young people in the arts, Brandeis sponsors an afternoon of free performances, family and children’s events, and art exhibitions and demonstrations. Most children’s events take place in the Children’s Arts Pavilion in the second-floor multipurpose room at Shapiro Campus Center. Others are marked with an asterisk (*).

Performances run continuously from noon to 5 p.m. at the Slosberg Music Center,  Shapiro Campus Center, Rose Art Museum, and on the Lower Campus in Spingold Theater Center and Pollack Auditorium. Print out the PDF version of the schedule to plan your afternoon! 

Join us for complimentary coffee, tea and pastries in the Shapiro Campus Center from 11 a.m. to noon.


Featured Performers

Sol y Canto: Afro-Latin Songs and Rhythms
Shapiro Campus Center Atrium
2 to 3 p.m.

The heart and soul of Sol y Canto is its rich vocal harmonies, sumptuous Spanish guitar and an irresistible combination of beautiful ballads and churning Latin rhythms. Sol y Canto (sun and song) has brought audiences from the Kennedy Center and the White House to Puerto Rico’s Conservatory de Musica to their feet. Featuring Rosi Amador (vocals), Brian Amador (Spanish guitar), and outstanding Latin musicians from Cuba, Uruguay, Mexico and Argentina.
 


Performing Arts Festival at Slosberg Music Center

Thoughts-in-Motion: Brandeis Dance Collective*
Noon to 12:50 p.m.

Expect the unexpected from original modern dance by alumni, faculty and students from across the country. Susan Dibble, director; Susanna Katsman ’98, codirector.

Guilty! A Musical Murder Mystery 
1 p.m.

Who poisoned the billionaire? In highlights from this lighthearted musical, four prime suspects prove that everything is not always as it seems. Music by Rachel Lehmann ’08; lyrics by Leah Edelman ’08. Jae Han ’10, piano; Pamela Wolfe, stage director. 

Bulgarian Folk Dance: Shopski Rhythms*
1:30 p.m.

This innovative interpretation of the traditional Bulgarian dance is a playful, intricate expression of romantic love from the Shopski region. Tzvetomira Kaltcheva, PhD’12, producer.

Before Sunrise
2 to 3:20 p.m.

Personal narrative and music illuminate the experiences of Palestinian students at Brandeis in this short documentary film by Mohammad Kundas ’10. A Palestinian-influenced jazz performance before and after the film expands the cultural dialogue. Walla Sbeit ’08, percussion; David Guerette ’08, saxophone; Gabriel Gaskin ’08, trombone; Ari Jadwin ’10, double bass. 

Sounds and Images from Korea
3:30 p.m.

Pianist Seunghee Lee, PhD’12, who grew up in Korea, draws her musical inspiration from the Western tradition. In this original performance, she juxtaposes her compositions for solo piano with traditional Korean music and paintings by the revered 18th-century artist Kim Hong-do. 

Groove Party: Brandeis Jazz Ensemble
4 to 5 p.m.

Brandeis students perform classic jazz, big band, and new music that grooves under the direction of Boston’s famed jazzman Bob Nieske.

A Cappella Fest
8:00 p.m.

Brandeis’s famed a cappella groups unite for one glorious benefit concert. Hosted by Starving Artists and organized by Gavi Young ’09, the concert includes performances by Voice male, Shirley Tempos, Rather Be Giraffes, Company B, Voices of Soul, and Up the Octave. The $5 admission benefits mental health organizations.

Back to top of Performing Arts Festival schedule 



Carl J. Shapiro Theater, Shapiro Campus Center

A Midsummer Night’s Dream *
Noon–12:50 p.m.
In Oberon and Titania’s enchanted woods, four young Athenian lovers and six “rude mechanicals” discover what fools these mortals be. This adaptation of Shakespeare’s most magical comedy is fun for all ages. Performed by the Boston-based Shakespeare Now! Theatre Company.



Cyrano *
1:00–2:00 p.m.
A timeless tale of love, deception, honor, and a nose, performed by three actors from Boston’s acclaimed New Repertory Theater.  Cyrano, a witty, brave, and image-conscious poet, is in love with the beautiful Roxanne; yet through an unexpected chain of events, he must help his rival, a handsome yet dumb soldier, win her heart. 


Red / Ines Schinazi
3:00 p.m.
In a performance influenced by lyrical, modern, and African dance, twelve dancers express society’s influence on our choices and the strength required to follow one’s heart. Tanya Fredman '08 and Casara Nemes '08, choreographers.
 
Singer and rapper Ines Schinazi '08 is French and Brazilian, and grew up in Colorado. In the absence of cultural roots, she came up with her own fusion style, sampling music from musicians as diverse as Bob Sinclair and the Rolling Stones. Come hear her original songs!


Controlling Question Marks
3:30 p.m.
Daniel Baron ’09, Arielle Kaplan '10, Roopa Modha '08, and Noor Narula ’10,  explore new territory in ballet, jazz, and modern movement. 


Fleshing Out
4:00 p.m.
Staged reading of a new play by Maxwell Price ’11, based on a true story. Andrew Ross, a teenage artistic prodigy, is falsely accused of and arrested for vandalism, forcing him to face the conundrum of his mixed racial identity. Cast includes first-year students Adam Hughes, Cecelia Watkins, Anwar Abdul-Wahab, Alissa Thomas, Jonathan Sussman, and Jourdan Cohen. 


What We Do in Our Spare Time
4:30 p.m.
Short theatrical performance that reveals the funny, absurd, and indefinable moments of college life. Rebecca Ramo ’08, director.


Children’s Arts Pavilion: Shapiro Campus Center Multipurpose Room

Free refreshments for kids and families from 12:00 - 5:00 p.m.

1:00–1:50 p.m.
The History and Adventures of Tom Thumb *
Get into the act! Festival favorites City Stage Company of Boston, the award-winning children’s theater troupe, invites you to play fairy queens and kings, Grumbo the giant, and Tiny Tom himself. Larry Coen ’81, artistic director.

 
2:00 p.m.
Scott Kepnes *
With his blend of funky folk and rock tunes, Kepnes has entertained children and family audiences throughout New England for more than twenty years. Brandeis knows him best as a teacher at the Lemberg Children’s Center. Join the sing-along!

 
Around the World in Song: A Musical Adventure *
2:30 p.m.
Meet fascinating instruments like the berimbau—a musical bow and arrow—through exciting games, songs, and stories led by Guy Mendilow, whose band has been voted Boston’s Best World Music Act.


Children’s Art Activitiesclaykid
3:00–5:00 p.m.
Get into the picture! Brandeis undergraduates and graduate students lead special art-making workshops for children of all ages. Make a self-portrait, a clay sculpture, or a special collage to commemorate your day at Brandeis.
 


The Rose Art Museum

Hero Worship: Brandeis Early Music Ensemble
1:00 p.m.
Songs and madrigals of two ancient star-crossed lovers, Hero and Leander, for voice, harpsichord, lute, and recorder, under the direction of Sarah Mead.


Leonard Bernstein Scholarship Quartet
1:30 p.m.
First-year students Sarit Luban (violin), Ethan Valinetz (violin), Emily Gelb (viola), and Conner Massey (cello), are recipients of the Leonard Bernstein Scholarship, coached by the world-renowned Lydian String Quartet. In their festival debut, they perform the Brahms C Minor String Quartet, op. 51, no. 1. 


Angels and Artifice: Jazz at the Rose
2:00–3:00 p.m.

Jerry Sabatini (trumpet), Chris Veilleux (saxophone), and  Mike Connors (drums).



The Gifford 5
3:00 p.m.
The music of Irving Fine, Brandeis music department founder, finds new expression in this quintet, which performs Fine’s Partita for Wind Quintet (1948). Dahlia Yoeli ’08, flute; Geoffrey Cohen ’10, oboe; Jared Field ’11, clarinet; Elana Friedland ’11, bassoon; Nicholas A. Brown ’10, French horn.


Singer and Saw *
3:30 p.m.
An opera singer and a clown: Sarah Worthington and Nathan Carver. These two should never have met. Luckily they have, and the result is eccentric vaudeville, a comic recital, a true musical comedy between a loving soprano and her adoring accompanist, who plays a six-foot lumberjack saw.



Roboticelli: Fresco-Painting Robot *
 3:30 p.m.
Will Jonathan Zornow ’08 be able to execute the traditionally painstaking technique of  fresco painting with a modified ink-jet printer? Zornow risks it “live” in this unique fusion of artistry and technology.


Spoken Word Performance
4:00 p.m.
The inspiring, moving poetry and performance of Zamira Castro ’11, Jason Simon-Bierenbaum ’11, Associate Dean Jamele Adams (aka Harlym 125, a "juggernaut of artistic edu-activism”), and surprise guests.


4:30 p.m.
Sax Appeal: The Brandeis Saxophone Quartet
Favorites from Leonard Bernstein’s beloved West Side Story: "I Feel Pretty," "Balcony Scene," "Cha-Cha," and "Somewhere." Jamie Fleishman ’11, alto saxophone; Doug Nevins ’11, soprano saxophone; Evan Rosenberg ’11, tenor saxophone; George Falk ’11, baritone saxophone.


Lower Campus 

Physical Comedy / Physical Theater Workshop

10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Learn the basics of the ancient art of clowning--not balloon animals and face painting, but the double-take and the pratfall, to name but two essentials of the craft of character-based physical comedy. Taught by Nathan Carver, a graduate of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Baileys Clown College, and half of the comedy duo Singer and Saw (performing in the Rose Art Museum at 3:30 p.m.).  Recommended for adults and young adults. Space is limited; first come, first served. Participants should wear comfortable clothes that are easy to move in.


The Dramatic Canvas: Scene Painting Demonstration *
Spingold Theater Center Paint Deck
12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Discover how studio art intersects with theater arts in this backstage demonstration by master scenic painter, Bob Moody, Laurie professor of theater arts. 



COSI FA Festi: Animotion Commotion
Pollack Auditorium
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The departments of Computer Science (COSI) and Fine Arts (FA) team up to present Animotion Commotion, a screening of animation and video work produced by each department. Selected works highlight the use and crossover appeal of 3D modeling and digital video in computer science research and Fine Art New Media practices. A discussion and reception follow the screening.


Journey to a Refugee Camp
Spingold Theater Center Balcony
1:00 p.m., 3:15 p.m., and 4:20 p.m.

Exploring the intersection of art, coexistence, and peace building, Walaa Sbait ’08 developed this original, site-specific performance set in a Palestinian refugee camp. The Brandeis Playback Society continues with a facilitated improvisational talkback.

 Back to top of Performing Arts Festival schedule 

Ongoing Events and Exhibitions 


Festival Art Exhibitions
The innovative artwork created for the Festival of the Creative Arts reflects what’s on students’ minds this year: portraiture, community, science, and culture, among other topics, in media ranging from acrylics to sugar cookies, inspired by literature, science, and the Internet.

 Slosberg Music Center  
 Claudia Kaufman PB '08  Three Squares: 2008
 Sarah Lubin PB ’08  Two Figures
 Ryan Pressman PB ’08  An Affair
 Danielle Riechers PB ’08  Celebrating OurSpace
 Jenna Weiss PB ’08  Tesseract Triptych


 Shapiro Campus Center  
 Danielle Angel ’08  Brandeisia
 Shirly Behar PB’08  The Castle
 Elizabeth Davenport PB ’08  A Mixed Media  Community
 Tanya Fredman ’08, Jessica    Kent ’09, Esti Schloss ’09  I.F.
 Emily Leifer ’11  Brandeis Museum of  Contemporary History
 Scott Moerdler ’08  Experimental Growth
 Aiko Nishioka ’08  Paintings on Glass
 Rachel Pfeffer ’08  Bernstein Bedazzled
 Naomi Safran-Hon '08  Inside Out 


Shapiro Campus Center
Art Gallery		  
 Stephen Chow '09 Portraits of Brandeis Students

Ariella Silverstein-Tapp ' 09

Aviv Luban '08 and Leah Rabb '07

 The Faces of TYP

These Walls Remember: Remnants of Jewish Life in Poland 


Shapiro Campus Center
Multipurpose Room		  
 Daniele Kohn '08 Sugar Cookies 
 (Wednesday only)  


 Goldfarb Library  
 Nina Rogowsky ’08,  Victoria Bell  '08, Bekah  Richards '10, Erin Soares '08  Imagery
 Getz Multimedia  Lab staff Bibliotheque Electronique (Wednesday - Friday only) 


 Schwartz Hall  
 Carol Prost  Turbulence and Tenderness


 Usdan Student Center  
 Tanya Fredman ’08  Usdan, Beyond Faces
 Rachel Silverman ’08  The Art of Dance


Women’s Studies Research Center  
 Jillian Rubman ’09  Beautiful  Bodies  (Wednesday -  Friday  only)
 
Empires and Environments, Broken Home, and Arp to Reinhardt
Rose Art Museum

Three challenging new exhibitions continue the Rose Art Musuem’s spotlight on its renowned permanent collection. Empires and Environments features works from the collection alongside new work from emerging artists in an exhibition that addresses how the will to power conditions psychic, physical and material environments. Broken Home: 1997/2007 re-creates a 1997 "guest-curated" show — one of the first in a commercial gallery, a practice now ubiquitous in the art world. Arp to Rheinhardt: Rose Geometries features iconic works by Ellsworth Kelly, Leon Polk Smith, Josef Albers and Brice Marden, among other important artists of the 1950s and 1960s.
 
Lynne Avadenka: A Thousand and One Inventions
Women’s Studies Research Center

Words and images meld in Lynne Avadenka's site-specific installation, creating an environment that opens up and reveals layers visually, as a book does conceptually. A multiplicity of marks in a variety of media transforms the Kniznick Gallery's unique architecture into a work of art that invites and absorbs the viewer.
 
The Art Behind the Portrait: Works by artists featured in the Carl Van Vechten Photograph Collection of the Brandeis University Libraries Special Collections Department
Goldfarb Library
Inspired by the library's collection of photographer Carl Van Vechten's African American portraits, this display highlights African American luminaries such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Harry Belafonte, and Billie Holiday. Display created by Gail Goldspiel ’09 and produced by Lisa Zeidenberg, Arts and Culture Librarian. Creative Arts, Farber Library, Floor 3
 
Brandeis in Lights: Legends of Stage, Screen, and Song
Goldfarb Library

This exhibit highlights notable aspects of Brandeis's early music and theater programs; it also showcases the personal collections of important figures in theater, film, and musical composition. Come for a glimpse of the artistic impresarios associated with Brandeis ... and for a close look at Oscar. Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Goldfarb Library, Level 2
 
Panic Button Comes to America!
Goldman-Schwartz,  room 126
Through Saturday 
Exhibition of artwork from Panic Button, the portable paper stage of Eastern Europe.