Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts takes on climate action

A sampling of the featured artists and performances for the Festival of the Creative Arts

Experience the music, dance, theater, and artwork that will transform the Brandeis campus during the 2023 Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. The festival takes place Friday, April 21 through Sunday, April 30.

This year’s festival celebrates “Art in the Year of Climate Action.” The Year of Climate Action is an initiative at Brandeis devoted to deepening the understanding of climate change as a social justice issue through curricular and co-curricular programming.

“We invited students, artists, scholars, and community activists to consider the arts as a means to positive change,” said Ingrid Schorr, director of arts engagement and festival producer. “They have produced creative responses such as plays focusing on the climate crisis, a workshop on upcycling clothes to keep them out of landfill, and a large-scale window decal to prevent bird deaths.”

A few of this year’s highlights include: 

• Super Sunday: an afternoon of short performances and art experiences for all ages, including the Second Line Brass Band and BIG NAZO

• A concert by Israeli-based musician Gili Yalo, who infuses his Ethiopian roots with the sounds of soul, funk, psychedelia, and jazz

• Culture X, a joyful dance, music, and spoken word showcase produced by the Intercultural Center

• Concerts by ensembles from the Department of Music

• A production of “Stupid —— Bird,” by Aaron Posner, directed by Dmitry Troyanovsky '98 (Theater Arts), and produced by the Department of Theater Arts

The Festival of the Arts honors its founder, the great American composer, conductor, and Brandeis faculty member, Leonard Bernstein, and his incredible legacy as an artist, educator, activist and humanitarian.

The Festival of the Arts is sponsored by Brandeis Arts Engagement for the Division of Creative Arts. It is made possible by the generous support of many campus partners as well as Elaine Reuben ’63, the Mass Cultural Council, the Waltham Cultural Council, and the Aaron Foundation Visiting Artist Fund for Theater, Music, and Fine Arts.

The festival website has a complete listing of events.