Weis Center for the Performing Arts Blog

Archive for October, 2016

Wednesday, October 26th, 2016

Judy Collins and Ari Hest Inspire with their Voices and Storytelling

On Thursday, October 20, the Weis Center hosted folk icon Judy Collins and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Ari Hest. The combination of her angelic voice and his velvety tone left patrons feeling inspired and transformed – even if just for one night. Ari performed a set of his own songs first and then after a brief intermission, Judy took the stage at 8:15 pm. Performing a wide-ranging set of her classic melodies, as well as some well-known covers from the 60s and 70s, Judy performed for over an hour. Throughout the set, she interjected lovely memories about the songs and the time […]

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Posted by on October 26, 2016

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016

Drums of India Shares a Lesson in the Language of Music

Bickram Ghosh’s Drums of India filled the Weis Center with captivating rhythm and melodies on Sunday, October 16th. Ghosh was joined by Anoor R. Ananthakrishna Sharma, Gopal Barman, Suresh Vaidyanathan, and Abhisek Mallick, all of whom are celebrated musicians worldwide. One of the most interesting elements of the performance is the fact that most of it was improvised. Ghosh explained to the audience that improvisation is typical of drumming in India, jokingly adding that things could go wrong at any moment. Nothing ended up going wrong during the concert, however, from my perspective; the music sounded and felt thoughtful yet […]

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Posted by on October 18, 2016

Thursday, October 13th, 2016

Proserpina: A Deeper Look

Tonight, Friday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m., the Weis Center presents Annie Randall’s and Paul Botelho’s Proserpina: Two One-Act Operas. I wanted to delve deeper into the story of Proserpina herself and how the themes in the opera can be interpreted in a modern context. The myth of Proserpina was traditionally used to explain why the seasons change. Proserpina, also known as Persephone in Greek mythology, is an ancient Roman goddess who is known for being kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld, after she eats forbidden pomegranate seeds. Her mother, Ceres in Roman mythology and Demeter in Greek […]

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Posted by on October 13, 2016

Monday, October 10th, 2016

Proserpina: Opera Like You’ve Never Seen It Before

On Friday, October 14th, audiences will be able to enjoy a unique performance of opera like they’ve never seen it before, through Annie J. Randall and Paul J. Botelho’s new work, Proserpina: Two One-Act Operas. This project began when Randall, a professor of music at Bucknell, began restoring Goethe’s original composition of Proserpina through a process called transcription in order to make the work usable for today’s musicians. This will be the piece’s North American debut and its first performance since 1778 since it was thought to be lost until recently when Randall recovered the piece from the Darmstadt University […]

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Posted by on October 10, 2016

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