What a way to welcome the holiday season! Grammy-winning, all-women, African American a capella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock returned to the Weis Center (they performed in 1992) for a December 1 performance that had everyone “Celebrating the Holydays.” Founded in 1973, and with a few member changes over its forty years, Sweet Honey in the Rock has a mission to educate, entertain, and empower through powerful a capella vocal dynamics and American Sign Language. The current lineup consists of vocalists Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil and Shirley Childress, an American Sign Language Interpreter who has […]

In breaking with traditional concert norms, the Weis Center hosted its first ever Hip Hop Happening. This panel-performance brought to attention many of the political issues most commonly discussed in hip hop music in the past to lead the performers to speculate on the genre’s future in social action. Moderated by Manny Faces, a New York City based hip hop journalist and advocate, the Weis Center welcomed artists Amos Lachman, J Pope and two Bucknell University students Mansa K and Amarachi Ekekwe. Keeping with the themes of social action, the panel discussion opened up with a question from Manny surrounding […]

It is very rare to witness a multitude of moving artistic parts come together so ingeniously in the name of creating one body of work. This is just what occurred at the Weis Center on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 9 with an exquisite performance of a piece entitled the “The Blue Hour” by A Far Cry string orchestra and vocals from Brazilian jazz singer Luciana Souza. The piece was a creative collaboration that came to fruition from the works of five notable female composers – Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón, Shara Nova, Caroline Shaw and Sarah Kirkland Snider – and featured […]

We welcomed the first dance performance of our 30th anniversary season Thursday, October 12 with a dazzling production by the Alonzo King LINES Ballet company. The San Francisco contemporary ballet company boasts dancers that move with such fluidity across the stage that one number seamlessly blends into the next. The show consisted of two acts that each contained one extended piece choreographed solely by King. The first piece, entitled Biophony, was an exceptional and unique collaboration between King, soundscape artist Bernie Krause, and composer Richard Blackford. The audio played during the piece was from Krause’s recording of various ecosystems and creatures from […]

After a busy and lively first month of performances in our uphill concert venue, female folk duo Anna & Elizabeth took the Campus Theatre stage in downtown Lewisburg at a nearly sold-out show. The duo channels their Appalachian roots and love for traditional music by delivering a modern, Americana twist that captivated the entire venue. These modern arrangements of old, maritime tunes with an interesting visual component create a unique arrangement that tests the limits of this often forgotten yet fundamental genre. The two started their performance with an old sailor’s tale supplemented by dynamic artwork to tell the story. […]

It was a memorable evening of colorful music and dancing as Latin Grammy nominees Mariachi Flor De Toloache captivated the Weis Center audience with their fresh and unique take on traditional Mexican Mariachi music. The five piece ensemble, along with a vibrant female dancer, took the stage with their instruments in traditional Mariachi garb to perform their very untraditional take on the music genre. The all-female group upend cultural and ethnic traditions in what can be considered a classically male-dominated style of music. All of the members pride themselves on their diverse cultural backgrounds and represent countries like Cuba, Dominican […]

In the Weis Center’s second free outdoor performance of the season, audiences were treated to the lively, upbeat, and spiritual music of Charleston, S.C.’s own Ranky Tanky. In a pre-performance talk, the band explained the importance behind their church and family influences and how they work to keep Gullah culture alive. Ranky Tanky certainly has a rock and roll vibe to their performance style, a testament to their playing of modern developed instruments, but it is clear that listeners can hear the ghost of older instruments and sounds reminiscent of early Gullah culture. Ranky Tanky began the performance in the Weis Center […]

With glowing reviews from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker, The Bad Plus was welcomed to the Weis Center by a crowd ready to hear some good jazz on an unseasonably warm Saturday evening. The jazz trio based in New York City includes a delightful mix of piano from Ethan Iverson, bass guitar from Reid Anderson, and drums from Dave King. The group began by playing several original songs. Some were melodic and piano heavy while others highlighted rhythm from the drums. Some of the most surprising yet enjoyable moments of the evening occurred in between […]

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I attended Roomful of Teeth’s performance at the Weis Center on Tuesday, Nov. 15th.  However, I was surprised and enlightened throughout the performance. Tuesday’s performance was filled with all kinds of sounds—some harmonious; some cacophonous; some beautiful; some unsettling. Through their skills in various singing techniques, the performers created sounds that redefine the traditional description of music. Each member of the group offered a unique skill or technique, such as Dashon Burton’s deep, powerful bass sounds and Caroline Shaw’s beautiful, melodious notes. When performed together, these different sounds blended together to create music […]

  Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba provided a captivating blend of art and history during Sunday’s performance at the Weis Center. “Cuba Vibra!” celebrates Cuban culture and history through music, dance, and costumes. The show shared music and dance from the 1950s to today, so the audience was able to watch the nation’s and characters’ evolution over time. “Cuba is fashionable today. The entire world has its eyes over us and everybody wants to know,” said Lizt Alfonso in her director’s note. “For over 25 years, we have been showing to the world the young Cuban art, that more than revolution, […]