This year, the Samek Art Museum and the Weis Center for the Performing Arts have cometogether under one unifying theme: trees. It is more than coincidence, more than a sharedimage. It is a collaboration that asks us to think about growth, process, and connection acrossart forms, and to experience how these lessons move between the museum and the stage. At the Samek, Gina Siepel’s exhibition To Understand a Tree anchors the season. The project,created over six years in communion with a single tree, blends ecology, queer experience, andenvironmental philosophy into a living portrait of interconnection. But the exhibition does notstand […]

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After several years, the Weis Center opened its Atrium once more for performance, and for that moment there could not have been a better choice than the André Mehmari Trio. Some concerts are made for grandeur and scale, but others are meant for closeness, for stillness, for intimacy. This was the latter, a performance that felt less like spectacle and more like a bud slowly opening, quiet, delicate, and full of promise. André has lived for over twenty five years in the Atlantic Forest, the vast tropical rainforest along Brazil’s coast, and his music carried that landscape within it. The […]

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Some nights feel like a spark. Others, like a flame. And then there are nights that feel like a seed planted, something that roots itself quietly, grows inward before it grows outward, and promises to linger long after the final note. Kings Return gave us that seed. It could not have been more fitting that their performance marked not only their long-awaited return to Bucknell but also the beginning of a new year for the Weis Center, itself reborn through a complete renovation. With its theme of trees, an image both simple and immense, ordinary and eternal, this season began […]

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c A Night of Communion and Celebration: Ruthie Foster Closes the Weis Center Season There are evenings that entertain, and then there are evenings that stay with you quietly, completely, without asking for permission. Ruthie Foster gave us the latter. From the moment she walked onto the stage, there was a shift in the air. The audience, already pulsing with anticipation, rose to meet her energy, and she returned it with something even greater: presence. Ruthie wasn’t just here to perform; she was here to connect. And from her very first note, that intention carried the room. There was no […]

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A Night of Daring Beauty: DakhaBrakha at the Weis Center From the moment DakhaBrakha took the stage at the Weis Center, the air shifted. There was no need for words, no need for introductions—the setting itself, drenched in shadow and sound, was invitation enough. The audience sat in quiet anticipation, not yet standing, but utterly alert. It felt like the prologue to a myth—grand, majestic, yet deeply personal. You weren’t just watching a performance. You were being summoned into something larger. DakhaBrakha didn’t play music. They conjured it. Each piece unfolded like a self-contained story, rooted in folk tradition but […]

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The Esmé Quartet commanded the stage with a performance that was as precise as it was deeply moving. Each note carried an undeniable intensity, weaving a story that resonated with every listener. Their seamless synergy and artistry transformed the night into an unforgettable experience, leaving the audience spellbound and lingering in the echoes of their music.

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A Night of Connection: Nate Smith and His Band Create Magic Through Music From the moment Nate Smith and his band took the stage, it was clear that this wouldn’t be just another performance. It wasn’t the typical, flashy spectacle that one might expect; instead, it felt like being gently guided into a world of sound, a space where every note invited you to settle in and find your rhythm. With Tim Lefebvre on bass and Jason Lindner on piano/keys, the trio was more than just a band—they were a force that embraced the magic of improvisation and audience connection. […]

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A Night of Harmony: Heloísa Fernandes and Her Quartet Enchant the Audience As the first notes filled the room, a hush fell over the audience. Each musician—pianist Heloísa Fernandes, flutist Toninho Carrasqueira, double bassist Sidiel Vieira, and percussionist Ari Colares—had a mastery over their instrument that was undeniable. But what made the performance truly extraordinary was how they played together. Each had their own distinct voice, yet they moved in perfect synchrony, seamlessly weaving their sounds into a single, mesmerizing melody. It was breathtaking to witness. The flute soared, light and airy, while the double bass grounded the music with […]

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A Night to Remember: The Pablo Gimenez Spanish Ensemble at Bucknell On the evening of January 31st, the Weis Center at Bucknell University was transformed into a sanctuary of passion, rhythm, and cultural celebration as the Pablo Gimenez Spanish Ensemble took the stage. But the journey to that magical moment began much earlier, as the lobby of the Weis Center became alive with the sound of anticipation and the stir of excitement. As patrons arrived, the air was filled with the soft hum of conversation, the mingling of diverse voices, and the warmth of shared excitement. Students, faculty, and community […]

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