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We are approaching the one-year mark for Weis Center Sessions! We hope the series has been a source of joy and inspiration. Today, we present two Bucknell students – vocalist Elena Roe ’24 and pianist Jaden Lee ’22 – as they perform the lovely Gershwin song, “Someone to Watch Over Me.” The piece was composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Elena Roe ’24 plans to double major in International Relations and Russian Studies.  She is a Presidential Fellow, Secretary of her a-cappella group Beyond Unison, a Senator for the Class of 2024, and an opinions writer for […]

Happy Friday! This week’s Session features Qing Jiang (pianist) as she plays the third and final movement of composer Daniel Temkin’s piece, Dreamed Landscapes, called “Echoes of the Horizon.” Praised by the New York Times as a “fiery musician” whose playing is “vigorous and passionate,” Chinese-born pianist Qing Jiang has performed to acclaim across the United States and abroad, including Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, as well as the UK’s Snape Maltings Hall, and China’s Shenzhen Poly Theater. Jiang is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Bucknell University, and Piano Faculty at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Maine. […]

Welcome to Weis Center Sessions #48! This week we’re featuring two Bucknell students – Adam Baranik ’23 on alto saxophone and Katherine Idleman ’22 on horns as they perform a jazzy tune called “Mario’s Accounting.” Adam Baranik is a sophomore chemistry major and music minor. He participates in the Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, and Bison Band. Adam says, “We came across this piece in December of 2020 through Instagram. It was written and recorded by a tenor player from New York, Augie Bello, who currently has over 80,000 followers on Instagram. Katherine found a trumpet transcription of the melody from a […]

Welcome to our 47th installment of Weis Center Sessions. We end National Poetry Month with a reading by Andrew Ciotola, program manager at the Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts. Andrew is also the managing/book review editor for West Branch, Bucknell’s professional literary journal. Andrew has served on panels devoted to literary editing and arts administration for the Association for Writers & Writing Programs and the Community of Literary Magazines & Presses, and on grant panels for the Pennsylvania and New Jersey state arts agencies. He recently completed a three-year term as co-chair of the Bucknell Arts Council. Andrew […]

Welcome to our 46th installment of Weis Center Sessions. Since April is National Poetry Month, we will be featuring poetry readings for the next few weeks. Today, we highlight Bucknell first-year student Joselyn Busato ’24 and her original poem, “Thaw.” Joselyn plans to double major in creative writing and biology. She is an Arts Merit Scholar, a Presidential Fellow, a member of the Creative Writing Club and a participant in several theatre activities. She says, “This poem, entitled Thaw, is representative of the shift one experiences when going from a toxic relationship with a friend or partner to a healthy […]

Welcome to our 45th installment of Weis Center Sessions. Since April is National Poetry Month, we will be featuring poetry readings for the next few weeks. Today, we highlight Bucknell student J.A. Holm ’22 and his poem “City Streets.” In the coming weeks, we will highlight Joselyn Busato and Andy Ciotola. J.A. Holm is a Junior who recently switched majors from Psychology to Creative Writing to pursue a career writing poetry or working in related industries. Only in the last few years has he begun to take poetry seriously and has since been published in Toho Journal Vol. 2, No. 1. He […]

In this Snap talk, Professor Christina Xydias (Political Science) discusses how we might build inclusive political communities in the United States and beyond, including social capital and empathy. Enjoy!

Welcome to our 44th installment of Weis Center Sessions! April is National Poetry Month, so for the next few weeks we will be featuring poetry readings. Today, we highlight Deirdre O’Connor and her poem, “Sunflowers.” Coming later this month: Bucknell students Josh Holm and Joselyn Busato, and Andy Ciotola. Deirdre directs the Writing Center at Bucknell and also serves as the Associate Director of the Bucknell Seminar for Undergraduate Poets. She is the author of two books of poems, most recently The Cupped Field, from Able Muse Press. Deirdre says, “[The poem] ‘Sunflowers’ began with the image in the first […]

It’s time for another Weis Center Session! Today, we feature our treasured colleague in Bucknell’s Department of Music, clarinetist extraordinaire Colleen Hartung. Colleen Hartung is an avid freelance musician that has performed with the Allentown Symphony, the Williamsport Symphony, the Winston-Salem Symphony, Opera Roanoke, the Roanoke Symphony, and the Ashlawn Opera Festival Orchestra. She has also been a participant at the Banff Centre for the Arts’ Masterclass program with Wesley Foster. In 2014 Hartung premiered Ryan Woodward’s Suite for Clarinet and Violin with Marcus Smolensky at the International Clarinet Association’s Mid-America Clarinet Festival in Ohio. Along with colleague Stacie Thompson, […]

Welcome to our 42nd installment of Weis Center Sessions! Each Friday, we release a video that features a member of the Bucknell University community. Today, we feature Bucknell student Sami Wurm ’22 performing an original piece, “Wrong Guy.” Sami is an R&B/Pop singer, producer, and songwriter from New York. She is majoring in Computer Science and Multimedia Music Composition at Bucknell. She began singing when she was cast as the Tin Man in a local production of The Wizard of Oz at 4 years old, and after that, Sami grew up pursuing her love for musical theatre, performing in musicals […]