Spring semester might be winding down, but Emory Arts still has a full calendar of events to enjoy. Highlights in April include Emory Dance Company’s spring concert, multiple opportunities to learn about and discuss art and the first live, in-person production of Emory StageWorks since 2019.
Experience all that Emory Arts has to offer by adding these events to your calendar.
Art creations and exhibitions
Few things symbolize summer better than camp. Emory Arts invites students to return to that mindset during Camp on the Quad on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m. Get creative while making camp crafts, watch an outdoor screening of “The Parent Trap” and enjoy free offerings from food trucks.
All art lovers can view the works of graduating seniors during a capstone project showcase on Wednesday, April 27, at 5 p.m. in the Emory Student Center. Participating artists are part of the integrated visual arts co-major.
Student and professional concerts
April is Jazz Appreciation Month, so stop by Patterson Green on Thursday, April 7, or Thursday, April 14, to groove with Jazz on the Green. Both programs by the Emory Jazz Combos begin at 6 p.m. and are free. Jazz fans can also enjoy a joint performance with Gary Motley, jazz faculty and the Emory Big Band for a free concert on Wednesday, April 20, at 8 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Wind Ensemble performs April 9 performs at the Schwartz Center.
On Sunday, April 10, join Emory Chamber Ensembles for a performance of chamber works for strings, brass, winds, percussion and guitar. These student musicians are mentored by Emory’s artist faculty. The program begins at 4 p.m. at the Schwartz Center. No reservations are needed.
Later that evening, the Emory Concert Choir presents its spring concert. “Daybreak” features music from the upcoming international tour by the band of the same name. The choir’s performance is Sunday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in the Schwartz Center. The program is free of charge and no tickets are needed.
The Emory Wind Ensemble presents a free evening of classic and emerging works for winds, brass and percussion on Thursday, April 14, at 8 p.m. at the Schwartz Center. Students take the stage again on Tuesday, April 19, at 8 p.m. for the Spring Composition Showcase. The program, held at the Performing Arts Studio, features new work by student composers. There is no charge but reservations are needed.
The Emory University Symphony Orchestra and the University Chorus follow with concerts on Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23, at 8 p.m. They will perform Mozart’s “Requiem” and a newly commissioned work as part of the Composer Commission Project: EUSO @ 100. The free programs will be at the Schwartz Center; no tickets are needed.
On Saturday, April 23, the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta debuts the inaugural concert in a new series endowed by James Waits, former dean of Candler School of Theology. “Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ” with the Vega Quartet features a unique work of Haydn performed in a magical setting. Seven speakers of diverse faiths will give a short reflection on each of the seven statements between each movement. The program will be at 8 p.m. in Cannon Chapel; it is free but registration is required.
On Sunday, April 24, at 7 p.m., the Emory Gamelan Ensembles presents “Seven Golden Raindrops.” Livestream the concert or register to attend in person at the Performing Arts Studio. Also on April 24 at 7 p.m., Emory music students compete to perform as soloists with the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and the Emory Wind Ensemble during the Emory Concerto and Aria Competition. The program, held at the Schwartz Center, is free.
The month’s musical performances conclude with the Atlanta Master Chorale’s season finale, “Immortal Fire.” Programs will be Friday, April 29, and Saturday, April 30, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for discount category members, $10 for Emory students/youth and $15 for the livestream only.
Film and art lectures
The Michael C. Carlos Museum hosts a series of lectures in Ackerman Hall beginning Thursday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. when Princeton’s Harriet Flower delivers the annual Benario Lecture in Roman Studies. Her lecture is titled “Dowry, House and Household in Republican Rome.” Participants may also register to watch the program online.
The beloved Rosemary Magee Creativity Conversation Series continues on Saturday, April 9, at 3 p.m. Harry Lennix, an accomplished stage, screen and television actor and a co-founder of the new African American Performing Arts Museum in Chicago, holds a discussion with Emory music professor Dwight Andrews. In addition, Clint Fluker, the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library curator of African American collections, will discuss the Rose Library holdings in African American performing arts. The free program, presented by Emory’s Film and Media Department, will be in the Jones Room of Woodruff Library. Registration is required.
On Sunday, April 10, the Carlos Museum welcomes writer-director Mary Zimmerman and Mary Louise Hart, former curator at the Getty Villa specializing in the art and performance of Ancient Greek drama. They will discuss “It Was Ever Thus: Theater and Adaptation from Classical Antiquity to the Present” with Ruth Allen, the Carlos Museum’s curator of Greek and Roman art. Register for the free, online Laszlo-Excalibur Lecture here.
Monday, April 11, brings the Art History Department’s annual Heath Lecture in Modern + Contemporary Art at 6 p.m. Dana Cuff, director of cityLab and professor of architecture and urban design at UCLA, will speak on “Spatial Justice: Rethinking the Architecture of Social Housing.” Attendees can join the program at Ackerman Hall in the Carlos Museum or can watch online.
Learn more about the exhibition “And I Must Scream” at the Carlos Museum during a gallery talk at noon on Friday, April 15, with curator Amanda H. Hellman. The lecture is free, but registration is required. The program is part of the “In This Moment” lunchtime talk series during which Carlos Museum curators and Emory faculty and graduate students discuss works of art that reflect the complex social issues of their time and place.
As part of Carlos Reads, join the book club on Monday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss Imbolo Mbue’s “How Beautiful We Were.” Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, the book tells of a people living in fear amid environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Clint Fluker, curator of African American collections at Emory’s Rose Library, leads readers through Mbue's powerful novel, which was named one of the ten best books of 2021 by The New York Times. The cost (which includes a copy of the book) is $25 for Carlos Museum members and $40 for nonmembers. Space is limited, and registration is required by calling 404-727-6118.
Theater and dance performances
In the return to its first live and in-person production since 2019, Emory StageWorks 2022 presents a cabaret of musical song and dance. Featuring an operatic premiere — plus opera and musical theater excerpts from a myriad of favorites including Chicago, Waitress the Musical, The Marriage of Figaro and more — the production at the Performing Arts Studio on Saturday, April 16, at 8 p.m. is not to be missed. Admission is free, but registration is required.
The Schwartz Center will host a Flamenco Showing on Tuesday, April 19, at 3 p.m. featuring students from professor Julie Baggenstoss’s class. Mark Herzog will accompany the performers with vocals and guitar. Admission is free.
Emory Dance Company also performs at the Schwartz Center, presenting their spring concert on Thursday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. This performance showcases the original creative work of student choreographers who are emerging in the field of contemporary dance. Additional performances will be held on Friday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 23, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission.