As the Emory community settles into spring semester, the wide variety of exciting arts events has also returned to campus. February has lots to offer, including film screenings, concerts, theater productions and a jazz festival. Come immerse yourself in great art all month long.
Find a new favorite through film screenings
Emory Cinematheque is back to screening weekly films this semester with “Camp Vibes, Queer Feelings.” This series champions camp-themed movies and TV shows from a variety of often critically disparaged genres that, nonetheless, feature the talents of and hold emotional significance for LGBTQIA+ media makers. Screenings occur every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in White Hall, Room 208. The first screening takes place Wednesday, Feb. 1, and features “The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant.” More information and a schedule of the films being screened can be found on the Emory Cinematheque website.
The Film and Media Studies program also premieres a new documentary film in collaboration with the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art this month. The film, entitled “Steffen Thomas: Rock & Chisel,” follows Steffen Thomas, a German-born artist who primarily lived and created most of his work in Atlanta. The screening, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, will feature a Q&A with filmmaker Jesse Freeman, moderated by Atlanta curator Kevin Sipp, following the screening in White Hall, Room 208.
Immerse yourself in concerts, recitals and masterclasses
The Emory community has many opportunities to engage with music at Emory this February.
The Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA) hosts its annual Bach Bowl — a one-hour concert before the Super Bowl featuring the work of Bach — at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emerson Concert Hall. ECMSA also hosts its Friends and Mentors concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, featuring sonatas from Beethoven and Brahms, and Dvorak’s thrilling Sextet for Strings in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emerson Concert Hall.
Prefer to be more hands-on? ECMSA also hosts two masterclasses in February, both of which are free and take place in Tharp Rehearsal Hall of the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Join violist James Dunham at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, or cellist Norman Fischer at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18.
Finally, two of Emory’s premier student ensembles perform at the end of the month. Both performances are free and take place at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emerson Concert Hall. At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, catch the Emory University Symphony Orchestra play the world premiere of work for harp and orchestra by Laura Schwendinger with Elisabeth Remy Johnson, Atlanta Symphony principal harp, in addition to works by Elgar with the Vega Quartet. The Emory Wind Ensemble performs its first concert of 2023 at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26. A full calendar of events, further details and ticketing information can be found online at the Emory Arts Calendar.
Hear from creative writing experts
The Creative Writing Program’s Reading Series kicks off the year on Wednesday, Feb. 8, with readings from poets Fernando Valverde and Carolyn Forché. Valverde has been voted the most relevant Spanish-language poet born since 1970 by nearly 200 critics and researchers from more than 100 international universities. In addition to her award-winning poetry collections, Forché is also the author of the memoir “What You Have Heard is True,” which was nominated for the 2019 National Book Award. Her famed international anthology, “Against Forgetting,” has been praised by Nelson Mandela as “itself a blow against tyranny, against prejudice, against injustice.” The reading is free and takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the Oxford Road Building, Presentation Room.
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón will give a free public reading in Glenn Auditorium. Known for her accessible and engaging writing, Limón was named the Library of Congress’s 24th U.S. poet laureate in July 2022. Her poems often focus on the beauty of nature and how it centers and grounds the soul. Limón is the author of six poetry collections, including her most recent, “The Hurting Kind” (2022), and “The Carrying” (2018), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. Her book “Bright Dead Things” (2015) was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and was nominated for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. A book signing will follow the reading.
Attend Emory Jazz Fest
Jazz Fest returns to Emory this year with multiple events occurring from Feb. 9–11, including two concerts: one with world-class vibraphonist Warren Wolf and the Emory Jazz Fest All-Stars (Friday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m.), and the other featuring the Emory Big Band and Gary Motley Trio (Saturday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m.). There is also a Jazz Clinic for instrumentalists and a demonstration with Warren Wolf. A full schedule of events and ticket information can be found on the Schwartz Center website.
Explore the connection between arts and human health
This semester, a series of events showcases the connection between artistic expression and human health. Co-sponsored by the Emory Center for the Study of Human Health and Emory Arts, the series kicks off with “Transforming Learning through Stories and Music: A Patient Experience,” featuring musician Tom Willner. The show takes place at the Performing Arts Studio at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9.
When Willner was diagnosed with cancer, he began writing songs that ultimately became a full musical about his experience. Later, he began to use his story and musical in an innovative way to teach more than 2,500 people, including health care workers and graduate students, about the patient experience and the lessons learned through a life-threatening illness. Through his company Stories and Music, his mission is to create powerful arts experiences to teach compassion, wisdom and joy.
On Friday, Feb. 24, Harlem-based hip hop duo ManKind Music Academy present “A Meeting of the Minds,” at 7 p.m. in Harland Cinema. Consisting of Nathaniel "N8!" Gasque and Brian "Sciryl" Henry, ManKind is in the constant pursuit of Unapologetic Black Excellence. They strive to create art that is both true and living, and capable of evolving over time.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Enjoy a new interpretation of a theater classic
Theater Emory presents the first production of 2023 this month with a multilingual interpretation of Thornton Wilder’s classic, “Our Town.” Set in the American Southeast during the early 20th century, it tells a powerful story of a community of immigrants, following two families as they go through life, love and death. The multilingual interpretation features translated passages by Nilo Cruz and Jeff Augustin. The show runs Feb. 16–26 in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Purchase tickets online or find more information on Theater Emory’s website.
Prior to opening night, “Our Town” codirectors Lydia Fort and Marguerite Hannah will discuss their creative process and experience with nonhierarchical playmaking during a Creativity Conversation. The free program will be Friday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m. in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Dance Studio.
Create a hands-on piece at the Carlos Museum
Join Atlanta-based artist Zachary Francois and the staff of the Emory Black Student Union to explore the meaning behind geometric shapes and patterns found in Kuba textiles from central Africa. Then, create your own Kuba-inspired textile collage piece using raffia fabric and papers during this month’s edition of the Student Studio at the Carlos Museum. This event takes place at 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, and meets in the Tate Room.
Experience the world of Asian dance
Two February events will celebrate South Indian dance. On Friday, Feb. 24, at 5 p.m., Rumya Sree Putcha will discuss her most recent book, "The Dancer’s Voice", in the Carlos Museum’s Ackerman Hall. On Saturday, Feb. 25, hereditary Kalavantulu dancer-scholar Yashoda Thakore will present a South Indian dance performance, “The Dancing Body.” The program will be at the Performing Arts Studio at 6 p.m. and is sponsored by the Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies Department with funding from the David Goldwasser Series in Religion and Arts. Both dance events are free and open to the public.