10 fun things to do at Emory in February

By Anna Chapman Jan. 30, 2024

There is no shortage of events to experience during February at Emory. From honoring Black History Month to artistic performances and engaging lectures, there is certainly something for everyone to enjoy. And, because 2024 is a leap year, you get one extra day this month to enjoy the festivities.

1. Celebrate Emory Jazz Fest.

Enjoy a week full of jazz music with Emory Jazz Fest 2024, part of the 2023-24 Schwartz Artist-in-Residence Program. The events kick off Thursday, Feb. 1, with a lecture and demonstration by acclaimed guitarist Bobby Broom at 2:30 p.m. This event is free and will be held in Emerson Concert Hall of Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.

Next, join Broom and the Gary Motley Trio — featuring Gary Motley on piano, Kenny Davis on bass and Kobie Watkins on drums — for an evening concert at Emerson Concert Hall on Friday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for Emory students and $30 for all other attendees.

Sharpen your jazz skills with the Gary Motley Trio when they host a jazz clinic in the Schwartz Center’s Tharp Rehearsal Hall on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 11:30 a.m. This event is free, and no tickets are required.

Round out the week with one final performance! Join Emory Big Band and the Gary Motley Trio on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. for a memorable concert. This event is free, but tickets are required.

2. Cheer on the Emory Eagles in spring semester sports.

A new month means fun opportunities to show your school spirit during multiple sports.

Join your fellow Emory Eagles in the WoodPEC for 404 ATL Night on Friday, Feb. 2, as the women’s and men’s basketball teams take on Brandeis University at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. In celebration of Atlanta, the first 250 students in attendance will receive “404” shirts. Stop by at 4:30 p.m. for a free food truck tailgate and stick around for halftime featuring performances by dance groups on campus.

Catch a baseball game as the Eagles take on Berry College in a double header on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. There’s another opportunity to watch the baseball team in action against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., along with another game on Sunday, Feb. 25, at 1 p.m.

Enjoy some hoops during an Oxford men’s basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 1 p.m. in Williams Hall. This game will honor Oxford Aaumni and spotlight Oxford’s talented sophomores.

Cheer on the softball team as they take on Cal Lutheran during a double header on Monday, Feb. 19, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Round out the month with the men’s and women’s swimming and diving team as Emory hosts the Emory Invitational on Friday, Feb. 23, and Saturday, Feb. 24.

See more events on the Emory Athletics calendar and the Oxford Athletics calendar.

3. Make plans for Charter Week.

From Feb. 5-11, Emory will host many great activities to reflect on the past and look to the future for 2024 Charter Week. The week will be full of fun events, from thrilling sports to moving concerts and engaging lectures.

4. Learn about A.I. representations in film.

Join Emory Cinematheque for its 42nd season, focused on “A.I. and Film” and curated by associate professor Gregory Zinman. Screenings take place every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in White Hall, Room 208.

Join other film fans on Feb. 7, Feb. 14, Feb. 21 and Feb. 28 for a screening and post-screening Q&A. Films screened in February include “Ex Machina,” “Her,” “Momentum,” “Demon Seed” and “Another Body.”

5. Get lost in a variety of musical performances.

The music to be heard on campus this month goes beyond Jazz Fest.

Begin with The Magic Eastern Ensemble’s performance at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, in Williams Hall at Oxford College. The ensemble is committed to performing on traditional Chinese instruments and will explore traditional music as well as new folk compilations. This event is free to attend.

If you find yourself on the Atlanta campus on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 8, catch the performance of the St. Olaf Choir at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts at 8 p.m. Conducted by Anton Armstrong, the group of 75 mixed voices is hailed as one of the nation’s premier a cappella ensembles, renowned for its artistry and beauty of sound. Tickets are $10 for Emory students and $50 for other attendees.

The Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA) presents the Cooke Noontime Concert Series on Friday, Feb. 9, at 12 p.m. featuring three of Atlanta’s favorite musicians. Julie Coucheron (piano), Charae Krueger (cello) and Alice Hong (violin) join forces for Mendelssohn’s “Trio in D Minor.”

Then, at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 11, join the ECMSA for its annual show before the Super Bowl. The Bach Bowl features world-renowned organist Alan Morrison on the Jaeckel organ. Selections will include Bach’s “Chaconne” in the original and in Busoni’s transcription for piano solo. Both ECMSA events are free and open to the public at the Schwartz Center.

On Friday, Feb. 23, join the Emory Wind Ensemble at 8 p.m. for a wide variety of styles, forms and genres from several centuries of compositional practice spanning from the Renaissance period through the modern era. This performance will be at Schwartz Center for Performing Arts and is free to the public.

6. Check out CompFest.

Each year, Emory CompFest brings innovative national and international musicians to work with Emory students and faculty. A concert for the Atlanta community featuring their music will be Saturday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Studio.

2024 CompFest is centered on the “Ecologies of Sound,” featuring a series of performances and other events that examine our sonic relationships to the more-than-human world and our planet’s dramatically shifting soundscape.

CompFest is free and open to the public.

7. Observe Black History Month with a variety of events.

On Tuesday, Feb. 13, Oxford College will host “For Such a Time as This: Dean Badia Ahad in Conversation with Dr. Tameka Cage Conley” in celebration of Black History Month. The conversation will center on joy, nostalgia, literature and art in contemporary Black culture. Join the conversation in this free event at 7 p.m. in Phi Gamma Hall.

A few nights later, award-winning poet Major Jackson will present a reading on the Atlanta campus. Jackson will also sign his new book, “Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems” after the reading on Sunday, Feb. 18, at 3 p.m. The event is free, but seating is limited so attendees are invited to register beforehand.

On Wednesday, Feb. 21, join the School of Medicine at 5 p.m. for the 20th annual Hamilton E. Holmes Memorial Lecture. The discussion, “I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams,” will focus on Black males in medicine and honor the legacy of Hamilton E. Holmes, the first African American to graduate from Emory School of Medicine. Register to attend either the in-person or virtual event.

8. Check out the performances at Brave New Works Festival.

Beginning Saturday, Feb. 17, join the Playwriting Center of Theater Emory as they present “Brave New Works,” a biennial festival dedicated to developing new works of theater. The event runs through Saturday, March 2.

The festival kicks off with a panel discussion focusing on new play development process with playwright Moses H. McGavin of “Shoot the Duck,” dramaturg Amber Bradshaw and directors Samantha Provenzano and Addae Moon. The panel takes place Saturday, Feb. 17, at 5 p.m. in the Theater Lab of the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. The event is free, but tickets must be reserved in advance.

On Saturday, Feb. 24, Brave New Works continues with a production of “Felicity.” The play will be at 5 p.m. in the Schwartz Center’s Theater Lab; admission is free, but tickets must be reserved.

9. Attend an artist talk.

Multidisciplinary artist Eglė Budvytytė will visit the Michael C. Carlos Museum on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss her video installation in the museum, “Songs from the Compost: Mutating Bodies, Imploding Stars.” This exhibit combines dance, music, composition and other video to explore nonhuman forms of consciousness and different dimensions of symbiotic life. This program is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

10. Learn from a lecture at the Michael C. Carlos Museum.

Expand your knowledge by attending an expert lecture at the Carlos Museum. Join Emory associate professor Sara McClintock for “Navigating Power: Nāgārjuna’s Advice to a King” on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Ackerman Hall to explore Nāgārjuna, a second-century Indian Buddhist monk, and his messages to royalty.

Later that week, join scholar Linda Merrill on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 7:30 p.m. in Ackerman Hall to discuss “London Models: Whistler and the Misses Pettigrew” and dive into the world of the Pettigrew sisters, professional London models who posed for many leading Victorian painters.

Both events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.

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