Close out the academic year with an artistic flourish

By Mia Usman April 7, 2025

Explore the arts on campus as the academic year draws to a close. With offerings in film, visual art, theater, dance and music, there are plenty of events on campus to help you destress, unwind or just enjoy something new.

Catch a free film

The Emory Cinematheque concludes its Spring 2025 series, “Film on Film,” in April. The lineup includes screenings of “The Watermelon Woman,” “No Bears” and “Nope.” Cinematheque screenings happen on Wednesdays (April 9, 16 and 23) at 7:30 p.m. in White Hall, Room 208. Screenings are free and open to the public.

Also happening Wednesday, April 9, is a screening of “Playing the Changes,” hosted by the Department of Music at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Building. This documentary tells the incredible story of jazz pianist and educator Darius Brubeck, and his wife Cathy, during their years in apartheid South Africa. A Q&A session with Darius and Cathy will follow the screening,

On Thursday, April 10, at 7 p.m., the Emory Center for Ethics presents “North Putnam,” as part of the Ethics at the Movies series. The screening takes place in the Rita Anne Rollins Building, Room 102. Registration is required for this free event.

Explore the Michael C. Carlos Museum

Join a discussion and demonstration on rāga, a foundational framework for improvisation in Hindustani classical music at noon on Thursday, April 10. The Michael C. Carlos Museum welcomes vocalists Devashish Dey and his daughter Jayantika Dey, along with Rabindra Goswami performing on sitar and surbahar. Tea, coffee, and light refreshments will be provided. This event, held in Ackerman Hall, is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, the museum presents the Heath Lecture in Modern and Contemporary Art on postwar-era painter Helen Frankenthaler, led by Harry Cooper, Bunny Mellon Curator of Modern Art at the National Gallery of Art. This lecture is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, April 16, at 5 p.m., the museum hosts Spring Student Night, where students can create and customize canvas bags inspired by Anonymous Fragments, an exhibit on display through June 29. Supplies for this event are provided for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission to the Carlos Museum and its events is free for Emory students.

The museum hosts its final Student Studio of the academic year on Friday, April 25, at 1 p.m., co-hosted with student design and fashion organization AltKEY. Students are invited to create bags, wallets, laptop cases or more out of repurposed banners from past Carlos Museum exhibitions. Supplies are free and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Experience theater and dance performances

Theater Emory’s production of “Lysistrata, or Lucy’s Strategy,” a new translation of the ancient Greek comedy, runs Thursday, April 10, through Saturday, April 19. All shows are at the Mary Gray Munroe Theater at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for “Lysistrata” must be purchased ahead of time; Theater Emory shows are free to attend for all Emory students.

The Emory Dance Company performs new works by student choreographers from Thursday, April 16, through Saturday, April 19, at the Schwartz Center for Performing Art’s Dance Studio. All performances are held at 7:30 p.m.; tickets for the Dance Company Spring Concert must be purchased in advance. Discounted tickets are available for Emory students.

On Monday, April 28, the Emory Dance Department presents an Informal Dance Showing, featuring work from various student dance classes. The showcase takes place at 6 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for Performing Art’s Dance Studio and is free to attend.

At Oxford College, the Oxford Dance Company, directed by Professor Alejandro Abarca, hosts its spring performance on Monday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m., in Williams Hall. This event is free to attend.

Celebrate the end of another academic year with performances from visiting musicians

On Friday, April 11, at 8 p.m., the Imani Winds and Boston Brass fill the Schwartz Center for Performing Art’s Emerson Hall as part of the Candler Concert Series. Tickets for the Imani Winds and Boston Brass must be purchased in advance; discounted tickets are available for Emory students.

Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, songwriter and improviser Macie Stewart performs Wednesday, April 16, at 8 p.m., in the Performing Arts Studio. Stewart is largely known for her works with piano, violin, voice, guitar and synthesizers, encompassing multiple musical disciplines. This performance is free and open to the public.

At noon on Friday, April 18, the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA) presents the Vega Quartet in a preview of their upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall. This performance takes place at Ackerman Hall in the Michael C. Carlos Museum; registration is required for this free event.

The Atlanta Master Chorale presents “An Evening with Mozart: Coronation Mass and Requiem” on Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3, at 8 p.m. in Emerson Concert Hall at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Tickets for the event must be purchased through the Schwartz Center box office website.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary Season, the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO), composed of the region’s finest high school-aged musicians, performs major orchestral works alongside the EYSO’s 2025 Concerto Competition winner. This free performance takes place on Wednesday, May 7, at 8 p.m. in Emerson Concert Hall of the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.

Finally, the ECMSA celebrates graduation at the annual Cherry Emerson Memorial Alumni Concert on Sunday, May 11, at 1:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center’s Emerson Concert Hall. Don’t miss this chance to hear some of Emory’s finest musical alumni perform along with accomplished graduating musicians.

Listen to talented Emory student musicians and ensembles

The Emory Chamber Ensembles, composed of Emory student musicians, play their spring program for the strings, brass, winds, percussion and guitar on Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. Want to make it a musical Sunday from start to finish? Enjoy the ensembles and then head to the Emory Concert Choir's 7 p.m. performance of sacred and secular music from the Middle Ages to today. Both events take place atthe Schwartz Center’s Emerson Concert Hall; attendance is free, and no reservations are required.

The Emory Big Band plays with special musical guest Patrick Langham on Tuesday, April 15, at 8 p.m., at Emerson Concert Hall. This is a free event, and no tickets are required.

On Thursday, April 17, at 8 p.m., Emory Wind Studies presents an evening of classic and contemporary works for ensembles of mixed instrumentation. This free event takes place at Emerson Concert Hall, and no tickets are required.

Catch the Emory Javanese Gamelan Ensemble on Saturday, April 19, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. for a performance of traditional Javanese Shadow Puppetry Theater, featuring an episode of South Asian epic Ramayana.

At 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, Emory Voice Students present StageWorks 2025 at the Performing Arts Studio, featuring a variety of selections from opera and musical theater. This event is free and open to the public.

Student music groups at the Oxford College campus also perform throughout April. The Oxford Chamber Ensemble plays Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m., in Williams Hall. Later in the week, the Oxford Soul Collective plays Thursday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m., in Tarbutton Performing Arts Center.

April concludes with a collaborative performance between the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and University Chorus as they present two evenings of classical music. Both shows take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, at Emerson Concert Hall. No tickets are required for this free event.

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