Along with new faces on campus and the promise of cooler weather, September marks the return of creative arts events at Emory for the new academic year. From film fanatics to music lovers, arts enthusiasts seeking fun and inspiration need look no further.
Soak in the Emory soundscape
The Vega Quartet — the first professional string quartet to be based in Atlanta — kicked off the month with a Sept. 12 noontime concert that celebrated its 20th season as quartet-in-residence at Emory. But don't worry if you missed it: go ahead and mark your calendar for two Vega Quartet concerts on campus in October, including a performance on Oct. 18 and a Halloween show on Oct. 31.
The Department of Music presents a Faculty Jazz Recital featuring Gary Motley in an evocative exploration of harmony and improvisation led by Motley, Emory’s founding director of jazz studies and professor of practice. The recital unfolds on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 4 p.m., in Emerson Concert Hall of the Schwarz Center for Performing Arts. This free event and open to all.
Watch timeless cinema
This semester, the Emory Cinematheque presents “1975: A Year in Cinema,” with a rich lineup of screenings that highlight the artistic and cultural currents of one remarkable year in film history. All screenings are held in White Hall, Room 208, and are free and open to the public.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 p.m., Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” makes its return to the big screen. The groundbreaking thriller not only defined summer blockbusters but also transformed the landscape of American filmmaking. The following screening, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m., features the documentary masterpiece “Gray Gardens,” a poignant portrait of the eccentric and secluded lives of Edith and Edie Beale, relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
The Ethics at the Movies series returns on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., with a screening of “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets,” followed by a live conversation with director Turner Ross about the film’s themes of nostalgia, community life and the fragility of space. The event is free but reservations are requested.
Emory Film and Media welcomes award-winning filmmaker Mark Levinson on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. for a screening of his new documentary “The Universe in a Grain of Sand,” followed by a roundtable discussion. This event is free and open to the public.
Finally, on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m., audiences are invited to a screening of the Georgia Public Broadcasting documentary “The Art of Social Justice.” This 45-minute film highlights Emory’s Arts and Social Justice Fellows and their collaborations with students, showcasing how creative practices — including visual art, dance, sound design and technology — can spark dialogue and inspire change. This screening is free and open to the public; reservations are requested.
Enjoy a variety of visiting performers
The Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry presents beloved British actor Paterson Joseph in “An Evening with Sancho ... and Me?” on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. Patterson’s debut novel, “The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho,” named one of NPR’s Books We Love, is a lush and immersive tale of adventure, artistry, romance and freedom set in 18th-century England and based on a true story. In this dynamic presentation, Joseph gives voice to Sancho's interior life, bringing this important historical figure into view while reflecting on his own upbringing in London and the many ways in which we render life as art. This event is free, with reservations required. Reserve your free ticket today.
On Friday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m., Emory Dance and the Schwartz Artist in Residence Program present “The Funny Thing About a Panic Attack,” a solo dance and poetry show by Emory alum Ben Kassoy. Kassoy uses spoken word, dance and physical theater to reveal the connections between poetry, panic … and pancakes. Bursting with humor, heart and defiant wonder in the face of anxiety, this solo show opens a courageous conversation about mental health, masculinity, family and how all of us can find a path forward after trauma.
The Candler Concert Series opens its 2025-26 season with the Grammy Award-winning Harlem Quartet on Friday, Sept. 26, at 8 p.m. Acclaimed for its dynamic performances and fresh approach to classical music, the group is joined by Cuban pianist and composer Aldo López-Gavilán for a program full of exuberance and spirit. Expect a mesmerizing combination of classical perfection and virtuoso jazz featuring Schumann’s beloved Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, followed by a journey through Cuba’s myriad musical traditions with works by López-Gavilán. Tickets are on sale now.
Learn — and hear — about literature
The 2025–26 Creative Writing Program’s Reading Series launches on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m., with poet Heather Christle, associate professor of English and creative writing, sharing selections from her acclaimed work and bringing the intimate lyricism of “Paper Crown” to life.
A colloquium held in connection with Christle’s reading will be the following day, Thursday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. in the Kemp Malone Library. Both events are free and open to the public.
Monday, Sept. 22, brings the next Carlos Reads program at 7:30 p.m., featuring “I am Still with You” by Emmanuel Iduma. After years of living in New York, Iduma tells the story of his return to Nigeria with an elusive mission: to learn the fate of his uncle Emmanuel, his namesake, who disappeared in the Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s. T.K. Smith, curator of the Arts of Africa and the Africa Diaspora at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, will lead participants in a discussion of Iduma’s story of family history and legacy, and all the questions the dead leave unanswered. Space is limited and registration is required.
“Striking Characters: Typewriters, Literary Worlds and the Art of Tim Youd” is now open in the Robert W. Woodruff Library’s Schatten Gallery. The exhibition explores how the typewriter has sparked cultural imagination and radically transformed storytelling, literature and visual art over almost two centuries.
Dive into discussions on the Oxford campus
Oxford College spotlights the artistry of acclaimed filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo this September, presenting a series of screenings that bring urgent and deeply personal stories to the screen. All screenings are free and open to the public, with no reservations required.
On Monday, Sept. 22, at 6:30 p.m. in Humanities Hall, Room 202, audiences will encounter “Landfall,” a prismatic portrait of post-Hurricane María Puerto Rico that unpacks the entwined devastation of natural disaster and economic crisis.
The following evening, Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 6:30 p.m. in Humanities Hall, Room 201, Aldarondo’s “Memories of a Penitent Heart” offers a moving exploration of her late uncle’s life, identity and the tensions of family, faith and secrecy.
The series continues with “You Were My First Boyfriend” on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m. in Humanities Hall, Room 202. In this hybrid documentary, the filmmaker revisits her adolescence through reenactment, humor and poignancy to reframe youthful trauma and memory. Each of these films, hosted by professor Mariya Vlasova, invites reflection on identity, resilience and the ways personal histories illuminate larger cultural truths.
The series culminates on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. in Phi Gamma Hall with the Dana Greene Distinguished Scholar Lecture, featuring Aldarondo herself in conversation. This capstone event offers an extraordinary opportunity for Oxford audiences to engage directly with a director whose work consistently bridges poetics and politics, and to consider how storytelling can illuminate questions of art, belonging and social justice.