We’re training a spotlight on Dickinson talents this spring, with a lineup of public arts events highlighting community talents along with those of distinguished guests. Together, these events provide a multidimensional view of the creative life at various stages, from student to emerging artist to expert.
The 14 student writers in Dickinson’s class of 2025 will give voice to their works during the Creative Writing Senior Reading, held May 1. And novelist Alejandro Heredia ’16, returning to Dickinson as the 2025 Cogan Alumni Fellow, will discuss what it was like to write a book after graduation.
Also unmissable: A March 19 presentation, Q&A and book signing by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, the recipient of this year’s Stellfox Award. This public event is part of an intensive on-campus residency that will include classroom visits, workshops and meals with student and faculty writers.
Two music students steal the spotlight this spring. Through an annual program supporting new work by an exceptional English, art & art history, theatre & dance or music major, Weiss Prize Awardee Zuzu Black ’25 will unveil a new song cycle, My House Has a Name. Amelia Harper '25, the winner of this year’s Concerto Competition, will perform a much-coveted solo during this spring’s concert by the Dickinson College Choir and Orchestra. The program will also feature Vivaldi’s Gloria.
Faculty, student and local musicians in the College Choir join with the Lyric Performance Practicum to bring a wicked spin to Valentine’s weekend. They’ll present an opera about star-crossed lovers Dido and Aeneas on Feb. 15 and 16.
Music faculty Timothy Lupia, a tenor, and Jennifer Blyth, a pianist, will perform two works by contemporary composer Joseph Rubinstein, including one grounded in text from the New York Slave Conspiracy of 1781, the year Handel’s Messiah was composed. The program’s classic works include Messiah’s well-known aria. An ensemble of Dickinson music faculty members and students will join them onstage.
While faculty masters of brass and wind instruments shine in early spring ensemble performances, four faculty keyboardists will join forces to present orchestral works arranged for eight hands. The centerpiece of this out-of-the-ordinary piano concert will be a new composition for seven keyboards composed by Contributing Faculty in Music Greg Strohman.
Art appreciators are invited to peek behind the scenes as students, faculty and distinguished guests share insights into art-making and curation.
Graduating seniors in Dickinson’s art history program present Near at Hand, a student-curated exhibition that pairs faculty art work with thematically or stylistically linked works in the Trout Gallery’s permanent collection. Through a series of Lunch & Learn conversations, student curators and faculty artists will discuss the show and the works, revealing both the inspiration and techniques underlying the artworks and the student curators’ decision-making processes. Similarly, senior studio art majors will discuss works in their thesis exhibition over the course of two Lunch & Learn sessions.
Eden Sanville ’24 provides a view of a studio artist’s life immediately after graduation, closing a yearlong post-baccalaureate residency with an exhibition of new artworks. Emily Lehman '14, visiting professor of studio art, will also present and discuss recent works on Feb. 26, opening a monthlong exhibition. Pennsylvania painter Jon Weary demonstrates a pathway during the first years after graduation and Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Emily Lehman '14 showcases works created 10 years out.
Robert H. Weiner Lecturer Roberto Lugo provides the perspective of a well-established and nationally acclaimed artist, ceramicist, poet, educator and activist. His work explores themes of poverty, inequality and racial injustice through a fusion of classical pottery forms and elements of hip-hop culture.
Students, faculty and staff in Dickinson’s theatre & dance departments lend their talents to two major productions this spring. The Mermaid Players take a dystopian view with Future Anxiety. This ensemble play imagines how young people may make sense of how to live on a planet with increasingly drained resources and suspect inhabitants.
In April, student choreographers and Dance Theatre Group members will unveil new works during the annual Freshworks concert. This concert highlights works created by students in an advanced choreography class.
This is just a taste of the exciting events happening at Dickinson. You can stay in the know through Dickinson's Calendar of Arts.
Published January 20, 2025