Check out the dynamic arts performances and events that Holy Cross has lined up.
Fall 2020 Arts Events
Due to COVID-19 precautions at the College, many events may be livestreamed or capacity may be limited. Please contact sponsoring departments for more information.
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. View past concerts and receive alerts for upcoming concerts on the Holy Cross Department of Music YouTube channel.
Sept. 10 | 4:30 p.m.
Open Studio with Kevork Mourad
Live on YouTube, RSVP requested
Hosted by Cristi Rinklin, professor and chair, visual arts. Join us live for a tour of acclaimed Syrian-Armenian visual artist Kevork Mourad’s Brooklyn studio and discover his current projects, with a window into his process, signature techniques he employs in drawing, printmaking and animation, and his intricate, multi-layered works. This event is the first in a virtual series with Kevork Mourad in conjunction with an anticipated installation project in the Cantor Art Gallery in Spring 2021.
Sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders and the Cantor Art Gallery
Photo by Connie Tsang
Oct. 6 | 12:30 p.m.
First Tuesday Lunch Concert
Concert link: https://linktr.ee/hcmusic
Paul Hindemith: Sonata for Cello Solo op. 25 no. 3
Jan Müller-Szeraws, cello
A masterpiece of sharp contrasts, provocative dissonance and magnificent structure, written in Germany in the 1920s.
Sponsored by the Department of Music
Oct. 8 | 4:30 p.m.
Martha Redbone & Aaron Whitby
Live on YouTube, RSVP requested
One of today’s most vital voices in American roots music, Martha Redbone and her artistic and life partner Aaron Whitby return to ATB following an unforgettable appearance with “Bone Hill: The Concert” in 2018. Be among the first to hear songs from a new work-in-progress Redbone and Whitby are creating as part of the Artistic Instigators series at the New York Theater Workshop. This song cycle is a reflection on our lives under the pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement and climate change in contrast to the Spanish Flu pandemic, the women’s suffrage movement and the racial tensions of the early 1900s.
Sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders
Oct. 13 – Feb. 5
Cantor Art Gallery
“New Gilded Age: An Installation by B. Lynch” The fictional world of the “Reds” and the “Greys,” as imagined and constructed by Boston-based artist B. Lynch, is where a cast of characters play out their roles on life’s stage as the “haves” and “have nots.” The “Reds,” whose wealth and privilege allows them to live a life of ease, while the “Greys,” the less fortunate of society, are doomed to lives of toil. The “New Gilded Age” is an immersive installation including puppets, sets, props, paintings, prints, and videos scripted, shot, and scored by Lynch. As visitors explore the worlds of the Reds and Greys, they will contend with ideas of equity and status, while drawing parallels to the, in Lynch’s words, “corrosive effect of income disparity on our society and democracy.” For information regarding visits, please visit the Cantor Art Gallery website or call us at 508-793-3356. To learn more, visit the dedicated exhibition website.
Image credit Lily and the Puppet Theatre, B. Lynch
Oct. 14 | 7 p.m.
“Black Spring”: Music & Activism with Samora Pinderhughes
Live on YouTube, RSVP requested
Join us live in conversation and performance with Juilliard-trained pianist, songwriter and vocalist Samora Pinderhughes who will share songs from his new EP “Black Spring” released back in April. The project is inspired by the revolutionary energy of 1960s songwriters and looks to reflect the questions and anger that people are feeling during these times of uncertainty and chaos. The title describes an energy of uprising: a time for action, a time for flourishing and moving forward with revolutionary spirit.
Sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders
Photo by Rog Walker
Oct. 15 | 7:30 p.m.
Reading by Xu Xi
Restricted to the Holy Cross community, register via Zoom
Join us to hear Xu Xi, author of 13 books, including five novels, six collections of short fiction and essays and most recently “Insignificance: Hong Kong Stories” by Signal 8 Press; the memoir “Dear Hong Kong: An Elegy for a City” (2017), as part of Penguin's Hong Kong series for the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China. She is also editor of four anthologies of Hong Kong writing in English. Her newest book from Nebraska University Press is an essay collection “This Fish Is Fowl.”
Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program
Photo by Leslie Lausch
Oct. 19 | 4 p.m.
Virtual Artist’s Talk by B. Lynch
Register via Zoom
Offered in conjunction with“New Gilded Age: An Installation by B. Lynch.” To learn more, visit the dedicated exhibition website.
Sponsored by the Cantor Art Gallery
Oct. 22 | 4:30 p.m.
In Conversation: “And Still You Must Swing”
Live on YouTube, RSVP requested
Last seen on campus in a captivating exploration of the percussive world of tap and Indian Kathak traditions, tap luminary Dormeshia turns her attention to the origins of her dance form in “And Still You Must Swing.” Hailed as “the most moving dance show of the year” by The New York Times, the show captures the heart and legacy of tap dance and honors the jazz roots of this American art form. Dormeshia is joined live in conversation by lifelong friends and collaborators Derick K. Grant and Jason Samuels Smith, along with guest artist Camille A. Brown. With highlights from the performance, together they delve into all things tap, entwined with American social, cultural and racial history.
Sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders
Photo by Christopher Duggan
Oct. 27 | 7 p.m.
Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series
Livestreamed from St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, concert link: https://linktr.ee/hcmusic.
35th Anniversary Chapel Artist Series Concert
Matt Luca ’22, organ
Organ Scholar and rising star Matt Luca will perform works of Buxtehude, Bach, Scheit and Sweelinck. The College has given permission for in-person attendance for anyone currently active in the College's testing protocol, up to 40 people. Please preregister.
Sponsored by the Department of Music
Oct. 29 | 4:30 p.m.
"Fragments: Silkroad Returns"
Live on YouTube, RSVP requested
Don’t miss this chance to hear brand new works by pairs of Silkroad artists who collaborated over the course of a month from a distance — sometimes across continents. Yet another avenue for Silkroad to build bridges across traditions, these brief works are both a reflection of life in the time of a global pandemic and a celebration of creativity that brings us together. Join the artists in a lively conversation as they share high-quality video of their creations and reflect on drawing inspiration from city soundscapes and elaborate knotwork of Celtic and Armenian traditions, on letting go and the therapeutic process of creating together.
Sponsored by Arts Transcending Borders
Nov. 3 | 12:30 p.m.
First Tuesday Lunch Concert
Concert link: https://linktr.ee/hcmusic
Music for Cello by Peter Child, professor of music (composition/theory) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jan Müller-Szeraws, cello
Sponsored by the Department of Music
Nov. 4 | 7:30 p.m.
Reading by Robin Hemley
Restricted to the Holy Cross community, register via Zoom
Come celebrate the new book by former Jenks Chair, Robin Hemley. He is an international writer, who has published a dozen books as well as essays and short stories around the world. He is the founder and past president of NonfictioNOW, the leading international conference for literary nonfiction. He directed The Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa from 2004-2013 and is now the director of the Polk School of Communications at Long Island University.
Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program
Photo courtesy of Robin Hemley
Streaming Nov. 5-14
“She Kills Monsters” by Qui Nguyen
View upcoming information on the theatre website
Qui Nguyen’s “She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms” tells the story of Agnes, a popular high school student whose sister, Tilly, is her nerdy opposite. Agnes’s discovery that she never really knew her sister at all sends her off on an epic journey into the world of fantasy gaming. Along the way, she fights many creatures as the lines between fantasy and reality become blurred. Both a pop-culture mash-up and a sympathetic look at the pains of adolescence, “She Kills Monsters” is a coming-of-age story that has been designed for virtual performances. Directed by Scott Malia.
Sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Dance
Nov. 12 | 7 p.m.
“Order and Chaos”
Livestreamed, concert link: https://linktr.ee/hcmusic
Matthew Jaskot, solo piano
Matthew Jaskot performs György Ligeti's first book of piano études. These groundbreaking compositions composed in the 1980s continue the rich tradition of concert études (Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, etc.) while also drawing on a variety of inspirations such as Central African polyphony, the player piano music of Conlon Nancarrow, jazz, and fractal geometry among others. The program will be presented in a lecture-recital format, including commentary on each of the six virtuosic works.
Sponsored by the Department of Music
Nov. 17 | 7 p.m.
Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series
Livestreamed from St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, concert link: https://linktr.ee/hcmusic.
Ezequiel Menendez, organ
Organ professor and artist-in-residence, Ezequiel Menendez, will perform works of Bach, Ginastera and Mendelssohn.
Sponsored by the Department of Music
Nov. 19 | 7:30 p.m.
Artist-in-Residence Concert with Brooks Scholars featuring Gian Carlo Menotti’s Suite for Two Cellos and Piano
Kevin Chen ’21, piano
Joseph Cracolici ’22, cello
Jan Müller-Szeraws, cello
Sponsored by the Department of Music
Streaming Dec. 3-10
“The Fox” by Allan Miller
View upcoming information on the theatre website
Two women living together on an isolated farm after WWI are struggling to stay afloat and tormented by a fox that stalks their property when their lives are upended by the arrival of a mysterious soldier. An Alternate College Theatre production directed by Christine McLaughlin ’21.
Sponsored by Alternate College Theatre
Dec. 4
A Festival of Concerts
Livestreamed, concert links: https://linktr.ee/hcmusic
Holy Cross College Choir, 7 p.m.
Unity in Community
The College Choir voted before the semester started to present pieces on the theme of "Unity in Community," and to particularly focus on Musical Theater repertoire. The ensemble then voted on which pieces they most particularly wanted to perform. We will be singing songs from “Rent,” “Once on This Island,” and “Wicked.” In addition, we will be presenting the first movement of Vivaldi's “Gloria” in collaboration with the orchestra.
Holy Cross Chamber Singers, 7:30 p.m.
Welcoming the Stranger
The Chamber Singers are presenting works on the theme of welcoming strangers. Works will include Rheinberger's "Bleib Bei Uns," Abbie Betinis' "Carol of the Stranger," and Vienna Teng's "Hymn of Acxiom."
Holy Cross Orchestra, 8 p.m.
Hidden Treasures and Troubles
The Orchestra will perform Fanny Hensel's (neé Mendelssohn) “Overture in C Major,” a work which was only published in 1994. This energetic piece is gaining traction with orchestras around the world, and its vivacious joy is the perfect antidote for our current stresses. In addition, the orchestra will perform Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from the “Peer Gynt”suite, a sinister and wild depiction of the trolls that lurk underneath Norwegian mountains.
Holy Cross Wind Ensemble, 8:30 p.m.
Separated but Together
The Holy Cross Wind Ensemble, in a joint virtual performance featuring the College Choir, Chamber Singers, and Orchestra will present a “Festival of Concerts.” The theme of the Wind Ensemble’s performance titled “Separated but Together” will include diverse selections of standard and contemporary works for wind band. Each selection will be accompanied by a collage of still images in order to enhance the total aesthetic experience for the audience.
Sponsored by the Department of Music
Dec. 6 | 9 p.m.
Jazz Ensemble and Pep Band
Livestreamed concert
Dec. 18 | 7 p.m.
Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols
Livestreamed concert
Fall 2020 Arts Transcending Borders programming is generously underwritten by Trudie and Cornelius B. Prior, Jr., Esq. ’56.