Super Sunday, April 29
In celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s lifelong commitment to engaging young people in the arts, Brandeis sponsors an afternoon of free performances, family and children’s events, and art exhibitions and demonstrations.
Events run continuously from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Rose Art Museum, Shapiro Campus Center, Bernstein-Marcus Plaza and the Great Lawn. All events are free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary.
ART ACTIVATES FAMILIES! Events that families may enjoy are designated by * We invite you to check in at the Family Welcome Table, hosted by the Waltham Group.
Refreshments are available for purchase under the tent on the Great Lawn or at Einstein's Bagels in the Shapiro Campus Center.
Featured performers include Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade; the Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society and What Cheer? Brigade; and the Lydian String Quartet.
Bernstein-Marcus Plaza (Rain location: Slosberg Music Center)
Big Fuzzy *
1:00 – 1:20 p.m.
Anneke Reich ’13 (vocals) and Max Kennedy (guitar) are the enchanting, lyrical duo Big Fuzzy, fusing pop, jazz, and folk in deliciously surprising ways.
Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade*
1:30 – 2:20 p.m.
Vintage Activation. Brooklyn-based Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade are inspired by the best of American blues, jazz and swing. Difficult to define but easy to love, they’ve been nominated for a 2012 New England Music Award in the “best jazz band” category. Hosted by Brandeis Swingers, who will teach you how to jump, jive and hop.
Banjo Breakdown with Nicholas Bogosian *
2:30 – 2:50 p.m.
Kick back with Nicholas Bogosian’s energetic, soulful traditional banjo and fiddle music.
Boston Children's Theater Show Choir *
3:00 – 3:20 p.m.
The Boston Children’s Theater Show Choir features over 20 teens from nearly two dozen communities in and surrounding Boston and performs a wide range of music theatre, pop and holiday repertoire. Earlier this year, the choir was chosen from hundreds of youth performing arts organizations from across the country to perform at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Daniel Blake, musical director.
Brass Band Parade Mayhem! *
3:30 – 4:50 p.m.
The exuberant Boston street band SLSAPS (just say “slaps”) and What Cheer? Brigade bring a touch of Mardi Gras to Brandeis. For extra bedazzlement, the Boston Hoop Troop returns for their second Brandeis appearance. Join the procession to activate the fun! Bring your own fancy dress or borrow some from the clothesline.
Beyond the Boundaries *
Spingold Theater Center
2:00 p.m.
Modern dance collaborates with sculpture and music. Part abstraction, part storytelling and entirely original, this innovative, category-breaking event presented by the Brandeis Theater Company sees the performing and visual arts unite for a creative encounter beyond your imagination. In their first performance collaboration, choreographer Susan Dibble and sculptor Tory Fair seek to discover how the placement of sculpture in a theatrical setting can set the stage for sound, movement and dance. Featuring Alex Jacobs, Alexandra Johnson, Alexandra Patch, Cathy Messier, Eddie Shields, Katherine Braun-Levine, Meg Evans, Meg Ryan, Rachel Klein, Nicole Pierce, Samantha Richert and Sara Schoch; and introducing Fiona Hyland.
Shapiro Campus Center
In the Shapiro Theater
1:00 – 1:20
Juggling Extravaganza *
Part physics, part wizardry, the Brandeis Juggling Club is always entertaining. Featuring Noah Fields '12, Skyler Kasko '14, Ezra Skolnik '14 and others.
Animation Festival *
Two programs of innovative independent animated films curated by award-winning animator Julie Zammarchi.
Program One: 2:00 - 2:35 p.m.
Boy by Steven Subotnick, 2 minutes, 2012. Three letters in search of a boy.
Little Wild by Caleb Wood, 3:35 minutes, 2010. Something nice and playful.
How The Shammies Bathed by Edmunds Jansons, 7:00 minutes, 2010. A foreboding “drip-drop” coming from a dark room turns out to be only water in the tub – it’s bath time for the Shammies!
The Box by Joshua Durst, 1:07 minutes, 2011. A duck happens upon a box with strange sonic properties.
T.H.I.R.S.T by Joel Frenzer, 3:30 minutes, 2011. The Hilarious Incident (of the) Rocket Ship Tent. Dehydrated children suffer further dry mouth as an unexpected hindrance emerges from the school's water fountain.
Fluffy McCloud by Conor Finnegan, 3:00 minutes, 2010. A friendly cloud with anger management issues.
Dziad I Baba by Basia Goszczynska, 8:51 minutes, 2012. Two soul mates fight their fears of death and loneliness in this short dark comedy based on a Polish fable by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski.
Perpetual Motion by Karen Aqua, 5:00 minutes, 1992. A shrine to ritualized time. This film celebrates the cyclical nature of time, and the symbols and rites that have been created to mark and honor its passage.
Program 2: 4:00 – 4:45 p.m.
Boy by Steven Subotnick, 2:00 minutes, 2012. Three letters in search of a boy.
Little Wild by Caleb Wood, 3:35 minutes, 2010. Something nice and playful
Undertow by Elise Fachon. 3:35 minutes, 2010. A young girl finds herself contemplating the transience of life in the shifting and ancient tides.
Snowflakes and Carrots by Samantha Leriche-Gionet, 4:00 minutes, 2010. At the outskirts of a small countryside village, a little girl named Marion is spying on some kids building a snowman. Once done, the kids leave... and Marion can start her carrot scavenging mission.
Fluffy McCloud by Conor Finnegan, 3:00 minutes, 2010. A friendly cloud with anger management issues.
T.H.I.R.S.T by Joel Frenzer, 3:30 minutes, 2011. The Hilarious Incident (of the) Rocket Ship Tent. Dehydrated children suffer further dry mouth as an unexpected hindrance emerges from the school's water fountain.
Mi’au Myau by Vida Vega, 1:00 minutes, 2009 . This super-short film was made as part of the "languages through lenses" competition promoting multilingualism in the EU. It proves it’s not how you say it, it’s what you say that counts.
Perpetual Motion by Karen Aqua, 5:00 minutes, 1992. A shrine to ritualized time. This film celebrates the cyclical nature of time, and the symbols and rites that have been created to mark and honor its passage.
Stoneflies by Anne Walther, 15:00 minutes, 2008. On a small island lives Ferdi, a little boy stonefly, with his parents. Stoneflies cannot fly; they are too heavy and their wings can not carry them. But that is Ferdi’s biggest wish, so he sets out on a journey to learn how to fly.
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concert *
From 1958 to 1972, Bernstein's acclaimed series with the New York Philharmonic, broadcast live from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, introduced an entire generation to the joys of classical music. Looking back on the concerts years later, he referred to them as being "among my favorite, most highly prized activities of my life." Enjoy the maestro's clarity, humor, and passion in a performance of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, which Bernstein described as "the first psychedelic symphony."
In the Atrium
Top Score*
1:00 – 1:20 p.m.
Brandeis’ only student-run orchestra performs favorite themes from movies and musicals. Chris Amstutz '12, Dan Noar '13, Rachel Goldenberg '13, John Shen '13, Isaac Vesery '14 and Margo Kolenda '14.
Songs from In the Heights*
1:30 – 1:50 p.m.
Brandeis undergraduates including members of Kaos Kids perform songs from the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "In the Heights." Iyvon Edebiri '13, director; Abby Armstrong '13, music director; Stephanie Ramos '15 and David Robles '13, choreographers.
Brandeis Ballroom: Latin Formation *
2:30 – 2:50 p.m.
Activate rhythm. The Brandeis Ballroom Formation Team dances cha-chas, rumbas and sambas. Featuring Liz Li ’12, Jonathan Beaver ’15, Iris Lee ’15, Michael Keselman ’14 Jeremy Perlman ’14 and April Hou ’15.
All About Korea: Korean Performing Arts from Traditional to Modern *
3:30 – 3:50 p.m.
Christy Kang '13 and Somie Choo '13 perform Korean pop songs and American pop songs with a K-pop twist. Students from the Brandeis Korean Student Association presents Bucheachum, or fan dance, an exuberant display of fans forming an assortment of patterns, such as butterflies, flowers, and waves. Afterward, make a Korean fan to take home. Christina Kolokotroni ’14 and Diana Chung ’13, directors. Made possible by grants from the Brandeis Office of the Arts; the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life; and the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance.
Freshman 15*
4:00 – 4:20 p.m.
The spring debut of an a cappella group that covers contemporary pop to country/folk music, including Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” an old Charlie Chaplin song “Smile,” and “Poison and Wine” by the Civil Wars. Featuring Corey Shapiro, Jennifer Sikov, Angela Howes, Lily Montagna, and Ben Wheat.
Rose Art Museum, Lee Gallery
Mysteries of the Middle East: The Miras Project I *
1:00 – 1:20 p.m.
Activate the mystical sound of traditional Middle Eastern music, performed by talented, Western-trained undergrads under the guidance of ethnomusicologist and alchemist Ann E. Lucas, who have transformed themselves into The Miras (mee-rah-s) Project. Yoni Battat ’13, Alison Fessler ’13, Bronttë Hwang ’14, Aliza Gans ’15, Zoe Li ’15, Louis Polisson ’13.
Mysteries of the Middle East: The Miras Project II *
1:30 – 1:50 p.m.
The master musicians of the Miras Project, from Lebanon, Egypt and Palestine, perform virtuosic music of the Middle East. Ann E. Lucas, Jamal Sinno, Tareq Rantisi, Kareem Azab and a surprise guest!
Iveria
2:00 – 2:20 p.m.
The Russian folk group Iveria, featuring Brandeis faculty John Burt (English), sings folk and religious music from the Republic of Georgia. These dissonant harmonies and complex vocal texture are unlike any other. Featuring Matthew Abbate, Glenn Allin, Marc Butler, Endre Jobaggy and Jean Renard Ward.
Lydian String Quartet: Tribute to President Fred Lawrence
2:30 – 2:50 p.m.
Brandeis’ award-wining quartet -- Daniel Stepner, Mary Ruth Ray, Joshua Gordon and Judith Eissenberg -- performs works composed by faculty members Yu-Hui Chang, Ph.D.'01; Eric Chasalow and David Rakowski in honor of the university’s eighth president, Frederick M. Lawrence.
Rose Exhibitions Tour
3:00-3:40 p.m.
Join in the 50th anniversary celebration with a student-led tour of the current exhibitions.
The Gentlemen’s Very High Art Society of South Waltham *
4:00-4:20 p.m.
Distinguished Gentlemen and grad composers Travis Alford (trumpet), David Dominique (flugabone), Christian Gentry (piano) and Peter Van Zandt Lane (bassoon) offer an act of musical refinement, nobility and intrigue, tempered by a grace and gentility that only the hand of time can supply.
Bella Pietra*
4:30 – 4:50 p.m.
Do you wonder what happens after a museum closes its doors for the day? in a joyous exploration of movement and music, the alumni-led Allegro Dance Company imagines classical sculptures stretching their legs before the sun comes back up. Julie Judson '11, Anna Kharaz '09, Beth Moguel '10, Micaela Preskill '10, Ariella Silverstein-Tapp '09 and Greg Storella '11. (In the Lower Rose)
SpringFest
1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Bands perform throughout the afternoon in the annual concert sponsored by Student Events and WBRS. For more information, call the Department of Student Activities at 781-736-5065.
Sidewalk Sam*
Cover the campus walkways with Sidewalk Sam, aka Robert Guillemin, the beloved Boston artist dedicated to creating public art that promotes community and creativity.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
2 p.m.
Ridgewood Commons
Brandeis Official Readers' Guild (BORG) presents Joss Whedon's comedic musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," the story of an aspiring super-villain Dr. Horrible, his nemesis Captain Hammer, and the girl of his dreams, Penny. Ages 12 and up. Also Saturday at 8 p.m.
Clavichord Concert
3 p.m., Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library
Ulrika Davidsson performs selections from Book I of "The Well-Tempered Clavier" by J.S. Bach. Sponsored by the Boston Clavichord Society.
A Cappella Fest
7 p.m., Slosberg Music Center
Activate the a cappella community. The Brandeis vocal groups come together for one gleeful benefit concert. Hosted by Starving Artists and produced by Ellyn Getz ’13. Featuring Ba’Note, Freshman 15, Jewish Fella A Cappella, Manginah, Proscenium, Rather Be Giraffes, Too Cheap for Instruments, Up the Octave, VoiceMale and Voices of Soul. Suggested donation of $3 supports local music and theater educational programs.
Next to Normal
8:00 p.m.
Schwartz Hall Auditorium
Free Play Theater Cooperative presents the Tony Award-winning musical with a soaring pop rock score about a family’s struggle with mental illness. Directed by David Benger '14, music direction by Bryan Belok, and stage managed by Rachel Huvard ’14 and Jessica Pizzuti ’15. Ages 16 and older.
Imagine
10 p.m., Shapiro Campus Center Atrium
It’s nighttime and a little girl’s drawings come to life in a dance theater performance directed by Molly Nathanson ’12. Featuring Marla Merchut '12, Carina Platner '12, Melanie Shapiro '12, Natasia Sun '13. Come in your pajamas and stay for milk and cookies!