So the Brandeis Early Music Ensemble concert was pretty awesome; watch for my review of it coming out in tomorrow’s Hoot. But that’s only day one of the Bernstein Festival, and we’ve got plenty more artsy goodness coming our way today. I’m a sucker for music, so I’ll be at the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra’s Theme and Variations concert, featuring Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s wonderful “Scheherazade” suite, selections from Aaron Copland’s score for Our Town and Alan Menken’s score for Aladdin (yep, the Disney movie), and selections from our own Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide. Join me at 8pm in the Slosberg Music Center (it’s free!). Check below the fold for the complete schedule of the day’s events.
But wait, there’s more! Three more worthwhile things are happening today that you should try to check out. First, our own Abbie K promises great fun outside the library at 12 noon; look here for more information. Next, SPECTRUM is hosting a Social Panel for Autism Awareness at 3:30 pm in the alumni lounge in Usdan. There are a couple of interesting panelists, and if you’re at all interested in psychology, it should be worth attending; I’ll try to do a liveblog for those who can’t make it. Finally, the Innermost Parts community got a personal invitation in the comments to attend the Student Events open forum at 6:00 pm in the Art Gallery in the Shapiro Campus Center. If you’ve got questions or comments on this year’s Spring Fest or on anything else relating to how Student Events spends their $135,000 budget (that’s YOUR money), come on down and ask away.
That Moment of Creating: Women Artists Report
12:30 p.m., Women’s Studies Research CenterWhat is the experience of creating, and how does an artist describe this unique process? Offering insight into that moment are performance artist Alexandra Borrie, documentary filmmaker Ornit Barkai, poet Georgia Sassen, and art historian Elinor Gadon, scholars at the Women’s Studies Research Center. Moderated by writer Rosie Rosenzweig.
Art Happening I
1-1:30 p.m., Shapiro Campus Center
You never know what will or won’t happen in this momentary, mysterious performance/art connection.Love’s Labour’s Lost
Brandeis Theater Company
8 p.m., Spingold Theater CenterRevisit Shakespeare’s most flamboyantly intellectual comedy. The King of Navarre and his three feckless lords swear an oath to scholarship and no contact with women for three years. When the Princess of France arrives with her female entourage, it ignites the Bard’s wittiest battle between the heart and the brain. Directed by Steven Maler from the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Tickets are $18–$20. Contact Brandeis Tickets at 781-736-3400 or order online. Also Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Fables
8 p.m., Pearlman HallThis new play by Hank Lin ’10 connects five famed storytellers across time, space, and cultures. Trapped by a storm in a dark tavern, Hans Christian Andersen, Wilhelm Grimm, Scheherazade, Uncle Remus, and Aesop are prompted by a young Geoffrey Chaucer to tell/retell their stories. Featuring Rob St. Laurence ’11 and Dan Katz ’12. Herbert Rosen ’12, and Marc Eder ’12, producers; Alex Corsaro ’12, stage manager. Also Saturday at 11 p.m. To reserve tickets, email schiffsm@brandeis.edu
Themes and Variations: Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra
8 p.m., Slosberg Music CenterAn outstanding concert honoring the festival’s founder, Leonard Bernstein, as well as Aaron Copland, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and theater/film composer Alan Menken. Program includes music from “Candide,” “Our Town,” “Aladdin,” and “Scheherazade,” performed by one of New England’s finest student orchestras. Neal Hampton, conductor.