A guide to the arts at Rowan this fall

The full range of artistic expression is on display every year for the Rowan University community, highlighted by the work of students, faculty, and visiting artists presented through The Arts at Rowan, including the College of Performing Arts and The Galleries at Rowan.

Whether it is classical, jazz or contemporary music…theatrical productions…original dance works…or visual art exhibits, the campus is buzzing with cultural activity each semester.

‘Elegy for Tesla’

With the addition of a new location in downtown Glassboro, the Galleries at Rowan will now present programming in two spaces. Beginning on Monday, Sept. 14, and continuing through Saturday, Jan. 30, Rowan University Art Gallery West in Westby Hall opens the season with “Elegy for Tesla.”

This multi-media, motion-activated installation by artist Jeanne Jaffe integrates technology with sculpture, a soundscape, and theatrical sets to create a psychological dreamscape and biographical narrative inspired by the life of the electrical engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla. An artist’s presentation, panel discussion and reception to celebrate the exhibition will be held on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5 - 8 p.m. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

'Selections from The Sister Chapel'

Rowan University Art Gallery on High Street (301 High Street in Glassboro) presents “Selections from The Sister Chapel,” through January 30, 2016. 

The visual arts installation created by 13 women artists in 1978 features panels representing contemporary and historically significant women, deities, mythological figures, and heroines.

Admission to the galleries is free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, call 856-256-4521 or visit www.rowan.edu/artgallery. Programming at the galleries is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Season in music

The season in music begins with a free performance by guest artist Tromba Mundi, a trumpet ensemble that includes faculty member Bryan Appleby-Wineberg, on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Boyd Recital Hall. Rowan’s Small Jazz Ensembles bring together various student groups for free performance on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 8 p.m. in Boyd Recital Hall.

Rowan University Orchestra, under the direction of Salvatore Scarpa, offers its first concert of the season on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall (ticketed event). The Rowan Concert Choir presents Choral Music from Living Composer on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall (ticketed event) and ensemble-in-residence Atlantic Brass Band comes to campus on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall. Visit www.atlanticbrassband.org for tickets and information.

The new Director of Bands, Joseph Higgins, leads the Rowan Concert Band in performances on Thursday, Oct. 29, and Thursday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall (ticketed event). He also conducts the Rowan Wind Ensemble’s concerts on Friday, Oct. 30, and Thursday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall (ticketed event).

The Rowan Lab Band and Jazz Band perform on the same bill for a concert on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall under the direction of Denis DiBlasio and George Rabbai, respectively (ticketed event). Rowan String Ensemble brings together violin, viola, cello and bass for a free performance on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall.

The Mayes Guitar Do, featuring Joseph and Kathleen Mayes, is featured as part of the free Faculty Spotlight Series on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. in Boyd Recital Hall.

Rowan Opera Company

Rowan Opera Company, under the direction of Marian Stieber, offers its annual fall evening of scenes and selections from a variety of operatic works, with performances on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 2, at 8 p.m.  and Sunday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall (ticketed event).

The final three events of the music semester are the Rowan Percussion Ensemble, led by Dean Witten, on Monday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall (ticketed event); Collegium Musicum, a mix of instrumentalists, dancers, and singers performing music from the Medieval, Renaissance, and early Baroque periods, in a free performance on Monday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. in Boyd Recital Hall; and Rowan University’s Choral Union combining for Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. in Pfleeger Concert Hall (ticketed event).

Admission for ticketed music events is $10 (general admission) and $5 (seniors, non-Rowan students, staff, and alumni). Admission is free for Rowan students with valid ID.

Theatre & Dance

The Department of Theatre & Dance kicks things off this year with "Bacchae 2.1," a play by Charles Mee. The ancient and the modern collide in this poetic gender study that draws from Euripides' text and more contemporary writers to create a highly sensual theatrical celebration of the god Dionysus.

Directed and choreographed by Melanie Stewart, the production features original music by Rowan alumnus Anthony Di Bartolo performed by a live ensemble. Please note: The production features mature subject matter and language. Performances are Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 22, 23 and 24 at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, at 3 p.m.

"Making Trouble: Dance of the Future," curated by Paule Turner with choreographers Leslie Elkins and Beau Hancock, is inspired by revolutionary, innovative dance artists who agitated, made trouble, and ultimately changed the way we experience the world. It features two unique, movement-driven pieces. Performances are Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5, at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6, at 3 p.m.

Both productions are presented in Tohill Theatre and admission for each is $15 (general admission) and $10 (seniors, non-Rowan students, staff, and alumni). Admission is free for Rowan students with valid ID.

Information and tickets

For more information on performances presented by the College of Performing Arts’ Department of Music or Department of Theatre & Dance, visit www.rowan.edu/cpa, call the box office at 856-256-4545, or email arts@rowan.edu.

For ticketed events, call the box office or purchase online at rowan.tix.com.