Rowan’s 26|27 Arts Season Explores the Stories That Shape Us
Rowan’s 26|27 Arts Season Explores the Stories That Shape Us
August 26, 2026
Promotional image for Hearing Silence, a story inspired by Rowan Dance Professor Melanie Stewart's childhood as the daughter of deaf adults in the 1960s.
Stories of identity, resilience and the American experience take center stage in the College of the Arts’ 2026–27 season. Spanning exhibits and performances across the Departments of Art, Music and Theatre & Dance, this season explores the stories that shape us, challenges our perspectives and connects us to the wider world.
Read on for highlights of the incredible fall arts season at Rowan. Find a full performing arts schedule here, professional visual art exhibitions here and student art here.
Art
The Westby Hall student gallery will display a special retirement exhibit celebrating faculty members Dr. Herb Appelson and Dr. Jane Graziano beginning October 1. Check go.rowan.edu/2026studentartshows for the full fall schedule. 
The Rowan Museum of Contemporary Art (RUMOCA) 2026-2027 season features four curated exhibitions exploring our relationship with the natural world. Diane Burko: Extraction, A Dialogue of Extremes is now showing through October 17 at RUMOCA's 301 High Street gallery (see Burko's Elegy Amazonas I, left). Burko’s two bodies of work focus on extraction. One depicts the extraction of scientific data following the flow of elements and chemical changes recorded in the Arctic that may help scientists understand climate change; the other examines how the extraction of natural resources from the Amazon rainforest accelerates climate change. A panel and opening reception are happening on September 16. Save your spot! Learn more about the 2026-2027 RUMOCA season here.
Music
From lyrical euphonium melodies to jazz improvisation inspired by art, the 2026–2027 Spotlight Series highlights
Rowan University's acclaimed faculty and special guest artists. This year’s series kicks off next Tuesday, September 1 with a performance from Michael Fahrner and special guest Hsaio-Han Yang, followed by jazz trio Behn Gillece, Brian Betz and Steve Beskrone on September 8 and improvisational interpretations of art works by Skeff Thomas, presented by Denis DiBlasio, Adrian Barnes and Ron Thomas. Find the full schedule at go.rowan.edu/tickets.
The Rowan University Wind Ensemble performs a series of world premieres in collaboration with Wildflower Composers, an organization dedicated to amplifying and supporting gender-marginalized musicians. The first premiere by Xinyuan Deng will be performed on October 20 in a joint concert with the Rowan University Concert Choir.
On October 27, the Rowan University Symphony Orchestra performs Tchaikovsky’s powerful Fifth Symphony, an unforgettable work inspired by fate and resilience, and Verdi’s exhilarating "Overture" from Nabucco, showcasing the drama, passion and brilliance of two of classical music’s greatest composers.
The Marie Rader Series’ 2026-27 “Life & Liberty” season invites audiences to reflect on America’s 250th anniversary with an emphasis on singular, award-winning African American musicians, choreographers and storytellers. The series’ 19th season, which kicked off in July with a performance from the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players, continues on October 30 with Sounds Like America, featuring renowned pianist, thought leader and NPR host Lara Downes and Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning singer, multi-instrumentalist and cultural historian Rhiannon Giddens. Read about the rest of the Life & Liberty season here.
Ring in the holidays this year with Songs of the Season on December 12; an evening of festive favorites, heartwarming classics and joyful holiday music for the whole family, featuring the Greater South Jersey Chorus and award-winning Atlantic Brass Band.
Theatre & Dance
Pig Iron MFA Devised Performance students present free, public showings of original performance work throughout the year at the Pig Iron School Studios in Philadelphia beginning on October 6. For a full list of showings, visit go.rowan.edu/pigirontix.
On the Tohill MainStage this fall, experience the alarming resonance of a play written in 1923 and an entirely new and deeply personal dance-theatre piece.
For 25 years, Mr. Zero has resigned himself to being just another cog in the machine. His wife is dissatisfied; his work is monotonous — but he keeps showing up. Then one day, his boss replaces him with an adding machine. Follow Zero in The Adding Machine as he confronts the existential nightmare of what it means to be replaceable. Written by Elmer Rice. Opening on October 29.
Rowan Dance Professor Melanie Stewart grew up as a child of deaf adults in the 1960s, a time when American Sign Language was highly stigmatized. As a child, she was not taught how to sign. Through a tapestry of dance, movement and language, Hearing Silence grapples with a young girl's longing to be heard. Opening on December 3, Hearing Silence was written by John Clancy and choreographed and directed by Melanie Stewart.
More information
- For a full schedule of performing arts concerts and shows, visit our Box Office. Rowan students get FREE tickets to all performances. Email boxoffice@rowan.edu from your Rowan email address to request your tickets.
- See what’s coming to the Rowan University Museum of Contemporary Art (RUMOCA), free and open to the public.
- Plan a visit to the Westby Hall student gallery, also free! A schedule of exhibitions can be found here.