Exhibitions and Performances

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Over 150 people filled the Gildenhorn Recital Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on Wednesday night to hear award-winning slam poet and social justice advocate Theo Wilson, who appeared as part of the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities Dean’s Lecture Series.

Wilson skyrocketed to social media fame after posting beliefs about hate and bias. During his lecture, he discussed his experiences as a black man in an increasingly digital and racially charged world.

Wilson went undercover in white supremacist online communities to “get a gist of the gathering storm” because “nothing is more dangerous for black people than white supremacy.”

While undercover, he learned how social media creates digital echo chambers that steer users toward content that affirms their ideological beliefs. He also learned about the dangers of groupthink, a psychological phenomenon in which a group of people make irrational decisions based on the desire for harmony. Noticing how alt-right online communities gained momentum through these realities propelled his career as an activist.

Throughout the lecture, he detailed events that changed the way he thought about his own race. From the racially motivated bombings at Florida A&M University, a historically black college, in 1999, to the election of George W. Bush in 2001, Wilson described how race permeated his everyday life.

Wilson began his public speaking career in the NAACP at the age of 15, and has always had a passion for social justice. He helped found the Denver Slam Nuba team, which won the National Poetry Slam in 2011. Wilson also performed at this year’s TEDxMileHigh event.

He concluded his lecture by reciting a slam poem called “Impossible,” which expressed the possibility of the impossible and the barriers African Americans have overcome. The poem captivated the audience as Wilson proclaimed “My breath is like humanity/ Limitless/ Unbounded/ And impossibly free.”

During a question and answer session moderated by Linda Aldoory, associate dean for research and programming, Wilson responded to questions about slam poetry, his personal utopia and a world without racism.

Wilson ended his performance by reminding the audience that “there’s this new generation that has this attitude that’s unbreakable,” and encouraged the continuation of self-expression.

Below is a list of enrichment opportunities for ARHU faculty, staff and students for fall 2016. We hope you will be able to join us for some of these exciting events. Faculty, please consider incorporating some of these events into your syllabi and pass these opportunities along to your students. A copy of these events is available for download here. If you have something you would like to be included in this listing, please submit them to arhusynergy@umd.edu.

Artist Partner Program
3RD Annual NextNOW Fest
September 9 & 10, 2016; The Clarice
Most events are free. All events are freeing.Just because class will be in session doesn’t mean festival season will be over! NextNOW Fest kicks off the school year and The Clarice’s 2016–2017 season with a creative welcome and welcome back for Terps. Experience two days of nonstop music, theatre and dance performances and immersive, technology-driven installations by artists from around campus and the country. NextNOW Fest is open to all. Be a part of what’s next now! For the latest details, we encourage you to join our weekly email list and RSVP to the Facebook event page. (While you're at it, join us on Twitter and Instagram too.) 

Careers in Performing Arts Panel
Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, 5-6 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Learn from and connect with alumni working in all aspects of the performing arts field during this panel discussion. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu.

Career Shuttle to the Phillips Collection
Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, 8:45 am- 1 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Take a career field trip to the Phillips Collection to learn about available internship and job opportunities. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu. Space is limited- RSVP soon!

UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Mamela Nyamza: Performance and Conversation
Friday, September 16, 2016, 6:30pm; The Clarice, Dance Theatre
Free, No Tickets Required
Dancer, choreographer and performance artist Mamela Nyamza confronts South African political issues and radically challenges the notions of who can be a classical ballerina.

Central American Film Festival
September 16-18, 2016; Stamp, Hoff Theatre
All films and events are free and open to the public. Films are in Spanish with subtitles.
The Central American Film Festival will include three feature films from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica, as well as various documentaries and film shorts, all made in and/or about the people, culture, and politics of Central American countries. Hosted by the Latin American Studies Center at the University of Maryland. Co-sponsored by the Departments of Spanish and Film Studies. This CAIFF festival has traveled to El Salvador and Los Angeles and now joins us in College Park, Maryland! For festival line-up and descriptions, see: www.centralamericanfilmfest.com. This event is being held in honor of Latino Heritage Month at UMD and nationwide. Contact the Latin American Studies Center for more information (lasc@umd.edu). 

Engaging Imagination: Helping Students Become Creative and Reflective Thinkers
Monday, September 19, 2016, 12-1:30pm; McKeldin 4123
Free, No Tickets Required
This session is a combination of talk, hands-on exploration and discussion to focus on the ways that creativity, imagination and play can be harnessed to our approaches to teaching across the disciplines - as opposed to our focus on practice or content. Rooted in pedagogic theory and with a scientific underpinning it gives participants the opportunity to hear about imaginative teaching practices in a variety of contexts and take away ideas that are readily adaptable and applicable to colleagues' own subjects and interests. Come ready to play with some Legos! 

Artist Partner Program
Bassem Youssef
Tuesday, September 20, 2016 & Wednesday, September 21, 2016; The Clarice, Gildenhorn Recital Hall
Bassem Youssef, Egyptian political satirist, talks about democracy and free expression. باسم يوسف الكوميدي المصري الساخر يرافق الأستاذ الدكتور شبلي تلحمي لمناقشة باللغة العربية حول السياسة وحرية التعبير.

Artist Partner Program
Piesni Leara / Songs of Lear: Song of the Goat Theatre
Friday, September 23, 2016 & Saturday, September 24, 2016; The Clarice, Gildenhorn Recital Hall
Taking top honors at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, this poetic and visceral song cycle distills Shakespeare’s darkly tragic King Lear to its musical essence. Join the artists for a conversation following each performance.

WORLDWISE Arts and Humanities Dean’s Lecture Series
Claudia Rankine in Conversation with Sheri Parks
Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, 5:30-7:00pm; The Clarice, Gildenhorn Recital Hall
Free, but ticketed
Award-winning poet Claudia Rankine joins Sheri Parks for an intimate conversation on the role of public education, specifically art, in the making of American democracy. The event combines a poetry reading from Rankine’s New York Times best-seller “Citizen: An American Lyric,” and a discussion in which the two engage audience members on themes related to race, art and citizen making. In partnership with the Democracy Then and Now: Citizenship and Public Education Program. This event and free (ticketed) and open to the public.

UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
The Call
By Tanya Barfield
Directed by Eleanor Holdridge
Friday, September 30, 2016 - Saturday, October 8, 2016; The Clarice, Kay Theatre
Tanya Barfield’s smart and darkly funny story about transracial adoption explores racial and cultural identity.

UMD School of Music
UMD Concert Choir: Duruflé Requiem 
Edward Maclary, conductor
Steven Seigart, organ
Sunday, October 2, 2016, 3pm; The Clarice, Dekelboum Concert Hall
The UMD Concert Choir opens its 2016 - 2017 season with Duruflé's contemplative Requiem for mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists, mixed chorus, organ, and chamber orchestra.

DeVos Institute of Arts Management
Introduction to Arts Management for UMD Students and Alumni: Lecture and Discussion Series
Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - Wednesday, November 9, 2016; The Clarice, Faculty/Staff Lounge
Free, Registration Recommended
Do you have an interest in the arts? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to run a symphony or a museum or a performing arts center? Do you have an interest in what it takes to market or fundraise for a dance or theater company? Join the leadership of the University of Maryland’s DeVos Institute of Arts Management and The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center for a four-session lecture and discussion series which will introduce you to the business of arts management through the lens of The Clarice. The series is designed for participants to attend all four sessions, although it is not mandatory. To register, contact Syrah Gunning at segunning@devosinstitute.net.

Artist Partner Program
Small Business/Big Art: Quinteto Latino
Thursday, October 6, 2016, 5:30pm; The Clarice
Free, Registration Recommended
A roundtable discussion about artist-led small businesses.

Artist Partner Program
Composer Reading: Quinteto Latino
Friday, October 7, 2016, 5:30pm; The Clarice
Free, No Tickets Required
UMD composers will have their new works performed by this California-based wind quintet.

UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
MFA Dance Thesis Concert: Waking Darkness. Waiting Light.
by Colette Krogol and Matt Reeves|
Friday, October 7, 2016 - Sunday, October 9, 2016; The Clarice, Kogod Theatre
MFA Dance candidates Colette Krogol and Matt Reeves present their thesis work in a joint concert that exhibits Krogol’s exploration of her Cuban-American heritage and Reeve’s examination of origin myths.

UMD School of Music
UMD Symphony Orchestra: Shostakovich 10
James Ross, conductor
Friday, October 7, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Dekelboum Concert Hall
Shostakovich’s creative force was so strong, he once said, “If they cut off both hands, I will compose music anyway holding the pen in my teeth.” Voted by UMSO performers as the work they most want to perform this season, Symphony No. 10 is paired with selections from Bernstein’s On the Town, the 1944 musical about three sailors enjoying a 24-hour shore leave in New York City, and Variations on a Theme by Haydn composed by Brahms.

Government Employer Meet-Up
Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, 12-2 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Interested in government? This meet-up will connect you to employers who are hiring in these fields. The meet-up is a casual environment where you can meet representatives and ask questions over a light lunch. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Lydia Woods at

Artist Partner Program
Family Art Day at Langley Park Community Center: Quinteto Latino and Others
Saturday, October 9, 2016, 10am; Langley Park Community Center
Free, Registration Recommended
Artful fun for the whole family! Join in for lunch, crafting and salsa lessons to the sounds of Quinteto Latino at nearby Langley Park Community Center.

UMD School of Music
UMD Wind Orchestra: Black Sounds and Vivid Colors
Lee Hinkle, percussion
Michael Votta, conductor
Saturday, October 8, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Dekelboum Concert Hall

Artist Partner Program
Quinteto Latino
Sunday, October 9, 2016, 3pm; The Clarice, Gildenhorn Recital Hall
Quinteto Latino blends the vibrant colors and vigorous rhythms of Latin American music with the sumptuous voices of the wind quintet.

Careers in Libraries, Museums & Archives
Monday, Oct. 10, 2016 from 5-6 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Learn from and connect with alumni working in libraries, museums & archives during this panel discussion. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu.

Law School Fair
Tuesday, October 11, 2016, 1-4 pm; Grand Ballroom, Stamp Student Union
Considering law school? Don’t miss this chance to connect with many law school admissions recruiters at one time to get your questions answered. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Greg Shaffer at gshaffer@umd.edu.

Artist Partner Program
Wallflower: Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company
Thursday, October 13, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Kay Theatre
Costumed from head to toe in colorful hand-knitted body suits, 10 dancers throw away the conventions of western movement and create startling shapes and shocking sculptural configurations with their bodies.

Artist Partner Program
Meklit
Friday, October 14, 2016, 7pm & 9pm; The Clarice, Kogod Theatre
Drawing from her Ethiopian heritage, Meklit Hadero performs a unique and thrilling blend of jazz, folk, hip-hop and more.

UMD School of Music
UMD Choirs Showcase Concert
Friday, October 14, 2016, 8pm; Memorial Chapel
Free, No Tickets Required
The warm acoustics of the Memorial Chapel will ring with the sounds of choral masters in this showcase of UMD's choirs.

HR/Recruiting Employer Meet-Up
Friday, Oct. 14, 2016, 12-2 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Interested in HR or recruiting? This meet-up will connect you to employers who are hiring in these fields. The meet-up is a casual environment where you can meet representatives and ask questions over a light lunch. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Caroline Lee at clee91@umd.edu.

UMD School of Music
Music in Mind: Henri at 100: Mystery and Memory
Sunday, October 16, 2016, 3pm; The Clarice, Gildenhorn Recital Hall
An engaging retrospective of composer Henri Dutilleux’s most powerful compositions, created from the wreckage of postwar Europe. Presented with works of Debussy and Ravel.

Technology, the Brain and Audience Expectations: Vying for Attention in “Generation Elsewhere”
Monday, October 17, 2016, 4-6:30pm; The Phillips Collection
As new technologies have dramatically altered 9-to-5 modes of communication, work, and leisure, have they also changed—consciously or unconsciously—what today’s audiences expect from their encounters with art? How will the cultural sector’s ability to develop and market its content compete in an era of cognitive and behavioral change accelerated by new technologies? This debate explores how the contemporary brain is changing as a result of its encounter with new technologies, and how this change must be addressed—even manipulated by—administrators and artists.

Language Career & Internship Fair
Wednesday, October 19, 2016, 11 am- 3 pm; Colony Ballroom, Stamp Student Union
Do you speak another language, have cross-cultural career interests or want to work, intern or teach English abroad? If so, this fair is for you! Connect with 35+ organizations looking to hire you. Open to all undergraduate, graduate students, alumni and their spouses/partners. For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu.

Artist Partner Program
Schick Machine
Paul Dresher Ensemble
Friday, October 21, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Kay Theatre
Large-scale invented instruments and a flurry of spinning and thrashing metal help percussionist Steve Schick tell a story of infinite possibilities. Join the artist onstage after the performance to explore and ask questions.

Careers in Event Planning
Monday, Oct. 24, 2016, 5-6 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Love to plan events? Learn from and connect with alumni in this fast-paced, exciting field during a panel. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu.

Music in Mind: Meriam Fried, violin
Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Gildenhorn Recital Hall
Free, No Tickets Required
Internationally renowned violinist Miriam Fried performs an all solo Bach program. Fried has played with virtually every major orchestra in the United States and Europe and has been a frequent guest with the principal orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as with the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony. Recital tours have taken her to all of the major music centers in North America and to Brussels, London, Milan, Munich, Rome, Paris, Salzburg, Stockholm and Zurich. Earlier in the day at 12:30pm, Ms. Fried will give a masterclass in Gildenhorn Recital Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

Art into Public Spaces Conference
UMD School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Maya Brin Residency Program
Friday, October 28, 2015, 9am-5pm; St. Mary’s Hall/Language House
More about the event: https://sllc.umd.edu/russian/mayabrin

Artist Partner Program
Creative Conversation: Jerusalem Quartet
Sunday, October 30, 2016, 2pm; The Clarice
Free, No Tickets Required
Before the concert, join members of the Jerusalem Quartet for a conversation about the program and about the history of the ensemble.

Artist Partner Program
Jerusalem Quartet
Sunday, October 30, 2016, 3pm; The Clarice, Gildenhorn Recital Hall
This award-winning Israeli string quartet performs with a unique combination of confident energy and exquisite sensitivity.

Careers in Arts Management Webinar
Wednesday, November 2, 2016, 12-1 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Interested in arts management? Learn more about this exciting career path during a special webinar. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu.

Visual Arts Hiring Fair
Wednesday, November 2, 2016, 5-7 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Are you skilled in graphic design, video production or animation? If so, join us for the Visual Arts Hiring Fair, a reverse career fair in which employers will circulate around the room to meet students and see work samples. Open to all majors (with skills in graphic design, video production and/or animation). For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu. Space is limited- RSVP soon!

UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
The Wild Party
Friday, November 4, 2016 - Friday, November 11, 2016; The Clarice, Kogod Theatre
Against a backdrop of 1920s jazz era music, a couple sets out to throw the party to end all parties, escalating to a deadly game of one-upsmanship. With book, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. Based on the poem by Joseph Moncure March.

The Business of Arts Meet-Up
Friday, November 4, 2016, 12-2 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Interested in the management and/or business side of the arts? This meet-up will connect you to employers who are hiring in these fields. The meet-up is a casual environment where you can meet representatives and ask questions over a light lunch. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu.

Career Shuttle to Google DC
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, 8:30 am- 1 pm; 3100 Hornbake Library, South Wing
Join us on a career field trip to Google DC to learn about non-technical career paths with their organization. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students in non-technical majors. For more information, please contact Kate Juhl at kjuhl@umd.edu. Space is limited- RSVP soon!

Artist Partner Program
Point of Interest: Raphael Xavier
Thursday, November 10, 2016 & Friday, November 11, 2016; The Clarice, Dance Theatre
This minimalistic hip-hop piece from self-taught hip-hop dancer and breaking artist Raphael Xavier offers audiences multiple perspectives on the inner workings of dance. Join the artists for a conversation following each performance.

UMD School of Music
UMD Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven Symphony No. 8
Eric Kutz, cello
James Ross, conductor
Friday, November 11, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Dekelboum Concert Hall
Considered lighthearted but not lightweight, Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony is paired with Debussy’s beloved Impressionist piece, La Mer. In honor of the 100th anniversary of Dutilleux’s birthday, his cello concerto Tout un monde lointain, written for Rostropovich, will be performed by faculty artist Eric Kutz.

Music in Mind: 12 Strings and 88 Keys
Wednesday, November 16, 2016, 8pm; Gildenhorn Recital Hall
Free, no tickets required
Irina Muresanu, violin
Katherine Murdock, viola
Eric Kutz, cello
Rita Sloan, piano
This program of masterworks for piano quartet features one of Brahms' most emotionally charged chamber works, the Piano Quartet in c-minor, op. 60, alongside the beloved Mozart's Piano Quartet in E-flat Major KV 493 and the Andalusian folk music infused Piano Quartet in a- minor, op. 67 by Joaquin Turina.

Artist Partner Program
NEXTLOOK: Flying V
It's the Rest of the World that Looks So Small: A Theatrical Review of Jonathan Coulton
Thursday, November 17, 2016, 7pm; Joe's Movement Emporium
Pay What You Wish, No Tickets Required
Using dance, theater and a live band, Flying V stages a collection of cult singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton’s hilarious music, which encompasses everything from zombie co-workers to lonely sea monsters.

UMD School of Music
Maryland Opera Studio: The Rape of Lucretia
Craig Kier, conductor
Amanda Consol, director
Friday, November 18, 2016 - Tuesday, November 22, 2016; The Clarice, Kay Theatre
Benjamin Britten’s haunting chamber opera explores a brutal ancient crime to find meaning in suffering.

UMD School of Music
Opera Resonates: An Ancient Crime in the Artist’s Eye: The Rape of Lucretia
Sunday, November 20, 2016, 1:30pm; The Clarice, Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library
Free, No Tickets Required
A conversation about what stays with us long after the last high note has been sung in the opera.

UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Second Season: Blood Memories: Women and Violence Repertory
Two plays written by Jonelle Walker and Leticia Ridley
Written by Jonelle Walker and Leticia Ridley
Directed by Brittany Ginder
Friday, November 18, 2016 - Saturday, November 19, 2016; The Clarice, Cafritz Foundation Theatre
Free, Tickets Required
Two original plays by Jonelle Walker and Leticia Ridley that focus on women as victims and perpetrators of both systematic and physical violence, in the present as well as in the past.

Artist Partner Program
Kekuhi Keali’ikanaka'oleohaililani & Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole
With Shawn Pimental, guitar
Friday, November 18, 2016 & Saturday, November 19, 2016; The Clarice, Kogod Theatre
A mother and transgender daughter duo take the stage to showcase traditional Hawaiian cultural practices through dance, poetry and song.

UMD School of Music
Korean Drumming Concert
Wednesday, November 30, 2016, 7:30pm; The Clarice, Dekelboum Concert Hall
Free, No Tickets Required
Experience the sights, sounds, and rhythms of Korean percussion — Samulnori! This exhilarating contemporary form of Korean music will be performed by the UMD Korean Percussion Ensemble.

Artist Partner Program
Jazz Clinic: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
Friday, December 2, 2016, 12pm; The Clarice
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and his band perform and discuss their work and inspiration.

Artist Partner Program
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: Stretch Music
Friday, December 2, 2016, 7pm & 9pm; The Clarice, Kogod Theatre
A concert featuring the Grammy-nominated trumpeter hailed as the father of Stretch Music, a genre that stretches jazz’s conventions to encompass many other musical forms and cultures.

UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Second Season: The Goldfish By Shuping Yang & B.W.A. (Black Woman’s Anonymous) By Whitney Geohagan and April Monu
Friday, December 2, 2016 - Saturday, December 3, 2016; The Clarice, Cafritz Foundation Theatre
Free, Tickets Required
In The Goldfish, follow the journey of a Chinese son as his scandalous cousin pays him a sudden visit before his wedding night. B.W.A. (Black Woman’s Anonymous) explores what it means to be an African American woman in America.

UMD School of Music
Gamelan and Koto Concert
Friday, December 2, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Kay Theatre
Free, No Tickets Required
The complex interlocking rhythms of Balinese music on percussive instruments, the myriad expressions and the delicate motions of Balinese dance unite in the UMD Gamelan Saraswati. The quiet beauty, simplicity and harmonizing effect of Japanese nature are revealed in the music of the UMD Koto Ensemble.

UMD School of Music
Music in Mind: UMD Symphony Orchestra: Migration Series
Friday, December 2, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Dekelboum Concert Hall
In its first collaboration with new partner The Phillips Collection, the UMD School of Music Symphony Orchestra performs Derek Bermel’s Migration Series, joined onstage by UMD’s Jazz Band, Chamber Singers and Wind Orchestra. The performance is inspired by paintings from The Phillips Collection’s Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence, depicting the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North between the World Wars. Duke Ellington’s Harlem depicts the Harlem Renaissance, and John Harbison’s Flight into Egypt continues the migration theme.

UMD School of Music
Maryland Gospel Choir Concert
Saturday, December 3, 2016, 7:30pm; The Clarice, Dekelboum Concert Hall
Free, No Tickets Required

UMD School of Music
UMD Wing Orchestra & Wind Ensemble: Circus Maximus
Michael Votta, conductor
Sunday, December 4, 2016, 4pm; The Clarice, Dekelboum Concert Hall
John Corigliano’s Circus Maximus for wind orchestra is, like the ancient Roman arena, built both to embody and to comment on massive and glamorous barbarity. A large and theatrical piece, the audience is encircled by musicians, literally becoming the center attraction of the grand arena. This massive work is contrasted with two chamber pieces, Bernard’s elegant Divertissment for woodwinds and Ewazen’s Symphony in Brass.

UMD School of Music
Winter Big Band Showcase
UMD Jazz Ensemble, UMD Jazz Lab Band & University Jazz Band
Chris Vadala, conductor
Monday, December 5, 2016, 7:30pm; The Clarice, Kay Theatre
In this annual event, director Chris Vadala brings together three ensembles in innovative interpretations of classic and contemporary jazz works.

WORLDWISE: Arts and Humanities Dean’s Lecture Series:
Taylor Branch and Isabel Wilkerson in Conversation with Sherrilyn Ifill
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, 7-8:30pm; The Clarice, Kay Theatre
Free, but Ticketed
What is the impact of the humanities on American life? As part of the Pulitzer Prizes’ centennial celebration, we’ve partnered with Maryland Humanities to present Pulitzer Prize-winning author-historians Taylor Branch and Isabel Wilkerson. NAACP’s Sherrilyn Ifill will moderate an engaging discussion between the two on the historical context behind their Pulitzer Prize-winning work and its relevancy to our lives today.

Artist Partner Program and Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library
Margaret Leng Tan, Piano: Cabinet of Curiosities
Thursday, December 8, 2016, 8pm; The Clarice, Kogod Theatre
Avant-garde pianist and the world’s first toy piano virtuoso, Margaret Leng Tan, performs a joyful evening of music played on pianos large and small.

Artist Partner Program
NEXTLOOK: Afro House - Ebon Kojo: The Last Tribe
Friday, December 9, 2016, 7pm; Joe’s Movement Emporium
Pay What You Wish, No Tickets Required
Pianist and composer Scott Patterson uses acoustic piano, synth keyboards and sound design to weave together a story of space exploration, environmentalism, family relationships and greed.

UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Shared MFA Dance Thesis Concert
Bearglove for Cary. Ask Her. By Sarah Beth Oppenheim
Full Circle: Bridging the Gap By Chris Law
Friday, December 9, 2016 - Sunday, December 11, 2016; The Clarice, Dance Theatre
MFA Dance candidates Sarah Oppenheim and Chris Law present their thesis concerts. Oppenheim’s process-oriented work features a DIY aesthetic; Law uses the hip-hop cypher to explore personal and community themes.

Additional opportunities at The Clarice “For Student Terps”  

To submit a new opportunity email arhusynergy@umd.edu with relevant details.

By Gabriela Martínez

Angélique Kidjo, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and activist from Benin, visited the University of Maryland for the WORLDWISE: Arts and Humanities Dean’s Lecture Series to talk about her life story and the role of music in activism. 

As soon as she walked onstage and sat down for her live discussion with Sheri Parks, associate dean of University of Maryland’s College of Arts and Humanities, Angélique Kidjo looked at the audience and said “You are all so quiet. We’re talking about art, man.”

Using her own lively stories about her childhood in a village in Benin, Kidjo captured the audience and lightened the mood.  An inquisitive child—known affectionately in her village as “Where, what and how?”—Kidjo was privileged for having parents who greatly valued her intellectual development.

Kidjo’s mother, a skilled costume designer, created a theater in her community.  As a child, Kidjo would spend time climbing in and out of the animal costumes her mother made. One night, when her mother did not have enough actors between scenes, she made Kidjo go onstage.  Not knowing what to do, Kidjo decided to belt out a song.

It was after that moment that Kidjo decided that she wanted to spend her life onstage.

When asked what it feels like to be the queen of African music, Kidjo responded  “I don’t believe in kings or queens.”

She said her nature is to defy structures of power, which she did after deciding to leave Benin, having realized that the country’s communist regime was not going to foster her creativity and desire to grow intellectually. 

Escaping Benin was not easy, she said. At the time, citizens who wanted to leave the country needed to get authorization from the government. Kidjo, however, was lucky. Her brother’s friend, who was working as airport security at the time, let her board the plane while his supervisor was in the bathroom.

“I’ve never ran so fast in my life,” Kidjo said.

When Kidjo arrived in France, she experienced racism and cultural estrangement in French society, and at the educational institution she graduated from—the CIM Jazz School of Paris.

On her way to register at the school, Kidjo asked for directions from two students.

“Jazz is not for African people,” one of the students told her.

The head of the school, having overheard what the girls had said to Kidjo, told Kidjo that she could prove those students wrong. At the end of the school year, he introduced her to the person who produced her debut album “Parakou.”

Since then, Kidjo’s fame has skyrocketed. She won her first Grammy in 2008 for her album “Djin Djin” and was named one of the 40 most powerful celebrities in Africa by Forbes.

Kidjo also discussed her work with the Batonga Foundation for Girls in Africa, which aims to empower girls and young women in Africa through educational opportunities. Kidjo is currently working on a cellphone-based program that collects information about girls in different African villages and maps it out according to different locations.

The purpose of the program is to find out how girls are living, if they are in school, forcefully married, or going through other types of difficult living situations. Kidjo’s foundation will develop an educational approach for girls based on the needs of the community reflected through the data.

For Kidjo, the first step in creating humanitarian programs for Africa, is giving voices to people and finding out what are their genuine needs.

“I don’t believe anyone can make any change in Africa if the African people are not in the center of the change,” Kidjo said.  “If you don’t ask them what they need, how can you bring a program that makes any sense to people?”

After the discussion, Moses Namara ‘16, a computer science major originally from Uganda, asked Kidjo for advice on how to improve the education system in different African countries.

In response to Namara’s question, Kidjo advocated for the role of youth in a country’s social and educational development, at the same time warning against starting revolutions and “breaking a system” without a plan.

“The platform is there—use it wisely,” said Kidjo, who is optimistic about the power of the Internet, but also wary about its potential to isolate people.

 After graduating from the University of Maryland, Namara will return to Uganda to teach basic programming classes at different local universities, including the Kampala International University.

Toward the end of the program, students gathered around Kidjo to discuss issues of colonialism and social injustice in Africa.

“She is very engaging,” said Peace Gwam ‘17, an economics and history major. “I like that she really called us to action as young students.”

Soulyana Lakew ’17, an economics major originally from Ethiopia, is interested in the role of the western world in the development of Africa.

“It is so refreshing to meet people with integrity,” Lakew said. “A lot of the role models we are given in society are so corrupt. To find someone who is able to use their voice for good and who is true to their word is so inspiring.”

Written by Alex Carolan, The Writer's Bloc

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Robinson

We live in an age where technology is constantly evolving. 

Tech gurus and entrepreneurs are creating and programming new devices that have previously been unimaginable. 

Huang Yi, a native of Taiwan, presents a tangible piece of technology, a fresh invention the public has yet to experience.

Yi programs a robot named Kuka and performs dance routines with it at different venues. 

Sheri Parks, the College of Arts and Humanities associate dean for research moderated a talk with Huang Yi Thursday in Gildenhorn Recital Hall at The Clarice about his experiences in dance, programming and life. 

Students and staff were also involved in the conversation, and were encouraged to ask questions. 

Bowen Gong, a freshman mathematics major asked Yi if he had a nickname for the robot, because “Kuka” is the name of the model – not the individual device. 

“It’s really easy for me to relate my emotions to many items,” Yi said. “So I try not to name them.”

The crowd of around 60 spectators were once again captivated by Yi’s summations of his own life and technology.

Yi said he is limited to certain movements in dancing, as a human, but his robot Kuka is not. 

“[It’s like] I’m beginning to learn how to be a human,” he said. 

Yi attended Thailand University of the Arts for 11 years, from just after completing high school to when he completed his MFA, he said. He was isolated to that one area because of financial concerns and lackluster travel options.

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