Arts Transcending Borders Kicks Off the Semester with Sō Percussion’s 'A Gun Show'

 



This semester, Arts Transcending Borders at the College of the Holy Cross is offering a series of events that bring some of the most pressing issues of our time into conversation with the arts.

On Thursday, Feb. 9, Sō Percussion, a leading American percussion ensemble renowned for its incisive interpretations of modern repertoire and large-scale original works, will perform its latest work “A Gun Show” at Holy Cross. The performance will explore how our relationship with guns intersects with issues such as race, economic inequality and constitutional rights through music, movement and text. A panel discussion with members of the artistic team and representatives from Operation L.I.P.S.T.I.C.K, a Boston-based organization that aims to help women get guns off the streets, and moderated by Denis Kennedy, director of Peace and Conflict Studies at the College, will follow the performance.

The event will be held in Fenwick Theatre at 8 p.m. and is free and open to the public. This event is cosponsored by Arts Transcending Borders (ATB) and the Peace and Conflict Studies program at the College. “A Gun Show,” along with the other events scheduled for the semester, explore this year’s theme “Borders: Tension/Possibility.” Previous performances under this year’s theme include the sold-out coffeehouse opera, “Othello in the Seraglio.”

“A common thread that runs through our spring line-up is how artists grapple with broader issues of their time and the role of art in times of crisis,” says Yonca Karakilic, the coordinator of ATB. “We are excited to partner with our colleagues in Peace and Conflict Studies to explore timely issues raised powerfully in ‘A Gun Show’ with its creators and local leaders in our community.”

Monday, March 27, 8 p.m. Hogan Ballroom "SPEAK" Indian Kathak dance and American tap dance, continents and ages apart, share parallel stories of struggle and perseverance. They come together in this extraordinary collaboration that is rhythm, poetry, storytelling, music and dance. "SPEAK" carries forward the legacy of iconic artists like Pandit Chitresh Das, Jimmy Slide and James Buster Brown, while bringing to the forefront the voices of a new generation of female artists. Serving as the bridge between tradition and innovation, history and progress, Rina Mehta, Rachna Nivas, and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards create nothing short of magic on the stage. Joined by leading Indian classical and jazz musicians, "SPEAK" promises to thrill, provoke and move your spirit.

Tuesday, April 4, 8 p.m. Seelos Theater, Kimball Hall "Home Within" "Home Within" is an audio-visual project by Syrian composer and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, and Syrian-Armenian visual artist Kevork Mourad. In this work, art and music develop in counterpoint to each other, creating an impressionistic reflection on the Syrian revolution and its aftermath. The artists document specific moments in Syria’s recent history and reach into their emotional content in a semi-abstract way.

Tuesday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. Seelos Theater, Kimball Hall The Nile Project  One of the tightest cross-cultural collaborations in history, the Nile Project brings together musicians from the 11 Nile countries to make new music that combines the rich diversity of one of the oldest places on Earth. Using music to spark cultural curiosity, the Nile Project engages musicians and audiences, encouraging them to feel connected to the world’s longest river and to explore new approaches to its large-scale social, cultural and environmental problems.

Stickwork: Patrick Dougherty  Just off the Beaten Track (2016) On view daily through 2017 Linden Lane Lawn (main campus entrance)

RELATED EVENTS:

March 16, 8 p.m. Brooks Concert Hall Faith in Spring: Music and Nature Artist-in-Residence Concert Sponsored by the Department of Music 

March 22, 4:30 p.m. Levis Browsing Room, Dinand Library On Transience, Beauty and Other Stuff: Patrick Dougherty's Stickworks in Conversation

April 3, 7 p.m. Rehm Library, Smith Hall Film Screening: The Music of Strangers Followed by Q&A with Silkroad Ensemble artists Kinan Azmeh and Kevork Mourad

April 10, 4:30 p.m. Rehm Library, Smith Hall Panel Discussion: "The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Causes and Consequences" Co-sponsored by Peace and Conflict Studies and the Department of Political Science

April 26, 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. (weather permitting) Linden Lane Lawn Dancing with Stickwork Students of the Dance Program For more information, visit the Arts Transcending Borders page or call 508-793-3835.