WCSU School of Visual and Performing Arts

Holiday Pops Holiday Pops is a fundraiser for Department of Music Scholarships

Join us for Holiday Pops, December 9th and 10th at 3 PM! Holiday Pops is a joyously festive event to get you and your loved ones in the holiday spirit! Enjoy an afternoon of holiday music, featuring performances by the Percussion Ensemble, University Choir, Chamber Ensembles, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and more (as well as special guests from the WCSU community!). Proceeds from the event benefit the Ana Grace Marquez Greene and Dave Smith Scholarships. Afterwards, join us for some holiday treats.

Tickets are available at wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com.

Join us for Holiday Pops, December 9th and 10th at 3 PM! Holiday Pops is a joyously festive event to get you and your loved ones in the holiday spirit! Enjoy an afternoon of holiday music, featuring performances by the Percussion Ensemble, University Choir, Chamber Ensembles, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and more (as well as special guests from the WCSU community!). Proceeds from the event benefit the Ana Grace Marquez Greene and Dave Smith Scholarships. Afterwards, join us for some holiday treats and an sale by the WCSU Department of Art.

Tickets are available at wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com.

SAVE THE DATE! Our 2024 Winter Residency will run from Jan 2 -7th in Danbury, CT. Events will be held on our Westside Campus as well as Hotel Zero Degrees. As always, our evening events are free and open to the public. The full schedule will be posted just after Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, our good friends at Byrd's Books put together a reading list, which includes books by our residency faculty and visiting writers.

https://www.byrdsbooks.com/wcsu-2024-residency

Stay tuned for more details!

Up next at WCSU! Three Sisters runs on the Mainstage at the Visual and Performing Arts Center December 1st through 3rd. Somewhere in the backwoods of Russia, the three Prozorov sisters, Olga, Masha and Irina, live in the large, beautiful house their father has left them. Raised to be bastions of refinement and taste, but stranded amongst small-town folk with no ambition, they cling desperately to memories of the bright, thriving Moscow they left as children.

Directed by Pam McDaniel

Greetings, Prophet;
The Great Work begins:
The Messenger has arrived.

We’ve been sitting on this stunning image, taken by Tony DeZinno, since opening night. Pictured here is the dramatic conclusion of our production of Angels in America: Part One.

As we close our production this afternoon, we’re thrilled to announce that due to overwhelming audience and student response, we will be producing Part Two next Fall (rights permitting).

Congrats to everyone involved on this monumental achievement, and stay tuned…the Great Work has truly just begun.

🎬 Tim Howard
🏠 Clifton Chadick
💡 David Sexton
👔 Brenda Phelps
🔊 Arielle Edwards Bennett
📸 Tony DeZinno Photography

Looking for a place to watch election results? Tune in tomorrow to Election Connection, produced by WCSU students and faculty, as they provide local coverage of Connecticut races as well as weather updates and exploration of important issues. Election Connection airs Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, from 8 p.m. to midnight. It will be streamed live on the links below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwEwCDoW8A8
https://www.facebook.com/ElectionCT
www.wcsu.edu/live

Election Conection 2023 Live news covering issues and election races throughout Connecticut!

Angels in America opens in just one week! A Community Conversation will take place after the Sunday, Nov. 5 matinee. Joining the play’s director, cast members, a designer and WCSU student dramaturg Liv Lanteri is Professor Michael Schiavi of the New York Institute of Technology, a specialist in LGBTQ+ culture and author of the biography of q***r film scholar and archivist Vito Russo. All ticket holders for this performance will be able to stay for this special event. Purchase your tickets now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/angels-in-america-part-one-millennium-approaches-tickets-642392391937?aff=oddtdtcreator

Oktoberfest Jazz Oktoberfest Jazz!

Congratulations to Alumna, Dee Dee Colabella, MFA ’19, BA Art ’17 who was honored at the Cultural Alliance of Western CT's Business Supports the Arts Breakfast at the Amber Room in Danbury. Her creative endeavors in the Ridgefield community include owner and developer of the RPAC Gallery and resident studios, Dee Dee Colabella Fine Art Gallery, 068 magazine, and board president of Artful Visual Arts Initiative, an arts scholarship and artist residence grant organization.

WCSU Department of Art, WCSU School of Visual and Performing Arts, Western Connecticut State University

Tech weekend is underway! Something Rotten opens one week from today. Click the link below to watch the trailer and purchase tickets!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/something-rotten-a-very-new-musical-tickets-642265823367

Check out these upcoming Art events at the VPAC!

1) Join us for the WCSU ART ALUMNI EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION this Thursday from 6–8 PM. This exhibition commemorates WCSU's 120 years, featuring the talented artists who have graduated from the BA and MFA in Visual Art programs at Western Connecticut State University. There will be a cash bar and complimentary light refreshments at the reception. The Gallery at the Visual and Performing Arts Center is free to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Thursdays 12-4 PM, Saturday-Sunday 1-4 PM. The WCSU Art Alumni Exhibition will be on view October 5 - November 12.

2) Calling all Halloween lovers for SIP & PAINT, Friday, October 13, 2023 at 7 PM! Enjoy a creative and entertaining Halloween inspired evening combining painting with music, wine, and light refreshments, guided by artist and WCSU MFA alumna, Jessica Bartlet. This event is open to participants of all levels and backgrounds to participate in a shared art experience in a fun and relaxed studio environment. Basic painting materials are provided but you are welcome to bring your own water-based media. Spots are limited so be sure to sign up soon. Ages 21-plus, please.

To reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/visual-performing-arts-center-at-wcsu-6275173871

Russell Hirshfield, piano WCSU Department of Music presents a faculty recital featuring Russell Hirshfield, piano.

Join us on Sunday, October 15, 2023 for a Super Sunday with the Department of Theatre at WCSU! All high school juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend this free event. At Super Sunday, you will get a look at our facilities including our state-of-the-art Visual and Performing Art Center, take workshops with our esteemed faculty in your area of interest, get to know our current students, and see a matinee of our mainstage musical Something Rotten for free!

Learn more and register using this link:

Super Sunday at WCSU – Theatre Arts Join us on Sunday, October 15, 2023 for a Super Sunday with the Department of Theatre at WCSU! All high school juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend this free event. At Super Sunday, you will get a look at our facilities including our state-of-the-art Visual and Performing Art Center, take wo...

WCSU Welcomes new faculty member Danton Boller!

Danton Boller is a bassist, composer, producer, and educator in New York City. He has toured internationally and recorded with many top jazz artists as a member of the Roy Hargrove Quintet, Grammy nominated Roy Hargrove Big Band, Seamus Blake Quartet, Ari Hoenig’s “Punk Bop,” Willie Jones III Quartet, and the Grammy nominated Anthony Wilson Nonet, to name a few.

WCSU Woodwind Day Join WCSU faculty for a day of masterclasses and performance