This talk explores the story of the official American expedition to Japan in 1852-54 to “open” the far-flung country to trade and a western-based diplomatic order. In examining the role that civilians played on the mission, Constantine Vaporis considers their work not only during the trip but also afterwards, as they disseminated information about the mission to a broader American and international audience.
The Department of Music presents the UMBC New Music Ensemble under the direction of Lisa Cella.
The Department of Dance presents the Fall Dance Showcase, featuring a new repertory work by Brandon Russell and five senior capstone works that explore the past, present, and future of the human experience through movement.
The Department of Music presents the UMBC Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Dustin Donahue.
The Department of Music presents a concert featuring premieres of works by student composers.
The Department of Music presents the UMBC Camerata under the direction of Carlin Truong. A small choral ensemble consisting of auditioned singers from across the university. Camerata performs a wide variety of works drawn from the expansive choral repertoire: including Renaissance motets and madrigals, folksongs, German part songs, Russian sacred liturgies, American spirituals, and new American concert works.
The Department of Music presents the UMBC Opera Workshop under the direction of Sammy Huh.
The Department of Music presents the Honors Showcase, featuring students selected by audition to present their creative work.
The Department of Music presents the UMBC Improvisation Ensemble, directed by Patrick Crossland.
The Shriver Hall Concert Series presents elegant flutist Brandon Patrick George, a “knockout musician with a gorgeous sound” (Philadelphia Inquirer) joined by harpist Parker Ramsay, hailed as “remarkably special” (Gramophone) with an artistry that is “marked by a keen musical intelligence” (Wall Street Journal) for an unforgettable duo recital. Together they perform a lyrical program spanning centuries and continents.
FloodZone, featuring photography by Anastasia Samoylova, explores what it looks like to live in the southern United States at a time when rising sea levels and hurricanes threaten the most prized locations with storm surges and coastal erosion. Samoylova’s lyrical photographs are deceptive, drawing us in with a seemingly documentary promise of a palm-treed paradise. Their alluring color palette — filled with lush greens, azure blues, and pastel pinks — gives way to minute details that reveal decaying infrastructure, encroaching flora, and displaced fauna.
The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture presents a book launch to celebrate the publication of Oletha DeVane: Spectrum of Light and Spirit. This online event will feature Oletha DeVane, Lowery Stokes Sims, Christopher Kojzar, and Serubiri Moses.
In the spirit of armchair travelers everywhere, the Voyager Ensemble explores a new culture each year by combining standard repertoire along with contemporary works by composers from the region. This year’s concert focuses on Puerto Rico with directors Airi Yoshioka (violin) and David Yang (viola) joined by eminent Puerto Rican musicians José Miguel Cueto (violin) and Kelvin Diaz Inoa (cello).
In conjunction with the exhibition Anastasia Samoylov: FloodZone on display at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery from January 29 through May 24, the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents Anastasia Samoylova in conversation with Mark Alice Durant.
The Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture presents the Opening Reception for Spectrum of Process: 2024 UMBC Faculty Exhibition. Spectrum of Process presents a range of UMBC faculty approaches to art and culture through rigorous, experimental processes.
