Jeanette Colby, the University’s calendar editor, offers a selection of events and activities to do this weekend. In addition to the following things to do, there are events happening on the River Campus for Springfest Weekend, a college community celebration featuring students shows, dance performances, and activities open to the University community. Check for updates and events on the University Events Calendar at www.rochester.edu/calendar.
#1: ‘Total-Package Talents’ Compete in Lotte Lenya Competition
Fourteen singer/actors from around the world will compete in the 19th annual Lotte Lenya Competition on Saturday, April 16, at Kilbourn Hall. “There’s no other competition like it because it requires such a wide range of repertory and equally emphasizes acting and singing,” says Kim Kowalke, professor of musicology at the Eastman School of Music and president of the Kurt Weill Foundation, which sponsors the event. “No vocal contest better targets today’s total-package talents,’ said Opera News about the competition’s unique demands. Contestants will compete for a top prize of $15,000, with more than $60,000 at stake. Our previous winners are now singing on Broadway and on the stages of the world’s great opera houses,” adds Kowalke, founder of the international competition and who is also a professor of music in the College Department of Music. An all-star panel will judge the competition, including Teresa Stratas, legendary opera star; Theodore Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization; and Broadway music director Andy Einhorn. The daytime program will feature six women and eight men, ages 21-31, with 15-minute programs, comprising an aria, two musical theater songs, and one work by Kurt Weill. Two Eastman alumni are among this year’s finalists. Both rounds are free and open to the public. The competition takes place from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 8 to 10 p.m. at Eastman. Read more.
#2: Students Host ArtAwake in Downtown Rochester
The Urban Exploring Club will take over the Metropolitan building (the former Chase Tower) at 195 East Main St., to host the award-winning ArtAwake Festival, from 2 p.m. to midnight, on Saturday, April 16. The one-day community event, annually held at an underused space in Rochester, will feature more than 120 pieces of art from 80 regional artists. Twenty live bands will perform throughout the day in all styles and genres and the event will offer food from some of Rochester favorite restaurants, including the Pittsford Dairy, The King and I, Juan and Maria’s Empanadas, and more. A cash bar will be open from 5 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $9 (advance); $11 at the door for University faculty, staff, and other college students. The tickets are $10 (advance) and $12 at the door for the general public. Children under 12 are free. Read more.
#3: Concert Features Traditional Masterpieces
The University Symphony Orchestra will present a free concert on Saturday, April 16, at Strong Auditorium. The concert will feature a performance by Stan Chen, a student at the Simon Business School and winner of the 2015 Concerto Competition. Chen will play Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto. David Harman directs the 100-member ensemble, a blend of undergraduate and graduate students as well as Rochester community musicians. Presented by the Department of Music, the program will also include the music of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Gustav Mahler. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Read more.
#4: Celebrate and Focus On the Environment at EarthFest
Channel your energy toward environmental issues at the EarthFest event, hosted by the student group Grassroots, on Saturday, April 16. The annual celebration of the earth will include student performances, outdoor activities, eco-friendly vendors, and the opportunity to tie-dye a shirt, from noon to 5 p.m., at Wilson Quadrangle on the River Campus and inside the nearby Wilson Commons building. The free event will also feature a display of juried eco-themed art of reused materials built by students.
#5: Toronto Symphony Orchestra Plays at Eastman
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra will play Kodak Hall on Friday, April 15, as part of the Eastman Presents series. Led by Peter Oundjian, the orchestra is recognized internationally as Canada’s most important cultural institutions. Since 2008, the Orchestra has released eight recordings under its self-produced label, TSO Live, and the first of several recordings with Chandos Records label in 2014. The program, which begins at 8 p.m., will include piano concertos by J.S. Bach as well as Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 65. Tickets are $25-$85.
