Calendar editor Jeanette Colby offers a selection of events and activities to do this weekend. Log in and check out the University Events Calendar for more things to do. The calendar features a variety of events at all campuses, including the River Campus, Eastman School, Memorial Art Gallery, and Medical Center.
#1: Be inspired by poet and social justice advocate
Poet and memoirist Reginald Dwayne Betts presents “Felon: An Incorrect Spelling of My Name?” at 5 p.m. Thursday, September 12. A recipient of the 2019 Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, his poetry has been long praised. Betts is the author of Bastards of the Reagan Era, A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison, and Shahid Reads His Own Palm. The poetry reading begins at 5 p.m. at Dewey Hall 1-101 on the River Campus.
#2: Catch rock bio-pic on the River Campus
See the musical film about the life and career of the iconic rocker Elton John in Rocketman—complete with flashy costumes and dance numbers—on Friday, September 13. Called “inventive and enjoyable” by Newsday, the movie is directed by Dexter Fletcher and stars Taron Egerton as John and Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin. Sponsored by the Cinema Group the screenings are free and open to the public. Movie times are at 6:30, 9:15 p.m. and midnight at the Hoyt Hall Auditorium.
#3: See ‘University on the Fringe’ this weekend
Support University students, faculty, staff, alumni taking part in this year’s Rochester Fringe Festival—a 12-day event that continues through Saturday, September 21. Frank Torchio—adjunct professor at the Simon School of Business—performs as Frank Sinatra with the Russell Scarbrough 12-piece big band in “Sinatra at the Sands Reprise” on Friday, September 13, at Lyric Theater. The Institute for Popular Music and John Covach, director of the Institute for Popular Music, presents Fragile and More on at 7 p.m. Friday, September 13 at Kilbourn Hall. Faculty from the Program of Dance and Movement and the Eastman School of Music will perform in a “Time to Change” at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 14, and Sunday, September 15 at the School of the Arts. Musicians of the Gateways Music Festival will perform “Celebrating the Life of Paul J. Burgett through Music,” at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, September 14 at Hatch Recital Hall. Other shows this weekend include “Songs by David Temperley,” “#Deaf Talent!,” “Little Red’s Most Unusual Day Children’s Opera,” “NEXUS and Friends, Cobb’s Hill Consort,” and “Vocal Point and the Yellowjackets Fringe Show.” Read more about the University on the Fringe. Purchase tickets at Rochesterfringe.com.
#4: See genre-bending video art
Performance artist Kalup Linzy’s digital video installation is now on view at the Memorial Art Gallery, as part of the Media Arts Watch, through December 8. The ongoing series, Kalup Linzy: Conversations wit de Churen V: As da Art World Might Turn, tells the story of Katonya—a cross–dressing alter ego of the artist and rising star in the art world— about to have her first gallery show. Linzy’s inspiration combines elements of the television comedy series Def Comedy Jam, Tyler Perry’s “Madea” character, and the early films of John Waters and Andy Warhol. The art museum is open from, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the museum is free for University students, faculty, and staff with a current ID.
#5: Meet with composer to explore commissioned-work
An event that might appeal to both art and music enthusiasts, the Memorial Art Gallery hosts an intimate and informal conversation and open rehearsal with composer Jon Russell on Sunday, September 15, from 2 to 3 p.m. Explore the intersection of music and visual art and hear new pieces of music come to life. The work is inspired by the stained-glass artistry of Judith Schaechter and part of a year-long commissioned project between the modern chamber music quintet fivebyfive and the Memorial Art Gallery, coming to the museum in February 2020. Four composers will bring Schaechter’s works to life musically, and premiere the works on the opening day of the exhibition. The talk is free with museum admission.
