Peter G. Borg/Rider University
(LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ) -- Rider University's College of Arts and Sciences has announced its spring 2023 performing arts schedule. With more than 30 performance offerings a year, Rider University’s comprehensive theatre, musical theatre, dance, music and voice programs have a rich tradition of preparing students for thriving careers as well-rounded performers and musical leaders.
Experience the emerging talent of Rider’s students firsthand with this robust calendar of events.
Momentum: First Year Musical Theater Showcase - February 17 at 7:30pm; February 18 at 7:30pm; Rider University, Bart Luedeke Center Theater. Louis F. Goldberg, director. John Viggiano and current students, choreography. First year musical theatre majors will present a cabaret showcase of selections from the American musical theatre repertoire that celebrate their new adventures at Rider.
Clean Slate: A World Premiere Musical - February 24 at 7:30pm; February 25 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; February 26 at 2:00pm; Rider University, Yvonne Theater. March 10 at 7:30pm; March 11th at 3:00pm & 7:30pm; March 12th at 3:00pm; The Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 E. Front Street, Trenton, New Jersey. C. Ryanne Domingues, director; Louis Danowsky, music director. A co-production between Rider University and Passage Theater, Clean Slate is a new musical that tells the story of a group of disaffected high school students who are sent to a rehabilitation camp that may, or may not, be haunted by the souls of former campers who have gone missing. A story of radical empathy, the piece explores the need to remember who we used to be in order to move forward. Includes music and lyrics by Kate Brennan and book by David Lee White.
Lindsay Christensen Art Song Festival: Heimatland - February 25 at 7:30pm; Rider University, Gill Chapel. Lydia Brown, accompanist. A concert of German and English songs reflecting on the theme of heimatland, or “homeland,” featuring songs by Brahms, Reger, Mahler, Weill, Ives, Copland and more.
Rider Dances: Expanding Communities - March 4 at 7:30pm; March 5 at 2:00pm; Rider University, Bart Luedeke Center Theater. John Barrella, Jen Gladney, Merli V. Guerra, Nikola Palivoda, Charly Santagado, Julia Johnson Thick, choreography. A collaborative performance that pairs professional dance artists and innovators with University dance students to create original, contemporary dance works.
Love and Information - March 24 at 7:30pm; March 25 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; March 26 at 2:00pm; Rider University, Yvonne Theater. Katharine McLeod, director. In this adaptation of Caryl Churchill’s unorthodox play, more than a hundred characters struggle to connect with and understand one another in an information-driven world.
Celebration of Black Music Concert - March 25 at 7:30pm; Rider University, Gill Chapel. Vinroy D. Brown, Jr. ’15, conductor. The Westminster Jubilee Singers will present José Nunes Garica’s Requiem of 1816 and works by George Walker at this inaugural celebration of Black music.
Spring Opera: Last Words - April 1 at 7:30pm; April 2 at 2:30pm; Rider University, Bart Luedeke Center Theater. Susan Shiplett Ashbaker, maestra; Ross Beschler, stage director. Westminster Opera Theatre performs Last Words, an opera that includes The Ghosts of Gatsby: An Opera in One Act by Evan Mack and Joshua McGuire and Try Me, Good King by Libby Larsen, a song set drawn from the final letters and gallows speeches of the six wives of King Henry VIII. A discussion with the cast and creative team to follow the performance.
Westminster Choir Spring Concert - April 15 at 7:30pm; Rider University, Gill Chapel. James Jordan, conductor. The annual Westminster Choir spring concert will feature music from their recent tour as well as a performance of Morten Lauridsen's Mid-Winter Songs.
Westminster Symphonic Choir: Carmina Burana - April 21 at 7:30pm; George Washington Ballroom - The War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, New Jersey. Jenny Wong, guest conductor; James Jordan, director. Composed in 1935 and 1936 by Carl Orff, Carmina Burana is a cantata based on 24 poems from a medieval collection of the same name. The composition is a staple piece of the classical music repertoire. The opening and closing movement "O Fortuna" is one of the most recognizable compositions in popular culture.
Westminster Chapel Choir Spring Concert - April 22 at 7:30pm; Rider University, Gill Chapel. Alicia N. Brozovich '17, conductor. Westminster Chapel Choir’s spring concert featuring performances of Vivaldi's Gloria and Eric Whitacre's Five Hebrew Love Songs.
Westminster Jubilee Singers Spring Opera - April 23 at 7:30pm; Rider University, Gill Chapel. Vinroy D. Brown, Jr. ’15, conductor. The Westminster Jubilee Singers’ spring concert will feature graduate student Lydia Reifsnyder conducting works by George Walker, Nathan Carter, and Moses Hogan. The event will also include a performance of The Cry of Jeremiah, composed by Rosephayne Powell ’87.
Kiss Me, Kate - April 28 at 7:30pm; April 29 at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; April 30 at 2:00pm; Rider University, Bart Luedeke Center Theater. T. Oliver Reid, director; Robin Lewis, choreographer; Louis F. Goldberg, music director. Passions run high in this award-winning musical as leading lady Lilli Vanessi and her ex-husband, actor/director Fred Graham, battle on and off stage in a production of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. With romance, comedy, sophistication and behind-the-scenes high jinks, Kiss Me, Kate combines the irreverent humor of four brilliant writers: Sam and Bella Spewack, Cole Porter and William Shakespeare.
Westminster Concert Bell Choir: Despite The Storm - April 29 at 4:00pm; Rider University, Gill Chapel. Kathleen Ebling Shaw, conductor. Ringing on the world's largest range of handbells and Choirchime instruments, the ensemble will perform a collection of original works by McChesney and Moklebust, as well as transcriptions of light classics by Saint-Saens and Tchaikovsky. Hymns, folks tunes and popular favorites will also be performed.
Please note that all event dates and programs are subject to change. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit rider.edu/arts or call the Box Office at 609-896-7775.
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