February 01, 2023
February brings concerts, theatre performances and a unique lecture to Susquehanna University’s campus. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Czech National Symphony Orchestra To Present Concert
The Czech National Symphony Orchestra will present a concert at Susquehanna University at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, in Weber Chapel Auditorium.
The orchestra will perform Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, by Johannes Brahms, and Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92, by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Now in its 30th year, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra is recognized as one of Europe’s first-rank symphonic ensembles and is renowned for its versatility. Under music director Steven Mercurio, the orchestra annually presents a broad program ranging from classical music to contemporary genres, film scores, jazz and musicals.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $5 for non-SU students and can be purchased in the university box office or online at https://susqu.universitytickets.com/. Located in the Degenstein Center Theater lobby, the box office is open Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. during the academic year. It is closed on holidays and during university breaks.
Honors Band Concert Features High School Musicians
Recognizing the achievements of exceptional high school instrumentalists, the annual Honors Band Festival will culminate with a gala concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19, in Weber Chapel Auditorium.
Keith Richardson, director of bands at Lower Dauphin High School, Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, will be the guest conductor this year, accompanied by Eric Hinton, associate professor of music and director of bands at Susquehanna University. The Susquehanna University Symphonic Band will also be featured in the concert.
The Honors Band Festival gives high school woodwind, brass and percussion players from Pennsylvania and neighboring states the opportunity to share their passion for music with similarly motivated students. Tickets are not required; there is an admission charge at the door.
University Orchestra To Present Concert
The University Orchestra will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, in Stretansky Concert Hall in the Cunningham Center for Music and Art.
Under the direction of Zachary Levi, the orchestra’s repertoire will include La Gazza Ladra by Giochino Rossini, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, by Edvard Greig; Kikimora, by Anatoly Liadov; and Jupiter from The Planets, by Gustav Holst.
Theatre To Present Plays by Black Playwright
The Department of Theatre will present Plumes and Blue Blood at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26.
These two one-act plays were written in the 1920s by Georgia Douglas Johnson, one of the earliest female, African American playwrights.
In Plumes, Charity’s daughter, Emeline, is seriously ill. Charity faces the heartbreaking decision of choosing between an expensive cure that might not succeed — or the decent funeral denied her other children.
Blue Blood examines the legacy of lynching, and the idea that Black women must remain silent about the injustices they endure to protect Black men from white-perpetrated violence.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and non-SU students and can be purchased in the box office or online. Located in the Degenstein Center Theater lobby, the box office is open Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. during the academic year. It is closed on holidays and during university breaks.
Irshad Manji To Lead Discussion on Faith and Politics
Irshad Manji is a renowned author, educator and advocate of a reformist interpretation of Islam, will present the Alice Pope Shade Lecture, Taboo Questions About Identity: How to Discuss Faith, Justice and Politics Without Melting Down, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, in the Degenstein Center Theater.
In her internationally acclaimed work, Manji role models the key teaching of moral courage: that doing the right thing in the face of our fears makes us whole.
Minji is a senior fellow with the University of Oxford’s Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights, where she teaches emerging leaders how to become solution-oriented communicators in polarized environments. She is also the founder and president of Moral Courage College, which teaches people worldwide — from K-12 teachers to corporate leaders — how to turn contentious issues into constructive conversations and healthy teamwork.
Manji’s latest book is Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars, is a unique conversation about diversity, bigotry and our common humanity.
Susquehanna University’s annual Shade lecture is made possible by the Alice Pope Shade Fund, established in 1983 by her daughter and Susquehanna graduate, Rebecca Shade ’54 Mignot, to bring nationally and internationally renowned religious scholars and leaders to campus.