Events

Verdi’s masterful Otello matches Shakespeare’s play in tragic intensity. Director Bartlett Sher probes the Moor’s dramatic downfall with an outstanding cast: tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko plays the doomed Otello; new soprano star Sonya Yoncheva sings Desdemona, Otello’s innocent wife and victim; and baritone Željko Lučić plays the evil Iago, who masterminds Otello’s demise. Dynamic maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts.

Tickets on sale Friday, July 24

The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute will host a symposium exploring the results of a three-year comprehensive study of the health of Barnegat Bay on Nov. 10.

The Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences Distinguished Speaker Series: Oral Testimonies of Franco’s Repression in Spain: Mourning, Memory, and Symbolic Resistance Lecture presented by Dr. Francie Cate-Arries, Professor of Hispanic Studies, The College of William & Mary.

Guest Speaker on Digital Forensics; Co-sponsored by Dept. of Computer Science & Software Engineering (CSSE) and the New Jersey Coast Section of IEEE

Tickets on sale July 8 at 10 AM. Colin Hay is familiar to millions as the frontman, songwriter, and vocalist of pop sensation Men at Work (Down Under, Overkill, Who Can it Be Now?). Hay is justifiably proud of his place in pop history, but since moving to Los Angeles in 1989, he’s made 11 critically-acclaimed solo albums, including the highly successful Man at Work, and has recently announced the release of his new album Next Year People. Next Year People is the work of an artist who is a true master of his craft. Over the past 15 years Hay has reinvented himself as a solo artist, regularly selling out theaters and listening rooms across the US and around the world and introducing himself to a new generation of fans in the process. The frequent use of Hay’s music in TV and film—including hit shows such as Scrubs, Army Wives and Modern Family and on soundtracks to the films Garden State and Words and Pictures—has proven the timeless appeal of his songs.

Gregory Nava’s “El Norte” (1983) (R) Mayan Indian peasants escaping labor and a murderous Guatemalan government head to America in hopes for something better.

The world of contemporary visual art is often intimidating, challenging, and seemingly
unapproachable. To help break those perceptions and barriers, New Jersey Museum of
Contemporary Art will present “Art Conversations,” a series of three scholar-led panel talks that
will provide context and insight into what defines contemporary art, its transformational trends,
and its relevance and impact on society. The highly credentialed and charismatic United Nations
journalist Alexandra King will moderate conversations with art critics, collectors, curators,
technology producers, and artists.
This panel will focus on Insights into the nuances and impact of contemporary visual art on society and will feature STEPHEN WESTFALL, artist and critic who is a contributing editor to Art in America; ISAAC LYLES owner of the Lyles King Gallery in NYC; and art collector STEVE SHANE.

“The only thing that matters is the song,” says singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux. That conviction along with a ‘one of a kind’ voice, has carried the Jazz artist from busking on the streets of Paris, all the way to mainstream recognition. Through intensely distinctive renditions of old classics and modern tunes by the likes of Leonard Cohen and The Beatles, Peyroux has proved to be an uncannily insightful ‘interpreter’ with her consistently impeccable choice of material. Peyroux’s new album, The Blue Room, sees the genre-blending singer reworking some landmark musical gems, in a repeat collaboration with longtime Peyroux producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Walter Becker, Tracy Chapman, Herbie Hancock) The result is a sophisticated album that rather than just ‘crossing over’, seamlessly fuses musical styles together to create an entirely new sound. Peyroux has come a long way from the streets of Paris to the word’s grandest concert halls and collaborating with the some of the world’s finest musicians. Still, where other artists might rest on their laurels and bask in the glory of countless gushing reviews, Peyroux continues to fearlessly explore new territories.

Hugh Masekela, a world-renowned flugelhornist, trumpeter, bandleader, composer, singer, and defiant political voice, combines his talents with powerhouse pianist Larry Willis for a show of epic proportions. These two giants of the jazz world put on a one-of-a-kind show together, after decades of cultivating careers apart. Willis and Masekela met while they were both students at the Manhattan School of Music some 50 years ago. After coming under the tutelage of Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong, Masekela went on to carve out a five-decade-long (and counting) career, releasing over 40 solo albums. His 1986 anti-apartheid anthem “Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)” became a rallying call around the world for Mandela’s release from prison. At the same time, Willis has performed or recorded with almost every great jazz musician of the modern era, including Dizzy Gillespie, Lee Morgan, Woody Shaw, Cannonball and Nat Adderley, and Stan Getz. Don’t miss this rare chance to watch these two jazz legends (and dear friends) perform together.