onStage at Connecticut College - world-class performances within reach
For more than a century, Connecticut College has had a professional guest artists series, and we continue that tradition this year with six performances by ensembles or solo artists in our onStage at Connecticut College series. As we search for artists each season, we look for performances that are unlike any that can be seen elsewhere in our region. Our series is eclectic and innovative. We look for performances and artists that can be thought-provoking, engaging, entertaining and inspiring.
We are excited to announce our 2024-2025 season! Take a look at the performances below so you don't miss any of these unique experiences, and join our mailing and email lists so you never miss an update on the college’s arts offerings!
We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming performance!
A Far Cry with Davóne Tines
"CODED"
Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center
Sunday, October 13, 2024, 3:00 p.m.
Innovative and unpredictable, A Far Cry has been hailed as a “world-wide phenomenon” (WBUR) for taking risks and pushing the often austere boundaries of the string-ensemble sound. This self-conducted orchestra has risen to the top of Billboard’s Traditional Classical Chart, scored two GRAMMY® nominations and was named Boston’s best classical ensemble by The Improper Bostonian. They are joined by bass-baritone Davóne Tines, a path-breaking artist whose work blends opera, gospel and protest songs to explore contemporary social issues and the perseverance of the human spirit.
Their collaborative project, CODED, explores the legacy of Black spirituals, revealing their hidden metaphors, and how those hidden meanings continue to compound and evolve.
This performance is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
Tickets go on sale Monday, August 5, 2024
Tickets: $28; Seniors: $25; Students: $14; CC Faculty / Staff: $25; CC Students with ID: $7 (General Admission)
David Dorfman Dance
“truce songs”
Athey Center, Palmer Auditorium
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 7:30 PM
Sometimes it’s the tiniest of surrenders that count.
David Dorfman Dance’s new work, truce songs, uncovers what these surrenders might look like, and how we might feel, if traditional truces were extended by a day, then a month, then years – ending one war on humanity at a time. Dorfman’s choreography is accompanied by an original score by Lizzy de Lise and Sam Crawford, and text developed by Dorfman and the company. A meditation on the perils of peace and power, truce songs mines the depths of our power-crazed world, looking for our foibles and relentlessly searching for joy.
Tickets go on sale Monday, August 5, 2024
Tickets: $28; Seniors: $25; Students: $14; CC Faculty / Staff: $25; CC students with ID: $7 (General Admission)
So Percussion
Evans Hall, Cummings Art Center
Saturday, November 9, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
So Percussion may be known as a chamber music quartet but their sound defies genre. Their work is an “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (New Yorker), an experimental repertoire that skillfully employs inventive instrumentation in a fusion of classical music, indie rock and theater. Rooted in the belief that music is an elemental form of human communication, So Percussion mesmerizes audiences with a complex, vibrant sound and unconventional live performances.
Tickets go on sale Monday, August 5, 2024
Tickets: $22; Seniors: $20; Students: $11; CC Faculty / Staff: $20; CC Students w/ID: $7 (General Admission)
The Acting Company presents
August Wilson’s "Two Trains Running"
Athey Center, Palmer Auditorium
Friday, February 7, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Launching the careers of noted actors like Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Jeffrey Wright and others, The Acting Company builds a discerning audience for the theater by playing exceptional productions in small towns and major cities. Their latest production is August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, the story of a diner owner in 1969 Pittsburgh who must decide to allow the government to take over his building or sell the property to a ruthless businessman. This Tony® winning play is full of vivid characters and celebrates the spirit and resilience of the people who make our country great even when faced with overwhelming odds.
This performance is one-night only!
This performance is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
Tickets go on sale Monday, August 5, 2024
Tickets: $28; Seniors: $25; Students: $14; CC FACULTY / STAFF: $25; CC STUDENTS WITH ID: $7 (General Admission)
Regina Carter Quintet
"Gone in a Phrase of Air"
Athey Center, Palmer Auditorium
Friday, April 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
For GRAMMY® nominated artist Regina Carter, the violin isn't simply an improvisational vehicle; it’s a passport to unexpected realms. In her newest project, Gone In A Phrase Of Air, Carter explores areas across America where countless numbers of people – most often African Americans, immigrants and the disadvantaged – were displaced without financial support or regard for their well-being, all in the name of urban renewal. Inspired by this plight emerging in her hometown of Detroit since the early 1950s, Carter will perform original music as well as music of that time, and the concert experience will include visual art elements, poetry and spoken word.
Tickets go on sale Monday, August 5, 2024
Tickets: $28; Seniors: $25; Students: $14; CC FACULTY / STAFF: $25; CC STUDENTS WITH ID: $7 (General Admission)