onStage at Connecticut College announces 2013-14 season lineup

Season launches Sept. 28 with Adele Meyers and Dancers world premiere

NEW LONDON, Conn. — OnStage at Connecticut College has since its inception entertained a broad range of fans interested in world-class music, theater and dance. No two seasons have been alike, and that variety and eclecticism continues into the 2013-14 season of performances.

What has changed this year is the start time for most onStage performances, which will be 7:30 p.m. this season. (The Feb. 16 concert by pianist Orion Weiss is at 3 p.m.)

“We found that audiences have changed how they go out for evening shows,” said the College’s Director of Arts Programming Robert Richter’82. “We believe the earlier start times will offer more people the opportunity to attend these marvelous performances and still attend to their busy lives.”

This season’s onStage lineup features both emerging and well-established artists from a variety of cultural backgrounds and perspectives, including:

“Einstein's Happiest Thought” — Adele Myers and Dancers

Saturday, Sept. 28 |7:30 p.m. | Palmer Auditorium

This is a world premiere of Adele Myers’ new full-length work, which folds dance, film, music and scripted performance into a seamless expression of the charged state of imbalance. The work excavates the tension between risk and control while the five female performers command the stage in Myers’ signature style as athletes of the heart. The piece was inspired in part by Myers’ attempt to get over her fear of heights by participating in trapeze school, as well as an essay on skydiving written by collaborator Blanche Boyd, Connecticut College’s Weller Professor of English and Writer-in-Residence. The company will continue on a national tour after this onStage performance. Tickets: $24; Senior: $21; Student: $12

“Not What Happened” —Pick Up Performance Co(s)

Saturday, Oct. 5 |7:30 p.m. | Palmer Auditorium

Conceived and written by three-time Obie Award-winning writer and actor Ain Gordon, “Not What Happened” is a new theater work that challenges our notions of history and calls into question who gets written out of the historical record. The work is a battling duet between two people who could never have met: the historical re-enactor and the person she re-enacts. Tickets: $24; Senior: $21; Student: $12

Dublin Guitar Quartet

Friday, Oct. 25 |7:30 p.m. | Evans Hall

This is the first U.S. tour for the Dublin Guitar Quartet, described as a “quartet with a difference” by The Irish Times. The DCQ is a one-of-a-kind classical guitar ensemble that occupies a unique space in the wider chamber music world, as it is devoted to new music. Since its formation at the Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama, DGQ has worked to expand its repertoire by commissioning new works and adapting modern masterpieces from outside of the guitar repertoire. Audiences can expect an explosive, entertaining and completely novel concert experience. Presented in collaboration with the Connecticut College Department of Music with funding from the Dayton Artist-in-Residence Program. Tickets: $18; Senior: $16; Student: $9

Imani Winds

Friday, Nov. 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Evans Hall

More than North America’s premier wind quintet, Imani Winds has established itself as one of the most successful chamber music ensembles in the United States. Since 1997, the Grammy-nominated quintet has taken a unique path, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with its dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, genre-blurring collaborations and inspirational outreach programs. With two member-composers and a deep commitment to commissioning new work, the group is enriching the traditional wind quintet repertoire while meaningfully bridging European, American, African and Latin American traditions. Tickets: $22; Senior: $20; Student: $11

“Calling Me Home” —Kathy Mattea

Friday, Jan. 31, 2014| 7:30 p.m. | Palmer Auditorium

“Calling Me Home,” Kathy Mattea’s latest release on Sugar Hill Records, is a collection of songs that celebrate the Appalachian culture of her native West Virginia and expand the vocabulary of acoustic roots music that has always served as her artistic center. Tickets: $28; Senior: $25; Student: $14

Mattea will also deliver a presentation on environmental advocacy, “My Coal Journey,” the day before her performance — Thursday, Jan. 30— at 4:30 p.m. in Evans Hall. No tickets are required for the lecture, which is presented in collaboration with Connecticut College's Office of Sustainability.

“Working on a Special Day” — The Play Company and Por Piedad Teatro

Friday, Feb. 7, andSaturday, Feb. 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Tansill Theater

Inspired by Ettore Scola’s 1977 Oscar-nominated film starring Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastroianni, “Working on a Special Day” tells the story of the life-changing encounter between an overworked housewife and her neighbor, a mysterious bachelor, on May 8, 1938 — the day Rome celebrates Hitler’s visit to Mussolini’s Italy. Using only simple props, they create a bittersweet human drama that unfolds within the charged political landscape of rising fascism. Tickets: $24; Senior: $21; Student: $12

Orion Weiss, Piano

Sunday, Feb. 16 | 3 p.m. | Evans Hall

One of the most sought-after soloists in his generation of young American musicians, pianist Orion Weiss has performed with the major American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic. His deeply felt and exceptionally crafted performances go far beyond his technical mastery and have won him worldwide acclaim. Tickets: $22; Senior: $20; Student: $11

“The Language of the Future” — Laurie Anderson

Thursday, Feb. 27 |7:30 p.m. | Palmer Auditorium

One of America’s most renowned, daring and creative pioneers, Laurie Anderson spins offbeat adventure stories with her characteristic wit and poignancy. Anderson will weave together several decades of her favorite songs and stories along with some new material exploring American surveillance, social media, militarization and the effects of digitization. Presented in collaboration with the Ammerman Center for Arts& Technology’s 14th Biennial Symposium on Arts & Technology. Tickets: $28; Senior: $25; Student: $14

Trisha Brown Dance Company

Saturday, March 29 |7:30 p.m. | Palmer Auditorium

Defining “cutting edge” since her first work at the Judson Dance Theater 40 years ago, Trisha Brown’s intellectual and creative experimentation has brought her international recognition as a leader in abstract choreography. Brown remains a grande dame of dance, a leader of postmodernism and an enduring renegade. Tickets: $28; Senior: $25; Student: $14

About Connecticut College

Connecticut College is a private, highly selective liberal arts college with 1,850 students and more than 40 majors in the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as the option for students to self-design majors. The College offers a high level of intellectual challenge, a campus culture that supports students to tailor their educational experience to their own interests and goals, and a four-year career development program that teaches students how to translate a liberal arts degree into a first job or graduate school admission. Connecticut College is situated in the small New England seaport of New London. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.