The fall 2021 semester is approaching quickly, and it comes a new set of plans for performances and events put on by the Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities. This semester is especially exciting, with plans to return to in-person performances at Weber State University.
“We are so excited to welcome the community back to the Browning Center for live events,” Cassie Smith, marketing and P.R. manager for Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities, said. “You can practically feel the excitement in the air in the building — the students missed performing for live audiences and are so excited to share what they’ve been working on for fall semester.”
Smith said the Department of Performing Arts will also have opportunities for audience members to join select performances via live stream, as was done in recent semesters. Otherwise, most events will be taking place in-person.
“Last year, we focused on adapting and streaming our performances; this year, we will be celebrating our return to campus,” Deborah Uman, dean of Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities, said.
The Bonneville Chamber Music Festival will return to campus Sept. 10 and 11 with artists from WSU and around the United States. The first night, “Classically Jazzed-up Folk Songs,” will feature a combination of trumpet, violin and four cellos performing unique arrangements of folk and popular music from around the world.
The second night, “Schumann & Brahms…,” will be a celebration of the works of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms and an exploration of their shared, love-triangle affection for Schumann’s wife.
Viktor Uzur, WSU cello professor and founder of the Bonneville Chamber Music Festival, said that after the success of last year’s live broadcast, this year’s festival will also be broadcast live on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
The music area of the Department of Performing Arts will be returning to the stage with several performances throughout the semester, including an opera ensemble, a symphony orchestra concert, Fall Choirfest, a Jazz Ensemble concert, a Guitar Ensemble concert, holiday concerts and more. Many of these performances will be the first in-person performance since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic for these groups.
Weber State Theatre will be returning to the stage with performances of “Something’s Afoot,” a satirical “whodunit” in musical form; “The Impracticality of Modern-Day Mastodons” by Rachel Teagle, following Jess on a journey in a world where childhood dreams come true; and “In Pieces: A New Musical.”
Orchesis Dance Theatre will also return to the in-person stage in November with a theme of “Where Dance Breathes,” exploring a wide array of works with the elements of time and effort as it associates with human connection, community-based outreach and technological advances, all while challenging the notion of what dance can be.
This semester will also be interesting due to the recent and ongoing renovations at and around the Browning Center. New sound systems and stage flooring have been added, and current Ogden Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) construction will eventually allow performance-goers a route directly from downtown Ogden to the Browning Center’s front doors.
“Observing the construction taking place around the building is a hopeful harbinger of our return to campus and the vibrancy that our students bring to Weber State,” Uman said.
