Hillsdale College Announces February Fine Arts Events
Upcoming events include a one-act play, three guest recitals, and a lecture recital exploring Franz Liszt’s ‘Dante Sonata.’
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College will hold a variety of fine arts events in January and February, which are open to members of our local community. Upcoming events include a one-act play, three guest recitals, and a lecture recital exploring Franz Liszt’s “Dante Sonata.”
All events are free and open to the public, but some require ticket reservations. To reserve tickets, contact the box office at [email protected] or 517-607-2848.
Without further ado, here are February’s events. See you there!
‘Angels of Bataan’ One-Act Play
7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, & Saturday, Jan. 31 | 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1 | Markel Auditorium (Fine Arts Building)
Helen and her sister are U.S. Army nurses who have come to the tropical Philippines for adventure and warm breezes. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, paradise becomes a nightmare. Helen and the other nurses fight to keep themselves and their charges alive as they navigate nursing in a war zone in Manila, a tropical jungle in Bataan, and eventually the Santo Tomas Internment Camp as prisoners of war. Through it all, they rely on the ingenuity, camaraderie, and strength that eventually earn them the name “The Angels of Bataan.”
Join us for this powerful one-act play by Tracy Wells, directed by Moira Kate Forrester as part of her senior project in stage directing. Admission is free, and no tickets are required.
Choral Evensong Services
2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1 | 6 p.m. Sunday Feb. 8, 15, & 22 | Christ Chapel
Join the Hillsdale College Choral Scholars for Choral Evensong. This centuries-old service features Scripture, choral anthems, and prayers.
Saturday, Feb. 7: Nicole Keller Guest Organ Recital
3 p.m. | Christ Chapel
With playing described as having “aplomb” and “finely controlled energy” (Organists’ Review), Nicole Keller has risen to the forefront of the organ world as an engaging concert performer and insightful, exacting pedagogue. Her performances of the works of American composers have garnered uniformly high praise, leading in 2024 to the release of a commercial recording, “Those Americans,” on the Raven CD label. Keller is assistant professor of organ and university organist at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater & Dance, following 20 years on the faculty at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music.
Thursday, Feb. 12: Elena Bull Senior Flute Recital
7:30 p.m. | Conrad Recital Hall (Howard Music Hall)
Elena is a student of Jaimie Wagner.
Friday, Feb. 13: Musical Forum Lecture by Dr. David Keep
Noon to 1 p.m. | Conrad Recital Hall (Howard Music Hall)
Dr. David Keep of Hope College will give a lecture titled “Embedding Musical Meaning in Long-Term Recall: Memory and Amnesia in Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto” as part of Hillsdale’s Musical Forum Lecture Series.
Friday, Feb. 13: Samuel Jarzab Senior Conducting Recital
7:30 p.m. | Christ Chapel
Samuel is a student of Professor of Music James A Holleman. The performance will feature “O Nata Lux” by Morten Lauridsen, as well as an original composition, “Missa Assumpta Est Maria” or “Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
Saturday, Feb. 14: ‘Bella Notte’ Concert Featuring Julie Adams
7:30 p.m. | Christ Chapel
Soprano Julie Adams, praised by The New York Times for her “rich, full and slightly earthy” voice, is a recipient of the 2014 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, 2015 George London Award, 2015 Elizabeth Connell Prize, and a 2015 Sara Tucker Study Grant. A former Adler Fellow with San Francisco Opera, she has appeared with major companies including San Francisco Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Stadttheater Bern, Des Moines Metro Opera, Arizona Opera, and Staatstheater Braunschweig. Recent and upcoming engagements include Senta in “Der Fliegende Holländer,” Elsa in “Lohengrin,” Sieglinde and Gerhilde in “Die Walküre,” and the title role in “Arabella” at the Metropolitan Opera, in addition to her upcoming debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper.
Equally at home on the concert stage, Adams has performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Schumann’s “Adventlied,” and Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” and has been praised for her “plush tone and effortless vocal power.” A native of Burbank, California, she holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Ms. Adams will be joined by Hillsdale Artist Teacher Brad Blackham on piano.
Tuesday, Feb. 17: Voice Masterclass with Julie Adams
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Conrad Recital Hall (Howard Music Hall)
Hillsdale College faculty member soprano Julie Adams will teach a voice masterclass to several Hillsdale College students. All are welcome to watch and learn.
Friday, Feb. 20: Woodwind Area Student Recital
5:30 p.m. | Conrad Recital Hall (Howard Music Hall)
Clarinet Ensemble and clarinet soloist students of Dr. Andrew Sprung and flute soloist students of Jaimie Wagner will be performing a varied repertoire.
Friday, Feb. 20: Guest Artist Pete Mills, Saxophone
7:30 p.m. | Plaster Auditorium
Saxophonist Pete Mills returns to Hillsdale College to perform with an all-star group playing music from his latest recording. Joined by Paul Keller, Olivia Van Goor, Larry Ochiltree, Duncan McMillan, and Chris McCourry.
Saturday, Feb 21: Anne Crites Junior Oboe Recital
7 p.m. | Conrad Recital Hall (Howard Music Hall)
Anne is a student of Chris Wheeler.
Tuesday, Feb. 24: Lecture Recital by Dr. Stephen Smith and Dr. Daniel Kuehler
7:30 p.m. | Conrad Recital Hall (Howard Music Hall)
Dr. Stephen Smith and Dr. Daniel Kuehler will explore the “Dante Sonata” written by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt in 1849, a piano sonata in one movement inspired by the reading of Victor Hugo’s poem “Après une lecture de Dante” (1836).
Saturday, Feb. 28: Faculty Trumpet Recital
7:30 p.m. | Christ Chapel
Chris McCourry, trumpet, and Brad Blackham, piano, will perform music by Sergei Wassilenko and Steve Rouse.