December is a Time to Celebrate the Arts at Bowdoin

By Rebecca Goldfine

At the end of each semester, student musicians, dancers, and visual artists present their creative works to the public in a packed and exciting few days of shows.

The Bowdoin Chamber Choir, directed by Visiting Lecturer in Music Jeff Christmas, performed two concerts in the chapel December 2 and 3, singing works that spanned the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. The program featured guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan and new compositions by Bowdoin Professor of Music Vineet Shende.

Following the choral ensemble shows, Bowdoin's Department of Music staged many other performances, including two Jazz Nights, a Chamberfest concert, and several student recitals.

Student jazz groups performed in Studzinski Recital Hall December 6 for Jazz Night II. In this clip, Combo B—with Reynaldo Fuentez ’26 (voice), Matthew Stein ’27 (trumpet), Hunter Hong ’26 (baritone saxophone), Miles Benson ’26 (trombone), Ben Carroll ’27 (guitar), Natalie Hood ’27 (piano), Daedalus Arnold ’27 (upright bass), and Marcus Chiang ’27 (drums)—performed an arrangement of "Valerie," originally by English indie rock band the Zutons and later covered by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse.

Among the Department of Music's presentations was Interlude: A Student Recital Like No Other, on December 7 in Studzinski Recital Hall. Lia Sharnau ’26, Caleb McDaniels ’25, James Yoo ’25, and Miles Benson ’26 performed on the fiddle, cello, and trombone, respectively.

A Chamberfest performance took place December 6 in Studzinski Recital Hall, and included Kate Ishida ’24 (violin), Anya Workman ’25 (flute), and Noemi Guzman ’25 (violin), as well as a string quartet of Ishida, Enzo Zhou ’24 (violin), Nancy Xing ’24 (viola), and Nate Kodama ’27 (cello); a piano trio with Beckwith Artist-in-Residence and Director of the Bowdoin Orchestra George Lopez (piano), Natalie Hayden ’27 (violin), and Riley Roessler ’27 (cello); and a trio for oboe, clarinet, and horn with Daniel Lee ’27 (clarinet), Leah Borton ’27 (horn), and instructor Kathleen McNerney (oboe).

While most of the student shows took place between December 1 and December 8, the Middle Eastern Ensemble, directed by Adjunct Lecturer in Music Eric LaPerna, opened the season with a November 27 performance in Stuzinski Hall's Kanbar Auditorium, performing Turkish, Arabic, and Armenian music from folk, classical, and Sufi traditions.

Beyond Borders Percussion Ensemble, directed by Adjunct Lecturer in Music Brian Shankar Adler, performed Qaida in Tin Tal (traditional), Gahu (traditional), Paper, Rock Scissors (Adler), Protetores (traditional), and the Human Time Machine (ensemble) on December 4.

The student dance groups—all extracurricular clubs—put on their popular fall show December 3. The groups included Arabesque, the Cowboys, Polar Bear Swing, and Vague and danced swing, hip hop, jazz, and contemporary pieces.

The Department of Theater and Dance staged its beloved December Dance Concert December 1 and 2. The program included Rush, performed by students in Advanced Repertory and Performance and choreographed by Senior Lecturer in Dance Performance Gwyneth Jones and students; momentaries, performed by students in Making Dances in the Digital Age and directed by Adjunct Lecturer in Dance Scott McPheeters; and We Shinin', with students in Introduction to Hip Hop, taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Lindsay Rapport.

Two students staged solos: Momentum, performed and choreographed by Mia Vinding ’24, and our sun is a star and those stars way out there may or may not be suns/but i know i am light, performed and choreographed by Dylan Richmond ’24 (who is featured in the banner photo of this article).

Bowdoin a cappella groups Miscellania, Meddiebempsters, Bear Tones, Longfellows, Ursus Verses, and BOKA performed December 7 in Pickard Theater's Memorial Hall.

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The Department of Visual Arts held its traditional open house, inviting the community to an exhibition of student work—"the culmination of a semester of painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and digital media," according to the department.

Photography for this article provided by Andrew Estey, Alex Cornell du Houx, and Adam Bovie. Tom Porter provided video.

Published December 12, 2023