April Events
Passover Seder
Wednesday, April 1
Elon Community Church | 5:30 p.m.
Elon Jewish life hosts its annual Passover Seder, a musical and interactive community journey from slavery to freedom. Open to the entire community, free for students. Tickets for faculty/staff/community members will be available through Elon Jewish Life’s website: www.elon.edu/JewishLife.
Kaju & Lina Piano Duo
Wednesday, April 1
Whitley Auditorium | 7:30 p.m.
Kaju Lee and Lina Yoo Min Lee met while teaching in Wisconsin and have performed together at various institutions and venues, often showcasing both well-known classical pieces and works by contemporary and Korean composers. Their performances frequently feature both solo and duo (4-hands) repertoire. Sponsored by the Department of Music
Holy Thursday Mass
Thursday, April 2
Holt Chapel | 7:30 p.m.
Holy Thursday is the first day of the Sacred Triduum, the most sacred days of the Catholic faith. During this Mass, Jesus’s washing the feet of his disciples and instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist are commemorated. The Mass is open to the entire community. Sponsored by Catholic Campus Ministry
Good Friday Stations of the Cross
Friday, April 3
Scott Plaza/Fonville Fountain and Young Commons | 12 p.m.
Participate in the annual Stations of the Cross on the Christian observance of Good Friday. This walking journey involves prayer and reflection on the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Open to the entire community. Rain location is in the Numen Lumen Pavilion. Sponsored by Catholic Campus Ministry
Grand Night
Friday – Saturday, April 3&4
Roberts Studio Theatre, Scott Studios at Arts West | 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. both nights
“Grand Night” is an Elon Music Theatre annual tradition that celebrates the entrepreneurial talents of our students and serves as a formal farewell to the senior class. Each number is directed, choreographed, music directed, arranged and performed by Elon music theatre students, showcasing their versatility, work ethic and leadership skills. Don’t miss this year’s lineup of original choreography, new arrangements and heartfelt performances. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Reservations will be offered beginning March 20 at elonperformingarts.com.
Easter Mass
Sunday, April 5
Alumni Gym, Koury Athletic Center | 10 a.m.
Catholic Campus Ministry will celebrate Mass on campus on Easter Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. This is the most important day in all of the Christian calendar. The Mass is open to the entire community, and Easter treats will be shared afterwards. Sponsored by Catholic Campus Ministry
Mathew Mosher, opening reception and artist talk
Monday, April 6
Gallery 406, Arts West | 5 p.m.
Exhibition continues until May 1
Boston native Mathew Mosher is an intermedia artist, research professor and Fulbright Scholar who creates embodied experiential systems. Their work explores the intersections of fine art, computer programming and critical making resulting in immersive installations, interactive sculptures, post-participatory data visualizations and dynamic performances. Their projects have engaged themes of mediation, gun violence, digital isolation and tangible memory. Currently an Associate Professor of Games and Interactive Media at the University of Central Florida, they received their BFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and their MFA in Intermedia from Arizona State University.
Laura Taalman, “Granny Life: Using Cellular Automata to Create Crochet Art”
Tuesday, April 7
Lakeside Meeting Rooms, 4 p.m.
Voices of Discovery Science Speaker Series in conjunction with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics
In this talk, we explore how rule-based pattern generators can inspire new directions in the fiber arts. Her goal is to show how mathematics can serve as a creative design tool with algorithms shaping artistic expression. Taalman will conclude with an introduction to “Granny Life,” a collaborative math-and-art project that blends traditional handicraft with modern mathematical ideas and invites crafters and mathematicians at all levels to take part in building a community art exhibit.
Frank Bruni, “The Age of Grievance”
Thursday, April 9
Whitley Auditorium, 6:30 p.m.
James P. Elder Lecture
Frank Bruni is the author of five New York Times bestsellers including “The Age of Grievance,” which explores how a cultural of outrage has come to dominate American politics. He makes the case that Americans conflate legitimate causes and petty complaints, creating a condition of constant self-victimization. People obsess over how they’ve been wronged and who to blame, which poses a threat to American democracy, rather than choosing to focus on civil, productive dialogue and constructive action. Why has that happened and how can we change it? Bruni explores those questions and suggests remedies, which he expands on in thoughtful remarks that reflect on decades of reporting and his current role in the classroom. Bruni is the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available beginning March 19 at ElonTickets.com.
Holi Celebration
Friday, April 10
Rain dates: Friday, April 17 and/or 24th
(actual holiday is Wednesday, March 4)
Lawn beside PBK Commons | 4 p.m.
Holid, the Hindu festival of colors and love, marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring. The Elon community gathers to celebrate by throwing colored powder, symbolizing the earth’s return to color and life, and the triumph of good over evil. Participants planning to join the color throwing are encouraged to wear old clothing that will become stained. The celebration will also feature crafts, food, kite flying and additional opportunities to engage with holiday traditions. Sponsored by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Yom HaShoah: The Reading of the Names
Tuesday, April 14
Steps of the Moseley Student Center | 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The Elon community is invited to gather on the steps of the Moseley Student Center for the “Reading of the Names” of those murdered in the Holocaust. This annual tradition emphasizes the depth of loss and will be occurring in communities around the world. We encourage members of the Elon community to participate in this collective act of remembrance by signing up online for a 10-minute time slot of reading from books of names of the Shoah victims. Sponsored by Jewish Life, Jewish Studies and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Tectonic Plates: Alamance County’s Science Café with Dionis Griffin, The man behind the Hubble Space Telescope
Tuesday, April 14
Burlington Beer Works, 103 E. Front Street, Burlington | 7 p.m.
Each month on 2nd Tuesdays, a different scientist will present an engaging topic at Burlington Beer Works in downtown Burlington, North Carolina. Expect a lively event in a relaxed atmosphere without all the technical jargon. In April, Tectonic Plates welcomes Dionis Griffin, daughter of Lyman Spitzer, Jr. The series runs from September to May, and the presentations are free and open to the public.
Beth Noveck, “Artificial Intelligence and Democracy”
Wednesday, April 15
LaRose Digital Theatre, Koury Business Center | 2 p.m.
Beth Noveck is a leading expert on the use of artificial intelligence to reimagine participatory democracy and strengthen governance. Noveck is a professor at Northeastern University, where she directs the Burnes Center for Social Change and its partner project, The Governance Lab.
Noveck previously served as the first Deputy Chief Technology Officer under President Barack Obama, where she founded the White House Open Government Initiative which created policies and platforms for making the federal government more transparent, participatory and collaborative. Noveck also served as Senior Advisor for Open Government to British Prime Minister David Cameron and as a member of the Digital Council that advised German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Noveck is the author of Solving Public Problems: How to Fix Our Government and Change Our World, and her new book Reboot: The Race to Save Democracy with AI will appear with Yale University Press. Sponsored by the Imagining the Digital Future Center and Council on Civic Engagement
Yom HaShoah: Ceremony of Remembrance
Tuesday, April 16
Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion | 9:50 a.m.
Every year we gather as a community to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to remind us of all of the terrible deeds that can be carried out when bigotry, hatred and indifference are regarded as normal. Elon students, faculty and staff will share quotes and stories to remember the lives of those who died as a result of the racial purity measures in German-controlled Europe during World War II, to honor those who survived and remind of their experiences during this dark time. Sponsored by Jewish Life, Hillel, Jewish Studies and Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Prosanta Chakrabarty, “Why Teaching Evolution Still Matters”
Thursday, April 16
Whitley Auditorium | 6 p.m.
Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Lecture
Prosanta Chakrabarty is the E.K. Hunter Chair and Professor for Communication in Science Research and Director and Curator of Fishes at the Museum of Natural Science at Louisiana State University. He is a systematist and an ichthyologist studying the evolution and biogeography of both freshwater and marine fishes. He is a TED Senior Fellow, an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a National Fellow of the Explorers Club, a Fellow of the Linnean Society, a Fulbright Distinguished Chair and National Geographic Certified Educator. Sponsored by the Elon University Phi Beta Kappa Chapter, Eta of North Carolina
BROldly Elon Art Crawl
Thursday, April 16
Multisite (Oak House, Schar Hall and other nearby locations) | 5 p.m.
Members of the Elon community are invited to submit their creative work to the BROldly Elon art crawl. All students, faculty, staff and alumni are encouraged to share their work, particularly men. Participants may submit pieces in their preferred medium, including visual art, woodworking, metalworking, creative writing, film, music, etc. Prizes will be awarded for work in various categories including best craftsmanship; best collaborative work between students and faculty/staff, most creative use of the Makers Hub, and more.
Works will be displayed in temporary galleries on the evening of April 16. Creators whose work involves timed elements (film, music, etc.) are encouraged to contact organizers to reserve slots, which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sponsored by the Healthy Masculinities Initiative; primary contact: Andrew Monteith (amonteith@elon.edu)
Thursday-Saturday, April 16-18
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts
April 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. | April 18 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
By William Shakespeare; Directed by Julian Stetkevych
Shakespeare’s most famous love story bursts to life in 1970s Italy, where passions run hot, tempers flare and the pulse of Italian disco drives the night. Amid the heat and danger, two young lovers from feuding families defy their world to be together. A timeless tale of love and loss, “Romeo and Juliet” reminds us that even in tragedy, love endures. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Reservations are highly recommended and will be offered beginning March 19 at elonperformingarts.com.
Music from “The Lord of the Rings”
Tuesday, April 21
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts | 7:30 p.m.
Stephen A. Futrell, conductor
The Elon Orchestra will perform two orchestra suites from “The Hobbit” trilogy, and three orchestral suites from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Visual/imagery and video will accompany the full orchestra. Sponsored by the Department of Music
Katharine Hayhoe, “Solving Climate Change Starts with Us (But Not the Way You Think!)”
Wednesday, April 22
McKinnon Hall, Moseley Center | 7 p.m.
Earth Week Keynote Presentation
Drawing on lessons from science, history and social movements, Katharine Hayhoe shows how using our voices to call for systemic change is the first step towards catalyzing the tipping points that will help to build a better future. She is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Professor of Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University. She has served as a lead author for the Second, Third and Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessments and is the author of the best-selling book “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.” Hayhoe has been named to lists including the TIME 100 Most Influential People and Fortune’s 50 World’s Greatest Leaders. Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, the Environmental Studies Department, the School of Communications, Sustainable Enterprises, and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Space is the Place: The Music of Sun Ra
Friday, April 24
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts | 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Alex Heitlinger
Step into the cosmic world of Sun Ra with the Elon Jazz Ensembles in an unforgettable evening of music that blurs the lines between swing and avant-garde, drawing influences from ancient Egypt and outer space. Known for his visionary blend of jazz, philosophy and Afrofuturism, Sun Ra invited listeners into a unique university of sound. Expect adventurous music and intergalactic costumes! Sponsored by the Department of Music
Instant Laughter
Friday – Saturday, April 24&25
Yeager Recital Hall, Center for the Arts | 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Frederick J. Rubeck
Elon Performing Arts improv troupe, Instant Laughter, takes the stage performing scenes and sketches based on audience suggestions. Admission: $15 at the door. All proceeds benefit Elon’s theatre arts program.
Elon Music Ambassadors, “Songs of Summer: Celebrating the Music that Makes Every Summer Unforgettable”
Tuesday, April 28
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts | 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Virginia Novine-Whittaker
Experience the warmth, energy and nostalgia of the season ahead with the Elon Music Ambassadors. This dynamic vocal and instrumental ensemble brings together a vibrant mix of pop, jazz and contemporary favorites in an unforgettable concert that captures the essence of summer – its memories, melodies and moments yet to come. Sponsored by the Department of Music
Mixed Tape Concert – Music from the 60’s and 70’s
Thursday, April 30
Community Life Center, Elon Community Church | 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Stephen A. Futrell
élan – Elon vocal jazz will perform with rhythm section classic hits from such performers as Abba, The Carpenters, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Diamond and more. Featuring Beatles and Motown medleys, you’re sure to be singing along and dancing in the aisles! Sponsored by the Department of Music