The College of Wooster welcomes community for fall arts events

The College of Wooster will showcase a variety of arts events throughout the fall semester of the 2025-26 academic year. Open to the community, events from the departments of music, theater and dance and College of Wooster Art Museum include numerous performances from music ensembles and theater and dance productions to the fall art exhibit. Audiences will see Wooster’s students including those studying professionally in the arts and other majors throughout the college’s liberal arts curriculum.

Events include the following:

—Friday, Sept. 19, Celebration of the Arts, 4:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel (340 E. University St.): During Homecoming Weekend with families and alumni, the annual celebration will feature performances by the Wooster Chorus, Scot Marching Band and Pipe Band, College of Wooster Dance Company, and students studying art and art history.

—Friday, Sept. 19, Wooster Jazz Ensemble and Wooster Symphony Orchestra Homecoming Concert of More Amor, 7:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel: A tribute to jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery will feature acclaimed guitarist Bobby Broom, performing hit songs by Montgomery from the newly released Chicago Jazz Orchestra album, "More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery," which hit No. 1 on the JazzWeek chart and stayed in the top five for 13 weeks.

Conducted by Jeffrey Lindberg, professor of music at the college, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra is composed of both students and community members and offers experience playing orchestral literature of musical genres ranging from the baroque period to contemporary. The Wooster Jazz Ensemble specializes in playing large-ensemble jazz and gives opportunities for participants to compose, arrange and improvise music.

—Friday, Sept. 26, Wooster Contemporary Chamber Ensemble Concert, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University St.): Beginning its second season, the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble focuses on music by living composers and is directed by Dylan Findley, assistant professor of music, music theory and composition.

—Tuesday, Sept. 30, Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue Reception and Curator’s Talk, 4 p.m., Ebert Art Center: Laura Augusta, curator of Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue, will discuss the fall CWAM exhibit’s themes and artworks in further detail. Augusta is the Jane Dale Owen director and chief curator at the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston, focusing on the landscapes of disaster-prone places and shared spaces in her curatorial and essay projects.

—Oct. 16-19 and 23-25, An Iliad by Denis O'Hare & Lisa Pet, 7:30 p.m., Freedlander Theatre (329 E. University St.): Directed by Kerstin Vaughn, visiting assistant professor of theater and dance, An Iliad is a modern-day retelling of Homer’s classic. Poetry and humor, the ancient tale of the Trojan War, and the modern world collide in this theatrical experience. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. with only a matinee showing on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets are required and available at the box office in Freedlander Theatre or at www.wooster.edu/snippet/tickets.

—Sunday, Oct. 19, Mayan Community Garden Project Panel Discussion, 2 p.m., Ebert Art Center: The CWAM fall exhibit Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue will host a panel discussion about the importance of land, language and culture in the panelists’ communities of origin and in their resettled communities here in Ohio. Central American foods will be catered by the Immigrant Worker Project AMIGAS cooperative.

—Friday, Oct. 24, Litigating for Liberation with OCSILiO, 6:30 p.m., at Westminster Presbyterian Church Mackey Hall (353 E. Pine St.): In collaboration with the CWAM exhibition Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue, the Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration Litigation and Outreach will host an event to shine light on the immigrant experience and discuss its mission to defend detained Ohio immigrants in their deportation proceedings. Central American foods will be provided by the Immigrant Worker Project AMIGAS cooperative.

—Sunday, Nov. 9, Scot Symphonic Band Concert, 3 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University St.): Directed by Jeff Gershman, the band is the premier wind ensemble at the college. Their annual fall concert will celebrate the evolution of American music as the 250th anniversary of the nation approaches. The performance will include music by Arthur Bird, Helen May Butler, Leroy Anderson and George Gershwin, as well as the world premiere of "Contemplation" by Sitara True '25.

—Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 15, Wooster Symphony Orchestra Concert featuring guitarist Jason Vieaux, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center: Celebrating its 110th season, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra will present Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist Jason Vieaux. The concert will include Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra and works by Bernstein, Gallagher and Mayer.

Conducted by Jeffrey Lindberg, professor of music at the college, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra is composed of both students and community members and offers experience playing orchestral literature of various musical genres. Tickets are required and available at Buehler’s Milltown and Towne Market, at the Scheide Music Center, and at the door before the concert.

—Sunday, Nov. 16, Scot Marching & Pipe Band Concert, 3 p.m., McGaw Chapel: The concert will feature highlights from the ensembles’ fall season including music performed at pregame, halftime and in the stands in support of the Fighting Scots football team. The Scot Marching Band is directed by Ryan Kilgore, with Jeff Gershman as assistant director, while The College of Wooster Pipe Band is directed by Palmer Shonk (’10) and Sean Lawry.

—Thursday, Nov. 20 through Sunday, Nov. 23, Fall Dance Concert, 7:30 p.m., Freedlander Theatre: Directed by Emily Baird, assistant professor of theater and dance, the Fall Dance Concert will feature a variety of student-choreographed pieces based on different themes and artistic styles. One of two dance concerts the department puts on each year, the Fall Dance Concert is presented in-the-round, with audience members seated on all four sides of the stage. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. with only a matinee showing on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are required and available at the box office in Freedlander Theatre or at www.wooster.edu/snippet/tickets.

—Friday, Nov. 21, Wooster Symphony Orchestra performance of “Elvis Returns! A Holiday Tribute to Elvis Presley,” 7:30 p.m., McGaw Chapel: Elvis tribute artist Victor Trevino Jr. will join the Wooster Symphony Orchestra for holiday music as recorded by Elvis Presley.

The Wooster Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest orchestra in continuous performance in Ohio, holding four regular concerts every year since its establishment in 1915. The WSO Holiday Concert is an annual fundraising event sponsored by the Friends of the Wooster Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are required and available at Buehler’s Milltown, Towne Market, Orrville and Ashland, and at the door.

—Saturday, Nov. 22, Wooster Chorus fall concert, 3 p.m., Gault Recital Hall in Scheide Music Center: The Wooster Singers is the college’s nonauditioned mixed chorus, open to music majors and nonmajors alike and conducted by Christin Sears, visiting assistant professor and director of choral activities.

—Sunday, Nov. 23, Concert Band & Wooster Singers Performance, 4 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of McGaw Chapel: The Wooster Singers is the college’s only all-treble ensemble music course. The Wooster Concert Band includes students, staff and faculty of the college, along with community members from Wayne County ranging in age from 16-80, and is conducted by Jeff Gershman.

—Thursday, Dec. 4, Wooster Contemporary Chamber Ensemble Concert, 7:30 p.m., Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center: The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble focuses on music by living composers and is directed by Dylan Findley, assistant professor of music, music theory and composition.

All events are open to the public. For more information on events in the department of music, email administrative coordinator Melissa Puster at mpuster@wooster.edu or call 330-263-2419.

For more information on theater and dance events, email Scott Schwarzwalder at sschwarzwldr@wooster.edu or call 330-263-2541.

For more information on the CWAM exhibitions, visit the CWAM website or call 330-263-2495.