The University of Nevada, Reno School of the Arts presents its biggest month of the year with more than 25 events on the calendar – enough to go to a different event almost every single day.Noon, Wednesday, April 1
Frank & Joan Randall Rotunda, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
A free chamber music series featuring performances by University of Nevada, Reno music students and faculty in a laid-back lunchtime setting. It is directed by faculty member Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio. It’s casual atmosphere, so come and go as you please for a highly entertaining lunch break.
Tickets: FreeUniversity of Nevada Jazz Ensembles Spring Concert *
7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 2
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
Jazz Ensembles I and II present big band music composed by Fred Sturm, Darcy James Argue, Steve Owen and University of Nevada, Reno students.
Tickets: $5 cash at the door, free for students
“Superior Donuts” by Tracy Letts & directed by Rob Gander *
7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, April 3 – 4, and Thursday through Saturday, April 9-11
Proscenium Theatre, Church Fine Arts Building
Arthur owns a decrepit donut shop in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Franco Wicks, a black teenager who is his only employee, wants to change the shop for the better. This comedy-drama by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Letts, also known for “August: Osage County” explores the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Tickets: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for children ages 2-18 and University faculty/staff, $5 for University students (limited quantity)
Nevada Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble
7:30 p.m., Monday, April 6
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
The Nevada Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble present the music of Vaughan-Williams, Bernstein, Bryant, Husa, Jacob and Syler.
Tickets: $5, free for students with ID
L Cubed (Look, Lunch, Listen)
Noon, Wednesday, April 8
Frank & Joan Randall Rotunda, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
A free chamber music series featuring performances by University of Nevada, Reno music students and faculty in a laid-back lunchtime setting. It is directed by faculty member Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio. It’s casual atmosphere, so come and go as you please for a highly entertaining lunch break.
Tickets: Free
T. Vásquez: Septuaginta Duo
Tuesday, April 14 through Friday, April 24
Reception: 5 p.m., Thursday, April 23
Student Galleries South, Jot Travis Building
A seventy-two-hour compiled view of images in single-family homes. The vacant walls and the empty closets tell the absence of what was. The stripped away paint and exposed wood tell the history. The memory passed through the threshold from one room to the next room. The vacant rooms keep the memories and wait for the new beginnings with the replenishment of a fresh coat of paint. A new story will begin with each new item added to the room. What is the home life? The camera is slowed down just enough to capture the framed view. The formatting reveals only enough information either fragmented or full frame with each image. This is a view of the home life.
Tickets: Free
L Cubed (Look, Lunch, Listen)
Noon, Wednesday, April 15
Frank & Joan Randall Rotunda, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
A free chamber music series featuring performances by University of Nevada, Reno music students and faculty in a laid-back lunchtime setting. It is directed by faculty member Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio. It’s casual atmosphere, so come and go as you please for a highly entertaining lunch break.
Tickets: Free
Tehching Hsieh: One Year Performance 1980-1981*
Thursday, April 16 – Sunday, June 21, Sheppard Contemporary, Church Fine Art Building
Artist talk: 5 p.m., Thursday, April 16, Wells Fargo Auditorium, Room 124, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
Reception: 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, April 16, Sheppard Contemporary, Church Fine Arts Building
Beginning in 1980, Tehching Hsieh punched a time clock 8,760 times over the course of a yearlong performance. He issued a statement, shaved his head, donned a uniform and began a project that pushed at the limits of human endurance. Hsieh essentially denied himself sleep, given the self-imposed requirement to punch the clock hourly. To do so, he needed multiple alarm clocks attached to amplifiers to penetrate his befogged brain. Hsieh put himself in “a mindful state of delirium that forced confrontation with time itself;” he also generated a “physical model of time passing” with 8,760 timecards and corresponding documentary photographs. That year, Hsieh felt like Sisyphus, he said, engaged in a futile task that nonetheless gave his life purpose and structure. In a contemporary cultural moment overwhelmed by digital noise, image overload and information mayhem, the ritualized analogue life of Hsieh during this yearlong performance feels like a contemporary critique from the near past. This artwork nurtures the beginnings of meaningful conversations about spirituality, meaning, labor, daily life and the creative spirit. Thought of as the godfather of performance art, Hsieh’s work as a performance artist is foundational to the art form. This is the second time this work will be seen in the United States after its previous installation at the Guggenheim in New York City.
Tickets: Free
Argenta Concert Series: Schubert Great Quartets with Miró Quartet
7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 16
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
The seventh of nine performances of the Argenta Concert Series welcomes to Reno one of the leading American string quartets, the Miró Quartet. In an exciting two-night event (Thursday and Friday), the quartet will present two performances with different yet complementary programs. The first night, on April 16, will see an evening dedicated to the craft of Franz Schubert and in particular to his two greatest string quartets, which are considered among the very greatest forays into the genre by any composer. The String Quartet in G major and the String Quartet in D minor “Death and the Maiden” hold a very special place in the pantheon of Western music, and it is an incredible rarity for audiences and challenge for performers to hear them both side by side. The Miró Quartet is among the most distinguished ensembles today, performing on the most prestigious concert stages around the world. Winners of the Banff International and the Naumburg Chamber Music competitions, it is the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. The members of the quartet will offer a free public master class during their two-day residency in Reno.
Tickets: $25; $5 for student
Argenta Concert Series: From Beethoven to Brahms with Miró Quartet
7:30 p.m., Friday, April 17
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
The eighth of nine performances of the Argenta Concert Series welcomes to Reno one of the leading American string quartets, the Miró Quartet. In an exciting two-night event (Thursday and Friday), the quartet will present two performances with different yet complementary programs. The second night, on April 17, will see an evening dedicated to string quartet collaboration, presenting various works for the ensemble by Beethoven and concluding with one of the most cherished gems of chamber music repertoire, the glorious Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor by Johannes Brahms in collaboration with the University of Nevada, Reno’s own pianist Hyeyeon Park. The Miró Quartet is among the most distinguished ensembles today, performing on the most prestigious concert stages around the world. Winners of the Banff International and the Naumburg Chamber Music competitions, it is the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. The members of the quartet will offer a free public master class during their two-day residency in Reno.
Tickets: $25; $5 for student
Nevada Chamber Singers and the University Symphonic Choir with the Reno Philharmonic
7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 18; 4 p.m., Sunday, April 19
Pioneer Center, Downtown Reno
University of Nevada, Reno choruses will join the Reno Philharmonic in two performances of “Mahler’s 2nd Symphony.”
Tickets: $27-$82
Faculty Recital: DeAunn Davis on French horn *
1 p.m., Sunday, April 19
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
Music Department faculty member DeAunn Davis will present a recital featuring stunning works for French horn and piano. She also will be joined by Adam Snider on tuba, as well as other colleagues from the University’s music department.
Tickets: Free
University Symphony Spring Concert
7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 21
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
This will be the final concert of the season for the University Symphony. The group will be joined by guest oboe soloist, Eric Fassbender. The program will end with Dvorak’s famous, “New World Symphony.”
Tickets: $5, free for students with ID
L Cubed (Look, Lunch, Listen)
Noon, Wednesday, April 22
The Frank & Joan Randall Rotunda, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
A free chamber music series featuring performances by University of Nevada, Reno music students and faculty in a laid-back lunchtime setting. It is directed by faculty member Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio. It’s casual atmosphere, so come and go as you please for a highly entertaining lunch break.
Tickets: Free
Reno Jazz Festival: Donny McCaslin with The Collective
7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
Acclaimed saxophonist and Grammy nominee Donny McCaslin grew up in Santa Cruz, California, inspired by his father, a pianist and vibraphonist. The youngster started playing tenor saxophone at 12 and quickly progressed, touring Europe and participating in the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival’s California All-Star band while in high school. After attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he joined Berklee professor Gary Burton’s quintet, with whom he toured for four years. McCaslin moved to New York in 1991, working with bassist Eddie Gomez and then joining the group Steps Ahead.
Tickets: $22 for general admission, $17 for senior, $10 for students
Reno Jazz Festival: SFJAZZ Collective and Vertical Voices with University Jazz Lab Big Band
7:30 p.m., Friday, April 24
Lawlor Events Center
The critically acclaimed quartet Vertical Voices opens the evening with special guests, the University’s own Jazz Lab Big Band. After releasing their album “Vertical Voices: The Music of Maria Schneider” in 2010, Julia Dollison and Kerry Marsh joined forces with Jennifer Barnes and Greg Jasperse to form a vocal quartet that focused primarily on performing Schneider’s music live. Soon, the group expanded their repertoire and focus to include their own original compositions, as well as arrangements by Pat Metheny, The Yellowjackets, Imogen Heap and other contemporary jazz and pop influences. Now, Vertical Voices performs in a variety of styles, all with a fresh and innovative approach, venturing into new artistic territory within the vocal jazz genre, using wordless vocals, new compositions, improvisation and more. The SFJAZZ Collective is an all-star award-winning jazz ensemble comprising eight of the finest performers/composers at work in jazz today. The SFJAZZ Collective was launched in 2004 by SFJAZZ, the nonprofit San Francisco Jazz Organization, which is the West Coast’s largest jazz presenter and a recognized international leader in jazz creation and education. The Collective has become one of the most exciting and acclaimed groups on the jazz scene. The SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco is the Collective’s home base.
Tickets: $28 for general admission, $24 for senior, $18 for students, $5 for university students with ID
Reno Jazz Festival: Festival Showcase and Awards Ceremony
6:30 p.m., Saturday, April 25
Lawlor Events Center
The Festival Showcase will feature a performance by the winners of the RJF All-Star Performers competition, and encore performances from some of the highest-rated groups and soloists in the festival. During the showcase performances, awards will be given in recognition of individuals and groups who place in the top five of each category (top eight for middle school bands).
Tickets: $18, $15 for senior, $11 for students
TubaFest ©
10 a.m., Sunday, April 26
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
Calling all low brass players. Join University of Nevada, Reno’s tubas and euphoniums for a day of low-frequency adventure. Events include a group warm-up and clinic with University tuba instructor Adam Snider, performances by the University’s Tuba Studio and Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, and a final concert featuring a mass tuba-euphonium ensemble. Players of all ages are invited to take part.
Tickets: Free
Priscilla Varner: Emancipating Jane: Challenging Representations of Legal Sex-Workers in Fine Art *
Monday, April 27 through Friday, May 8
Reception: 5 p.m., Thursday, April 30, Student Galleries South, Jot Travis Building
Artist Lecture: 5 p.m., Thursday, April 30, Wells Fargo Auditorium, Room 124, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
Student Galleries South, Jot Travis Building
Using an interdisciplinary approach, ”Emancipating Jane: Challenging Representations of Legal Sex-Workers in Fine Art” expands the dialogue on American legalized prostitution by addressing issues of agency and questions the historic representation of legal sex-workers in fine art. Sex workers are consistently portrayed nude, as an object of consumption, as seen in Manet’s ”Olympia,” Degas’ ”Waiting for a Client,” and ”Precious,” a contemporary collection of photographs of brothel workers by Jane Hilton. Priscilla Varner’s exhibition explores the power dynamic between the photographer and the subject by removing the photographer, arming the legal sex-worker with the tools necessary to more fully represent her identity. Drawing on the participatory practice of Wendy Ewald and the photographic style of Nan Goldin, ”Emancipating Jane,” in part, features a collection of images of sex workers photographed entirely by the sex workers themselves. In an effort to create a more fully realized representation of the culture of legal sex work, this installation of vernacular photographs is accompanied by audio selections from recorded interviews of each of the participating sex workers. Recommended for audience members 18 years or older. Tickets: Free
Nevada Wind Ensemble **
7:30 p.m., Monday, April 27
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
Please join the Nevada Wind Ensemble for its final performance of the year, including the music of Charles Ives and William Schuman.
Tickets: $5, free for students with ID
L Cubed (Look, Lunch, Listen)
Noon, Wednesday, April 29
Frank & Joan Randall Rotunda, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
A free chamber music series featuring performances by University of Nevada, Reno music students and faculty in a laid-back lunchtime setting. It is directed by faculty member Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio. It’s casual atmosphere, so come and go as you please for a highly entertaining lunch break.
Tickets: Free
University Percussion Ensemble Spring Concert **
7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 30
Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building
The University of Nevada, Reno Percussion Ensemble will present a spring concert along with the University’s World Percussion Ensemble and guest student soloists.
Tickets: $5, free for students with ID
Spring Dance Concert
8 p.m., Thursday April 30 through Saturday, May 2; 2 p.m., Sunday, May 3
Redfield Proscenium Theatre, Church Fine Arts Building
The Spring Dance Concert showcases new choreography by faculty and guest artists with performance by University of Nevada, Reno students. The featured School of the Arts’ Visiting Artist in Residence is Gallim Dance, a New York-based contemporary dance company, led by artistic director Andrea Miller.
Tickets: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for children 2-18 and University faculty/staff, $5 for University students (limited quantity)
Ongoing
BFA Thesis: Austin Pratt, DJ Tilley and Erin Shearin *
Through Friday, April 10
Reception: 5 p.m., Thursday, April 2
Student Galleries South, Jot Travis Building
Graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates Austin Pratt, DJ Tilley and Erin Shearin host their thesis exhibition.
Tickets: Free
Nick van Woert: Pink Elephants on Parade *
Through Thursday, April 9
Sheppard Contemporary, Church Fine Arts Building
Reno-born art star Nick van Woert returns to his hometown with a solo exhibition of new work. Exploring the terms and conditions of a contemporary moment, van Woert tackles challenging questions head on. He delights viewers with sleek, contemporary sculptures that mix classical references and forms and 21st century, everyday materials.
Tickets: Free
Origins: Artist’s Book and Early Drafts from Big Jump Press **
Through Thursday, April 30
Black Rock Press, Room 118, Jot Travis Building
Sarah Bryant is the proprietor of Big Jump Press, where she designs, prints and binds original, limited edition, artist’s books and prints. Her projects including her recent collaboration with David Allen, visiting assistant professor in biology at Middlebury College, titled Figure Study. This recent work uses population pyramids as a simple and elegant data visualization device, which allows quick and powerful comparisons of different regions of the world. The vast and critical differences between the basic equations of life in different parts of the world become evident in this layered and beautiful work of art that is published as a print multiple.
Tickets: Free
Amelia Currier: Cave Translations *
Through Saturday, May 2
Reception: 6 p.m., Thursday, April 2
Artspace, 144 West St., downtown Reno
Reno area printmaker Amelia Currier offers new work at University Galleries’ downtown gallery. The exhibition is part of First Thursday, Downtown Reno Art Walk. Two-hour validated parking available in city parking garage at First and Sierra Streets.
Tickets: Free
