The 2015–16 arts season at UIndy marks the 21st anniversary of the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, which opened in 1994 and remains one of the state’s premier arts facilities. The $10-million, 59,000-square-foot brick and limestone structure was designed by Ratio Architects and won a statewide award from the American Institute of Architects.
The Center, which houses the departments of Music and Art & Design, was made possible through the generosity of UIndy alumna and former trustee Christel DeHaan, philanthropist Ruth Lilly, and Lilly Endowment Inc. The Center’s crown jewel is the 500-seat Ruth Lilly Performance Hall, considered among the finest chamber music venues in the Midwest. Modeled after the legendary 1870 Musikverein concert hall in Vienna, the acoustically superior room has hosted performances by pianist André Watts, cellist János Starker, soprano Kathleen Battle, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, and the Guarneri, Juilliard, Tokyo, and Emerson quartets, among other artists.
Season highlights
Department of Music
Maestro Raymond Leppard, UIndy Faculty Artist Concert Series Artist-in- Residence and Conductor Laureate of Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, returns to the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center on Monday, September 21, at 7:30 p.m. The evening will feature the music of Mozart, Vivaldi, and the premiere of Sinfonia, a new work by UIndy’s John Berners that was commissioned by the University in honor of Christel DeHaan. Maestro Leppard is one of the most respected international conductors of our time who has conducted more than 170 recordings, earning
five Grammy awards, a Grand Prix Mondial du Disque, a Deutsch Schallplattenpreis, and an Edison Prize. The concert is the opening event of UIndy’s annual Faculty Artist Concert Series, central Indiana’s most comprehensive classical and jazz recital series. This year’s schedule comprises 18 concerts on Monday evenings, all free and open the public, starting on Monday, September 21.
CDFAC Art Gallery
UIndy Art & Design Emeriti Faculty
August 24–Sept. 25
Keep It Simple
Oct. 5–30
The Face of War: The Combat Art of T.L. Harby
Nov. 9–Dec. 11
Public Art in Indy
Jan. 19–Feb. 12
Continuum: Gallery Installationby Rachel Hellman & Jennifer Caine
Feb. 21–March 18
Medley of Events
Echoing Scare: A Halloween concert for children of all ages
Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.
Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center
Admission: $10 adults; $5 students
Indianapolis Symphonic Choir
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 8 p.m.
Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center
Ticket price varies. Call (317) 940-9057.
New Music Series
Lisa Coons, Guest Composer Residency
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Young Composers Contest
Saturday, Feb. 20, 3 p.m.
Department of Theatre
King Lear
Oct. 23–24 & 29–31, 8 p.m.; Oct. 25, 2 p.m.
Ransburg Auditorium, Esch Hall
Admission: $12 general; $10 for alumni, seniors, groups of eight or more and non-UIndy students with ID
Student-Directed Productions
Dec. 4–6 & 10–12
Studio Theatre, Esch Hall
Dinner Theatre: Out of Order
Feb. 19–21 & 25–27
Dinner 6:45 p.m.; performance 8 p.m.
Schwitzer Student Center
Admission: $26 general; $24 for alumni, seniors, groups of eight or more, and non-UIndy students with ID; $14 for UIndy students, faculty, and staff. Reservations required.
The Laramie Project
April 22–24 & 28–30, 8 p.m.
Ransburg Auditorium, Esch Hall
UIndy Jazz Concert Series
Now in its ninth season, UIndy’s Jazz Concert Series features top talent from throughout the Midwest. All performances take place on Wednesday nights in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center’s Ruth Lilly Performance Hall. Admission is free.
Vocalist Rachel Caswell
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Jared Thompson & Premium Blend
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Saxophonist Sophie Faught
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Trumpeter Marlin McKay
Wednesday, March 23, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Kellogg Writers Series
UIndy’s Allen & Helen Kellogg Writers Series brings writers of distinction to campus for public readings and discussions. All events are free.
Aaron Michael Morales
Monday, Sept. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Trustees Dining Room, Schwitzer Student Center
Shonda Buchanan
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m.
Trustees Dining Room, Schwitzer Student Center
Tracy Kidder
Thursday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m.
Ransburg Auditorium
Scott Russell Sanders
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.
McCleary Chapel, Schwitzer Student Center
Alec Cizak
Monday, March 7, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Trustees Dining Room, Schwitzer Student Center
Adrian Matejka
Wednesday, April 13, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Trustees Dining Room, Schwitzer Student Center
For a full calendar of arts events at UIndy, visit www.uindy.edu/arts. For ticket information, call the Event Ticketing Center at (317) 788-3251
or visit the ETC in the Ransburg Auditorium lobby during business hours.