summer concerts
This year, the July Outdoor Concert Series celebrates the French Caribbean with some of best musicians from Guadeloupe and Haiti.
The Music on the Moltz concert series is presented in collaboration with Belltower Records, North Adams, Massachusetts.
All concerts are free unless otherwise noted. Bring a picnic and your own seating. Food will be available for purchase at select concerts; see individual event pages for more information.
Most shows will be held rain or shine. In the event of severe weather, the concert will be moved into the auditorium in the Manton Research Center. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-seated basis.
MUSIC ON THE MOLTZ: BASIC AND ERICA DAWN LYLE
SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 5 PM
LUNDER CENTER AT STONE HILL, MOLTZ TERRACE
Evocative of an imaginary electronic desert blues soundtrack, Basic is a new project of Philadelphia’s Chris Forsyth (guitar), Nick Millevoi (guitar, drum machine), and Mikel Patrick Avery (percussion/ electronics). Inspired by the aesthetics of American guitarist Robert Wolfe Quine, Basic blends the raw energy of rock with the atmospheric depth of electronic experimentation. Erica Dawn Lyle, a writer, experimental musician, curator, and cultural instigator, opens.
MINETTE AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH CARIBBEAN MUSIC
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 6 PM
MANTON RESEARCH CENTER, AUDITORIUM
Kaiama L. Glover, professor of African American Studies and French at Yale University, discusses the theatrical life of the eighteenth-century French Caribbean, focusing on artists of African descent, including the noted violinist Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George, and celebrated soprano Minette. Glover’s talk is illustrated by short musical performances by the American-Brazilian soprano Ariana Wehr, who sings excerpts from works that Minette would have performed, accompanied by the harpsichord.
concert: dancing on a volcano—opera lafayette
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 6 PM
MANTON RESEARCH CENTER, AUDITORIUM
Soprano Ariana Wehr joins musicians of Opera Lafayette to present music from the operas of Gluck, Philidor, Gretry, and others (which the soprano Minette performed in the years leading up to the Haitian Revolution), as well as music from the Chevalier de Saint-George.
MUSIC ON THE MOLTZ: GARCIA PEOPLES AND MOUNTAIN MOVERS
SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 5 PM
LUNDER CENTER AT STONE HILL, MOLTZ TERRACE
The dynamic band Garcia Peoples takes inspiration from the improvisational and psychedelic jam bands of the 1960s. With a stash of live recordings accumulating at the Live Music Archive, Garcia Peoples’ music is very much a living entity. Mountain Movers, an underground rock band from New Haven, Connecticut, opens.
OUTDOOR CONCERT: JACQUES SCHWARZ-BART AND BAND
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 6 PM
REFLECTING POOL LAWN
Born in Guadeloupe, Jacques Schwarz-Bart has voyaged across musical genres from neo-soul, where he worked with D’angelo and Erika Badu, back to his Carribean roots where he innovated hybrid jazz genres. Playing Gwo ka and Vodou jazz, Schwarz-Bart connects jazz music with its Afro-Caribbean and spiritual origins. Schwarz-Bart performs with his quintet.
OUTDOOR CONCERT: sonny troupÉ and band
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 6 PM
REFLECTING POOL LAWN
Under the influence of his saxophonist father, Sonny Troupé listened to various musical styles, including jazz, Gwo ka jazz, classical, salsa, and Zouk. The tambour ka (ka drum) was his first instrument. Though he was taught to play the traditional way, he soon used modern playing methods. To this day, no French Caribbean drummer better fuses modern jazz with traditional rhythms. Don’t miss this virtuosic glimpse into the music of Guadeloupe.
MUSIC AT THE MANTON: XIMENA BEDOYA AND LOCULUS
SUNDAY, JULY 14, 6 PM
MANTON RESEARCH CENTER, AUDITORIUM
Ximena Bedoya, an interdisciplinary artist and designer from Peru currently based in New York, explores transitional states of mind, body, and space through audiovisual experiences. A dance collective founded in 2015 in Western Massachusetts by Five College Dance alumni, LOCULUS is the creative platform of Olana Flynn and Madison Palffy. LOCULUS's performances are site-specific and rooted in engagement with DIY artist communities.
OUTDOOR CONCERT: nathalie joachim trio
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 6 PM
REFLECTING POOL LAWN
Grammy-nominated performer and composer Nathalie Joachim is a Haitian-American artist hailed for being “a fresh and invigorating cross-cultural voice” (The Nation). Her creative practice centers an authentic commitment to storytelling and human connectivity while advocating for social change and cultural awareness, gaining her the reputation of being “powerful and unpretentious” (The New York Times). In this performance, Joachim sings and plays the flute, joined by her bassist and percussionist.
OUTDOOR CONCERT: LAKOU MIZIK
WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 6 PM
REFLECTING POOL LAWN
Lakou Mizik is a multigenerational collective of Haitian musicians united in a mission to spread awareness about traditional Haitian culture. In Haitian Creole, the word lakou carries multiple meanings. It can mean a backyard or a collective place where people gather to play music and dance. It can also be an extended community, or a connection to one’s ancestors. As a band, Lakou Mizik embodies a little of each meaning—bringing music, community, and spiritual connection to backyards (and festivals) across the globe.
MUSIC ON THE MOLTZ: glenn jones and emily robb
SUNDAY, JULY 28, 5 PM
LUNDER CENTER AT STONE HILL, MOLTZ TERRACE
Glenn Jones is one of the leading proponents of American primitive guitar, a fingerstyle acoustic genre pioneered in the late 1950s by his friend and mentor John Fahey. Jones' latest release, Vade Mecum, delves into personal experiences and shared histories by blending elements of rock and experimental music with the guitar and banjo. Emily Robb, a prominent player in the rock and experimental music scenes, opens.
CLASSICAL CONCERT: ROME IS FALLING
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 4 PM
MANTON RESEARCH CENTER, AUDITORIUM
Rome was one of the greatest civilizations in the world; yet, like all empires, it fell. Why, and how? The story is a mixture of politics, betrayal, immigration, religion, climate, pandemic, natural disaster, xenophobia, and bad luck. Rome is Falling, an opera composed by American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) member Doug Balliett, is a zany lesson on the absurdity of what can happen when powerful people lose power.
Tickets required.
music on the moltz: A.P.I.E., FAMILY UNDERGROUND, AND ANIMAL, SURRENDER!
SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 5 PM
LUNDER CENTER AT STONE HILL, MOLTZ TERRACE
A.P.I.E. offers a casual yet sardonic take on country rock reminiscent of the Velvet Underground and The Mekons.
Family Underground is the Copenhagen-based duo of composer Sara C. Czerny (buchla synth) and Nicolas F. Kauffmann (guitar), known for their innovative and unconventional approach to music. Animal, Surrender! is a collaboration between bassist Peter Kerlin and drummer Rob Smith, whose plea for listeners is to accept the animal within. The project’s trance soundscape symbolizes the paradoxical nature of our existence, condemning the devastation wrought by rejecting the wilderness while simultaneously exploring our resilience against inevitable endings.
OUTDOOR CONCERT: THE KNIGHTS ORCHESTRA
SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 4 PM
RAIN DATE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 4 PM
FERNÁNDEZ TERRACE
The Knights return to the Clark! To celebrate the Guillaume Lethière exhibition, the orchestra plays a double violin concerto by the artist’s contemporary, the Chevalier de Saint-George, plus a new composition by Kyle Sanna featuring renowned Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh as guest soloist. The performance speaks to the layered influence of art and artists.
FAMILY CONCERT: THE KNIGHTS ORCHESTRA
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 12 PM
MANTON RESEARCH CENTER, AUDITORIUM
Music lovers of all ages will delight in a family-friendly concert that celebrates world-class music and complements the Guillaume Lethière exhibition in an engaging, interactive setting. The Knights perform excerpts from works by Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Lethière's friend and contemporary), alongside audience participation activities that highlight musical details and showcase the way instruments can tell a story.
This performance is designed specifically for younger audiences and is intended to provide a fun and engaging introduction to classical music.