The Cultural Series at Mohawk Valley Community College is bringing an exciting and diverse lineup to its campuses in Utica and Rome this spring. Tickets go on sale Monday, Jan. 15.
Headlining the series is Grace VanderWaal, winner of Season 11 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” She will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 21, in the Jorgensen Athletic and Events Center at the College’s Utica Campus. Admission is $20 general, $15 for MVCC employees, and free for MVCC students (limited supply). Tickets for this event are already available.
El Salvadoran poet Javier Zamora will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, in Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, at the Utica Campus. Admission is $5 general, $2 for MVCC employees, and free for MVCC students. Zamora, current Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, uses his words to explore the effects of immigration and the 12-year El Salvadorian Civil War. Zamora won the 2017 Narrative Prize for his book, “Unaccompanied.”
Progressive Central New York string band Floodwood will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, at the Utica Campus. Admission is $5 general, $2 for MVCC employees, and free for MVCC students. Floodwood is the combined talents of Vinnie Amico (moe.), Tony Markellis (Trey Anastasio Band), Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni, and Chris Eves.
On Friday, Feb. 23, the series will host “An Evening with Bill Birnes” — ufologist and TV personality from the History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens” and Syfy’s “UFO Hunters” — at 7 p.m. in Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, at the Utica Campus. Admission is $5 general, $2 for MVCC employees, and free for MVCC students.
The Venerable Tenzin Yignyen, ordained monk and visiting professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, will create a “Mandala of Compassion” Monday, April 2, through Thursday, April 5, in the Utica Campus Library in Payne Hall. Yignyen, who was born in Tibet and ordained as a monk by His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, has created sand mandalas around the globe. He will ritualistically dismantle his work on Friday, April 6, to symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life. Admission is free.
Award-winning Native American hip-hop artist Supaman will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, April 27, in Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, at the Utica Campus. Admission is $5 general, $2 for MVCC employees, and free for MVCC students.
****More highlights for the spring series:
“CRASH Course for Success: An Evening with Rich Redmond:” 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, Utica. Redmond is the longtime recording and touring drummer for country rocker Jason Aldean. $5 general, $2 MVCC employees, free for MVCC students.
Fact and Film Series: “Get Out: No Laughing Matter:” 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, Utica; and at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, Festine Auditorium, Rome. Rialda Shulman, Assistant Professor of English at MVCC, will discuss issues of racism, the role of the film “Get Out” in discussing racism, and the blending of horror and comedy genres to highlight the real horrors of racism. $5 general, $2 MVCC employees, free for MVCC students.
Family Fun Series: “Coco:” Noon Saturday, Feb. 24, Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, Utica, and Festine Auditorium, Plumley Complex, Rome. Family-friendly movie about aspiring musician Miguel who, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to work out the mystery. Film followed by activities and snacks. $5 general, $2 MVCC employees, free for MVCC students.
Swamp Drivers concert: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 1, Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, Utica. See instruments made from reclaimed items that have been featured in national magazines, TV shows, and viral videos. Learn about the instruments, how they’re made, and hear them played live. $5 general, $2 MVCC employees, free for MVCC students.
International Festival: Noon Wednesday, April 4, Snack Bar, Alumni College Center, Utica. International displays, fashion show, and performances highlight the various heritages of MVCC’s students, faculty, and staff. Free admission.
Rome’s Got Talent: 6 p.m. Friday, April 6, Dining and Community Hall, Plumley Complex, Rome. This open mic/talent show will feature some of the area’s best entertainers as they audition for a panel of “celebrity” judges. Performers must sign up in advance by emailing romeevents@mvcc.edu<mailto:romeevents@mvcc.edu>. $5 general, $2 MVCC employees, free for MVCC students.
MVCC Drama Club production of Jeffrey Hatcher’s “Scotland Road:” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, April 18-20, Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, Utica. Directed by Paul Cruskie. $5 general, $2 MVCC employees, free for MVCC students.
“Not Just Me” with former child star Lisa Jakub: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 3, Schafer Theater, Information Technology Building, Utica. Jakub spent her formative years as a child actor, but behind the scenes struggled with social anxiety. She now writes about how so many suffer from the same issues. $5 general, $2 MVCC employees, free for MVCC students.
Tickets for all Cultural Series events can be purchased in person at the MVCC Box Office, Information Technology Building room 106, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday–Friday, and at the College Stores on the Utica and Rome campuses; online any time at www.mvcc.edu/tickets<http://www.mvcc.edu/tickets>; or over the phone by calling 315-731-5721. The Cultural Series is brought to you by MVCC’s Cultural Events Council and Student Program Board, in collaboration with MVCC’s Student Congress, with significant support from the Student Activity Fee. For the complete series lineup and ticket sales, visit www.mvcc.edu/culture<http://www.mvcc.edu/culture>.
