The Arts at USU: March Events Preview
March at the Caine College of the Arts promises a dynamic array of performances and exhibitions, showcasing the talents of students and artists alike. With a mix of music, art and thought-provoking lectures, there's something for everyone to experience and enjoy throughout the month.Read below for more details about these coming events, and subscribe to the weekly events reminder email.
Music Box Concert Series, USU Woodwind Quintet Concert
March 1, 11 a.m.
FAC 104
Parents, do you have children who are too young to attend a concert? The Music Box Concert Series is for YOU!
Music Box Concerts are FREE for children and accompanying adults. Each concert features an outstanding USU student ensemble that will highlight one instrumental family.
Current research shows that hearing and “good ears” develop in early childhood. That’s why these special concerts are designed for ages 0-8. Older children are welcome too. Performances are casual, interactive, and brief with listening, movement, and singing activities to draw attention to musical concepts. After the concert children will have an opportunity to interact with the musicians and look closely or even touch the featured instruments. These concerts are a wonderful introduction to classical music.
World Music Therapy Day: The Soundtrack of Originals
March 1, 7:30 p.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
Celebrate World Music Therapy Day with the Music Therapy Program at Utah State University. Join us for an inspiring evening as we showcase the original compositions of our talented students, highlighting their creativity.
Throughout the concert, we will honor the work of music therapists both locally and globally, spotlighting the impact they have on the individuals and communities they serve. Join us as we explore what makes these great music therapists original, with each spotlight and composition reflecting the impact of connection and the power of the human beings behind the music.
March 3–7, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tippetts & Eccles Galleries
The Paper & Clay is a national juried exhibition open to all BFA & MFA printmaking and ceramic students across the country. This is the 8th annual exhibition which will showcase over 60 exceptional contemporary student works from various academic institutions.
USU Guitar, Bass & Drums Festival
March 4, 7:30 p.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
The USU Guitar, Bass, & Drums Festival is an annual celebration of world-class musicianship, featuring some of the most talented guitarists, bassists, and drummers in the country. This year’s festival highlights the extraordinary talents of drummer Danny Gottlieb and bassist Mark Egan, both members of the Pat Metheny Group, and the guitarist-led Yotam Silberstein Trio. Join us for an unforgettable experience of live performances and musical mastery!
Masterclass with CMSL and Dover Quartet with Marc-Andre Hamelin
March 5, 10:30 a.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet is one of the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles. ‘The young American String Quartet of the moment..’ - The New Yorker
Marc-André Hamelin is known worldwide for his unrivaled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique in the great works of the established repertoire, as well as for his intrepid exploration of the rarities of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. ‘Hamelin’s incredible differentiation of weight and touch gave infinite variation to the layers of sound.’ - Washington Classical Review
Chamber Music Society of Logan presents Dover Quartet with Marc-Andre Hamelin
March 5, 7:30 p.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet is one of the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles. ‘The young American String Quartet of the moment..’ - The New Yorker
Marc-André Hamelin is known worldwide for his unrivaled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique in the great works of the established repertoire, as well as for his intrepid exploration of the rarities of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. ‘Hamelin’s incredible differentiation of weight and touch gave infinite variation to the layers of sound.’ - Washington Classical Review
Communitas Lecture Series: Vance Byrd
March 6, 5 p.m.
Russell/Wanlasss Performance Hall
Vance Byrd is a scholar of late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century German literature who investigates how literary and print culture intersect with the history of visual media. He will be speaking about his current book project, Listening to Panoramas, which looks beyond statues to discover how panoramic forms played a pivotal role in transatlantic visual and sonic cultures of commemoration. Panoramas gave audiences around the world the opportunity to immerse themselves in stories about natural and urban landscapes as well as bloody battle scenes depicted on larger-than-life circular paintings. This book proposes that the emotions produced by the sonic and visual effects at panorama shows determine how the past is remembered and politicized. Furthermore, it investigates how Black artists have turned to the panoramic form to resist narratives about defeat and victory in the American Civil War and to reinscribe the history of the Black freedom struggles onto the medium.
The Communitas Lecture Series is a set of visiting artists, scholars, and design series. This series is free and open to the public!
March 6, 7:30 p.m.
Daines Concert Hall
The Campbell Organ Festival will celebrate organ music and the Holtkamp Concert Organ in the Daines Concert Hall at Utah State University. This year, the event will begin with a hymn-playing masterclass taught by Connor Larsen, who is completing a Masters degree in Organ Performance and Pedagogy this semester at Brigham Young University. The festival will conclude with a faculty organ recital by Dr. Neil Harmon, Director of Organ Studies at Utah State University.
Horn Day Recital with Nikolette LaBonte
March 7, 7:30 p.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
Join us for the 2025 Utah Horn Days, hosted by Utah State University and the Utah Horn Club! This dynamic two-day event will bring together horn players of all levels–from high school students to professionals. Participants will engage in group performances, masterclasses, panel discussions, and enjoy concerts by world-class guest artists.
We are excited to welcome Nikolette LaBonte, Principal Horn of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, as this year’s guest artist. Nikolette is an accomplished orchestral player with experience as guest principal horn with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and several other major ensembles. She is also a dedicated educator, having taught at the Eastman School of Music and other prestigious institutions. A celebrated soloist and award winner, Nikolette brings a wealth of expertise and inspiration to the horn community.
The 2025 Utah Horn Days will be an enriching opportunity to learn, perform, and connect with fellow horn enthusiasts. Don't miss this chance to hear Nikolette perform on March 7 and be inspired by one of the leading artists in the field!
There's No Business Like Show Business
March 8, 7:30 p.m.
Daines Concert Hall
A Broadway Spectacular featuring the very best of Broadway, New and Old.
Cache Children's Choir: Choirfest Concert
March 15, 7:30 p.m.
Daines Concert Hall
Children and youth choirs from throughout the region unite to perform inspiring music under the direction of guest conductor Dr. Ryan Eggett. This performance is the culminating effort of the Cache Valley ChoirFest, a biennial educational children's choir festival sponsored by Cache Children's Choir.
USU Ceramics Alumni Exhibition
March 17–31, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tippetts & Eccles Galleries
SCENIUS is a group exhibition of faculty and graduate student alumni of Utah State University (USU). Coined by musician and record producer Brian Eno, the term scenius refers to the extraordinary creativity and ingenuity that can emerge from communities, places, or "scenes". For the past twenty-five years, faculty members John Neely and Dan Murphy have cultivated such an environment within USU's graduate ceramics program. This exhibition highlights this pivotal period in the program's history and explores the unique qualities that define USU's scenius.
March 19, 7:30 p.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
Get ready for an unforgettable evening of jazz! Join Utah State University’s talented student jazz combos, led by acclaimed USU professors, as they bring the stage to life with a dynamic mix of jazz standards and cutting-edge contemporary tunes. From timeless classics to the latest hits by today’s jazz masters, this concert promises to captivate music lovers of all kinds. Don’t miss this electrifying showcase of rising jazz talent!
Communitas Lecture Series: Tetsuo Kusama
March 20, 5 p.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
After graduating from Musashino Art University, Tetsuo Kusama went to work for Kawashima Textile in Kyoto, where he learned about the new weaving techniques that were emerging in Europe and the United States at the time. He studied at the graduate school of Cranbrook Academy of Art, and from the 1970s while traveling back and forth between Japan and the U.S., exhibited his works at the Lausanne Tapestry Biennale and other exhibitions, and actively pursued the possibility of public art by installing work in public spaces such as halls and hospitals. In recent years, he has received international acclaim, including consecutive awards at the International Fiber Art Biennale in China. Kusama came to Okayama Prefecture in 1993 with the opening of Okayama Prefectural University, where he worked as a supervisor until his retirement in 2011 to train future generations, and now continues his creative activities at his studio in Akaiwa, Okayama.
The Communitas Lecture Series is a set of visiting artists, scholars, and design series. This series is free and open to the public!
March 24, 7:30 p.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
More details coming soon!
US Air Force Band Singing Sergeants
March 25, 7 p.m.
Daines Concert Hall
Join your United States Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants on their tour through Utah, Nevada and California! This FREE concert is a rare and exciting event to hear great patriotic music, broadway classics and as always a salute to celebrate our veterans!
March 26, 7 p.m.
TSC Hub – Moonlight Stage
Join us for the Jazz Jams Series! Each Jazz Jams session will showcase the Caine Jazz Combo, a special guest artist, and talented jazz students from the Music Department, all performing timeless jazz standards. Whether you're an enthusiast or a musician, you're invited to be part of the action—bring your instrument and join the jam session!
Jazz Jams will take place at the Hub Stage on the first floor of the Taggart Student Center. Don't miss this chance to experience great music and collaborate with fellow jazz lovers. We look forward to seeing you there!
Reading Series 3: "Good. Better. Best. Bested."
March 28–29, 7:30 p.m.
Impact Commons
A one-night journey down the Las Vegas strip, an interwoven story of bachelorettes, magicians, street performers, gamblers, and tourists. As the nighttime festivities get under way, an earth-shattering event happens half a world away. In the midst of this tragedy and the chaos it unleashes, the characters must reckon with how much to let it disturb their good time.
Crossing Borders: 21st Century Chamber Music from Diverse Voices
March 31, 7:30 p.m.
Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall
The Utah State University Chamber Music Program, in collaboration with the Caine College of the Arts and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, will present Crossing Borders III: 21st Century Chamber Music from Diverse Voices. This concert features USU string and piano students performing works by living composers from a variety of cultural and musical backgrounds.
The program includes three world premieres:
I’m Blind, Walk with Me for Two Celli and Electronics by Adeliia Faizullina
Sessions for String Quartet by USU percussion faculty member Jason Nicholson
In the Trees for Piano Trio by Ben Shirley
Other composers featured in the program include Nicolás Lell Benavides, Kenji Bunch, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Iman Habibi.
This performance marks the third installment of the Crossing Borders initiative, showcasing the impressive dedication and skill of USU students. They have worked directly with their composer mentors this semester, as well as members of the Fry Street Quartet, Dr. Sasha Kasman Laude, and Dr. Cahill Smith.
####
CONTACT
Emma Lee
Communications Specialist
College of Arts & Sciences
(909) 670-3273
emma.lee@usu.edu
SHARE
Comments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.
