The Arts At USU: October Events Preview

This October, the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University invites you to embrace the spirit of autumn with a month of performances and exhibitions. Read below for more details about these coming events, and subscribe to the weekly events reminder email.

Wassermann Piano Series, Young Artist: Dominic Doutney

Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Dominic Doutney is a rising young concert pianist, born in Britain and currently based in Chicago. He will present a program of Brahms, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff at Utah State University in advance of his Kennedy Center debut next month.

Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B

Oct. 4-12, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 5, 1 p.m.

Caine Lyric Theatre

It's London, 2021, and Ms. Sherlock Holmes and Ms. Joan Watson meet and become fast...friends? In this irreverent, face-paced, dark comedy, you'll find murders, buckets of blood, and a feminist retelling of some of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous stories.

Movie Equivalent Rating: PG-13

Annual Undergraduate Exhibition

Oct. 7-25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Chase Fine Arts Center, Tippetts and Eccles Galleries

The Art + Design Undergraduate Art Exhibition celebrates the diversity of creative expression within the department, showcasing an impressive range of artwork from students at various levels in their academic journey. The exhibition offers a comprehensive view of the talent emerging from disciplines such as drawing & painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, design, ceramics, and our foundations courses.

Annual Undergraduate Exhibition Reception

Oct. 10, 5 p.m.

Chase Fine Arts Center, Tippetts and Eccles Galleries

Chamber Music Society of Logan Will Hagan, Albert Cano Smit, Sandy Mohamed and Arthur Hornig (Piano Quartet)

Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

A truly unique international collaboration, four internationally-recognized soloists join forces as a piano quartet, including Utah-based violinist Will Hagen, French-Egyptian violist Sindy Mohamed, Spanish/Dutch pianist Albert Cano Smit, and German cellist Arthur Hornig.

Big Bands

Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Join the national award-winning USU Jazz Orchestra and the USU Jazz Ensemble as they perform selections of classic and contemporary jazz music in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall on campus. The event is free for USU students with ID.

Communitas Lecture Series Janina Myronova

Oct. 10, 5 p.m.

Eccles Conference Center Room: 216

Janina Myronova and her vibrant, rosy-cheeked clay sculptures are traveling the globe, capturing unique characters and sharing their stories along the way. Originally from Ukraine and now residing in Poland, Myronova has embraced the artist-in-residence lifestyle since completing her PhD in 2019. Her "chubby, anatomically misshapen" creations, as she describes them, have been crafted by hand in countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, Denmark, France, Turkey, China, and Poland over the past three years, with each culture influencing her work and the narratives she seeks to convey.

Silent Film Festival — USU Piano

Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Step back in time for a night of movie magic as Utah State University Piano majors bring the silent film era to life! Watch as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Mabel Normand and others dazzle the screen while our talented pianists provide the live, toe-tapping soundtrack. Get ready to laugh, gasp and marvel at the unforgettable combination of classic comedy and piano artistry!

USU Symphony Orchestra

Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Chase Fine Arts Center, Daines Concert Hall

The Caine College of the Arts presents the Utah State University Symphony Orchestra's first concert of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in the Daines Concert Hall.

The concert, titled "Home Is Where the Heart Is," will be conducted by the USU Symphony Orchestra's new conductor, Daniel Alfred Wachs. It will feature members of the Department of Music wind and brass faculty in an all-American program, including Samuel Barber's haunting "Knoxville: Summer of 1915," performed by guest artist and Metropolitan Opera star soprano Janai Brugger. Also featured will be Aaron Copland's iconic "Appalachian Spring" in its version for full orchestra.

"It is a thrill and an honor for me to be joining the Caine College of the Arts faculty," Wachs says. He comes to Logan from Vienna, Austria. "There is so much talent between my faculty colleagues and our incredible students that I was inspired to find a way to present both. This all-American program of 20th-century composers also allows me to honor educators, including two of my own, Otto-Werner Mueller and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon."

Adult: $10

Senior: $8

USU Students: FREE

American Festival Chorus & Orchestra: A Sesquicentiennial Celebration

Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Chase Fine Arts Center, Daines Concert Hall

The Music of Gustav Holst will be presented by the American Festival Chorus & Orchestra.

Artoberfest

Oct. 23, 5 p.m.

Taggart Student Center

Artoberfest is back, bringing a vibrant mix of creativity and community! From painting and ceramics to interactive crafts, there’s something for everyone. Local artists will showcase their work, and you can dive in to explore different art forms yourself. Enjoy free food, get hands-on with crafts, and celebrate the beauty of expression at this fun-filled event. Whether you're an art lover or just looking for a good time, come join the festivities and share in the joy of creativity!

Jazz Jams

Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.

TSC Hub

This concert will feature the Caine Jazz Combo, a guest artist, and jazz students from the Music Department performing standard jazz tunes. The jam session is open to everyone, and attendees are encouraged to bring their instruments and join in. Jam sessions take place on the Hub Stage on the first floor of the Taggart Student Center, near the food court.

Monster Concert 2024: Monster Goes Galactic

Oct. 26, 4 p.m.

Chase Fine Arts Center, Daines Concert Hall

Come join the USU Youth Conservatory at our favorite yearly tradition: Monster Concert! Over 200 young pianists throughout Cache Valley and USU piano majors will come together to play music on over 18 pianos in the beautiful Daines Concert Hall. Our favorite YC monster mascot Frankensteinway and pianos galore will leave you and your family with amazing memories that will last forever. We can’t wait to see you there!

USU Opera Theatre Production: The Toxic Avenger

Oct. 28-31, 7:30 p.m.

Caine Lyric Theatre

The Toxic Avenger by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro. Directed by Dallas Aksoy.

Based on the cult film, The Toxic Avenger is a rock musical featuring a nerd-turned-mutant-superhero out to win the girl of his dreams (a blind librarian) and stop his home state of New Jersey from turning into more of a toxic wasteland than it already is.

This award-winning macabre comedy is a perfect way to have rockin’-scary Halloween! Performed by USU voice and orchestra students in the haunted Caine Lyric Theatre, Oct. 28-31, 7:30pm. Join us if you dare...!

Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Language, Sexual Innuendo, Blood & Gore, Mature Themes, Political Incorrectness

Not suitable for children, ages 15+ only

Jazz Kicks

Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Jazz Kicks Band is a 17-piece band playing exciting jazz music, featuring accomplished musicians from Northern Utah.

Fry Street Quartet and Friends

Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall

Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10

Claude Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10, a cornerstone of the chamber music repertoire, will close our October concert with its impressionistic textures and vivid harmonic language. This quartet, with its shimmering colors and dynamic interplay, provides a striking contrast to the other works on the program, capturing the visceral beauty and emotional depth that Debussy is renowned for.

Night Fire by Akshaya Tucker

"Night Fire," a work for string quartet and tenor by Akshaya Tucker, was also written for the Fry Street Quartet and premiered last spring in the NOVA series in Salt Lake City. Another work created in partnership with GLFCAM’s "Composing Earth" project, Tucker’s composition, with its vivid textures and poignant text by Wren Brian, confronts us with the terror of escaping a wildfire. The FSQ is joined by tenor Thomas Glenn for this performance.

Bartók: Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano

Bartók’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, a work of intense energy and rhythmic drive, showcases the composer’s deep connection to the folk traditions of Eastern Europe. Violinist Robert Waters and pianist Jason Hardink will bring this electrifying piece to life, capturing the fiery spirit and intricate dialogues between the two instruments.