Skip to main content

2026-2027 Exhibition Submissions: Dittmar Gallery

Ongoing
Evanston
2026-27 submissions are now open through April 10, 2026.  Please CLICK HERE to submit your exhibition proposal. Dittmar Memorial Gallery at Norris University Center is an exhibition space and gatherin...
Visual ArtsMarch 20261773723600

Tuesday Karaoke at Luna's Pub!

Starting March 17, 2026
Evanston
Join us at Norris for weekly programming on Next Up! Stage! in Luna's Pub & Grill! Gather your friends for Tuesday Night Karaoke from 7:00 to 9:00pm each week. 
March 20261773792000
Hamdia Traoré (Malian, born 1992), Yelpha Djiété, Marabout et Maître Coranique. Il est Imam de la Grande Mosquée de Djenné-Konofia (Yelpha Djiété, Marabout and Qur’anic Teacher. He is Imam of the Great Mosque of Jenne-Konofia), from the series Des marabou

Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali

Starting March 18, 2026
Evanston
The storied city of Djenné, a center of Islamic learning, study, and scholarship since the twelfth century, is the hometown of Bamako-based photographer Hamdia Traoré (b. 1992, Mali). The thirty portr...
Visual ArtsMarch 20261773853200
Teresa Montoya (Diné, born 1984), Tó Łisto #3 (Yellow Water #3), from the series Tó Łisto (Yellow Water), 2016, printed 2024. Inkjet print. Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, Block Board of Advisors Endowment Fund purchase, 2024.

Teresa Montoya’s Tó Łitso (Yellow Water): Ten Years after the Gold King Mine Spill

Starting March 18, 2026
Evanston
On August 5, 2015, the rupture of the abandoned Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, released more than three million gallons of toxic wastewater into the Animas River, turning its waters a shocki...
Visual ArtsMarch 20261773853200

Ramble On Subtitle EDE Rocks!

Starting March 19, 2026
Evanston
The Evanston Dance Ensemble is diving into the archives. Join us as we explore the culture, attitude, and expansive reach of rock and roll music. Artistic Director Enid Smith and Assistant to the Dire...
Theatre and DanceMarch 20261773966600

Ramble On Subtitle EDE Rocks!

Starting March 21, 2026
Evanston
The Evanston Dance Ensemble is diving into the archives. Join us as we explore the culture, attitude, and expansive reach of rock and roll music. Artistic Director Enid Smith and Assistant to the Dire...
Theatre and DanceMarch 20261774116000

Tuesday Karaoke in Luna's Pub!

Starting March 31, 2026
Evanston
Join us at Norris for weekly programming on Next Up! Stage! in Luna's Pub & Grill! Gather your friends for Tuesday Night Karaoke from 8:00 to 10:00pm each week. 
HumanitiesMarch 20261775005200

Thursday Trivia in Luna's Pub!

Starting April 16, 2026
Evanston
Join in us for our weekly programming on Next Up! Stage! in Luna's Pub & Grill! Gather your friends for Thursday Trivia, Thursdays from 7-9pm. 
HumanitiesApril 20261776384000

Love & Information

Starting May 1, 2026
Evanston
By Caryl Churchill Directed by Claire Bauman  Someone sneezes. Someone can’t get a signal. Someone won’t answer the door. Someone put an elephant on the stairs. Someone’s not ready to talk. Someone is...
Theatre and DanceMay 20261777681800

MFA Collaboration Series: David’s Redhaired Death

Starting May 8, 2026
Evanston
By Sherry Kramer Directed by Rosalind Faires  Two women find that they have everything in common until the death of a brother drives them apart. Part stand-up comedy, part stand-up tragedy for two. Th...
Theatre and DanceMay 20261778286600

Writers Fest 2026

Starting May 11, 2026
Evanston
Please join us for the 18th annual Writers Festival, featuring renowned writers offering public readings! This year's featured writers are Leni Zumas, Aminatta Forna, and Marsha de la O.  May 11: Read...
Literary ArtsMay 20261778536800

In The Time of the Butterflies

Starting May 22, 2026
Evanston
By Caridad Svich Based on the novel by Julia Alvarez Directed by Mariana Parejo Molinares  Known as “The Butterflies,” the spirited and courageous Mirabal sisters inspired a fight for freedom in the D...
Theatre and DanceMay 20261779496200

The Beyond

Starting May 29, 2026
Evanston
Music by Harrison Lewis  Created by Julie Marie Myatt, Jessica Thebus, Harrison Lewis, Jeff Hancock, Chloe Johnston, Cheyenne Casebier, and the Northwestern community. Directed by Julie Marie Myatt an...
Theatre and DanceMay 20261780101000

Ramble On Subtitle EDE Rocks!

March 21, 2026
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Evanston
The Evanston Dance Ensemble is diving into the archives. Join us as we explore the culture, attitude, and expansive reach of rock and roll music. Artistic Director Enid Smith and Assistant to the Dire...
Theatre and DanceMarch 20261774105200
Woman sitting on couch

“Marsha:” Online Collection Talk

April 2, 2026
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM, Online
Join Block Museum staff for a talk considering an artwork from the Block’s collection that reflects on legacies of living free, queer activism, and the trans experience, in connection to the 2025-2026...
Visual ArtsApril 20261775151000

Thursday Trivia in Luna's Pub!

April 2, 2026
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Join in us for our weekly programming on Next Up! Stage! in Luna's Pub & Grill! Gather your friends for Thursday Trivia, Thursdays from 7-9pm. 
HumanitiesApril 20261775174400
Images of storms on a gridded mat

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHASING STORMS (2025) with Curtis Miller & Robin Tanamachi

April 3, 2026
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Block Cinema presents a free screening of A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHASING STORMS (2025) with filmmaker and Northwestern ATP lecturer Curtis Miller as well as atmospheric scientist and storm chaser Robin Ta...
FilmApril 20261775260800
Amanda Majeski

Amanda Majeski Vocal Master Class

April 7, 2026
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Part of the Tichio-Finnie Vocal Master Class Series  Lurdes Zapata and Maya Behiri, soprano; Isabel Yang, mezzo-soprano; Leonardo Mangalindan, tenor; Alan Darling, piano  The Financial Times remarked...
MusicApril 20261775606400

Opening Reception: Community Art Show

April 9, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Evanston
Join us for the opening reception of our annual community show which brings together artists from Northwestern, Evanston and greater Chicagoland communities to display their works in a group show.  Ar...
Visual ArtsApril 20261775775600
Garrick Ohlsson smiles in front of a piano.

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

April 10, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Part of the Skyline Piano Artist Series “Impeccable clarity and architecture” —International Piano Since triumphing as the first and only American winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competi...
MusicApril 20261775867400

Thaviu-Isaak Endowed Piano Competition

April 11, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM, Evanston
Featuring Northwestern piano students nominated by the Bienen School piano faculty, this annual competition was established by the late violin professor Samuel Thaviu and his wife, Elinor Thaviu, to h...
MusicApril 20261775926800
men selling hay

Diné in Focus Photography Collective: Panel Discussion

April 11, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM, Evanston
Join the Block Museum for a conversation with four Diné (Navajo) photographers and scholars whose work documents contemporary life across the Navajo Nation. Working collectively through Diné in Focus,...
Visual ArtsApril 20261775934000
Raphaella Smits plays the guitar.

Raphaella Smits, guitar

April 11, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Part of the Segovia Classical Guitar Series "...one of the most delicate and most cultivated performers of our time."   —Diapason  A renowned guitarist and pedagogue, Raphaella Smits plays worldwide o...
MusicApril 20261775953800

Performing in the Parlor: The Golden Age of Guitar and Elocution

April 12, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM, Evanston
Anne Waller, Mark Maxwell, and Brian Torosian, guitar; Fiona Maxwell, theater artist A “musical and literary entertainment” in the style of 19th-century parlor performance. Hear American, French, Aust...
MusicApril 20261776020400

Samuel and Elinor Thaviu String Competition

April 12, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM, Evanston
Featuring Northwestern string students nominated by the Bienen School string faculty, this annual competition was established by the late violin professor Samuel Thaviu and his wife, Elinor Thaviu. Th...
MusicApril 20261776020400

Spring 2026 Arts & Crafts Fair

April 16, 2026
3:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Evanston
Join us for the annual Arts and Crafts fair at Norris University Center. Each year, the Arts and Crafts fair draws hundreds of campus and Evanston community members to support Northwestern community a...
Visual ArtsApril 20261776369600

Variety Night - Live Painting!

April 17, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Evanston
Join in us for weekly Variety Nights on Next Up! Stage! from 6:00 - 8:00pm UPCOMING VARIETY NIGHTS Friday, April 17 - Live Painting Friday, April 24- Open Mic Night Friday, May 8 - Standup Comedy  Fri...
April 20261776466800

Karen Kan-Walsh and Julian Kwok, piano

April 17, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Coordinator of keyboard skills and non-major piano at the Bienen School, Karen Kan-Walsh has given performances in Russia and China, as well as throughout the Chicago and Ann Arbor areas. An active me...
MusicApril 20261776472200

Contemporary Music Ensemble

April 18, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Ben Bolter and Shihan Jin, conductors Tanner Carlson-Huber, Perpetual Non-Motion Machine (world premiere) Adam J. Benefield, Armageddon Amy Beth Kirsten, Drink Me Marcos Balter, Code-Switching
MusicApril 20261776558600

Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra

April 23, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Harvey Felder, conductor; Desirée Ruhstrat, violin Arnold Bax, Dance in the Sunlight from Three Pieces for Small Orchestra Clarice Assad, Violin Concerto Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 2 in D Majo...
MusicApril 20261776990600

Variety Night - Open Mic Night!

April 24, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Evanston
Join in us for weekly Variety Nights on Next Up! Stage! from 6:00 - 8:00pm UPCOMING VARIETY NIGHTS Friday, April 17 - Live Painting Friday, April 24- Open Mic Night Friday, May 8 - Standup Comedy  Fri...
April 20261777071600

Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra

April 24, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Donald Schleicher, conductor; Shihan Jin, graduate assistant conductor Lili Boulanger, D’un matin de printemps (Of a Spring Morning) Richard Strauss, Don Juan, Op. 20 Igor Stravinsky, Le sacre du prin...
MusicApril 20261777077000
man sitting surrounded by children

Islamic Education in West Africa

April 25, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM, Evanston
In response to the Block exhibition Hamdia Traoré’s “Des marabouts de Djenné” and Muslim Portraiture in Mali, this panel discussion will consider Islamic education as both global cultural heritage and...
Visual ArtsApril 20261777143600
Marquis Hill plays the trumpet.

Marquis Hill

April 25, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
“His genre exchange has the ease of a walk across the street to a friend’s place.”  —Downbeat  Trumpeter and composer Marquis Hill has made it his mission to break down the barriers between contempora...
MusicApril 20261777163400
Aristo Sham at the piano.

Aristo Sham, piano

April 26, 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Evanston
Part of the Skyline Piano Artist Series Winner of the Gold Medal at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Aristo Sham is a laureate of international competitions, with first-prize wins...
MusicApril 20261777233600

Jazz Small Ensembles: The Music of Miles Davis

April 27, 2026
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Derrick Gardner and Kevin Fort, conductors The Derrick Gardner and Kevin Fort ensembles continue the celebration of the Miles Davis centennial with a selection of the legendary trumpeter, bandleader, ...
MusicApril 20261777338000

Northwestern Concerto/Aria Competition

April 28, 2026
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Evanston
With a reputation for producing some of the world’s finest young instrumentalists and vocalists, the Bienen School of Music showcases top students in the final rounds of this year’s solo competition. 
MusicApril 20261777413600
Slums and manicured yard.

Curator Talk: Archival Research and Exhibition Development

April 30, 2026
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM, Evanston
Join curator Uche Okpa-Iroha, the 2026 Block Museum Curatorial Graduate Fellow and Art History doctoral student, for an interactive conversation on how making use of research library collections (in t...
Visual ArtsApril 20261777581000

Northwestern University Jazz Orchestra

April 30, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Derrick Gardner, conductor; Ari Hoenig, drums The Jazz Orchestra welcomes guest drummer Ari Hoenig for their first concert of the spring quarter. Dubbed a “postbop daredevil” (Time Out New York) for w...
MusicApril 20261777595400

Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Combined Choirs: Sacred and Profane

May 2, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Andrew Megill, A. J. Keller, and Robert Taylor, conductors Combined Bienen School choirs and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble join forces for a unique collaboration exploring music of awe, reverence, and f...
MusicMay 20261777768200

Symphonic Band

May 3, 2026
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM, Evanston
Shawn Vondran, conductor The centerpiece of the Symphonic Band’s first spring concert is Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (orchestrated by Maurice Ravel and transcribed for band by Paul L...
MusicMay 20261777838400

Jazz Small Ensembles: Countdown to 100—The Music of John Coltrane

May 4, 2026
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Darius Hampton and Joe Clark, conductors Saxophonist, bandleader, and composer John Coltrane is among the most influential figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. He began his career wo...
MusicMay 20261777942800

Percussion Ensemble

May 7, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
She-e Wu, director An evening of eclectic rhythms.
MusicMay 20261778200200

Student Composers Concert

May 7, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
A program of new works by Bienen School student composers.
MusicMay 20261778200200

Variety Nights - Student Standup Comedy!

May 8, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Evanston
Join in us for weekly Variety Nights on Next Up! Stage! from 6:00 - 8:00pm UPCOMING VARIETY NIGHTS Friday, April 17 - Live Painting Friday, April 24- Open Mic Night Friday, May 8 - Standup Comedy  Fri...
May 20261778281200

Keyboard Conversations: Music of Joy and Peace

May 8, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Part of Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel Jeffrey Siegel, piano  Siegel closes the 2025-26 season of Keyboard Conversations with uplifting, buoyant works of Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schuman...
MusicMay 20261778286600

Bienen Harp Studio

May 9, 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM, Evanston
Marguerite Lynn Williams, director; Lynn Koschnitzke, Marin Trendel, and Madeleine Worrall, harp Solo and chamber works for harp by Damase, Debussy, Grandjany, Liszt, Renié, and Still.
MusicMay 20261778349600

MFA Collaboration Series: David’s Redhaired Death

May 9, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:15 PM, Evanston
By Sherry Kramer Directed by Rosalind Faires  Two women find that they have everything in common until the death of a brother drives them apart. Part stand-up comedy, part stand-up tragedy for two. Th...
Theatre and DanceMay 20261778373000
Xuefei Yang poses with her guitar.

Xuefei Yang, guitar

May 9, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Part of the Segovia Classical Guitar Series “with sparkle, clarity, and flair.” —New York Sun  Xuefei Yang is acclaimed as one of the world’s finest classical guitarists. Hailed as a musical pioneer, ...
MusicMay 20261778373000

Brass Ensemble: American Classics

May 12, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Adam Unsworth, director A program of works by American composers, including Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story Suite featuring Bienen student soloists
MusicMay 20261778632200

Northwestern University Jazz Ensemble: Good Vibes—The Art of the Jazz Vibraphone

May 12, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Darius Hampton, conductor The Jazz Ensemble showcases the innovators of the jazz vibraphone with a program including music by Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, and Gary Burton.
MusicMay 20261778632200

Zachary Good, clarinet

May 14, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Zachary Good ('23 DMA) is the clarinetist of Eighth Blackbird, a member of Ensemble Dal Niente, and a founding co-artistic director and member of performance collective Mocrep. He has frequently perfo...
MusicMay 20261778805000

Concert Band: Celebration

May 15, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Daniel J. Farris, conductor Director of Athletic Bands Daniel J. Farris conducts his final concert after 26 years at Northwestern, where he led the “Wildcat” Marching Band and Concert Band. Prior to h...
MusicMay 20261778891400

Guitar Ensemble

May 17, 2026
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM, Evanston
Anne Waller, director Music for guitar soloists, small ensembles, and full ensemble.
MusicMay 20261779048000

Spring Festival Concert

May 17, 2026
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Evanston
Stephen Alltop, conductor; Millar Choir and soloists; Baroque Music Ensemble The Millar Choir and Baroque Music Ensemble join forces for a jubilant concert of Baroque masterworks for soloists, choir, ...
MusicMay 20261779055200

Trombone Choir

May 18, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Reed Capshaw, director Music written and arranged for trombones.
MusicMay 20261779150600
headshot brunette woman

Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings (Online)

May 21, 2026
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM, Online
This webinar will provide an introduction to wall drawings conceived by Sol LeWitt (American, 1928-2007), with attention to how they are made and why the artist pursued this form of artmaking.  Sol Le...
Visual ArtsMay 20261779384600

Variety Night - Drag Show!

May 22, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Evanston
Join in us for weekly Variety Nights on Next Up! Stage! from 6:00 - 8:00pm UPCOMING VARIETY NIGHTS Friday, April 17 - Live Painting Friday, April 24- Open Mic Night Friday, May 8 - Standup Comedy  Fri...
May 20261779490800

Symphonic Wind Ensemble: Sonic Tales

May 22, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Robert Taylor, conductor; Imran Amarshi and Michael Witt, graduate assistant conductors The Symphonic Wind Ensemble presents an evening of musical storytelling, where familiar legends and new tales co...
MusicMay 20261779496200

Contemporary Music Ensemble

May 23, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Ben Bolter, Alan Pierson, and Shihan Jin, conductors Matthew Mailman, world premiere Jianing Yang, world premiere Kelley Sheehan, splitting to collapse Frederic Rzewski, Coming Together
MusicMay 20261779582600

Jazz Small Ensembles: New Beginnings—Student Originals

May 27, 2026
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Derrick Gardner and Kevin Fort, conductors The Derrick Gardner and Kevin Fort ensembles share new compositions and arrangements by jazz studies students.
MusicMay 20261779930000

Puccini's La rondine

May 28, 2026
7:30 PM - 10:00 PM, Evanston
(The Swallow) Joachim Schamberger, director; Christopher Allen, conductor; Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra  Magda, a courtesan and mistress of the wealthy Rambaldo, enjoys high society life ...
MusicMay 20261780014600

Variety Night - Game Night!

May 29, 2026
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Evanston
Join in us for weekly Variety Nights on Next Up! Stage! from 6:00 - 8:00pm UPCOMING VARIETY NIGHTS Friday, April 17 - Live Painting Friday, April 24- Open Mic Night Friday, May 8 - Standup Comedy  Fri...
May 20261780095600

Puccini's La rondine

May 29, 2026
7:30 PM - 10:00 PM, Evanston
(The Swallow)Puccini's La rondine Joachim Schamberger, director; Christopher Allen, conductor; Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra  Magda, a courtesan and mistress of the wealthy Rambaldo, enjoy...
MusicMay 20261780101000

Symphonic Band

May 29, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Shawn Vondran, conductor The Symphonic Band’s second spring-quarter concert takes as its focal point George Gershwin’s Catfish Row: Symphonic Suite from Porgy and Bess, arranged for band by Donald Hun...
MusicMay 20261780101000

Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra

May 30, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Donald Schleicher, conductor; Lena Ying-Ting Wong, graduate assistant conductor; Hiu Sing Fan, violin (Northwestern Concerto Competition winner) Richard Wagner, Lohengrin: Prelude to Act III Jean Sibe...
MusicMay 20261780187400

Puccini's La rondine

May 30, 2026
7:30 PM - 10:00 PM, Evanston
(The Swallow) Joachim Schamberger, director; Christopher Allen, conductor; Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra  Magda, a courtesan and mistress of the wealthy Rambaldo, enjoys high society life ...
MusicMay 20261780187400

Philharmonia

May 31, 2026
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Evanston
Luis Aguilar, graduate conductor; Lena Ying-Ting Wong and Shihan Jin, graduate assistant conductors  W. A. Mozart, Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527  Gabriel Fauré, Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Op. 80  ...
MusicMay 20261780257600

Puccini's La rondine

May 31, 2026
3:00 PM - 5:30 PM, Evanston
(The Swallow) Joachim Schamberger, director; Christopher Allen, conductor; Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra  Magda, a courtesan and mistress of the wealthy Rambaldo, enjoys high society life ...
MusicMay 20261780257600

Northwestern Camerata: Between Valley and Sky

May 31, 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Evanston
Ari Carillo, conductor Sacred and secular songs of hope, light, and comfort, by composers ranging from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi and J. S. Bach to Craig Hella Johnson and Caroline Shaw. Dolly Parton...
MusicMay 20261780264800

Jazz Small Ensembles: New Beginnings—Student Originals

June 1, 2026
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM, Evanston
Darius Hampton and Joe Clark, conductors The Darius Hampton and Joe Clark ensembles share original compositions and arrangements by jazz studies students.
MusicJune 20261780362000

Northwestern University Jazz Orchestra: New Beginnings—Student and Faculty Compositions and Arrangements

June 4, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Derrick Gardner, conductor The Jazz Orchestra finishes the spring quarter with a concert highlighting fresh compositions and arrangements by jazz studies students and faculty.
MusicJune 20261780619400

Combined Choirs

June 6, 2026
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, Evanston
Andrew Megill and A. J. Keller, conductors; Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble, University Chorale, University Singers, and Northwestern Camerata The combined Bienen choral ensembles present one...
MusicJune 20261780792200