Brookhaven’s Oglethorpe University is a mecca for arts and culture

Brookhaven, GA, Oct. 1, 2019 -- As cities and communities across America celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month throughout October, Brookhaven residents don’t have to look any further than their own back yard.  Upcoming offerings that should appeal to local cultural cravings include Mozart to Matisse, lyrical harp melodies and Baroque classics to classic rock, thanks to Brookhaven’s own arts oasis, Oglethorpe University.

Oct. 6 – Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), a comic opera in four acts by Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, will be presented by Atlanta Concert Opera   The opera first premiered in Vienna in 1786 and this Mozart masterpiece remains a favorite in operatic repertoires around the world. Presented at Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, $10 admission at the door.

Atlanta Concert Opera was founded in 2019 as an artist-focused, artist-led company hoping to serve singers, instrumentalists, and conductors in the Atlanta area. As an artist-centered institution, Atlanta Concert Opera hopes to enrich the local arts community by producing one mainstage concert opera with orchestra, ensuring the casting amplifies the experience of the singers and allows them to study common repertoire roles in a safe and nurturing environment. Go to museum.oglethorpe.edu.

Oct. 18-27 – Spring Awakening, presented by Oglethorpe University Theatre. The winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Spring Awakening is a groundbreaking rock musical about adolescent love, the trials of puberty, and the friendships that young people build in the face of an uncomprehending world.

Inspired by Frank Wedekind’s once-banned and still provocative German play from 1891, this Spring Awakening holds a mirror up to our own time, and has become a must-see musical of a new generation. The play contains adult themes and sexual content. Conant Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe. All performances at 8 p.m. except Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. Cost is $10 at the door. Go to oglethor.pe/ConantPAC  for information.

Now through Dec. 15 -- Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA) has two outstanding new art exhibits open. A Route Campagne: Impressionist Works from the Melamed Family will open in The Shelley and Donald Rubin Gallery featuring more than 35 original works of art by artists such as Bonnard, Boudin, Cezanne, Chagall, Corot, Matisse, Montezin, Pissaro and Renoir, among others.

Also now open is OUMA Collects: Selections from the Permanent Collection highlighting selected works including new acquisitions of works by Romare Bearden and Raphael Soyer plus a diverse collection ranging from 14th Century Japanese sculpture to contemporary abstract works from the 21st Century. The museum is located at Lowry Hall, 3rd Floor, 4484 Peachtree Road. NE. Open Tues.-Sun. from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, free for children under 12. More information can be found at museum.oglethorpe.edu

Nov. 1 – Oglethorpe University Singers and Chorale Fall Concert, 8 p.m. and free admission at Conant Performing Arts Center. Recently returned from a tour in China where the choir joined two other American choirs at the Xi’an International Music Festival, the University Singers are joined by several orchestral ensembles from the music department under the direction of Dr. Timothy Powell. Details at oglethor.pe/ConantPAC.

Nov. 3 – Concert by Harp Sounds of Atlanta, 4 p.m., Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, $10 at door.  OUMA's Skylight Gallery Concert Series presents Atlanta Harp Sound performing "Ravel, Massenet, and More.” Founded in 2012 by John Alan Wickey, Atlanta Harp Sound is an eight-harp ensemble, comprised of an eclectic group of harpists from across metro Atlanta. Free for members, children under 12, and with an OU Petrel Pass. More information: museum.oglethorpe.edu or call 404-364-8555.

Don’t panic if you can’t get to any of the October Arts and Humanities Month events or early November offerings. Local audiences can usually find an abundance of activities aimed at expanding their cultural horizons year-round.

###