April Events
Monday, April 1
“Placing Ramadan – Geographies of Connection in Istanbul”
McKinnon Hall, Moseley Center, 7 p.m.
The Global Neighborhood, Muslim Life at Elon, and Elon’s Geography program invite you to attend a special guest lecture by Timur Hammond (Geography, Syracuse University) followed by an inter-faith iftar (Ramadan dinner) with guests from the Burlington Masjid. Dr. Hammond will be speaking about the place of Ramadan in public life in Turkey, drawing from his book Placing Islam: Geographies of Connection in 20th Century Istanbul. A free Middle-Eastern buffet will follow. All are welcome! Sponsored by the Global Neighborhood, the History and Geography Department, and Muslim Life at Elon.
Monday, April 1
Isaac Pyatt, faculty percussion recital
Yeager Recital Hall, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Program will include new works by himself, adjunct faculty Suzanne Polak, and local composer Louis Raymond-Kolker, as well as works by Francisco Perez, Ann Southam, and Ruth Zechlin. Sponsored by the Department of Music
Tuesday, April 2
Aloners (2021, Korea, 90 min.)
Global Commons Media Room 103
Global Neighborhood Asian Film Series
A solitary woman re-evaluates her isolated existence after her neighbor dies alone in his apartment. A discussion of the film with Dr. Matt Blomberg (Journalism) and Dr. Soo-Hye Han (Tsuda University) will follow the screening.
Wednesday, April 3
Douglas Jurs, faculty piano recital
Yeager Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Program to include American music by George Gershwin, Florence Price, Frederic Rzewski and others. Sponsored by the Department of Music
Thursday, April 4
An Evening of Bharatanatyam featuring Malini Srinivasan
McKinnon Hall, Moseley Center, 6 p.m.
The solo dance performance will include live music and original choreography by the critically acclaimed
Ms. Srinivasan, inspired by the devotional poetry of the medieval Hindu saint Andal.
As part of an undergraduate research experience, senior Daniel Scheff developed this programming concept as a rare opportunity to explore the intersections of music, dance and religion on campus as well as to celebrate South Asian performing arts during Asian Pacific Islander month.
Thursday, April 4
Jonathan Reckford, Creating Opportunity Together
Whitley Auditorium, 7 p.m.
The James P. Elder Lecture
Jonathan T.M. Reckford is chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, a global Christian housing organization that has helped more than 59 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve their homes. Since 2005, when he took the top leadership position, local Habitat organizations in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries have grown from serving 125,000 individuals each year to helping more than 13.4 million people last year build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Reckford is the chair of Leadership 18, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Global Future Council on the Future for Cities for the World Economic Forum, and a board member of Data Axle and the Barron Collier Companies. Named the most influential nonprofit leader in America in 2017 by The NonProfit Times Reckford is the author of “Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World.” Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available beginning March 14 at elon.edu/boxoffice.
Friday, April 5
Holi Celebration
Speaker’s Corner near Moseley Center, 4 p.m.
A Hindu spring festival of color and sharing love, Holi marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The Elon community gathers at Speaker’s Corner to throw colored powder to celebrate the earth returning to color and life, and good triumphing over evil. If you plan to throw color, please wear old clothing that can get dirtied by paint. There will also be crafts, food and other ways to celebrate the holiday. Hosted by the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Friday-Saturday, April 5 & 6
Elon Music Theatre presents “Grand Night”
Roberts Studio Theatre, Scott Studios at Arts West, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. (same show each night)
Co-directed by Courtney Liu and Jane Lanier
Every year, the Elon Music Theatre community looks forward to Grand Night, an annual tradition to celebrate the entrepreneurial Talents of our students and bid farewell to our seniors. Each number is directed, choreographed, music directed, arranged, and performed by Elon music theatre students, showcasing their versatility, work ethic and leadership skills. Don’t miss this year’s lineup of group production numbers, original choreography, new arrangements and heartfelt performances! Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Reservations will be offered beginning on Friday, March 22 at www.elonperformingarts.com. Sponsored by the Department of Performing Arts
Tuesday, April 9
Tectonic Plates: Alamance County’s Science Café: “Skin Cancer 101”
Burlington Beer Works, Burlington, NC, 7 p.m.
Each month on second Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m., a different scientist will present an engaging topic at Burlington Beer Works in downtown Burlington. In April, the invited expert is David Dasher of Alamance Dermatology. All Tectonic Plates events are free and open to the public. Expect a lively event in a relaxed atmosphere without all the technical jargon. Tectonic Plates runs from September through May. For more information about Tectonic Plates, contact Dave Gammon, professor of biology at Elon.
Wednesday, April 10
Tony La Russa, Creating Innovation Together
Carolina Theatre, 310 S. Greene Street, Greensboro, 6:30 p.m.
Elon Law Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series presented by The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation
Tony La Russa’s professional baseball career started in 1963 with the Kansas City A’s when he became Major League Baseball’s first 18-year-old shortstop to start a game. His remaining 15 years as a player, often interrupted by injuries, were spent in the minors with occasional major league stops. At only 34 years old, La Russa was promoted from a managerial role in the minor leagues to manage the Chicago White Sox. It was the start of a remarkable run that included leadership roles with the Oakland A’s and the St. Louis Cardinals that ended in 2011 following his third World Series Championship. La Russa returned to manage the Chicago White Sox in 2021, and by leading Chicago that year to a Central Division championship, he become the first person to ever manage a team into postseason play in five separate decades. His baseball Hall of Fame accomplishments include second all-time in career regular season and post-season wins, three World Series Championships, six league championships and 15 post-season appearances. To receive time information and updates, please RSVP at law.elon.edu/leadership.
Wednesday, April 10
Elon University Percussion Ensemble Concert
Yeager Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Isaac Pyatt
The Percussion Ensemble will offer an interesting and entertaining concert featuring a variety of percussive instruments. Sponsored by the Department of Music
Thursday-Saturday, April 11-13
Department of Performing Arts presents “As You Like It”
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts
Apr. 11-12 at 7:30 p.m.; Apr. 13 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Written by William Shakespeare; Directed by Kevin Otos
Step into Shakespeare’s theatrical comedy where love blossoms and lives are transformed in a backdrop of witty banter, beautiful poetry, delightful characters, and the timeless themes of love, loyalty and friendship. This vivacious comedy reminds us that, despite life’s hardships and inevitable setbacks, that “all the world’s a stage”, and that the vitality and resiliency of the human spirit can bring us to a place of recognition, where life is, “as we like it.”
Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available beginning March 21 at www.elon.edu/boxoffice.
Tuesday, April 16
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2018, USA, 90 min.)
Global Commons Media Room 103
Global Neighborhood Asian Film Series
From acclaimed director Steve James, the little-known story of the only U.S. bank prosecuted in relation to the 2008 financial crisis: a small, family-run bank in Chinatown. An Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature in 2018. A discussion of the film with Dr. Catherine Chiang moderated by Dr. Binnan Gao will follow the screening.
Wednesday, April 17
Eid al-Fitr
McBride Gathering Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 5:30 p.m.
After fasting for the month of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, “The Holiday of Breaking the Fast.” Celebrate with food, festivities and fellowship, fun trivia, a henna station, and lots of opportunities to learn and celebrate as a community. Hosted by Muslim Life, The Truitt Center for Religious & Spiritual Life
Thursday, April 18
Scott Arthur Banks, “ The Knee Bone is Connected to the Implant!”
Lakeside Meeting Rooms (213-214), 7 p.m.
Voices of Discovery Science Speaker Series
Scott Banks has been active in orthopedic and joint mechanics research his entire career, during which he has designed joint replacement implants that have been used in more than 200,000 patients. He holds numerous medical device patents and collaborates with several medical device companies. He is credited with developing the first quantitative technique for direct measurement of 3D knee replacement motions while patients perform dynamic weight-bearing activities.
Thursday, April 18
Songs of Love
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Elon University’s vocal jazz ensemble, élan, performs a concert of selections from the classic jazz/swing era of the 40’s and 50’s including Gershwin, van Heusen, Berlin, Arlen, Young, Jobim, and many others with student soloists and rhythm section. Sponsored by the Department of Music
Friday-Saturday, April 19 & 20
Instant Laughter
Yeager Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m. both nights
The Department of Performing Arts comic improv troupe, Instant Laughter, takes the stage performing scenes and sketches based on audience suggestions. Admission: $15 at the door. All proceeds benefit Elon’s theatre arts program.
Tuesday, April 23
Passover Seder
Elon Community Church, 5:30 p.m.
Please join the Elon Hillel community for its annual Passover Seder, a musical and interactive community journey from slavery to freedom. Elon Hillel’s Passover seder is open to the entire community to celebrate renewal, springtime and freedom. Tickets will be available through Elon Hillel’s website. Hosted by Hillel, Jewish Life, and The Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
Wednesday, April 24
Britt Wray, “How to Cope with Climate Anxiety: Saving the Earth and Saving Ourselves”
McKinnon Hall, Moseley Center, 7 p.m.
Elon University Earth Week Keynote Address
During this fascinating and hopeful talk, Dr. Britt Wray – groundbreaking researcher, storyteller and author of Generation Dread – will discuss the emotional and existential effects of living in a warming world and how we can get through them together. Although anxieties surrounding climate crisis can cause us to burn out, give up and question deeply personal decisions like whether to have children, working through these anxieties can unlock a deep capacity to care for and act on climate issues.
We need to look at the climate crisis, not just the political or technological issues, but the mental health consequences as well. Dr. Wray will present practical tips and strategies for healthily and productively dealing with our emotions, living with climate trauma and strengthening our communities so we can combat climate change together. Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, Counseling Services, Environmental Studies Department, and the Truitt Center for Religious & Spiritual Life
Wednesday, April 24
Elon Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Alex Heitlinger
The spring concert will feature a selection of traditional to contemporary jazz stylings performed by the Elon University Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos. Sponsored by the Department of Music
Friday-Sunday, April 26-28
The Department of Performing Arts presents “Myths and Hymns”
Roberts Studio Theatre, Scott Studios at Arts West
Apr. 26, 7:30 p.m.; Apr. 27, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Apr. 28, 2 p.m.
Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel and presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals
Directed by Alexandra Warren; Musical Direction by Chris Rayis
In his song cycle, “Myths & Hymns,” Adam Guettel paints an emotional landscape of faith and yearning that embraces a boundless spectrum of ideology and spirituality. The lyrics were inspired by Greek mythology and a 19th Century Presbyterian hymnal; the musical vocabulary sweeps from romantic art song and rock to Latin, gospel and R&B. “Myths & Hymns” elucidates our fantastic desire to transcend earthly bounds, our intrinsic need to connect with something or someone greater in our restless search for enlightenment. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Reservations will be offered beginning April 19 at elonperformingarts.com
Saturday, April 27
Elon Electric Ensemble, “The 80s Unplugged”
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Todd Coleman
Featuring acoustic renditions of classic 80s hits by artists such as Journey, Cindi Lauper, Genesis, U2, Toto, Bryan Adams, The Cars, Whitney Houston, Simple Minds, Howard Jones, Don Henley, The Cars, REO Speedwagon, Bon Jovi, Tom Petty, Mr. Mister, and more!
Sponsored by the Department of Music
Tuesday, April 30
Elon Music Ambassadors
McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Virginia Novine-Whittaker
The Elon Music Ambassadors will showcase its Spring touring concert, featuring a wide variety of genres from jazz to pop. This eclectic ensemble consists of eleven talented musicians, instrumentalists and vocalists, each selected to represent Elon University to prospective students and perform for special university events. It promises to be an exciting evening of music that will have you dancing in your seat. Sponsored by the Department of Music