Sunday, March 3

Elon Contemporary Chamber Ensemble Spring Concert

Elon Community Church, 271 N. Williamson Avenue, Elon, 2 p.m.

Directed by Jonathan Poquette

Composed of professional musicians from the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, the ECCE concert will feature a wide variety of contemporary music suited for all audiences. Sponsored by the Department of Music

RESCHEDULED: Monday, March 4
SUNDAY, MAY 5

A Polak Composition Compendium

Whitley Auditorium, 7 p.m.

A program of both world premiere and older works written by Adjunct Accompanist Faculty Suzanne Polak. Featuring a slew of amazing performers including fellow faculty members Gretchen Bruesehoff and Isaac Pyatt and a student volunteer choir, this promises to be a night of new music not to be missed! Sponsored by the Department of Music

Tuesday, March 5

Fry Street Quartet

Whitley Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.
Elon University Lyceum Series

Hailed as “a triumph of ensemble playing” by The New York Times – this remarkable quartet is a multi-faceted ensemble taking chamber music in new directions. The Fry Street Quartet’s tour repertoire reaches many corners of the musical spectrum, including works of Britten, Schubert, Beethoven and Bartok alongside contemporary works. The Fry Street Quartet holds the Dan C. and Manon Caine Russell Endowed String Quartet Residency at the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University and has recently celebrated its 20th anniversary season. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available beginning February 13 at www.elon.edu/boxoffice.

Thursday, March 7

International Women’s Day Panel 

Lakeside Meeting Rooms, 5:30 p.m. 

This panel will feature women entrepreneurs and local grassroot organizers from Alamance County.

Friday-Sunday, March 8-10

The Department of Performing Arts presents the Spring Dance Concert

McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts
Mar. 8 at 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 9 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Mar. 10 at 2 p.m.

Artistic director: Jen Guy Metcalf

The Spring Dance Concert features original choreography by Elon faculty and guest artists performed by Elon students. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available beginning February 16 at www.elon.edu/boxoffice.

Monday, March 11

Alexi Pappas, “Lessons from an Olympian”

Whitley Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

Liberal Arts Forum Lecture

Alexi Pappas is a Greek American and the Greek national recordholder in the 10,000m event set at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She is also an award-winning writer and filmmaker. Her critically acclaimed 2021 memoir-in-essays, “Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain and Other Big Ideas,” delves into her early-life experience losing her mother to suicide and her own struggle with post-Olympic depression. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Runner’s World, Women’s Running, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic and Outside. Pappas co-wrote/co-directed and starred in the feature film Tracktown with Rachel Dratch and Andy Buckley.

Tuesday, March 12

Daniel Griffin, “Tree Rings and the Promise of Environmental Change”

McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7 p.m.

Voices of Discovery Science Speaker Series

Trees form rings that record a history of their local environment and contain critical information for environmental managers to sustainably stewart water and forest resources in the face of our rapidly changing climate. Daniel Griffin is a dendrochronologist, a scientist who studies tree ring characteristics over long periods of time. Griffin’s paleoclimate work in California showed that the recent drought, exacerbated by the heat of climate change, was unusual in the context of at least the last millennium. He is also passionate about using dendrochronology for old-growth forest identification and conservation.

Tuesday, March 12

Tectonic Plates: Alamance County’s Science Café: Syncing sweat: understanding fitness devices, data and health

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 March, our invited expert is exercise scientist Matt Wittstein, Associate Professor at Elon. 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, March 13

Embodied Wisdom: Catalyzing Social Change (A Power + Place Community Gathering)

Elon Community Church, 271 N. Williamson Avenue, Elon, NC, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Sometimes our best efforts to solve group, organizational, societal and systemic challenges result in unaffected, worsening or temporarily resolved problems. We usually rely on individual analysis and strategic thinking using mainstream, institutional knowledge sources. What if we were to access the wealth of other types of knowledge in the world around us: aesthetic, intuitive, emotional, spiritual, relational, energetic, communal, lived experiential, embodied, etc.? There are several practices, both old and new, that explore these other types of knowledge by creating awareness and using intention to act. Join the Elon and Alamance community in exploring the rich wisdom or our shared stories and collective embodied knowledge. This interactive session will help participants imagine opportunities to create social change and craft a strategic path forward. Facilitated by Savannah Keith Gress, independent consultant & Victor Udoewa, NASA.

Savannah Keith Gress (she/her) is an independent consultant who works in community with others to end the systems of oppression that harm us all and cultivate liberation. Her work has centered on advancing racial justice in education including using dialogue to facilitate adaptive change; data, systems thinking, and Relational Design to fuel equity-oriented action, and learning and evaluation to drive continuous improvement in organizations advancing justice. Savannah now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina where she loves hiking, exploring the local art scene, and being a part of the community with her two children and husband.

Victor Udoewa is a civic designer for the federal government helping to improve policies, products and services for the public – residents, immigrants, refugees and citizens. He also works on community projects in his city, as a community member bringing research and design skills. He works with Radical Participatory Design and Relational Design approaches using arts-based and asset-based methods, depending on what the community chooses, and has projects focused on Black Liberation using healing-centered systems approaches.

Sponsored by the Power + Place Collaborative, the 2024 Design Forge, Impact Alamance, and the North Carolina Humanities (a statewide nonprofit and the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities). If you are able to attend, please register via this event link.

Wednesday, March 13

Natalie Lampert and Jacqueline Alnes, Elon Alumni guest readings

Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, 7 p.m.

Natalie Lampert ‘11 and Jacqueline Alnes ‘13 didn’t cross paths while students in Elon’s English Department, but they both are publishing books this year focused on contemporary medical issues. In The Big Freeze (Penguin Random House), Lampert chronicles her journey into egg freezing and reproductive medicine. In The Fruit Cure (Melville), Alnes describes living a fruit-based, raw food lifestyle after the healthcare system failed to find the root cause of her baffling neurological symptoms. Lampert has published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and The New Republic, among others. She is an independent journalist based in Boulder, Colorado. Alnes’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Guernica, Tin House, and the Boston Globe, among others. She teaches creative writing at West Chester University. Co-sponsored by The English Department and the Center for Writing Excellence of Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences

Wednesday, March 13

Juxtapositions: European Orientalism, Asian America and Asia

Jennifer Lien, soprano with Douglas Jurs, piano

Whitley Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

The sounds and images of Asia have long sparked the imagination of European composers even as their nations colonized vast territories in the East. Musical Orientalism with its descriptions of exotic landscapes and alluring sexualized female figures, found a ready and receptive audience among artists and consumers of art in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This program juxtaposes and challenges Orientalist stereotypes with vital Asian American and Asian voices, allowing voices marginalized by colonialism and imperialism to speak for themselves.

Lauded for her “sonorous, clear voice” and her dramatic range, Jennifer Lien has been seen on opera and concert stages in California, Florida, New York, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Singapore. She is a keen collaborator in chamber music, a proponent of contemporary music, and is known for her innovative recital programming. See more at: jenniferliensoprano.com. Sponsored by the Department of Music

Thursday, March 14

HealthEU & Design Forge present “From Ideation to Integration: Designing Spaces for Connection, Belonging & Well-Being”

McKinnon Hall, Moseley Center, 2:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Embark on a 90-minute design experience that will unlock the potential of design thinking to foster spaces of connection, belonging and well-being. As students, faculty, staff and administrators, we have the power to shape environments that bring people together, spark meaningful interactions and cultivate belonging and well-being. After being guided through the essential steps of design thinking, participants will get the chance to explore the six dimensions of HealthEU and select a social design experience overseen by experts in the field.

The keynote session features Shanice Webb, a Lecturer & Fellow in the Life Design Lab at Stanford University where she designs curricula and teaches life design courses with a focus on equity and inclusion. She is a certified Designing Your Life workshop provider and the founder of Designing Black Experiences. With a background in health and wellness, Shanice is on a mission to help humans design lives of balance, meaning and success. She has spent the last 8 years teaching, facilitating and designing learning experiences that center community and radical collaboration. This event is cosponsored by the Center for Design Thinking, Inclusive Excellence Education & Development, HealthEU, the Black Lumen Project, the Black Employee Resource Group and the Division of Student Life.

Thursday, March 14

Yesterday & Today

McCrary Theatre, Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
Elon University Lyceum Series

Performing an interactive Beatles concert, Billy McGuigan and his band of brothers (Ryan and Matthew) bring unlimited energy and unmatched talent to the stage. The band performs as themselves, while leaving the song choices up to the audience. Every show is unique as well as interactive proving that The Beatles music is the soundtrack to many lives. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available beginning February 22 at elon.edu/boxoffice.

Friday-Saturday, March 15&16

Rhoades Dance Concert

Roberts Studio Theatre, Scott Studios at Arts West, Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

The Rhoades Grant, from retired Elon University Professor of Art Barbara Rhoades, was made in the spirit of collaboration with those who address creative and cultural endeavors to understand and celebrate the union of creative expression, nature and spirit.

To that effect, Jessica Werfel and Madeline Trigilio have each created independent projects during the past two years:

Movement Unscripted: The Art of Improvisation, directed and scored by Jessica Werfel
An investigation in improvised movement as a form of healing, care and community

The Matriarchy: Stories of Womankind, directed and choreographed by Madeline Trigilio
Exploring female stereotypes, gender disparities and patriarchal norms through contemporary dance.

Reservations are highly recommended and are available through this link.
An audience Q&A with Werfel and Trigilio will follow the Saturday matinee performance.
Follow @movement.unscripted and @thematriarchy_sow on Instagram for information.

Sunday, March 17

Saint Patrick’s Day

Elon Community Church, Mass at 5 p.m., Dinner at 6 p.m.

Celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Patrick with Catholic Campus Ministry. The patron saint of Ireland, Patrick was a 5th-century bishop who spread the Christian faith throughout the country. A Saint Patrick-themed Sunday Supper will follow the 5 p.m. Catholic Mass. Hosted by Catholic Campus Ministry

Monday, March 18

Student Juried Exhibition, opening reception

Gallery 406 at Arts West, 5:30 p.m.

The Elon community is invited to an evening of student art work with the SJE opening reception, which features selected artwork submitted from current undergraduate students at Elon University. Exhibition continues through April 18.

Tuesday, March 19

Joyland (2022, Pakistan, 120 min. )

Global Commons Media Room 103

Global Neighborhood Asian Film Series

The youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show. A discussion of the film with Dr. Brian Pennington (Religious Studies) will follow the screening.

Wednesday, March 20

David and Christopher Gergen, “Leading Authentically in a Fractured World”

The Inn at Elon, 605 N. O’Kelly Avenue, Elon, 7 p.m.

The Baird Lecture

David Gergen recently retired as a professor of public service and founding director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. In addition, he has served as a senior political analyst for CNN and works actively with a rising generation of new leaders. David has served as a White House advisor to four U.S. presidents of both parties – Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton – and wrote about those experiences in two New York Times best-selling books. His son, Christopher, has over 25 years of experience building, scaling and supporting systems-based solutions in communities globally. He is the founder of Forward Impact, working with policy makers, philanthropists, investors and innovators seeking to deploy capital into high-impact scalable solutions to address systemic economic inequities. Together, they will reflect on today’s societal challenges and opportunities and the mindset and skill sets required to help lead positive change in our increasingly fractured world. Admission: $15 or Elon ID. Tickets available beginning February 28 at elon.edu/boxoffice.

Sunday, March 31

Easter Mass

Elon Community Church, 5 p.m.

Catholic Campus Ministry will hold the Christian celebration of Easter Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. Hosted by Catholic Campus Ministry