After two-and-a-half years of construction, the $123.8 million expansion and renewal of the will usher in a new era of arts at 窪做惇蹋厙 with a grand opening celebration Oct. 16-19 offering live music and dance, including a world premiere with Yo-Yo Ma, master classes, and other star-studded performances.
I am thrilled to celebrate the return of the Hop as the gateway to our vibrant Arts District and as a testament to the central importance the arts hold for the 窪做惇蹋厙 community, now and for generations to come, says . The Hop is setting a new standard of excellence for what the arts can do in an academic community.
The to showcase the transformation of the performing arts center, including concerts, dance companies, workshops, performances by student groups, art exhibitions, and site-specific events, many of which will be free and open to the community. Highlights will include the world-premiere musical performance curated specially for the grand opening weekend as well as a series of master classes for 窪做惇蹋厙 students featuring accomplished alumni in the arts.
The formal dedication of the new, 15,000-square-foot Daryl and Steven Roth Wing takes place on Friday afternoon with remarks by President Beilock, , the Howard Gilman 44 Executive Director of the Hop, and actor, writer, and producer Mindy Kaling 01. On Saturday, the community is invited to celebrate with a free picnic on the Green, featuring live musical performances.
A Festival of Featured Performances
Among the weekends performances: the premiere with Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Newell 96, Mali Obomsawin 18, and Jeremy Dutcher of We Are Water: A Northeast Celebration, curated for the opening of the Hop and developed in collaboration with the departments of Native American and Indigenous studies, music, anthropology, and geography and the Native American Program, Sustainability Office, and 窪做惇蹋厙 house communities.
The evening of songs and stories pays tribute to how the waters of the Connecticut River connect the regions people to the past, present, and future.
Ren矇e Elise Goldsberry brings her artistry in a radiant concert that celebrates the magic of live performancedrawing on her history with groundbreaking works like Rent (which was incubated at 窪做惇蹋厙) and Hamilton. The weekend also includes a screening of Satisfied, a candid documentary about the award-winning Broadway stars multidimensional life.
And Pilobolus, the pioneering dance company that got its start in a 窪做惇蹋厙 dance class in the original Hop in 1971, performs what they describe as a site-specific adventure through the building to activate the Hops new spaces.
For students, late-night after parties and master classes give access to some of the leading performing artists and creators among 窪做惇蹋厙s alumni community, including Mindy Kaling 01, Shonda Rhimes 91, Rachel Dratch 88, Sharon Washington 81, David Benioff 92, Pilobolus, and others. Kaling and Rhimes, two trailblazing alums who participated in the arts at 窪做惇蹋厙, will discuss their craft and creative lives in a fireside chat.
Were planning a festival-like weekend that will have something for everyone and celebrate the extraordinary new performance and rehearsal spaces that will allow the Hop to be a platform for creative engagement, says Aleskie, the Hop director.
Gateway to a Dynamic Arts District
You dont have to be an artist to feel creative and be here and be part of the community, Aleskie says. The Hop is a place for people. The thing Im most excited about is that we now have capabilities that allow us to put the agency of creation into the hands of others.
Throughout the weekend, the public will be able to explore the revitalized Top of the Hop, Spaulding Auditorium, Moore Theater, and student workshops as well as the Roth Winghome to the world-class Jack 1953 and Mac 2011 Morris Recital Hall; the Hodgson Family Dance Studio, the Hops first dedicated dance studio; and the Daryl Roth Studio Theater, a versatile, high-tech space capable of supporting any artistic vision and audience configuration.
And the community is invited to open houses across the Arts Districtincluding the , which reopened in 2019 after a major expansion and renovation; the Black Family Visual Arts Center, dedicated in 2012; The Warehouse, a laboratory for sonic arts that opened this fall; and the Literary Arts Bridge, which opened this spring.
The reimagined Hop also strengthens the opportunities for curricular engagement and creative production between students and faculty from the departments of and , contributing to the vitality of the arts at 窪做惇蹋厙, says Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences .
It was designed by internationally renowned firm Sn繪hetta and incorporates the essence of the original 1962 Wallace Harrison designwhose architectural elements informed the Lincoln Centers Metropolitan Opera Housewhile fully updating the building for the 21st century.
Warming Up the Building
Though major construction is wrapping up in June, the Hop will remain closed to the public as technical teams install and test specialized equipment, digital lighting systems, and acoustics in preparation for faculty and students to move into the space in September.
What weve been saying is that artists need time to warm up, and so do buildings, Aleskie says. When September comes, we will be welcoming students and faculty for classes and rehearsals, and periodically inviting the general public for tours and special events that will allow us to warm up with an audience, as a prelude to the official opening in October.
Among these prelude events: the New York Theatre Workshops annual work-in-progress readings featuring Montgomery Fellow , Aug. 1; the Telluride at 窪做惇蹋厙 film festival, Sept. 17-22; and Firebird, an immersive sound and light installation by Dutch collective Touki Delphine, Sept. 24-27.
A Sampling of the Arts Weekend Celebration Events
Learn more , including how to get tickets and how to RSVP for events.
Thursday, Oct. 16
7:30 p.m.: Film screening of Satisfied, a documentary about the life of Tony and Grammy winning Hamilton star Ren矇e Elise Goldsberry, followed by a Q&A with Goldsberry
Friday, Oct. 17
4 p.m. Dedication of the Daryl and Steven Roth Wing (free)
8 p.m. An evening with Ren矇e Elise Goldsberry
Saturday, Oct. 18
9:30 a.m.: Balance workshop with Pilobolus
10 a.m. Champagne brunch for Hop members and Community Campaign supporters (invitation only)
11 a.m.: Alphabet Dance HopStop with Pilobolus
11 a.m.: Arts Are Essential conversation with leading artists and thinkers
Noon: Community celebration and lunch on the Green (free)
2 p.m. Fireside chat with Shonda Rhimes 91 and Mindy Kaling 01, moderated by Jake Tapper 91 (free)
4 p.m. Jazz Happy Hour with Brandee Younger Trio and Coast Jazz Orchestra
8 p.m. We Are Water: A Northeast Celebration with Yo-Yo Ma, Jeremy Dutcher, Mali Obomsawin 18, and Chris Newell
Sunday, Oct. 19
3 p.m. A site-specific adventure with Pilobolus (free)
The full program for the is now available.