Fall 2025 schedule of student performances in music, dance, and musical theater
The talents of Nazareth University's music, dance, and musical theater students take center stage this fall with a full lineup of performances in Glazer Music Performance Center, the Arts Center, and Golisano Academic Center's Linehan Chapel. A program for each concert is available: 2025-26 concert programs online, and a livestream of some performances. Most events are free, but there are several shows with low-cost tickets. Please contact the Arts Center Box Office: boxoffice@naz.edu or 585-389-2170.
Nazareth University Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, Sept. 25 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
7:30 p.m.
The Nazareth University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Raúl Munguía, opens its 2025-26 season with Waves, Waltzes, and Wonder!, a program full of energy, color, and passion. The evening begins with Johann Strauss II’s lively Overture to Die Fledermaus, a joyful and sparkling start to the night. Peter Pilsner’s A Light in the Ocean, is a beautiful new work that captures the shimmering vastness and poetry of the deep-sea waves. The orchestra will bring to life Aram Khachaturian’s moving Adagio from Spartacus, Suite No. 2 —a piece beloved for its soaring melodies and wide-ranging emotions. The highlight of the evening will feature pianist and Nazareth faculty member Sarah Rhee-Tirré performing the iconic Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, a masterpiece known for its passion, lyricism, and breathtaking virtuosity. Free event. No ticket required.
Nazareth University Wind Symphony
Tuesday, Sept. 30 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
7:30 p.m.
Nazareth University’s Wind Symphony, with conductor Jared Chase, takes a musical journey across the American landscape in From Sea to Shining Sea, a dynamic concert celebrating the diverse spirit of our nation’s cities, coasts, and heartlands. From the sweeping beauty of Shenandoah and Yosemite to the urban energy of West Side Story and American Nocturne by Steve Danyew, the Wind Symphony brings the audience to iconic places through powerful soundscapes. Free event. No ticket required.
Theater & Dance: William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet
Oct. 2-4 | Arts Center Callahan Theater
Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m., & 2 p.m. Saturday matinee
Nazareth’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, directed by Matthew Ames, thrusts us into the heart of Verona, where loyalty to name and family runs deeper than reason, and where division isn't just a backdrop—it's a destiny. Shakespeare's timeless tragedy unravels the devastating cost of a world split in two, as young lovers fight to bridge a divide their world refuses to heal. Passion. Prejudice. Consequences. Witness the play that proves love doesn’t always conquer all—but it never dies quietly. Tickets are $12/$10 for seniors. Nazareth students get a free ticket, and faculty/staff have a 50% discount.
Theater & Dance: New Student Spotlight
Saturday, Oct. 11 | Arts Center Callahan Theater
2 p.m.
Theater & Dance proudly welcomes the Class of ’29 with a vibrant celebration of their creativity and talent. In a production entirely of their own creation, these emerging artists take the stage for the first time — offering a fresh, bold glimpse into the future of dance at Naz. Free event. No tickets required.
School of Music: Opera Workshop
Tuesday, Oct. 28 | Wilmot Hall
7 p.m.
Opera Workshop's Fall 2025 Opera Scenes program is entitled Muses & Mischief. The performance features the Fall 2025 Opera Workshop Class, a mix of music and theatre majors.
Artistic Director: Kasi L. Krenzer Marshall
Music Director & Pianist: Dr. Kevin Nitsch
School of Music: Symphony Orchestra
Friday, Oct. 31 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
7:30 p.m.
The Nazareth University Symphony Orchestra (Raúl Munguía, conductor) will breathe life into some of the most iconic and thrilling Halloween favorites with Spooktacular Sounds. The audience is encouraged to dress in their favorite costumes and add to the festive spirit of the night. From the eerie to the playful, it’s a concert that promises fun for all ages, with plenty of dissonances and thrills along the way. Free event. No ticket required.
Night Flyers Campus Community Band
Wednesday, Nov. 5 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
7:30 p.m.
The Nazareth University Night Flyers (Kevin Weber, conductor) present An American Elegy, celebrating the vibrant and diverse works that have helped shape the wind band repertoire. Through a dynamic mix of styles and moods, they journey from Leonard Bernstein’s energetic Mambo from West Side Story to the powerful waves of John Mackey’s Undertow, the shimmering beauty of Eric Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque, and the lively folk spirit of Percy Grainger’s Shepherd's Hey and Country Gardens. Frank Ticheli’s heartfelt An American Elegy serves as a moving highlight and tribute in the program. These pieces represent important contributions to the wind band repertoire and highlight the evolving artistry of this genre. Free event. No ticket required.
Nazareth University Chamber Singers
Thursday, Nov. 13 | Golisano Academic Center’s Linehan Chapel
7:30 p.m.
Music is often described as the universal language that connects people and enriches our global perspective. Nazareth’s Chamber Singers (Eric Rubinstein, conductor) celebrate home.folk.anthem.lands, the rich traditions of world music, highlighting works by Ignacio Quispe, Felix Mendelssohn, Laura Jekabsone, and Hye-Young Cho. Free event. No ticket required.
Theater & Dance: Merrily We Roll Along
Nov. 13-15 | Arts Center Callahan Theater
Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m., & 2 p.m. Saturday matinee
Merrily We Roll Along, directed by Jason James Panzino, begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of wealthy, jaded composer, Franklin Shepard, and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives (good and bad). The show ends with a touch of rueful irony, as the three best friends at the start of their careers face a bright future: young, talented, and enthusiastic about the worlds waiting to be conquered. Music and lyrics from Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. Based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Tickets are $15/$12 for seniors. Nazareth students get a free ticket, and faculty/staff have a 50% discount.
Nazareth University Treble Choir
Sunday, Nov. 16 | Golisano Academic Center’s Linehan Chapel
3 p.m.
Join the Treble Choir for a concert of beautiful works, led by Colin Mann. Free event. No ticket required.
Nazareth University Chorale
Monday, Nov. 17 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
7:30 p.m.
Awake, My Soul, and Sing: Awaken your spirit with the powerful sound of the Nazareth Chorale (Sarah Staebell, conductor) as we explore a variety of musical genres celebrating discovery and inspiration. The evening honors the courage to explore new horizons and the joy found in song. Featuring works by Gawthrop, Lauridsen, Hagenberg, Garrett, Parker, Shaw, Powell, Flaherty, and Martin. Anthony Wynings is the graduate conductor, and Linda Boianova is pianist. Free event. No ticket required.
Nazareth University Wind Symphony and Chamber Music Ensemble
Tuesday, Nov. 18 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
7:30 p.m.
Jared Chase, Jeremy Stoner, and Anne Kunkle, conductors
Step into a world of the fantastical, the eerie, and the downright outrageous as the Nazareth University Wind Symphony and Chamber Ensembles present Monsters, Mysteries, and Mayhem. From the zany spectacle of Henry Fillmore’s The Circus Bee to the cinematic chaos of Eric Whitacre’s Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!, this program promises an evening of drama, humor, and high-energy performance. Gala Flagello’s Bravado bursts with bold, triumphant flair, Jennifer Higdon’s Mysterium shimmers with otherworldly beauty, and David Biedenbender’s Ghost Apparatus haunts the stage with mysterious soundscapes. Featuring the Nazareth Brass Choir and Saxophone Society, this is a concert where anything can happen — and probably will. Free event. No ticket required.
Nazareth University Percussion Ensemble
Friday, Nov. 21 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
7:30 p.m.
Join Nazareth’s Percussion Ensemble for an exciting evening of rhythm and energy as they perform a diverse repertoire, ranging from classic works to contemporary. Don't miss this dynamic showcase of percussive talent! Free event. No ticket required.
School of Music: Studio Composition
Saturday, Nov. 22 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
3 p.m.
Composition Studio Recital led by Prof. Octavio Vazquez. Join us for a composition recital showcasing a variety of innovative and original works by emerging student composers with pianist Linda Boianova. Free event. No ticket required.
School of Music: Rock Ensemble
Nov. 13 or 14
TBA
Theater & Dance: Fall Dance Review
Thursday, Dec. 4 | Arts Center Callahan Theater
7 p.m.
As a culmination of the Fall 2025 semester, the Dance Revue showcases movement, dance, and other creative work from students and courses in the Nazareth Dance program. The dance ensemble companies will perform works by guest artists and Nazareth faculty. Free event. No ticket required.
We Go on, Oswego!
Thursday, Dec. 4 | Glazer Music Performance Center’s Beston Hall
7 p.m. pre-show talk | 7:30 p.m. concert
Presented in collaboration with Finger Lakes Opera: We Go On, Oswego: A Theatrical Song Cycle in dedication to women of Fort Ontario Refugee Center. Voice professor Katie Hannigan, D.M.A., has curated and commissioned new vocal art songs in English with narration in Italian and German to capture stories of women refugees and their esteemed heroine, Ruth Gruber. The Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Center in Oswego, N.Y., was the only refugee center sanctioned by Roosevelt during WWII to assist those fleeing persecution in Nazi Europe. The evening will begin with a pre-concert talk with WXXI classical radio host Mona Seghatoleslami at 7 p.m. in Beston Hall. The world premiere at 7:30 p.m. will include 10 new vocal art songs with a narrative that serves as a blueprint for a new opera. A new vocal anthology publication will be readily available after our world premiere performance through Just a Theory Publishing.
Theater & Dance: Student Choreography Showcase
Friday, Dec. 5 | Arts Center Callahan Theater
7:30pm
The Fall Student Choreography Showcase highlights selected works from the Nazareth Dance program’s choreography I and II courses. Come support these young artists—choreographers and performers alike—in a one-night-only showing! Free event. No ticket required.
Rose Marie and John Beston Annual Holiday Gala
Sunday, Dec. 7 | Glazer Music Performance Ctr. Beston Hall
3 p.m.
The Rose Marie and John Beston Annual Holiday Gala will feature many of Nazareth University's finest vocal and instrumental ensembles. Tickets are $10-20. Nazareth students get a free ticket, and faculty/staff have a 50% discount.
Contact
Julie Long | Chief PR Officer | jlong2@naz.edu | (585) 389-2456 | (585) 781-8186 (cell)
Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.
Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.
