Nazareth University hosts first-ever Weekend of the Arts, with Giancarlo Esposito headlining

Nazareth University is hosting its first Weekend of the Arts, with award-winning actor, director, and producer Giancarlo Esposito, star of the groundbreaking television series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, headlining four days of music, theatre, dance, and art. Weekend of the Arts takes place Thursday, Oct. 15, to Sunday, Oct. 18, featuring the Symphony Orchestra Concert (Oct. 15), An Evening with Giancarlo Esposito (Oct. 16), singer-songwriter Vanessa Collier in Concerts at Beston Hall (Oct. 17), and Chamber Music Rochester’s The Marvelous Mr. Mendelssohn (Oct. 18). The weekend also offers a Theatre and Dance New Student Spotlight, Art Gallery exhibits, food trucks, and more.  

Thursday, Oct. 15

Nazareth Symphony Orchestra: Echoes Across Time
Beston Hall
7:30 p.m.
This program explores ways composers have drawn inspiration from memory, poetry, and musical traditions of earlier eras. Featuring works by Debussy, Fauré, Maeterlinck, and Respighi that invite listeners into landscapes of imagination and reflection, where past and present meet through lyricism, dance, and timeless musical expression. Free and open to the public. No ticket required.

Friday, Oct. 16 

Theatre and Dance Board of Color Cabaret
Beston Hall 
6:45-7:15 p.m.
While you wait to see Giancarlo Esposito, enjoy a lobby cabaret from the Theatre and Dance Board of Color.

An Evening with Giancarlo Esposito
Arts Center Callahan Theater
7:30 p.m.
Esposito’s new film, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, opens in theaters Oct. 16, the same day he is at Nazareth. He is best known to television audiences for his iconic portrayal of drug kingpin Gustavo “Gus” Fring in AMC’s award-winning series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He’s also known for Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian and Stan Edgar in The Boys. He has appeared in Spike Lee films Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X, and starred in Netflix’s hit series The Gentlemen and the 2026 comedy Kill Me. His recent projects also include Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World, the Russo Brothers’ The Electric State, and Netflix’s The Residence. As a speaker, Esposito brings the same passion and precision that define his acting career. He candidly shares his journey from his early days on Broadway to becoming one of Hollywood’s most respected talents. Purchase tickets. The meet-and-greet session with Esposito is now sold out.

Saturday, Oct. 17

Meet the Artists: Jude Lewis and Stefan Zoller
Arts Center Gallery
Noon-1 p.m.
Join Sculptor Jude Lewis and painter Stefan Zoller in conversation about their joint exhibition Fault Lines in the gallery. Free and open to the public. No ticket required.  

Theatre and Dance New Student Spotlight
Arts Center Callahan Theater
2 p.m.
Theatre & Dance welcomes the Class of ’30 and gives them a chance to showcase their talents with a performance of their own creation. This event is free and open to the public. No ticket required. 

Block Party
Outside near Beston Hall
4-6 p.m.
Find the Block Party outside Beston Hall! Enjoy music from Nazareth Rock Ensemble bands True Originals and Fair Use. Also enjoy acapella from Call4Backup, or try line dancing with Country Kicks! Also, lawn games and food trucks! Free and open to the public. No ticket required.  

Vanessa Collier
Beston Hall
7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Singer-songwriter Vanessa Collier, best known in the Blues world, released her sixth album, “Do It My Own Way,” on September 13, influenced by soul artists such as Mavis Staples, Sharon Jones, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. Purchase tickets.

Sunday, Oct. 18

Chamber Music Rochester: The Marvelous Mr. Mendelssohn
Beston Hall
3 p.m.
Chamber Music Rochester kicks off its 50th anniversary season with The Marvelous Mr. Mendelssohn, Sunday, Oct. 18, at 3 p.m. Special technology will allow Artistic Director Erik Behr to speak with Mr. Mendelssohn in this unique performance. A pre-concert talk begins at 2:30 p.m. Students and kids get in for free. Purchase tickets.

Arts Center Gallery Exhibits

Fault Lines by Jude Lewis and Stefan Zoller 
Arts Center Gallery
Noon-5 p.m. 
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Sculptor Jude Lewis and painter Stefan Zoller’s joint exhibition, Fault Lines, reckons with the cyclical yet wholly unpredictable nature of both geological events and human experience. How do we, literally or figuratively, live life on a fault line, where the potential for seismic change is ever-present? In the aftermath, how do we move forward knowing that it will recur? Lewis and Zoller position the work in Fault Lines within these questions and transitory spaces to offer their understanding of these universal and inevitable aspects of life. Free and open to the public.

Quiet Gestures by Tong Zhang
Colacino Gallery
Noon-5 p.m. 
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 
We are living in an age of restless energy and uncertainty, where thoughts scatter like windblown fragments. This body of work traces that inner turbulence—an effort to find stillness amid the noise. Through these pieces, artist Tong Zhang confronts fear, questions social rhythms, and reflects on shifting powers, seeking to understand their place in an unsettled world and how art might quietly connect inner life with others. Free and open to the public.

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.

• published: 2026 September
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