Happy 2025!
As we launch the second half of our season, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for all of the support we have received in commemorating our 20th anniversary. Our celebratory event in September was a resounding success thanks to the participation of so many of our community members and set the tone for one of our best years yet.
Highlights from Our 20th Anniversary Season
Since that very warm evening, we have been fortunate to host visits by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Actors From The London Stage, as well as presenting new productions of Haydn’s The Creation and Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves.We were also privileged to present film series exploring the ins and outs of international horror and true crime. The Notre Dame Glee Club celebrated its 109th year with a reunion performance in the Leighton Concert Hall, bringing together alumni from the 1950s through the 2020s. Finally, we proudly celebrated the inauguration of Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., as the University’s 18th president with a daylong series of lectures highlighting the Notre Dame Forum theme of “What Do We Owe Each Other?”
This is just a sampling of all of the great things at the center over the last few months!
Photo by Kirk Richard Smith.
Exciting Events Coming This Semester
As we emerge from the relative peace and quiet of the holiday season, we are ready to continue our celebration of our anniversary year with even more exciting events. As noted previously, we first opened the center in September 2004 with a performance by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis. This amazing ensemble returned to the center in 2008 and again in 2014 as part of our 10th anniversary season. We are thrilled to welcome them back once again for a lively evening of jazz favorites by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, and Max Roach, among others.
Following successful performances at the center in 2013 and 2016, MOMIX returns with one of their most innovative dance pieces yet. Under the direction of acclaimed choreographer Moses Pendleton, the company will present ALICE, a modern dance work based on Lewis Carroll’s beloved Alice in Wonderland. Pendleton’s acrobatic choreography literally reaches new heights in this inspired adaptation.
South Bend’s own Nathan Gunn, a legend in the world of opera, has performed numerous times at the center over the past 15 years, as well as being a featured player in the annual presentation of Mozart’s The Magic Fluteas part of The Met Opera Live in HD series at the Browning Cinema. This April, he returns to his hometown in the company of none other than Mandy Patinkin. Patinkin, who first gained fame for his Tony Award-winning performance in Evita, joins Gunn for a spirited evening of show tunes, standards, and much more.
The Mandy Patinkin/Nathan Gunn performance will also serve as the marquee event of a new arts festival launching in April. Our 20th anniversary inspired us to launch this new initiative celebrating the arts at Notre Dame. This weekend of events will include performances, recitals, and exhibitions highlighting the diversity of the arts on campus. We will have more information about the festival in the coming weeks.
We close out our Presenting Series in April with the triumphant return of Third Coast Percussion. From 2013-2018, Third Coast Percussion served as the center’s first-ever ensemble-in-residence. During their residency, the group developed new works in the field of arts education and community engagement as well as collaborations with a variety of artists such as Philip Glass and Glenn Kotche (Wilco), leading to their first Grammy Award for their album, Steve Reich, released in 2016. This year, TCP returns to the center with Grammy Award-winning composer, violinist, and educator Jessie Montgomery to perform a new percussion quartet composition commissioned by the group.
Browning Cinema: Highlights and Upcoming Films
A new year at the Browning Cinema provides an opportunity to look back on this year’s notable awards contenders, including Emilia Perez, Anora,and Conclave, as well as our annual presentation of the Oscar-nominated short films in the categories of animation, live action, and documentary. The increasingly popular Learning Beyond the Classics series, which takes up various topics in film studies and presents them in an adult education weekly course format, returns this semester with series focusing on the history of film noir and the college experience.
The Future of the Arts at DPAC
There is much more happening this year at the center. We encourage you to visit our website and use our mobile app for the most up-to-date information on upcoming events. On behalf of our entire team at DPAC, we thank you for your interest and support in the work that we do. This anniversary year has given us the space to reflect on our accomplishments, but, more importantly, we are excited to continue working toward a sustainable future for the arts at Notre Dame, which connects campus life to our greater community and makes the arts central to all of our lives.
