Grammy Award-winning Jessie Montgomery and Third Coast Percussion (TCP) collaborate in a dynamic program that equally showcases Montgomery’s excellence as a composer and violinist.

Since the end of World War II, numerous large-scale wars, particularly in the Greater Middle East, have not only redefined states but have also transformed societies and cultures in their wake. This series brings together acclaimed novelists, scholars, and journalists from around the world to discuss how war is represented historically and culturally, how the humanities address concepts of human rights in curbing the spread of war, and how lives bear the traces of history’s conflicts.

Inspired by Jay Kirk’s Avoid the Day, the Daedalus Quartet joins forces with Pig Iron Theatre Company and visual artist Sebastienne Mundheim to present Bartok’s Monster, a concert and sly lecture-demonstration about Béla Bartók’s life and work. This kaleidoscopic performance follows Kirk’s research into the Hungarian composer’s methods of creation, travels to Transylvania, and ultimately flirtation with madness. Paper sculptures by Mundheim and a movement ensemble including current Swarthmore students frame a not-so-academic lecture in this one-hour multidisciplinary performance.

Just Transitions and Land Stewardship on Lenapehoking features artist Denise Bright Dove Ashton-Dunkley in a weeklong series of workshops, open studio hours, and a monthlong exhibition that uplifts the histories, traditions, and cultural practices of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape. Ashton-Dunkley is an award-winning master artisan, educator, tribal councilwoman, and enrolled citizen of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation of New Jersey, with over 25 years of experience in the intersection of climate justice, Indigenous law, and the arts.

World premiere vocal performance, an original work for soloists, chorus, piano, and organ by composer C. Leonard Raybon. Inspired by Murder in a Mill Town by Professor Bruce Dorsey, American Martyr tells the tale of Sarah Maria Cornell – tossed about by her friends, family, and God – searching desperately for love and faith in a life cut short. In this new work, she is made whole, beatified. Featuring vocal performances by students and alums. Presented by Swarthmore’s Music and History Departments.

Philadelphia-based artist Colette Fu will offer a one-day workshop on making pop-up paper structures. Workshop participants will explore paper as a material for building, problem-solving, and creative expression. Fu will begin the workshop with a short introduction to her work and practice. The workshop will coincide with an exhibition of pop-up books from Swarthmore’s Rare Books Collection in the Library’s atrium. Co-sponsored by Asian Studies and the College Libraries.