Festival Stories

The brochure for the 15th annual International Festival of Arts & Ideas is now available online. Click here to view.

Emmanuèle Phuon – Choreographer:

In the current exhibit of the Musée Guimet in Paris, one can see the very first sculpted images of Buddha in the art of Gandhara, in Pakistan. The influences of Greek art are visible, not only in the features but in the curls of the hair and the drapes, Buddha looking very much like Apollo... This triggered throughout Asia all the representations of Buddha which did not exist before.

Ruth St Denis and Ted Shawn, pioneers of American Modern Dance, made their own interpretation of sacred dances of India, Chinese court dances or Cambodian dance.

The brewing...

Executive Director Mary Lou Aleskie is a guest on the "How New Haven Got its Groove Back" on the WNPR Colin McEnroe Show.

Festival Executive Director Mary Lou Aleskie will give a preview of this summer’s Festival at a public lecture on Thursday April 22 at 5pm at United Church, 323 Temple Street, New Haven. The lecture, sponsored by East Rock Village, is free and open to the public. Ms. Aleskie will describe the historical background of arts festivals as well as the impact of the Festival in New Haven, which draws over 100,000 people each year. Ms. Aleskie will also talk about the Festival’s theme of the intertwining of traditional and contemporary art. The presentation will include local performers Tusuykusun...

The Good Dance—dakar/brooklyn will be performed next weekend at Wesleyan University, following preview performances at the 2009 International Festival of Arts & Ideas and its subsequent engagement at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in December. The Good Dance—dakar/brooklyn is a collaboration between Brooklyn-based Reggie Wilson (Fist & Heel Performance Group) and Congolese choreographer Andréya Ouamba, whose Compagnie 1er Temps is based in Dakar, Senegal.

Friday, April 23 & Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 8pm
Wesleyan University Center for the Arts Theater
283 Washington Terrace, Middletown

...

Festival Executive Director Mary Lou Aleskie was interviewed this morning by Logan Byrnes on Fox Connecticut News. Click here to watch the interview.

Starting Tuesday April 6 at 9:30am, all ticketed Festival events will go on sale to the general public. You will be able to order tickets online, at the Shubert Theater Box Office (247 College Street, New Haven) or by calling 203-562-5666 or 888-736-2663.

You can save time and money by purchasing the See Everything Package to enjoy all the wonderful ticketed performances the Festival has to offer.

Click here to view the See Everything Package schedule, which makes it possible for you to attend outstanding free performances on the New Haven Green, including:

• The Blind Boys of Alabama
• La...

Festival tickets go on sale to the general public this Tuesday April 6. There are only five days left for Festival Members to take advantage of early ticket buying and discounts.

Join the Festival at the $125 level to receive a variety of great benefits, including discounted $10 tickets to these three "Readings & Conversations" events:

• Meet the Composer: Jin Hi KimFriday, June 18, 2010 at 5:30pm
• Stuck ElevatorFriday June 25, 2010 at 7pm
  Saturday June 26, 2010 at 1pm
• The DaughtersFriday, June 25 & Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 4pm

Becoming a Member is easy! Click here to purchase a Festival...

Delight in exploring New Haven’s food scene through these restaurant explorations and experiences. Meet the chefs, peek into kitchens, watch food and drink demos and taste the specialties of New Haven’s finest restaurants, including Ibiza, Barcelona, Soul de Cuba, Miya’s Sushi, Sage American Grill and Oyster Bar, Thali, Bentara, Caseus, Zinc, Nini’s Bistro, Union League Café, 116 Crown, The Wine Thief, and Blue State Coffee. "Foodie Tours" will be led by Robin Goldstein, founder of the Fearless Critic series and author of The Wine Trials.

Latin Culinary Revolution Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 1...

The Festival has announced the free Ideas events for the 2010 Festival, which include eclectic and inspiring lectures, panel discussions and dialogues with Lucinda Childs, Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Elizabeth Alexander, Jock Reynolds, Philippe de Montebello, Richard Feigen, Elizabeth Kolbert, Paul Goldberger, Marvin Chun, Carol Coletta, Ethan Seltzer, Ben Berkowitz, Matthew Bogdanos, Helen Ibbitson Jessup, Joseph Roach, Charles W. Hoge, Steven Southwick, and Catherine Roach.

Click on the links below for more information about each event:

Sol LeWitt: Transforming Art with Conceptual...

Below is a guest blog entry from Dan Zanes, reflecting on "shared experiences", the theme of the 15th annual International Festival of Arts & Ideas. Dan Zanes & Friends will be performing on the Elm Street Stage of the New Haven Green on Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 7pm. Zanes and his band will be joined by a youth chorus, African drumming and dancers, and a parade of dozens of local trombone players from across the state of Connecticut. Click here to watch a preview video.

arts, community, possibility, opportunity, celebration, cooperation, imagination, participation, and on and on. talk...

Apply today to join the 2010 Festival Volunteer Corps. Fill out the online application here. We can hardly wait to have you on board this June!