“The School of Bossa Nova": Students bring Brazilian music to Middlebury

Just like the plot of the famous film, “The School of Rock,” students in “The School of Bossa Nova” course gave a performance to capstone their semester-long study of the bossa nova music genre. Professor of Luso-Hispanic Studies Mario Higa and his Portuguese class brought to life several bossa ...

Spin Doctor: “Retribution”

The songs on “Retribution” flow seamlessly into one another, combining this ancient art form with avant-garde sonic experimentation. The album’s sound is also deeply rooted in collaboration, featuring contributions from many other Canadian and Indigenous performers. At its core is a call for awareness ...

The Curtain Rises on Theatre Think Tank

On Friday, Nov. 5, Middlebury College’s Theatre Think Tank (TTT) hosted its inaugural meeting. The new group focuses on providing students with a low-stakes environment to share their performing arts talent, including acting, screenplays, improv, stand-up, poetry, drag and everything in between. Students ...

On the Road Again: Burlington-based professors who commute

Despite the college’s remote location, not all college faculty live in Middlebury proper. Among professors, there is a growing community of “commuters” who live outside of the town, but still work at the college.

Radio Roundup: Tunes to get you through the home stretch

Following a two-year hiatus following the release of their last album, L'éclair has been putting in the work. On Nov. 12, they released the beauty that is “Confusions.” This album has everything I love about this band: immaculate synth, undeniable jam and an eclectic assortment of funk and groove. ...

Happy 200th, Dostoyevsky!

This Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11, was Dostoyevsky’s 200th birthday. Although my favorite Russian author is Leo Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky is definitely the Russian whose fiendishly entertaining works are most relevant to our tumultuous times.

The Schumann Quartet and Pianist Diana Fanning’s timeless ode to music By Edyth Moldow

Applause. Deafening, thunderous applause resonated through Robinson Hall, as the crowd called for an encore. On Thursday, Nov. 11 the Middlebury Center for the Arts was graced by the presence of the Schumann Quartet and Diana Fanning. The group stepped proudly onto the stage to perform in what they ...

Maneuvering the endless maze in “Hollow Knight”

Some of life’s most interesting pleasures are those that are acquired.  For me, “Hollow Knight” is one of those acquired pleasures.

Reel Critic: “Passing”

Is race just something we are all performing? This question is explored, though not exactly answered, in the most recent film in the Hirschfield International Film Series, “Passing.” The film ruminates on colorism and identity politics through the story of Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare ...

“No One Is Forgotten” revels in fragmented information

Leave the elaborate set and extensive casts to faculty shows. Theses, in contrast, are the simpler, single-celled protozoa at the root of the theatrical tree of life. “No One is Forgotten,” Gabi Martin's ’21.5 acting thesis and Madison Middleton’s ’22.5 500-level work in directing, revels ...

Beyond the Page brings new possibilities to learning through theatre

For decades, professional actors from the Bread Loaf Acting Ensemble have enriched liberal arts curricula and pedagogy at the Bread Loaf School of English by collaborating with faculty to connect theatre practice and performance to classroom learning.

YouPower faces Vermont winter without prospect of indoor relocation

If you ever pass by the loading dock of the Freeman International Center (FIC) to catch an 8 a.m. morning class, you might notice a group of students riding stationary bikes. This group is YouPower, Middlebury’s free spin club. As the Vermont winter quickly approaches, the group is desperately looking ...

Matthew Whitaker illuminates Robinson Hall

From its roots in down-home New Orleans bands, Harlem swing and bebop, jazz is constantly evolving. It pays homage to its early icons and bases its musical substance on their characteristics, and yet it takes on new forms that react to the world beyond the practice room. The Middlebury College community ...

Reel Critic: “The French Dispatch”