Samford University is proud to partner with the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts at the University of Alabama Birmingham, Maus Contemporary and the Wiregrass Museum to present the first Alabama solo exhibition for the late Thornton Dial Sr. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, Sept. 15, 4:30-7 p.m. The exhibit will be open to the public until December 2. The Art Gallery is open M-F, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Orphie and the Book of Heroes takes place in ancient Greece in the time of Homer, the great storyteller of The Illiad and The Odyssey. Homer is guardian to Orphie,a young orphan girl who loves to hear and act out the stories of the great Greek heroes. With a wooden sword at her side and visions of her personal hero, Heracles, she never backs down from a fight. One afternoon Orphie returns home to find Homer gone, kidnapped by the god of the underworld, Hades. She doubts she is big enough and strong enough to rescue Homer herself, so she decides to travel to Mount Olympus to ask for aid in her quest. Along the way, she meets a few gods and persists through some demanding tasks, and ultimately, finds that she doesn’t need to look outside of herself to find all the qualities of a true hero.
The Samford Orchestra will perform four concerts, two in the fall and two in the spring.
Join the School of the Arts for the 2nd Annual Blood Drive in memory of Amy Nichols, wife of Interim Dean Larry Thompson who passed away last October. Last year, the blood drive impacted 137 lives!
Samford welcomes the critically acclaimed SPA Trio featuring Susanna Phillips, soprano, Paul Neubauer, viola and Anne-Marie McDermott, piano. This performance is part of the Davis Series and in partnership with the Birmingham Chamber Music Society. A pre-concert reception will start at 7 p.m.
Concertmaster and Friends is a dynamic chamber music series presented in the intimate setting of Samford University's Brock Recital Hall. Alabama Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Daniel Szasz, fellow ASO musicians, and friends of the orchestra perform a variety of delightful, inspiring music. This season the series will include Bach's Musical Offering on Oct. 11, Trailblazers: Celebrating Women on March 7 and Rachmaninoff @ 150 on May 2.
The School of the Arts will host a virtual workshop for students interested in learning more about art and design programs at Samford.
The School of the Arts Department of Architecture and Interior Design will host Stewart McLaurin, president of the White Historical Association. McLaurin will speak on James Hoban, the Irish born designer and builder of the White House, and the skilled Europeans, enslaved workers, and free laborers who built the White House. He will also speak to the current/modern preservation of the White House and its comparison in design and function to other homes of heads of state around the world. Tickets available in August.
The University Chorale and the A Cappella Choir will present a fall (Oct. 20) and spring (April 20) joint concert in Reid Chapel. The spring concert is sponsored by the Vestavia Mafia. Additionally, the A Cappella Choir will host two Festival of Choirs which will invite local choirs to be part of the performance. The Festival of Choir events will take place on Nov. 4 and March 17.
This conference will focus on how the beauty of God's love is manifested through the ministries of preaching, worship and the arts and how the arts may support ministries of preaching and worship. More fundamentally, this conference aims to give a more profound awareness of how such practices are rooted in the beauty and glory of the Triune God.
Samford's Worship Arts Ensemble (WAE) will have a fall and spring worship and music event in the Wright Center.
How do stories get told across time and generations? Set in a dystopian world without power, Mr. Burns shows how the memories of our present become the myths of our future. This weird, wild and wacky production takes the scripts of a certain familiar TV show and imagines how these stories can become the glue that holds a society together, or tear it apart. (For mature audiences) Tickets available in August.
The Samford Chamber Ensembles concerts feature a variety of smaller student performance groups with both a fall and spring performance.
Portraits of Hope and Samford University Wright Center present The Shadow of Your Smile featuring Charles Billingsley and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Thursday, November 3, 7 p.m. in the Wright Center. Building on nearly thirty years as a singer and entertainer, performing thousands of shows from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center, Charles Billingsley is ready to take a new turn in his storied career. His latest solo offering, The Shadow of Your Smile, is a big-hearted, show-stopping collection drawing from the hits of Broadway, big band, smooth jazz and the Great American Songbook. These beloved standards and classics, newly arranged and powered by Charles’s larger-than-life voice, come together in a make-you-smile album of classic favorites. Join us as Charles returns to his alma mater to perform alongside the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
Samford's Jazz Band performs twice a year on campus as well as performing in the community. The first concert will be Nov. 3 and the second concert will be March 30, both in Brock Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m.
Join the School of the Arts art and design faculty and students to learn more about our programs, meet students and see the campus.
Amahl and the Night Visitors is a heartwarming American opera by Gian Carlo Menotti that tells the story of Amahl and his mother who are visited by three wisemen on their way to Bethlehem. The beautiful music will delight audiences of all ages, and the story of faith and joy will usher in the Christmas season. Tickets available in August.
This concert will feature pianist and interim chair of the Division of Music Cindy St. Clair with soprano Sadie Goodman and baritone Zach Palamara. This event is co-sponsored by Over the Mountain Festival.
The Samford A Cappella Choir performs a choral vesper service several times a year in Reid Chapel. The University Chorale will lead the Good Friday Service in April at noon. Please join them for a time of music and worship.
Celebrate the season with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Chris Confessore, and special guest Act of Congress in their 6th appearance with the ASO! Sing along to holiday favorites, hear timeless classics, and enjoy the spirit of the season!
Kick off the holidays with Sounds of the Season, a concert of favorites, both sacred and secular. Featuring outstanding guest artists, and drawing on the talent of members of the Opera Birmingham Studio at Samford University and the Opera Birmingham Chorus, this family-friendly concert is an audience favorite, jam packed with classic Christmas carols and beloved holiday songs! It is a true gift of the Season, certain to put you in the holiday spirit! Performance length is 90 minutes, no intermission.
Itamar Zorman is one of the most soulful, evocative artists of his generation, distinguished by his emotionally gripping performances and gift for musical storytelling. Since his emergence with the top prize at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition, he has wowed audiences all over the world with breathtaking style. His “youthful intensity” and “achingly beautiful” sound shine through in every performance, earning him the title of the “virtuoso of emotions.” He is accompanied by Polish American pianist Adam Golka. This event is part of the Davis Series and in partnership with the Birmingham Chamber Music Society. Join us for a pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. in the concert hall.
Take of advantage of meeting with Samford faculty to review your scholarship portfolios.
Join Samford faculty members for an evening showcasing a major work from Franz Schubert titled Die schöne Müllerin. It is a substantial work for piano and voice set to 20 poems of the German poet Wilhelm Müller. The date of composition is 1823 placing right in the heart of Schubert’s compositional output. The piano plays a significant role in portraying the characters and in advancing the drama of the story.
American pianist Spencer Myer is one of the most respected and sought-after artists on today's concert stage. He comes to Samford as part of the Davis Architects Guest Artist Series and in partnership with the Birmingham Chamber Music Society. Myer will also take part in the annual Morris Piano Festival and Competition. Tickets will be available in August.
The Samford Dance Company explores the beauty of masterpieces in the annual dance concert performance. Tickets will be available in August.
The Samford String Quartet, endowed by the Wilton H. Bunch Family, features faculty members Jeffrey and Angela Flaniken and Samuel and Caroline Nordlund.
Daphne du Maurier’s short story, also the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, is boldly adapted by Conor McPherson—a gripping, unsettling and moving look at human relationships in the face of societal collapse. In an isolated house, strangers Nat and Diane take shelter from relentless masses of attacking birds. They find relative sanctuary but not comfort or peace; there’s no electricity, little food and a nearby neighbor may still be alive and watching them. Another refugee, the young and attractive Julia, arrives with some news of the outside world, but her presence also brings discord. Their survival becomes even more doubtful when paranoia takes hold of the makeshift fortress—an internal threat to match that of the birds outside. Tickets available in August.
LAKESHORE, the newest Samford ensemble enters its second year with a variety of concerts featuring music of today's artists and student original work. They will start the year with Your School, Your City on Aug. 28. Make sure to look for them on the QUAD during Family Weekend. They will also perform in the spring.
Visit Samford and explore what it is like to be an art and design major.
Franco-Belgian cellist Camille Thomas brings her "joyful exuberance" to the Samford stage. This performance is part of the Davis Series and in partnership with the Birmingham Chamber Music Society. Tickets will be available in August.
In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom. A brilliant satire modeled off the plays of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, with additional nods to the musical theatre canon, Urinetown is a wickedly funny, fast-paced, and surprisingly intelligent comedic romp. Tickets available in August.
Join Samford's School of the Arts and guest clinician Dr. Thomas Caneva for the second annual Conducting Symposium. This workshop is an opportunity for current educators to hone their conducting skills with a live collegiate ensemble and world renowned clinician. Applications open Feb. 1, 2023.
