Rowan University's College of Performing Arts returns for the 2025 spring semester with another brimming line-up of more than 35 performances from now through May. Whether through music, theatre, dance or a combination of all three, these performances will celebrate timeless works and inventive pieces that inspire imagination and wonder. The series honors a wide range of themes from nature and time-honored tales to tradition and celebrating uniqueness.

• February 15 - 55th Annual Jazz Festival Concert - A milestone year for Jazz at Rowan as the program celebrates the 55th jazz festival. Led by program director Denis Diblasio, the performance will feature the big band sounds you love with special guest, drummer, composer and arranger Dennis Mackrel.
  
• February 20 - Almost, Maine - See Rowan Theatre & Dance's take on a widely popular and beloved classic from John Cariani. According to the playwright, Almost, Maineis about normal people who become very excited by love and other extraordinary occurrences, told through a series of brief vignettes. The Rowan production promises a unique, personal and heartwarming approach to this vibrant play, with the intimate Studio 159 "Black Box Theater" as the stage. Due to the limited capacity of the studio, there are eight (8) chances to see the play: February 20, 21,22,23, 27 and 28 and March 1 and 2.
  
• March 28 - Carmina Burana - The Rowan University Concert Choir, together with the Vince Lee Ensemble and the Atlantic City Ballet will take on one of the world's most popular pieces of 20th century music with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Based on 24 13th century poems, the performance will pair powerful choreography with memorable melodies.
  
• April 4 - Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel In April, the Rowan Opera Company and Symphony Orchestra will present Hansel and Gretel as this year's staged opera. Composed in the 19th century by Humperdinck, the opera is based on the popular Brothers Grimm fairy-tale of two children lost in the woods who happen upon a suspicious candy-coated cottage.

More to look forward to:

The MainStage Season
Following February's Almost, Maine, the 2024-2025 MainStage season wraps up in April with the spring musical, The Music Man and the Faculty/Student Choreography Showcase. Beginning April 3, the department will present a modern take on a classic musical, with the same characters, songs and story paired with a progressive twist. Later that month, the choreography showcase will highlight works by faculty and students across a diverse range of dance styles.

Marie Rader Presenting Series
This semester, the series continues its mission to provide access to exceptional performing arts engagements for the campus community and Greater Southern New Jersey region. On March 16, families with little ones are invited to Timbalooloo , a lively and interactive world/jazz music program from renowned clarinetist and educator Oran Etkin. Designed to engage audiences of all ages, Etikin leads a journey around the world to explore different instruments as told through the story of "Clara Net," who falls asleep and goes to a concert in her bed as instruments come to life. Timbalooloo seeks to empower a new generation to become fluent in the universal language of music and to discover how global cultures form the backbone of American music.

Then on April 26, the series welcomes GRAMMY award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer. The San Francisco-based ensemble will give nature a voice through Music of a Silent World , a program centered around contemporary composer Majel Connery's The Rivers are our Brothers , where each movement represents part of the natural beauty of our world. As part of Chanticleer's missions to encourage worldwide appreciation for art, the Rowan University Concert Choir will spend the day with the ensemble before joining them on stage to perform.

The Department of Music
The spring semester starts with the continuation of the department's Spotlight Series, with performances by our award-winning faculty and guest artists including, Fabio Oliveria, percussion and Bryan Appleby-Wineberg, trumpet, Noa Even, saxophone, the Lost Marbles Trio, and John Marcel Williams, classical guitar. The series is complemented by performances from the 12 instrumental and vocal student ensembles including, our Percussion Ensemble, Concert Band, Orchestra and choirs. On April 27, the Wind Ensemble's "Love & Nature" will punctuate the season with special guest composers in a performance honoring our planet.

For a full list of performances and tickets, visit go.rowan.edu/tickets